Stranger Days

'

Chapter 1: First Day

'

I woke with a strange feeling. Something felt... Off. The feeling tightened like a coil in my stomach, threatening to snap, as I stole a quick glance around my room.

It was exactly the same as it'd been for the last few months since we'd moved, from the outdated pink curtains and bedsheets, to the freshly painted white walls and furniture. The only thing that differed from the norm even in the slightest was the open door where my mother was currently standing, holding a short bundle of clothes.

"You're going to be late, Emiya." Her foot tapped impatiently. "Really, today of all days?"

I grumbled, rolling over in bed to fully face her. Late? What could I possibly be late for? It was still the weekend, after all—

Oh, wait.

My hands groped blindly around my bedside table for my phone. As soon as my fingers found the cool metal, I sat up to check the date with a gasp.

April 6th.

The first day of high school, and I had already overslept.

"Oh crap!" I yelled, jumping onto the floor, feet tangling in the bedsheets. I freed myself quickly before scrambling towards the door. "I'm going to be late!"

"That's what I just said," Mom rolled her eyes, handing the bundle of clothes over. "your uniform, by the way—fresh from the cleaners. Thankfully, they managed to get rid of that stain. Make sure not to spill any paint on it again, though."

"Thanks." I mumbled hurriedly, taking the stack before rushing to the bathroom.

"I have to head to work now," she called as she turned down the hall, patting down the edges of her already flawlessly styled bun. "this case is going to be keeping me late a lot this week, are you sure you'll be fine on your own?"

My noise of affirmation was muffled by the foam in my mouth as I attempted to brush my teeth and hair at the same time. The first day had barely started and high school was already an exercise in multitasking.

"Yeah, no worries." I called back, spitting and rinsing before struggling out of my pajamas to slip my uniform on.

"...Mom? Is this the right uniform?" I asked moments later, staring at the mirror.

The one I was wearing was very, very different from the one I'd remembered my new high school having. For starters, I was pretty sure it had been blue with white trimming...

Instead, I was sporting a plain white blouse with a black collar, the short ends of my hair barely scraping the dark fabric, as well as a singular red ribbon. Those and the black skirt that came with it were high-quality materials, judging by how soft and light it felt on my skin. Nothing like the itchy fabric of the cheap uniform I'd sworn we'd picked up a few weeks prior.

She was sitting at the kitchen table as I walked in, perplexity written on my features.

"Of course," she said seriously, tightening the straps on her heels. Once she was done, I handed her the black blazer that she'd rested on the seat over. "We picked it up together, remember?"

"Right, but is this really the same one? I remembered it looking different..."

"Oh, Emiya. You'll need a better memory than that to get through the next three years." she shrugged on her jacket before heading out the door, purse swinging over her hip. "I'll see you later. Love you!"

"...Love you," I said, heading back to the bathroom to stare at my reflection for a few moments more. There was no way I'd actually managed to forget what my own high school uniform looked like... Right?

Right. That'd be crazy. Perhaps they had just mixed up my uniform at the cleaners and my mom had failed to realize it.

My focus shifted as I checked the time on my phone, realizing I would definitely be cutting it close if I didn't leave now. I rushed to my room to grab my book bag, then ran back to the kitchen to pluck a piece of fruit from the basket on the counter. A few minutes later, apple in hand, I was finally headed for the door. I'd be able to figure out the uniform situation once I got to campus. They'd have a spare for me to borrow at the least, hopefully.

Taking a bite of my apple, I slammed the front door open, ready to rush out. Instead, however, I was stopped in my tracks.

I stared.

A blonde, blue-eyed girl stared back.

"Finally! I was just about to knock." she said in an exasperated tone, hand on hip. Her presence was blocking my exit, forcing me to stand there and listen as she went on, "I ran into your mother on the stairs, by the way. She said you overslept. Really, on the first day?!"

The blonde was well, gorgeous, but there was something off about her eyes. It might've been a trick of the light, but it was as if she was completely pupil-less; really, her overall look was pretty unusual in general for Japan.

Not to mention the fact that she was a total stranger, yet she spoke to me like we were anything but.

"Um... What?" I asked, slow to the point. I felt the piece of apple I'd just swallowed stop in my throat, frozen in confusion.

"What do you mean, what?" The girl repeated blankly back.

I glanced down at her uniform. Strangely, she was wearing the exact same outfit I was. Black collar, white shirt, black skirt... Even down to a much more skillfully tied red ribbon.

Oh.

Duh, I realized. The girl must have mistaken me for someone she knew from her school, thanks to the uniform mixup. Perhaps she was looking for a classmate who lived in the same apartment complex, and I'd simply been the one to slam their door open first...

"Sorry, you're at the wrong place," I said. "this is 2D, maybe you were looking for 2E instead? We get that sometimes—"

"Yeah yeah," the girl rolled her eyes before grabbing my arm, her grip like iron around my wrist. "enough with the stupid jokes. C'mon, Sakura's waiting for us downstairs."

"...What? Who?" My protests came out in squeaks as the surprisingly strong girl pulled me out of my apartment and down the stairs to the first floor of the complex.

"Finally, Ino-pig!" I squeezed my eyes shut at the sight that greeted us once we'd reached downstairs, trying to comprehend the glimpse I'd just had of the pink-haired girl calling out towards us.

That wasn't normal, right? Hair dye wasn't allowed at most high schools in this area, so was it natural?

"Hello? What're you waiting for?" The pink-haired girl asked. Holding back her long, bright locks was a red headband, though some strands fell loosely around her green eyes.

Green eyes? Yeah, this was getting weird. To top it all off, she too, was wearing the same uniform as well.

I shook my head.

"Look, I don't know who you guys think I am, but we don't go to the same high school."

"What? What're you talking about?" The blue-eyed girl and the pink-haired girl shared a glance. "This joke is getting weird."

The pink haired one's face fell. "Oh, this is about Saturday, isn't it?"

"What?" The other one looked scandalized. "You're still mad about that? But we apologized for forever!"

"I told you she'd still be mad!"

"No way, you told me you thought she was okay!"

"But I didn't really think it, I was just saying that to make you feel less shitty!"

"What the hell Forehead, you should've said so sooner! Who says I need you to make me feel better?!"

This was insane, and I no longer wanted any part of it. I slowly took my exit as they continued their heated argument, wondering all the while what the hell was happening today.

'

'

We'd only just moved to this neighborhood a few months ago, at the beginning of the year. Still, I was pretty sure I'd never seen this school here before.

It was beautiful. Majestic. Almost sparkling, even.

...And exactly where I could've sworn my actual school was supposed to be.

After escaping the strange girls earlier this morning, I'd hurried down the path I'd known led to my new school, Sugi High. I had worked endlessly to try and make it into their scholarship program when we'd first found out we were moving to this neighborhood; it was everything I'd been hoping for, and now, standing in front of the address I'd made sure to memorize, I realized a very disturbing fact:

It was gone.

In its place was a much bigger, fancier version of my school—no, could this even be called a school? It looked like a contemporary manor. Ivy crawled up the white marble sides, its leaves basking in the morning light. The windows gleamed, clear as day, spanning several stories in wide expanse. The very size of the buildings and campus dwarfed Sugi High by four times, if we were being modest.

Like I said. It was practically sparkling.

Even the front courtyard was grandiose, lined with cherry blossom trees and a gleaming bleached brick path. I walked down it, silently marveling at the sights as I entered past the gates.

As I walked, I started to notice something even stranger; all the rest of the students were wearing the same uniform that I was, all black bottoms and white shirts, some with the black collar and ribbon for the girls.

The sheer unlikeliness of it all stopped me in my tracks. I stood there for a moment, wondering where my actual school went, let alone how I had accidentally stumbled upon the school my uniform's actual owner must be going to. That was when I noticed the crowd around me starting to grow, still staring at something off in my direction. It took a second before I realized the subject of their interest must be somewhere behind me. I turned to look, and that was when I found myself slamming into a crisp, white shirt.

My face was red as I shifted my gaze up, meeting eyes with a tall, dark-haired boy. He was tired-looking, yet still more handsome than anyone I'd ever witnessed in my entire life.

His hair was long, pulled into a low ponytail, thin strands framing his smooth face and accentuating a long, slim nose and sharp, deeply-set eyes.

I hated bumping into people as a rule, but somehow this was worse than usual.

"O-oh. Sorry!" I stumbled with my words, internally cursing my clumsiness. "I didn't know you were behind me."

He stood silent, holding his stare for a brief moment before taking a step away.

"...It's alright," he said. A second later he was walking off past me, back towards the school.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt before glancing behind me, only to see the crowd of staring students had grown even large. There wasn't time to think much of it, however, as I power-walked out of the courtyard and back onto the city sidewalk. Something about that boy too, much like the girls I'd just seen, seemed far too familiar as well...

A few blocks later, I'd been wandering in circles for what felt like years, searching through my phone for my school's actual location.

There was nothing. I'd searched every variation of the words 'Sugi High School', and nothing, absolutely nothing, was coming up.

I'd only just searched it up last night, so how was it that it'd been erased from existence just this morning?!

"Maybe I'm really going crazy," I muttered to myself as I typed in my next search. Surely the 24th try would work...

"Hey you!"

There was a sudden, hard tug my shoulder. I fell back a step, realizing I'd had a foot off the curb and another on the road. A red car sped by, only a few inches from where I'd been standing.

"What, were you about to just walk into traffic on purpose?" the voice demanded. I looked to see it belonged to another dark-haired boy. His hair, though, weirdly enough, had the slightest of a blue sheen to it.

He was also incredibly good-looking as well. What was going on today?!

"...I wasn't."

"Looked like it. You shouldn't be running around on your phone like that."

"Oh, you're right." I blinked, still in a slight daze. "Thanks then."

He scoffed.

"You go to Konoha High too?" he said, glancing down at my uniform.

"Kono-what?"

"Yo Sasuke!" A blonde boy bounced up behind him. "You just suddenly ran off! What's-oh hey!"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Sasuke? Who would name their kid-"

Wait. Sasuke?

Sakura.

Ino.

Oh god.

Oh god no.

No... It had to be a coincidence, right?

As I turned to gaze at the other boy that'd just arrived, all I could think was, this can't be real.

Sky-blue eyes, blonde spikes, and whisker-like facial markings...

There was just no way.

I hadn't watched that show in years. It'd never even crossed my mind in that time until now.

Sasuke glared at me, crossing his arms. "Well, what's your name then?"

"...Emiya." I replied almost on instinct, as my mind was still preoccupied with trying to make sense of this all.

"Is that even a girl's name? Not much better." Sasuke smirked. Usually I would have a comeback for that, but at this moment I was questioning my existence in this universe. And the existence of the universe. And the universe in general.

Naruto's face inched closer to mine, curiosity painting his expression. "Oh hey, that uniform! Do you go to our school too?"

"No, I... I go to Sugi High, somewhere near here." I said. "the cleaners just mixed up my uniform, I think."

"Never heard of it. Then again, I live outside this area. Naruto would know." Sasuke said.

My heart stopped.

Naruto. It really was him?

What. Was. Happening?! How was this possible? Was this all just some sort of strange dream?

Naruto shook his head. "No way there's a Sugi High or anything like that in this ward. I definitely would've heard of it by now. Besides, it's impossible to get a Konoha High uniform without actually going there. They're strict about giving those out, ya know?"

Sasuke raised his brow in my direction. "You were mistaken, then?"

My jaw dropped as realization set in. They'd kept saying Konoha. Konoha? As in, the village from the series? Right, this was definitely a dream.

"Only one way to find out! I bet if we go to the school we can get things cleared up." Naruto jerked his head. "Let's hurry! We're going to be late!"

'

'

Sasuke and Naruto led me down the path back to the school where I'd thought Sugi High was supposed to be. I was starting to think this was either an insufferably long dream or at the very least, an elaborate prank concocted by some terrible, terrible person.

My suspicions of this only grew firmer when they led me to the faculty room, where even the cubicles were spotless and spacious, only to come face to face with a man with a familiar nose scar.

Iruka. Sure, why not add him to this mess too.

"He's the head of faculty here," Naruto grinned. "so he'll be able to help you sort everything out!"

The ponytailed man smiled, turning his computer monitor to face us. "Yup, you're on here Emiya. Your homeroom class is about to start, actually. Room 4A. I wouldn't be late if I were you. Your teacher is... Kind of a stickler about that stuff."

My heart stopped. No way. My name was really in their system? How was that possible?l

Naruto's grin was so large it looked like it could split his face. "Looks like you had the right uniform after all! And even better, you're in the same homeroom as Sasuke and me! C'mon, we should start heading over before we're late. Thanks Iruka!"

"Wait, no..." I couldn't get another word in before Naruto started pushing me out the door towards the class. Sasuke followed in suit, offering no help whatsoever.

After we made it to Room 4A, I quickly removed myself from the two before sitting down in the furthest available seat. The classroom's layout was at least familiar, though still much nicer than most and slightly more modern in design. The polished, wooden desks sat two people each, forming a total of six rows and four columns. The one I was currently occupying was closest to the windows and only two rows from the back. I'd chosen it in the hopes for some solitude to gather my bearings. Hopefully they would get the hint.

"Whoa, what's the rush?" Naruto asked, plopping down in a seat across the aisle to my right. I muffled a groan.

That was when I heard a small squeak. Turning, I saw a girl with blunt bangs and otherwise long hair seated behind me. Her pale eyes trembled as Naruto glanced in her direction.

I groaned. Based on looks alone, it was safe to assume this was none other than Hinata Hyuga.

"N-Naruto! He...Hello!"

Oh yeah, that was definitely Hinata.

Naruto gave a little wave back, before turning back in his seat to grin at Sasuke, who'd just taken the seat next to him. I froze, realizing to his front sat Sakura and Ino, who must have witnessed my entrance into the classroom with the boys, and were now staring my way with varying degrees of confusing.

Ino looked at me intently, never breaking eye contact as her fingers tapped rapidly away on her phone.

My phone buzzed. Of course. A text from Ino.

Where'd you go this morning?! You've been acting really weird. Is everything okay?

I frowned, deciding not to bother replying, when the buzzing happened again.

Sakura. I glanced up at her, noticing her tight smile.

Are you sick, Emiya? If you feel bad, let me know, alright?

How did these two even get my number?! And their names were even saved in my phone...

"Hey," A very pale girl with plain brown hair a shade close to mine, though hers was far longer, said from besides me. I hadn't even noticed her as I'd taken my seat, too distracted by my plight to distinguish who I was sharing half of my desk with.

I squinted at her. She was familiar too, but it was harder to identify her than it'd been with the others. I'd seen her face before, but not somewhere memorable...

"A few of us saw you in the courtyard this morning," her voice dropped to a whisper. "Did you really just bump into Itachi like that? Or was it on purpose? You can tell me, I won't judge. A lot of people would do anything for the chance to talk to him. You were really brave, in my opinion."

That was Itachi?!

"Uh no," I said, not bothering with whispering back. "that was genuinely an accident."

"Oh," her face fell, but she still extended her hand. "never mind then. By the way, my name's Yakumo."

"...Emiya," I said, shaking her hand. It felt a little strange to greet another student that way, but it was hardly the weirdest thing to happen today.

"Nice to meet you, Emiya. So," she said, "which track are you?"

"Track? What are tracks?"

"This homeroom class is only for first-year students on one of the advanced tracks." A tall, very long-haired boy appeared in front of me. "did you not take the evaluation to get in? You should at least know that much."

His pale eyes stared down, demanding and intense.

"I... uh..."

"Neji..." Hinata's quiet voice said from behind me. "You... You should ask more nicely..."

Neji only hmmphed in reply before taking his seat at the front.

"He's the student council president," Yakumo whispered. "the girl behind you's his cousin. Better get used to more of... That."

"Uh, right." I said, staring down at the sheet of paper in front of me. Iruka had given it to me, calling it my 'schedule'. Though I'd given up on trying to wake up from whatever dream this was at this point, the paper in front of me was especially perplexing. The chart was filled with art classes, similar to the ones I'd chosen for my original high school's schedule, yet there were strange red marks next to almost all of them. The current class we were in, homeroom, was one of the few exceptions. I glanced over the class instructor's name, not believing my eyes at the list of names I was seeing.

"Mr. Hatake's coming!" someone yelled from the front of the room where they'd been standing watch at the door. Those that weren't yet in their seats scrambled to take the nearest one. A boy with a bowl-cut sat down next to Neji. Even rom the back, I was sure that had to be Rock Lee. It just... It had to be.

"I heard that." came a dry voice as a man with gravity-defying silver hair walked in, holding a small stack of books. I had no trouble identifying him as Kakashi, though he wasn't sporting the familiar blue headband and mask. Instead, he wore a hygiene mask to cover the lower half of his face, while openly showcasing the scar over his left eye. I wondered to myself what caused the scar, hoping beyond hope there were no Sharingans involved here. "It's the first day so I'm not taking attendance, but you guys better all be here. I don't accept tardiness."

"But wasn't he late himself?" I whispered to Yakumo, glancing at the clock. It was at least ten minutes after class was supposed to start. And on the first day, too.

"Teachers are held to a different standard than students," Kakashi said, not looking up from the book he'd opened on his desk. He took out a pen and starting to make marks. "what was your name? Brown-haired girl that likes to talk in class."

I watched as the room turned to face me. How was his hearing that good? We were in one of the last rows!

"Oh.. Um, my name is Emiya." I said, ignoring Neji's especially judgemental gaze.

"Alright, Emiya." Kakashi said, handing a stack of packets to Rock Lee, who'd happened to be sitting right in front of his desk. The boy eagerly started handing out the papers at a breakneck pace. "If you're looking to chat, why don't you go ahead and read out the testing schedule for the class?"

"Uh, okay," I said. As if on cue, a small packet flew onto my desk. Rock Lee winked, his smile momentarily blinding the room with his gleaming set of teeth, before handing Yakumo her packet and moving on.

I turned to the first page. "On July 10th, there will be first-round midterms for the athletics and science tracks-"

"No! That's the opening of Ichiraku's new shop! They're doing free ramen for the opening." Naruto cried from besides me. The room, again, turned to stare. "Man, I was planning to ditch class to go."

"Sorry to ruin your plans, Naruto," Kakashi said. His eyes were smiling, but his tone was cold. "but perhaps you should refrain from any more outbursts before I decide your time would be better spent in all-day detention."

Naruto grinned weakly, sliding down in his seat.

I sighed. This was going to be a long day.

'

'

"Em-i-ya."

I froze where I sat.

Ino stood in front of my desk, her expression dark. I quickly averted her eyes, staring down at the reflective white floors.

The bell had just rang, ending homeroom, and after Naruto and Sasuke waved their goodbyes before heading to their next class, Ino had found her opening to pounce.

"Are you avoiding us?! You didn't even sit with us like we said we would!" Ino pouted. "And you didn't answer our texts! What's going on?"

"I..." Suddenly, I spotted an exit strategy, though he wouldn't have been my first choice. "Oh sorry, I need to talk to Neji really quick."

I practically sprinted to Neji's desk, though he was already packing up his bag to leave. "Hey, um, you're the class president, right? Can you help me figure something out?"

He stared blankly at me. "Go ahead."

I held out my schedule. "Um, I'm not really sure I understand my schedule... These red marks, what are they?" Ino and Sakura's gaze burnt at the back of my neck. Somehow I knew the two girls were already prepared to ambush me once I was done talking to Neji. Neji nodded, taking the schedule from my hand for a moment before returning it.

"As I'm sure you know, Konoha High is an elite private school with customized tracks to fit the more advanced student's talents. The red marks next to the class means you're in certain classes with the upperclassmen for art," Neji explained. "The rest of the schedule holds your regular classes, which will be with the rest of your grade."

"Advanced classes?"

"Yes. I'm assuming you're in the arts track, since all your marked classes are in that category."

I blinked. "Oh... I suppose that makes sense."

"Wait, Emiya, didn't you already know all that?" Ino suddenly interjected. "Me and Sakura are in the athletics track, remember? Though Sakura," Ino glared, "might switch into the science track by next semester."

"Oh, don't make such a fuss," Sakura said, rolling her eyes. "I was just considering it! It's not like I asked for this. Tsunade only said I'd have the choice because I scored so high in biology for the evaluation. I didn't even realize when I was taking it."

"Hmph. Everyone's going to make a fuss if we're not all in the same homeroom next semester, though."

"Try a huge fuss." Sakura said. "I don't even want to think about it." Ino stuck her tongue out at that.

"Same homeroom?" I asked.

"The first semester of the first year is where you have the chance to change tracks if you're not sure," Ino explained. "but after that, if you want a chance to win a scholarship to university, you have to stay in your same track for the rest of the two and a half years. So starting next semester, once you've chosen your track, we'll get new homeroom assignments with everyone in our permanent tracks."

Neji's eyebrow creased slightly. "Why are you even here if you don't know all this?"

"Hey, be nice to Emiya!" Sakura said. "Don't think you can talk to her like that just because you're a Hyuga!"

"My being a Hyuga has nothing to do with it. It's just that for someone attending our school, you would think she would have been more diligent."

"Why you—"

I stood back as Sakura and Ino started to bicker with Neji, realizing this was probably the best time to make another exit. Yet I couldn't. My feet were frozen to the floor as my mind scrambled to process everything I'd just heard. At least the art track made sense; I'd chosen the high school I thought I'd be going to for their arts scholarship. This fancy school with its giant rooms and silky uniforms, however, were far from what I'd been expecting my high school life to turn out to be like...

Not to mention the whole fictional characters thing.

The worst part, however, was that it was getting harder and harder to believe this was all just a dream. I'd just gone through an entire class and several very lucid conversations without waking up, after all. That, in itself, was horrifying.

Before I knew it, I was being dragged to my next class by Ino and Sakura, who had somehow taken hold of my schedule. Even worse, our arms were linked at the elbows, the two girls forming a steel trap to prevent my escape as we charged down the hall. It was hard to tell if this was how they genuinely planned for us to walk together the rest of the school year.

"Ooh," Ino said, "we have literature together! Kakashi teaches that too, unfortunately."

"But Emiya's got her art classes tomorrow," Sakura sighed. "we won't be together during those."

"It's okay, we'll still have a few together today. Look, we all have P.E. next." Ino pointed.

I frowned. "I thought you guys were on the athletics track? Shouldn't you take... Advanced P.E.?"

"No, our advanced classes are more like boxing and martial arts," Sakura explained. "P.E.'s the really general stuff, just like running laps or volleyball and all."

"Yeah, it's more like a warmup to us," Ino said. "plus it's a way to measure yourself against other kids your grade who are doing the normal track. You'll have normal arts classes too, for that same reason."

"Oh." I commented. "That's... Kind of weird."

"Tell me about it." Sakura sighed. "Oh, here are the locker rooms. Did you bring your gym uniform?"

"...No?"

Ino clicked her tongue. "You can borrow my spare, but wow Emiya, you're forgetting a lot of stuff lately."

"Yeah, you still haven't told us about this morning," Sakura said as we walked into a room lined with tall, red lockers. It was the most modest room we'd been in, yet it was still almost the size of my entire apartment.

"Oh, um," As the girls released their grip, I took the spare uniform Ino had pulled out of her bag gratefully. It was a relief to see the gym uniform, at least, was still the standard white t-shirt and red gym shorts I would have expected. There was only room for so many surprises today. "I was just... A bit overwhelmed this morning. I'm sure things will be better tomorrow."

Things really would only be better if this did end up being a dream and I woke up tomorrow to my normal, non-Naruto'd world. But yeah. That seemed like a long shot now.

I dressed quickly, glancing at Ino and Sakura, who were just pulling on their t-shirts.

I froze, gaze locked on what looked like a small tattoo on the back on their shoulders. What concerned me, however, was how familiar the symbol was.

An open spiral with a small point at its left. The Konoha symbol.

Except... There were no villages or shinobi here, right? This was just a normal, if not strangely elite, high school.

So what exactly did that symbol mean here? And why would both girls have it permanently inked into their skin?

"Look," Ino said as we exited the locker room moments later, fully dressed. We had just made our way out the door when Ino pointed at the far end of the large gymnasium that had been connected to the locker room. "they're at it again."

I turned to look. Naruto and Sasuke were on the gym floor, running laps around a red-painted track field. It didn't seem that out of place, except for the fact they were the only ones running, and a small mob of onlookers was watching and cheering them on.

"Sasuke! You can do it!" I heard a gaggle of students cry, their high-pitched voices echoing in the spacious room. As we approached, I could see Naruto's grimace at the cheers, his feet a blur as he started to pick up his pace. Still, he was barely on Sasuke's tail when they reached the finish line, the dark-haired boy failing to contain a smirk as he crossed first.

"Better luck next time, idiot," Sasuke said, throwing Naruto a towel from a nearby chest. Naruto caught it with a huff.

"I'll be twice as fast as you by then, duck butt!"

"As if."

"Hey guys," Ino called out from where we'd walked up to the side of the track. Both boys turned to face her, much to the ire of the onlooking group. "you done being losers?"

"Naruto's never done with that." Sasuke commented, ambling over with a towel thrown over his shoulders. He glanced at my direction. "You're from this morning. How do you know Ino and Sakura?" Naruto joined the group as well, still grumbling at Sasuke's earlier joke.

"She's the one we were talking about!" Sakura chirped. "From earlier this year, remember?"

Sasuke's eyes widened in the slightest. "This is her?"

"Whoa, whoa," Naruto interjected quickly. "Are you guys sure about this? She looks... Really normal."

I blinked, wondering briefly if I should be offended at that. Sure, I didn't have bright yellow or pink hair like the rest of them... But was that really such a bad thing?

"She's on the arts track. Of course she's normal," Ino rolled her eyes. "we already had to go through all of this with your dad, Naruto. It's a done deal."

Sasuke crossed his arms. "This is a dumb idea. She probably can't protect herself at all. They'll kill her easily at this rate."

I froze. "Kill?"

"Yeah, I don't think you guys realize how dangerous this is!" Naruto cried, waving around his arms. "What if the Sound—"

Sakura slapped a hand over Naruto's mouth, her voice a hushed whisper. "Don't you remember where we are, stupid? Don't say their names here!"

"Rifgt." Naruto said, the sound muffled. "Thorry."

I opened my mouth to question further, but was interrupted by a sharp, splitting sound. Turning, I looked to see a man donning a green tracksuit grinning in our direction as he lowered the offending whistle from his mouth.

"Oh no, I forgot Gai was teaching this class," Ino groaned. "we're done for."

"Alright kids, let's begin your first P.E. class of the year! I was thinking, why don't we start out with a relay race, followed by rope climbing, and then a youthful game of dodgeball..."

'

'

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful, especially considering the fact it would be hard to outdo the excruciating workout Gai had put us through. The difference between students on the athletics tracks and others was made clear as I found myself constantly running off to the side of the track or shimmying down the rope just for the chance to catch my breath. Sakura and Ino, however, had barely broke a sweat by the end. I wonder if the system was designed that way just to make us feel bad, seeing the kids on the other tracks struggle as we try to compete with them in those same subjects.

Though the rest of my classes had gone far more smoothly, by the end of the day it was hard to ignore the reality of this situation when all my classes were taught by the jounin I'd known from the series. Having Asuma as my history teacher was something I'd hardly get used to.

"Sorry, Ino and I have to stop by a club meeting for a second." Sakura said apologetically as we exited our final class. "But we can still walk home together if you're willing to wait up a little bit."

"It's fine," I said. "I think I want some time to just... Think."

Ino blinked. "Think? About what?"

"Uh, just... First day at a new school. A lot to process."

Ino and Sakura exchanged another glance. Ino turned to me in an attempt to prod further when Naruto came running up.

"Hey!" he said. "You two coming?" that was when he noticed me. "Oh hey! Your name's Emiya, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

Naruto beamed, raising a friendly fist as greeting. "I'm Naruto! I don't think we introduced ourselves this morning. You need anything, just let me know, okay? I'm your guy!"

"Oh... Okay, yeah. Thanks, Naruto." I returned his fist bump gently. The kindness of the gesture wasn't lost on me, especially considering we had only met today.

"Seriously though, if anyone gives you any trouble at all, just say the word! I'll take care of them, easy." He winked, before addressing Ino and Sakura. "I'll see you guys at the meeting, okay? Don't be late, Kakashi's running this one. You know how he is."

"Got it," Sakura said as Naruto left, turning back towards Ino. "Naruto's right, we should head there soon. Sorry again, Emiya."

"It's okay, there's always tomorrow. I... Appreciate you guys hanging out with me today." I said, surprised at my own words as they left my mouth. It was true, though. If I woke up to this being a dream tomorrow, it was nice to have at least gone through today with some friends. Even if almost nothing they'd said had made a lick of sense.

This brought a smile to the girl's faces, who waved goodbye as they left.

I stood there at the gate of the school, just mulling things over, when a tall shadow was cast over me.

"Oh, hello," I said, recognizing the tired face from this morning. Now that I knew it was Itachi, I wasn't sure how I missed it the first time around.

"Hello," he spoke back simply. We stood there awkwardly for a second, before he finally moved to walk past me.

"There have been some robberies in this area as of late. You should pay close attention to your surroundings when walking home tonight." Itachi said solemnly, before disappearing out the gates and around the corner.

"W-what...? Okay, thanks, I guess..." I started to say, even though he was already gone from view.

"Why were you talking to my brother?" A sudden voice spoke from behind me. I turned to see that Sasuke had been standing behind the gate post, listening in on the conversation.

He wore a frown that only deepened as we made eye contact.

"I..."

"He's bad news. You should stay away."

"What? Your brother?" I knew in the series he'd killed all their family, but there was no way Itachi had managed that here, right? Surely he'd be rotting in jail if he had, not traipsing around campus in a school uniform.

"Trust me," he said. "stay away."

I rubbed at the back of my neck, trying to circulate warmth. I'd cut my hair not long ago at the start of spring, so the cool air now bit angrily at my nape.

"Um, I mean, I can try, but I don't really—"

"Look," he interrupted. "I don't think it was a good idea for Sakura and Ino to tell you everything." Though his voice mild, his gaze was laser-focused on mine as he spoke. "But I hope they made the right decision. If not... Well, it'll be you that pays for it, not us."

I stared as he walked away, jaw dropping at the thinly-veiled threat.

"What... What is going on?!"

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A/N: I've been really wanting to write this one for a while. This is lightly inspired by a Korean webtoon, but basically this is my first try at a romance and AU in a Naruto-ish world. Enjoy!

Also, I played around with some ages here, so all of the Konoha 11 are the same age and grade, and therefore in the same class. Shisui and Itachi are both only 2 years older than the main cast. Everyone else mentioned for now, should be their canon ages.