0. Realizations and Second Lives

It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize where exactly I was. Admittedly it had been hard enough for me to accept that I had been reborn with my memories of my past life somewhat intact. Things faded in and out, especially in my early years. By the time I was five I had a rather solid basis of memory and had balanced out the two.

Accepting I was born into what as very likely a post-Apocalyptic world that resembled Japan was much easier than the fact that I'd somehow ended up in a fictional universe. But I'm getting off topic.

It took me exactly five years, three months, and six days to realize that I was in the same universe as my once favorite anime.

Much like in my last life my family was entirely to blame for this unusual situation.

. . .

Kaa-san did not like leaving the house. I'd realized this by the time I was three and she finally decided I was old enough to accompany her. She spent at least half the day before leaving our rather isolated home overcoming her nerves. Even after this she still held my hand as if I would disappear any moment when we stepped outside and every minute in town she treated with the same uneasy paranoia of a shell shocked soldier.

I had a well kept system for dealing with this. I spent the entire time glued to her side, holding her hand and chattering on nonsensically. Kaa-san always made sure to listen carefully to me when I spoke. I think it had something to do with her own family never listening to her when she was my age, but she didn't speak much on them so I couldn't be sure. With half of her mind on my babble and the other on picking up our necessities I could usually keep her from focusing on the crowd around us and the fact we were out in the upon. I also was very careful to always be between her and the crowd to keep them from bumping into her. She did not like strangers touching her.

She never completely relaxed until we were back home, but she didn't shake quite so much as she used too. I didn't doubt she knew what I was doing though. She always gave my hand a squeeze when I started to move around her like a little bodyguard swiftly darting around her and refusing to allow her to focus on her surroundings.

With the isolation that my parents prefer, their lack of close friends, and my focus on my mother's obvious distress I felt incredibly justified in not realizing that the world were in resembled another one I'd become intimately familiar with.

It started out on one of our twice monthly shopping trips. I'd gotten Kaa-san to offer up a rare smile and was feeling immensely proud of myself. We were over halfway through our list and Kaa-san had been forced to allow me to hold some of the supplies while she paid the smiling shopkeep.

Despite my mother's reluctance to initiate contact the businesses and their owners seemed to find us charming for the most part. Something I felt was owed at least partially to myself. I was a pretty adorable kid and with me buffering the interactions they all seemed to take Kaa-san's nervousness as something to be treated kindly rather than exploited.

Though that might have to do with the fact that I bit the last one who tried to pressure Kaa-san into paying more than was reasonable. He hadn't been very popular and was from out of town or I probably would have gotten in more trouble than I did. As it was every time I found him I would make sure to smile showing all my teeth.

The shopkeep was carefully wrapping the last of our purchases when the door chime rang announcing the entrance of a new customer. Kaa-san stiffened and I instantly transferred the bags I held to one hand in order to take grip the edge of her shirt in a silent reminder that I was there. The shopkeeper looked up and instantly brightened.

"Ensui-san!" the woman called out cheerfully.

Kaa-san and I turned to examine the new person and I froze.

The man, barely he looked to be in his late teens in truth, slouched his way in through the door, hands in his pants pockets looking incredibly bored with life. His dark eyes flitted to the shopkeeper, a pretty girl about his age, and a bit of life appeared in his bored face. He was tall for his age easily bigger than my short Kaa-san, with his dark hair pulled up in a short, high-top ponytail and the beginnings of a goatee growing on his chin. He wore baggy black pants bandage to his legs, a matching dark long sleeve shirt with swirls on each arm, and a standard grin flak jacket.

A chunin flak jacket.

He was dressed in Konohagakure's standard uniform.

I couldn't breathe and watched weakly as he approached the counter, not even registering my mother quickly grabbing her things and pulling me out of the way. I stared at him as she dragged me away.

He wasn't wearing the hitai-ate, I thought dazed. What sort of shinobi doesn't wear one?

The teenager met my shocked gaze suddenly, realizing he was being watched and held it for a few moments a bit of curiosity taking over his own face. Our connection only broke when Kaa-san finished dragging me out the door.

We were halfway home before I realized we hadn't finished our list and we were inside and Kaa-san was locking up the door before I realized she was shaking.

I shook my head to clear away my confusion and watched as my Kaa-san shook like a leaf (Like the name of the shinobi village I was in. Because that was Nara Ensui. Oh my god.) and fumbled with the lock before finally succeeding in securing the latch. The woman took a shaky breath before looking back at me her face much too pale and her green eyes larger and wet. She slumped against the door looking towards me but not seeing.

"Kaa-san?" I asked feeling shaky myself and realizing with a rush that my mother was terrified.

My sweet, nervous mother was utterly terrified of Konoha shinobi. (Shinobi. I'm surrounded my shinobi!)

"Oh my pearl," Kaa-san finally said after a few moments of frightening silence that made me worried she'd gone into shock. She rushed forward throwing herself off the door and onto the ground in front of me, pulling me tightly against her. "I'm so sorry Kyou-chan. Kaa-san didn't mean to scare you."

I hugged her back knowing she needed it as much as I did. (This isn't real. I've already died and come back. How is this real?)

"Kaa-san?" I whispered and the woman leaned back, cupping my face gently.

The scars on her face stood out in her paleness and the smile she gave me pulled at the on on her left side making it look like her mouth went to her ear. I was used to it though and found comfort in the soft, sad expression.

"That was a shinobi Kyou-chan." she paused for a moment considering. "They pr-protect the village, but mommy's a little shy around them."

"You're scared." I told her unable to stop myself a little of the childishness of my body's age creeping in. She looked so sad at that I wished I could take it back.

"Yes, I'm scared. But not because of our shinobi." she was quick to assure me. "Konoha is a good place, a safe place. But mommy. She-I-where mommy came from the shinobi were...Not nice."

"Not nice?" I asked soft. Kaa-san nodded and her hands squeezed my shoulders as she took a deep breath, seeming to center herself eyes growing serious.

"Yes, not very nice at all. That's why your Tou-san and I came to Konoha. We knew the shinobi here were very nice and they agreed to let us stay and keep away the not nice shinobi."

I didn't feel as reassured as I knew she meant for me too. "Th-then why are you scared?"

Kaa-san gave me another of her sad smiles. When she spoke it was with a tired honesty.

"I've been scared my whole life Kyou-chan. It's hard to stop now."

Author's Note: I'd originally intended to spend today working on my other SI/OC story "The Hatake Legacy", but this one distracted me. So here's the beginning of Kyou-chan's adventure! She's gonna go in a completely different direction than the other. For instance you already know her name! Anyway hope you like I'' just get back to working on my third chapter.