Disclaimer/Announcements:

So, first up, I don't own anything. All I do claim ownership to is Tomoko, my Self-Insert OC from Civilian Pianist, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. In fact, that's all that is really under my name because the other elements in this fic in particular are crossover elements.

So for those who have read the summary or not, this is a crossover fanfiction with Lang Noi and Beta's famous Catch Your Breath. It was actually thanks to them that I got the inspiration to write this crossover, and full kudos. I don't think this would've ever gotten onto a document or the Internet as a whole without them being as supportive as they were when I private messaged them about the idea. Please go and read Catch Your Breath if you can before this, because it's amazing. To me, best Naruto fanfic heads down.

Just note that this fanfic is more an alternate side-story if anything. It's not canon since Catch Your Breath and Civilian Pianist are essentially in two different parallel universes at this point of publication, so this story really just explores the idea of Kei and Tomoko meeting when they're the same age and hitting it off from there.

Anyways, the theme for this chapter is actually Kyle Landry's cover of Kairi from Kingdom Hearts. Tomoko does actually play this song for Kei, alongside Kyle's other covers of Traverse Town and Lazy Afternoons, in that order, so please check them out on YouTube!

Aside from that, sit back, relax, and please enjoy!

Chapter 1: Wayfinder

It was supposed to be another day at Nagareboshi Cafe. At least, another normal day for the 6 year old pianist I officially was.

I guess I'll fill you in. I'm Hoshino Tomoko, the main pianist at Nagareboshi Cafe and the reincarnation of a dead 18 year old college student. I live in Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves as a civilian, catering to whoever comes to our doors. Whether it is a fellow civilian or a ninja.

That's right. Ninja. If the name 'Konoha' didn't ring a bell, then you probably don't know my situation.

But yes. When my past self died, she, or I, reincarnated into the Naruto-verse of all things.

I wasn't expecting it to end up like that. In fact, what shocked me even more was the fact that I remembered everything from my past life, whether that included my old parents' faces or the fact that my past self read the original Naruto manga. Sure, she did skip out on some episodes of the anime due to the massive amounts of filler, but that's not the point.

I never heard of a reincarnated person coming into a world that they once knew as fictional with all their memories to boot. Reincarnation wasn't supposed to work that way. Last I checked, Buddhism said that reincarnation meant losing those memories, not holding onto them like glue.

But, somehow, it happened.

I was reborn as Hoshino Tomoko with all of my past self's—Vy's—memories intact.

And it was really horrifying to realize all that—especially when I got that first glimpse of the Hokage Monument.

…I'm kinda grateful I didn't bawl my new parents' eardrums out. Even if my high-pitched voice transferred between lives too.

But a few years have passed since then, and I think I've finally found a routine for myself to at least act 'normal.'

Even when I first discovered my pianist ability to be rather 'abnormal,' if I could put it that way.

Reincarnation was already weird enough. But being able to play any song from pure memory alone on the piano without any instruction? Even with tiny, three-year-old hands?

I still find it to be contrived spiritual bullshit, if I could be so generous. But I still had the ability anyways. And considering that my chakra senses were literally null, why not use it?

The environment was there. Mama played violin, Papa played cello, and they were the co-owners of a music-centered cafe that ran for both ninja and civilian consumers.

So why not take center stage with them? Even as Vy, helping people out was something I wanted to do for a long time. I was just hoping that I could balance those two sides of society with my new ability in the process. Civilians always seemed to get the short end of the stick in canon in understanding their ninja counterparts, but I was hoping to open more awareness on it. Somehow.

I just wasn't expecting my first shinobi customer to face almost the exact same situation I was in.

It was around 4-5 in the afternoon that I saw her walk in through the front doors.

…Even though initially I didn't know she was a girl. The entire image made it out to be quite… androgynous (I think - I never did get to fully know the term on a regular basis until now), and Vy had her fair share of run-ins with the LGTBQIA+ community back then for me to know that making assumptions wasn't the best idea.

Tufty, black hair, messy enough to frame her somewhat wide face.

Visible eye bags underneath her already dark, scowling eyes.

Adding in a purple hoodie, what appeared to be gray shinobi pants, and the obvious shinobi-open-toed sandals, I knew this person was aiming to be a ninja.

The only thing that really concerned me for a second was that this person was the spitting image of someone I knew wasn't adult-aged yet.

…I'm not seeing another Gekkō Hayate around now, am I?

Unfortunately, they noticed that I was staring at them, turning their head in my direction almost immediately.

Ack! Without even thinking, I instinctively turned away to focus on the piano keys underneath my hands, playing whatever song that could take my mind off my blunder.

Strangely, my mind immediately went to the Pokémon Center theme. I guess video games can have a huge influence when you play them a lot as a kid. A part of me was honestly expecting to play something Kingdom Hearts-related, considering it was the first game that I knew was a video game, but whatever.

The familiar tune at least helped get the tension out of my shoulders and head.

It was only when the last note was played that I could hear the sound of a chair being pulled over next to me.

"Hey," a new voice said.

I made sure to put on my best smile before turning around.

And then that smile fell off its rocker almost immediately.

Oh dear.

The person I was just staring at was now sitting right in front of me! Tufty black hair, eye bags, and all!

I didn't even realize I was gaping that badly until they waved a hand in front of my face.

"Hello? Anybody there?" they continued.

Once reality hit me, I found myself stuttering just to get some composure back. "O-Oh! I-I-I…Um…just a second." In my haste, I forced myself to shake my head with enough force for my bangs to hit my face. For good measure, I made sure to slap my cheeks extra hard. Then, it was taking some time to just breathe.

I didn't know why, but for some reason, I felt nervous just being in the presence of this person. Maybe it was because they were at least a centimeter or two taller than me? Or was it the messy hair and eye bags that just screamed 'intimidation—do not disturb?!'

I didn't know what to think, and instead pushed whatever panic I was feeling to the back of my head to focus on them, wiping my sweaty hands on my skirt. "Um…sorry about that."

A part of me was really hoping that they wouldn't be commenting on the red tomato that was my face now.

Thankfully, the person in front of me just blinked before smiling sheepishly in a rather crooked grin. "Don't worry about it."

"Er…" I took another breath. This wasn't a good way to start the conversation. I was the main pianist, darn it! I have to be a bit more composed than this! In the end, I found myself sighing. "…By chance, is this your first time here?" I ended up asking slowly.

They blinked again before nodding. "Do I have to pay you to play something?"

Now it was my turn to blink questionably. Then, a more relieved smile came onto my face. "Nah, you don't have to pay me anything. The next song will be on the house."

"…Huh?" They said, expression morphing into the deadest of deadpan faces I had ever seen. The eye bags and messy hair just added to the rather cute and hilarious image.

I ended up giggling. "My personal rule is to always do a freebie for a new customer. And…" In exasperation, I found myself shaking my head to get the blush out of my face. "I did mess up a bit in front of you. So I have to make it up."

My new customer was looking really perplexed now. "You—You didn't do anything that bad, though."

"Yeah, but no." I interjected with a polite and shy tone all at once. "I should've been more aware that you were coming by and acted more courteous. Not…" The familiar heat of embarrassment was already flooding my face, so I had to look away. "Not panic like that in front of you."

"High standard for a civilian, no?" They deadpanned in a flat tone.

I just shrugged. "It's my standard, at least. I…" A sigh involuntarily left me at the thought. "I don't think I'm that normal anyways."

Considering how I came to be in the first place.

There was a pause. And then…

"…Normal's overrated."

Did they just say…what I think they said?

I looked up at them, and those same baggy eyes had a glint of something warm in them. I couldn't really identify it as happiness or kindness, but it was something that made the tension in my heart ease off at least a little bit.

Without even thinking, I offered my hand to them for a handshake, smiling.

"Well, I'm Hoshino Tomoko, your pianist at Nagareboshi Cafe for today. What's your name?"

The person blinked again, staring at my hand for a few moments in what I knew was confusion before accepting the gesture.

And the first thing I registered was that they had a pretty tight grip. Adding in the rather calloused fingers and palms, it felt like this person really was going to be powerful one day.

My new customer smiled again, this time giving a little less lopsided and more straightforward of a grin. "I'm Keisuke. Gekkō Keisuke. You can call me Kei, if you want."

I was honestly grateful that I didn't immediately freak at hearing Hayate's surname.

Then again, we were having a moment, and it didn't feel right to interrupt.

It just feels a bit ridiculous knowing that the moment was later broken by my curiosity of all things. Once the handshake was done and over with, I couldn't stop myself from asking. "Um…so Kei-san?" I tried.

The customer now dubbed as Kei just frowned at me again. "Too formal."

"…Kei-kun?" I tried again.

This time, they nodded firmly.

"…Before we move on, I'm guessing 'Kei-chan' is out of the question?" I asked sheepishly.

There was another pause. Kei looked more perplexed if anything at my sudden line of thought, raising an eyebrow before glancing at the piano for a few seconds. "I don't really mind that too much," they mumbled.

Now the curiosity was just eating at me. "Okay then, I'll just go with 'Kei-kun' now. But er…" Shit. Why. Was. I. Stuttering. Again?!

They just glanced at me.

Ugh. I just went with it. "B-By chance, Kei-kun, are you a boy or a girl~?!"

I wasn't even intending for my voice to go that high in terms of pitch. It was just a simple question—but I think it's just Vy's old experiences talking that made it so hard. She did have a transgender friend of her own back then, and the way the friendship ended…wasn't pretty to be honest.

Still, I blame my emotions for getting ahead of me to the point of making my voice this way, and I couldn't help but feel extremely grateful for the fact that Papa had already turned the privacy seals on near the piano.

Because Kei was already wincing and holding a hand towards their ear from my little outburst. "…Ow, really?"

Red hot shame was already shooting through my veins like fire. "I-I'm sorry! I-It's just…" Oh no. Before I even knew it, I was starting to babble, hands literally waving around in the air because I couldn't think of anything else to do. "I-I wasn't fully sure, and I didn't want to offend you or anything!"

"Tomoko-san."

"I-I've met people who appeared as one gender only to identify as another, and thenthere'sthosewhowanttotransition, andthenthere'speoplewhoareagender—"

"Tomoko-san."

"Nottomentionthere'salsobinarypeople, soyouhavetobecarefulaboutyourpronouns, andI'vehadmyfairshareofcomplaints, so—"

"Tomoko-san!" The sound of my name immediately snapped me out of it, and I looked up only to see Kei give me an expression caught between a frown and a grin. "It's fine. And I'm a girl."

"…Oh?" I gaped.

Why in all heck did I not see it sooner?!

Kei was now openly grinning. "Tomoko-san, it's okay. Don't worry about it."

Even with that said in the open, I still couldn't wipe the heavy blush on my face. Still somewhat stunned, I turned away to pout. "I-It's kinda hard not to worry when you serve a bunch of customers every day and you have to be as respectful as you can…That was just horrible on my part."

Kei was still smiling at me as she just shrugged. "But hey. It's really okay."

I sighed before turning back to look at her. "…I guess I owe you a full concert now, Kei-kun."

Her grin immediately disappeared for another flat look. "…Wait, what?"

I found myself sighing again. "By now, I've messed up about two times in front of you already - not to mention we're in public—so adding in my normal freebie rule, you now have a total of a small, 15 minute concert under your belt, Kei-kun. Free of charge."

Kei was still giving me that same, flat look as her hands folded themselves in her lap. "…But Tomoko-san, I didn't do anything."

At this point, I just felt tired and exasperated with my own incompetence and instead opted for a sheepish smile. "But I did, and I want to make it up to you, Kei-kun, okay? Just…" Now I was wondering if I was pushing the ninja-civilian boundary a bit too much, but nonetheless asked. "Just call me Tomoko, okay? 'Tomoko-san' makes me feel weird."

"Then call me Kei," she retorted back.

Pfft. Kei was starting to remind me of someone, but I still smiled at her anyways. "Deal."

"So, what can I request you to play then, Tomoko?"

Ooh, here comes the fun part. I was finally starting to feel comfortable too, so I shrugged. "Just give me a phrase, and then I'll improvise!"

The deadpan, almost sarcastic tone was almost becoming a common occurrence in this conversation. "Does that even work?"

I grinned at her. "Trust me, and you'll find out, alright?"

Kei raised another eyebrow at me before sighing herself. "Could I get something peaceful then? It's been a long day."

Hopefully it wasn't made longer because of me. I found myself thinking.

Outwardly, I just smiled again before turning towards the familiar black and white keys. "Alright then—one peaceful concert, coming up!"

The choice couldn't be any more perfect in my mind. Kingdom Hearts was always a safe haven for Vy when she was little, and it ended up being the source of my beginnings as Tomoko.

Why would this be any different?

Throughout the whole performance, even with my hands constantly moving and pressing keys, I couldn't help but close my eyes and recall some of Vy's memories.

A spiky, brown-haired boy wearing what could be the equivalent of Mickey Mouse's original outfit tailored more towards combat, using a giant Key to fight for the sake of finding his friends. More specifically, a red haired girl with bright blue eyes.

And then, that boy, landing in a town that he didn't know about after certain doom. He ended up discovering new friends in that dark, strangely lit town, and a purpose for himself.

And then a year later. Another boy, this time with spiky blonde hair, spending the last days of his summer vacation in a town filled with sunset-like colors.

Kairi. Traverse Town. Lazy Afternoons. The song names rolled through my mind almost mournfully, and I had to push the sentiments back if it meant concentrating on the music.

Kei was still sitting next to me, and I had to fulfill the song requests I put up on myself for her.

Even with my hands constantly on the move, it felt like I was sitting at that piano bench for an eternity. The music, as well as the constant presence of Kei next to me, were the only things keeping me awake, and even then I found myself caught up in the serenity of each note.

A part of me wanted this kind of peace to last forever.

However, I had to stop soon. And once Twilight Town had its final hurrah on the piano strings, I exhaled slowly before opening my eyes and turning around to face my new customer.

What I saw wasn't what I was expecting.

Unlike the peaceful expression I had, Kei looked as though she had seen a ghost, judging by the wide whites of her eyes and the lines on her face.

Um…what?

I blinked. "Uh…is everything okay, Kei?" I found myself asking dully.

She blinked herself before shaking her head vigorously, and I didn't need to ask to know that wasn't her way of responding to my question. With the way she was moving, it was as though she was trying to wake up from something.

But what?

When Kei looked up at me again, what escaped her mouth next ended up freezing whatever tranquility I had from the concert in its tracks.

"Tomoko, I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this for real? Or not?"

I didn't even have to think on her question to know what she was implying.

Kei knew Kingdom Hearts well enough if she could say that.

So then…could she be…?

I ended up gaping for a moment.

The girl next to me inhaled slowly before looking up at me again with determined, dark orbs. "…Is this real to you?" Kei said.

The tears were already starting to bubble in my eyes as the words left me without any extra thought.

"It's real to me."

There was someone else aside from me who knew what was going on.

There was someone just like me — who was reincarnated into this world too.

Author's Notes: …Well, here comes a huge side project I was not expecting to do. But this idea was lingering in my head for so long, and adding in Lang and Beta's active support that I received in a previous message, I went with it.

This chapter is specifically dedicated to Lang and Beta themselves, because I wouldn't have come up with the courage to write this without your help. Thank you very much!

For everyone else following me so far, I hope you'll enjoy this! I'll try to update periodically, but honestly, this is just a side project. Not sure how long it will go, but we'll see!