OK SO RECENTLY IVE BEEN GETTING CONTINUOUS EMAILS FROM A GUEST NAMED CINDY LEAVING REVIEWS ON MY FANFIC. SHE'S BEEN SLOWLY GOING THROUGH EVERY CHAPTER AND HAS BEEN LEAVING COMMENTS FOR NEARLY EVERY ONE. CINDY, I JUST WANT TO SAY THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING SO MANY TIMES AND I KNOW THAT THE EARLIER CHAPTERS HAVE A LOT OF TYPOS AND MISTAKES (but I still love each and every comment you've written) AND I'M HAPPY YOU ENJOY MY STORY SO MUCH AHHHHHHHH! I LOVE YOU!

I also got a preeeetty angry comment from a reader about how commonplace it is for female OCs to degrade feminine characters and act better because they're masculine/tomboys. First of all, I don't think I wrote anything like that, and if I did, this story is almost 3 years old. My views have changed since I wrote the first chapter. I won't be talking about femineity until Oniyuri is a little older, so it will be in the sequel. I know the stance you're coming from – I used to hate pink because girls had to love it, but I've realised how stupid that was and I've changed. I promise that Oniyuri won't be one to be like "you have to be BADASS and STRONG and NO PINK and SHORT HAIR and etc etc"

These two comments were written by Guests on so I couldn't reply to the readers directly.

Her usual haunt.

The books were messy, new editions stacked next to the old editions, ready to be switched when the staff got around to them. Old displays were still hanging off the few areas with bare walls, promoting books that were at least seven years old.

She could remember when everything was fresh; from the books to the decoration. Then the old owner sold it, seven years ago, to a weird lady named Chiemi. She made a few changes at the beginning, namely changing the bookstore's name to Scenic Views and finally getting rid of the ugly additions the previous owner added, like the burnt orange window shades.

It took Ryouka a few years to notice the next few changes, and noticing the small changes was a part of her job. When the flowers died, Chiemi didn't replace them, just put the tea kettle and cups where the vase had been.

Some - but only some - promotion pieces were taken down, but Chiemi left those attached to walls. In place of the cardboard cutouts, Chiemi would leave a chair and a very small round table.

Then, as the years passed, books began to gather around the chairs and other bookshelves, little trinkets like ink pots and little strips of calligraphy practice pinned down by stunning ceramic plates offering snacks to those who found them.

There were thousands of other minuscule things that Chiemi barely changed or left behind, but it brought the character to the store. Ryouka soon was coming to this store more than any other bookstore, and other bookworms echoed her actions.

Despite its messy appearance and sometimes late ordering service, Scenic Views was the most popular bookstore in Kiri by far. Fellow publishers from every corner of the town and beyond travelled often to come to this particular store.

Which is why, when she stepped into the store and saw a blonde, Ryouka was only a little surprised.

Ryouka had been in Scenic Views for a little while, ordered some books, chatted with Chiemi, wandered through the aisles, keeping an eye out for anything eye-catching. Then she turned a corner and there she was, bright hair brilliantly highlighted by the dark brown bookcases, rich red walls and similarly darker coloured books.

It was swept over her right shoulder, full of golden curls. A deep blue and white checkered pin sparkled from where it sat just above her ears, holding back her fringe. She wore a white thick turtleneck sweater tucked into tight dark blue jeans.

She screamed Demon Country. Kiri had their own share of blonde and red-haired, pale skin and icy eyes, but they had immigrated to Water Country decades ago, and more or less assimilated into the gene pool, losing the bright colours. It didn't help that the woman used Demon Country clothing to construct her outfit.

Ryouka looked up again, only to see how gorgeous blue her eyes were.

"Hello," she greeted, and her accent is strange. It's not like the drunken slur or the Iron samurai accent, it's something she's never heard before. "May I ask you for recommendations?"

Ryouka pushed her glasses up her nose bridge and nodded seriously. "I can help, yes."

The foreigner averted her eyes and intertwined a strand of her hair around her finger. "This is a little weird, but… I don't suppose you know any good recommendations for the more… explicit books?"

"Of course I can, that's no problem. Is there anything you prefer?" Ryouka stepped closer, now realising she did in fact find the blonde standing before the entrance to the H-rated book's corner. Chiemi didn't hide them behind curtains or doors like other bookstores just shoved them in the back corner for some sense of privacy.

"Just something good. Any recommendation is fine."

Ryouka stepped by the lady, discarding ideas and reviewing her personal collection of favourites. There were some she accepted because the contents hit her own preferences perfectly, but she was a professional and had several others she appreciated for their writing.

Her eyes caught on vivid orange covers, and she sighed. "Have you tried the Icha Icha series?"

"Yes, and to be honest I didn't like it. The women weren't realistic at all." The foreigner softly laughed. "It's a bit too much dub-con and all the woman have D cups. A little boring after a while."

Ryouka didn't expect anything less. Those books were only popular with the men for a reason. She pulled a book out of the case and showed the lady the silver print on the cover.

"Heyday?" Heyday was probably the most popular book among woman and to a lesser extent, men.

"I've read that too, but the main male character creeped me out majorly. He's a thirty-year-old trying to seduce a fifteen-year-old… no, thank you." She grimaced.

Ryouka smiled as she put it back into the bookcase. "You know what. How about you tell me what you've read and what you thought about them."

"Seriously?" The blonde looked around, fingers barely touching the spines of books.

"I'm interested."

"Well… I didn't like Killjoy because there were some really unhealthy relationships in the series. Theatre was just full of sexist messages and ideals; all the men treated the women as objects, and all the women did was please the men. Where the Wind Blows… that was just a long string of un-consented sex. Nearly every other book is just a copy of those themes. The only story I liked was Other."

Ryouka followed the lady's pointing finger to an overly familiar royal blue colour. She knew that book, knew every word because it was the only book she ever wrote before turning to publishing.

And wow. Just wow. Not only did this foreigner put everything she's been thinking about the H-rated community into neat and ordered words, but she also complimented her story. Other was her only attempt to change the market, but it didn't sell. Every so often she got a small paycheque for its sales, but they were never big enough to even think about living off them. Being a publisher was tough, but it did pay the bills.

"And," the lady paused, hand fiddling with her blonde hair. "All of these books are only between a man and a woman."

"Well," Ryouka huffed and placed her hands on her hips and smiled. "You're very well-read. Unfortunately, I have no recommendations, because like you said, every book does something along those lines."

"I've been researching." She looked down and scuffed her shoe on the carpet. "I want to… publish something; a good decent story with healthy relationships and sex that everyone will enjoy. And kind of flip the H-rated community on its head, but that's more wishful thinking. I've been looking at other books to see what's popular and what's not."

She cast a glance over to Icha Icha, arguably the most recognisable of the entire corner.

"I'm… a little disappointed."

Ryouka was almost vibrating out of her skin. However, before she could blurt out something too soon, she dug her nails into the skin next to her wrist, arms hidden behind her back. "You know what? So am I. What's your game plan?"

"Well, I'll start with something that would attract attention, something that wouldn't be so outside of their comfort zone they'll immediately toss it. I was thinking of a man transported to a world full of women and he has to have sex with all of them. Something that would appear the same but the contents would be different. Rather than just pages of endless sex, the guy gets to know each girl and even helps a few get out of the situation because he realises they don't want to have sex with him. Nothing too outrageous, men reading it would probably justify it as being a noble guy. It could pop, it could not, I don't know. I don't have any other stories, but I'll introduce some other ideas, such as men fetishising lesbians, and the idea of consent."

It was like the call of a siren. God, she was speaking to Ryouka, right to her heart; she seemed to be the person she was didn't even know she was looking for. But it had to be too good to be true.

"I don't suppose you've got some of your writing on you?"

"No, but I have been told it's a very weird way of writing. It's readable but very weird." She shrugged. "Just - I like to describe the characters actions a little more than the usual person."

Normally Ryouka would've sadly let her go because 'weird' usually meant 'awful' but her heart ached to see this through. She wanted to see what the lady was proposing, her thoughts too tantalising.

"Tell you what," she said, a nervous grin stretching across her face. "I'll come back here tomorrow with my latest draft and you can check it out. I'm always open to feedback! But, of course, you don't have to…"

"I'm Adachi Ryouka." She interrupted. "Tomorrow I'll be here around 6 pm if that's alright?"

"Yamaguchi Ayaka," the foreigner held out her hand. Oh right, that was a Demon Country custom, wasn't it? "Please, call me Ayaka." Ryouka hesitantly reached forward and took her hand.

"Pleased to meet you."

"God, fuck, handshaking is so weird." Oniyuri groaned as she stuck her toes under the kotatsu blanket.

Ajisai rolled his eyes and continued to scrub hard at the dishes. "Why would you do that, then? Demon Country has dropped that custom because its weird."

"A distinct line between Oniyuri and Ayaka." She rubbed her eyes, reaching to the ceiling as she stretched. "Ayaka is supposed to be a Mary Sue, so perfect that everyone will be annoyed by her. Handshaking is so weird they'll try to blame it on that. But to be honest, I have no idea what I'm talking about. Making this up as I go."

A knock sounded at the door. Together they turned towards it and just stared because Ajisai didn't need Oniyuri's super senses to know who was behind the door.

Ajisai waved at her with a wet sponge. Groaning, she got up again and went to open the door. She knew because she could smell her, that Asagao was on the other side. Nevertheless, she reached forward to the handle with a string of water and opened the door.

Asagao immediately stepped through, pushing the door wider now that Oniyuri had opened it a crack. "How are you today? Sorry, I didn't come over earlier, work came up!"

Oniyuri heard Ajisai scrub harder at the dishes.

"Sorry but we weren't expecting you-"

"Of course I would be coming over! Oh Ajisai, let me do the dishes!" Asagao laughed, unaware of Oniyuri rolling her eyes behind her.

Asagao had not let the different rooms defer her from being the most annoying person on the planet. Every day she'd be at the door, sweeping in without explicit permission and babying Ajisai as usual. But he'd had his taste of independence, and now that Asagao was still crowding around him, it was more infuriating.

"Anyway, I'm not sure how long I should delay telling Ryouka about who I am," she continued in English, opting to ignore Asagao. Ajisai shot the woman a disgusted glare but joined her at the kotatsu. "If I don't tell her who I am, then how is she going to contact me?"

"I'd hold off telling her until the first book is published, or about to be. And maybe only… tell her that Ayaka is a façade? I wouldn't tell her your age until you're a ninja."

Oniyuri hummed. "Good point."

"Doesn't this world have a P.O Box system or something? Surely not everyone has mailboxes."

"I'll go to the local post office before I meet her tomorrow then." She smiled at Ajisai. "Thanks for helping me!"

"Don't think about it." He said just as Asagao began chattering about something in the kitchen. Ajisai gritted his teeth and stood up. He walked out of the room, only giving Oniyuri a look as he shut the door to his room behind him.

Right. Yes, that was what she was intending to do today.

Finally confront Asagao head-on.

She stood and entered the kitchen. She was… preparing something, even though they just finished eating lunch. She couldn't make heads or tails of it. Why the hell it did take her so long to draw the line?

Oh, right. Gathering evidence.

"Asagao." She called, her voice steady and clear. "I want you to come with me."

The sound of a knife cutting through vegetables didn't even stop. Asagao twisted her upper body slightly to give Oniyuri a momentarily glance.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll finish this quick!"

"No, Asagao," her voice hardened. "You will come with me now."

The knife was finally put down. "Oniyuri, I-" she didn't give Asagao a chance to protest, spinning around and stalking out of the kitchen. In the main room, she picked up a bag that had been sitting by the door for some days by now.

Oniyuri spun around to face Asagao who hadn't even taken off her apron. "You won't be needing that. We're leaving the room."

Asagao frowned, crossed her arms and straightened. "I need to finish –"

"No, you do not. We've already finished eating for lunch and do not need anything more. You are coming with me, now." She wanted to cross her arms or plant her hands on her hips but her body was too young. It would only leave her looking like an idiot. But Asagao yielded, sensing how emotion was squeezed from Oniyuri's voice; her arms dropped behind her back and lifted the apron's string around her head and dropped it somewhere behind the wall, out of sight.

Ajisai chose that moment to exit his room. "I'm coming with." He said, once again in English. He defaulted to it while Asagao was in the room.

"Then, shall we go?"

Oniyuri led the two out the door, barely pausing to allow Asagao to fetch her shoes. As they walked through the hotel's halls, Oniyuri could always hear Asagao's soft footfalls but even then she found herself casting glances over her shoulder.

"I think this is it."

Ajisai was quiet. "You think so?"

"We've been waiting for a while, and today's the day." She smiled at Ajisai, lightly grasping his hand for a few seconds. Then she stopped and dropped her hand. In Japanese, she said, "Here we go."

"Kiku?" Asagao questioned, thoughtfully pressing her hand to her jaw. "Ajisai, what's going on –"

Oniyuri cut her off with a knock.

"Please, come in," Kiku softly called, but to her ears, it's like she's talking right next to her. She strode in, getting rid of her shoes with quick movements. Kiri gave Kiku a room that's a little wider than normal, probably on the account that she's the clan head. The main room was fitted with a desk sitting just below a wide window. Kiku is in the middle of writing something as they file in, and thus only gives them a small cursory check at the beginning.

The three of them chose pillows to sit on; there's four out, all a mixture of green and purple patterns. Ajisai sat on the right pillow, and she quickly dumped her bag to the pillow next to him. Asagao dolefully sat down on one of the remaining pillows.

Kiku set the brush down. "My apologies. What can I do for you three?" She twisted her sitting position so she was facing them but could quickly check something on her desk. The sunlight lit up her hijab, highlighting the small designs as she looked over them.

Oniyuri pulled her bag until it was before her. "I would like to file a complaint." From the pockets, she withdrew a stack of papers. "Against Asagao."

"Excuse me?" the accused gasped.

"Asagao has continued to bother Ajisai and I ever since we got our own rooms in Kumo. She's been invading our personal space every day, claiming to help but refusing to leave when we tell her to." Oniyuri rubbed her thumb over the edge of her pages, feeling the individual sheets one by one. "But this is only the latest stunt she's pulled."

"Oniyuri?!"

"Please, continue." Kiku shifted her body around, clasping her hands in her lap.

"I think I began noticing it around about the first time I visited Kumo." Ajisai began, speaking up in very clear Japanese. "Asagao was talking about what was planned that day, and it struck me how little I wanted to do those classes. I mean, I'm not that overly interested in musical instruments or talking with the clan's accountants. But when I tried to change it, Asagao refused to listen to my requests."

Kiku doesn't lift her eyes from Ajisai. Oniyuri picked out the first few papers that were needed.

"Oniyuri was personally teaching me calligraphy because I didn't know how to write Japanese. However, when we reached to around about Wolf Country, or somewhere there, Asagao informed Oniyuri, without my knowledge, that she was taking on my calligraphy lessons. It was then I knew that whatever the fuck she was doing it was not in my best interests."

"I'm –" Kiku waved her hand in Asagao's direction, not looking. Her voice cut off, a choked, ugly sound from the back of her throat.

"You see, Asagao was already maintaining my time schedule because she was my caretaker, but she began to disregard my opinions and wants in favour of her own. Somewhere along the way, she forgot that I am a thirty-year-old man and not her child."

"Ajisai approached me when we were in Water Country last time, and ever since then, I have been trying to help Ajisai gain control of his life. In Konoha, it was easier due to being able to go out alone. However," Oniyuri leaned forward and placed two sheets of paper within Kiku's reach. "Even then Asagao was constantly declining on behalf of Ajisai, who clearly did not give her the permission to do so. Here are the records of all the meetings and classes Asagao dragged Ajisai to. All highlighted are ones that Ajisai either did not want to go, didn't realise he'd been signed up for, and ones he vividly remembers telling Asagao that he didn't want to go."

"Other members also have reported that I was clearly unhappy and that Asagao was always hovering over my shoulder." Ajisai continued. Oniyuri placed the testimonies of Rose, Hanabi and who knows who else besides the papers she offered to Kiku before. This pile was several more sheets thicker.

Oniyuri grasped the last of the paper. "Finally, I have a transcript written by several other Suisei members of the exact conversations I had with Asagao at our door, signed and sealed. I know it's not much, but please listen to us."

Kiku's nails scraped against the floor as she picked up the papers. Her other hand softly touched the written words, eyes flying from right to left. Ever so minutely, the skin between her eyebrows creased.

In contrast, Asagao chose to stand, leaning forward and clenching her fists next to her legs. "I'm – I'm – how could you say such things about me –"

"We? You brought it on yourself. Did you really forget that we're not children? Henge!" Oniyuri fell back on a familiar image, feeling the weight of being a hundred years old. When she spoke her voice was only a croak. "You are far younger than me, Asagao. Don't coddle us."

Slowly, she raised her head. Henge was a tricky jutsu; she could see through where her image's eyes were, but she didn't suffer the sight damage. Furthermore, a lot of details were filled in by her imagination because it was hard to see anything, let alone analyse her own elderly appearance.

It disappeared in a plume of smoke. Asagao dropped to her pillow like her strings had been cut. She stared down at the floor, maybe past it.

Kiku had two sheets of paper raised at different levels as if to conveniently block out their small argument. With quick, efficient moves, all her papers were compiled once more and set on the floor. They were a white mark against the green carpet.

"Ajisai, Oniyuri, thank you for bringing this to my attention, but you didn't have to go this far." She touched the papers with the edge of her nails. "I would've been willing to step out of this room right now and talk to everyone of interest."

"I just wanted to get this over quickly." Ajisai coolly interjected. Kiku nodded.

"That is understandable. I will have to go over the paperwork in deeper depth and write up a report, but Asagao." The clan head finally rested her eyes on the accused. "There is still a full investigation to be done, but the evidence is rather damning. I highly recommend that you refrain from making contact with either Ajisai or Oniyuri until a final decision is made."

"Ajisai, Oniyuri, you can leave at any time."

Oniyuri bowed deeply and rose, hitching her now empty bag onto her shoulder. Ajisai dashed to the entrance, mumbling some kind of goodbye as he went.

She found him outside, leaning against the wall and staring up, beyond the ceiling.

"Oh my fucking god, she's gone." He laughed. Oniyuri smiled, joining him against the wall and nudging his shoulder with her own. "She's finally gotten the fucking message!"

"I think I hammered it in pretty well with the henge." She giggled. "It would've been glorious if you could do it."

Ajisai made a face, and god, that was probably both the most emotion she's ever seen him show and the most childlike act he's ever done. "No thank you! Come on, let's go back to our room."

"Sure!"

[x]

This time, Oniyuri didn't bother knocking on the door. She swept inside shoes off without even thinking about it. "Hanabi! Hanabi! She's got the restraining order! Or whatever it's actually called!"

Hanabi's hands flew up to her face. "Oh my gosh! Really!"

Oniyuri laughed in response, running over to give Hanabi a hug. Behind her, Ajisai shuffled in at a much slower pace. He smiled back at Hanabi when she waved and murmured a warm greeting as he joined them at the table.

"Shion!" Oniyuri smiled, waving brightly at the other person at the table. "Good to see you again!"

Her little brother bent forward and smiled politely. "Good morning, Oniyuri."

Shion's skin was far darker than Oniyuri's, but he didn't quite have the clan's eyes. The rest of his features were lost in baby fat and extreme youth. He was wearing some kind of shirt and pants, and his hair was tied up in the classic baby palm tree hair.

Personality-wise, Shion was still a little mystery to her. She hadn't had the chance to talk or meet with him often because she'd dedicated every day since he was born to staying by Ajisai's side. Only on days when she was certain Asagao wouldn't bother him would she come to check-in.

"What's this I hear?" Rose called from the kitchen. He stepped out with a plate of freshly cut fruits, a stunning flower-patterned apron tight against his chest.

"Rose!" Oniyuri gasped "Did you fuck my mother, Mr Mime?" Hanabi, blissfully unware because she didn't understand English, accepted the plate without thinking and offered Shion a toothpick. He was really advanced for his age, both speaking and physically, outstripping any accomplishment Ajisai and Oniyuri had made in their early months.

Rose chuckled heartily, great big booming breaths.

"Morning Rose. Asagao got the restraining order." Ajisai dove into the plate, picking it apart rapidly. "Dun hava deal wii her ann moar."

Rose nodded, grinning down at all of them. With five, all the seats were taken, so he sat at a corner, shuffling in and profusely apologising to Hanabi when his knee knocked against her leg. Oniyuri set to eating the fruit very quickly because it seemed that everyone else was hungry due to the news.

"What are you guys going to do now?" Hanabi asked.

"Oniyuri has to prepare for getting to Konoha. You'll have to leave a month before us, you know." Rose replied for her, and she pointed her toothpick at him.

"How about you, Ajisai?" Shion said as he patted Ajisai's knee. He tried to stab at the plate without looking, only to scowl when his toothpick missed.

Ajisai hesitated, just for a moment. "Well, actually… I was thinking that…"

The table leaned in.

"…Maybe I could go to Konoha with Oniyuri?"

Murmurs of agreement echoed around the table.

"Not to be a ninja, right?" Oniyuri guessed around a piece of pineapple.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I kind of want to see how science is holding up in a world like this. And to be honest, I don't like this nomad life." Rose stroked his beard, rocking back and forth where he sat.

"We do have a few members join villages and not for the ninja industry." He explained. "But if you want to go, make your decision soon. It takes a little while for the letters to come and go."

"That sounds interesting." Shion joined in. "What are you going to look into?"

"Chakra." Ajisai replied immediately. "It's just asking to be researched!" Oniyuri laughed at that.

"Damn," she rested her elbow on the table and her chin on her palm. "Sucks that I won't get to know you well, Shion. I'm madder at Asagao, though."

"Why don't we talk now?" Shion grinned, the familiar tones of Mandarin flowing from his lips.

"Oh damn, I've gotten a bit out of practice." She straightened and really tried not to be sad at her fading languages. "Sure! Let's talk."

"Great!" Shion speared a fruit with a chopstick. It was the best he could do at that age. "I'm planning to go to Mist. It was the first place I pulled out of a hat."

"They can accept you as soon as you hit three, right?" Typically, Suisei members left for their village at the same time the academy began to accept students. "Are you going to wait?"

"No, Mist is pretty lenient on letting kids graduate early. I think it's the fastest track out of all the Villages."

Oniyuri thought about it. "How long are you going to stay in the academy?"

"Probably two years. You're hoping to graduate when you're 9, right? I'll be about 4 then."

"I see. Maybe will see each other on the field!" she laughed. "I wonder what we'll do then?"

"I'll fight you seriously." Shion vowed, "I won't kill you, but I'll kick your ass."

"You're on." She agreed, trying to fathom a situation where that occurred. "Are you going to use water bending?"

They continued on, and eventually switched back to Native and joined other conversations. Ajisai was joking around, which usually only happened when Asagao had not talked to him for over a day, but here he was, witty comments flowing from his mouth.

Sometimes at early evening, Hanabi announced the party's conclusion, seeing how Shion's body was struggling to keep up. They all agreed and began to clean.

Rose had left, and Ajisai was leaning down to wiggle his feet into his shoes. Oniyuri was about to join him in the genkan when Hanabi caught her shoulder.

"Oniyuri. It's almost been six years since I birthed you, and I wanted to thank you for such a wonderful time. I wish you the best luck." She kneeled, folding her yukata under her knees as she moved.

Oniyuri stepped forward and hugged her caretaker. Hanabi was a friend, one that helped her through her second life from the beginning. It was weird to think of her as her mother, but sometimes Oniyuri didn't mind it.

"Thank you for taking care of me." She said into her collarbone.

Oniyuri stepped back and smiled. Hanabi copied her.

"To your ninja life." She said.

Oniyuri drew a deep breath and released it explosively. A silly grin spread across her face. "To my ninja life."

/ END /

Catch Oniyuri in the sequel: (current title) Hope to the Battlefield!

thank you, reader, for opening this story. reviews feel more materialistic than a view count but I still love each and every one of you. This story has reached 25,000 views so far, and I really appreciate it. To the next story!