Phantom Pains

A million thoughts raced through her head. A million and one scenarios played out in front of her. She was devoid. Empty of all feelings towards her current situation as she trudged along behind a man in a flack jacket with weapons. Chihiro was pale, deep bags under her eyes as she looked sunken within herself. Her hair was greasy, her bangs thinly hanging across her forehead as she stared at her feet as she walked. Her uniform was taken and she was given a plain kimono to wear in the mean time. She looked thin as she couldn't gather the strength to eat anything since waking.

Word always spread fast when there was fresh meet in school- or in this case a close knit shinobi community. Eyes were upon her from the moment she awoke and Sakura reported it to the Hokage, who was her former sensai. It was like mother nature knew the solemn predicament at hand as it rained down leaving puddles on the street. The pitter pattering against the roofs sounded like a downpour as they descended up stairs.

Two doors were held opened for Chihiro as she walked into a room where a man sat at front, and a gaggle of armed peoples stood to the side. Chihiro immediately saw Sakura in the group, who flashed a smile. The man sitting at the front of the room behind a desk, was dubbed important in her mind as he stood out, not just with his white hair but with his eclectic outfit compared to the others. Her stomach was in knots as she looked over him seeing his mouth and nose covered by black fabric. There was a large scar down one of his eyes and his gaze felt intense upon her, but it wasn't the only one that made her want to run. Somewhere in that group to the side, were eyes on her that seeped through her very core like it saw every bare inch of her. It was haunting as she looked over to see dozens of sets of eyes and not know which they were.

She stood there in the center like a deer caught in headlights- scared. Her palms were becoming sweaty as her body began to warm up. The once light kimono on her skin felt as if it were weighing her down.

"Hi Chihiro- hope it's okay I call you that, my former student told me that's you're name." she could tell he was smiling by the way his eyes shut and he held up a hand, "I'm Kakashi and I'm basically in charge of the village."

Chihiro nodded, unsure of what to say. So he just continued instead,

"I was hoping to hear from you, you've caused quite the ruckus being found outside unconscious. And there's no records of you here at least.. no missings that match you. Even other countries don't claim you."

"Um," she cleared her throat, "I'm not from here. I don't know how I got here."

"Oh do you have amnesia?"

"No! I don't," she shook her head furiously, "I don't know how to explain this."

"We take safety seriously here... just want to know if you're a threat. If not then we'll plan accordingly."

"I'm certainly not, I promise. You just need to be opened minded." would they think she was crazy? Did they know of Yggdrasil enough to hold it to importance to believe her?

"Can assure you I am,"

"My name's Chihiro Sato and I'm from Yggdrasil,"

The room had an eerie silence to it, like a pin dropped that shattered everyone as their eyes widened. Yggdrasil was taught as history, as a place where some believed they went to when they died. That Yggdrasil was the beginning of life, it's branches growing to allow more to exist. It was a story some scoffed at whilst some held as gospel.

"He once said we'd come face to face with the people of the heavens- I suppose he was right."

Kakashi's words threw off the Jonin gathered in the room, who looked at him incredulously as a sigh could be heard leaving his lips even behind the mask. His voice seeped with a meaning beyond 'we're fucked.'

"Kakashi what?" a boy with short blonde hair and an airy, scratchy voice piped up. "you trust her?"

"Shh Naruto, I'll explain."

Chihiro felt at a loss of words- had he accepted her answer so easily? A flutter hit her chest as she looked around the room to take in the confused faces around her. She expected to be laughed at, to be told Yggdrasil was an old wives tale, or history they just dealt with.

"But can't you all tell she's different?" he asked open ended, "that there's not chakra radiating off her? But, something painstakingly light."

The Jonin nodded.

Kakashi continued, "the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju once said, and this is in writing that "We'd come face to face with the people of the heavens". Later he specified to the third Hokage that Yggdrasil was in fact real. And to keep this information between Hokage's until the right time. There was an entire explanation given to be about this when I took over... Which," he shrugged. "the right time is now. So are you one of those keepers?"

The faces of everyone included- slightly agape mouths, genuine worry, or utter looks of uncertainty.

"No, I'm just a student at Eva Academy. I don't know why I'm here. It was an accident. And... and you just believe me?"

"Yeah why not. Adds up, something about you is a little I'd say uh- unworldly. I can see the way you walk, like you float on air and your eyes speckle with gold. You're exactly what the first Hokage described."

Chihiro swallowed hard before she spoke through what she remembered quickly, "I was with my classmates, we were learning aspects of spirit drifting. Which is looking into a realm on Yggdrasil's branches... as I touched the orb to do it, I ended up here. You're not supposed to see me and I'm able to leave whenever but... that's not the case here. And I'm just a student. I take history classes on realms I have no idea what to do."

The desperation in her voice was evident to those who listened, "I'm sure you're uh people, will figure it out?" Kakashi commented, "and I'll look through scrolls left behind by the first Hokage to see what I can find. I'm pretty new to this position. Besides, you say words like spirit drifting and I know nobody else outside of myself now would know about it."

"Yo isn't that old man near the south border like obsessed with Yggdrasil? I remember him coming in to talk to us back in the academy," Naruto shouted out, with a hand in the air.

"Yeah guess I'll pay him a visit."

"I'll go too!"

"Naruto, it's okay," he made a motion towards the eager boy like he was telling him to calm down.

To her relief, Chihiro could feel the air turn into one of lighter intentions as the tension that once existed evaporated. Chatter took over as a few older Shinobi asked her questions, Kakashi coming out from behind the desk. It seemed everyone trusted Kakashi with their entire beings, so much that they ate up every word he said. Kakashi began to explain what was in scrolls left to him to the group.

"The first Hokage said that he knew there would be visits from Yggdrasil in the far future as he described a young girl with her exact description," Kakashi read over an old scroll he held open, "it's believed that during the nine tail fox, a keeper used spirit drifting tk held the fourth Hokage as it was a final act by him to write that down."

"I know of the nine tail fox." Chihiro whispered making the Hokage raise an eyebrow at her, "my professor was the keeper."

"I see," Kakashi nodded as his eyes flickered to Naruto and back, "we all learned when we were in the academy and easily accepted all life starts somewhere and ours started with Yggdrasil. So I suppose, that it makes sense we'd have crossover."

"Hundreds of years ago we had keepers who could physically go to other realms but... for some reason they stopped and that ability was lost."

"The first Hokage said he had visits from people named Keepers and that..."

"Was he shown Yggdrasil?" Chihiro squeaked, "I was once taught an outsiders was brought to our land."

Kakashi shrugged, "adds up."

Her tired body relaxed from feeling on guard, as the back of her head told her she was safe. All the information she'd learned of Konoha the last few years showed it to be a peaceful land filled with decent people. Which see clearly saw now. It was pure luck that the man who was the first Hokage was the 'outsider' she learned of, and firmly believed that fate would bring her to this land. As she calmed down more last night talking with Sakura, she was able to regain that knowledge. She remembered what shinobi were, the wars they participated in, government structure... Maybe she knew more than they even did. Chihiro felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips for the first time,

Until-

"I can see inside of her and... I don't understand it." a deep, cocky sounding voice spoke. Chihiro turned to see a man around her age or older that had pale, lavender eyes. He had a stern face as he looked at her making her stumble back. This was the gaze she felt earlier and it was judging her, "it's not chakra, but an aura swirling like the milky way, I can almost hear it. Like it's her version of chakra for wherever she's from."

"I agree, Neji," Kakashi nodded as he patted a hand on her shoulder, "like a life force itself. Don't worry,"

Chihiro couldn't tear her eyes from his, as they stared into her soul. It was tantalizing for her as her insides squirmed, wanting him to look away. Was it hatred or curiosity swarming in his depths? They were locked in a contest, it seemed, of who would look away first before Kakahi's voice rang through.

"We'll have much to try to figure out but, I trust that you'll feel welcome here Chihiro. Some of the kids over there, pains in my ass but, you won't ever be bored." his tone was a funny one, like reassuring her and warning her, "watch out for Naruto," he chuckled in her ear.

She forced a smile at him as she smoothed down the front of her kimono in discomfort. All eyes on her wasn't what she was used to. Chihiro kept to herself and did everything she could to stay out of the spotlight at her school. Back of the classrooms. Never acted out. Unbelievable anxiety since her accident. She knew the shinobi in the room with her were called Jonin, top of the top. That she was in danger just standing in a room with them yet, she felt okay. Felt some reassurance that people with the powers they had, could maybe get her out of this mess.

A group came up with Sakura to introduce themselves while others left. But the only person Chihiro could truly see was the one with the lavender eyes, and he just stood there staring at her.