Naruto: Snow Cold

We both sat cross-legged next to each other in silence for a minute.

He finally asked, "...So you're just like me, then? Trapped in this world for god knows how long."

I looked down at the ground, my fingers absently brushing against the dirt beneath me. "Yeah," I muttered softly, "I guess so."

The silence stretched on, but this time it felt different. There was an understanding between us now. I knew that I wasn't alone anymore.

It was a strange feeling, really. To know that I was not the only one, that I wasn't some kind of Isekai protagonist or anything of the sort. But, here he was—Sora, who had been pulled from his world just like me. And somehow, that made everything feel... more bearable.

"Let's just check our general knowledge, since we don't know the first thing about each other. What's your real name?" he said, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

I blinked, caught off guard for a moment. It hadn't really occurred to me that we hadn't even gotten the basics out of the way. I'm so stupid.

"Marie Bennett," I said, hugging my knees. "That's the name I had before I, you know, died. I was from the United States, lived in Michigan. Seventeen, used to be a high school student, lived with my parents. I was an only child."

He nodded, "Beautiful name." That caused me to glance up at him, slightly startled by the compliment. His expression was sincere, but there was a hint of something else in his eyes—something softer, though I couldn't quite place it.

"Mine's Samuel Wright."

"Pffft, like Phoenix Wright? The guy from that Ace Attorney game?"

"Shut up! I swear, this happens every single time!" Samuel groaned, clearly exasperated. "As I was saying, my name's Samuel Wright, and I was from the United States, same as you. Florida. I was twenty-one before I was brought here against my will."

"Huh, that's interesting."

"Tell me about it," he sighed. "I was still in college, trying to get that economics degree so I could become an accountant. I didn't want to follow in my family's footsteps and become a doctor or get into any health-related stuff."

"Yeah, I get that," I said, nodding as my palm rested on my knee. "I didn't want to do what my family wanted, either. I wanted to study gastronomy, believe it or not."

"Oh, damn. You a good cook?"

"Somewhat. Mostly a home cook," I admitted, a small smile creeping onto my face. "I wasn't very good, though. I liked experimenting and trying out recipes from videos I happened to find on the internet. Sometimes I messed up, and sometimes I made some really good stuff."

Sora chuckled, "That's cool, I couldn't cook for the life of me, and all I could ever manage were those instant noodle cups. My mother cooked every day for me, basically. I can count on you if it comes to that, right, Mini-Ramsay?"

"Aw, shucks. You're expecting way too much from me," I said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Hey, you never know," Sora replied with a shrug. "Maybe one day we'll have to go rogue or something. Who knows what these people will do if they find out about our identities?"

My heart skipped a beat at that. Right, this is a dog-eat-dog world, and people will stop at nothing for power. I don't know about him, but I have knowledge that could potentially get me into the T&I Headquarters, and knowing the kind of messed-up things they do to get information out of people? Oh, lordy.

"Do you think there's others like us?" I asked, voice low.

"Probably, considering that we exist," Sora said, shrugging casually. "I wouldn't be surprised if there are two, three, hell, even more reincarnators hidden out there."

"...Oh. By the way, just when did you wake up here? Like I've said before, I was reborn here, and had to live all over again. I've spent six years here, I think?"

"Five. My conscience took over this child's body a year ago."

"Damn... Poor kid." I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. The thought of a five-year-old's life being completely overtaken, replaced by a stranger's memories and thoughts... It was unsettling. Not that I'm completely innocent either, because I've also taken away this child's future.

"Yeah, I know. It is what it is."

"Let's talk about something else. How much exactly do you know about Naruto?" I asked, tilting my head as I looked at him expectantly. Is he an avid fan like me? Or is he a boring, dull piece of—

"I know some stuff. I liked the concept, but I never really watched the show. Mostly learned from documentaries and stuff like that. I hate how it tries to show that hard work beats talent, that you can't change fate, when the main character is a literal beast. Unlimited chakra, tailed beast, son of the Fourth Hokage, and some stuff I probably forgot. It's ridiculous."

I blinked, momentarily thrown off by his bluntness. "You don't like it?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"It's not that I dislike it, it's just... sometimes it just doesn't make sense. How is Naruto able to summon a thousand fucking clones, not even fake ones, by the way—real, physical ones made of pure chakra. On the first damn episode! It's just not logical!"

I snorted, and we kept talking on and on about the show and what we knew about it. Ranting about the stuff we didn't like, and about the stuff we'd love to learn.

Time flew by in a flash. We spent, what? Three hours just talking to each other? It didn't matter. It was really fun talking about anime with someone so freely. It distracted me from the real world, and it was also the first time I'd had this kind of conversation face-to-face. I never had anyone to talk to about my likes, only my internet friends. The thought of actually connecting with someone like this felt... nice.

"You know something, Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad that you're here with me. That we're both together in this."

"Same here, Amai. Same here."

I really meant it—more than I could even put into words. I was truly glad that I wasn't alone in this world.