Chapter Text
Prologue
Rebirth
Laura Collins died a twenty-year-old country girl with a love for food and a temper that made an in-rut Bull look like a polite young thing. She'd had blond hair, brown eyes, freckles, and a birthmark that looked almost like Texas on her left ass-cheek that her best friend Terri thought was hilarious. She loved to cook, loved to eat, loved to garden and ride horses and play with her Uncle Charles' hound dog, Moe. She had a lot of friends, was friendly and protective and loved to challenge herself (She once ran a ten-mile marathon that put her in the hospital because she wanted to 'see if she could do it'.)
She lived a full, happy life.
She died saving a little boy from drowning in the river.
Little Mikey Yates was seven (and a half!) and was fearless in the way all young boys with their friends are. Johnny bet he couldn't swim across the river, Mikey said he could, and Trevor triple-dog-dared him to. So, Mikey had.
Only, there was a strong undercurrent that ran through the very center of the part of the river they were at. Moe had been leading Laura through the bushes as they'd been mushroom hunting, and had started bellowing along with the boys when they'd started screaming. Mikey had been pulled under the dark water, and Laura had only caught a glimpse of his little, flailing limbs, before she'd kicked off her shoes and leaped in after him.
She remembered the lukewarm feeling of the top water, before the current had snatched her up and dragged her through the almost icy depths. Thankfully, she was a good deal heavier and stronger than little Mikey, and knew how to swim with the current. She'd managed to catch up with him, managed to yank his head up, and hold him mostly up even as she was repeatedly forced under.
They'd smashed into a log that was still half-grounded in the bank, and she'd had just enough time to make sure he was on top of it and in no place to fall back in, before she was dragged back under.
Drowning is one of the most painful experiences Laura has ever had. It wasn't the same as the broken arm she'd gotten (Twice), or the broken toes (countless times). It wasn't the same as the year she got pneumonia and thought her lungs were stuffed with thick sludge that made her every breath whistle.
It was like...
Like her lungs were filling with wet sand, slow and cold and impossible to get rid of, filling her chest with a heavy weight that made her head feel stuffed with cotton and her hearing fade.
As the world became dark and muddy and cold, she could barely hear Moe bellowing through the muffled sound of her heartbeat.
And then...
She was gone.
…................
Akimichi Chokasho, younger twin sister of Akimichi Choji, wasn't breathing for two full minutes after birth. It wasn't until the panicked form of her father, Choza, turned her mostly upside-down and firmly smacked her back, that she coughed up an abnormally large amount of fluid. Her cry was weak and high, after that, but clear enough, to her mother and fathers tearful relief. She was watched intently for days, despite Medic-nin's reassuring the parents again and again that there was no lasting damage.
Chokasho was twenty, painful minutes younger than her twin, and one whole pound heavier. They shared their father's spiky hair, only in pale brown instead of red, with Chokasho's being a little different, more copper than her brother's tawny. Like all members of the Akimichi Clan, they both bore unique facial markings. Choza, their father, bore a wavy, lavender stripe on both cheeks. Chohana, their mother, had bright orange streaks on her upper eyelids. Choji had gotten a large red swirl on each cheek, and Chokasho had gotten large, paisley markings over her eyes in dark, bruised purple. The rounded part of the markings covered most of her eyes, and dripped sharply down her cheeks to end just past her little nose.
Both babies were loud but rather happy, and voracious eaters, who moved quickly from breast-milk to baby food, just like all Akimichi babes did. The only hiccup that their parents had, was that little Chokasho never slept through the night. She would always wake up, for an hour or two at a time, crying softly into her pink blanket. She was soothed back to sleep easily enough, but the nights continued like that, until she was nearly three. After that, however, she slept through the nights and they thought no more of it.
Life went on.
…...................
Three-year-old Chokasho stared at herself in the mirror seriously, reaching up with pudgy fingers to touch her copper-brown hair, her pudgy cheeks, her bruised-paisleys. She stared into her nearly-black brown eyes, and Chokasho stared back at her. Not Laura, not the young woman she once was. Just Akimichi Chokasho, a three-year-old girl who loved beef jerky and the color pink. Not the twenty-year-old who loved blueberry muffins and the color green.
Chokasho was relieved.
She'd been dreaming of Laura for so long, of her life, her death, that she'd been afraid of being her. She hadn't wanted to be Laura, she'd wanted her Kaachan and Touchan and Aniki and she wanted to be herself. But, staring in the mirror, she didn't see Laura. She didn't think she was Laura. She knew she was Chokasho. She knew she would always be Chokasho. So what if she used to be Laura? She wasn't anymore. Laura taught her life and laughter and colors and love, and showed her a life where she died protecting someone, and that, at least, Chokasho would cherish. Forever. And sometimes, she just knew things that she didn't understand, because Laura had been a grown-up, and Chokasho was a child, so sometimes she knew but didn't understand. Still, she found comfort in that, in knowing things, and was grateful for it all...
But she and Laura weren't the same. And she was happy about that.
Nodding firmly to herself, Chokasho stepped back from the mirror and straightened her pink shirt, the white kanji for 'food' on her round belly. She was wearing her brother's green shorts today, and pink sandals, and she relished in the knowledge that she was herself.
“Chokasho!” Kaachan called. “Come here, my little dumpling, and help your Kaachan make lunch!” Immediately, Chokasho's face lit up and she spun, spiky hair swaying.
“Hai!” She squealed, trotting towards the kitchen as fast as her pudgy legs could take her. She loved helping Kaachan make food!
The mirror she left behind glinted from a shaft of sunlight, reflecting it so that, for a brief moment, a shaft of light made the retreating toddler's hair look almost blond, but, then she was out of reach, and the image of a blond child running happily disappeared.
….................
Nara Shikamaru was a nice, lazy boy that Chokasho liked to sit next to when their parents met up. Aniki liked him too, and they would sit on either side of the more-often-than-not sleeping boy, munching happily on their snacks, as they waited for the grown-ups to finish up. Rarely, Shikamaru-kun was awake during their get-togethers, and the twins would happily share their treats, but more often than not, they ended up eventually curling up beside him (after their food was gone) and taking naps on the grass under the clouds.
Yamanaka Ino, on the other hand, was a bossy, sweet girl who hated staying idle. Sometimes, Chokasho would let herself be dragged around to play with flowers or chase butterflies, just so Shikamaru-kun and Aniki could rest in peace, but other times she just got so annoyed. Because Chokasho was once Laura, and, as patient as Laura could be and as sweet-tempered as Chokasho was, the two of them shared the simple fact of having a personal bubble.
So, whenever little, bossy Ino invaded that bubble for too long, or poked at Chokasho when she was already annoyed, Chokasho ran away. She hid from Ino, abandoning the boys to the little blondes mercy. Sometimes this meant hunting down Touchan and climbing into his lap with a grouchy huff, sometimes it meant finding a bush or tree to hide in.
Today, it meant climbing out of a window and running away from the Clan House, because Ino was being persistent, having finally figured out that Chokasho was trying to avoid her. So, Chokasho left the Yamanaka Clan House, trotted irritably past bemused-looking pale-eyed blonds, her cheeks puffed out in ire and scowling fiercely as she stomped her way out of the gate towards her own home. Touchan would be upset, as would Kaachan and Aniki, but she could not stand being in the same house as Yamanaka Ino right then!
Stomping past civilians, she ignored them all for the most part, pudgy hands clenched into fists as she swerved around unobservant legs and stalls, her small, four-year-old body disappearing from view sometimes as she moved.
Well, until she ran into someone’s legs, that is, stumbling back onto her butt as she did.
“Watch it, brat!” The older boy snapped, sneering down at her as he and his friend turned, Chunin vests stark against black shirts. Both of them looked around fifteen, give or take, with dark hair and dark eyes. The only difference was that one had a small scar on his slightly more square chin, and that the other one, the one she’d run into, was about three inches taller.
“Sorry,” Chokasho muttered, scowling as she heaved herself up.
“You're an Akimichi, aren't you?” The scarred boy asked; at her nod, he smirked. “Maybe if you weren't so focused on food, you'd see where you were going,” he taunted; his friend was smirking as well, now, the two of them looming over her as she blinked up at them, confused. She hadn't been eating...
“Yeah, if you Akimichi weren't so obsessed with eating everything in sight, you might actually grow into real Shinobi instead of useless balls of fat!” he laughed; Chokasho glared, her already frayed temper beginning to flare.
“Oh yeah?” She snapped, tiny fists curled at her sides. “Well, maybe if you actually had a brain, you wouldn't be so stupid!” she snapped back. Instantly, both Chunin, no doubt newly made, sneered at her.
“Oh, you think you're clever, huh?” the tall one spat.
“Let's see how clever you are after a dip in the Naka River!” the other jeered; the two of them reached for her, and Chokasho reacted.
Laura had never been one to start fights. She preferred avoiding conflict and, when her temper snapped, was more prone to verbal spars before seeking solitude so she wouldn't hurt her friends accidentally. That being said, just because she didn't start physical fights, didn't mean she never finished them.
As soon as one of the boys touched her, Chokasho was lashing out, vague memories of Laura's tussles mixing with clear memories of the kata's her cousin Choyo had showed her filling her mind. As she moved, Laura's memories rose up, like a coach in her head.
If someone is bigger than you, make them smaller, she heard as she grabbed the boys wrist and yanked him forward with a surprising amount of strength, pulling him right off his feet.
If you headbutt someone, use the top of your forehead, it's the hardest part of your skull, she knew, as his nose met her head with a gross crunch. He went down with a choked gasp, blood spurting, and Chokasho just barely dodged his friends lunge with an awkward stumble of her own.
Make sure they can't get back up when your back is turned, Laura encouraged as Chokasho jumped on the first boys shoulders, her full weight sending his bloody face into the hard ground as she lunged at his friend, and rammed her head straight into his groin. The abnormal amount of strength she put into the hit actually lifted him off the ground for a moment before she twisted out from under him with a scowl.
He joined his friend on the ground, curled into a ball and gray as a dead fish, eyes rolling up in his head and a strange, breathy keen whistling out of his mouth.
Panting, head aching, Chokasho glared at the two Chunin. The furious haze that had briefly covered her vision started fading as she panted, her cheeks heavily flushed and forehead sweaty, and she suddenly had the thought that she had just beaten two Chunin. Before it could really sink in, however, an ANBU with the mask of a tiger appeared at her side, another with a boar mask suddenly crouching beside the two Chunin.
“Akimichi-chan,” the Tiger ANBU intoned seriously. “Come with me.” Blinking, Chokasho winced, the last of her temper fizzling out.
She was in so much Trouble...
…............
Chokasho shifted in her chair anxiously as the Hokage watched her calmly. The ANBU had dropped her off in the visitor chair and vanished again, to go and get her Touchan. Chokasho couldn't look the Hokage in the eyes, not liking the feeling of being in trouble, of being guilty, when the indignant fury of before was still fresh in her mind, making her stomach twist uncomfortably and her chest tight. She ended up sulkily glowering at his desk and the large piles of paperwork he was, even now, still working on.
“Would you like something to drink, Akimichi-chan?” he asked her kindly; Chokasho shook her head immediately.
“No thank you, Hokage-Sama,” she muttered; the Hokage hummed but nodded.
The door opened, and there stood not only her Touchan, she saw with a wince, but also Shikaku and Inoichi, the Touchan's of her two friends. Hunching her shoulders slightly, Chokasho glared down at the carpet, blinking as, to the side of her, the black-clad legs of ANBU Tiger appeared.
“Hokage-Sama, something happened with my daughter?” Touchan asked, immediately stepping forward to touch Chokasho's head, making her wince as his gentle fingers brushed her forming bruise. Instantly, his hand was gone and he was kneeling next to her worriedly.
“Indeed, Choza,” the Hokage stated, and nodded at ANBU Tiger. “My ANBU brought young Chokasho-chan here, because she was caught fighting two Chunin.”
“What?” Touchan asked; the ANBU shifted as Chokasho stubbornly kept glaring at the ground.
“I and my patrol partner, Boar, happened upon Akimichi Chokasho during an altercation with Chunin's Sasaki Jun and Kato Minoru. I do not know the reason for the fight, but the outcome was plain. My partner and I stepped in before it could escalate further.”
“And where are these Chunin?” Shikaku asked mildly; ANBU Tiger paused.
“Boar escorted the two of them to the hospital, Nara-Sama.”
“You had to use force enough to hospitalize them?” Inoichi demanded, sounding aghast, as Touchan curled his hands over Chokasho immediately, looking equally horrified.
“No,” Tiger corrected, before pausing. “The damage done in their altercation with Akimichi Chokasho was the reason for their visit.” There was silence in the office for several stunned moments, as the girl in question glared at her pink-sandaled feet.
“Tiger,” the Hokage said calmly. “Are you saying the Akimichi-chan put two of my Chunin in the hospital.” It wasn't really a question, and Tiger nodded firmly.
“Hai, Hokage-Sama.”
“I see.” Chokasho grimaced at the blank, cool tone, and worry fought with temper, leaving her feeling vaguely nauseous and defensive.
“Dumpling?” Touchan called softly, large fingers trying to coax her head up, and Chokasho scowled furiously, eyes burning with angry tears as she reluctantly met her fathers worried eyes. “What happened?” Chokasho felt her lips grow tight as she tried not to let them tremble. “It's okay, sweet dumpling,” Touchan told her gently. “Just, please, explain what happened to me, okay?”
“We're not useless!” She blurted, the shout tearing from her throat loud enough to make her Touchan's head jerk back, eyes wide, and the words poured out. “Akimichi aren't useless and stupid and wastes of space! Eating alotta food doesn't make us useless, or fat, or worthless Shinobi! An', an' just 'cause those stupid brats weren't being ob-observ-vant,” she stuttered, tears falling freely as she glared desperately up at her Touchan. “D-don't give them the right to call me stupid an' worthless an' fat and I wasn' even eatin' and they deserved it!” Chest heaving, Chokasho struggled not to sob, her throat tight and her face flushed bright red as she cried furiously, rubbing at her eyes angrily because she didn't want to cry, she wanted to fight someone.
“Oh, sweetness,” Choza breathed mournfully, reaching forward and pulling Chokasho into his arms. Burying her face into his neck, breath hitching, Chokasho struggled through her sobs.
“I believe that we can count taunting a minor Civilian Clan member as a mark against the Chunin, Hokage-Sama,” Shikaku stated mildly; Chokasho pulled back, hiccuping as she scrubbed a hand over her face, scowling over at Shikaku.
“Wouldn'a fought 'em if they hadn't threatened to throw me in the Naka.” Immediately, the tension in the air shot up.
“What.” Her Touchan said; Chokasho nodded firmly, sniffling with a scowl.
“They said I wouldn't be so smart after a swim in th' Naka River, and tried to grab me,” she told him; Inoichi stepped forward, features pinched.
“Hokage-Sama-” he started; the Hokage lifted a hand.
“They shall be punished,” was all he said, voice firm and unrelenting; Inoichi stepped back.
In that moment, ANBU Boar appeared, holding onto the upper arm of the Chunin with the broken nose. It looked like it still might be broken, actually, his eyes already starting to darken and swell and rolls of cotton shoved up each nostril. Chokasho glared at him wetly, her cheeks puffing up in anger. Choza soothingly stroked her spiky hair.
“Chunin Kato,” the Hokage greeted in a mild tone. “I see you are well enough to come here. And Chunin Sasaki's status, Boar?” The ANBU straightened slightly.
“Chunin Sasaki Jun is currently bed-bound, Hokage-Sama,” He reported blankly. “Akimichi Chokasho's strike broke bone and caused severe damage to his soft tissues.” The Hokage's eyebrows rose.
“A four-year-old put my Chunin in the hospital with broken bones,” he drew out slowly; ANBU Bear shifted his weight ever-so-slightly.
“She struck him in the groin, Hokage-Sama,” he announced bluntly. “With force, enough to break his pelvis and... Chunin Sasaki may not regain use or feeling of certain... Parts, Hokage-Sama.” The room was silent, as every adult seemed to blanch at the same time. Chokasho huffed and glared at ANBU Bear, who stood under her glare, unflinching, while the Chunin in his hold shuddered.
“I... See...” The Hokage managed slowly, with a slight cough.
Chunin Kato was given a six-month probation from out-of-village missions for threatening a civilian Clan member as well as a minor. Chunin Sasaki was forced into an eight-month medical leave that he spent working the Mission Desks, and regained only partial feeling back. Chokasho was grounded for three weeks, and had to undergo intense Training with her Touchan so that she could control her abnormal strength so she wouldn't cause more damage to her comrades than she should, as well as a full week of anger management classes with Inoichi (which ended up mostly being lessons on how to use anger to her advantage, and how not to let it blind her, so that she remained an effective Shinobi).
Word spread within the ranks about how you should never call an Akimichi fat, especially to their face, and wild rumors would continue to spring up for years, about the vicious revenge the usually gentle Clan would enact, especially the female Akimichi.
It was a good start to a hopefully long life, despite the few hiccups.
….........
Chokasho and Choji enrolled in the Academy at six-years-old. It was the beginning of the rest of their lives.