In Which the Raven Queen Meets the Swan Princess (Patreon)

A request for Steph! I hope you enjoy it! Our next winner is CallieQ! Please contact me with your request for Feburary-March!

The war had been fought and won, and Kourubi made it out with almost everyone she cared about. Shinonome-sama’s loss was heart rending, and the loss of his support was palpable. His twins would carry on his legacy amongst the birds, and Kourubi would fight to prove to everyone that his faith in her was not misplaced.

At least Sasuke and Naruto made it out with both arms still attached.

After everything that happened, Kourubi wanted nothing more than to just sleep for a hundred years. It wasn’t like she’d miss anything, right? The war was over, the world was at peace. Nothing else could possibly go wrong.

And then she got a letter.

The sender was a young woman from a tiny village somewhere in the Land of Water, a minor ninja village. The letter was cautious, curious, and just a bit desperate. The sender claimed to have heard of her, and that she wanted to confirm what she’d heard.

“You don’t have to go,” Kakashi said, watching her parse over the letter over and over again.

Kourubi looked up at him, her expression resolute. “I think I do.”

“We just finished fighting a war,” Iruka said with a sigh. “Can the world not give us a moment’s rest?”

And so, Kourubi found herself traveling to the Land of Water once more, this time with Naruto at her side. Mei welcomed them with open arms when they stopped in Kiri for a while to rest and resupply. Everyone was hospitable when Naruto came to town.

Kourubi took the time to ask about the village they were traveling to, though Mei didn’t have much to tell them. The clan that ruled the village was old, but lacked the power of similar clans in Konoha. They had bowed to the demands of the previous Mizukage, but now were slow to trust Mei’s more generous nature.

Kourubi couldn’t blame them. Shinobi clans weren’t used to being offered things that didn’t have strings attached.

They continued to travel, making their way into the snow-covered hills of the Village Hidden in the Ice Caps. From there, it wasn’t hard to find their way to the Hanayuki Clan’s compound. A round man with black hair greeted them at the door, looking down his nose at them as best he could considering how short he was.

“And who might you be?”

“I am Karasuno Kourubi, head of the Karasuno Clan,” she introduced herself, deciding to save the longer list of titles for a later point, should they be needed. “This is my brother, Uzumaki Naruto. I received a letter from one Hanayuki Aoihime. She wanted to speak to me, and so I came. Fetch her for me.”

The man’s face pinched. “How dare you…?”

“Pengi! Shut up and let them in!”

The man -- Pengi, apparently -- turned behind him, simpering. “But, milady…”

“Let. Them. In.”

Pengi scowled, stepping away and holding the door open. Kourubi stepped into the entryway, stopping short as she caught sight of the person standing there.

Where Kourubi was all reds and warm tones, this woman was all icy blues and pale coldness. Where Kourubi had soft curves that hid cords of steely muscle, this woman was sharp edges and thin limbs. Kourubi was fire in every sense -- warm and nurturing, blazing and rage-filled. This woman, Aoihime, was ice -- delicate and beautiful, frigid and deadly.

And her melody was complex, layered in ways that no one else’s was. A symphony all on its own.

Kourubi stepped forward, ignoring Pengi’s shrieks and Naruto’s curious questioning. Her hands reached up to cup Aoihime’s face, pulling her close. Yes. She could see the aurora of colors that swirled around her as her melody played.

Aoihime’s eyes went wide at the touch, nervous and fearful. Kourubi shushed her gently, pressing a kiss to her forehead without even thinking about it.

“Oh, sweet child,” she whispered.

“You’re just like me, aren’t you?”