AN: OH MY GOD I AM SO SO SORRY THIS IS SO LATE AUGH. I had summer school and regular school and the muse left me and oh god I am so freakin' sorry you guys. On another note - HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS 12K+ VIEWS?! 42 REVIEWS?! I AM IN AWE. Thank you all so so much for following, faving and just reading this fic! Without further ado, let's proceed with the story and finally finish Dusk by the River!

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

((...Where am I?))

Dark and cramped and closed in on all sides but oh it was warm. Floating in that little pocket, tiny lungs filling and draining of fluid; the thump-thump echoed in soft bones, soothing her.

Detached, the observer sensed through a body that was not her own, too tight and cramped for the enormous mind that was latched onto it. For what seemed like an endless time she watched and marveled as she felt the ears form, the brain coalesce, the skin tighten and congeal. Blood vessels knitted themselves into intricate, labryinthine pathways; nerves tingled and lit up as they came into being.

The observer, curled up in the back of the developing mind, watched with awe. Here was the miracle of human life, a tiny little child coming into being. She wasn't a biologist by any means, but just witnessing this wonder come together was the most glorious post-death experience she could have wished for. Perhaps she was witnessing her own life, from conception to death on the concrete?

Probably not, because she could feel another circulation system constructing itself inside the body, and she was certain human life as she knew it had nothing like this. Pure energy flowed through these channels, burning stronger with each day that passed. It was magnificently strange, the way the glowing blue veins formed pathways to the eyes, the brain, the organs, running alongside the blood vessels and nervous system as it wove its way through the little body. The observer gazed upon this spectacle with delight. Perhaps a mutation, or maybe it had been there, in the human body, all along? What a discovery!

The soft singing that would pierce the wall of the womb was low and deep and soothing, thrumming through the developing infant. Probably the voice of whoever had fathered the child; she was certain this was not her infant self, for her father had never sang a word to her, due to his dying shortly after her conception. The little child would have two parents; lucky, to be so blessed with the strange blue energy that pulsed through its body, and with a whole family to love and care for her.

Time seemed to pass all too fast to the observer, as she spent half her time watching the little child grow and the other half renovating the mindscape she found herself residing in. It was a warm, black, room, pretty much what was on the outside, but the observer took and reshaped it into something more pleasing to the eye, from her own memories. Oval windows let in soft light, giving a view out to a sprawling green ocean of leaves and trees. The birdsong of her childhood drifted in on the breeze, reaching the observer as she molded bookshelves out of the walls that so greatly imitated wood, forming tomes and thick books out of her knowledge and memories, so she wouldn't forget. It reminded her of home.

She was jolted out of her little realm as the baby, grown too large for the confines of its mother's womb, began the inevitable eviction from its first home. The observer watched with rapt attention as the child whose body she was residing in was born, arms flailing and loud wailing coming from the red-haired little girl. The midwife, who looked only fifteen, cradled the baby in her arms, wiping off blood and amniotic fluids, speaking in a language the observer recognised well, from years spent with family and well-loved television shows. So the child was Japanese? But the hair…

As the little girl was gently handed to her mother, the observer watched as the blonde woman glowed with soft golden light, and concluded this was definitely not any universe she knew of.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Uzushio? Are you sure?"

"It seems very likely. I can't be sure as of yet, but we already know there's one Shiramori here. And Manami-san's red hair and the seals they have casually scattered around…"

'We can't jump to conclusions. Accusing a person of being a survivor of one of the greatest destructions in the history of the Elemental Nations...that can get people killed."

"You think I don't know that, nii-san?!" Hushed whispers, growing more agitated. "The Yoakeno were the first line of defense for the village! I saw my clansmen on the frontlines, fending off the combined forces of four of the Great Villages, and I watched as they died! When we fled and wandered the nations, I watched as those with red hair were shunned and outcast among their own, even if they weren't Uzumaki! Nee-san died because-!" A hiccup and a sob.

"Shh, Haru, shhh." Low murmuring, in a soothing baritone voice. "Because she was of Uzushio. I know. I was there. If your clansmen are among these people, you deserve to know. Family is important. But it's not worth getting strangers and innocents into trouble like this."

A sniffle. "I miss her."

"Me too, imouto. Me too."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sat on a log, Akari breathed in deeply. The smoky scent of the fire mixed with the savory spices and herbs infused with the bowl of stew she held in her hands. The warmth from the wood sank into her skin and made her cheeks flush as she cheerily slurped it up, making loud gulping noises as she did so.

Beside her, Kaito laughed as she lowered the bowl. "You have a soup mustache!" he snickered. The little girl blinked in realisation and laughed, mopping it up with a sleeve.

"Aww, now m' sleeve's all icky." Akari pouted, a smile tugging at the edges of it. The liquid gold settled in her stomach infused her with warmth and good feelings, cheering her with the rush she felt inside her. The heat of the campfire also helped immensely.

Licking her lips of the last traces of savoury goodness, she hopped off the log with empty bowl in hand. "Where d' I put this?"

Kaito obligingly showed her the way, over to the basin full of dirty plates and assorted cutlery. After she'd dropped it in, he ushered her over to the riverside. The duo dipped their oily hands into the freezing waters to wash off the grime. Akari splashed the redheaded boy with ice-cold droplets and cackled as he let out a shriek; she barely had time to raise her sleeves for protection as he splashed her in return, giggling all the while. It quickly devolved into a small splash war, ending with the duo significantly more wet than they were before.

"Whoops," said Akari.

"The grownups's're gonna be soooo mad," said Kaito. In unison to this horrible threat, they grinned and giggled in a suitably conspiratorial fashion.

Now dripping wet with river water, the two tromped back, wet footprints in their wake as they weaved past chatting caravan members and assorted tables and tents to the bonfire. Akari looked ahead and smiled - tousan was sitting by the fire with a bowl of stew in his hands, talking with some other caravan members by the light of the flames.

She beamed and cried out. "Touchan!" Kaito winced and blinked out the water droplets from his eyes, batting away her flapping sleeves as she waved wildly.

Ken looked up, took in the sight of his baby girl soaking wet and probably chilled to the bone, and understandably freaked out a little.

He rushed over, meeting the pair halfway, immediately getting down on his knees to inspect his baby girl. "Kari-chan! How did you get so wet, you must be freezing!" He scolded. Akari simply giggled and raised her hands in the universal children's gesture of 'carry me, slave'.

The swordsman obliged, hoisting the drenched girl up by her underarms and bundling her into his arms. As an afterthought, he rearranged his daughter onto his right arm, picked up the equally dripping wet boy with his left, and carried them both over to the bonfire. "Ancestors, what did you two get up to? I leave you for a few minutes and you go jumping into the river! You could get sick!"

Kaito endured the chiding with the air of a small prince, brushing aside the concerns like they were rather annoying bugs. "It's okay, Ken-san, we just splashed each other lots, is all."

"Yep!" The 'p' was popped with an accompaniment of small droplets raining down on Ken's cheek. Akari grinned. "I'h was fuuun! But we're all wet now. Can you do the fire thing and make it dry?"

Ken sighed and gently butted his forehead against his baby girl's. "Tiny monkeys, you both are. Honestly."

He laid them both onto the log, where they shedded their soggy outer layers of clothing and with the assistance of some helpful clan members, hung them up from the nearest caravan to dry. The duo were quickly toweled off, wrapped into warm, fuzzy blankets, and sat in front of the blazing hearth to dry, supervised by a watchful father.

Akari yawned, smacking her lips. She cozied up against her father's side. "Tou-saaan," she mumbled into the cloth of Ken's coat, "Wh're's Ru-nee?"

Ken wound a warm arm around her, tapping out a gentle rhythm of pats against her side. "She's talking to some new friends, honey," He murmured softly, his voice rumbling through her comfortingly. "She'll come by soon. Get some rest now, okay?"

"'kay." Another quiet yawn, ending in a whisper of breath.

Sighing, swaddled in warmth and surrounded by the brightness of family, Akari nodded off, surrendering to the darkness of slumber with a sleepy smile and euphoria filling the mother-shaped void in her heart if only for a little while. It had been a long week.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Ken gently cradled his daughter in his arms, her head resting against his chest, stray false-brown hairs tickling his scarred skin. He patted her precious little head and smiled, then turned to the boy at his side. "Do you know where Akari's sleeping for the night?"

Kaito yawned, his blankets shifting with him as he basked in the glow of the flames. "Mmmm… I think it's with the rest of us kids, so it's Nami-neechan's cart y'want." He gestured vaguely in the direction of the first few caravans. "Ov'r there."

Ken gave him a head pat too. Small sleepy children were still the cutest thing around. "Thanks, Uzumaki-kun."

The boy blinked blearily, giving a childish glare. "'s Kaito, Ken-san. Uz'maki makes me sound like an ooolld person. Wait up, 'm gonna follow." He toddled to his feet, wobbling under the muffling weight of cloth. Obligingly, Ken plucked a few pieces off him, covering Akari in them instead.

A small yawn once more. "Hey, Ken-san, d'n't she gotta brush'er teeth?"

A low chuckle, careful not to wake the sleeping child in his arms. "I think I'll let her pass for one night."

They walked quietly on, Akari still slumbering peacefully in the swordsman's rough arms. Overhead, the half-moon shone, in a sea of deep darkness and stars.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

AN: You'd best believe that we're gonna delve into AU stuff straightaway! A question for the reviewers - there are three Uzushio clans that have been named so far: the Uzumaki, the Yoakeno and the Shiramori. Guess what the next ones will be!

To the reviews!

TheParadoxicalOxymoron - it is kinda filler, but it's character interaction filler! With a bit of plot and stuff slipped in. Mostly though it's just shenanigans and character introductions + interactions. Thanks for the support! Exams went well.

sonyat - I AM SO FLATTERED AUGH. Li comes and goes when she wants. Usually she's there at the forefront, but when she's focusing on the mindscape she recedes. Haru is the Most Charming Girl. It's a bunch of awkward teens flirting awkwardly, haha. I might do a oneshot someday... I HAVE HAD THAT PLOT POINT IN MY MIND FROM THE BEGINNING HAHAHAHAHAHA UZUSHIOOOO

Whispering Darkness - YAY A NEWCOMER! *blushes* d'aww thanks for the compliments! Bless ur face

Janneia - haha it's okay. I'll figure out how to work you guys in SOMEHOW.

BerserkMoon - It'll be a whiiiile more. For the first act this is a mainly OC-oriented thing, but later on we'll come to canon and shit will start to hit the fan.

4everfictional - WOW BLESS YOUR FACE THANK YOU!

Paul Perkins - Akari is about 2 and a half as of this chapter. Ken is 24, Haru is 16. Shin is about 19, and listing all of the caravan members would take too much time so nahh. Asagao was 23 when she died.