. . .

. . .

Growing up, love felt like a superstition

a fantasy I should not

indulge in.

then you came along

providing me faith in something

I had given up on.

If they ask me, what is love?,

all I can say is, you.

for when we met,

it finally made sense

what others meant

when they spoke of love.

- Komal Kapoor

Chapter 1: Sweet Dreams

"It's beautiful isn't it?" He said as he admired the sky. I felt my skin grew hot as he glanced at me as if bathed by warm sunlight. Time feels like slowing down as our eyes locked. His stare was fiercely soft and I couldn't help but think - I'd never seen such dark eyes with so much light in them. not soulless nor lifeless. Instead, His gaze was like two pristine stones of onyx, that lit up with a purple flare when touched by candlelight. It made me feel his very soul was my place of worship.

"I love you." He whispered, made me escape a few heartbeats and gave me arrhythmia, but at the same time bring comfort to my chest.

He is someone that I've been waiting for ever since I knew his existence. I noted every detail- his tall frame, his coal black hair, bangs covering one of his onyx eyes, his pale skin, all of which I had seen before in pictures, but appeared so much beautiful now that he is standing in front of me. I opened my mouth to tell him that I loved him but-

Suddenly I woke up. blinking slowly, I stare at the beige ceiling. Thoughts lingering on that fantasy as the fuzzy silhouette of the person was evidence of itself. That dream again. . I heaved a sigh. how many times have I dreamt of the same individual? four times? In different scenarios. I lay on my bed for a moment longer before I got up. Back to reality, I guess.

I checked the time and it was 10:32 am. I head towards the bathroom to do my business, changed my clothes and then afterwards I went into the kitchen to grab a light meal before heading out.

My feet shuffled against the pavement as I slowly walked down the road. My Hazel eyes surveying my surroundings. The bustling crowd always made me feel claustrophobic. Even in the bitter cold of January, I felt the warmth of all these bodies pressing in. I held on to the straps of my bag as I lick my chapped lips. My breath was labored as I feel the oncoming anxiety rise in my throat. I went onto the corner of the Starbucks cafe to calm the irrational beating of my heart, taking in deep breaths. When I believed that I am calm, I went into the crowd again where each person moves as if unseeing hands drag them this way and that, pulling their eyes to one thing and then another. The smell of people's unholy body odour and over-applied perfumes and colognes made my face scrunched up and my nose cringe. As I lift my head, I took a glance at my University building- Ryerson, and my face lit up. Finally. My school is always a pain to go to as the campus surrounds Yonge-Dunas Square, where it was located at one of the busiest intersections in Downtown Toronto. Every day I have to get up and face the crowd that will always give me anxiety. As I turn around the corner of the street towards my campus, where I see the familiar building for my first class, I came across an old man who I made eye contact with.

"Hey miss, would you spare me a coin?" a homeless man asked with his rough scruffy voice. I jumped, startled by him. I took one look at him- He had a sad, worn out eyes and an unkempt beard. Dirtied long brown coat along with washed out dark jeans and black sneakers. I shuffled uncomfortably as he approached.

Flustered, I stuttered a 'sure' before giving him 50 bucks. the man blinks in surprise. I politely smile before I spoke, "I hope it will give you enough for the whole day." the man stares at me, bewildered by how large an amount of money I gave to him. I looked at the ground, uncomfortable by his gaze. After a while, he spoke, "Thank you. May the Lord God blesses you and your family." I smile at him kindly, whispered 'you're welcome' before making my way around him- that's before he stopped me. "Hey young miss, What do you think about life after death?" I turn to look at him, quirking my eyebrow. It was a sudden and very odd question but I nonetheless answered, "Reincarnation or, what other people call it, Heaven."

"how so?"

"W-well," I didn't think I would dive into this subject, yet I felt obliged to give him my opinion, "Reincarnation is at the point where you're starting a new life with no recollection of the past, and Heaven is just your very own version of it- just an endless cycle of repetitive good memories, or at least, that's what I want to believe. Everyone has their own beliefs."

He hummed, stroking his beard. "then if you were given a chance, would you take it?"

then if you were given a chance, would you take it?

That old man. I never thought I would think too deeply about this.

Would I take it? Sure. If it means not recalling the bad times. But a part of me wanted my memories to stay as I wanted to remember all the good times I had on earth. What if I reincarnated into somewhere else? I want to remember the electronics that people invented throughout the centuries. The history of mankind. Dinosaurs. Mythological creatures, the gods and goddesses. Heaven and Hell. Ancient Egyptians. Hell, even Anime or Marvel movies, because well, people who lived through today are lucky enough to watch the amazing inventions of the amazing Tony Stark a.k.a Iron Man, and the Avengers!

ehem. I'm getting off topic. But my point is, there are much more amazing things to explore and starting over again kinda scares me.

It is ridiculous I know, I am aware yet I can't help it. I looked at my chest, there lay the necklace that the old man gave me.

"Take this." I gingerly took something out of his hands. When I observed it closely I was surprised to see a very alluring necklace. "It is a one of a kind jewelry. Although it has only passed down for 3 generations, its unique look gave it a contemporary and dainty appearance. A triangle necklace made in Rhodium plated silver." he smiled softly, a faraway look on his dark brown eyes. "This necklace was originally from my late mother. . ." Now I feel bad. "O-oh. Then I shouldn't take this-"

"Nonsense! Take it!"

"B-but. Isn't this important?" His eyes soften as he smiles sadly.

"It is. That's why I'm giving it to you. I don't have children anyway. This old man will die eventually." He chuckles rather bitterly. "Take it. My mother would tell me otherwise."

"But, why me?" I stare at him in confusion.

"Because it chooses you."

After that day I never saw him again. I sighed. What did he mean by 'it chooses me'? I lay on my bed thinking about that encounter- how peculiar it is to meet such a kind-hearted man. I absentmindedly fiddling on the necklace and unbeknownst to me, was glowing rather faintly.

Author's note:

Annnd Chapter 1 is done! ^^ with 1324 words!~ is it interesting? I know. I'm kinda proud of this since I can barely have enough motivation to finish it. But! Let me know if I need to improve something. I accept criticism :)

As always thank you for reading this. Look forward to the next one!

Buh-bayyy~

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I only own my OC which is Valerie and the other characters that will be introduced in the future chapters.