Waking up is an odd thing.

I know, I know. It's not really that odd, in and of itself. But waking up, after you've died and remembering what happened, now that's fucked up.

It all started with darkness. That was all I saw, and it quickly became all I knew. I don't know for sure how long I floated along in that emptiness. I spent the time I was there just thinking. Thinking about Jenna, my girlfriend. I told her that we'd be together forever, but I guess forever ended. I miss her. I thought of my mother and father who I left behind. I wonder what they thought, seeing me bleeding on the kitchen floor, tears streaming down my face.

And I thought of my younger brother. Thinking back on it, I love him anyway. Despite the fact that, you know. He murdered me.

I don't know why he did it. I was making myself and Jenna some dinner, while she was watching television on the couch in the living room. All of the sudden, my brother burst through the door, and he looked exhausted. I don't just mean very tired, I mean he looked weary to the bone, dead on his feet even. It looked like he had been crying. That's when I noticed the gun in his hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry. Tyler… I wish it could be me, but I can't let that happen."

The last words he said to me echoed through my head, time and time again.

I don't think I blame him, really. He always had a tough life. He was my only sibling for the first seven years of his life, when my younger ssister, Sarah, was born. Four years later though, a couple weeks after my twelfth birthday, Sarah got sick. She didn't make it more than a month. Liam... I don't know how to explain it. He loved Sarah, with his whole heart. It wasn't any weird kind of love, just unshakeable sibling love. I suppose it's like my love for him.

But back to the story.

Liam was hit hard by Sarah's death. He started having nightmares, he would get panic attacks, he basically had a whole host of issues triggered by the death if our sister. Mom and dad, of course, tried their best to get him help. They took him to psychiatrists, they got him pills, they sunk a lot of money into helping him. No matter what they tried though, he would give up. At the end of his grade eight year he began to fall into a bad crowd. I tried to get him out, but he played the "they're my friends" card. He seemed happy, so I guess that's what mattered at the time.

The point is, he spiralled down into a bad place, and by the time I turned eighteen he couldn't get out. Almost exactly two months after my eighteenth birthday, he shot me to death.

The last thing I remember is Jenna holding my hand, kissing me one last time.

Oh, and my parents standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the main hallway. But the kiss really stands out.

After that, I woke up in darkness. Again, I couldn't tell you how long I floated listlessly in space, but eventually I began to feel a rushing, a flow pulling me away from the darkness. It was kind of like standing in a creek, feeling the water pass you by, but over my whole body.

The first thing I saw was bright, fluorescent white. It was everywhere, and it was blinding. Naturally, as I'm sure many men would do, I screamed as the light seared my retinas. It wasn't very pleasant.

I expected some kind of manly shout, or at least a yelp, but that's not what I received. I started screaming, and I didn't stop. Even once I could see, I couldn't stop screaming. Then I realized, I was screaming like a baby. Holy. Fucking. Shit.

I was a baby.

And I wasn't the only one there. Another baby, screaming just as loudly as me, was in the arms of a black haired, black eyed woman. It took me a moment, but I eventually recognized her. That... Can't be right.

Mikoto? Mikoto Uchiha? Uh... Huh. That's a little different.

Either I was dreaming, in some kind of coma from being shot, or I woke up in a fictional universe.

No... It wasn't a coma. I could remember the feeling of my heart slowly stopping. Again, not a pleasant experience.

So, I woke up in the Naruto universe, and judging by the appearance of the baby in my new mother's arms, I was Sasuke's twin brother. I could tell already that we were going to look different.

Eventually, I was given to my mother. I stopped crying. It felt... Right.

Some words were exchanged between Mikoto and who could only be a younger, less stressed Fugaku, but I couldn't really understand them. I caught a few words, and I knew they said a couple of names before finally saying 'Kagami' and smiling down at me. I guess my name must be Kagami. Shortly after this final exchange, I found myself drifting into a peaceful sleep. I didn't dream that day, nor for many nights thereafter.

I suppose it was a few months later that I felt the Kyuubi escape from it's prison, Uzumaki Kushina. I was sad, both for the Yondaime and his wife, but also for the Kyuubi himself. He hadn't asked to be put in this situation. He hadn't wanted to be stuffed in a seal and bound in chains by a young woman. This was his first taste of freedom, and he was being controlled by a complete asshole, 'Madara' Uchiha. I could sympathise with him, really. I knew that nobody before had truly tried to understand him, and I felt for him.

Of course, I was terrified by the power and the sheer hate that came with his presence, but I did have sympathy for the gigantic fox known as Kurama.

*Four years later*

Training was, to put it simply, silly. I would pressure my 'tou-san' and Itachi to help me train, and all they would do is make me to push ups and sit ups. I would always tell myself a hundred, but I could only ever make it to around twenty of each.

Let me tell you how this started.

I picked up Japanese pretty easily, despite the fact that I had only known a few token words in my past life. And despite the fact that I could still function well in English. But as soon as I could speak, I started asking to train with my nii-san and my tou-san. Kaa-san never trained, she wasn't a shinobi anymore. But she could still give some advice, which was nice. It was good bonding time, and I found myself truly caring for them like my own family. In hindsight, I guess they were my family.

"Ototo!" I heard a distinctly high voice shout. Ah, it's Sasuke. "How come you didn't tell me you were training again? I would've joined you!"

"Sasuke-nii, you could have just come down here. I start at this time everyday."

"Yeah Kagami-ototo, but you're always in bed so long and I get bored waiting. You could at least come for breakfast first!" Sasuke whined.

"Sasuke-nii, you could just bring breakfast up here. Or even wake me up." I countered.

"Last time I tried to wake you up, you pushed me off your bed and I fell down!"

"Then maybe you'll think before you try to wake me up."

"But you just told me I could wake you up!"

"And what do you think that means?" I asked him.

"Um…" He began tentatively. "Not… To wake you up?"

"Exactly!" I said, beaming. It seems he was learning. "So, next time you want to exercise with me, you should just wait for me to get up. Besides, I only get up half an hour after you. It shouldn't be that bad." I was never really a morning person, but in this body, mornings seemed a little less horrible.

"Wait… Ototo, how do you know what time I get up?"

Sighing, I replied. "Sasuke-nii, you getting up wakes me up. I usually lay in bed for half an hour before stretching to wake up a bit, then I start my exercises."

"I-I'm sorry Kagami-ototo! I didn't know I woke you up, I promise I'll shake the bunk less when I climb down from now on." He apologized.

"Sasuke-nii, don't worry!" I laughed. "I don't mind, really. It's good to get up a little early." I put on my best smile, hoping to ease his worry. It felt kind of odd, because I was so used to the Sasuke that was cold to everyone after the massacre. That was also something I'd been thinking about for the past four years, no matter how they flew by. I was going to keep Sasuke from becoming that cold, hateful person he had been in the anime and manga. If I had to, I would die again for that one small change.

I just really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Anyway nii-san, I'm almost done. Let me finish then I'll go down and have breakfast with kaa-chan, tou-chan, and Itachi-nii."

Ten minutes later, I went downstairs and ate with my family.

*Two years later*

Another two years passed us by, and it was finally time to join the academy. I was waiting for this for six whole years. This was the first step on my journey to changing the fate of this world. Of course, I would have to start at the start. Which meant the basics, obviously. I had a lot to look forward to, but a lot more to slug through.

History, chakra theory, basic throwing lessons. I'd learned most of what I could expect from Itachi, and I even got him to teach me some of the things he knew about the different subjects. As such, and with the liberal use of my clan's library, I already knew the things I needed to know to do well in the academy. Now, there was no way I was going to make Rookie of the Year, I shouldn't mess with the timeline that much, but I'd definitely be near the top of the class.

As my family approached the academy, I tuned out the Hokage's first year speech. It was something along the lines of accepting our duty, and wishing us the best as future shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato.

He seemed like a pretty genuinely kind man, but the anime didn't do him justice. Underneath the grandfatherly image, I could see the Shinobi no Kami, the God of Shinobi. Maybe it's because I knew what to look for, but I could see the way he subtly twitched as sounds came up here and there. I could see the tension in his body, coiled to leap towards the first sign of danger. This was a man who had faced many wars and countless battles.

And standing beside him, beaming up at him, was a little shining ray of sunshine. Uzumaki Naruto, the third Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. He seemed a little bit happier than I had expected him to, but that was a good thing. It would suck for a kindhearted child to be downtrodden, especially on the first day of school.

As the Hokage ended his speech and left, the expected happened. Naruto made a grand declaration of how he would be Hokage, and protect everyone in the village. It was admirable, really, but the fact that he shouted it was kind of irritating. Then he started glaring at everyone, after the people formed a circle around him.

There was muttering to be heard all around, mostly about how everyone's children should avoid him. I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that Fugaku didn't make any mention of that, and simply looked around in distaste at the way people were treating the child.

Naruto began making more declarations of how he would earn everyone's respect, and he was honestly getting on my nerves. I guess Itachi noticed how I was shaking with annoyance, and how my eye was twitching, because he gave me a questioning look. He didn't say anything, but the message was clear.

"Are you going to do anything, or just stand there annoyed by him?" He asked me wordlessly.

I sent him a look that obviously meant "Don't give me that look" before proceeding to walk to the loud, blond ball of energy.

Naruto stopped mid-speech, and looked curiously at me. I guess he could recognise that I was an Uchiha, or maybe he was just surprised by the fact that a child was actually approaching him. The adults all stopped their hushed comments, and looked at me askance.

"Don't you start with me!" He said. "I don't care what you think, I'm going to be-."

I smacked him upside the head, shutting him up.

"If you're going to be Hokage, you should try and be a little quieter." I muttered, loud enough that everyone could hear.

First, he scowled. Then, I guess what I said really began to register with him, as he started to smile ear-to-ear. It was a heart-warming smile, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"I guess you're right." He said, much quieter than before. He was still a little loud, but baby steps are how to start. "Thanks for the advice."

I smiled again, then turned around to address my parents.

"Tou-san, kaa-san, nii-san, thank you for walking me and Sasuke-nii here. We'll see you after school! And remember kaa-san, you promised somen for dinner."

With that, I grabbed Sasuke's wrist and pulled him through the doors of the academy. We were the first, but after a few stunned moments, Naruto led a charge of children through the doors of the academy.

*Two months later*

In the academy, I always sat between my brother and Naruto. Over the two months, we had quickly become close friends, and he would even come over to my house in the compound once a week for dinner and to study. He, of course, hated studying but Mikoto made us all study together. She knew that I already knew all of the current course work, so I was mostly there to help Sasuke and Naruto.

While I had intended to only be runner up, I quickly found myself at the top of the class. I knew I couldn't slack off, for fear of earning Fugaku's ire, so the only time I slept was during lectures. Naruto and I had already agreed on him waking me up when it was time for tests or to go outside to the kunai practice range, so I wasn't terribly worried about anything. We hadn't started taijutsu lessons in the academy yet, but I had started learning from my father and older brother. Sasuke, unfortunately, still had to catch up on theory before he could learn the practical skills with me. That being said, we had both begun learning Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique) together, since it was a right of passage. Sadly, he was ahead of me in that regard. He could get a little spit of flames, but I always wound up coughing up a plume of smoke. Oh well, I would just have to work harder!

It was one day in the target range that I made a hideous discovery.

I had fan-girls.

Now I know, it sounds like it would be an awesome thing, right? Girls throwing themselves at you, people who would one day be attractive cheering you on and thinking you're the best thing to happen to the world. Sounds like most guy's dreams, I know.

It fucking sucked. They didn't even pretend to care about me as a person, they just wanted to be with me to be better than the other girls. The only two that were different were Sakura and Ino, oddly enough. Sakura always argued with Ino that Sasuke was better than me, but Ino would support me and fight for me against her friend. They were still best friends, but they would almost constantly have shouting matches about who was better. I guess their shouting was only made worse by the fact that they sat directly behind me, with poor Hinata stuck between them. I know that she wanted to speak up and argue that Naruto was the greatest of us three, but she was too shy.

It was while I was wondering what changes would occur due to my inclusion that Ino piped up to talk to me. She wasn't my best friend, but I guess we were pretty close. We would occasionally sit together at lunch, and we would joke around about Sakura and Sasuke, making both of them blush. I don't know if Sasuke realised, but I could tell that he actually liked Sakura. Imagine my surprise when I realised that, eh?

"Ne, Kagami-kun." Ino said.

I turned around, a little startled by her voice in my ear.

"Yeah Ino-chan?" I asked.

"Wanna cut class?" She asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Now, in my first life I was far from a ladies man. This kind of question would have made me uncomfortable, I would have probably stuttered a bit before I had finally wound up with Jenna. Now though, I was a much more confident person Still, it was a little out of the ordinary for her.

"Uh, why?" I asked dubiously.

"Naruto-baka had an idea for a prank, and he roped me into helping him." She said. 'Baka' isn't usually a very endearing name for people, but I could tell that she had nothing against Naruto. And I had to admit, despite my intervention he was still a bit of a dumbass. I think Ino called him that because Naruto couldn't notice how Hinata felt about him. "Since I was going, I figured you could help out. I know how you like some of his pranks, and I figured that this one was going to actually be good. So, what do you say?"

"Eh," I responded, "Sure. I already know about the Shodai Hokage, so I can afford to miss this."

She handed me a folded piece of paper that detailed the plan. Well, the part that we were part of.

While Iruka-sensei was turned around, Ino and I leapt out the window, leaving blown up dolls of ourselves in our places. Mine, unsurprisingly, was laying on the desk, as though I were sleeping. I have no idea how she had hidden the dolls, but I figured it would be better not to question it.

We walked around the corner of the academy to find a small brown box. Opening it, I found is was full of water balloons. One had a note taped to it.

'Hey Ino,

I know I told you what to do with the balloons, but this one is a test-balloon for you to try, so you can get used to throwing them already.

Yours truly,

Uzumaki Naruto'

"Do you want the honors, Kagami-kun?" Ino asked me.

"Uh, sure." I said. "What do I do?"

"You see the targets on some of the nearby buildings?" She asked, pointing. I nodded. "Okay, so these balloons are colour coded. You throw the matching balloons to the coloured targets. Naruto-baka said he'd finish up after we're done. I don't know the rest, but it should be good. I'm honestly kinda surprised he planned it out so well."

"Yeah, me too." I muttered. The test balloon worked out pretty well, the paint held inside splattering on the wall surprisingly quietly. I was a little worried about what I got dragged into, but I figured there wasn't much to fret about. After all, Naruto only used paint that would wash off with water, and a pretty big storm was predicted to happen tomorrow.

Ino took the purple balloons and I took the blue ones. There was only one more set of balloons, and of course it was orange. The little idiot's favourite colour.

After we finished with our colours (which just happened to be both of our own favourites) we split the orange ones. To my horror, Ino's last target was a house with a lot of tin on it, loose enough that it would rattle all over the place.

"Ino, wait!" I shouted, only too late to stop her. She turned to me with a confused look in her eyes, only to jump as the tin rattled loudly from being hit by the balloon.

"What the fuck is going on out there?!" And angry voice shouted from within the house.

"Ino." I said slowly. "We need to run."

Not long after that, we found ourselves running from a surprisingly large group of civilians (I hesitate to use the word 'mob'). It took about an hour to lose them all, and by the time that we did, a feeling of dread worked its way into our stomachs.

"Uchiha Kagami and Yamanaka Ino." Iruka-sensei's voice said from right behind us, as we were bent over panting after the chase. "I would have expected this from Naruto, but you two also? I'm disappointed. And your parent's will definitely be hearing about this."

At his words, the feeling of dread became much more intense.

A/N: Yep, I'm going to be working on two stories. At the same time. Still. I might get back to working on the other stories I have, but Life is a Game and this story will be taking up the brunt of my writing. That isn't to say I don't have plans for Naruto Uchiha and Redemption!, but these two are going to be my focus.

That said, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my OC/S.I. fic. It was inspired by the stories A World Full Of Monsters (by Fahad09) and Hidden Among the Shadows (by Shikayna).

Favourite, follow, and review at your leisure!

-RahvinsCage