The first sparks of awareness of my second life came to me in a muffled and cramped darkness. Later, I would realize this was a womb. Then, all I knew was that it was close and dark and comfortable. I pondered that was probably healing from some horrible injury.

Considering I was literally being reborn, I guess it was mostly true. Even if I still have no idea what killed me in my first life.

That period was a sort of half-wakefulness. I was aware enough to exist, but not enough to really realize it.

Being born made me realize just how good it is that children don't normally form any lasting memories until about four years old, because it was awful.

The first year of life was an exercise in frustration, being unable to see or move or speak or understand what was around me. It was not helped by the fact that I could feel something growing underneath my skin, which itched, goddamn.

So I cried...a lot.

When it finally occurred to me that I had been reborn, I also realized that I wouldn't be able to go back. Which, I had had regrets, and worries, things I hadn't gotten around to, but I couldn't change it, I was here and this was now. I had what I have, what I could hold onto with my own two hands.

I repeated the Serenity Prayer quite a bit in that second year of life; "God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to tell the difference." It kept me sane through the quiet nights when I'd miss my husband, my brother and sister, my dad and mom and friends.

I had a new brother, my twin Genma who was as small and pudgy-cheeked as I was, and a mother who was stately and elegant and absent a lot (on missions, I would later learn.)

My mother, Shiranui Samayako, was an in-demand seduction and assassination specialist, so she was away on missions often, leaving us in the care of a rotation of hired nanny-genin, including the ever-cheerful and unfailingly enthusiastic Eternal Genin Maito Dai, who was an ecstatic new father when I was turning three and putting all my attention to re-learning how to read.

This was the information that would let me realize when and where I was, the 'Naruto' universe, in the generation that produced Kakashi.

Maito Dai quickly became my favorite watcher. He was cheerful and hardworking and kind and he was always willing to answer questions.

And he made excellent curry, don't ask Genma, he likes pumpkin broth, the freak.

Since I was so desperate for the autonomy I had enjoyed in my previous life, I didn't exactly bother to retard my progress like I probably should have and soon visibly outstripped my brother, especially in reading comprehension.

Apparently, I had been diagnosed with Chakra Hypersensitivity when I was a baby, which I was informed of by my flabbergasted mother when I demonstrated the logical conclusion to the one chakra control exercise Dai-san could do, the leaf-sticking trick.

It's kind of hard to argue that your daughter would never be able to use chakra because she would be in too much pain when she's cheerfully giggling while hanging upside down from the kitchen ceiling. At the time, all I had been thinking of was showing Genma why sticking a leaf to your forehead with chakra would be useful and fun.

Looking back, I think that's when the first whispers of genius and 'the next Tsunade' started.

When Genma and I were 5, we were enrolled in the Academy and were given the Academy entrance exam. Though Genma achieved an above average score, I managed the single highest score that had been achieved to that point. Because of this, I was slated for an accelerated course and early graduation.

The few years I spent in the Academy was mostly used to prepare for being a little girl in a profession where adults would occasionally be trying to kill me.

I figured looking cute and harmless would help, which is why, under the guise of imitating my perpetually well-dressed ninja mother, I started wearing fighting kimono and geta and studied tessen-jutsu diligently. Who would bother, I thought, with the little girl in the kimono when a big strong Jounin was trying to kill them? Well...at least until I broke their nose with my adorable geta-clad feet.

I finally let the Academy teachers badger me into taking the graduation exam at the tender age of 8 when they told me of little Hatake Kakashi, who was fully expected to pass when he took it that year.

I would find out later that my score for the graduation exam was the second highest they would have, beat out only by Namikaze Minato, who was an actual genius.

This is where I had counted my second childhood as ending, though I would later be disabused of that notion, introducing myself to my new Jounin-sensei, the 18-year-old Nara Shikaku, and my two genin teammates, the five-year-old Hatake Kakashi and the ten-year-old Minazuki Yuuki.

"My name is Shiranui Hikari. I like dango, yakitori, writing my name with the kanji for 'sparkle' and people who answer my questions. I dislike pickles and people who let their hate and fear form their opinions. My hobbies include reading, learning new chakra control techniques and thinking up new questions to ask. Last night I dreamed of an invisible flying Ramen Monster nudging history along by caressing people with his noodly appendages."

What? When in doubt, go all out.