Fulencent light flowed from the being, causing the eleven year old to shield her eyes from the light. She had just overdosed, on purpose, because of the pain she had felt from the memories of the traumatic event she went though just two years ago. Now, she had woken up here, confused.

"Although you tried to kill yourself, I have temporary neutralized the effects of the drugs, you should be glad I did," He explained. "Shino, you would be in big trouble had I not."

"Why?" She asked, frightened. Due to the traumatic event, she had developed a kind of an icy and loner-based personality, though she was still nice like she use to be, around those she felt comfortable with. However, none of those three traits presented themselves here. Had she not felt his power and energy, she'd have long snapped at him, demanding that it was none of his business to be concerned about her.

"Basically, ancestors and judges look down upon those who kill themselves, with the exception of those who go through extremely difficultly. And while the bank robbery was traumatic, it didn't negatively affect you nearly enough to warrant suicide."

The girl felt anger coursing though her after hearing his words. "Not nearly enough? Do you know what pain I've been though?" She yelled, momentarily forgetting his aura of energy.

The light flashed violently, and Shino felt herself becoming weak, and frightened again. "Do you know what it's like to watch your creation cause and go though so much pain?" He asked her sharply. "Or those who spent years being tortured as a prisoner of war?" He the huffed anger. "And don't get me started on those who went through constant, sharp pain every day for years with no hope of relief."

Shino thought about it for a moment. No, he has a point, but what does that mean for me? "No, I guess not." she sighed. At once, his power weakened, and Shino took a few deep breaths. "So... am I dead?"

The being shook his head. "No, but you are in an intermediate state. Reason is, I have come to offer you a choice." He explained.

"Choice?" She asked, tipping her head slightly.

"Normally, those in your condition can be reborn, if they go through the trial of penitence. However, I can send you back to your old body, or, if you'd rather, I can go ahead and send you to paradise, under one condition." He offered.

"What... what is that condition?" Shino asked.

The being sighed. "There is a guy, he's had a hard life, but he will die a hero today. However, he desires to live longer, but unless he has a new body to be transferred to, he will be unable to do so. "If you are willing to allow him to transfer into your body, I can send you to paradise right now."

Shino took in the information, not too sure what to do. On one hand, all the pain she suffered could be over. On the other hand, if she didn't want to give her body to someone else to use, she'd have to go back. "Why..can't I just be reborn?" she asked tentatively.

Once again, the bright golden being let out a sigh. "Being reborn is hard work, and it is a difficult process. Only those thoroughly dedicated to living another life properly are allowed to do so. However, If you agree to the switch, then my judges may agree to give you another chance at life." He then looked at her seriously. "More than likely though, you'll be your own daughter."

"So my choices are limited, then?" Shino knew the question was dumb right as she spoke it. "Never mind. But will he respect my body? I mean, he is a guy, and I don't want to have him... you know."

"He is a kind soul who would never disrespect another body, or his own. Besides, as time goes own, his

memories will begin to sync with your own, and by the time is is nearly 13 years old, he'll have no clue that he once was a male."

"So, basically, it'll be like he was always me? And speaking of which, can he cope with the pressure that I have to live through?"

"Yes, and yes, on both accounts."

She found it hard to chose which option to go with, however, the more she thought about it, the more she found herself warming up to the idea of paradise, though it seemed either way it would cost her something.

"He will be killed soon, I'm afraid you will have to make your choice now," The golden being cautioned.

Shino gave a sigh. "Alright," she then breathed for a second closing her eyes, before opening them. "I... he... he has my permission." She managed to get out, finding it hard to come up with the right words in her mind.

The being began to glow softly, and Shino found herself glowing slightly, before being dropped into a small town, sounded by a grassy plain. "This is where many in the Asada family reside."

Am...am I dead. The pain... it's gone. But, why do I feel so small, and fragile. Or, more fragile than I did this morning?

She heard his thoughts as clearly as her own. Right now, she was watching over the hero, acting as his guardian for a few months in exchange to being the first born if he, or now she, decided to have a family. Although the golden being was usually against the idea of letting someone dead guide the living in spirit form, he decided to let this be a one time exception.

"Hm... where am I?" The hero asked asked, blinking her eyes briefly before gazing around, before spotting her. "Am... you... who are you.?"

"I am, or was, Shino Asada," Shino begin, before smiling. "Now, so are you."

"Huh, I am confused, she stated, tipping her head"

Pointing to a mirror, Shino directed her to look. She gave a small, quiet nod and looked, before gasping. "Wait... am I in... your body?" she asked, before looking back at her briefly and then again back to the mirror.

Shino let out a sigh. "Yes, I kinda overdosed, and was giving the choice between coming back or going to paradise, though I had to allow someone else to transfer into my body. Basically," However she paused when she noticed that she had held her hand in a stop sign.

"If you've overdosed and didn't want to come back, you must have had a good reason." she told her quietly. "You don't have to tell me the reason why, if you don't want to."

She patted the smaller girl on the head gently in gratitude. "That's a generous offer, but it stuff you need to know." she informed. "For all intents and purposes, you are now me, and so you need to know this stuff."

Walking quietly, he picked up the pills, and slipped them into her dresser, covering it with some socks.

"Wouldn't want your parents or guardian to find them while we are talking," she explained, before sitting down. "Okay, I'm listening."

After about fifty minuets, she understood the situation. "I understand it must have been hard for you, Shino." She whispered quietly.

Shino gave her a small smile. "Yeah." She then jerked up. "Mom is coming. Remember, be gentle."

The new Shino righted herself as she heard a knock on her door. She rose up and walked slowly to said entryway, while announcing that she was coming. Opening the door, she came face to face with her mother for the first time. Hm, I can see the resemblance, she thought to herself.

"Oh, your here... your grandfather called, and he wanted to ask you something. The choice is up to you, of course, but it might be better if you went along with his plan. God knows I haven't been as good of a mother to you as I should have been.

Gazing at her mother, she gave her mom a hug. "It's okay mommy, I know you've been through a lot, and it's hard on you."

Her mom shook her head softly. "No, it's not okay." She whispered, clutching her daughter closer to her in comfort.

The two stood that way for a while, before breaking up the moment, and Shino gazed around as her mother left the room. "Psst, Shino, you there?" She asked.

"Yeah yeah, I'm here." she replied, materializing beside her. "You where much too soft, but at least you where gentle with her." She added disapprovingly.

She thought of something but shook his head mentally. "Did you hear all that?" She dared to ask.

Shino nodded. "At least you won't have to worry about her anymore."

"Much," she interrupted her quietly.

"Excuse me?" Shino nearly hollered.

"What, she is my mom now, I'm going to care about her."

Huffing, Shino crossed her arms and squinted her eyes. "Mom basically disowns me and what do you do? Nothing but roll over on your back and," She paused, before mocking him with her next sentence. "Oh mom, it's okay, I know you've had a hard life."

The new Shino just rolled her eyes. "I've dealt with disownment before."

"Wait, what did you say, and did you roll your eyes at me?"

"Not so much from a, oh wait, yeah biological parents where involved. And the school. And the town. And the state, or at least, it felt like it. So to me, this isn't nothing."

"Oh, I didn't know it was that bad," she apologized quietly.

The younger Shino then got up and peered out the door as his mom went into the upper bathroom. He quickly grabbed the pills and took them downstairs, slipping them into where the old Shino had found them, then quietly returned to his room.

"Hm... Slick, not sure if I should be worried about that," Her head shaking in her hand slightly.

She just huffed at her. "Wanted to get it over with." He then gazed at the computer. "Does this have internet?"

"Basic, 20 Megabits per second."

She quickly powered it up, logged on, and began typing away.

"What are you doing," spirit Shino asked, bending down slightly to watch him.

"Well,"s he began. "I figured that if I am moving to grandfather's then I figure that I should get a hobby. Kendo sounds good, but with the way things are going about the bank incident, I figured I'd pick the next best thing."

"Which is?" She asked, tilting her head.

"This," He beamed, before bringing up a box which had the name Atari flashback 12 written on it.

"Comes with 80 Atari 2600, 25 Atari 5200, and 15 Atari 7800 games on it." That's like, she thought, quickly doing the math in her head. 120 games! Shino did another take. "Wouldn't you rather have a modern console or gaming rig?"

She thought for a moment. "Nope! This is cheaper, has a lot of games, and no one will complain if it's just retro games. Now if it was a modern console, they may think first person you know what."

"Oh, that makes sense, I think."

Closing the browser, she then sighed to herself. "Well, I'm to head up there in a few days, what should I take?"

Shino shook her head slowly. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that much, as mom will pack your things for you." She then frowned. "I don't think I ever got for name." she realized.

"It's Aacob. Kinda like Jacob, but with an A. Also, two A's, in cause your wondering."

She chuckled a bit at that. "That's a cool name," she mused.

"Shino, time for Dinner!"

"Coming mom!" She replied, before sighing. "I gotta go."

Spirit Shino watched him, before fading out. This is going okay, but it's both easier and harder than I thought, she decided.

For Shino, Dinner was fairly good, and to her surprise, she found out that her taste plate has changed drastically. For dinner, she had a fancy soup that was slightly tangy, but it tasted good. However, for desert she had a strawberry cake, which was also good, but something of which she avoided back in her old body. Still, she had absolutely no complaints about it either way.

After lunch and thanking her mom, she went back upstairs, hoping that Shino was still there. "Shino," she whispered, but no one appeared. Must have decided to go back to paradise for the night, she mused, before gazing at the time. Maybe I outta read a book, she thought, before picking up her elementary school science textbook.

Gazing around, Shino appeared in front of the golden radiant being, whom she learned was called Sarren, albeit no one really uttered his name due to the reverence everyone held for him. They'd acknowledge that Sarren was his name, but that was it. She also found out that he hated being refereed to as god, due to how the many historical gods of mankind behaved and the sacrificed they required.

Bowing gently, Shino decided to ask the question on her mind. "I was wondering... what exactly happened to Aacob?" she asked quietly but politely.

Sarren let out a small sigh. "Not much, everyone rejected him, even though he tried to do that which was right." He then motioned for her to set by him at a nearby bench. She nodded and sat down, gazing at him gently.

"When he was about 17, Aacobs parents had him placed on some heavy prescription drugs, in the hopes that they could collect disability. Aacob discovered what they where trying to do, and so he ran away, and lived in the forest lands."

Shino gasped. "That's... that's horrible."

Sarren nodded. "Unfortunately, that isn't where his trouble ended. To cover up their plot, his parents contrived false stories and accusations about him, something of which Aacob figured out they would do. However, as time went on, his parents began to switch tactics, hoping to sweet-talk him into coming back."

"Did it work?" Please don't tell me he went back and suffered, she thought to herself quietly.

"Fortunately, no, Aacob was pretty cunning. However, as time went on, his reputation kept getting worse and worse. Still, our brave hero never turned his back on those in need, when he could help them."

"You refer to him as a hero." Shino pointed out.

Sarren nodded in conformation. "Yes, on many occasions, he performed heroic feats. He's stopped 2 kidnappings, saved four people from drowning, foiled one mugging attempted, and finally, killed a mass shooter dispute being shot ten times in the chest. Needless to say, that last battle did him in."

Shino couldn't believe what she was hearing. So I wasn't the only one who killed a man to save others, she realized. She'd come to peace with the bank robbery situation she'd gone through shortly after she first saw her ancestors, but she never knew that Aacob had went through something similar. "And after that?"

"The media was quick to judge Aacob, claiming that he had decided to work with the shooter to make himself a hero." He then sighed, before gazing at her. "You can see why I and many others here believe he deserved a second chance at life."

Contemplating it over for a brief moment, Shino found herself agreeing with Sarren about Aacob deserving a second chance at life. "Say I hadn't overdosed," Shino began. "What would have happened to Aacob?"

"He'd have been given the choice to go through the trials of penitence, and should he have completed said trials, he'd have been reborn at a later date."

Shino rose from her seat, and bowed slightly. "Thank you for telling me all of this." She replied politely.

"It was no problem, Shino."

Fading back to earth, she noticed Aacob quietly reading in a corner. Shino was surprised to find that the book she was reading was her Science text book. School doesn't start for another month, smart-ass, she thought, though in more of an amusing tone rather than condescending. "Aacob, time for bed," she whispered, getting her attention.

Aacob tore her head from the book, sighing as she noted the time was 8:30 PM. "I was almost done, too." she mummered quietly to Shino's amazement, but she sat the book down anyways and quietly put her pajamas on, Shino politely turning around as she did so.

Once that was done, she climbed into bed and Shino sat beside her. "Kinda thought you might like some company through the night," she explained.

Aacob let out a nod. "I'd appreciate that, thanks."

Shino started rubbing Aacob's head gently, a tip she had gotten from Sarren. Even though Aacob had been a hero, in a lot of way, he was delicate from his previous life. It was one part of Shino's job to nurture her, ensuring that the transition to her body went smoothly. Without Shino's help there was a chance that Aacob's previous experiences could bleed into her experiences as Shino, with foreseen yet devastating consequences.

As she continuing massaging, she noted that the younger girl was smiling. "I like that, thank you," she whispered before falling asleep. Shino simply smiled and continued for a bit more, making sure that Aacob was well asleep before she quit. She however continued to watch her fondly, something about seeing her so content warming her heart.

It is strange, when Sarren first broached me with the idea, I was frightened she might be perverted. But now that I know what she had to go through and I've seen what she's really like, I can't help but want to cheer her on.

Shino felt a surge of protection flow through her, like she had a desire to protect Aacob at all cost, yet she knew deep down that Aacob could protect herself fairly well. She wasn't too sure why it was, perhaps it was because Aacob was inhabiting her old body, or perhaps it was because she could in a way sympathize what Aacob had gone through.

"You sleep well, Aacob, I will be here in the morning," Shino whispered. Right after she said that, everything went black for Shino. "What's … what's happening?" she asked, frightened, before she found herself in a large town.

"Is this a vision?" She asked herself quietly, looking around. Suddenly, she found a translucent Sarren beside her. He pointed to a building. "Stand inside that bank, and watch." He commended gently, before disappearing.

Obediently, Shino walked toward the bank, sweating profusely by the time she entered the air conditioned doors. Is this what the desert feels like? She went to take a seat, relishing the cold air. She watched as a man with a bag entered the bank, and then opened fire with a machine gun.

"No, no no no no no!" Shino screamed loudly! She tried to charge at him like the last time, when that man had robbed the bank she was in, but she just went right past him. She herd a small chuckle, and everything went dark as Sarren appeared before her.

"Your courage is admirable, however, nothing you can do will change this event. You are just a passive observer," He told her, before she found herself back in the vision.

Sarren has a reason for showing me this, she thought, before gasping as a hooded man came through the door, charging right at the guy. He turned, and smiled wickedly, before firing his gun at him. "Get out of there! Don't be a hero!" Shino yelled, but to her dismay, he kept charging, even as four bullets ripped through his arms.

However he did it, Shino had no idea, he managed to reach the gunman, killing him with one blow to the neck. However, instead of rushing in top help him, or even just staring, they began to boo.

"You had this planned all along, didn't you Aacob?"

"Yeah, I bet he hired this guy to make him look like a hero. Psst, some hero you are," one of the tellers huffed, before kicking him, hard. Blood flew out of his mouth, causing, to Shino's horror, a bout of laughter from the audience.

"This... this cannot be happening." She mummered, before breaking down into tears. "Oh Aacob," she sobbed, bending down next to him. "I... I'm so sorry. You... you didn't deserve this," she whispered.

Sarren gazed at her for a few brief moments, before bowing his head. "That is why this planet is slated for destruction," he mummer quietly.

Shino gasped at him, but didn't speak, a sudden fear coming upon her.

"He was one of the last righteous souls on this planet. Without him, the last shared of decency is gone." He then chuckled. He and you had lived on different earths, so you don't have to be fearful. However, about seven years ago I halted the importation of new souls to his earth, and sent a strong delusion to the people. Aacob is the only one who saw through this illusion, because he hates evil."

Shino nodded, but before she could say anything, the world went black for a brief moment, and she found herself standing back in her old room.

Turning toward her old body, she frowned momentary in sorrow. Aacob.