Prologue

Hey guys! How's it going?

Alright. Here is my new story Making Sweet Dumplings. This is a Self-Insert OC story. I've been reading a lot of them lately, and it inspired me to write one. My roommate helped with the inspiration too, giving me ideas and what not to play with.

The stories that inspired me were Dreaming of Sunshine by Silver Queen, and Catch Your Breath by Lang Noi. They are amazing fics, and you should definitely give them a read.

I'd like to tank the person/roommate who edited this chapter, and will bet he editor for this fic, EvilMoogleGirl.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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When you die...do you go to Heaven? What about Hell? Are your ancestors waiting to greet you at the golden gates? Are you just going to be a rotting corpse, doomed to rest in a wooden box for the rest of eternity?

Well...that's not what happens. Not in this case anyways.

I should probably give a little backstory on who I am. I am, or was, a typical girl.

Born into a middle class family. Well cared for, loved by my friends. Hyperactive and derpy, even as a young adult. I had a brother and a sister, went to college, worked a part-time job, and went on casual dates, nothing ever too serious.

But my death had nothing to do with who I was. It was an accident, in fact. I was struck by a minivan that lost control, hitting me and several other pedestrians.

I remember waking up briefly in an Operating Room, with about 7 doctors and nurses hovering over me. Then everything went black.

At first I thought I was going to wake back up. But that obviously didn't happen. Then I thought that maybe I was in a coma. That kind of thing happens all the time after car accidents. As the never ending black void went on, I figured I was never going to wake up. I was going to be trapped inside my body for the rest of my life.

Until I was born…...again.

Immense pressure, intense light, and lots of crying; that's what I remember from my birth. Or at least, this birth. It was pretty odd that I was able to recall everything that had happened, let alone be lucid through the whole thing.

I was born at the beginning of August. I didn't know where I was, what hospital I was in, let alone what country I was in. I could hear muffled voices over my crying, though I had to say, I have a damn good pair of lungs.

After I was cleaned and handed back to who I presumed was my mother, I got a good look at her….sort of. I wasn't screaming anymore. I was calm. I wanted to know who this woman was, what my family was going to be like.

I could hear her crying, talking. She sounded happy. I couldn't quite understand what she was saying. My last life, I was raised speaking English. Even now that's the only language I really know. Perhaps I'm in a different country.

I couldn't help thinking that was kind of cool.

I was a complete glutton as an infant. If I wasn't sleeping, all I wanted was to latch myself to my mom's breast and eat until I passed right back out. I guess that was a good thing, because it seems all my mom wanted me to do was eat and sleep.

I wasn't much for playing with my toys though. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy my baby toys. For someone who was an infant, rattles and squeaky teddy-bears were great for entertainment. But the problem was I was a 23-year old girl trapped in this little tiny body. It kind of reminded me of Genie from Aladdin; Phenomenal cosmic power, itty-bitty living space.

At two months old, I was actually really surprised how developed and underdeveloped some of my senses were. I could see in color, finally. And I was able to make out facial features, though it was hard to see things that were far away. It was like I was near-sighted, but I knew that wouldn't last.

My hearing had improved too. I was able to grasp that my name was Ayaka; especially after hearing my parents and other family constantly say my name. I couldn't quite understand what they were saying, my language portion of the brain still not developed yet.

But I was an intuitive little child. I wanted to look at everything, hear everything, touch everything despite my limitations. My mom took me on playdates with another baby. It was a baby boy. He was older than me, but not by much. He was a pretty chubby baby, with tufts of brown hair, and swirls on his cheeks.

He was really adorable. With the mind of a 23-year old, I wanted nothing more than to pinch his swirly, chubby cheeks. He was just so cute!

I tried to pinch his cheeks once...but I ended up smacking him over and over, trying to grab hold of the chubby things. Yeah...he wasn't too happy with me that day.

But aside from the love and attention I got from my family, I was bored to death. I was an adult trapped in a baby's body. I needed adult entertainment! Not the kind you're thinking. I needed technology! Phone, laptop, TV, internet! Something! Anything to stimulate my brain. But that wouldn't happen for a while. I figured I would just live out this mundane life as a baby till I would finally be back to my rightful age, and continue where I left off.

But my first months into my new life, things changed fast.

It was a cool, crisp, autumn night; a typical day for me. I would eat and sleep all day, maybe play with my toys if i was bored enough. It wasn't until I was put to bed when it happened.

All I felt was this...radiating evil aura, full of hatred and rage. It was suffocating; it felt like it was swallowing me whole. I cried harder than I ever had in my short life. The feeling of this evil rocked me to my core. I screamed, seeking comfort from my mother, who in turn was a nervous wreck.

Even days after that incident, I still couldn't get the feeling of that evil out of my head. It felt like it was still encompassing my body, filling every pore. I didn't know what to do. I was fidgety, always flinching when someone picked me up, or said my name. I didn't want to live like this, scared of the evil in the world. But I wanted to know what that evil source was.

I was six months old when I grasped that I was somewhere in Japan. Even though my primary language was English, my infantile brain was learning to understand Japanese. It was like a nerdy girl's dream come true. Then I learned where I truly was.

I remember going to the the doctor's; Mom thought something was wrong with me, I think. When I was being weighed, Mom was pretty frustrated. Was I underweight? That couldn't be right, I ate day-in and day-out. Maybe I had some sort of metabolism problem? I didn't know.

Then my doctor came face to face with me, and I got a good look at her. Or rather...her eyes. I couldn't help but stare into them, feeling like my soul was being sucked out of my body.

The Byakugan.

I could see the veins around her eyes bulging out, her kekkei genkai activated.

I stared for a good three seconds before bursting into tears. The Byakugan didn't scare me. Well, it kind of did. They were kinda creepy up close. But the fact that I now realized I was in the Naruto-universe...I was instantly afraid.

My mother did everything she could to console me, but I couldn't stop crying. The people in this universe are trained to be assassins from birth. It was a killed or be killed kind of world. I was so upset, I couldn't put anything else together. I didn't want to grow up to be a murderer. I didn't want to be killed on a mission. I wanted a simple life: grow up with friends, get married, have a family. Sure, I could do that here….if I didn't die in combat first.

After that, I wasn't the same baby that I was before. I was pretty complacent. I didn't really want to do much of anything. I slept more, I ate less, and I didn't play anymore. I couldn't get where I was out of my head. I was able to gather what village I was a part of, thanks to my doctor with the Byakugan. I was honestly relieved I was in Konoha. If I was born in Amegakure or Kumogakure, things could have been really bad. I also figured out where in the timeline I was. That evil force I felt months before had to be the Kyuubi. There was nothing else it could have been.

My parents grew increasingly worried over me, but I just….didn't care. I didn't want to be here.

By the time I was a year old, I had completely withdrawn myself. I wanted no contact from anyone, unless it was absolutely necessary. I had gone into a massive state of depression. My parents did everything they could to help me, but nothing worked. It wasn't until I really started thinking that I snapped out of my depressive state.

It was an early Autumn afternoon when my brain finally kicked into gear. My mother had taken me to a play date with children of the Four Noble Clans. There were four other babies there: the chubby baby boy that I played with months before (who I found out was my cousin, Chouji Akimichi), a baby girl with the beginnings of eggplant colored hair and the Byakugan that was staring right at me (she was obviously Hinata, who by the way, was a very beautiful baby), a boy with little spiky tufts of brown hair and black tinted baby goggles over his eyes (the only person that could have been was Shino. No one else would need to wear those as a baby unless it was absolutely necessary. The adult in me wanted to squeal and hug him. He was just so fricken' cute!), and a boy with a black head of hair and onyx eyes (who I deduced was Sasuke Uchiha). I saw Sasuke wiggling around on his back and something clicked. Being in the time period I was in, meant I could stop certain things from happening. Or at least tweak them a bit. I knew certain things couldn't be changed; like the Uchiha Massacre. While it was a very important part in the timeline, maybe I could save Sasuke from seeing his brother kill his family. Maybe I could make Neji not so twisted with the laws of fate. There were so many things I could play with.

I was getting ahead of myself. I couldn't play with the timeline really. But I maybe I could help. Even if it was something super insignificant at the time. If it helped someone in the end, then I would do it.

I had a new sense of purpose. I wasn't afraid of my place in this world anymore. With a new sense of determination, I crawled over to Sasuke, patting his forehead gently.

I saw his eyes turn towards mine, looking fairly grumpy. I smiled, giggling at the cute little pout. I suddenly felt myself being lifted, and I was quickly smothered into my mother's large breasts. I could hear her voice; she sounded like she was crying, but happy. I didn't realize I put my mother through so much with my depression, but I was going to make up for it.

After that, my life went on and it was a normal existence. You know….as normal as it could be for a ninja baby. I got really close to my cousin. Whenever we were in the same room together, we were joined at the hip and wanting to be close to each other, rather than anyone else. I was very protective of him.

I made friends with some of the other babies, or as close to friends you can get as toddlers. Knowing each individual person on a personal level (sort of) was kind of nice. You would see glimpses of their personality that wasn't on display in the anime or manga. Like how protective Shikamaru was over his stuffed deer. He was such a placid, nonchalant kind of guy. To see him like that, even as a baby was cute and kind of funny.

As the months turned into years, I was soaking up everything around me. I was learning to read and write in Japanese, and I, along with Chouji, was getting a basic education from my clan such as: arithmetic, language skills (i.e. reading and writing), and the most basic chakra control.

That subject threw me for a loop. In my past life, being diagnosed with ADHD, concentrating on one thing for extended periods of time was always something I failed at. School, homework, work, I grew bored fast and tended to think of 20 things at once, instead of focus on the task at hand. It seemed, as fate would have it, my ADD was brought over to this life as well.

Learning about chakra control was so boring! Sitting and trying to meditate always made me fidgety. When my parents suggested the leaf exercise, I was able to focus better, but I still got bored fast. I thought of it as a game, trying to compete with Chouji to see who could hold the leaf on longer. Chouji, being the kind soul he was, never got mad or upset with me when I bragged about winning. He would lightly clap for me and I would give him a hug out of thanks.

We also learned about the history of the Akimichi Clan and how it was one of the Four Noble Clans. I learned how the Nara and Yamanaka Clans were supporting clans of the Akimichi. I also learned that in every clan there is something like a main house and a branch house. It was never as extreme as the Hyuuga Clan, but similar. For example, my mother Akimichi Chouko, was the younger sister of Akimichi Chouza, the Clan Head. Because my mother was born second and wasn't named the next Clan Head, she wasn't able to carry out the tradition of the family names, which is why my cousin is Chouji and I was named Ayaka.

I was okay not being named a traditional Akimichi name. It made me feel unique. Well...more unique than I already was. I wasn't your stereotypical Akimichi. I wasn't large. In fact, I was a dinky little girl with a little protruding milk belly. I didn't have any cheek markings like Chouji or the rest of my clan. My family joked about how I was the milk man's baby. I knew it was a joke, but I couldn't help but feel a little put off at how different I was from the rest of my family. I was kind of nervous about learning the family jutsus, too. One needed a large body mass to be able to successfully expand their body to the appropriate size that was needed for the jutsu. If I couldn't do the justus, then I would focus on something else.

My training and education became a big part of my life. I wanted to know. I was so desperate to learn, I was always pestering my uncle to teach me everything he could. From the fundamentals, to the concepts behind them. When it was time to start learning taijutsu, I physically jumped for joy. Finally! Something that would stimulate my boredom!

It started out slow, of course. Teaching 4 year olds basic stances and movements was always a hassle. Especially when I was such a spazz. But I soaked it up like a sponge. It was exhilarating to learn everything I could about this.

After all the training and study sessions, my mom or Aunt Umeko would take Chouji and I to the park. We would casually push each other on the swings, or take turns on the slide. One particular day, Aunt Umeko took Chouji and I to the park, where a group of older children were playing "ninja." By older I mean six years old or so, not four.

I looked at Chouji, a bright smile on my face. "Ne ne, Chouji-Niisan. Lets go play with them!" I cried, pulling on Chouji's arm to get him to play.

"I don't know, Ayaka-Chan." He grumbled, looking at the ground in embarrassment. "They're big kids…" He wasn't one to insert himself into someone else's game. But I was.

"Come on, Chouji-Niisan. If it makes you feel better, I can ask them." I smiled. I was trying to encourage him to play with others, get to know other people more. He was shy, but not to the point where it was crippling, like Hinata.

Chouji smiled in relief. "Okay."

I jumped for joy and ran over to the children, gently pulling Chouji along. When we reached the children, they all stopped their game, looking at us as if we were their least favorite vegetable that was placed in front of them.

"What do you want?" One boy said with disdain.

I was taken back slightly, flinching at his tone. "Uh...we wanted to know if we could play with you." I said with a bright smile, trying to lighten up the situation.

"Why would we play with you?" One girl said, practically spitting in our direction. "he's nothing but a fatso….and you're the clan reject."

Chouji tense up beside me, flinching at her words. I sighed, anger building up inside of me. I slowly let go of Chouji's arm, walking up to the girl who called us out. I stared up at her, anger radiating from my body, but all she did was smirk down at me. I launched myself at her, tackling her to the ground.

She yelped, obviously taken back that I had taken her down.

"DON'T CALL CHOUJI-NIISAN FAT!" I screamed, slamming my hands wherever I could: chest, face, head, stomach.

I was seething with rage. I knew Chouji was self-conscious about how he looked, and I couldn't let these asshole kids make fun of him. I wouldn't. I continued to wail on her, not caring about my surroundings.

I couldn't see Chouji, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was freaked out. Hell, I'd be freaked out too, seeing this little girl beating on an older kid.

No sooner had I thought that, I felt myself being yanked off the girl by my aunt. I stopped fighting, knowing it wasn't going to get me anywhere. I looked down at the girl, a smirk on my face. She had a bloody nose and no doubt bruises forming elsewhere on her body.

After that incident, I was grounded from going to the park for a full month, and no dessert for two. Chouji stayed home with me that month of grounding, saying that it wouldn't be fair to me if I suffered on his behalf. In the past, I always dreamt of what it would be like to have an older brother. I see now….he would have been exactly like Chouji. Protective, kind, and selfless. I knew Chouji would stand by me, and I was going to stand by him.

After my grounding, things got a little complicated. Children avoided me and Chouji, though it was mostly me. I didn't get discouraged when the children shunned me, but I felt really bad for Chouji, who was getting equally shunned. He didn't deserve it, it wasn't his fault. But it was guilt by association, so there wasn't much I could do. Until he met Shikamaru. Shikamaru had stood up for Chouji, saying he did nothing wrong and wasn't a part of the attack. That if these children were going to blame Chouji for a crime he didn't commit, then they weren't worth his time. Shikamaru walked away, or rather, walked to Chouji. I was happy. Chouji had managed to meet his best friend.

Chouji and I would see Shikamaru at the park a lot, and he and Chouji would usually just sit around and watch the clouds, munching on some sort of snack Chouji had with him. I would sit with them sometimes, but again with the ADD. Sitting around and eating could only capture my attention for so long. One afternoon, I was sitting on one of the park benches, munching on some potato chips that I had brought from home. I could hear the whispers from children, saying how I was some crazy kid who beat up children. I ignored them, and continued to munch away on my chips. I saw Shikamaru approach me, and I smiled.

"Hi Shikamaru-kun. Where's Chouji-niisan?" I asked, curious to where my cousin was.

"He's in the bathroom." He said, sitting next to me with a sigh. "You know….those kids are wrong."

I blinked, wondering where he was going with this.

"You aren't some crazy kid. You're nice. THey're just too dumb to see it." He said, putting his hands behind his head lazily.

I could only stare at the boy. Even at four years old, his intelligence was so prominent. I smiled and offered my chips to him. "Thank you, Shikamaru-kun."

Shikamaru looked at me out of the corner of his eyes and smiled, taking a chip.

Things went on normally after that, though children still kind of avoided me. One particular day, I went to go to the park alone, my mom escorting me of course. Chouji had "clan heir" lessons, and I didn't didn't feel like sitting alone at home. When I reached the park, I saw several children playing on the play structure. I looked over to the swing set, seeing a familiar heiress swinging on her own. She looked….almost sad, like she was yearning for some interaction with her peers. It made me wonder if she wanted to play with the other children. But I knew she was so shy she would never ask to play with someone else. I smiled, walking over to her, taking the swing next to her.

"Hi!"

I saw her blush, looking away. Oh typical Hinata. I looked a little harder at her, and blinked. Was she….scared of me? Or was this just her shyness? It was kind of hard to tell.

"I'm Ayaka. What's your name?" I asked. I was hoping to ease the tension, get her to see that I was a nice person.

Hinata swallowed, her swing slowing down. "Ah….I...I-I'm H-Hinata…..H-Hyuuga H-Hinata." She said nervously.

"Nice to meet you, Hinata-Chan! Can I swing with you?" I started swinging, without her permission. She didn't say anything, but she didn't disagree, so I took that as a sign.

We swung for a while, or rather I swung and she sat in her swing, staring into her lap. She looked unsure of what to do. Was she afraid of me? I wonder if she had heard about the fight. She probably did; I wouldn't be surprised if the mothers/caretakers gossiped about us children during clan gatherings.

"Do you come to the park a lot, Hinata-Chan?" I asked, still swinging. I was going to try and open her up, and see if she would talk to me with a little pushing.

She didn't answer, just pushing her two forefingers together nervously. I recognized that habit and I really wanted to swat her hands away. It was kind of annoying seeing her do that. I sighed, telling I wasn't going to go anywhere if I didn't ask the hard questions.

"What's the matter, Hinata-Chan? Are you feeling alright? Your face is red." I said, trying to show her I was friendly and meant well.

She nodded her head, signaling she was fine, but her face was still a bright pink. I think she felt unnerved that I called her out on her red face. It made me feel a little guilty for doing that.

"Sorry, Hinata-Chan. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling okay. It wouldn't be fun to swing all alone." I said slowing my swing to a stop, trying to get across that I wanted to swing with her and keep her company.

She squeaked, lowering her head more. Was it out of shame? Oops. Way to go Ayaka. I sat there in silence, trying to see if she would talk to me. Hinata was shy, I knew that. but she would at least say something to break the awkwardness. If this wasn't shyness….it was one thing.

"Ne….Hinata-Chan….are you scared of me?" I asked bluntly. I needed a straight answer.

Her breath hitched when I asked her, knowing I hit the nail on the head. "It's okay if you are, Hinata-Chan."

She was fidgety, pushing her fingers together again. "I…..I h-heard ru-rumors that y-you started a-a fight…."

She looked at me, curiosity and hesitation prominent on her face. I could see she was fighting to ask me something, so I nodded. "It's okay to ask, Hinata-Chan."

After a few moments of fidgeting, she swallowed hard and asked the question. "Wh...Why di-did you a-attack h-her, then?"

I sighed, a soft smile appearing on my face. "You see….that girl called my cousin fat. He's really sensitive about what he looks like. And….she called me a reject. That wasn't very nice, and I….got mad. So I hit her…..a lot." I said that last part sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head.

Hinata looked at me for a long moment, trying to decipher if what I said was the truth. She swallowed hard, still looking rather apprehensive. "Wh...What that g-girl did w-was mean, t-too."

My eyes widened slightly and I smiled. "Yeah…." I could see her smiling gently back at me, though she had an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

I started to swing again and Hinata joined in, though her swings were smaller while mine were big and high. We swung for a little bit, not saying anything to each other; just enjoying our play time. I suddenly heard her gasp, and her swinging came to a halt. I looked down at her, blinking. Her face was a brilliant shade of red, and she looked like she had just seen Jesus. I looked at what she was staring at, my own swinging slowing to a halt.

It was him; the damn kid that the universe I was in was named for.

"Naruto."

~End Chapter

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And don't forget to read my other story Change is Good, Right?

Thanks guys!

~Lu Lu-Chan25