I've never truly believed in things like reincarnation, or the afterlife, but I've always supported others' beliefs for as long as I can remember. I only ever asked for them do the same for others in return. Most of them listened to my request and decided to keep an open mind when conversing with others. Sadly, there were some people that just refused to acknowledge any opinion that differentiated from their own, and would not listen to anything anyone said. Those type of people were the reason why my life ended prematurely. The former, however, helped me become the person I was meant to be. They're the reason that, even as I bled to death in my own apartment, I stubbornly clung to the selfish desire to live. I wanted to make a difference in the world, one that could be seen by others, and I refused to let any chance that I could have to prove myself slip through my fingers. I don't exactly know why some deity or higher being decided to grant such a selfish wish for someone so insignificant as me but, in my own opinion, it was my sheer determination and my absolute need to help others that convinced them to do so. That, or they thought it'd be entertaining to see me striving to achieve such goal.

Though, in hindsight, I should've known that there'd be a catch to things. I just really wish they would've atleast given me a heads up, or something.

I was not expecting to be reborn in the first place, let alone as The Fourth Hokage's goddamn bastard child.

...

Well, whatever─beggars can't be choosers, I guess.

Death is something that no one should have to be put through; much less so when life─apparently─doesn't even end there. Another thing no one should have to go through is being reincarnated with your memories intact. Honestly, having the ability to recall your own death is not something anyone should pride themselves on. Though, while being able to remember anything from a past life, period, could be seen as an achievement, I─however─do not see it that way. I believe that having any kind of memories about an entire life prior to your present one is just downright traumatizing and should have whoever is responsible be put through an extreme punishment.

Anyway, as I was saying; Death... Not a pleasant experience, if I do say so for myself. I'm not sure how to properly portray how I felt back then, but I guess that's par for the course. However, what I can tell you is that, by the time I finally succumbed to the darkness that was eating away at my consciousness, I welcomed the reprieve. After that, though, time no longer seemed to exist. For a while, I was lulled back and forth throughout the Void, until─suddenly─I was jostled back into the living world. And, despite honestly having no idea how long I had been residing amongst both everything and absolutely nothing, I was able to quickly adjust to my new environment. Sadly, I ended up being kicked out of my cozy residence and was then promptly slapped in the face by both freezing cold air and goddamn blinding light.

Now... I have a quick forewarning to anyone who's willing to listen to me just incase they also go through reincarnation. So, first things first.. After residing in and alongside of the Void, for however long it takes till you're spit back out, you'll find that trying to take that first breath of air is nothing less than goddamn torture. Not to mention how your senses aren't accustomed to being used after such a long time without needing to, so everything is way too bright, way too loud, and way too blurry. Though, what's really the kicker is when you realize that your skin's suddenly beyond sensitive, so anything you brush up against or touch just feels like sandpaper and gravel. Really, it's no wonder why babies come out of the womb crying; that shit hurts.

Babies, as you all should know, are tiny, pudgy, and fragile. What you probably don't know, though, is that when you're a newborn and you have the mind of an adult, you become frustrated rather quickly. You have no control over anything that your body does, and it's humiliating. It's also tiring, because you go through this for weeks before anything starts to change.

The first thing to change for me was my hearing and then it was my eyesight. To say I was happy about suddenly regaining my senses would've been an understatement, but I shoved any sense of accomplishment down and away in favor of figuring out what happened, what the hell was going on, and where fuck I was. After deciding what was needed to be done, I gathered as much information as I could for the next few days. When I finally got put everything together, after a rather nice feeding session, I came to some conclusions.

First off, my mother's name was Koneko and she was a popular Courtesan. Her family name was Matsui, and she (plus me) resided in The Village Hidden by a Waterfall; Takigakure. We weren't native to the village by any means, though, and that's one of the reasons why Koneko was so popular as a Courtesan; she gave off a foreign feel that men seemed lured to.

Secondly, my name was Sara, and I was, at first, an unwanted and unexpected child. I could understand that though, because what type of Courtesan actually wants to give birth to a child? She even ended up being told to leave her job until I was of an age where I could understand and toddle around without her presence. Koneko wasn't happy about that, but she listened anyway because she really had no other choice. I had apparently been a stubborn fetus and, when no amount of natural abortion techniques or remedies worked to get rid of me, my mother was forced to have me. Upon learning about this bit of information, I scowled into the air at nothing in particular; though, all that achieved was scaring the woman who'd been watching over me while my mom went out for groceries.

Third, the only things I inherited from Koneko were the reddish-brown colors of my hair, my pale skin tone, and the body structure I'd have growing up. I took a wild guess and figured that the features that were different that her own were my father's genes shining through. Where she had gorgeous pink eyes, I had sky blue. While she had sharp facial features and an oval-shaped face, I had soft ones and a heart-shaped facial structure.

Last but not least, Koneko actually had no idea who my father actually was. The only things she could remember about him were his blue eyes and blonde hair. Having heard this at such a young age, with my mind still reeling from my rebirth, I─sadly─wasn't able to put two and two together. I did figure it out eventually, though, but we'll come back to that further on in the story. For now, we'll start out with my early years of being reincarnated into another world.

"Come, Sara-chan," Koneko called out to me from across the room, her arms held out towards me in an attempt to encourage me to move from my spot on the cool floor. Hah, as if that was going to happen. I'm only a year old, and she expects me to do... What, exactly? While I might've already mastered the art crawling and began trying to walk, I only did so when no one else was around or during the dead of night. Any other time, I tried downplaying myself around others.

After a quick pout that was obviously directed at me and my lazy actions, Koneko examined my prone form for a moment or two before I spotted a glint shine within her gaze. However, it disappeared too quickly for me to determine whether it was a trick of the light, or not.

"Sara-chan," Koneko cooed affectionately, slowly getting down onto her knees with a soft smile spread across her face. "Kaa-san would be very happy if you'd come join her over here, she really wants to spend time with you."

I briefly lifted my head up off the ground to send the woman who gave birth to me a deadpan look, which obviously startled the new mother by the way she flinched back, with wide eyes, upon making eye contact with me. I offered a silent sneer in her direction and then dropped my head back down onto the floor.

I did not want to move; it was too hot and humid to do anything. And─it seemed like Koneko agreed with me─because, after collecting herself from the shock I caused, she only stood up quietly and then made her way over to me, before plopping herself down beside me with a strained smile.

"Sara-chan," Koneko sighed, her gorgeous features dampened by a sadness that hadn't been there a moment before. "Do you hate your Kaa-san?"

I blinked up at her, confused as to where that question came from and startled that she asked that question to an infant. I silently thought back to every interaction I've had with the woman infront of me so far and, after a few moments of reviewing through them, I saw no reason for her to come to such a conclusion in the first place, which only confused me even more.

I was drawn out of my thoughts by a breathless laugh, which made me realize that I'd been staring at Koneko with a blank expression. "Why am I even asking you that, hm?" Koneko asked, the smile she'd been wearing barely there. "You don't even know what I said, do you, Sara-chan?"

I scrunched my face up, annoyed that she was assuming such things without anything to support her claim, but after a moment, I realized that she did have evidence. 'Of course,' I thought to myself, a bit peeved that my actions backfired on me so early on in my life. Wanting to soothe the ache that Koneko was experiencing, I lifted my pudgy arms up and, as gently as I could, placed my hands on either side of her face; though, because my motor skills were still a work in progress, I ended up slapping her cheeks, but I digress.

Koneko flinched, startled by my actions, and went to remove my tiny appendages from her face, but I stopped her with a gurgle that I forced through my lips. In response, she froze and her eyes widened. A moment of silence and disbelief passed between the mother and daughter duo, and then shining pink met dazzling blue in a watery gaze.

"Wh... What?" Koneko whispered, still in shock as she prayed that she wasn't imagining things.

I frowned, knowing that she had heard me say her name, but because I had barely any practice speaking, the word had come out almost unintelligible. So, instead of forcing myself to say the word that was too difficult for a one-year-old's tongue, I suddenly shot Koneko a bright smile before murmuring out something easier.

"Kaa... -an..." I grumbled, only to pause for a moment and then try again. "Kaa... -san..."

The reaction was immediate.

Koneko let out a half-laugh/half-sob, scooped me up off the floor and then buried her face into the soft locks ontop of my head. Tears fell from the brunette's eyes, elated beyond belief that her daughter called out to her for her first words. "Oh, baby girl... My sweet, sweet Sara-chan," Koneko cried, her tears saturating the parts of my hair that they landed on. "Kaa-san loves you so much, my little blossom music." **

I smiled to myself as I did my best to wrap my arms around Koneko's neck, inhaling the sweet scent that calms me down no matter where I am or what I'm doing. I gurgle out something crossed between a hum and a laugh, content with the way Koneko was holding me. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep in her arms after a comfortable warmth settled over my heart while comforting my troubled soul. My last coherent thought was how I wished that things would stay the way they were for the next couple of years; but, of course, the universe follows it's own plans, and unbeknownst to me, those plans involved me in traumatizing ways.

** 咲楽 (Sara) - 咲 (Sa) means "blossom", and 楽 (Ra) means "music".