Summary: AU. When one dies, they don't expect to be brought back to life to help a lonely kid after a massacre. I've learned to start expecting the unexpected. (OC-centric)

*All rights for the characters go to Masashi Kishimoto; except for mine of course*

Chapter 3

Updated: 3/29/16

First Person POV

…

In a normal person's life, many things can happen for no apparent reason—but the things that do happen have a general meaning, or some underlining life lesson in them.

I'm not saying that every unexpected event has some freaky universal message, but it comes real close to being that way.

As I run through the bustling streets of Konoha, currently frantic and avoiding all contact to keep my identity safe, I try to decipher the message I've been sent.

And it seems to scream at me in big, bold letters that my life is far from normal now.

'Or,' I add pessimistically, dodging that of an unaware street vender, 'I'm in way over my head.'

Panting heavily as I jogged from side to side of the overcrowded dust road, I glanced in every nook and cranny of each tiny shop and food stall. Refocusing my sights on the road and off the side-buildings, I wondered how I was going to find him.

To be clear, I mean a currently missing Sasuke Uchiha.

He wasn't missing as in kidnapped—he was missing as in I had no idea where he was at the moment.

And I didn't know which scenario was worse.

Taking a few more running steps, I squeaked loudly when I almost ran into a cart full of fruits, narrowly dodging to the left as it passed.

'Ok, time out.'

Directing myself to the nearest alleyway, I halted and grabbed the brick wall of the building that was beside the narrow street. Leaning all my weight against the wall, I sunk down it, now sitting with my eyes closed.

I was panting heavily, my lungs not used to the strain of running—and the anxiety wasn't exactly helping anything either. Taking a deep, calming breath, I rubbed a hand down my face, wiping off the sweat.

'I need to get a grip,' I thought, closing my eyes to think things through, 'I can't help anyone if I can't even help myself.'

Pausing, I opened my eyes to glance at the sky, bright green hues growing darker with each new troubling thought.

"And yet, I don't even know how to help myself—I don't know anything really." I grumbled, frustration coursing through my expression.

Huffing another breath, I wondered how exactly Death expected me to do this.

A normal girl, with basically not a fighting bone in her body, does not equal a place where fighting and death is the normality among everyone.

"What was Death thinking?" I whispered, still staring at the sky as the clouds floated lazily by.

'What was I thinking?'

But I already knew the response to that question.

I wanted answers—that was one of the only reasons why I accepted. I wanted to know what had happened; I wanted to know why I died so early, why I couldn't remember anything.

I didn't realize I was in way over my head.

I didn't realize that I had to join somewhere where things were in jeopardy, and everything depended on the sanity of an eight-year old boy.

'Who's still missing, by the way,' the same nagging voice from the back of my mind whispered.

Groaning at how I was already failing what I needed to accomplish—which was probably a new record—I took my eyes off the sky and directed them to my feet, not caring as they started to go out of focus.

'I want to help,' a part of me whispered, 'but I have no idea how.'

And as the second passed, I realized something else.

Sasuke might not even want my help.

He might really want to become an avenger, even if he had to sever bonds that kept him happy.

Maybe I wasn't needed for this—maybe I shouldn't be involved at all.

Should I let things play out like they were supposed to? Should I let the ones who were destined to die, die?

Who was I that I got the chance to mess with the timeline?

Who was I that got the chance to essentially play God?

"But then again," I mumbled to myself, calculatingly assessing the situation, "it's a chance that I can get only once in a lifetime."

'It's a second chance for a reason.'

Taking a shuddering breath at the new adrenaline that filled me, I climbed myself up the wall to stand.

'No one wants to be alone.'

I pushed myself off the brick, a new outlook and a new sense of energy filling me.

'No one is going to die that shouldn't have had to in the first place.'

Taking a step forward as I quickly wiped sweat off of my forehead, I dashed back out into the crowd.

'I have the future knowledge for a reason—I'm not letting it go to waste.'

...

I had a good five minutes into running around blind, still looking for anything that could give me a clue where I needed to go, when I started to formulate a plan.

Why not just ask someone where it was?

'Because no one's going to talk to air,' I reminded myself, a bit too cynically.

A quick pause mid-stride, followed by a quick turn to avoid the little kids playing, and then suddenly another ingenious idea hit me as I watched one kid pickpocket a grown adult.

While all the while I thought the kid was a little crook, I recognized how good the idea of stealth really was.

'Maybe if I can sneak up on someone, ask them where the compound is, and make sure they never turn around to see that there is supposedly 'no one' there, I can get my answer.'

Smiling at how intelligent I made myself seem, I slowed to a halt, searching for someone who looked distracted enough not to talk directly talk to me.

Taking a few walking paces, and disappearing behind a street corner, I spotted the perfect victim.

It was a middle-aged man; with a graying beard adorned in some dust from the boxes he was unpacking. Jogging to get to him faster, my senses were immediately hit with the strong smell of smoke from a brightly lit cigar between his teeth. Crinkling my nose, I held my breath for a few seconds so I didn't breathe it in.

"Excuse me," I asked in the nicest voice I could muster with the smell, "can I ask you a question?"

To my relief, he never turned, and continued doing his job.

"Sure kid, whaddya wan'?" he asked, accent heavy and voice raspy from all the smoke in his lungs.

I shifted my weight from my left foot to my right, and I crossed my fingers, "can you tell me where the Uchiha compound is located?"

"Why do ya wanna know where dat is?" he asked again, still stacking boxes with confusion lacing his posture.

Blinking, I frantically hurried to come up with a convincing lie, "I—I, uh, wanna pay my respects to them?"

It was supposed to be a serious and somber statement, and it somehow came out an unsure question.

'Remember to work on your lying skills along with your endurance.' I told myself, cringing at how badly I was being a ninja.

Surprisingly, he didn't notice my obvious lie—or was too busy to care—and pointing in the direction to the left of us, "Keep going that a way fer a while, then turn left. It a be 'round there."

Nodding, and silently celebrating my success, I smiled, and muttered a quick 'thank you' before taking off, heading in the direction he pointed.

'I hope I'm not too late.'

Picking up the pace, I dodged the stray pieces of glass in the dirt, wondering why they were there in the first place, before reaching another street corner that had a four-way intersection.

'He said to turn left,' I thought, 'let's hope he's right.'

Walking alongside a random civilian woman with a green dress, I turned the corner and ducked just as a plank of wood that was getting unloaded flew overhead. With wide eyes, I stared at the direct spot where the large piece of wood would've smacked. Sending a quick and childish glare to the uncaring construction worker—and then laughing quietly when the lady in the green dress starting yelling about how he almost smacked her as well, I shook it off and continued running.

I noticed a red and white shape on the wall of a building, and I lit up considerably when I saw the familiar symbol in the distance.

Running just a tad bit faster, I ducked in and over the yellow police tape just like yesterday, searching for any sign of a presence nearby.

'There's only broken glass, dried blood, and empty buildings.'

Breathing in slightly to catch my breath, I held my side to somehow alleviate the cramp that running improperly had formed. Wiping sweat off of my forehead with my other hand, I cursed the sun for being so bright today.

Shaking off the heat, I limped through the dust road of the compound a little bit more slowly—still focused on both finding Sasuke, and catching my breath.

Glancing from vacant building to vacant building, I couldn't help the eerie feeling that crept up on me while I walked further into the place. These were peoples' homes, and ironically, their graves.

Pausing mid-step, a thought occurred to me.

'Did the hokage take the dead bodies, or are they—?'

Getting rid of the thought immediately, I continued to venture forward, more hurriedly than before.

'Ok,' I breathed, trying to clear my thoughts, 'if I were an emotionally unstable 8 year old, where would I be?'

"He wouldn't be home," I whispered out loud, rubbing my chin in thought "nor would he be in a public place—so where then?"

'Where did he go in the anime at this point?'

Eyes widening in realization, I took a 360 degree glance around where I stood, before taking off in the right direction.

Smiling slightly in success for actually remembering something, I ran full speed towards where he most likely would have gone.

'To the lake we go.'

...

The original destination I wanted was a lot harder to find then I expected—it was hidden behind a thick brush of trees, with multitudes of other plants and bushes. I had welcomed the change from rough dirt to soft grass willingly along the way, sighing contentedly when the ache from running on solid ground was over. My content posture didn't last for long though—a tense stance replaced the other, and nervousness started to creep in.

There was the lake like originally seen, and in seconds, everything about the situation sunk in as reality.

There was the dock.

There was Sasuke.

And I only had moments left before he makes his life-changing decision.

It was all up to me.

Me. The person who couldn't be seen, the one with no fight in her, no plan.

Before I could stop myself, my feet started moving towards him, walking gingerly, stiff.

I wasn't ready to take on responsibility—I wasn't prepared. And yet, I didn't really have any other choice.

I was sent here for a reason, and I wasn't going to let that reason go to waste. Still walking slowly and carefully, I tried to come up with something to say when I got there.

After much consideration, I finally realized it that I had absolutely no clue.

I was ten feet away from the dock now.

'I can do this.' I self encouraged.

I was five feet away from the dock now.

'I can help Konohagakure.'

I was one foot away from the dock now.

I can help him.'

Placing one bare foot on the stained wood, it took all my willpower to keep standing upright.

'Just breathe.'

His posture visibly became more guarded, and I knew that he knew I was there. He was giving me the briefest of side-glances, before facing the reflection of himself in the water once again.

"Go away," he commanded, voice heavy and so void of anything besides hopelessness.

Closing my eyes, I took in another deep breath, before walking to the edge where he sat, standing there for a second to take everything in, before sitting next to him myself. My feet were instantly soaked in the crystal clear water underneath, and I silently felt relieved that my old leggings weren't so baggy that they were soaked as well.

Looking down at my rippling reflection, I watched myself purse my lips, before speaking up, "I'm not going to 'go away', Sasuke. I believe I've already established that we're stuck with each other."

From the reflections in the water, I saw his eyes looking at me for a second, before resting on his hands once again, and I switched my gaze to him.

"Hey," I mumbled, curling my fingers into the dock's wood, "I-I know everything's a little messed up right now," I started, seemingly saying whatever was coming to mind first.

"And, I know that you think you're the only one who can…take vengeance for your clan, per say, "I continued in a light tone, carefully avoiding the word 'avenge', "but, you're—you're not alone, ya know? You're not the only one who needs to go through this—you don't have to take him on by yourself."

"But I am the only—!" he retaliated, obsidian eyes flashing and mixed negative emotions making its way onto his face.

"No," I cut off hastily, "you are not the only one. You have comrades—you have me. Never think that you are alone."

Gazing back at the water, I stared into my reflection's eyes, gazing at the forest green color and continuing.

"I'm here to help—help you, that is. I may not know fully what I'm doing, but my second chance would be pointless if you didn't let me support you when I obviously can." I stated with a light laugh.

There was a pause of silence—not completely awkward, but more contemplative; as he was actually considering my words.

Deciding that I needed to fill the quiet void—because he obviously wasn't going to—I continued speaking.

"I know that you're angry with, well, everything at this point—but I need a promise from you Sasuke."

Maybe it was the seriousness of my tone, or the fact that it was an unusual request, but somehow, I had gotten his full attention.

He was now facing me, curiosity glinting in his troubled eyes. Matching his stare, I decided it was now or never, and let the words fall out of my mouth before I could stop them.

"Promise me, that when you get older, you'll stick by your comrades—that the revenge you want to get won't consume you."

His eyes flashed again, and I could feel myself shrink back a bit, waiting for the protest.

"But my entire clan—!"

"I know. I know how much that must've hurt—I know that you want…to avenge them. But don't do it alone. I'm not saying to forget the drive to avenge everyone lost, but don't do it without help—don't isolate yourself."

He was scowling now, looking away from me and into the still water.

"Promise me—Promise that when you get strong enough to defeat him, you don't do it alone."

It was an urgent statement, but the way I said it made it more than urgent; it was dire.

In truth, the promise I asked him to make would be the step one—it would be the first step to a happier future.

There would be no betrayal.

No hate.

No darkness.

He could live the life alternate to what had happened. The one in the anime that Itachi had wanted in the first place.

The one life he should've gotten.

He was looking at me as if he couldn't from a coherent statement—his mind jumbled with a million and one thoughts that his eyes oddly reflected.

"I can't just—!" he protested, eyebrows furrowed and hands clenched.

Breathing in, I turned to look at him fully, still tense, but slightly less nervous and more pressing, "Promise. Me."

There was an opposed and frustrated look he gave me, but it was resigned and turned into a more submissively frustrated one, "I'll try to."

It wasn't the exact answer I wanted, but it was close enough.

It was the slight step forward into the light, and a step backward from the dark—and that's all I needed.

Relaxing immensely, I smiled brightly, startling him somewhat with my change in attitude.

"Thank you."

'Step one: complete.'

…

The chapter had been originally short—so I figured I could quickly tweak a few things and get it finished and updated.

Honestly I'm proud of myself for not procrastinating as much as I had been recently lol.

Any questions? Comments? Concerns? Let me know! Review!

Next week is spring break and I'm legitimately excited—I'm not going on vacation, but the fact that there'll be no school for a week is amazing.

I'll finally be able to catch up on some major sleep ;)

Question: What are you guys doing for your spring break?