Rayne Says: This chapter is dedicated to... Demon's Cherry Blossom for putting Reborn in a community! You made my day, I think I scared people with how much I smiled. Thanks so much!

Recap:

Little did I know that my luck wasn't just luck,

That my being here held no purpose,

That dark horror awaited me,

That the hell I thought was over was only beginning,

That my life could get more fucked up…

I walk home after my delicious ramen dinner, belly full and content. I slip back into my room and lie down on my futon. Closing my eyes, I concentrate on another to do list for tomorrow. I need to get some temporary clothes for my "vacation". Then I probably should start doing my research. That should take up a considerable part of my day. Then I can just sit around and relax.

Sighing, I let my breath slow down and I drift into an almost unconscious state before a scalding shock runs through my body.

"What the hell?" I curse.

I sit up, curious about what the fucking- shock- Necklace wants now. Suddenly, just like in the cave, it feels as though someone's controlling me. My hand unconsciously reaches for the soft skin on my other arm. My hand drags a sharp nail across the surface of my arm over and over until it actually breaks through the skin.

"What the fuck?"

But my hand keeps moving, keeps scratching, and just keeps on drawing more of my blood to the surface. My hand suddenly stops, but then it trails down my arm, covering my fingertips in blood. I watch, fascinated, as my fingers draw a shape on the floor in blood. The triangle within a circle stares up at me.

The presence controlling me leaves and I immediately feel a rush of energy flow out of me. I hit the floor, falling face down right on top of the ominous circle. Breathing heavily, my vision starts to dim. I slip easily into unconsciousness.

Foolish girl…

Trust me when I say waking up in a puddle of your won blood is never a pleasant thing. I hope you never have to go through the minor heart attack (and no, it wasn't from the Necklace) I suffer from when I wake up in said situation.

Immediately walking into the bathroom and scrubbing my skin raw, I can' t help but ponder what the hell happened last night. It was exactly like someone else was controlling my body. It's frightening to have no control whatsoever over your very own fucking body. It is also very frightening to have to watch your own nails slicing your arm up. Speaking of said arm…

It's completely healed.

How the fucking hell did that happen? I distinctly remember going to sleep (more like blacking out) and my arm was still gushing blood like no tomorrow. In fact, if there weren't bloodstains on the floor, I would think that last night was a dream. A sadistic, masochistic dream induced by near death experiences from my past, but it's not.

I quickly gather up many rags and scrub the stains out of the floor as thoroughly as I can. When I am absolutely sure that in no way and from no angle can you even tell that blood was there but five minutes ago, I ease myself off of the floor and set about my day.

Returning to the ramen stand, I eat two bowls of miso with gusto. The owner guy (whose name is Rikaru) and I chat a bit. Of course, my side of the conversation is covered with enough lies to choke someone, but still. When I bid Rikaru goodbye with promises of returning later, I wander the streets in search of a clothing store.

Finding one filled with generic Suna clothing, I quickly enter the shop and waste no time in buying two outfits for the majority of my stay. I change into my new clothes, discarding my old clothing in a dumpster on my way. It feels kind of nice to be able to rid myself of the last physical evidence that I was Sakura Haruno. Now I am officially Hana.

I meander around the streets and markets until I finally come upon what I was searching for; the library. Walking through the doors, I am immediately glad that I no longer have pink hair. Even though silver isn't too common a color, it doesn't stand out as much as pink. Why I thought I could be a decent ninja with pink hair, I have no idea. Pink doesn't exactly scream stealth.

I wander around the rows of books and scrolls, avoiding the shinobi only section. Of course, I could go in there, I am a shinobi- but the information I seek isn't in there. I pass shelves and shelves of books, until the slight crowds disappear and a small layer of dust covers the books. I finally walk down the aisle I've been seeking and smile. Anyone who sees me here in the aisle, smiling, is going to think I'm crazy. Who smiles in an aisle full of books on death?

Apparently I do.

I browse through the texts, pulling down the occasional one, and eventually I have a good pile of texts. Now, studying is actually something I enjoy. Maybe it is because I've always liked learning something new, or maybe it's because it was the only thing I could do that made me at least somewhat special on Team 7. I was Sakura, the smart one. Therefore, I am able to read something that would put Naruto into a coma. There's also the fact that Tsunade would hand me a book as thick as a table and tell me to memorize it over night. That probably helped in some way.

I flip through the first book absorbing the information with my acquired photographic memory. Nothing seems to match up with this one. If, in theory, I was a ghost, I wouldn't be able to physically touch anything. Obviously since I am touching the book that says I shouldn't be able to, I'm not a ghost. Putting away all further books on the subject, I turn to my next theory.

Knowing if I'm caught, I could be sent to an asylum, I bring my nail back to my fragile flesh and dig it into my skin. A thin line of blood appears and I watch, mesmerized, as it heals within five minutes. Writing down this information on a sheet of paper I borrowed, I write down the rest of my "symptoms". Resistance to temperature, fast healing, hair color change, and I also add the fact I breathe as an under note.

Quickly going through every family member I've ever heard of or known, I easily rule out a kekkai genkai. Besides, whoever heard of having to die to acquire a bloodline trait? (Taking aside the fact you have to kill your best friend to earn the Mangekyo Sharingan.) I also rule out determination as a factor, because I knew at that point I'd just given up. Emergency resusitation from a medic-nin would make sense, but without using the same jutsu Chiyo was going to use, it would have proved useless anyway. So then, what the hell kept me alive?

Unless… assuming I'm wrong… what if I wasn't kept alive? What if I was brought back to life?

That's impossible. The odds and factors needed for such a thing are extremely low. But, what if-

I shake my head to rid myself of the nonsense I seem to be thinking. I pick up another text on death and the afterlife (is this what it's called?) and briefly read it before deeming it utterly useless. Once I'm finished on the entire fucking section on death, I move to the supernatural section. If my "problem" can't be explained logically, than maybe illogical is what I'm searching for.

I read through texts and the only thing close to what seems to have happened to me would be a vampire. But, considering I didn't drink my own blood and I didn't burst into a million little pieces from the sunlight (which is rather abundant in the desert, what do you know?), I don't think I'm a vampire.

I heave a sigh, before slamming my head onto the desk. It's useless. Utterly fucking useless. Maybe I should just be happy with the fact I'm alive? No, I'm not satisfied.

I put all of my books back and prepare to leave before something catches my eyes. A thick book with a very hard cover seems to draw me to it. It doesn't appear to be anything different from what I've already read. Just another book, but when I glance at the cover my heart audibly speeds up.

There on the cover… is the triangle within a circle.

The Necklace suddenly burns my chest and I almost drop the book, but I think the Necklace just wants me to hurry up. Yes, I'm pretty sure I'm insane now.

I sit down at the table and open the book. The first thing I see is a lovely picture of a mass genocide. How perfectly wonderful. The Necklace that seems to control anything I do (or think), is from something that involves killing. Why do I have all the luck?

Flipping through the rest of the book, I find myself unable to draw myself away from what I have come to realize is actually a religion. Yes, a fucking religion that takes pride in killing and pain. Reading through the text, I discover many things.

One: A worshipper of Jashin (typically known as a Jashinist) is given immortality for their services. Complete immortality. Like, your head gets cut off and you still live.

Two: Often in battle (which Jashinists seem to thrive in), the servant will draw Jashin's symbol upon the ground and pray for a successful kill.

Three: During the battle, it is harmful to their opponent if the Jashinist is able to acquire some of their blood. Although, the rituals differ from worshipper to worshipper, they all involve blood. Also, any damage unto the Jashinist will be damage unto their opponent. Example: stab your heart and your opponent gets the same wound but dies.

Four: The number three is sacred to Jashin. Any weapons that a follower uses should represent said number in some way. Scythes with three blades are most common.

Five: The Jashin religion is celibate. Virgins are sacred to Jashin and he particularly likes their blood in sacrifices.

Six: Yes, Jashin requires sacrifices. Preferably a lot. Anything less than a kill is considered a sin and must earn repentance from the worshipper.

Seven (In my own opinion): THIS RELIGION IS FUCKED UP!!

Upon writing down my final note, I receive a sharp and powerful shock from the Necklace. I frown deeply because of many reasons; because, almost everything matches up. The healing comes from immortality. That thing last night, I'm guessing, was the need for sacrifice. The Necklace right on the ground where I had "died". The Necklace's weird connection with my thoughts and feelings. The fact I'm a virgin might add into the equation at some point, but it all narrows down to the same thing.

Jashin, most likely brought me back to life.

Well, fuck…

So as I came to the realization that I belonged to a cult,

That practically worshipped pain,

I realized something that scared me,

Last night,

As my nails had dug into my skin,

I had actually,

Enjoyed it…

Yep, there's your answer. Hana is now of the Jashinist faith. Hurrah! Most of the things I wrote about the religion are either assumed, made up, or taken from an online source. I'll add more details later, but at the moment I'm content with this chapter. Because school's starting up again (which sucks), I'm trying to get the first arch done before then.

Yes, there are archs. This is the "Reborn" arch. I have up to Arch 5 planned out in my head, yayz. I also know the ending, but I'm not telling you. A sequel is a possibilty, but only if demanded.