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*

(Updating of the chapter may occur)

Chapter 6

First Person POV

**Warning! This Chapter doesn't have a central plot—its intended purpose is to wrap up all the little stories from ages 8-12, so things I write in the near future will all make sense! This will be the last chapter before the start of the actual main arc, so its length will be pretty much longer than normal! It will show character development, personality, and information regarding any question you might possibly have!**

Age 10—Sana

'When I woke up today, I didn't think—well, I didn't expect this to happen.' I thought, staring into that of an intricately painted ANBU mask.

I could feel the confusing stare I was being sent. To him, I was just this mass of chakra, belonging to 'nobody' in a sense.

But I was here, and on some level, he knew something wasn't right.

So one thought lingered in my head as the calculating stare continued:

'How am I going to escape?'

But before I do that, let's rewind to how I got into this situation in the first place.

The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and not a single thing could ruin how perfect this day was going.

"Hey! You brat! Get back here!"

Well, except that.

Briskly turning around, I noticed angry merchants surrounding a figure in a huddle, all looking like smoke was about to come out their ears.

Sighing, I cursed Sasuke for not buying food sooner.

Buying groceries was the reason I was out today, exploring the merchant shops of Konoha. The Uchiha and I practically had nothing to eat—and while it was my turn to buy food, I couldn't help but feel a little irked at the fact that I had to miss the academy to do so.

Iruka had finally reached the topic of meditation—the one sole thing I could do at this point that could help my crazy chakra.

But of course, I had to miss it.

'Life is too cruel,' I thought briefly, before my attention returned to the shouting farmers and merchants, 'and now I have to deal with this.'

I was totally content with just going about my business, buying tomatoes and rice before the frantic mothers next to me bought them all, but a voice caused my attention to once again be placed on the angry display.

"It's not my fault you all are too afraid to do what I do! Losers! A future hokage isn't afraid of anything!"

At the word 'hokage', I found myself inching closer.

"Why you—!" a stray merchant shouted, face contorted in annoyance, and fists clenched.

Dropping my basket of produce on the ground and ignoring the surprised shouts from the people behind me, I rushed quickly towards the center of the circle, eyes growing wide due to who I saw.

"A kid like you won't become hokage! You're a monster!"

I could see the break in composure from the merchants and traders, the farmers who had their fists clenched. I knew this could only end badly.

"Just you watch me!" Naruto Uzumaki yelled, blue eyes ablaze and determined, not at all accepting the civilian's words, "I'll become hokage, and then you'll have to respect me! Believe it!"

Feeling the amount of depth the whiskered boy held behind his words was inspiring, but I could tell it just further egged on the anger of everyone else.

'Just what exactly did he do?'

Catching a shift in one of the farmer's weight, and the rearing pull back of his arm, I felt my whole body freeze at the sight.

His anger was radiating off him in waves, brown eyes pinched and glazed. This farmer wasn't thinking straight, and I could tell the person who would pay for his actions wouldn't be the actual man himself, but rather, Naruto.

And I couldn't let that happen.

Everything around me started to slow as I bolted forward, not caring if my cover was blown.

All I cared about is getting to Naruto before the farmer's fist did.

Swiping down and grabbing the completely shocked boy's hand, I pulled him up to his feet as soon as time returned to normal—dragging him fast and not so gracefully away from the group.

I could hear his shouts of confusion and fear, and the shouts from the merchants behind us, but they all fell on deaf ears.

I kept my pace fast, and I kept my eyes set on getting him out of there.

My feet took us through dusty streets and around concrete buildings, not slowing until they took us closer to the safe haven of the academy's training field.

I slowed considerably at the sight of the familiar swing that hung from the large oak tree, and released the hand I had a death grip on as I plopped onto the ground, panting heavily.

I wiped the sweat from my eyes, grunting as I sat up, and turned to look at the other source of heavy breathing right next to me.

Naruto's face was frozen, not exactly staring at me, but rather the space beside me. He couldn't see me, but he knew I was there—and that fact was slightly thrilling.

The adrenaline rush was starting to slowly go away, and the depth of my situation started to hit me.

'I just helped Naruto Uzumaki,' I thought, mouth practically pursed in horror, 'I'm such an idiot! My cover's blown!'

Thoughts along the lines of insults and the worrying thought of 'I just changed the plot of the story' had me on the verge of panic attack.

'Yeah, but you just saved him from getting hit.'

And just like that, the thoughts stopped.

Slowly beginning to breath normally, I swallowed the ever present lump in my throat, before shyly standing, trying to decide what to do next.

Gaining some confidence, I had an idea.

A probably stupid idea—but hey, I was too far in this situation to get out of it anyway.

"Hi, my name is Sana" I muttered, watching as the completely bewildered boy's face snapped quickly to where I stood, "I'm sorry I dragged you all across the village."

Naruto's face slowly started to morph into mixed emotions of wonder, and fear—and I pressed on with talking.

"I know you can't see me, but you might eventually—and trust me, I'm actually a lot closer than you know," I smirked, laughing quietly and how he was muttering 'g-g-ghost!' under his breath with unblinking cerulean eyes.

"Naruto," I spoke clearly, and a little bit louder, causing his panic to cease slightly and slowly focus on what I was saying, "I know it may be a bit much to ask, but can you do me a favor?"

Said boy, still not able to see me, shakily nodded, looking ready to pass out.

"I want you to try and befriend Sasuke Uchiha," I stated, watching as his expression shifted into protest.

"The teme! No way would I be friends with him!" he declared, arms crossed and expression set.

I sighed heavily, running a hand down my face. Wearily looking at the sky, I made another attempt to persuade him.

"Please Naruto," I asked, stopping slightly as the bell rung loudly, and chattering kids came filing out of the academy in hordes, "I know you two dislike each other—for whatever reason unknown to me—but I want you to try. He's a lot more like you than you think."

I watched silently as his expression cleared, eyes slowly turning to look at the brooding Uchiha across the courtyard. Something formed in his expression, something I couldn't describe, and he opened his mouth to reply.

Before he could though, a door slammed open, and an angry Iruka came shuffling out, face red and expression livid.

Naruto face in reply turned pale, and he started stuttering out excuses as the angry chuunin stalked closer.

"Naruto Uzumaki! Where have you been?!"

Naruto's stuttering excuses became louder, and I picked up a few words consisting of 'angry merchants' and 'running' and something about a 'ghost'.

I couldn't help but chuckle at the last part.

"No excuses! Get your butt back to the field before I give you a detention!"

With that, Naruto practically bolted back to class, sparing a lone glance back towards me, before taking off, leaving me alone once more.

Kicking at the dirt below my feet, I tiredly realized that I left the basket of groceries back by the merchants—and it was probably stolen by one of those mothers' too.

Resigning to the fact that I'd have to get take out again—for the fifth night in a row—I sighed.

"Well, it's not like today was a total bust," I murmured out loud.

'I did get to actually talk to the main character of the entire dimension.'

Smiling slightly at the thought, I pictured briefly two faces that would be extremely jealous if I told them about today.

After a moment I realized that the two faces were foreign to my memory; and before I could memorize them, they were gone.

Slumping my shoulders, I spun back around towards the main road, ready to just give up.

'I'm going home before anything else can ruin my day today.' I thought, lips pressed into a line and eyes glinting in a way to show I wasn't amused.

Hearing a loud thump from behind me, I paused stock-still, and turned around slowly.

'Too late.'

And this, my friends, is where the flashback catches up with present.

The man in front of me had broad shoulders, and was taller than me by a considerable few feet.

His physical appearance wasn't what had me scared; it had been the mask on his face.

It resembled a bear, but the eerie part had been the two beady eyes staring through the bear's porcelain face. These eyes were calculating, intense; they knew something wasn't right, that something foreign was at play here.

What they couldn't have known though, was that a ten year old girl was on the receiving end of them.

There was a sound of puzzlement, and the unknown man reached a hand to rub his chin in thought.

In that brief moment of slight action, millions of thoughts ran through my mind; who was this guy? Why was he here? Is my cover blown? Can he tell I'm here?

The only possible theory I had was that this guy was in ANBU, and had either heard the commotion I caused, or was one of those guards who made sure Naruto was kept safe.

'Well, if he was this supposed 'guard' for Naruto, he sure didn't do a good job today,' I thought cynically, accidentally letting out an audible snort of disagreement.

Freezing altogether, my head whipped back around to meet his in horror—watching as realization dawned upon his features.

He knew someone was here—that I was here.

And there wasn't even a pause before he attacked.

A quick swipe came and swung straight for me, at an angle meant to harm.

"Who are you," he stated, more or so a demand rather than a question.

Gasping for breath, my heart rate increased, and I dimly tried to think of something to keep myself alive.

'Alright Susana,' I thought, as I dodged another swipe and kick, 'we have a highly trained assassin in front of us—thinking we're an enemy. How are we going to get out of this without being killed?'

Feeling smooth metal swipe continuing to swipe at the area next to me, I decided to use my invisibility as an advantage.

"State your name, enemy nin," he demanded again, eyes more focused and deadly than before as he proceeded to narrowly miss me.

Grasping the wall, I turned quickly at the sound of kids shouting, and grinned widely at what was going on.

School was out for the day.

"Susana," I bit out, grinning briefly; taking off towards the group of academy children with a mad sprint.

I didn't dare look back, and I didn't dare to lose focus. Breathing heavy, I found myself within the horde of dismissed academy students, all leaving and preparing to go home with their families.

I tried to find the one academy kid that actually mattered at this point, but found myself at a loss for words when I couldn't find him.

'The one time I really need that Uchiha,' I groaned internally, 'and he's nowhere to be found.'

Catching sight of the bear ANBU staring and searching the crowd I was in the center of, I squeaked before taking off once more, feet burning and chest aching.

Just as I completed the first step, I could feel the man's gaze flicker right to me, and I prepared for the inevitable as he quickly rushed towards me.

"Sana?" I heard a voice whisper, sounding low and confused.

Untensing and looking to the side, my green eyes widened in recognition upon sight, "Sasuke." I realized, muttering his name in relief.

Lunging carefully next to the surprised boy, I held a finger to my lips and I redirected his gaze towards the ANBU making way towards us.

His onyx orbs narrowed accusingly, before turning quickly into those of his original uncaring, broody, avenger self as the bear masked man neared him.

"Kid," the man spoke, looking quickly to the side and back as he talked, "have you seen anyone suspicious lately? Anyone at all?"

Sasuke shrugged, his expression still blank.

The beady eyes turned irritated at the answer, before giving a nod in thanks; leaping up and into the trees with a forceful, chakra enhanced jump.

Finding it easier to breathe, I slumped my shoulders, adrenaline wisping away in loads.

I was met with a scowl, and a cross of the arms, but I was too relieved to care.

'I just attacked by ANBU,' I found myself thinking, 'how am I even alive right now?'

Losing focus, I thought deeper, trying to get a hold of the situation.

'He couldn't get to me due to the fact that he couldn't see me; he could only see my chakra—and since there's chakra everywhere, I'm pretty sure I blended in somehow.'

Slightly ecstatic at the new revelation, I found dread curling in my gut as I realized that he had intel—as little as it may be—on me now.

I wasn't unknown to the shinobi world anymore.

I couldn't just go around in the streets without worrying about the fact of being watched, or go to the academy without being on guard.

I would most likely be monitored now, watched to see where I was—who I was—if I was an enemy or not.

Honestly, I bet he's reporting everything that happened to the hokage.

I would too, if I was in his place.

'This isn't how I wanted things to go.'

Taking a long, deep breath, I focused back on reality, taking a step at a time next to the silently brooding boy next to me.

"So, I take it you didn't get groceries?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope."

'Things are different now; and I can't tell if that's a good thing—or a bad one.'

Age 10—Sana

"No." was the adamant reply from the very annoyed Uchiha.

"But, Sasuke—!" I tried to persuade, completely flabbergasted as to why he was so against my idea.

"No—I'm not going to change my mind." He sniffed, already turning on his heel to walk away and avoid any more of my insistent pestering.

Dashing forward with a strangled cry, I grabbed onto his shoulder before he could get away.

"Why not? It's not going to kill you or anything!" I shouted, eyes flashing and my stubbornness rolling off me in waves.

But even so, his stubbornness was rolling off him like a tsunami in comparison to mine.

'This is a battle of will, isn't it?' I sighed mentally, already tired of trying, 'and he has more pride than the entire village combined.'

"No, means no Sana; I refuse."

And with that, the bull-headed Uchiha broke from my hold, and stalked off towards his room—leaving me standing in the middle of the hallway with a sour expression.

'That idiot,' I grumbled, huffing and crossing my arms, 'he's so stubborn!'

I bet by now you'd like an explanation—a reason for all the bickering.

Well, the answers simple:

I told him to go hang out and play with the kids from the academy—interact with them, make some friends.

And you know what that obstinate jerk said?

He flat out refused.

The worst part of it is? He won't tell me why.

And knowing him, it's probably some stupid reason too.

Sighing deeply out loud for once, I slunk down the wall in defeat, completely bewildered and confused.

"What the heck Sasuke?" I wondered out loud, looking up at the ceiling as if the answers were displayed there.

And then, it hit me.

Perking up considerably, I hatched an ingenious, slightly spiteful, and slightly devious plan.

With a smirk, I felt my resolve grow—there was no way this could fail.

Morning came shortly—and the normalcy of the usual routine stayed the same.

We ate breakfast, got ready, walked to the academy, and so on.

But today wouldn't be same; I had an idea.

Or course, it was a dumb idea—all my ideas were dumb it seemed—and in the end of it all, Sasuke would either be very grateful, or he would want to kill me.

But I chose not to dwell on that fifty-fifty chance—more or so for my sake than anyone else's.

Plus, there was the fact that he probably already knew I was up to something—if the devious laughter and wide grins were any indication at all.

But yet, I think he chose to avoid me rather than confront whatever it was that was making me act mental; and that was perfect.

So far, everything was working out.

'Let's hope I don't mess this up.'

Sitting down in the small space I had on the bench of the desk, I placed my cheek onto my hand, propping it up as I listened to the droning lecture Iruka was giving about trade between the elemental nations.

It wasn't anything relevant—in my case at least

Continuously looking out the window, I waited for lunch to begin—for my plan to begin.

Because I'd be damned if Sasuke didn't at least gain one friend before becoming a genin.

I was suddenly jolted by the sound of a loud ringing bell—quickly swiping my head back towards the classroom, I noticed everyone start to get up, chattering and heading for lunch.

Nervously sitting up, I realized it was time to start.

I was given a curious glance from Sasuke; expression evidently giving away the fact that he wanted to ask what my problem was.

Walking hurriedly away before he figured it out, I aimed straight for the hallway; a confused Sasuke right behind me.

'Ok, Sana, you can do this.'

The plan was simple—all I had to do was to find some group of kids outside—preferably the rookie nine—sounds easy so far, right?

Then convince Sasuke to go talk to them—possibly one of the hardest parts.

And if that didn't work, then there was always plan B.

Wing it, deceive, and force—all good variables.

The sun shown down on the courtyard, bright light filling the air with comfort and warmth—giving energy to those who were under it; and by the way everyone was hyped up and running, I would say I was right.

Turning slightly to peek and make sure the Uchiha was still behind me, I grinned widely as I realized he still was.

He was wary by now, knowing full well that something was off.

But it was too late now.

"Hey," I exclaimed, grabbing his hand and ignoring his attempt to free himself, "let's go sit over there!"

Eyes wide as I started to literally drag him, his protests became a little louder with each step, "whoa—wait—Sana—what the heck—Sana—slow down!"

I continued racing towards the large oak tree, ignoring his objections, spotting just the person I was looking for.

"Trust me, Sasuke, you'll thank me for this someday." I murmured, barely audible. I couldn't really tell if he had heard me or not, but it didn't matter—I was too caught in my plan to care.

A boy with sunshine hair, ocean blue eyes, and whiskered cheeks stared dubiously from under the tree—seeing past me and at the huffing and glaring Uchiha.

"Teme?!" Naruto exclaimed, looking at Sasuke as if he had grown two heads.

Sasuke's pinching glare focused off of me and at onto Naruto, scowl turning into confusion.

"Dobe?" he asked, and then eyes lit up in recognition. They pointedly turned to me with vengeance, knowing full well what I was up to.

"Sana," he bit out, looking ready to murder me, "explain."

By now, I had let go of his hand, standing safely next to the swing and Naruto, a sheepish grin on my face.

"…Sana?" I heard Naruto mutter, eyebrows furrowed and confused.

'Oh crap,' I thought, looking straight at the Uchiha as he narrowed his eyes at Naruto and then at me in suspicion.

'Naruto remembers me,' I stated mentally, curling into myself, 'and I'm doomed.'

"Oi!" Naruto shouted, recognition in his features, "that ghost girl from before!"

Catching Sasuke's look, I slumped completely.

'Doomed. Doomed. Completely, utterly, doomed.'

Naruto's eyes flickered between Sasuke, to basically everywhere else around him, before they returned back to Sasuke.

"H-hey teme!" he yelled, trembling slightly—fully realizing that a 'ghost' was by him again, "how do you know the ghost girl? How does she know you?!"

Sasuke's whole demeanor changed—slinking back into his arrogant and aloof self, "Hn. It's none of your business; how do you know her?"

"Why you—!" Naruto gritted his teeth, ready to lunge.

I shifted forward just in time and caught his shoulder, flinching at the jolt he gave when I did so.

Naruto's face went from red with anger to white with horror as he jumped back in surprise, eyes wide and knees shaking.

Sasuke took the opportunity to snort, and I sighed.

"Naruto," I muttered, shaking my head, "do you remember that favor I asked of you?"

Watching as he whipped his head in my direction, squinting his eyes as if to try and see me, he slowly nodded.

"Do you think you can act on it? Right now?" I asked, patient as ever.

That when the protests began.

"What favor? Sana—!" was Sasuke's reply.

"What? No way! The teme—!" was Naruto's.

"Enough." Was mine.

They both stopped stock still, completely bewildered and against whatever it was I had planned.

Too bad for them I was just as stubborn.

"I know you both hate each other—again, I have no idea why—"

"—because he's a dobe—"

"—he's a teme—"

Sighing, I cut them off, "That is no possible way a good enough reason; can't you just try to be nice to each other? For at least one day? If it doesn't work out, then I'll leave you alone and never ask again. Promise."

'Complete lie.'

Leaves rustled as the two stared at each other, contemplating whether or not they were actually going to listen to me. Their eyes were both narrowed, seemingly running through all the reasons why they hated each other, before the two of them nodded.

"Fine." They both replied, before crossing their arms and turning away from each other.

Gobsmacked, my eyes widened comically at how they just agreed willfully, "Really?"

"Yeah, whatever, let's just get this over with," Naruto replied flippantly, still irritated.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, irritation level the same as Naruto's.

Mentally squealing in happiness, a large grin lit up my face—so wide that I probably looked mentally disturbed.

'I can't believe this actually worked.'

"Alright," I stated, bringing the two boys attention to me, "now, we find a group of kids to play with."

Naruto, the poor boy, was still unable to see me, but he really did try to act as if he could—which was something I found to be completely, undeniably sweet—yet, he turned in the opposite direction and starting talking to air, "Really? We're going to find another group to play with too?!"

Sasuke's darks eyes rolled, obviously amused at Naruto's apparent lack of ability to see me, "She's in the other direction, idiot."

Waiting and preparing to stop another argument once again, I was surprised when Naruto jumped, before turning to face me with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry about that, dattebayo," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head with a smile.

Blinking, I smiled too, shaking my head, "It's ok—I'm pretty used to it by now."

Naruto's smile just radiated the excitement and nervousness he was feeling—which was probably why he was acting strange.

'I guess the plan won't just benefit Sasuke in the end,' I thought, smile still in place and turning soft.

'I'm glad.'

"Wait, teme," Naruto asked, suddenly demeanor different than his sheepish one before, "you can see—?"

"Long story," I cut off, eyes suddenly catching a group of boys and girls playing ninja along the treeline, "c'mon, let's go over there!"

I pointed exactly towards the group, catching Sasuke's attention—and then later Naruto's.

Giving him a happy look, I grabbed Sasuke's arm, before grabbing a reluctant Naruto's—pulling the two unsuspecting boys closer to the group.

Surprisingly, there were no protests this time—and my rushing feet got us towards one of the boys faster than I meant too.

Later, I'd recognize the boy as a civilian by the name of Kai—but as the moment, he was just another factor of my plan.

Kai's auburn eyes turned hesitant as Sasuke and Naruto were in his sights—not exactly sure why the two of them were here in the first place.

Nudging both of the two antisocial boys next to me with an eager smile, Sasuke decided to give in first with a roll of his eyes and a grunt.

"Hn, can we play with you guys?"

Kai blinked.

His hesitance turned into full out disbelief—eyebrows furrowed and eyes full of confusion.

"You—you," he choked, completely stunned by the Uchiha's words, "you want to play ninja with us?!"

By now, there was a crowd of the kids once playing now silent and standing around us; expressions just as disbelieving as Kai's.

"Did I stutter?" Sasuke asked, playing the arrogant act he always portrays.

'Well, aren't we sassy when cornered,' I mentally snickered, a mischievous glint in my eyes forming slowly, 'I'll have to remember that.'

As normal, all the girls swooned at the sight—hearts filling their vision and adoration evident in their features.

'That's—sorta creepy.'

Kai nodded, before glancing next to Sasuke, hesitance once again filling his gaze.

Pausing, I tensed—knowing exactly who he was unsure about.

'Susana, you idiot,' was all I thought as the other kids gazes landed on Naruto as well.

Naruto himself looked as if he knew exactly why they were staring at him—why they were unsure.

And in defense to that, he kept his face blank.

"I-It's fine, dattebayo—I don't have to play if you guys don't want me too." he pronounced shakily, a fake smile rested upon his whiskered face.

Sasuke's expression was puzzled, looking at Naruto as if he was crazy—while I on the other hand cursed myself mentally as my heart broke a little bit.

Ready to intervene at the cost of my invisibility—because this was my fault, and I needed to fix this—I was surprised as I was stopped short by Kai himself.

"O-oh, i-it's ok; you can play too Naruto." He stated just as shakily as Naruto just had.

Naruto's eyes lit up a tiny bit, a part of his mask breaking slightly at the news.

"Really?" Naruto asked, still wary of being tricked, "I can really—?"

"Kai," another boy whined, pointing at Naruto with his nose crinkled, "we can't let him play."

"Yeah," a girl chimed in, rosy face just as snooty as the boy's, "he's a freak."

'Oh, that's it,' I mentally spoke, catching sight of Naruto's hurt expression, 'I don't care how old they are compared to me, there going down.'

And then, something extraordinarily bizarre happened.

"No," Sasuke stated, deadly calm and expression set, "if I play, then Naruto does too."

'…what?'

"Sasuke-kun," another girl whined, protesting in a nasally voice.

Sasuke's scowl cut her off—onyx eyes letting everyone know he was dead serious.

Just like that, everyone gave in.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Whatever."

"Sure."

Smiling, I turned to see Naruto rushing to wipe his eyes before anyone else could see—a watery smile so wide it looked like it hurt displayed on his face.

Smiling along with him, I folded my arms across my chest—happy that things turned out this way.

"Ok," Kai spoke up, gaining the attention of everyone playing, "so the game goes like this—!"

Eyes lighting up as everybody cheered, yelled, and ran away as Kai began counting, I waved to Sasuke—letting him know I was going to sit this out.

There was a nod in return, before he turned back to the group.

Plopping onto the ground underneath the tree, I watched as the sun became too slowly descend from the sky—colors of warmth painted along the clouds.

'I can't believe this worked,' I thought, resting my chin on my arms, 'I for sure I had jinxed myself.'

"Thank you, teme," Naruto joked, catching my attention, before he took off into the trees to hide, "don't lose dattebayo!"

"Hn, whatever, dobe," Sasuke shot back, trailing not too far behind as the game started, "I don't plan to fail."

And just like that, all was well with the world once again.

Sasuke had made a friend; and so had Naruto.

"Yeah," I whispered, closing my eyes as I smiled softly, "all is well."

Age 10—Sana

Days later, things were just as peaceful; Sasuke interacted a little bit more with everyone else—maybe not as much as he did that one day—but enough to put my mind at ease.

And surprisingly, he talked to Naruto a bit more now, and vice versa.

Of course, it wasn't as friendly as one would imagine; it was more or less their rivalry intensified.

But hey, friendly banter never hurt anybody.

Right?

"You're such an idiot—!"

"Teme! I dare you to say that to my face—!"

"What do you think I'm doing now? Saying it to the wall? I mean, either way it lacks intelligence, so I might as well continue—!"

"Argh! Teme—!"

Sighing, I just continued banging my head against the desk, choosing to ignore the two idiots bickering for once.

'Again,' I muttered mentally, 'how did they become best friends in the anime?'

Their arguing continued, and the kids surrounding us were starting to make bets on who was going to win.

'God, help me,' I pleaded, eyes wide and begging as I looked at the ceiling, and then at them.

Getting ready to stand up and just end things—because oh my god they were getting to be so annoying—I was cut short as a flash of pink came out of nowhere and decked Naruto in the face.

Watching in slight fear and surprise as Naruto went flying across the room, my head swiveled as a huffing Sakura Haruno clenched her fists, face twisted with anger.

"Cha! Naruto, leave Sasuke-kun alone!" she shouted, voice shrill and furious.

Taking a breath, her features shifted fairly quickly—morphing from 'angry and furious' to 'cute and innocent' within seconds.

"Hi Sasuke-kun," she smiled, cheeks red from blushing. "Can I sit next to you today?"

"Woah, that was scary," I muttered under my breath, still staring at the strange display.

Emerald eyes seemed to focus on where I sat, narrowed, and very suspicious.

Gulping, I realized that I had said that out loud.

"Did you hear something?" Sakura asked, still slightly doubtful on whether or not she was just hearing things.

Catching Sasuke's eye, I frantically shook my head, indicating not to give away my secret.

In return, he snorted, causing the pink haired girl and other fangirls around him to stare in confusion.

"I didn't hear anything," he answered, tone dry and calm—but the glint in his eyes portrayed how amused he was.

As if on cue, a whole horde of girls swooned and squealed at the site, hands clasped together and mouths turned upwards in adoring smiles.

Sighing, I rubbed a hand down my face, all but ready to go home at this point.

"Alright class," a chipper voice interrupted, making way through the classroom door "let's get to work!"

"Hai, Iruka-sensei," everyone chorused back, completely not enthused.

But one voice didn't chorus back—instead, their full attention was still focused on me.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I tried to ignore the curious and determined gaze of Sakura Haruno.

A bright burning sun hung high in the sky—rays of light barreling down on the field with gentle calmness. A warm breeze passed through the air, rustling leaves and branches as it floated by.

And despite how beautiful and peaceful everything was—there was something not right.

From where I sat in the grass of the courtyard, I noticed the amount of whispers that seemed to drift around—gaining in excitement and in vigor with each passing moment.

Peeking over my arms, I also noticed that most of the whispers seemed a little bit directed at me.

Which was absolutely absurd—no one knew who I was—let alone that I existed.

Maybe I was just paranoid?

'No,' I thought, watching as a few girls chatted and whispered in hushed tones quickly, peering at Sasuke with curious eyes, 'maybe I'm not.'

Sighing, I lifted off the ground, away from the bickering duo—which comprised of Naruto and Sasuke, who surprisingly chose to sit by each other at lunch—and towards the small group.

I wanted answers; and I was going to get some.

Creeping along the edge of the horde, I pushed brown strands of hair out of my eyes and I settled on the lunch table, leaning in close to hear better.

"—but that's crazy right?" a girl asked, eyes joyous and thrilled.

"Of course it is—!" Another supplied.

"—Yeah, totally—!" the third girl said.

"I mean, really," a pale girl snorted, golden hair fluttering in the breeze as she talked, "how could Sasuke have a girlfriend without us knowing?!"

Choking on my own spit, I fell off the side of the table, all the air escaping my lungs as I landed on the grassy ground.

'…what?!'

"But it's strange," a fangirl chimed in, looking like she was fully committed to the rumor, "a girl from the other class mentioned hearing a girl laugh in the Uchiha compound—and not only that, but another girl said that she saw Sasuke buying enough takeout for two."

There was a silence, in which the group of girls was trying hard not to accept the information as truth—while I, on the other hand, was too mortified to even think.

"Well," the golden haired girl piped out, sounding doubtful, "maybe Sasuke has a girly laugh? And was just really hungry that day?"

The rest of the group gave her looks saying they didn't believe that one bit.

The girl sighed, slumping forward, "Oh, who am I kidding—he's too dreamy for there to be anything wrong with him!"

Snorting from my spot on the ground, I chose to ignore that last comment.

They all sighed dejectedly, seeming lifeless as they all realized something that was probably far from the actual truth.

Then, a light bulb went off in their heads.

And by the devious look on their faces—I could tell nothing good was going to come from this.

So, I got up quickly turned on my heel, and ran straight for the Uchiha.

Catching up to him within seconds, I gave a nod to Naruto—who completely didn't see the gesture—and motioned to Sasuke.

"We're leaving," I muttered, face blank and tone neutral, hand out reached and latched onto Sasuke's arm within a second.

His reaction was that of pure confusion and protest, but it was thoroughly ignored.

Something bad was going to happen tonight—and we needed to prepare.

We had reached the front of the academy by time he got fed up with my lack of answers, ripping his arm my grasp and turning scowling onyx eyes on me with much confusion.

"What's going on," he questioned, arms crossed, "why do we suddenly have to go home?"

Shivering, I gave him a look—a look conveying all the nervousness that was rushing through my head at the moment—and then parted my lips to speak.

"The fangirls have a plan," I muttered as his eyes slowly got wide, "and they're doing it tonight—so we need to hide—preferably in the compound—before they get to you, and pick up on my existence—!"

"Hn." He quickly cut me off, briskly picking up his pace towards the house.

Trailing not too far behind him, we both dashed quickly back to the compound—mentally preparing ourselves for a full on attack.

And knowing how the fangirls were, it wouldn't just be an attack.

It would be a war.

"Do you see anything?" I questioned from my position behind the couch—hiding from view as Sasuke was on watch.

"No," he replied, tone alert and eyes cautious.

A minute passed by—possibly two—before the startling silence was broken by loud knocking.

Jolting, both I and Sasuke's eyes met each other with the same sort of look—one of pure dread.

"I thought you said you didn't see anyone!?" I whisper-yelled, completely panicked.

"I thought so too!" he whisper-yelled back as the knocking became louder.

Sharing another look, we slowly got up and away from the window, creeping quietly towards the front door.

We edged further, jolting as the knocks went off once more.

Wrapping my arms around my chest, I gulped as Sasuke gripped the door handle, beginning to open the door slowly.

Door completely open, a gasp caught in my throat.

A group of girls stared and stood at the front porch, all looking at Sasuke with shocked expressions—features shortly turning into that of adoration.

"Sasuke-kun!" one of them squealed, but was quickly shushed by her peers.

A girl cleared her throat, stepping forward quickly with a large, sickly sweet smile on her face.

Blanching, I realized it to be the golden haired girl from earlier.

"Hello, Sasuke-kun," she purred—could ten year olds even purr—before she tried to suppress the heart's that were slowly forming in her eyes, "h-how are you?"

Nonplussed, Sasuke stared at her with blank eyes, shoulders tense and rigid.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned, arrogant and straight to the point.

The whole horde blushed, nervously fidgeting where they stood.

"C'mon Misaki," a brown eyes girl piped up, nudging the golden haired leader, "ask him!"

Confusion settled itself into my mind—what was going on?

"W-well," she stuttered, before turning tomato red, "do you have a girlfriend?!" she shouted, the nerves getting to her.

Blinking, Sasuke looked confused—while I on the other hand, was just as mortified as earlier.

"What—?" he went to ask, looking at me really quick as to ask why she was asking him this.

Shrugging, I tried to remain calm externally—internally though, I was having a fit.

'Please don't explain,' I pleaded with my eyes, green orbs boring into Misaki with vigor, 'please don't—I'll die of embarrassment.'

But alas, this dead girl's luck wasn't on her side tonight.

"W-we just," she stuttered again, glancing at her shoes, "we thought you had one—there have been rumors—a girl from the other class said she heard a girl's laughter here—and that you've been recently getting take out for two—s-so we just…assumed."

'And there goes any sense of dignity I've ever had,' I muttered dryly mentally, wanting to die in a hole at the moment.

Looking at Sasuke to gauge his reaction, I was thoroughly surprised to see the amusement that was glinting in his eyes.

Snorting, he looked at Misaki like that was the craziest notion in the world—much to the girl's surprise.

"I don't have a girlfriend—so if you would, please refrain from spreading any more rumors."

The hope that had formerly died bloomed once more in their expressions—and then they took off, squealing and shrieking in relief.

And just like that, things were resolved.

Almost.

"Sasuke?" I asked, watching his shoulders shake from where I stood behind him.

As I went to touch his shoulder, he turned—a large grin on his face.

Shocked, I froze completely at the sight.

And then the unexpected happened.

He laughed.

A full blown laugh—barely reaching the point of hysterics.

Completely bewildered, I decided to join in—delighted to see the freedom of emotion coming from him.

A goofy smile appeared on my face, and I was soon laughing hysterically too.

"C-can you actually believe," I gasped out, too caught up in laughter that I couldn't speak, "that w-we were worried f-for nothing?"

Nodding he continued laughing too, letting it slowly die down into an amused smirk, "They a-actually thought you were my—my—!"

And with that, we broke off into chuckles once more.

"I know r-right? I'm just glad they don't know I exist!"

He snorted, eyes agreeing with my last statement.

Smile still rested on my freckled face, I couldn't help the tiny part of me that wondered what it would be like to be his girlfriend—and as soon as the thought came, it went.

'Though,' I thought, watching the smirk on Sasuke's face grow, 'I can't help but admit that I do like his smile.'

'And hopefully, it will remain.'

Age 10—Sana

It was dark—the soft and calming of shadows of sleep wisping their way through the room as the moon hung high in the sky.

And yet, I was wide awake.

That is—wide awake in my dreamscape.

"It's nice to see you again, Ms. Flynn," the familiar voice of Death greeted me, bony face seeming as kind and welcoming as bones could get.

"It's nice to see you too." I muttered, rubbing my eyes and yawning, before gazing back at him with slightly more awake green eyes.

A brief second of silence came into to focus, and I started to get confused—and a tad impatient.

"Uhm, Death?" I asked, bewildered at his apparent silence.

"Yes?" he asked in return, empty eye sockets boring holes into my figure.

Clearing my throat, I looked away swiftly, before gazing back him, a little unsure, "Uh, I don't mean to seem rude—but, uh, why am I here?"

He nodded, before sighing, making a gesture for me to follow him.

And I complied, curiosity getting the better of me.

"I regret to inform you that it now time for me to help you train—that we must begin the meditation now or it will be far too late." He spoke solemnly, fleet clicking against the smooth floor as we walked deeper into the large space.

Glancing at him, I furrowed my eyebrows, not understanding his point, "You already said I had to begin meditation to gain control of my chakra—but why would it be too late if I started any later?"

Truth be told, I hadn't started any meditation practice at all—call it laziness, but it was mostly because I had no idea how.

And it wasn't like I was going to ask Sasuke for help—his ego is way too big already.

He sighed, before stopping abruptly in front of a large arch-like doorway, with a single square in the center of the picturesque room.

Turning, his dark robes rustled a bit as he looked at me, seemingly having an internal battle with himself on what to say.

Finally, he resolved to something.

"Troubling times are still a bit further down the line—but it is not those times that are the problem," he announced, voice raspy and eerie, "it is your mind and memory that poses the threat."

Biting my lip, I stood there flabbergasted, not really able to process the situation.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, shoulders tense and rigid, "I thought you took away my memories for a reason."

He shook his head, denying my claim, "I myself did not take away the memories for a purpose—the actual process of death did."

Blinking, I urged him to continue.

"I may be Death himself, but the process of death is a bit different," he explained, hands gripping the pole of his scythe, "when a person dies, their memories are preserved and given back as they either enter heaven or hell—but in your case, you went to neither of those places."

Gulping I nodded, eyes wide in realization, "I went to a different dimension entirely."

"Yes—those with the offer of a second chance are the rarest of them all; and also the unluckiest." He stated, voice grim foreboding.

"Unlucky?" I asked, a hint of fear laced in my tone.

He offered no reply, and beckoned me to follow him towards the center of the arch.

"Those with the chance to save—the chance to give back a life—also risk the chance of losing their own," Death sagely muttered, bring his scythe to a standstill between he and I, "and the persons memory plays a big role in that—which is why I must help you now; so that we prevent your early demise."

'Wow, what a lovely thing to be doing at one in the morning,' I thought dryly, nerves frayed beyond belief.

Death chuckled, obviously knowing what I was thinking; causing me to blush a dark shade of pink at the remembrance of him being able to read my thoughts.

"Sit," he ordered, gesturing to the square before him.

Complying—albeit hesitantly—I sat with my legs folded beneath me, shoulders rigid from fear.

I noticed the ancient looked scripts that seemed to form within the square, I realized this wasn't just some dream—this was real.

I was in danger—my own memories so dangerous that I could lose my second chance if things went badly.

Hardening my eyes, I've thought of all the things I've accomplished so far—and I refused to let my own mind destroy me.

Glancing up, my determination radiated from my eyes—letting Death know I was ready for whatever weird, freaky thing that was about to happen.

'It wouldn't be the first weird, freaky thing to happen since coming here.'

As he cleared his throat and backed away, he explained: "As the person with the second chance focuses on their responsibility, they tend to lose focus—and tend to let their past memories go haywire," he continued talking, arm raised with the dark, cryptic scythe in hand, "the memories of the person is directly linked with the chakra—therefore if the memories go haywire, then the chakra will too."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I breathed out slowly, almost to the point of overload.

"You are the youngest person to go through this process—and out of all those other individuals, your percentage of completing this task isn't that high; on your own that is," he nodded, twisting the dark weapon in midair, "which is why we must do this now."

Closing my eyes, I clenched my fists, pushing down the bubbling anxiety forming in the pit of my stomach.

'You can do this Susana,' I encouraged mentally, 'you may be entirely out of your league when it comes to this stuff, but let's live off of some false hope a bit.'

"Relax," Death whispered, swinging the scythe down, "Breathe—focus—concentrate."

And with that, everything went numb—my toes and fingers felt light; my mind clear and the rest of me close to that feeling.

I felt weightless.

And with an abrupt shift and a tight pull, I found that feeling being whisked away from me.

A strong pressure flared within my mind—almost as if it wanted to break free.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed the pressure back—forcing it to go further and further until I heard a resounding crack!

That's when the colors and shapes started flashing vividly before me.

'I'm sensing a déjà vu moment.'

The picture settled, I saw the face of that woman once more—the one who's face was full of tears and hands covered in blood—my blood.

Glancing over, I saw the boy whose face and appearance highly resembled Sasuke's—dark eyes painfully wide and mind racing as he stared back.

Another frantic woman came into the scene, along with a man—all racing towards the boy, tightly hugging him and crying relief.

The scene shifted once more, and I started to see myself—my fifteen year-old self—laughing, twirling as the woman from before took pictures of her in a dress.

Memory shifting, I saw the same me sitting in the dark, telling ghost stories with two other people—identical in appearance and a bit older in comparison to myself.

Their grins were mischievous, and eyes glinting.

Finding myself somewhere else now, I was standing with a much older man, fishing off the dock from that of an old cottage.

And the scene shifted again—and again—and kept shifting.

By the next memory, everything was rapidly moving—fluctuating so fast that I could hardly tell what was happening.

The colors and shapes were flashing once more, before I willed them to completely stop.

It stilled to the picture of a room—a tiny room, filled with sunlight and flowers.

Confused, I realized the things around me weren't just some picture anymore, but actually reality.

Stepping forward, I stopped as a woman came into to view—holding her hand out as she was telling me to stop.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I realized I recognized the freckles and curious green eyes as my own—but the face was much older, wiser.

Opening my mouth to speak—a million questions racing through my mind at this point—I halted as she held a hand to her lips.

"You'll know everything in time, Susana—try to remain patient. Everything will be resolved." She had said, before releasing a toothy grin much like my own.

And with that, it was over.

I was whisked away again—weightless bearing down on every fiber of my being.

And I was left more confused and dazed than I had been to begin with.

'Well, that was a rollercoaster,' I thought cynically, mentally and physically tired at this point.

Feeling the pounding in my head begin to pick up, I groaned as I felt the solid feeling of the ground beneath me, opening my bleary eyes and gazing up at the face of Death himself.

His face was much too grim for my liking, and I sat up with caution as I rubbed the back of my head.

"I gather that you don't know what just happened either, right?"

He sighed, shaking his head, "You continue to astound me, Ms. Flynn—but I do regret to inform you that despite your memory issue being slightly fixed—I have no idea what do next."

'Oh, joy.'

The familiar feeling of the soft blankets from the couch lay underneath me as I sat up with a jolt, breathing heavily.

Eyes wide as I glanced around, I slumped as I realized it was now daybreak—and I had not slept at all.

Rubbing a hand down my face, I sighed wearily, before bringing my knees close to my chest.

Propping my chin on the tops of my kneecaps, I stared distantly out the window, watching as the birds dipped and dived in the pink and orange tinged sky.

"What happens now?" I whispered aloud, unanswered questions swarming inside my mind.

'Whatever it is,' I thought, closing my eyes as I tried to get a recap of what just happened, 'I get the feeling that I won't like it.'

Wow.

This is incredibly late guys—and a bit rushed.

Sorry!

Updating this seemed to take forever for whatever reason.

Any questions regarding my chapter? Or any suggestions? Just let me know!

Thanks for waiting!

Question: Who's your favorite writer?