DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Naruto universe but I do have an imagination of my own. PLEASE REVIEW! I will take advice on relationships you'd like to eventually see, as well as suggestions from my readers while continuing the story.

Thinking

Biju, etc. speaking

Biju, etc. thinking

Emphasis

Rachel McStannis grimaced as she looked at her reflection in a hand-held mirror. Placing it back in her purse, she closed her eyes, deeply regretting the one-night-stand she'd had with a colleague during a business trip to Seoul. Her "partner" had left a trail of hickeys down the side of her neck, and knowing her mother, the woman would have a fit once she saw her. She groaned and pulled out her cell phone and was actually glad that Vince hadn't texted her after their little tête-à-tête. After answering a few messages from work, she tried to find a movie or something interesting on the monitor in front of her, but her thoughts continued to return to that night.

I should've never gone out drinking with him of all people… repeatedly. She groaned out loud, then offered an apologetic smile and gentle nod to the elderly woman sitting in the seat next to her whom she'd startled. Poor thing: looks like she's never flown before. Rachel had tried to reassure the woman earlier in their flight that the turbulence they experienced then was normal, but the frail-looking woman didn't understand a word she was saying.

Flipping through channels, she saw a few decent movies, as well as one of those cartoons, er- anime things her nephew was so fond of. She paused on it for a moment, before quickly moving to the next channel. The program her nephew basically tried to relive wasn't dubbed, so it sounded very different from when she'd heard the characters' voices the last time she'd visited him back home in Texas. Nine-year-old Sean was all about the ninjas in the story, but Rachel thought it too dark for such a small child. Not to mention how bratty and awful the main characters were...

Rachel's native language was English, and since moving to Japan for business, her Japanese was at least passing. Not that I'd watch anime willingly, anyway. Old cartoons were one thing, but anime was just weird.

Most of her clients and even the Asians and Pacific Rimmers spoke English since she ran a sales operation for a Virginia-based company. Her side of operations focused on those serving in the American military, while Vince was all over the region, selling product into the Asian markets. Unlike him, Rachel had several employees directly under her - which drive me crazy - that resold whatever she sold into the various military branches PXs and such. Her staff also provided customer service. Knowing them, they started slacking off and may have even headed to the beach as soon as my plane left.

She couldn't help but smile a bit, though. As errant as her staff could be, they were good at what they did and a hell of a lot of fun to hang around with. They cared for her, too, and that meant the world to her. They got me through the divorce. Her grin turned pained. If they ever found out about her mistake with Vince, they'd either want to shout it to the heavens, smack her silly, or lock her away for not heeding their warnings, depending on who saw the shameful markings on her body. They warned me he was hot for me! But did I believe it? Noooooooo.

Why would she, though? The short but handsome idiot had just gotten engaged again! For the third time… She once again made a pitiful sound in consideration of her idiocy, but played it off as a pained stretch as she reached down to grab her carry-on. "Sumimasen." The white-haired, deeply wrinkled woman scowled at her, but Rachel simply moved past her toward the aisle, being careful to keep her bag close and out of anyone's way.

Once in the restroom compartment, Rachel pulled makeup out of her bag and tried to dab it on her neck. IT'S NOT WORKING! She nearly fell into the mirror, but steadied herself, as a sudden bout of rather nasty turbulence shook the plane. Hearing what she called the Buckle-Up Bell, she put her makeup back in the bag carefully and washed her hands. What sounded and felt like a huge explosion caused her head to smack into the mirror, cracking it. She fell on the floor, dizzy, but heard what sounded like pandemonium coming from the cabin.

Oh dear God, we've lost an engine. Rachel could see smoke or something dark through the plane's left side window as she clumsily made her way to her seat. The poor old woman looked like she was in shock or possibly even having a heart attack. Rachel began speaking to her in soft tones - not realizing that she was slurring her words. Buckling the elder in more securely, she reached out to hold her trembling hand.

Another explosion caused what seemed like half the plane to come apart, and she went flying. For a few seconds, she tried to pray and apologize to her family and friends as she fell, spinning wildly in the air. There was nothing but the so-very-blue Pacific Ocean below her. A piece of debris hit her head, and Rachel was gone.

Crying. Rachel briefly felt pain. No, she was screaming before everything once again fell dark.

Images of the life she lost came and went. Occasionally, she'd see odd, unknown things and people, too, as time went by. Ever since they passed, Rachel had hoped that she'd see her grandfathers immediately after she herself died, both hopefully once again healthy and young: wonderful and mischievous as always, young or not… Maybe they're playing chess again? Maybe they came while I was sleeping? For some reason, it seemed like she just couldn't get enough sleep no matter what! Gosh, death is so boring. Improbably, and for the first time, she thought of the harsh alternative to going to heaven.

"Oh Dear Most Kind and Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the Vince thing!" Dear Lord: surely that wouldn't condemn me to hell? Not to mention the divorce, or living on pizza, Whoppers, and beer lately, or… Crap. She'd really fucked up!

When she realized that she was alive again, Rachel cried tears of joy. When she realized that she was a baby or toddler at the oldest? She'd raged and wailed.

"What's wrong with her?! She's usually so quiet!"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? The kid just got changed and fed! What am I, a baby whisperer?"

"You're a girl," the first voice deadpanned.

Rachel realized they were Japanese speakers, no less. She wailed louder. If reincarnation's real, why am I not a deer or something? I'd rather be a deer!

Fingers were prying all over her body in order to, she guessed, find a solution to her baby distress before she was turned around, then had her legs brought up. She felt the cold air hit her butt, but she could do nothing. She tried to scream rape in one language after another, but her mouth wasn't forming the words at all. She felt her body go cold as she was completely terrified, before noticing a pleasant buzzing sensation that felt like it was going through all the veins in her now tiny body. Weird.

Settling into the feeling, she calmed down considerably. The fact that her privates were covered again helped immensely, too. A few people were humming - all different tunes, it seemed - as her face was wiped off. Why are they wearing masks?

"Better Gaki?"

Brat? I've never been a brat! If anyone's a brat it's Sean! Rachel whimpered more as she considered her young nephew. He and her big brother really loved her, despite their obsession with television and sports that drove her sister-in-law half crazy.

"Whaa? It's okay little one. Hey! I'd rather see that cute little scowl on your face than see you cry, ne?" Snake held her charge to her shoulder - she was getting big - and bounced her a little too hard. The girl immediately spit-up on her. "Damn! I didn't even have a chance to get a towel!"

Rachel heard male laughter while the woman she was being held by screeched what she was pretty sure were obscenities at them, making her wince and try to move away. She was taken away from the madwoman by strong, gentle hands. "Here ya go, chibi. Let's put you back in your crib."

"No! I want to stay!" Rachel really didn't want to go back into her jail cell, whether it was called a crib or not.

"Hear that? I think she's trying to talk!"

"Of course she is. Her father was a genius," a rather snotty-sounding adolescent said.

Agreements and arguments commenced and Rachel realized how tired she was. Again. Damn babyhood.

Months or more passed and Rachel feared that the death-blow she received to the head in her fall through the sky had been so hard that she was brain damaged all the way into her current life. She had proof, too: dogs shouldn't be able to talk, let alone read as that pug did! And she could swear that those colorful frog plushies on her shelf would sometimes disappear, only to reappear later. What can I do about being either insane or mentally-challenged, though? At least she was able to walk now - and for someone as young as she must be, she was pretty fast!

"Gotcha," a masked man said from the ceiling as he grabbed her before she could disappear on him again. Honestly, the hiding places this kid finds… He flipped around, making the girl giggle a bit, then set the child into the bean bag chair in the corner. It was always amusing how she'd roll around, trying to right herself within it.

Rachel's eyes turned to the door - something was scary outside. It made her feel queasy.

"Hokage-sama, we weren't expecting you! Wait!"

Whoever this old guy with the hat was lunged at her with a black thing before the window shattered. Rachel cried out in fear and looked back at her masked protector. He'd stabbed the old man after the two of them struggled against each other, then the old guy turned into someone else, right in front of her eyes, as he laid on the floor bleeding. She tried to get out of the damnable bean bag chair and heard the woman with the long purple hair scream and everything went dark. Oh… God, she was in pain!

But at least she was back in her own body - the one from her first life. Dusting herself off, she walked through the dark passages she found herself in. Seeing an incredibly enormous cage in front of her, she stepped back to look at it warily. "What kind of zoo is this?"

Rachel noticed the area became noticeably warmer, bordering on hot, before hearing a voice that nearly knocked her down.

"ZOO?!"