Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the Naruto Characters...and if I did, not even half the people would love it.
Chapter 1: A second chance
It was all dark. Not a single strand of light was able to creep in. The darkness had surrounded me… encased me. I couldn't fell anything. No pain, no security… nothing. Only the coldness of snow. I tried to move my arm, but I couldn't. I tried the same thing with my legs but...the result was the same. My bones were stiff and my body limp...I couldn't move. And worst of all...I felt no warmth pumping around my in veins and I couldn't find the sound of that small, reassuring thumping in my chest either.
My body was in the condition of someone dead. Yet my mind...it was scrambled. I couldn't put anything together at all. But I was still there, conscious.
At first, I thought I was floating on top of water, given the sensation I had of being moved up and down like I was rocking with waves. But to my surprise there wasn't even a single drop of water nearby. It was just like a void. Nothing existed...except me.
I wanted to ask what was happening or where I was, but alas, I couldn't. Worst of all is that I couldn't move my mouth from the small smile I held when I...died.
Thats right...I died... I died...
Does that mean I'm dead?
Is this death? To float around aimlessly... paralyzed for all eternity? I struggled to stay conscious but...I know I shouldn't have been awake.
Over time my mind began to face reality. Blackness began seeping into my head. It twisted and manipulated itself until all the little, disorientated yet precious thoughts in my head began to empty out. My eyes began to haze over as I faced the truth.
I am dead.
"Little one you think wrong. You are merely in the between." The voice seemed to echo all around, failing to bounce off of any walls. The...between...? I tried to grasp onto what little memories I had left in my head but I couldn't figure out why I was actually here, and more to the point, what is here?
I-...aren't I dead? This is...death...is it not?
No response came to answer me this time.
My foot collided with something hard, sending pins and needles piercing through my entire 'corpse' like thousands of tiny knives. With a blinding flash, light suddenly sliced through the darkness and my 'corpse', causing the blackness to shroud away from me as though it was afraid.
The light brought with it a nostalgic warmth... It gave me a sense of hope...and life. My mind and thoughts became clear and I was finally able to 'wake up'. Everything that had happened moments ago began flashing through my eyes and my memories came pouring back to me.
With the darkness on the run, the light continued to pour into the room, turning my vision to white. Soon, a beautiful, circular floor with majestic carvings imprinted into it was revealed. It was like...a pillar of light!
A burning sensation began to thread through my body. With a deep, short breath, the cold began to disappear, and instead was replaced with the warmth of blood...and life! I could feel it pumping throughout my veins once again.
The disembodied voice from earlier cleared it's throat. "So much to do and so little time to do it… you'd better be ready." It beckoned. The voice...it spoke in a tone of darkness, yet it was heart-warming and sounded like it bore hope.
Feeling alive once again, I tried to move my arm. I gasped with happiness as I felt it twitch. With a little more effort, I was able to raise it shakily up into the air. However it dropped back down to my side and left me in pain.
Taking in another deep breath, I asked "...Why am I here?" Despite all the effort I used, all that came out was a tiny whisper.
"You have been chosen by the gods to have a second chance at life. They have faith that you will be able to fix things for the better...or perhaps, you'll make things more interesting for my amusement." It cackled.
My mouth dropped open and my eyes widened. A second chance? I'm being given a second chance to actually make myself useful?! To have a family, and to make friends?! It all seems too good to be true...
"However there is a catch…" I sighed. Of course it was too good to be true…
The voice shrugged me off and continued."You'll be a completely different person. No longer shall you be Hazaki Kominoka of this world. Instead, you'll be in a different world. Despite this, the hardships and pain you faced in this world will still haunt you...to make it more amusing."
Does it mean...the experiments? All of the pain...the agony? I don't want to remember that! I don't want to remember my last life at all. I just want to forget...all of my suffering...everyone's suffering..."I don't want to remember!"
Silence filled the air. Due to my rage, I accidentally shouted out my thoughts.
"Well, that is a bit unfortunate. You don't get to decide that, or anything for that matter. And to keep your memories or not!" The voice began to cackle wildly. "Theres no way a puny human like yourself would be allowed to decide that! Oh but isn't this cruel of me? But does that matter?! NO! I AM THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS! It doesn't matter what you think at all!
...I think it's angry.
Another wild cackle sliced through the air and the ground began to shake violently.
"Know that if it weren't for the gods, I'd have you burning in agony by now! Drifting in a never ending void! The conductors of your agony broke the rules of reality, and YOU were suppose to pay! But here you are, chosen by the Gods for a second chance!"
I collapsed to the ground and covered my ears in an attempt to block out his rage. The 'Prince of darkness' continued to rant on about the unfairness of it all.
Agony I've gone through? Does it, or he, mean the experiments?!
The shaking of the ground began to slowly calm down. I'm sick of all this. Getting blamed for something that I didn't choose.
"I didn't ask for that agony to happen to me."
"It isn't a matter of who wanted it! Those experiments broke the reality of your world and turned me into a MONSTER! They put me in AGONY! And now their remains course throughout your body!"
I gasped. That...can't be true...Something...like that...courses throughout my veins?
"Tell me... can you feel it? Seeping into your veins? A power that doesn't belong here?" The voice said in a sickening and manipulative way.
"Stop!" I begged.Just...please!
"The power which will cause so many loved ones harm?"
"No..." I don't want this. I never had!
"The power which will destroy anyone precious-"
"Shutup!" I yelled.
The voice fell silent amlost instantly. Without even realizing it I was panting heavily and my mind was swirling.
"Look... I-I'm sorry. For what they did to you. Making you into this...monster. But I'm scared too! For what they put me through...all of that pettiful suffering. It was scary. And evil. And..."
"Go on."
"I only managed to put up with it because I thought that I was the only one. The only one they were harming. And that if I just gave up and left...that they would start making someone else suffer the same. And while I can't undo what they did to you, I will try to make something good out of this... all of this suffering. To finally do something right!"
Silence once again filled the air.
"It appears that those are noble actions. Maybe this is why the Gods chose you... I'm also sorry...for..." the voice seemed to trail off.
"Everything else will be revealed later...You've proven to me that you deserve this...second chance, shall we call it?"
"W-wait a second!" I shouted, biting through the pain rising up into my body. "My name...what is it?"
But the only thing that followed my pleas...
Was the silence of being left alone. The silence only a forgotten presence deserves.
It felt like hours had passed in the so called 'between'. All I did was stand there, trying to remember anything... anything at all that could help me. What was I doing before I came here? And why was I chosen for this? I'm sure there are millions of people whom are more unfortunate then me.
It felt as though my memories were...shattered. Whenever I tried to remember something a sudden pain would fill my head, causing me to stop.
"Ahhhhhhhh... Think...think! " I muttered. I tried to recall everything the voice had said, but my memory was already faulting. After repeating what it said to me again something finally clicked in my head.
Wait a minute! It said that I would no longer be the Hazaki Kominoka of that world... Is that my name? A small gasp of happiness escaped from my mouth and a grin the size of...I don't know...something big formed on my face. Thats my name! Hazaki Komino-My thoughts were cut off as the voice of that mysterious being rippled through the air once again.
"There is no point in trying to remember anymore little girl. I...have decided to let you forget everything of your past. No innocent person...deserves that suffering. However, trying to remember it will only bring them back, including all of your suffering. So don't strain yourself trying to remember now, because you simply won't be able to. Or want to" the voice explained.
With a throbbing pain in my head, I sighed and closed my eyes. I should seriously start considering pinching myself. This isn't real...It can't be! Once you die, your dead. There is no second chance.
It doesn't matter if this is all real or not. I just needed to break this eerie silence."Wait." I yelled weakly. "Are you really the 'Prince of Darkness', or is that all just self proclaimed?"
A thin silence hung in the air.
But then, a chuckle of happiness rippled through. "Hm, I guess you caught me out. In all honesty I'm just a deceased, revenge-driven spirit with an uncontrollable imagination."
Laughter from both of us filled the air. A small smile formed upon my face. "Thank you. For-"
Suddenly, with a eerie screech as though it had been defeated, the light around me began to fade away. Darkness began to poison the ground and seeped all around me. The ground shook violently, so much that it nearly sent me over the edge.
With a worried voice, the boy spoke up again. "Little girl, you made me, a lonely soul, laugh." the ground started to shake furiously. "The darkness is coming... but don't be afraid. Instead, show triumph over it, and your destiny will begin. So don't be afraid... because it is fate!" The mysterious voice just kept repeating the same thing over and over until it became a faint whisper in the back of my mind.
"Wait! What do I do? Please! Don't leave!" I panicked. What am I suppose to do?
A blinding light shone down on me, as if trying to protect me. But as soon as it came down, it shattered to pieces, allowing the darkness to creep back in. Words such as 'I'm sorry' and 'Good luck' were being whispered in the back of my head. I clutched my head with my hands and begged for the voices to stop, but they didn't. Instead they grew louder and faster, until all I could hear was their chanting.
What the hell?! Make it...stop!
But the whispers kept growing louder and louder, until they became constant screams of agony in my head. Clutching my head, I fell to the floor. The suddenly voices ceased, and I was left all alone in the dark.
All I want to do...is sleep.
But it seemed that I would never be able to have a peaceful sleep again, because what happened next, was truly terrifying.
With an eerie giggle, the darkness that surrounded me began to mold together and formed into a humanoid figure.
The figure turned out to be a young girl, about my age with dark black hair, which in turn matched her dark, cloudy eyes. There was an offsetting feeling radiating out from her. She grinned maniacally and silently edged closer towards me with her head looking down at the ground, causing her bangs to cover her face.
My body was overcome with a sudden sense of heaviness, and I could no longer move. As she crept closer towards me I shut my eyes in fear.
Please...stop! Leave me alone.
I begged. In no time, I could feel her cold breath breathing into my face.
"Don't be afraid. I'm just here to say goodbye..." Her voice... it sounded just like an innocent child when they're asking for something from their parents. Maybe I judged her to quickly?
I slowly opened my eyes - big mistake. Her face was right up to mine and I found myself staring right into her red eyes. It no doubt looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie. The girl then began to laugh and giggle.
"Oh yes! Don't be afraid of me! Aha! You should know me better than anyone else. I've been with you for a long time." She spoke in a taunting, evil manner. "I blame your parents for it... not being able to raise a pathetic child like you properly. But now..." she trailed off into a far more dreadful, quiet tone.
"Now I have a chance to be free!"
As soon as she stopped talking, a sharp pain seared through my stomach. Looking down, I saw the faint outline of something, a spear perhaps, piercing through my stomach. Blood splattered out of my mouth and I fell to the floor in agony, clutching my stomach.
As I slowly drifted out of consciousness, all I could hear was her bone-shivering giggles surrounding me.
Then everything went black as I lost consciousness for the second time that day.
Late updates are amazing...seriously. And here I thought that the holidays would give me plenty of time to work on this story -_-. This chapter was a little different so please tell me if you liked it or not. Remember helpful criticism is always welcomed.
Thankyou and til next time, bye!