Disclaimer: I'm too stupid to own this.

Authors Note: I am so sorry for how long this chapter took. A lot of stuff happened this past week and I just haven't been able to write. I have three holidays coming up in the next month so updates will be slow. On a side note, I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed so far especially the anonymous reviewers because I can't thank you privately. Last chapter I reached 100, something I never imagined would happen. Thank you I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 14- A Time to Heal

The grass was green, the sky blue, and my heart bleak. Everything around me felt muted. It was the day after the massacre and the news had spread all around the village. Gossip was to be expected, but this eerie silence was not. People still bustled about, but no one lingered. They spoke quietly of the tragedy that had befallen one of the village's strongest clans.

There was to be a joint funeral held in a days' time. I couldn't help but notice that they were to be kept apart from the rest of the village graves. Most seemed to think it was out of respect; I thought it was because, even in death, the elders thought the Uchiha capable of tainting their own. I wanted to be angry at them, but was I really any better?

After my team's mission that day I wandered around the village, unable to relax at home. An old willow tree rested by the river, its long winding bough reaching into the water. Climbing it wasn't too hard, just a little more taxing than climbing a normal tree.

The willows branches hid me as I tucked myself into one of the harder to reach limbs. Time began to slow as I breathed in deep, using this moment of peace to its fullest. I pulled out of my doze some time later, only then noticing the presence on the other side of the trunk, resting much like I had been moments before.

"Hello?" I called out hesitantly. If they had gone through the trouble of hiding in here then they probably didn't want to be disturbed, but I didn't want to take the chance of him being someone I don't want to run into.

"Ah, I didn't realize this spot was already taken," they reply, getting up in the process.

"You don't need to leave, I won't mind you here as long as you don't mind me here," he sits back down at my assurances. Well this is awkward. What does one say in a situation like this? The silence weighs heavily in my ears.

"So… you come here often?" he snorts, giving me the insane urge to stick my tongue out at him.

"I wouldn't say often, but I do enjoy the solitude this area offers."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to take your spot."

"No need to apologize. It's not like this tree has my name on it or something"

"I know, but I still feel kinda bad. Maybe you should write your name on it," this conversation must have been the oddest he'd had with a stranger. He was silent again. Had I said something to offend him?

"I don't have a name," he says softly. Oh, that sucks. I can't even imagine what that must be like. To grow up without a sense of identity, it must be terrible.

"What do people call you if you don't have a name?" silence.

"Neko," is his quiet reply. Neko?

"You've lived your whole life being called 'Neko'?" I ask incredulously. Because even if you don't have a name, who gets called 'Cat'?

"Is there a problem with that?" he asks calmly, but I can tell he is upset by my insensitive words.

"Sorry." And now he is confused.

"You're sorry?"

"I was just curious, I didn't mean to upset you," my voice leaks frustration that's been building up. I felt like even the smallest of things could send me over the edge. Emotionally, I was stretched so thin, I felt like a rubber band about to snap.

"It's alright. I get questions like that often," he finally says, voice distant. I watch as an ant climbs the tree trunk, thinking on his words. He grew up without a name and had spent his life being called Neko. Warning bells were ringing in the back of my head; it sounded so familiar. My brows furrow as I watch the ant continue its ascent.

"Why haven't you given yourself a name?" he seems surprised by the very notion of naming yourself, before replying honestly.

"There has never been a need."

"Never been a need? What are you part of ANBU or something?" Hit the nail on the head. He was the cat ANBU, better known as Yamato. That was… unexpected.

"ANBU? Yeah right!" he laughs and waves it off casually. It was all fake; I could feel his surprise. I huff at him, playing along.

"Well you never know. Besides it sounded like a plausible idea in my head. I can't see your face, so I don't know if you are wearing a mask, but I do know that ANBU have animal code names," I say, trying to show him my thought process.

"But still, ANBU?" I roll my eyes and cross my arms, though he can't see any of this. It was quiet again, but this time it was more comfortable. The sun began to disturb my eyes through the leaves, signaling me to leave. Sighing wearily I get up off my branch and turn to face the trunk.

"Bye, not in ANBU Neko-san. I have to go now." As I leave the tree I could have sworn I heard him snort again. I didn't want to leave. The tree had worked like a shield, blocking all my problems. Sighing again, I start on the path to the hospital. There was still time before dark, and I had promised Sasuke I would visit him.

Sasuke was looking both better and worse than the previous day. His hair was a mess and his eyes were baggy, but there was life there now. He seemed more responsive. I shut the door firmly so as to alert him of my presence.

"His name is Naruto," he says, sounding confused and bewildered. Taking the seat I had occupied the day before, I answered.

"Strange huh? And he acts like him too." Sasuke just nods, blinking slowly.

"Do you… do you think Naruto will find the answer?" I wasn't sure if he was talking about Naruto or the book.

"Maybe; I haven't finished the book yet. Perhaps he finds some friends to help him," I reply suggestively. Sasuke nods again with a faraway look to his eyes.

"Are you alright Sasuke?" I break the silence. Sasuke turns and looks at me as if just realizing I was still here, before looking down.

"No. I am not alright. But… maybe I will be… later. I just… I need some time," he sounds so unsure of himself. I nod in understanding before getting up and resting a hand on his head. The motion was awkward and Sasuke tenses a moment before he relaxes and looks up at me.

"I'll go home now, but if you need me you know where to find me. Please don't hesitate to get me, even if you only need someone to yell at," my eyes bore into his until he looks down and nods his head. I ruffle his hair before beginning the walk home. Twilight had already set in by that point. The stars shone brightly in the clear evening sky. My heart felt as if it was slowly clearing as well. The conflict inside me was fading, leaving only a strong determination to make everything better.

It is foolish of me to believe that determination will be enough. I have no plan, no idea what or how to change things. But right then I needed the strength it granted me. Without it I feared I would collapse in on myself. Upon arriving at my house I made a beeline for the backyard where I could think.

My time inside my head was disrupted by Yamanaka-san. I had felt his presence coming and opened my eyes. He was watching me intently; a confused and wary look on his face. Usually if he wanted to talk to me he would wave me over, but this time he walked over to my spot and leaned against the tree behind me. I almost fell over as I tried to turn without having to get up.

"Who is Chana?" his voice stumbled over the foreign name, unused to such pronunciation. It ended up sounding more like Kana. How to answer a question like that. How much can I give away? How much will he believe? I avoided looking at his eyes and began to fidget.

"Yamanaka-san, do you believe in reincarnation?" his eyes widened when he understood what I was implying.

"It has never been proven so there is no reason to take it as a certainty, but it has not been disproven either."

"How does one go about proving they were reincarnated? Humans have an inability to believe something they have never seen."

"I will admit that what you are implying does not seem very believable, but from what I gathered in your head, it is a possibility," now he was looking at me with some excitement. The thought of him dissecting my mind to find out once and for all freaked me out.

"Do you believe you have been reincarnated?" the question was innocent but confused me like no other. I had been reincarnated hadn't I? Unless this was all just some sort of dream I'm having in the hospital. I begin to pick at my sleeve hem at the thought. Was I still fighting for my life with my old family by my side, hoping for my eventual recovery?

But this place felt so real. The people, the places, the time that had passed. They all felt a part of me, but not in the 'it was all just a dream' sense. This was real. I was a ninja at the beginning of her career. I'm not Chana. That life is over.

"Yes," my voice is firm in my answer. "I have her memories, experiences, but she died," he was looking at me thoughtfully now. He seemed to be unable to figure out if I was telling the truth. Quite frankly, in his position, I have no idea what I would have felt.

"You remember her life? I always figured that was something that was forgotten when being reborn." My eyebrows furrow at that. I had always thought the same as well.

"I don't know why I have her memories, but I do."

"Who were you?" he asked curiously. Hm… how to answer that without sounding crazy. Sighing in annoyance at being unable to find an answer to my question, I just settle on telling the truth. Well… the edited truth.

"This is going to sound crazy," I complain, hoping to wheedle my way out of explaining. The look he gave me was enough to have me continue.

"Chana… wasn't from this world," Yamanaka-san furrowed his brows, confused.

"The technology in that place was much more advanced than any place here. The buildings were built so high that from the ground they seemed to be touching the sky. There were giant metal birdlike things called airplanes that could fly with hundreds of people riding them. At seventeen I died. The next thing I knew I was learning about my new family.

"I was left with no other choice than to believe in reincarnation. It was scary, being stuck in an unfamiliar body that wouldn't respond. Please Yamanaka-san, I'm not a threat. I'm not dangerous. Please don't hurt my family because of this," desperation was leaking into my voice. I knew it was stupid to think he would hurt my family but right then I was so emotionally distraught anything seemed possible.

He was staring at me taking this all in. it looked as if he wasn't going to believe me. Perhaps I would be stuck in a mental institute. I began to bite my lips as well as tugging at my hem.

"Suikazura, I am not sure I can believe this," my heart sank at his words. He didn't believe me. Of course he wouldn't, but it still kinda hurt.

"Perhaps if we sat down and I searched your mind we could prove how truthful your words are," I looked up at him surprised. He was going to give me a chance to prove it?

"Would that really be enough?" I ask, disbelief tinting my voice. He seemed to think about my question before answering.

"That depends on what I find. Come, let us go inform the Hokage." Wait, what? My eyes widened with fear. We have to see the Hokage? Why? My voice is shaky when I speak up again.

"Why do we need the Hokage?" He gave me a reproachful look.

"I would like to converse with him before delving into your mind. If what you are saying is true, he will want to know."

"Is it a bad thing?" his eyes soften at my nervous question.

"Not if you are telling the truth," and with that we got up to leave.

"Are you sure he will have time for us? I mean, after what happened…" I trail off at the look he gives me. Off to the Hokage, then. I really didn't want to have this conversation with them. The closer we got to the looming red building, the more my knees began to shake. This was such a bad idea. Even if they believed me they would probably put this in my file.

I wouldn't normally be scared about something like that, but with Danzo and Kabuto lurking around the village, I couldn't stop my fear. Never had I been happier to have my brothers, teammates, teacher, and Yamanaka-san at my side. I fear that without them something terrible would have happened to me long ago.

I waited behind as Yamanaka-san went to the receptionist. She seemed fairly annoyed, not about seeing him, but about seeing more people who needed to see the Hokage. It must be seriously busy here right now. I felt bad that my reincarnation had been brought up now of all times. It really could wait, but Yamanaka-san didn't seem to think so.

So today I met Yamato, spent time with Sasuke, revealed I had been reincarnated, and was now about to meet the Hokage. That is way too much excitement for one day. The woman gives us one last look as she heads off down the hall, presumably to inform the Hokage of our presence. Yamanaka-san shifts his weight as if contemplating something before turning to me.

"I am going to go tell him what is going on. You will wait for me here, understand?" His tone left no room for argument. I nod my head and keep my eyes on my shuffling feet. He watches me for a moment before turning on his heel and making his way after the secretary. I couldn't stop my relief at being excluded from the coming conversation.

Left with nothing better to do, I began to examine the rooms other occupants. There were quite a few people waiting for the Hokage's ear. I imagine the unrest caused by the massacre is the reason it was so busy just then. My nervousness began to fade as boredom overtook me. I was counting the tiles on the floor when I was startled by a familiar voice.

"Suikazura! What are you doing here this late?" looking up I grin at the women.

"Hello, Kurenai. Fancy meeting you here."

"I could say the same about you. And you're avoiding my question," she replied in an exasperated voice. I hadn't seen her since I had become a Genin. It was nice to talk to her even if only for a moment.

"I'm here with Yamanaka-san. He had some business with the Hokage and I was just tagging along." She gave me a long look as if she didn't fully believe me. Yamanaka-san is one of the Intelligence Division heads, for him to be seeing the Hokage this late would usually mean something interesting if not serious. My presence must have been seen as slightly suspicious. Before she had the chance to question me further, Yamanaka-san and Ibiki-san made their way over.

"Suikazura, we can leave now." I nod my head and wave goodbye to Kurenai.

"See you in a few days." She smiles slightly as she waves back. The moment I turn and see the two of them looking at me, my eyes dart to the floor and I begin to shuffle my feet.

"We seem to be seeing too much of each other recently," Ibiki says in a loud voice.

"Sorry," I mumble under my breath.

"I have informed the Hokage of the situation and he gave the two of us the 'OK'. We will begin immediately." The nod of my head is my only response to Yamanaka-sans statement. I really didn't want to go back to the interrogation room so soon. That place was freaky. The aura around it was painful and spoke of torture of the scariest kind. Pain clung to the place like thorns would someone's hand.

As we approached the building my steps slowed in an unconscious effort to avoid the place. Ibiki seemed to notice and began to walk behind me, effectively trapping me between them. A shiver overtook my body as we entered the building; it was much cooler inside than it had been outside. I took long calming breaths as we made our way into a different room from last time.

It was not as wide or as dim lighted. There were seven chairs scattered about the room haphazardly. I was lead over to one as Yamanaka-san turned another around to face mine. I squirmed nervously in my seat. Just because there weren't any chains on this one doesn't mean it wasn't uncomfortable.

"Hold still. This will not hurt, but it will be different from last time."

"Kay." I reply quietly. With my hands folded in my lap I closed my eyes in preparation. The moment his hand made contact with my forehead I felt a tugging. Following the tug I was lead to my workshop. Yamanaka-san was not there yet so I took a seat on my chair, it was much better than the one outside. I calmed down considerably just by being in a familiar place, and was able to stop myself from jumping at Yamanaka-sans voice.

"Nice place you got here." I roll my eyes at that.

"So what did you want to see? Happy memories, sad memories, memories that prove me right?"

"I would mostly like to see memories that prove you lived another life as well as a few that prove you are from another world," I furrow my brow in thought. He should be able to tell I'm from another world by some of my memories. I nod my head to myself and get up to lead the way.

We approach one of the trees that helped make up the clearing. It was old and droopy looking, but was much stronger than it seemed. Yamanaka-san walks right up and puts his hand on it, so I just follow suit. It was late Wednesday evening and a very familiar girl was sitting by the computer. She turns as the front door opens and her brothers and father walk in.

"Abe, would you please take a shower? You stink," the girl says loudly in an annoyed tone of voice. The younger of the two boys glares at her, but before he has a chance to reply her father speaks.

"Chana, people in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks." Chana visibly bristles at his words.

"Yeah well they shouldn't walk around naked either," was her only reply. The scene swirled and we were now watching Chana and her brothers in the car with her mother. The talk was quickly interrupted by one of the boys.

"Mommy! I have a nosebleed," rather than help him, everyone began to laugh.

"If you don't stop laughing I'm going to rub it on the car," he yells, but the effect is ruined by how funny his voice sounds. Chana gets control of her laughter and starts rummaging around in her mother's purse for something.

"Here this should help," she says with a bright smile as she shoves a tampon up her brother's nose. The scene again swirls and we found ourselves in a hospital. Chana was sitting on the floor with her step-sister both watching as a nurse came in to give their bedridden grandfather a shot.

Next we were in another hospital room watching as Chana talked calmly with her bald step-mother. All the images began to blur. After her step-mother it was her father in the bed, then Chana's mother, then her uncle, her mother again, her grandmother, and then just her; Chana lay unconscious and dying after a terrible car accident.

I could not look at my broken body any longer and turned to Yamanaka-san. He was watching this all with a look of fascination on his face. He watched as Chana interacted with her family, he saw all the technology he could never comprehend, and then he saw her die. He turned to me a look of awe on his face as we pulled out of the tree of memories.

"Do you need to see any more?" I asked in a small broken voice. I had decided was no longer Chana, but her pain was still fresh in my heart. He looked like he wanted to say yes, but in the end he shook his head. He wanted to let me keep Chana private.

We both left my workshop at the same time and met each other's eyes. He believed me. I felt relief like no other fill my bones leaving only exhaustion in its wake. He and Ibiki had a low conversation before he tugged my arm to get me to stand. I stumbled a little as I followed him home.

My family asked me where I had been so late at night but I just brushed them off and headed to my room. They were worried about me but I was too tired to answer. The moment my head hit the pillows I was dead to the world.

Each day after my heart began to grow lighter. It was a long process but I could feel myself healing. Visiting Sasuke became a daily thing until he was released from the hospital. Once he was allowed to leave I would search for him almost every day for a spar. I wanted him to be around people, he needed it. I would often bring a more than eager Naruto to spar with us.

Sasuke's need for revenge was strong but it was not the only thing he focused on. I made sure of that. Naruto and I took it upon ourselves to tire him out as often as possible. By the time the school year started up they had formed a bond like no other. It was amazing to watch Naruto wheedle his way into Sasuke's heart. The boy just kept pushing and pushing until he got what he wanted.

I was glad they had grown closer, especially now that my team was beginning to pick up more missions. We had gotten some C ranked missions, but they were simple things. It was mid-October before we got our first C rank that would bring us outside village walls. I couldn't wait.

Thank you for reading this far, I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review and come again.

ToeGirth,

Signing Out