I remember being told once, "Live life to the fullest". I didn't take their advice at face value. It was hard enough just waking up in the morning much less "live life to the fullest". 'Life' was stingy with the amount of luck it had given to me. Being born into a broken family left me with my fair share of scars. I think at one point I had just given up on having a normal life.

What was I even living for? I had no friends and the only place I ever went to was an old library that was closing soon. There, I had the pleasure of being one of its regulars. They had all the manga I could ever read in a lifetime but it seems maintenance was a problem. The one thing in life to bring me complete joy was, 'Naruto'. It was my saving grace from reality. I was just so happy that Mum and Dad wouldn't be home tonight. The last time I had brought a book home it ended up on fire and it wasn't of my own doing.

I opened the door to the old building, the door squeaking as I walked in. Happily, I waved to the sleeping little old lady who owned the place. I quickly scanned the copies of Naruto and noticed I had already read all of them. I sighed because I thought I could find out what happened after Obito saved Kakashi, but the two to three pages were torn. I couldn't even get the last manga coming out but that didn't mean I didn't know the outcome already, as the hero always wins in the end. There's still a longing to know it from the author's own creation.

"Mrs. Laut? Do you have the pages to the ending of this book?" The little old lady snored with her head glued to the pages of the book she was most likely reading before. "Mrs. Laut?" A snore was my only answer. I sighed and hoped that someone wouldn't take this opportunity to steal a book off the shelves.

I decided to reread the whole series. Naruto was an inspiration to me. Not to better my life or anything but to just keep surviving even if your life sucks. I loved the fact that Naruto never gave up even when he was ignored by the villagers or called a demon. He just kept trying to get their acknowledgment and striving to become Hokage. I believed he could do it.

As I made my way home I noticed someone threatening an elderly man who was always gracious enough to offer me food when my mum forgot to restock the draws. The man lived just next door and if things ever got too bad I could just go to him for shelter. "Hey! Leave him alone!" Normally I would turn tail and run but today the thought of Naruto gave me strength.

I safely tuck the manga into my bag and approached the alleyway. "Don't you have any respect for the elderly?!" It was a stupid thing to do. I should've just gone to the cops instead. As the man startled he grabbed the elderly's wallet and turned towards me to run out of the alley but I caught the man by his hand. I didn't expect to feel the stabbing pain of the knife entering my abdomen not once but twice and the second time I reflexively let go to grip my abdomen in pain.

The old man knelt by my side and started rubbing my arm as if telling me it was gonna be okay but I knew it wouldn't be. Neither one of us had a phone and the streets were empty at this time of night. I always thought that if I had to die it would be by my hand never because I was trying to be a hero for once.

My eyes focused on the poor man who held me as I bled to death in his arms. I wanted to thank him for everything. For helping a total stranger's kid and for giving me what my mother and father never gave me, the warmth of a hug. "I guess I'll be seeing you on the other side old man. Th-thank you for everything."

There was only a feeling of water, I panicked for just a second then I realized I wasn't drowning. I kicked out then there was a muffled voice. I couldn't make a word out of what I was hearing. It was like trying to hear underwater. 'Oh wait, I am underwater.'

I don't know how long I had stayed in the water, but I pretended that I was a fish swimming in the water and somehow, I ended up upside down which wasn't very comfortable I gotta say but then I was suddenly being ejected. For what felt like an eternity I finally was out of whatever I was inside of. Someone was holding me, and my eyes felt glued together. I wiggled as I tried to get comfortable with the new surface I was on.

"I do not want to see that monster! Take it away from me! Kill it for all I care!" Were the first words I had ever heard in a while then someone sighed and responded. "Yes, Miss Yoko." 'What is happening?' I was carried off and gently laid down again.

"Do not blame your mother little one. You were not conceived out of her own free will. I wish you the best of luck and pray that Kami above lay their mercy upon you." I wanted to laugh. 'Yeah, well I'm sure your "God" isn't very happy with your hypocrisy, tch.'

There was the sound of something moving away from me and then not too long the sound disappeared. I lay still hoping this was a joke. 'Did this lady give birth to me and leave me God knows where?!' This is why my faith in humanity was so low. 'At least put me on a doorstep, woman!'

By now I had gathered that I was a newborn just left out in the world for some stray animal to find and make food out of. I didn't know what time of the day it was but it was extremely cold. I thought I would die with only one blanket wrapped around my small body. I tried to stay as still as possible so that I wouldn't accidentally unwrap myself and die of hypothermia.

If this is what happens after the first breath I take in my new life, I'm afraid that I might still have a whole lot of struggles ahead of me. My mind wandered to my last life and the nice old man. I hope he had gotten home safely. I wonder if my parents and sibling would cry for me. Would they even have a funeral? The answer was no. I knew this but I wanted them to feel my death. The bitterness I felt only grew as I thought of the lady who had given birth to me. She had cast her child aside without even a look.

A loud growl interrupted my thoughts. Sighing I resigned myself to my death. 'They didn't even feed me after my birth, how do they expect me to survive like this. Oh wait they didn't.' It seems what little luck I had in my past life had been used up and I was left with zero in this life. At the thought of me disappearing with no one knowing about my existence bounced around in my mind, I felt tears well up in my shut-eye. I was suddenly wailing. 'It sucks being a baby!'

I was so busy crying my lungs out of my chest that I failed to notice my eyes had begun to open and that there was a wild beast slowly making its way towards me. Suddenly a furry face was in front of mine and I froze up in fear. A lioness stood over me sniffing at my face and blanket. 'Well, this must be where my short life ends. Curse you mother!' I closed my eyes waiting for the jaws of the wild beast to descend upon my tender newborn flesh but all I heard was a purr and suddenly I was lifted by my blanket.

I sniffled to where ever the hell the beast had taken me. I thought that maybe it was taking me to its cubs as food but the strangest thing happened. It lay me down in a cave, what I assumed was its home then wrapped itself gently around me. Suddenly my stomach growled and I whimpered at the pain of my stomach rumbling hungrily. "You're hungry."

The moment I heard someone talk I breathed a sigh of relief. 'It seems the lioness has a human master. Thank God! Please take me away now.' I was so wrong. I tried to move my weak neck to see if I could get a glimpse of this so-called "master" but they were nowhere to be found. My first thought was that I was going crazy from hunger. My thoughts were interrupted as the lioness used her paw to pull me in closer to her tits. I wasn't too keen on drinking a lion's milk but the hunger was just pure torture.

I latched on and greedily suckled the sour taste living much to be desired but hey I was finally eating something for the first time. Any confusion I would have had was far out of reach of my mind as I steadily filled my belly. I felt my eyes start to close as sleep came over me but I stubbornly fought it off as I drank. 'Do not fight it little cub. Go to sleep now.' I listened to the voice and promptly fell asleep.