Title: Rebirth Among the Leaves

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

A/N: I don't own anything... well except myself.

In a flash of blinding green light, Pamela Isley—better known to the world as Poison Ivy—had made her final stand. Braniac, the cosmic entity determined to erase all plant life from Earth, had been moments away from succeeding. Her power, drawn from the very roots of the Earth, pulsed through her one last time, growing stronger as she made the ultimate sacrifice. Ivy's body was consumed by the plants she loved, their tendrils wrapping around her as she dissolved into the earth to become one with nature. The last thing she felt was peace, knowing she had saved the world.

When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on her back in the dirt, staring up at a vast sky filled with clouds. She blinked, confused, her memories of her sacrifice still fresh. But something was wrong. She felt smaller, her body less powerful than before. She glanced down at her hands—small, childlike hands, but still green. Her fiery red hair spilled over her shoulders in messy waves. She was a child again.

"What the hell…?" Ivy muttered under her breath, her voice soft and high-pitched. She was six years old again, just as she had been all those years ago.
She sat up slowly, scanning her surroundings. She was on the outskirts of a village, one she didn't recognize. It wasn't Gotham, and it certainly wasn't any place she had seen on Earth. The village seemed peaceful, nestled in a forest with towering trees that whispered to her in a language she understood.

But the people here... They wouldn't understand her. They never did.
Her stomach twisted, a knot of anxiety forming in her chest. She remembered all too well what it felt like to be different, to be feared and hated for her appearance and powers. No one had accepted her then. Why would they now?

Suddenly, a high-pitched voice pierced through her thoughts.

"Hey! What are you doing out here all alone?"

Ivy turned her head sharply and spotted a boy running towards her, his bright yellow hair unmistakable even from a distance. He was about her age, maybe a bit older, with wide blue eyes and a grin so wide it almost hurt to look at. His clothes were ragged, his cheeks marked with strange whisker-like scars.

"I was just... thinking," Ivy muttered, standing up and brushing dirt off her torn dress. She tried to hide her green skin behind her red hair. She already knew how this was going to go.

"Thinking? That sounds boring!" The boy bounced on the balls of his feet, his excitement infectious. "I'm Naruto! Who are you?"

Ivy hesitated, glancing away. Should she use her real name? Or maybe something new, a fresh start?

"Ivy," she finally said. "Just Ivy."

"Cool name! Want to play with me?"

Ivy blinked. That wasn't the reaction she expected. No one had ever just… asked her to play before.

Naruto took a step closer, and his grin faltered slightly as he noticed her skin. "Whoa, you're green! That's awesome! How'd you do that?"

Her eyes widened. "You… don't think it's weird?"

"Nah, you're way cooler than the other kids!" Naruto laughed. "No one likes me either, so we can be outcasts together!"

Ivy stared at him, her chest tightening. She didn't know this boy, this Naruto, but there was something painfully familiar in his words. An outcast, just like her. But unlike her, he didn't seem bitter or angry. He was full of life, full of hope.

"Tch, idiot," she muttered, folding her arms over her chest and looking away. "Why would I want to play with someone like you?"

Naruto pouted. "Come on, don't be like that! I know a super fun place we can go. There's a big tree in the forest! You like trees, right?"

She couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah, I like trees."

Without waiting for her to respond, Naruto grabbed her hand and dragged her off toward the forest, chatting excitedly the entire time. Ivy let herself be pulled along, not bothering to argue. There was something about him—his boundless energy, his innocence—that made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time.

As they reached the forest, Ivy's connection to the plants around her stirred. She could feel the trees and the grass, their thoughts and feelings, whispering to her like old friends. She let her fingers brush against a branch, and the tree seemed to bend toward her, its leaves rustling as if in greeting.

Naruto's eyes widened in awe. "Whoa! You can talk to trees?! That's so cool!"

"Of course I can," Ivy said with a smirk. "They're my friends."

"You're really strong, huh? Maybe even stronger than me!" Naruto said, puffing out his chest in mock offense.

Ivy raised an eyebrow. "I don't doubt that."

For a moment, a warmth spread through her, one she hadn't expected to feel again. Maybe this world was different. Maybe here, she could be more than just the monster people feared.

"Fine, I'll play," she said, turning to Naruto with a small smile. "But only because I want to see if you're as strong as you say."

Naruto's face lit up, and he pumped his fist in the air. "Yes! I knew you'd come around!"

As the two ran deeper into the forest, Ivy felt a strange sense of belonging. Perhaps in this new world, where the trees spoke kindly and a hyperactive blonde boy didn't care about her green skin, she could finally find a place where she belonged.

For now, though, she was content to simply enjoy this moment—a fleeting but sweet escape from the loneliness that had once consumed her.

To be Continued... Well, I have already uploaded the next chapter at the same time, so no need to wait.