The Meeting
A couple weeks pass and Sakura hasn't heard anything from either of her parents about joining the Academy yet. Occasionally, she would briefly hear them talking about it as she would come dow the stairs but they would quickly stop talking once they noticed she was listening in. Fall was coming, and after winter spring would soon follow it, it would be March and her sixth birthday, the age when most kids would join the Academy.
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One day in summer, Sakura's mother took her out to go shopping. Mebuki was carrying Sakura on her hip as they walked through the streets with a small bag of groceries in Mebuki's free hand. Sakura looked up as a ninja had jumped from one rooftop to another. Mebuki looked up to see what Sakura was looking at and another ninja was jumping across and following the first. Both ninjas had this fancy armor on with animal ninja masks, the first had silvery spiky hair and the second had straight black hair tied in a low ponytail. Sakura giggled in delight and awe as she watched the two ninja disappear among the rooftops.
"Mom, can I please join the Academy? Please?" Sakura begged her mom, Mebuki responded with nervous huckle at the girl's antics.
"I don't know Sakura, becoming a ninja is a lot of hard work, and it's very dangerous, I don't want you getting hurt." Mebuki replied sincerely.
"I promise I'll work hard for it! Ever single day I'll train! I know it's dangerous, and I could get hurt, just yesterday I got a cut and it hurt, but I'm willing to get a lot more injuries if it mean I can be a ninja!" Sakura say determined with a childish huff. Mebuki gave a exasperated yet fond sigh. I had come to realize sometimes my past personality and thoughts would bleed through to Sakura's, I was a little concerned I would stop her from being herself, or if she would develop some of my past bad habits.
"Sometimes you act so...different for your age." Her mom responds with a fond yet almost sad look. Sakura beams up at her with a smile and her mother sighs fondly again. That ight Sakura heard her parents talking, it was about whether or not she would attend the Academy, apparently the comment she made earlier was brought up in conversation it seemed.
It would be so cool to be a ninja, from what I've seen they use chakra to have these sort of super powers. But...at the same time it would be awfully dangerous, the kid could get seriously hurt, I wouldn't want that for her...but I suppose it's not really my life anymore. I think inside her mind. I was worried about Sakura, really, but at the same time a part of me never wanted this boring 9-5 job I got in engineering, a part of me craved for the adventure and thrill that I missed out on as Layla.
"Who's there?" Sakura's voice asked afraid from her bed, my attention is drawn back to the outside world. Who is she talking to? I wonder.
"You, I'm talking to you, who else? What do you want?" She asks, pulling her blanket closer to herself. Wait, there is no way she's talking to me, this is impossible. I think incredulous, there's no way we can communicate after all this time of one sided conversations...
"Of course I'm talking to you, why would you think it's impossible?" She asks quietly, I could tell her voice was quivering a little. A bit of shame crept into me, I didn't want to scare her for merely existing in her mind but I couldn't help it. If you're really talking to me, my name is Layla, I'm not going to hurt you. I think, trying to mentally send it to her, wondering if she could hear it.
"Layla? That's...a strange name, how do I know you won't hurt me." Internally I whooped for joy, she could really hear me! Okay, I'm not going to hurt you and I'm going to say something really strange but you can't freak out, okay? I ask her, trying to control myself, but talking to myself endlessly for hours wasn't exactly entertaining, let alone healthy.
"What is it?" She asks in a unsure voice. Okay, I promise I won't hurt you, I doubt I even can, but I'm a soul that has...sort of been inhabiting the back of your mind. I died when I was 26 and I was an engineer in my past life, my name was Layla Perry, I mean no harm and I just want to help. I answer sincerely, on the outside Sakura goes quiet, I can tell she was processing the whole thing, and to be fair it was quite a dump of info onto her.
"Are you the one who was doing that stuff to my chakra?" She asked quietly, a pang of guilt hit me at the thought, I didn't mean to bring her trouble. Yes, I was, it might of been from your great uncle as well, that might be why you have a slightly bigger chakra system, but it was me moving it around. I didn't meant to cause you any problems. I respond quietly to her.
"Okay, do you know why you're in my mind? Because I can tell you aren't outside of it, it's like I'm thinking to myself but at the same time it feels a little different." She say quietly. That's intereting, and to answer your question, no, I don't know why I'm here, I wasn't exactly the an important person in my last life. I reply to her.
"Alright, I think you're being honest. If you know about my great uncle how long have you been in my head?" She asks, she was now sitting up in her bed. About around since you were born, I've always been right here, and...I'm sorry for fooling around with your chakra, I was getting so bored in here and it seemed to be the only thing I could do, I never meant to mess anything up for you. I answer her, I was surprised by how well she was taking it.
"Since I was born? Can you...see through my eyes?" Sakura hesitantly askes me, she glances out her window and to the Hokage Monument. Yeah, I can see the Hokage Monument, those four faces, and just about everything for the last couple of years.
"Everything?" She squeaks out surprised. Yes, everything and don't worry, I was a girl too, in fact I use to look after my own baby cousins, don't worry, if it helps you can kinda think of me as an aunt or something. I respond to her, at the memory of my cousins my mood dampens a little, I missed them all so much now.
"Oh, okay." Sakura responds slowly, she was still looking out her window. Even if I could somehow hurt you, I wouldn't I don't like hurting people. How about this? Since I'm able to talk to you now, and if you're willing, I could help you. I use to be an engineer, I know math beyond your level, and some other miscellaneous knowledge, I could help you out. I use to go camping in the woods with my family, I know a few things, my parents taught me how to cook, I know a few good meals, I can help you out Sakura. I say earnestly to her, I wanted to help to be of use, to do something for the first time in years.
"Alright, you can help me out, Layla was it, right?" She asks hesitantly. Yeah...my name was Layla, Layla Perry, that's who I use to be before I died. I say to her quietly. "Okay Layla, you can help me." She says quietly as she lays back down on her bed and stares at the ceiling. "But I'm in charge here, okay?" She says in a childishly stubborn voice. Inwardly I chuckle. Alright, Sakura, your life, your choice, I can't control you anyways, nor do I want to. I answer her.
"Good." She says seriously. "We'll start stuff tomorrow." She says. Alright, sounds like a plan. I answer her. Since that seemed almost like a goodnight of sorts I went quiet so she could go to sleep. Sakura stayed awake, staring at the ceiling. I could tell she was still wide awake, trying to process the whole thing. After a while I eventually said, Hey Sakura, its getting very late, I know it'll be hard but you should probably try to get some sleep. I suggest to her. She jumps a little at my voice but hums in agreement and turns on her side in the bed. She closes her eyes and I murmur a goodnight,she sleepily murmurs one back.