Reincarnation is no easy thing...and being a baby is two times worse.
She never thought that she would die like that. When she thought of her death, she saw herself in the battlefield with a terrible wound or committing suicide because she was captured in an infiltration mission. Seems like she was half right in both options.
Although she thought of death, she never truly thought of the aftermath of it. Now, in a dark space without being able to move, speak, hear or do anything at all, she can't help but think that this is hell. The inability to do anything doesn't leave her any other option but to think, and her head is the most dangerous place she could be at. The Shinigami truly knows how to punish her...or maybe this isn't hell and life just ends like this, leaving people's counciousness in the middle of nowhere...She wishes that's not it because that would mean she will never see Shisui nor Itachi.
After she runs out of silly things to think about, she starts going to the darkest places of her head. How could she leave all of that happen? How could she leave Itachi like that? Was really nothing else she could do? She wants to cry her heart out, but she can't and that stresses her even more. This is hell. This must be hell. I deserve it. Those thoughts fill her head like venom, so when she starts losing consciousness like if she were falling asleep, she doesn't fight it.
The next time she is awake—she doesn't think a dead person can be awake or asleep, but that's how it feels, so she will say it like that— and she starts to feel her emotions overcome her, there's a soft vibration in the...space? The distraction is well welcome because it gets her out of her mind, but it also begs the question: Is she really dead?
Although it feels like infinite hours, she is fully aware that she isn't awake a lot of the time. The times she is conscious and starts feeling depressed, there is always that soothing vibration in the space, and now sometimes she hears voices...she just hopes is not her mind playing tricks on her, that would mean she's going crazy, and here there's no Yamanaka shrink or Uchiha Shisui/Itachi to keep her sane.
It's definite, there are voices here...or outside here—whatever here is—. She can hear the muffled voices of what she believes is a man and a woman. The man sounds more energetic than the woman, but they both have a happy tone to their voices. Sometimes she hears them closer than others, but the noise never disappears, and that's something she is grateful for.
It has been some time since she started to move. It isn't anything fancy, but at least she can move her body now. Each time she touches the limit of the space, she can hear the woman's laugh. It makes her a little happy that she can provoke that in whoever distracts her from her depressive thoughts.
Among all her theories, the "I'm in hell" has long been moved to the bottom of her list. She has been recuperating her senses little by little, but she still can't see—which isn't that weird, she cut her eyes—. An analysis of the data collected until now gives her some theories:
1. She somehow survived a lethal wound and is now recuperating in the hospital. The voices are nurses.
Objection: Unless she was treated by Senju Tsunade, it is 99.9% impossible she survived. Moreover, this doesn't explain the thing that covers her body.
2. The Massacre didn't happen, she was in a genjutsu, and now she is recuperating at the hospital. The voices are nurses.
Objection: She is a specialist in genjutsu. She should've known she was in a genjutsu if that was the case.
3. She is not dead, but she is dying. All of this is a hallucination provoked by blood loss.
Objection: There's no way she has been dying for so much time...although...maybe her time perception of time is also affected...
4. She is actually dead. The voices are kind angels that distract her from her miserable reality in hell.
Objection: ...Actually, now that she thinks carefully about it, it doesn't sound that crazy. No one has ever explained how death is supposed to be, so maybe this is it. Besides, her spiritual energy is much times bigger than her physical energy, that does seems like an anomaly a dead person would have.
Anyway, she will continue collecting data until she finds a logical, reasonable answer.
That day—year, hour, minute, second?—started like any other. There was nothing everywhere, the voices were talking cheerfully, there was even some...music? The rythm wasn't something she had ever heard, but it was pleasant. Then, there was a weird push in the space, and the woman let out a scream.
The activity after that was definitely part of her top 5 most chaotic events on her life—death?—. There was a horrible sound outside, and the woman wouldn't stop screaming—maybe she was in danger?! She wanted to help her—, at some time she started to be pushed and squeezed, the noise stopped, it was uncomfortable and painful, and then she was cold, and there was something in her face? Cleaning her? Was she being carried by someone? What the hell is happening?! The frustration accumulated, and she cried her lungs out for the first time after her...death?—She is really not appreciating the answer her brain is working on—.
It feels liberating, to finally be able to cry, but that doesn't mean she stopped paying attention to the outside world...or maybe she did because just now she started noticing that...she can see! And Oh My God! She can see! She can see?! How is this possible?! She can't stop crying, her emotions are overflowing through her eyes. She is in a weird place where people are giants who are handling her like if she was a doll—she doesn't blame them, if she is really that small to them, then is probably for the best—, she can't move correctly nor speak, and now the relief of being able to cry is passing to the frustration of not being able to stop.
She is scared.
"Shhh. It's all right. It's all right. You are okay sweetheart. You're finally with papa and mama, so you will be alright" that's the calming, sweet voice of the male. She is passed from a person to another, and then she is on the arms of a woman? She can't see very well, but her doubt is solved when the silhouette speaks with the voice of the woman she heard since she died until now. "Papa is right. You are safe here, Chieko-chan. We are here"
Her voice has that extra calming effect she is accustomed to by now, and it quickly makes her stop crying.
It's a good thing the angels are here, they have always been really kind, and...
...
...
...
Wait what?! Papa and mama?! But that would...that would mean she is...that would mean that she is...a baby...?
She is a baby?! She is a fucking baby! Oh, for the love of God! How is this even fucking possible?!
She would have continued with her angry rambling if it wasn't because the desire to sleep started calling her.
Because, of fucking course, a baby needs to sleep a lot.
Reincarnation wasn't even in her list.
How is this even possible?
Does everyone ends like this? But that is impossible, if that was the case then she would have remembered a life before Konoha. Or maybe that was her first life? But it would have been impossible for everyone in Konoha to have that as their first lifes... It could also be possible that everyone has past lifes, but they simply forget after some time...No. She won't, she won't forget. She can't forget.
...
Maybe her soul got somehow lost in the way to the afterlife, and then got stuck in this body...would that mean she stole this body? Or that she had somehow killed the rightful baby of this sweet couple?! This is insane!
She was in the middle of an existential crisis when the man—her father? This is insane, insane!—approached the crib and looked at her.
He seemed to be analyzing her, in any other situation she would have been on her guard, but First, she is a baby, there's no way she could ever defend herself if he decided to attack her, and Second, he looks at her with so much love that if she really thought he could harm her she would be crazy—besides, she has been watching them since before birth, if they were talking in code she would have at least noticed something wrong. They also don't walk like soldiers, and yes, this is a different place so maybe soldiers are also different, but they don't even have those haunted eyes that accompany a shinobi...they could be really good actors, but no one can act so perfectly 24/7, and then again, why would they be so cautious of their own baby? She may look more intelligent than other babies, but that doesn't mean anything...Or maybe they are being watched and they need to act like good parents and they are actually...nope, no, I'm not going there—. The point is that she has been paying attention—ninja paranoia level of attention—, and they seem like good people.
The last two months—does time is even measured the same way here?—had been pretty hectic. In the few hours that she had been on the hospital it became obvious that this place was completely different from Konoha, she doesn't even thing this is in the Elemental Nations—she started crying when she realized it, although that could be a good thing—, which only added up to her constant stress. After her initial shock, she tied her emotions tighly, and focused herself on living a baby's day-to-day life. She was completely dependent of her new parents, they did everything for her, and although they seemed to do it cheerfully, she couldn't shake the shame of some experiences—breastfeeding and diapers change were terrible, bordering on traumatic—. At first she tried to be a normal baby and cry each time she needed something, but somehow her father noticed when she was filled with embarrassment and went to help her before she was forced to cry for their attention.
That man is a blessing. She thinks she can see him as her father with time, he is a good man and an excellent father. She had parents in Konoha, but they died during the Third Shinobi World War, so she didn't have much time to get to know them.
...
Anyway—why the hell is she remembering those things?!—, her new mother is also great. The woman sings really good, and her voice always soothes her soul, it's almost like a kekkei genkai. She could also accustome herself to honestly call her mother.
Both of them are committed parents. There's always one of them on the room—whoever is on the room is either watching her or reading—, and they always go to see her together at night. They talk, sing and read to her, and always know when she is sad, which is weird because she is a spy, and even in a completely different body she should be able to hide her emotions perfectly, but it doesn't bother her as much as it should.
The man hums on thought, takes her on his arms, and begins to lull her to sleep. Being so close to him, she notices the dark circles under his bright honey eyes, and the worry lines on his soft brown skin. She wants to help him with whatever is making him worry, but she knows that is probably the stress of being a father.
"Everything alright, Hiro?" mother's voice, although low, is enough to send away the little sleep that had make it's way to her.
"She was sad and confused again...", those words make her freeze because what the fuck?! She is pretty sure that to know what she feels so accurately isn't normal nor possible—she had been instinctively suppressing her chakra, so unless he was an above average sensor, he shouldn't be able to tell her emotions because of her chakra...but then again, this was a different world, maybe he has a different way of reading chakra?—. "...and now she is all surprised, curious and frustrated"
"Do you think she already understands us?" her mother comes closer to them and looks at her with big dark blue curious eyes.
"I'm sure she does. I just don't know how...or why is she always so sad..." the last words come in a whisper. She feels guilt, if he is really able to know what she feels, then is obvious why he is so worried. Just like any other ninja, she is broken, and after what happened at the end of her life, she will probably never get better. "Hey, hey, it's all right Chieko-chan...our work is to worry about you..." he finishes his words with a kiss on her forehead, and leaves her on the crib, where her mother caresses her head.
The couple watches her with loving eyes, and then turn off the bedroom's light and go.
She would really like to be their daughter.