Chapter PROLOGUE:

"I like potatoes." -English

"I like potatoes." -Japanese

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life.

A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."

–Mark Twain

I admit that I was never prepared to die. I was one of those shy and quiet kids who sat at the back of the class and read books all the time. I even memorized all the quotes that I thought had an especially deep meaning.

I got average grades, average parents, an average siblings and average friends. To be honest, I'm kinda glad that I actually had friends. I loved reading books, whether they were classics, nonfiction, light novels, or manga. All in all, pretty normal in comparison to the rest of the world.

But, is dying as a 17 year old normal? I mean, hundreds of thousands of teenagers die around the world, right? So is dying strange? It happens every day, doesn't it? So why aren't humans used to it by now?

Eh, who knows, really? There's only so much a human can comprehend. Calculus, physics, biology, and technology are examples of what a human can understand, given enough time. But death and its epilogue? Not so much.

My understanding of death is limited as well, despite having died. But does reincarnation count as having died?

- (^o^) (^o^) (^o^) (^o^) -

Today I wake up at 6:00 AM, like every other day. But today is a special day.

Today, I will graduate from high school, and move on to college, to the lifestyle of one who is no longer a teenager, and to the future of a writer or an artist. Oh, finally, freedom!

I lifted my arms to the ceiling, groaning slightly as I stretched. My arm smacked into the pile of Naruto volumes that was piled on my dresser, knocking the books and a translucent piece of paper that I found in a Happy Meal onto the ground. One of the books fell open to the battle between Jiraiya and Pain... Jiraiya's death really made me tear up, even if he wasn't one of my favorite characters.

I picked up the books, one by one, and stacked them back up on the dresser. The paper, which I had discovered was made of some weird type of plastic, had some sort of tiny blue writing on it. Really, really tiny writing. So tiny that I couldn't even read it even when I placed it an inch away from my face and squinted. I placed it next to the stack of books that once again towered and wobble ominously.

I entered the bathroom and stared at the mirror at myself. I had dark brown hair that was messy and fell into my brown eyes. My skin was on the paler side, with freckles and acne scars splashed here and there on my face. Overall, a pretty plain guy. I splashed water onto my face and brushed my teeth lethargically. I quickly pulled my clothes on, and hurried down the wooden stairs.

My mother greeted me with a smile lined by the many wrinkles my sister and I have caused her, and her dark brown eyes (that are my most attractive feature, if I do say so myself) that match her creamy brown hair. My sister, Natalya, on the other hand, glared at me and flipped the bird with the grace of a rampaging hippopotamus. The glare faded in seconds, and her face relaxed into the slightly-grumpy mask she typically donned.

Natalya tried to give me a smile. I appreciated her effort, but… her smile, in all honesty, was one of the most terrifying things in the world. Natalya was quite pretty with her shining black hair and amber eyes combined with her pale, freckled face, but she needed more practice with smiling. Way more. At least one hundred years more. I smiled weakly in response, and took a seat at the breakfast table, and stared down at my bacon topped with pancakes. Mmmm, eau de American. I adore it.

"Today's your graduation, isn't it?" my mother chirped happily. I managed a small nod, slightly uncomfortable with the attention she was giving me. Her good mood faltered slightly at my discomfort, and I felt a stab of guilt run through me. Who was I to make her sad, if only a little? I had no right, none.

I dug into the hearty meal quickly, and got up when I finished. "I'm, um, going on a walk… Dante said that he wanted to chat in the park." Mom waved me off with a "Don't be late for your graduation!" while Natalya simply grunted. Like a bull. "An adorable bull with chubby cheeks," I muttered quietly.

Eh, did I say that out loud? I could imagine a dark aura drift off of Natalya's body as she slowly got out of her chair.

Shit.

-~~~~~~~ me re do re me ~- interlude music -~~~

"Bye, Mom, Natalya." An angry bruise threatened to form over my eye as I left the house. I could hear Mom yelling at Natalya even from outside.

I sighed heavily as I crossed the street and stepped back onto the sidewalk. The park was just around the corner, and I slumped onto a bench next to a garbage can that was… making noise? I rose from the bench, approaching it slowly, and I peeked into the trash receptacle. Nothing. A shuffling noise came from the bush, and I turned towards the rustling hedge.

A raccoon pushed his (her?) head out, and stumbled out, wobbling dangerously. It snapped several times at the air, and jumped out of the bushes.

My hesitation and fear rose to my face, and I backed away, right into the trashcan. I fell over, a high-pitched scream breaking out of my throat, as I scrabbled to get on my feet. I got on my feet and ran away a few meters, and then I tripped in a fairly deep puddle.

The sky flipped before my eyes, and the back of my cranium smashed into a slightly submerged rock that was conveniently located where I fell. Stars exploded before my eyes, and I felt my head slide off the rock and into the puddle. I lied there, stunned, with my vision flickering to black. The last thing I saw was that damn raccoon in the corner of my eye and a butterfly landing on my hand, before everything faded to white.

You know, Oscar Wilde said that "Death must be so beautiful. To lie in the soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace."

Well, Dante never showed up at the park, and I was rushed to the hospital two hours after I drowned because I was face-down in the puddle. A dark and dirty puddle was where I died. It was a bit… pathetic, to say the least.

Not peaceful.

No, not at all. I'll be a fucking vengeful spirit at this rate. Fuck you, Oscar Wilde.

I was in a pure white room in a white chair with a white chair across from a (guess what color it is, that's right, white) table. How did I appear here, you ask? It was right after everything faded to white. It's rather hard to describe, really. It was like closing your eyes to go to sleep, but opening them suddenly to find yourself completely new. Something surreal, unreal.

My eyes traveled across the room, and focused on an androgynous figure that –WHOA WHEN DID SHE, HE, SHE? GET HERE?! I squeaked in shock, but quickly smothered up the sound when her, his, her(?) translucent eyes focused on me. His stare felt like hours, days, months, years, and I felt relief when she opened her, his, mouth to speak.

"As mentioned on the flier that you were given. You have won the lottery. For a free existence. In your choice of world. Congratulations."

…

…

…

… Eh?

- beep boop beep boop rebooting -

My confusion must have shown on my face, because she repeated her earlier statement.

"W-will, will you explain what, er, this is about?" I choked out, slightly overwhelmed with what she was saying.

Once again, her eyes met mine, her cold translucent eyes meeting my frightened brown eyes. "You have been given a free space. To a world of your choice. Choose quickly. Or it shall be revoked. And given to someone else. And you will be randomly reincarnated in a world. Not of your choice. Now choose. Death's Agents do not have infinite time."

D-Death?! My brain stuttered to a halt. Agents?!

"Choose."

I realized the situation, and I frantically scrabbled around for something, anything. "N…. Naruto! I ch-choose the world of Naruto!" Shoot, why did I say that? Why didn't I say something nice and happy like, I dunno, like K-ON or Doraemon?! "W-wait, can I change my answer?"

The Death's Agent turned its head to the side, and snorted in derision. "No. You will be given. A body and environment chosen by the Executive. Your existence will alter. The substance of this world. You are the embodiment. Of the Butterfly Effect."

It turned back to me. "All necessary information has been distributed. Commencing incarnation…"

"Wait, I don't want to be sent to the world of Naruto!" I cried out desperately, as a blindingly white light engulfed me, and everything faded around me.

- ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ waaaaaah -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My awakening this time was slow.

I blinked a dark haze from my eyes, and blinked at the blurriness around me. Where was I? I tried to roll over, but it felt as though I was trapped in a cocoon.

I heard splashing noises, like the rushing of water. The sun shone straight into my eyes, making me wince in pain. When some of the blurriness faded, I could see the brownish green of some sort of moving ground.

Wait a minute.

A dreadful realization suddenly washed over me, and my lips began to tremble in shock.

I was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, because I was a baby.

I am in a basket that is floating on the river.

ON THE RIVER, WHERE A BASKET CAN EASILY OVERTURN, AND MAKE ME DROWN.

AGAIN.

I lost my cool (not like I had one in the first place) completely, and began bawling and screaming my head off.

In the midst of my tantrum, I heard the voices of several people who sounded like they got closer and closer. And then... I was being fished back to shore? My cries slowly faded to sniffles as I tried to see who had saved me from dying again. But, everything was just a blur. All I could hear was gibberish.

"It's a baby! Floating on the river!"

"What was it doing there?"

"Abandoned by his parents, no doubt. Poor thing..."

"Well, if that's the case, then we can take the infant in, hey?"

My eyelids drooped slowly as the people scooped me from the basket, and a woman cradled me in her arms. It seemed that crying had me more tired than I thought... It was kind of embarrassing, really being held like this. It made me feel so... exposed.

My eyes shut completely, and I fell into a dreamless sleep.

Beep, hello, this is rinringringo. My name is Rin.

This is my first fanfiction. Haha, it's a bit frightening posting something online for others to judge. Very scary.

I will try to make Mr. Main Character someone OP.

Edit: Whoops, it's I'll try NOT to make Mr. Main Character someone OP. Haha.

Words: 1953

Status: Unbeta-ed.