A/N: This was written in the spring of 2014. It's just been sitting around collecting dust, pretty much. This story is a collab effort between me (jiemae) and my sister, SassySizzleMonster. It's kind of experiencing a resurgence alongside our other work, Rumble Tumble, Double Trouble (also posted on this account). This first chapter is the experience of Inori Yamanaka, future big sister to Ino Yamanaka with little to no clue about the main series. The next chapter will be the experience of Anzu Haruno, future big brother to Sakura and fanboy of the Naruto series. They were both previously best friends. This story is intended to not be a serious take on the Self Insert tag, it's for fun and entirely for the sake of entertainment. Who even knows if this story will see more added onto it? Have you seen my list of on-going stories?

Anyway, read on and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter One

Inori

I gurgled.

That's right, I didn't speak, cry, yawn, or sigh. Nope, I gurgled. And you want to know why that is an unacceptable act? Because only babies gurgle, and I am not a baby. No, I am a twenty-four year old woman, who has led a successful career as a singer, living single and free and happy. I didn't ever feel the need to gurgle, not even when subsequently shit-faced after some of the more awful after parties. But then, I didn't even know where I was.

One second I was yelling at my best pal and then the next...

Well, the next I was doing nonsense baby actions.

"Inori-chan! Welcome to the world!" I heard a fresh and young voice say to me and I spat up in reply, my saliva gathering up in my mouth as I tried to speak. Who in the world was Inori? I've never met anyone with the name, not to mention the fact that these people were speaking in a stranger dialect than I was used to. But that wasn't the strangest part of it—I was in America, and they should be speaking in English.

I didn't know what to think. I mean, they weren't talking to me, that much was evident to me. Regardless of my current position in struggling to both see and speak, they couldn't have been referring to me and thus, no, it did not mean my nurses were speaking Japanese and expecting everyone to understand them.

But it did calm me down a little, despite the outward panic at waking up with a very obvious problem. There was something special in knowing that someone around me spoke what was my maiden tongue. It meant I wouldn't have to worry about not knowing enough English to explain my situation—if I actually could speak still.

I attempted to talk again but worrying still was the same sound of a high pitched garbled out noise leaving my mouth. It was almost as if I was back to square one, an adult trapped in the body of a baby...

"She's so cute, ah! She looked at me," someone cooed, their voice coming from somewhere above me. Gosh these voices were loud, blaring like a speaker or megaphone right into my ears. I moved my head back, it being surprisingly heavy to move and gurgled again in complaint. How odd, how confusing.

I didn't want to start panicking but now actually seemed to be a decent time as I struggled not to connect their words to...well, me.

"Inori-chi, look at me! I'm your aunt!" I swung my head in the direction of the annoying voice, just for the sake of testing the relation—only to be hit with a brutally gleeful laugh, "Oh gosh, she's such a pretty girl!"

By now—I mean you would have to be stupid not to notice—I saw that they were addressing me. But I didn't get why. Even odder was the fact that I couldn't talk. Fuck and I was trying too. Worse than that though, I couldn't even see clearly. Which wasn't surprising as I had been near blind without my glasses but I usually wore contacts nowadays so by default, I should be able to see.

I mean, I just got into a car crash but I didn't lose my contacts. I hope I didn't, that is. I was touring and that would mean that I needed to see if I were function as I should. But even as I blinked rapidly, the panic rising up, I never felt or saw my vision clear up. My sight was blurred and that meant I wasn't in top shape.

How bad was the damage anyway? I didn't feel much different in terms of physical pain. But then again, I couldn't really think. My thoughts were rather confusing, one moment I would feel like the adult I was and then the next, I was responding childishly to the monsters before me.

I didn't get any of this. I was usually a rational, calm person. So why was I thinking that I was—no joke—in a baby's body and these people were my new family? That couldn't be, as reincarnation was a bunch of baloney and being a baby? Absurd. I would hardly be conscious of my past life if reincarnation did indeed exist.

And besides, this 'Inori' they were talking about, even if they seemed to address me, must be somewhere close by. I shouldn't get too confused.

But even as I denied everything in my head, it didn't hide the fact that not a moment later, I was lifted up into the air, my stomach dropping as the wind whipped harshly at my face. My blurry world tilted before I smacked heavily into a pair of bulky arms. Someone had just thrown me and caught me like a goddamn football. Uh, what the—what the fuck?

There was a laugh, deep and husky, and then the sound of someone getting smacked.

"Inoichi, our baby girl isn't a toy to be thrown about."

A sheepish laugh resounded as my body was settled against the warmth of another human being. It was the only familiar sensation. But it was odd somehow. I was being cradled into the warmth, as if I were small or in the hands of giants. Even as I began to feel rather strange, my heart beating stupidly fast from the sudden fear that engulfed me, I restrained the urge to cry. I hated crying, it was an ugly thing to do. You get all sticky and your eyes get heavy. I was done with heavy eyes.

I wondered when these giants would be done with my body and when they would realize that I was not Inori. My name is... My name is Suki Arikawa.

Don't forget.

Love Life

"She's so quiet, we didn't even hear a peep from her on the way home."

"I don't think it's anything to be alarmed about!" the monster who had tossed me in the air cheerfully said, "In fact, I think we should be grateful for the fact that she won't keep us up."

God, this was not good for my head. I mean, this was all so ridiculous but even now, I was so tempted to believe that this was true. If so, where was I exactly? Why was in Japan and not America? What did it mean that I could still recall completely the life I had been living before? In all honesty, I didn't want to start all over. I didn't want to be a kid again, I had built up too much momentum with my music—enough to tour overseas! I couldn't even properly believe that all of that was over, that I was reborn and now a completely different person. Which made me wonder, just maybe, am I dreaming all of this? Perhaps this is all a figment of my imagination while I rested in a coma.

If so, I would like to wake up soon. Like right now.

Oh God, if you're there, listening, I don't think I could hang on much longer here!

Especially not with an idiot couple that was apparently my new set of parents.

"She's kind of cute, ya know? I think she takes after you the most, with that fair skin of hers. She'll be rather popular with the boys."

The man gave a grumbled oath before the woman replied by murmuring quietly, "Oh dear, hopefully she won't look too much like me. Brown hair and eyes is awfully dull for someone of the Yamanaka's prestige."

"Hisae, you must know already that you're the prettiest woman in the village. I would be ecstatic to have a daughter who looked like you."

"Oh, Inoichi, you always know the right words to say," A slight pause, one filled with warmth. "How could I have been so lucky to have you?"

"Oh, but it's the opposite, my dear sweet Hisae," the male said. His name is Inoichi? And he's a Yamanaka? Oh lord, this dream just got even more bizarre. Why would someone fictional be my father? Perhaps he's just someone with the same name or maybe I have hidden fantasies of something like this? It wouldn't be surprising, my own father wasn't what you'd call "warm".

"Oh dear, not here," the woman said, and after the sounds of some shuffling, a deep sigh resounded.

"I guess it can wait till you fully recover," another long dragged out sigh, "Hurry up, okay?"

A soft, gentle laugh, "You're rather immature, Yamanaka-sama."

"Oh, is that how it is, Kageyama-sama."

"Ah, yes, it is."

There was a small growl, from Inoichi, "That's where you're wrong. You are no longer the daughter of a great lord, you are the wife of a super cool shinobi, the head of the Yamanaka clan!"

"I see, that may be the truth of the matter," Hisae's voice went softer than before, "I am yours forever, darling."

"And I am yours, eternally."

This exchange, seemingly normal for the two, hurt my head. As I thought, love is disgusting.

Love Life

"Good morning, my dear sweet Inori-chan!" Hisae's voice resounded in the air as I opened my eyes up. So the dream had not ended...?

"You're such an odd child, you know that? You never even moved in your sleep. That kind of stillness is rather terrifying to see in the child of a shinobi."

I continued to look at her, my eyesight still clouded but her figure was clear to see. She was slim, by the looks of it, and wore something dark but that was all I could really gather. I wondered if she was as pretty as Inoichi had boasted about.

No matter, it shouldn't concern me. But what should concern me is what she had just said. The child of a shinobi? Had my coma really put me in a fictional land? It wasn't enough to be the daughter of someone fake, now I had to be born into this world that was the center of a manga my good friend had been so deeply involved in? Is my subconscious stupid?

"Are you hungry, Inori?" Hisae went on with, unaware of my current dilemma. Suddenly, as I tried to ignore her, I was lifted up from the bed that I had slept on during the night. In her arms, I was carried to a corner, as she sat down on a rocking chair. For a brief moment, she rocked us, and then stopped as she began making motions that my current vision couldn't understand. Soon, my face, or rather my mouth was pressed up against something soft.

I froze, now knowing exactly what I was faced with. Hisae's breast.

Strangely enough, I was oh-so very tempted to actually take her nipple into my mouth. Yet I couldn't. That would be... that would be gross.

We were like that for several minutes before she sighed and murmured, "Am I not good enough for you too?"

And like that, my mouth had taken in her flesh and I was sucking as if my life depended on it. Well, I guess it did. Or didn't? Can you die in a dream?

"Oh wow, Inori-chan, slow down," Hisae gave a light chuckle.

All I will say more on this subject is that my new "mother" had some strangely delectable milk. Hey, I was techinically a baby and there was no shame in admitting the truth. As long as it was only to myself.

As long as it was only to myself.

Love Life

Two months had passed, and I finally found that I could see better. I couldn't focus much yet, but when my mother would lean in within eight inches, I was able to see her face in actual detail. Inoichi hadn't lied. She was beautiful, with her warm brown eyes that held tints of gold.

I kind of wish that, even if this were a dream, I got those eyes.

It was great though. No more fuzz or difficulty seeing things as they were. Who knew babies had to learn to see?

But never mind that, I was just abuzz with happiness at the prospect of gaining a tad bit better skills, making me feel somewhat independent in a sense. I couldn't wait until I was potty trained, that's for damn sure.

Those two months had been spent in the warm arms of my mother, Hisae. Inoichi proved to be much too busy to hang around long but I did see him daily, if only for a few brief minutes. When he came, he always tried to do the impossible and make me laugh. I have to give credit where it's due and, honestly? For someone who didn't look like it, he could be pretty goofy when he wanted to be. At the very least I gurgled at him in show of my appreciation as things can be rather boring in the body of a baby.

Which makes it all a pretty weird dream. Most dreams aren't so detailed and vivid in the sense that I'm quite literally living day to day in it. But I had never been in a coma before so what the heck did I know?

Regardless, over the time spent in this dream, I didn't express much emotion, and the most I had ever managed to give was a small smile or buzz of noises that was rarely ever caught when it meant something. I should indulge them, right? But that was a hard thing to do. I had enough of a hard time trying to convey my emotions in the real world. I didn't need to entertain them uselessly. If they didn't exist, they weren't likely to have emotions I could hurt, right? So I never really tried to indulge their delusions.

But, almost as if they were real, it was something that concerned them, and made them worry. Which was kind of sad in a way. My own parents were too busy ignoring me to care and maybe this was my brain's way of giving me something I never had before... So maybe, it was going to be alright to remain inside of a dream for a while. It's not like I wanted to rush into the sort of recovery that would take place for an injury that had done this to me in the first place.

Kind of a funny thing out of all of this, I often overheard hushed conversations between my and visitors. Always, after someone visited me, Hisae would lead them out and then they'd speak their mind regardless of whether they were asked.

"She's not...stupid, is she?" Some would ask.

"Hisae, you've got a prodigy on your hands!" Others would say.

Intelligence may indeed be in the eyes of the beholder.

In the end, my mother would usually reply with a stiff voice as she would say, "She's just a bit shy, that's all."

Which was another, more incorrect way, of describing my inability to socialize and the circumstantial selectively social person I can become and remained steadfast as. This was something very, very unlikely to change.

People are scary and hard to talk to,y'know?

Love Life

"There you are," Inoichi's voice called out and I turned, gaze dark.

Another month had passed since my vision had cleared, meaning I was but three months old in this dream—which basically equated into three months that had been spent questioning the logistics of life. No answers were given and ultimately, it was around this point in time where I was working on getting over my concerns and just relaxing.

In the end, it was a good, kind dream—but sometimes it was weird.

My father, his likeness to the character from that manga still startling, lifted me up from my place on the floor. My mother was asleep, having fallen asleep sometime during the day as I played with the wooden blocks (or looked at them really, as I couldn't even crawl yet, much less hold things—this didn't at all stop me from trying though). Not exactly entertaining but it was better than nothing.

"Want to take a bath with daddy?" Inoichi asked and I froze, unsure of what to do.

He wasn't serious, was he? He couldn't be.

Children my age should only be bathed in small water basins so I couldn't drown. Inoichi took my silence as approval, as he always did, and began making motions for us to leave the room. Ugh, if only Hisae would wake up and save me from this murderer.

But she didn't, and soon I found myself in a room filled with men and my father talking over people as he spoke with two rather familiar faces. Now if this was my dream's idea of a job, it wasn't doing a very good job of it.

"I could only smuggle her out now. Sorry you guys haven't been able to see her," Inoichi said and a man with a spiked ponytail laughed, eyes crinkling.

"Is the mama bear that disapproving of us? It's been this long and we're barely meeting the kid now."

"Eh, she just doesn't trust anyone with Inori. She's scary," he faked a shiver as he turned back to me, blue eyes wide, "Isn't that right, Inori-chan?"

Flippantly, I nodded, a jerking motion that could hardly be considered one, and the others laughed. I stared at them unfailingly, no humor in my eyes. It was kind of true of Hisae, as whenever Inoichi even so much as attempts to throw me up in the air, she'd lash out, her fist leaving multiple welts on his forehead. I couldn't imagine what she'd be like when she found out about this little trip Inoichi had taken me on...

God, I could see things I had never even seen in my real life before.

Look away, look away!

"Can we hold her?" The one with the spiked hair said, arms open for me. Inoichi nodded, and handed me over. Immediately, I smelled cigarette smoke. Now I knew who this was; Asuma Nara. It was like my friend said, right? There was a guy who smoked around the team with Shikamaru...I think? And the fat one must be Chouza Akimichi. Lovely.

"Kind of sad that she won't have any buddies for a while. Is the Ino-Shika-Cho a bust?" Chouza said, gazing at me with wonder and a hint of remorse, "Sorry I can't find a wife."

"Hey, man, it's okay. Hisae and I probably should've used protection anyway," a pause, as I was looked at thoughtfully, "Besides, Shikaku is still only dating his girl."

Shikaku snorted, "That'll change soon."

"Yeah, when you get around to it in a year. I can't believe she can stand you."

"Hey! Hisae's got it pretty rough too, with you as her husband."

"You mean pretty great," Inoichi corrected the Nara easily as I was bounced in his towel covered lap.

"How many times have you tried to throw Inori? The times you've left her without watch? Handed her a kunai to see what she'd do with it? Carry her upside down?"

Inoichi gave a guilty chuckle, "I guess you actually have a point."

"Hah, to think you torture guys for a living," Chouza bit out in a hearty laugh.

"Moving on, when Chouza finds a girl and Shikaku grows a pair, we'll do the planning to secure the Ino-Shika-Cho trio."

"What plans do you have for Inori then?" Shikaku asked and I brightened. Obviously I would live an easy life taking care of the flower shop my mother and I spent so much time at. I mean, this is a dream and dreams don't force you to become and ninja and kill, right?

"She's going to be the heir, obviously. My second born will just have to deal with that."

My stomach dropped. No way, no way was I cut out for that. It's final. My subconscious was an absolute moron.

Love Life

It was another month, perhaps two when I saw those two again.

The day was my father's birthday, a rather big deal apparently. He was turning twenty-four and not only that, his position as the head of the clan had been finalized now that he had me, a solid heir to his title. The house had all been decorated rather beautifully, with paper-lanterns that glowed orange in the night, as well as flower arrangements from my mother's shop setting a lovely mood for the night.

It was all rather elegant, how everything looked.

"So, Inori, do you like what you see?" Hisae asked as she looked down at me, her brown eyes sparkling brightly. I think Inoichi's words had been true. While her features may have been relatively plain, her personality shone through, making her look almost angelic. Those amber brown eyes were practically to die for though, almost looking a little bit gold in the lighting.

I nodded my head. It wasn't an easy task, being as I was about five months old and couldn't even crawl yet. I ended up slouching, my head too heavy to lift back up without exhausting myself.

"Oh my," Hisae murmured, picking me up as she corrected my balance, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you understood me perfectly and were answering me. But I suppose you're just sleepy."

Which wasn't exactly untrue.

It was then Inoichi came in, his smile radiantly shining as he took in the scene before him, "God, I am one lucky man to get such a great family."

"This year has been quite good one, hasn't it?" Hisae mused and I began to rest my head on her shoulder, my drowsiness taking hold. I had been awake for about five hours and that was something of a struggle to do.

"Aww, look at her, perfectly content in your arms. Wish she'd be like that with me."

Hisae laughed at my father's words, the sound flitting softly into my ears, "Well for that to happen, you must gain her trust."

Inoichi growled loosely, shaking his head, "I am nothing but trustful!"

"Yes, yes," Hisae gently soothed as she walked closer to my Dad to give him a kiss, "Happy birthday."

That was only the beginning though.

Love Life

Three hours later, once all of the guests had arrived, I felt as if my cheeks were about to fall off by the sheer amount of pinches they were getting. Admittedly, this only added to my grumpy, sour mood, regardless of the fact that I was usually in this state of mood after a nap. Again, I don't like having my cheeks squeezed to death. To add to it, I was fairly certain Hisae was just as uncomfortable.

Being that she grew up away from shinobi and their after-formality ruckus, she didn't know what to think when a shinobi came up and asked if she would like a glass of sake and if they could hold me. Hisae, I learned from her discussion with the fool, had never had a glass before and she'd rather it stay that way. The shinobi promptly replied with the question of if I wanted any. She didn't bother to answer, just walked away, pretending as if Inoichi had called for her.

He hadn't, he was much too busy with his friends and creating almost as much havoc as that idiot-shinobi.

To say Hisae was beyond upset, was an understatement. But it was more than that. She looked absolutely frazzled, with her cheeks flaming brightly and her body exuding a strange heat that normally wasn't there.

It was as if me and my mother were the only sane ones there. The elders had left, and the rest of the older generation had also gone, leaving the younger generation to celebrate and create noise. If I could talk, I would tell Hisae to take me and leave, but I knew she couldn't. As the wife of the clan leader, she'd have to stay.

So that's what we did. Hisae took us to a corner, a place for us to stay out of the way, as she pulled out her bag of toys. Most of them were things from her own childhood and during our down-time, when we weren't at the shop, we'd play with them endlessly.

It was fun, as it always was when my mother decided she could sacrifice her ego to play games with a baby. For some reason, I always maintained an air of dislike for the games, as I was too old mentally for them to give any form of entertainment, yet when the blocks came out, or when the dolls showed their beautifully painted faces, I would slip into a childlike state where it was easier to enjoy things.

I suppose this was how I grew to laugh and smile for my mother.

Still, we had barely managed to build half a tower of blocks before Inoichi found us, bringing his pals along with him.

"Hisae-san!" Chouza greeted, merrily wiping his mouth of crumbs, "And hello there little Inori-chan!"

I gave him a heavy stare, wanting only to go back to my game of blocks. I still couldn't really place them how I wanted to but I could hold things now and Hisae was a great help. They weren't going to help though. Knowing that, I couldn't find these people interesting when my entire focus at the moment was learning how to properly use my hands.

"Hello, Chouza-san, Shikaku-san," she nodded toward them politely. Even still, I could detect her uneasiness with them. She really didn't like ninjas, it seemed. Which was kind of funny, as she had gotten married to one. But it might have been because she grew up away from any source of violence. I wondered how she'd react to me, when I got older and was forced to train? But then again, would I wake up before that?

The funny thing was, as time went on and I developed, life became reality to me. I would even go to the point of calling Inoichi and Hisae, Mom and Dad in my head. Forgetting the past and living in the moment, trying not to linger on what I couldn't bear to think of... It was kind of scary, losing track of reality like this.

But it was less scary than the thought of waking up for real.

"So yeah," Inoichi murmured nervously, "this is their first time seeing Inori." While I released a tiny huff, he shared a glance with his friends before he continued on, eyes shifting, "Isn't that right?"

Apparently my Dad was a useless liar in the face of my mother. I mean, if he was a bad liar how could he be in Torture and Investigation?

Hisae's eyes narrowed, "Inoichi? I can tell you're lying." Yet she left it at that as she packed up the blocks in a bag and went and picked me up. She stood as she looked over the three of them, her face serene, "You boys should've come by sooner to see Inori. She would have liked it."

I was surprised, to say the least.

Was Hisae not really afraid of ninjas? She looked to be saying this genuinely as she shifted my weight in her arms.

"I trust you boys above the others to keep Inori safe," Hisae's cheeks brightening more than they had already been as she mumbled out her next words, "Maybe you guys could babysit her when she's older."

Inoichi's gaze sharpened as his hand went to Mom's flushed skin, "Hisae... are you... sick?"

I released a small breath, suddenly feeling worried for her. No wonder I'd been feeling warmer than usual. I had thought it was the party and the body heat of everyone else around but no, Hisae was hot and noticeably stressed.

"Not in the slightest," Hisae murmured softly, swallowing thickly. I wanted to shake my head at her idiocy. It was better to sleep and get better than to be sick, right? Feeling worried, I couldn't help the spew of babbling nonsense that left my mouth as I reached up and touched her face. It was hotter than I thought she'd be.

"See, even Inori's worried," Inoichi said, brushing a thick strand of hair from her forehead, "Come on, Hisae, these two can looked after her for awhile. You need to get better."

"But," she protested before Inoichi shook his head, worry clear in his eyes.

"What if you get Inori sick? It'd be terrible, wouldn't it?"

Thatt was when she paled, shock going to her face, "I didn't thin—."

"Don't worry, come on. Let's get you to bed," Dad gently took me, handing me over to Chouza as he left to guide my mother to their room.

This was when I decided to doze off in the Akimichi's comfortable arms.

"So cute," he cooed before I went off in a dream-like haze.

Love Life

Hisae didn't get better for a while, three days to be specific. I hadn't been allowed near her for that time and as such, had to live off of a strange tasting formula for food and had to be looked after by Inoichi, sometimes strangers.

If I had never appreciated what Hisae did for me, I did now. These people, bless their hearts, were rather inept at entertaining me, although I couldn't blame them. I refused to show my reactions to anyone that wasn't my mother or father, so I'm sure we got sick of each other pretty fast.

When Hisae was finally healthy enough to be around me, I would have done a happy dance had it not been for my lack of movement. But possibly better than that, this was the moment of my first words, as I finally found out how to manipulate my voice box into working for me.

"Mama," I had exclaimed happily when I first caught sight of her the moment she entered my room. She froze, eyes wide.

"Mama...?" She blinked at me before pointing a shaking finger at me, "Did you just...?" But the end of her sentence vanished as glee lit up in her eyes. Without hesitating, she rushed forward, coming over to engulf me in a loving embrace.

"Mama," I repeated, just to show off. I tried for another word too, "Dada."

Should have probably saved that one, in retrospect. It was the breaking point.

"Inoichi! Wake up and get your bum over here!" Hisae immediately shouted, briefly causing my ears to hurt. I frowned at her, letting her know just exactly what I thought about her raising her voice.

Moments later, he ran into the room with worry etched into his face, "Is she sick? What's wrong?"

She said nothing, only looking at me with earnest eyes. Oh, well.

"Dada," I murmured while pointing at him matter-of-factly. His jaw dropped, no lie. In all honesty, I was pretty proud of myself too.

I should have probably been prepared by then but when he hurried to me, I wasn't exactly aware I'd be vehemently thrown about. Hisae did nothing to stop it either, only laughing with happiness as she hopped in her place, clapping her hands together like some sort of cheerleader.

"She said 'mama' first, Inoichi!"

"She said 'dada'! I'm a Dad!"

I would have given him a look about how he had been a Dad for five months already but at the moment my vision was swimming from being shaken. God, if I get brain damage...

Luckily, Hisae stopped him soon after, taking me into her arms while I tried to calm my spinning vision and sick stomach. Ugh, I should have said nothing.

"This is cause for celebration!" Inoichi announced, "We'll have a feast with our closest friends for this great occasion!"

Okay, that's just crazy, no way would she go along with i—.

"Yes! Invite your team, and make sure you invite Tsume-chan... and Mikoto-chan!" Hisae laughed then, "We're not really close with the Uchiha's but Mikoto recently had Itachi, didn't she? It'll be a play-date!"

Inoichi smiled, "I'll get right on it!"

Itachi...

Uchiha?

Oh shit.

Love Life

As it turns out, the adults got to eat their delicious food, while the three babies played closely by. But more on that later.

It was a bit unconventional, what with how untraditional it was for the heads of notorious clans to sit and eat with such a whimsical reason. I figure the only one to come here with less than savory thoughts was Fugaku Uchiha but he didn't seem to mind the informal attitude of this whole debacle. In fact, he even looked a bit happy if I were reading his sort of face right. He also seemed to sense Mikoto's excitement to talk babies with other mothers. It was like icing on cake for my mother and Tsume to be such great conversation partners. So much so that it looked like my mom was having fun too.

Even from over here, as I shoved around blocks with Hana, Tsume's daughter, I could see my mom talking animatedly with the raven haired woman who bore a similar look of enthusiasm.

Content with the fact that my mother was happy, I returned to the task at hand.

Although it hadn't been spoken between the three of us, we all had the same goal in mind... I think. At the very least, I wanted to build a castle out of my blocks and had been thus trying to get the other two to see things my way.

So far, only Itachi had.

His eyes, even if he was barely a month older than me, contained a sharp intelligence. To add to our common traits, we were both quiet, only having to share eye-contact with each other to express our thoughts and ideas. Even better, he could actually lift the blocks and place them. I guess being a seven month year old really was better than a six month.

So I soon came to think of Itachi Uchiha, supposed murderer of his own family in a future I cared little to think about, as Minion One. The funny thing was that, my initial dislike of him didn't even come from what he'd do in the future, only what he presented. The fact that he was close to my age meant... ugh, that I was five years from the birth of Naruto. My buddy would have been significantly excited about this, especially that I was dreaming so vividly of his favorite manga.

Regardless of all that, Hana, although slower than Itachi and I, soon came to be Minion Two.

It was like a match made in heaven, us three.

So by the time my castle was complete, the task having been finished in a near two hours of good mess ups and my odd funny chortling. Hana laughed a lot too, but hers was prettier and I just didn't laugh often enough to even know what mine would sound like. Itachi was quiet the whole time, only ever breaking into smiles every now and then. I took this as the sign that we were pretty much comedians to be.

Because of this, after having found that I could get along with babies, I was intensely unhappy when the others had to leave without even celebrating my finished castle. It was the first time I had made something with other kids, right? Wasn't that something to gush and coo over? Apparently no, and I can attest to the thought that adults had a really weird sense of priority.

Besides, Hana, throughout the whole process, managed to not drool on anything—something I was supremely impressed with. Even I, an adult in a baby body, drooled only too frustratingly often.

Alas, them staying wasn't to be as everyone left before the sun dropped and I was retired to my crib once more.

But this incident gave me thought:

Could I... actually be having fun in this fictional world? Since when had I gotten so care free?

I would be stupid if I hadn't already noticed that I had recognized my parents as my own already, even in my head, lord knowing they were better than my last pair. But it wasn't just that.

Life had gotten less dull, more...interesting.

One thing was for certain though.

If I was truly in a coma, I didn't want to wake up anytime soon.

Love Life

I was in my twelfth month of life when I finally met up with my minions again.

That's right. My first birthday.

My birthday party, something large and festive, was to be taken place at a park near the Yamanaka compounds. It would be my first time outside, aside from the brief moments mother took me outside to her garden, explaining to me the types of flowers and their meanings—and let's not forget how I when was still too young to be without my mother, I would get to go to the shop with her. But those trips had considerably lessened and let's just say I had never been anywhere like the place we had gone to.

It was simply supposed to be a public park but it wasn't only just that.

The park had been decorated for the occasion, well half of it was. The Yamanaka symbol was splattered across a large banner, along with the wish of a 'Happy First Year, Inori-chan!'. There were other colorful decorations but I was rather unimpressed with it all. I still didn't see why we couldn't just come to the park and invite the close people I had come to tolerate. I didn't want the whole village here professing they knew me when they most certainly did not.

But I wasn't too unhappy when I realized that another kid was found to be having their own birthday. When I had looked over, briefly, being held in Inoichi's arms, I had found that an adorable pink haired boy, with sparkling eyes, one green and one blue, was staring back at me. He looked similarly upset about the Yamanaka setup as I was as his eyes continued to travel around.

There was a small flag raised up, however, announcing his own name in a similar fashion to my own. His name was Anzu... Apricot. Funny. Cute—it matched his hair color, I suppose. Genetics in Naruto were a bit, no, uh, really fucking weird.

But that boy soon turned away, an older woman saying something to him and I lost all interest in him. I turned to Inoichi, who smiled at me broadly before I gave him a smile back, in return.

I mean, he deserved something if he was going to put all this together in the end. But my other birthdays, if I have any say about it, would be spent purely with close family and friends.

As if my thoughts cueing it, Mikoto came forward, Itachi in her arms. He had gotten bigger while we had been apart, and already I could see him thinning out as he lost his baby chubbiness to being taller. Don't get me wrong, he was still plenty chub-tastic and all around adorable, but I could see in his eyes that he'd rather be walking around.

"Down," he murmured, wiggling his feet, and Mikoto complied, grinning. Not soon after I tugged and pointed at the grassy ground, I was put down. I wasn't much of a talker, it wasted too much energy and my mouth already felt so hot from having been clamped shut tight.

But the gist of it is that the both of us, coming to stand inches apart from each other, were looking each other straight in the eye with at least some understanding between us. His eyes were dark, like glittering obsidian rocks, and seemed to hold an edge of deeper understanding that I found startling. It was almost as if he too were an adult in a baby's body but there was no way of that being a thing. That would be a whole new can of worms I definitely would not open, if only for the sake of my sanity.

"Hello," I whispered softly, not looking him in the eyes anymore. I looked to my feet, finding the strain of standing at the age of one difficult. I probably wasn't as active as I should be but I was getting to it. I'm sure I'd pay the price later on.

"Hi," he replied. This made me curious of how large his vocabulary already was.

Most babies only know 'mom' and 'dad', maybe a few others. Age two and three were the chatty years, I believe. It was different for me of course, because well, I am an adult. Sure, Itachi was different because he was practically a boy genius—but it made one wonder.

I decided to test him.

"Itachi," I murmured, pointing to him. He nodded, brows lifting lazily in quiet surprise, "I'm Inori."

"Inori," he repeated, pointing to me in return. I grinned at him, pleased with this turn of events. He could actually understand. I think.

"Hungry?" I asked and he shook his head, pointing to his mom.

"Fed..." he trailed off and I nodded.

So he couldn't exactly form complete sentences but really, a one year old with his vocabulary? Amazing...

It was kind of like a pleasant surprise for me. After all, I had been in training to be a teacher before my music career took off. Not that I was complaining about the music thing, but I've always found kids to be fascinating. Like puzzles that you had to have the drive and patience to figure out properly.

This was when Mikoto cooed, a smile lighting up her features pleasantly, "Oh look at them! They're talking already!" She gave a sly grin towards my dad, "and what a proper hostess you have here."

"Oh, yes, our little Inori-chan is just so considerate of others," Dad said in reply, his face tight. I gave him a wondering look, amused that he was having such a difficult time with the Uchiha. Did he have to lie like that? The only consideration I had for anyone was for Mom (sometimes Dad) and even then, it didn't extend far beyond that.

"My offer does still stand, you know?" Mikoto murmured with a cat-like precision in her glittering eyes.

"Hisae and I," Inoichi sighed out, eyes betraying his exhaustion, "are still discussing the proposition."

This got me curious, but only slightly as I turned half an ear to their conversation. But when they strayed from that topic, I found myself ensnared once more by Itachi's pretty eyes. He looked—sad to admit—but bored. I frowned, instantly wanting to remedy that.

Huh.

Perhaps I had gotten better at being nice. Mom would like that.

"'Tachi-san," I murmured thickly, testing out my voice wonderingly. I didn't talk much, even less so on attempting to. At the tender age of one, expectations were still low enough that I could get by with minimal efforts in that regard.

"'Nori-san," he replied questioningly, head tilting to the side adorably, brows raising just a smidge. I silently wondered if the 'I's in our names were just too hard to pronounce right now. After saying it once, I sure as hell had given up.

"Play," I suggested carelessly, waving my hand in the direction of the sand box.

It was with that one word that seemed to be the start of it all. One simple word that would be the cause of many more to come. But I figure his reply was the one that did so much more.

One action that changed the entire meaning of my existence in this world.

Itachi nodded, his smile faint.

It felt warm.

Love Life - End