A/N: This is a rewrite of Second Life so if you have just realised that and want nothing more to do with the story, I'm not stopping anyone from leaving, so go ahead. These first few lines might put you off, so if you decide to 'jump ship', I completely understand. I wouldn't read a story I wasn't interested in either. Okay, first of all, I am NOT Minato, or his wife, or his close friend so I won't know how he'll react in most situations. Thus, there will most likely be times when he seems OOC, though I'll try my best not to let that happen. Secondly, this is for fun, not something serious like a full time job, so I wouldn't read too deeply into every little detail, like Minato's fashion sense or whatever. [Like: OMG! No! Minato doesn't wear black zori (is this the correct spelling?)! That's blasphemy!] I'd appreciate it if people point out my mistakes, so constructive criticism is most welcome. It's humbling to see those once in a while. Flames are not as welcome, but who am I to stop you? Well, enough rambling out of me I guess.

Chapter 1: Yuki

The Kyuubi attack had just ended and the hospital was in chaos, the doctors and nurses trying to keep up with the sheer number of casualties that kept flooding the building. Sarutobi sighed wearily, threading his way through the flood of people in pristine white clothes before reaching his destination. He sighed deeply once more, before yanking open the door to ward 409. The sight that greeted him was expected, many injured people laid out on the floor while the lucky ones languished in the bed, and he trod carefully so as not to accidentally step on someone's arm or leg, most possibly a head. After weaving through the masses to reach the middle of the room, he was surprised to find Naruto sitting up in his cot, crying. It wasn't crying as per se, but that was the only word he could use to describe the tears running down the baby's face. Not a sound escaped the blond despite the tears. Sarutobi picked the boy up and gently rocked the baby to sleep.

Minato had woken up after the sealing to find himself in Konoha hospital, as a baby. The loss of his wife cascaded down on him and cut into his heart, rending it in two. Tears of confusion, frustration and loss tumbled down his cheeks before a warm hand had picked him up and rocked him from side to side. The blond looked up and saw the face of his predecessor, the old man's hair more gray than he'd ever seen in the wispy strands, tiredness leaking from the Sandaime's eyes as he smiled gently down at the blond. Darkness soon enveloped his vision, no matter how much he tried to fight it, tried to ask Sarutobi about his son. Sleep soon won over, dragging him, screaming and kicking, into its dark abyss…

Minato awoke to find himself in a dour room, in a cot that looked ready to fall apart at the seams. He struggled to stand but gave up when all attempts failed. The next thing that had flashed through his mind was the whereabouts of his son. He looked frantically about the room and his shoulders drooped slightly, not finding his son in his vicinity. He tried his voice and was startled when the words that came out were slurred beyond legibility. Minato took stock of his surroundings once more and something clicked in his head. This was the same orphanage that had taken him in years before. It was only then that he realised that he was shivering. Konoha was deep in the winter season, thus it wasn't surprising.

Minato looked around for something that could bring him warmth, but found nothing to his dismay. Suddenly, a shuffling noise made itself known to him and his head swivelled to face the source. He was taken aback when the face of a young girl greeted him. She was, in his eyes, beautiful in every sense of the word. He quickly looked away, his already torn heart aching again. The young girl had deep red hair, a round face that had yet to lose its baby fat, and soulful violet eyes. She looked like an exact replica of a younger Kushina. "Are you cold?" the girl asked. Minato could only manage a nod, not trusting his voice. Suddenly, warmth enveloped him as a grubby blanket was draped across his body. Minato turned to look at the girl, who was smiling serenely at him, a smile a mother would direct at her child. "My name's Yuki. Don't let them know I stole the blanket from their store room," the newly identified Yuki whispered cheekily before scrambling out of the room, making as little noise as possible and muttering a muffled, "Shit," as she hit her head on the way out.

Before she disappeared, Minato noticed a choker around the girl's neck. The pendant, however, was shielded from his view by a curtain of red hair. After the initial shock wore off, Minato unconsciously touched his own neck, only to find a choker around his own neck as well. 'A tri-pronged kunai? How ironic,' Minato thought as he fingered the pendant. The blond drew the blanket closer to him and allowed sleep to take him once again. Harsh sunlight pierced his eyes, waking the now-young blond. He spent the rest of the day languishing in the cot, a caretaker having taken away the blanket the moment she sighted it. By the nightfall, he was both parched and ravenous on top of cold as everyone had just ignored him and refused to spare him any food or water. Soon, a scraping sound came to his attention as the red-haired girl sneaked into his room once again, bringing with her a blanket and a bottle of milk. "Those bastards. They didn't even bother feeding you," Yuki gently wrapped him in the blanket and carefully tried to insert the bottle into his mouth. Minato tried to protest, but any attempts were gently averted by Yuki. "I'm sorry. I don't have baby formula or…" the red head looked down at her breasts, indicating what she meant. "But I hope regular milk would do," Yuki finished. Once the bottle was empty, she slowly prised the bottle from his mouth, surprised at the baby's lack of resistance.

"Goodnight," Yuki kissed the blond on the forehead before leaving again. The days flew by quickly, Minato always looking forward to his midnight visitor. During the day, he often observed with some satisfaction as Yuki played peace keeper among her friends and pummelled anyone who dared cross her or harm one of her friends. Soon, everyone just submitted to her wrath, save for the care takers. A year flew by and Yuki started attending the ninja academy, teaching the blond how to speak in the middle of the night despite having to attend the academy in the day. Despite the visits she paid to him, she was always cheerful and energetic. October 10th came all too soon, the caretakers bringing all but the toddlers out for the festival. Minato lay in the cot, anticipating Yuki's return. The wait was torturously long, but it was worth it when Yuki crept into his room once again when everyone was asleep. "Hey, Naruto. I finally managed to sneak in some baby formula. I checked that it was warm enough," Yuki said as she gently fed the blond.

The visit was short, and as the girl turned to leave, Minato finally managed to utter a word, "Kushina." Yuki froze halfway out and accidentally hit her head, just like the day one year before.

"Crap! Damn door!" the red head whispered, casting one more tentative glance towards the blond, before retreating out of the room. Not long after the Kyuubi festival was the annual trick or treating on Halloween. The orphans went around to the other houses and estates, collecting candy from the households. If a household didn't hand over the sweets, the group would play a prank on them, and, as per the rule, the household was not allowed to scold or beat the children in any way.

This was the day Yuki practically lived for, stewing in her creative juices to find more and more creative ways to prank those who refused to offer them candy. The orphans also wore costumes as they went around the neighbourhood, to celebrate the day of the dead and spirits. Yuki led the orphans, dressed as a Goth loli. She had refused to dress as a princess and had shredded the dress, dyed it black, and styled it to her own liking. The rest of the orphans trailing behind her were dressed in costumes from pirates to faeries. "Let's start Trick or Treating!" Yuki announced throwing a hand in the air for a dramatic effect. The small crowd cheered before scattering, armed with paintball guns, toilet rolls, water balloons and bags. Yuki smiled proudly at her 'legion' of Trick or Treaters before turning to find a house to Trick or Treat herself.

'Why'd Yuki react like that when I called her Kushina? Could she be…? That's impossible. But then why am I like this? The name 'Kushina' definitely means something to her,' Minato thought.

Meanwhile, Yuki had just gone round to the Hyuuga estate to Trick or Treat. "No. I refuse to waste my time handing out candy to no name kids like you," a branch member had said. Yuki smirked dangerously as the Hyuuga slammed the door in her face. 'Time for some fun,' Yuki thought, glancing around for something that she could use. Upon spotting the hundreds of moths swarming around the lights, she whipped out a few cans of pesticide and, after checking what was used in it, sneaked into the Hyuuga estate after making sure that all of the white-eyed ninjas were asleep. She crept silently through the halls before spraying the pesticides everywhere, save for the nurseries. 'Done. Hope they have fun with the moths,' Yuki laughed inwardly as she slinked out of the estate. She smirked with satisfaction as she saw the first few swarms of moths making their way towards the Hyuuga-estate. The moment it struck 10, the orphans, bulging bags in tow, converged back at the orphanage where they split the candy equally between themselves. The room was in chaos as the orphans exchanged pranking ideas and stories about how their victims reacted.

Yuki sneaked away and slunk into the baby's room, bringing with her a few sweets. "Hi, Naruto. I brought some sweets. You want some?" Yuki asked kindly. Not receiving a reply, she simply dropped a few sweets into the cot, tucking them under the blanket, before walking off. A, "Thank you," stopped her, and she turned around to see the toddler tearing open a sweet wrapper. Yuki grinned at the sight and was rewarded with a broad grin from the small blond. "Ow! Damn you, door!" Yuki hissed at the door frame as she managed to hit her head on it once again. She walked out of the room, but not before shooting a two-fingered salute to the offending piece of wood. Minato smiled at the sight, the girl reminding him so much of Kushina. As soon as the girl left, screams echoed in the night, accompanied by Yuki, snickering in the next room over. 'So much like Kushina,' Minato mused, twisting a sweet in his hand and smiling before closing his eyes.

A/N: Well, this is the rewrite. Please don't flame me so early in. If you want to flame me, flame after. I know Kushina (Yuki) and Minato might seem very OOC, but I'm trying. Like I said, I'm not Minato.