So here's a little ficlet that's been bugging me for a while. I haven't abandoned 'A Kitsune's Vengeance', but for those of you who are plagued by plot bunnies like me, well…yeah. You know the deal; I had to get this out as soon as possible.

Anyways, updates to this story will be sporadic at best, as I'll probably be focusing on AKV moreso that this, but if I get enough reviews and/or hits/alerts/etc to this story I'll do my best to continue it. But enough of my rambling, it's time to get on with the show, after the key and disclaimer of course.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, in any way, shape or form, though I can say if I did I probably would have changed a lot of the canon storyline, making Naruto a lot more badass, or at least giving him a girlfriend of some sort.

Key:

"Speaking"

'Thinking'

Story Text

He'd known this was going to happen eventually, just not that it would happen so soon. Perhaps if he had been a little faster to react things would be different, but the boy—who was scarcely five years old—knew that there was no sense fretting over what had already come to pass. He'd long since learned that the past was the past, and no matter how you tried to change it, it just wouldn't happen.

He let out a rather shaky sigh. There were so many different things he still wanted to do with his life, so many different choices he could have made, and yet….here he was, standing in front of Death's door. He'd been killed while he slept, though at least the process hadn't been painful. Whoever had done the deed had done it quickly, making sure he passed on without any pain, and for that he was grateful.

'Perhaps it's for the better this way…' the young boy thought with another sigh. After all, now that he was dead he no longer had to endure all of the glares, all of the hatred, all of the whispering behind his back. Yes, he would miss those who had truly cared for him, but, given just how few of those kind of people there were, it was probably for the best that he died when he did. At least this way they would be able to move on with their lives, while he drifted into obscurity. He only wished he knew why he had been shown so much hatred….

Ah, regret. For an individual only five years of age, he certainly carried a lot of regret within him. There was regret over what he'd done with his life up to the point he died, regret over not being able to say goodbye, and so much more. Already he found himself missing being alive. But him being alive was in the past, and that was set in stone. There was no going back, as much as he wished he could. Sadly the boy shook his head, before raising his hand to knock on the door in front of him.

Death's door, where those who came here were judged for their placement in the afterlife.

It wasn't long after he knocked that the door swung inwards, admitting him into a long hallway. Having nothing better to do—he was dead, after all—the boy slowly trudged forward, his mind lost in thought. He couldn't help but remember the finer points of his life; what few there had been, anyways. There had been the time he'd met Teuchi and Ayame Ichiraku, the time he'd first discovered ramen, and a few other times that were a little bit hazy. He'd never really been an introspective type, but, now that he was no longer among the living, it wasn't like he had anything else to use to while away the time while he walked; the hallway he was in was devoid of any interesting characteristics, after all. So he continued slowly pacing forward, just letting his mind wander.

How were his friends doing? Were they grieving over his death, or simply rejoicing because he was dead? Had they been deceiving him while he was still alive, or were their feelings genuine? Those questions and more flitted through his mind. He let out a sigh for what seemed like the millionth time since he'd found himself in this strange world. It didn't really matter anymore if his friends had been hiding their true selves or not, he supposed. He was dead, after all. Perhaps when they died as well he would be able to ask them, but for now he'd just have to settle for having his questions unanswered.

Though that thought brought up another kettle of fish entirely; where exactly was he, anyways? Was this what they called limbo, where people spent time looking over their past, like he was just doing? Or did this place have something else to it?

Whatever the case was, the boy found that ultimately he didn't really care. He'd had very little going for him in life, and now that he was dead, well….he basically had nothing. The way he saw things, the people back home would be better off without him. Even if he couldn't do much of use in life, at least in death he could make people happy. And that was a plus, at least for him.

It was at about this time that he was broken out of his reverie by a door, one that he had just walked into. Somehow he wasn't surprised that he could still feel pain after death, though he was surprised that he didn't feel surprised over that, as confusing as that sounds. Not wanting to put whatever judgment the gods had in store for him off—common sense dictated that it wasn't good to keep higher beings waiting, after all—he knocked on the door with one hand, while absentmindedly rubbing his nose with the other.

"Come in…" a muffled voice said from the other side. Shrugging slightly to himself in confusion at the distinctly feminine tone, the boy did as told, though he had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the door's handle.

Once he stepped through the second doorway, however, he couldn't help but glance around the new room in curiosity. It was…small, almost cozy in a way. And yet there were papers strewn all over the place, some even tacked up haphazardly against the cream-colored walls as if they were reminders of something. A desk, scarcely wider than the boy was tall, was situated directly in the center of the tiny room. But it was the room's sole occupant that captured his attention almost immediately after he entered.

It was a young girl that looked to be somewhere around his age, though perhaps a little bit older. Her hair was jet black, and reached down to her mid-back, rippling slightly as she cocked her head sideways at him in thought. And yet it was her eyes that drew him in; they were blood red in hue, and lacked pupils entirely. He could have spent ages just staring in amazement at how beautiful they looked, but sadly that future was not meant to be.

"What are you doing here, um…Mr….?"

"Uzumaki Naruto" the boy replied, his voice lacking any emotion entirely. After all, what point was there in trying to be happy or jovial when you had just been assassinated in your sleep?

"Okay…" the girl glanced downwards at a piece of paper that was on her desk for a moment, before looking back up, recognition clicking in her eyes.

"Ah yes, Uzumaki Naruto; age five, killed in his sleep by one Hatake Kakashi, who was ironically supposed to be guarding you. A pity you had to die at such a young age, though hm….it says here that you are to be allowed some….favors, now that you're dead. Gift of the gods if you will, given just how terribad your life was." She sighed when he just gave her a blank look, apparently not understanding. Somehow she wasn't surprised he didn't; he had died at the age of five, never having a normal childhood, being hounded by crazed people from the day he was born. Seriously what the fuck was up with his village, beating him and making his life shit for something he didn't do? Yes, there was a big bad fox girl stuck in his gut—at least while he had been alive—but that didn't give the mortal idiots the right to screw up his life…

"It means you get a second chance at living, kid, if you want one that is."

Silently Naruto's mouth formed a small 'o', before rapidly returning to the blank look as he returned to the land of thought. Oh, the possibilities of having a second chance; he could go back and fix everything he'd done wrong, maybe becoming a ninja along the way as well. He could also potentially finally get the family he'd always dreamed of, or at least someone he could love before dying yet again.

But the more he thought about it, the less he liked the idea of going back. After all, why should he even bother, when practically everyone around him had gone out of their way to make his life a living hell? Sure, going back would mean he'd have a chance to prove everyone wrong, but was that worth enduring more glares, more hatred, and more abuse?

He didn't think so.

Letting out another sigh, he shuffled his feet around a bit before coming to a decision.

"…I think I'm fine with whatever you guys have in store for me here, thanks."

The girl—who was really the Shinigami in her true form—blinked once, twice, before leaning back in her chair. Talk about an unpredictable boy….granted, if he'd gone back he would have eventually been known by the moniker 'Konoha's Unpredictable Ninja', or Naruto-KUN (A/N: if it wasn't already obvious, note the first letters of his moniker) by all of his fangirls, but that was beside the point. What mattered here and now was that the boy had just refused the second chance that almost everyone would kill for. If this didn't throw a wrench in Kami-sama's plans, then she didn't know what would; he was supposed to go back and eventually save the world from the fake Madara's Moon's Eye plan, basically be handed a harem on a silver platter, and then die happy before being sent to heaven. But now that he'd just refused to be sent back, well….

'Talk about a cosmic epic fail of enormous proportions….Granted, the boy doesn't know just what exactly his decision will cause, but…headquarters will be in an uproar once they get wind of this. And yet, as much as I'd like for him to have just agreed to go back, I can't really blame him for his choice. I would have probably done the same thing if I was in his place; no one should have to endure the hell that he did…'

This time it was the Shinigami's turn to sigh. Oh what a ruckus this whole matter was going to cause; Kami-sama was going to be furious, worried, and concerned all at the same time. And it wasn't like they could send him back against his will, either…that would cause an even bigger catastrophe than they were already facing with his refusal, because if he went back only to commit seppuku, well…

Yeah, she didn't want to think about that. They would have to find an alternate solution to this whole mess, which wasn't going to be easy, given that the child all their hopes had been riding on up until this point was now outside of the equation. Still, somehow they would work things out. Granted, she didn't know exactly how they would do it yet, but….she wasn't a god for nothing. They wouldn't be the gods of this realm if they didn't expect this sort of thing to happen every millennium or so, after all.

Still, this whole mess raised the question of what they were going to do with one Uzumaki Naruto, now that the intended cosmic plan had gone down the gutter, so to speak. They as gods couldn't really send him to hell for a decision that he didn't know the consequences of—he was only five, after all—but they couldn't send him to heaven either without him completing the portion of the plan that he had been supposed to carry out. And with their hands tied like that, that left only one option; he was to remain here in limbo until they got this mess sorted out and an alternate solution devised.

"Well, I hate to say this Naruto, but you're in for a rather boring afterlife. You see, you were supposed to head back to the realm of the living, but now….now you're basically stuck here in limbo with me as my assistant in judging the souls that come through here."

"So I get to decide the fates of others now? That's cool, I guess…" The Shinigami couldn't help but giggle in amusement at his starry-eyed expression. Things might not have been going according to plan, but somehow she knew that everything would work out. Now if only she could get rid of this blasted paperwork, everything would be right in her world….

So yeah, this is the plot bunny that's been bugging me for a while. It's not your typical Naruto story by any stretch of the imagination, but then again this is me we're talking about; I don't do ordinary ;)

I won't say what the pairing is for this story yet; while the third category is probably gonna be romance, I haven't decided where exactly I want this fic to go, so even if you asked I wouldn't be able to tell you, sadly.

Anyways, you know the deal; follow the three Rs (read rave review) and I'll be happy. If you've got any questions, or just want me to continue this plot bunny-inspired ficlet, leave a review or a PM and I'll get back to you with my progress and answers to whatever questions you might have.

Peace out,

-ZGS