Age 8/Year 8 [End]

An ocean of tranquil, knee-high water surrounded me. Gazing into it's flat, mirror-like plain, I see my own reflection. Obsidian dots stare back at me.

Is this hell? Heaven?

The waters stir as I reach down, grasping at my own reflection.

Nothing.

The silence is maddening. Every direction is a flat field- the horizon stretches on forever.

And I am alone.

Ah... I died, didn't I? That's why I'm here, right?

...

It came out of nowhere, yet... I can't say it was a pitiful end. I died to save my brother. That's-

...

Damn it. I didn't want to die! Not again!

My palm smacks against flesh. Through moist fingers, I look down at my sorrowful reflection.

God damn it! Why?!

Alone and unheard, a grown man in the body of a small child lets loose a sob. It's curious how I see myself as Sasuke, rather than my old form. Had the years of isolation and insanity really warped my perception so much? Has my mind been twisted by the childish brain in your body?

...

I take a deep, calming breath and shut my eyes, trying to relax.

"What now..." What the hell can I do? Am I supposed to wander this place for all-

The dark ocean flashes for an instant, sending a cascading wave of light off into the distance. A small, crimson dot drags my gaze down towards my feet.

Sharingan.

Scarlet eyes stare back at me; the small, black dots within start to spin- drawing me deeper and deeper into the calm sea.

I fall.

The small reflection of my eyes rapidly expands. In the blink of an eye, my Sharingan has engulphed my reflection's body. It continues to expand untill the entire ocean is consumed by a wild, flaming pattern.

Water bubbles and sweat rolls down my face. Steam rises into the air, pulling my sight up toward the sky.

"Oh..."

A massive eye-shaped meteor spirals through the air- its target is right below my feet. The wind screams and ignites as it draws closer and closer.

What can I even hope to do against that?

As is punctures the cloud-line, evaporating the fluffy things, my body crashes into the ground. The very water is pushed aside, leaving me on a barren island. I stare straight into the red void, burning the image straight into my mind.

The ocean evaporates- my body buckles under the immeasurable weight, yet I... live?

Unkown sensations flow through me as my body passes through the meteor, coming to a sudden stop at its center.

"Sasuke..."

It whispers.

"Sasuke..."

What? How-

"Sasuke..."

This-

---------------

"Sasuke..."

My eyes snap open. A soft, tired voice calls out to me as tiny rays of light filter into the room.

An unfamiliar ceiling.

I hold back a pained groan and look around. White, sterile walls are bleached into my brain. I recoil at the bright colours, dragging my gaze down to the slightly duller sheets.

A hospital. I'm in a hospital.

I feel around my chest, wincing as my fingers brush against coarse fabrics. A glance down reveals layers upon layers of bandages. They're as white as the room, so that's something to be relieved about. Still, I'm now starting to feel the pain.

It hurts.

"Sasuke..."

Another mumbled call out finally has me looking at the small figure by my bedside. A blond head of hair rests by my side- Yue gently sleeping on her head.

I'm alive.

I smile and try to talk, only for a painful grunt to slip past my teeth. Breathing immediately becomes harder.

Ow...

Naruko's head snaps up instantly. Her azure eyes widen to the size of sauces as tears begin to bud from their corners.

"S-Sasuke!" She shouts, stopping herself just before nearly hugging me. "Oh! Sorry!" She sheepishly backs away.

Thank god. That would have hurt.

"H-How are you feeling? Are you alive? Are you ok?!"

I try to answer her. Seriously? Can't she tell just by looking?

Sadly, it hurts far too much to even speak a single word.

"Oh! Um, I'll get the doctor! Sit still, ok?!"

And just like that, she vanished.

Quick as the devil.

---------------

With Naruko's return came news. Both good and bad. I was alive and only due to luck. The sword had nearly killed me and the blood loss would have done me in shortly after.

"Your brother gave much of his blood and was in the other room." Thankfully, while he nearly died, he was ok. How he convinced a doctor to go through with that is beyond me.

Judging by the relieved and slightly nervous look on the doctor's face, it couldn't have been pleasant.

"He's gone home now and your mother is taking care of him." Which was why she wasn't here.

Sadly, while I evaded death twice, I wasn't entirely unscathed. The strike had cost you a kidney, so I wouldn't be drinking very much at all.

"But don't worry-" the doctor winked. "-I hear girls like scars."

He definitely shouldn't give up his day job...

In any case, visiting hours were about to end, so he sent Naruko home, much to her displeasure. Your mother and father would probably visit tomorrow, so untill then, you were to rest.

"M-Master!" I could practically fill a small pool with her tears. "I-I'm so happy you're alive!"

My face was bombarded with kisses and tiny hugs. And like that, I laid back and relaxed. As night fell, I thought to test something out. Grabbing a nearby mirror, I called forth my Sharingan and watched as it morphed into a new form.

Mangekyo.

I wasn't sure if this was good or bad. Right now, I was simply exhausted.

[Reward: Mangekyo Sharingan Get!]

------------------------

When I opened my eyes next, it was to Itachi, Fugaku, and Mikoto.

Everyone came, just for me.

"Welcome back, little brother." Itachi teased, even as he leaned on mother for support.

Tears swelled from my eyes.

"I'm back."

It was good to be home.

========

Everything hurt. Siting was fine, but the instant feet touched the ground, a crippling wave of pain rushed down your spine.

A cry left my lips, betraying the small amount of training I had endured. I wasn't a ninja yet, and even then, I'm sure grown adults would show some reaction from that.

"It's ok, Sasuke." The doctor said reassuringly. His hand leapt to my shoulder, sending me onto the wheelchair. "I know it hurts, but you have to be strong." A small lollipop found itself into my hand. The childish gesture got on my nerves, but honestly, I needed something to focus on aside from the pain.

I felt every bump, every turn, and every stop as I travelled the hospital's halls in my wheelchair. As it turned out, the lollipop did help me cope with the pain. There was a small tingling in ny mind, so I suspected it might have had some light painkiller in it or something.

Paying attention to my surroundings was extremely difficult, but I tried to look at my surroundings. The hospital was abuzz with patients.

"Another Uchiha?"

"Poor little guy."

Yue fluttered at my side, whispering soft, gentle words every few minutes. Her warm fingers pressed at my cheek, and through the thin sheet of pain, I could see the worried look on her face.

Ninja were insane. They had magic chakra cures and whatever, but they still had me start rehab so soon. It hadn't even been a week!

"We've healed most of the damage."

"All that's left is for your body to recover."

"The sooner you start, the faster you can go join your friends.

The doctor's words were filled with a thin veneer of anxiety and concern. But not for me. It felt like he'd be in more hot water than me if I somehow failed to heal.

"You are my son. You and Itachi are the future."

Fugaku's words came to mind. That was such a long time ago, yet I could clearly visualize them, even now.

Even starting now, it would take about a month or so to fully recover.

So much time.

"We're here, Sasuke." My wheelchair stopped. The door in front of me slid open, and as I was rolled inside, I saw something familiar. Two metal poles were parallel to the ground, supported by much smaller rods.

I 'm going to learn to walk?

"Chakra's an incredible thing." His words were calm, encouraging. "With it, we can push our bodies beyond its limits. We heal faster, jump higher, punch harder." His eyes feel onto my meek form.

"Can you make a fist for me?"

Taking a deep breath, I looked down at my right hand. I easily made the fist with my left, though, it was a bit painful. Gritting my teeth, tried to do the same with my right.

It was as if a searing rod was plunged into my right side.

It hurts!

"It's ok, no need to take it too fast." The doctor quickly said. "We'll take our time and get you up in no time!"

Complications sucked. At first, it was just my kidney, but in a few days, I learned that the sword had hit a small clump of nerves. I'd heal, but recovery would be painful.

"Come on, we'll keep trying, ok?" His gaze was hesitant, unsure of what I'd say.

He was scared to push me, to make the pain spurn me away from fast recovery. It wasn't hard to figure it out.

No one wants to be the one to ruin my career as a ninja.

"Yes." I answered. Talking hurt a little bit, but every day it became easier and easier.

I wouldn't falter here. There was far too much to do and focus on.

"I-I believe in you!" I whispered, rosy lips pecking my cheek.

A small, relieved sigh slipped out of the doctor's mouth.

"Good. Now, I have a few exercises to get you started."

This was going to be a long month. But I wouldn't just rollover.

[Reward: Gained Trait: Scared]

=========

It was oh so tempting to use a wish to heal myself. My resources were very limited, though. Instead, I asked Yue to help my brother.

The face she made was complicated and conflicting.

"I-I'm sure he'll get better. You should focus on yourself!"

I wouldn't. Itachi risked his life to save mines. This was nothing compared to that.

"O-Ok." And thus, my last wish of the year was used on my brother.

----------------

The days in the hospital blurred together. All my friends from school stopped by.

Hinata brought some flowers.

"M-My mother used to give these t-to me when I was feeling down."

Shino brought me a small ant farm.

"While what you and I went through is different, focusing on taking care of this helped me out." I was sure that his ordeal had been far worse. To allow bugs to live in your body probably hurt a lot more than this, though, my pain-addled mind spoke on the contrary.

"We got ya a card." Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru all chipped in for said card. Amusingly, the card had scratch and sniff kunai and elements.

Ninjas were weird.

Finally, there was Naruko. She had gone out of her way to make you a homemade meal. My mother's handy work was all over it, even though Naruko denied anything of that sort.

"N-No way! I made that! You have to believe me!"

And so I did, digging into the pumpkin pie with gusto.

The days continued to pass, and while the number of visits went down, my friends never stopped coming. As for my family... one of them was basically always in the hospital every day.

After my little wish, Itachi had found his way into my hospital room the very next day. His eyes were red and there was a grim look on his face. The instant my face met his, tears flowed down his cheeks.

I was just happy to see him alive and he felt the same way.

"It looks like my little brother's no crybaby." He joked, stopping himself from hugging me.

I smiled, holding back tears of my own.

"No." I shook my head. "It looks like my big brother's the crybaby."

The two of us were alive. Mother, father... everyone had lived.

The future was dark and unkown, but I'd stand tall and proud.

There was much to do.