Chapter Text
Reincarnation was something you would think about in the dead of night at 3am when you can't sleep. It was one of those things that might pop up in thought at random times and result in a lot of speculation and what ifs. At the end of the day, the big million dollar question was always this –
“What happens when I die?”
Where do I go? What do I become? What am I?
Do I just... disappear? Do I cease to exist in both body and soul?
Do souls even exist?
Does this giant clusterfuck of a universe swallow me whole and poof me out wherever my cosmic energy is needed?
I was never one for religion. I didn't particularly follow any religion. I took bits and pieces of many and thought 'yea, I believe this' and went with it, whatever subtle peace of mind it gave.
I believed that there was some greater power, incomprehensible, that did not give two fucks about anyone and just kept the cogs of the universe turning so we didn't all die from a giant existence-based implosion or something.
When I actually did die, there was no white light, no pearly gates or hellish fire. No ghostly cousins, apparitions, or visions.
There was nothing.
Like being asleep, but without eyelids. Lacking the sensation of dreaming or being awake. No requirement to breathe, as if I no longer had lungs. Not being able to move my arms or legs. Nothing to see, hear, touch, smell, or taste.
Calm, quiet, empty darkness.
Thinking back on it now that I’m not there, it seems quite scary. I don't know how long I was actually in that seemingly timeless void, and I don't really wish to be there again.
Needless to say, I didn't remain in that empty void forever. I was eventually reincarnated.
I didn't end up as a blade of grass or some street cat or pet dog. I wasn't reborn as some rich person or dirt poor homeless.
I ended up being reborn as the twin sister to Sasuke Uchiha, younger sister to Itachi Uchiha and daughter to Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha.
At first I was in denial, that the names were all just a coincidence somehow, until the proof started to show once I could make sense of the world through my own eyes – headbands, flak jackets, shinobi.
Being a baby with minimal functionality the most I could do was scream and cry when the panic bubbling in my mind managed to reach the surface.
At first I thought that I was being punished. Why else would I end up here of all places? Being able to use wicked jutsu was cool and all but that didn't hide the fact that people learned them to kill other people and the world was unforgiving. Assassination was something even a civilian could pay for. I wouldn't last long here.
Being in the Uchiha clan only made it worse, given all the hell it's members go through, not to mention the knowledge of the impending massacre by my older brothers hand.
Chakra was another thing I had no idea how to handle. When my chakra coils started forming it wasn't a pleasant time, sort of like gumming but there was no satisfying outlet like gnawing on everything. It was like having multiple bug bites under your skin itching at the same time – the thought momentarily making me thankful I wasn't an Aburame. My irritation was apparently normal according to my new parents, and thus time moved onward.
I learned that my new name was Aiko Uchiha.
I eventually picked up on the language, Japanese. I didn't know a lick of it outside of repetition from watching anime, and given how I wasn't a hardcore anime fan that binged a series in a day in my past life, I was sorely lacking in regular exposure enough to recognize more than a few single words. The new roadblock was impending. It helped that I was treated with patience and like a child, if a bit embarrassing, it gave me time to comprehend without a translation book.
Oddly enough, Itachi seemed to be the one putting the most effort into teaching Sasuke and myself. Mikoto didn't slack off, but as expected, raising twins was exhausting. Whenever she wasn't taking care of us she was taking care of the home, Itachi, helping Fugaku or other mothers. She was a busybody, and a retired jōnin.
Getting used to calling Mikoto 'mom' and Fugaku 'dad' was a struggle all on its own. They technically were my parents, in this life but... I had a mom and dad. It took me a while to move forward, but I would never forget, at least not completely. I'll admit, I'm an overly sentimental person.
Itachi was very gentle and careful. When he did take care of us, he was patient, even if we still slurred and babbled like idiots. He didn't seem to mind being the stand in caretaker whenever Mikoto was busy. He was 5 years older than me and Sasuke, but yet seemed more mature than his age, even in my eyes. He never really complained or got upset with us. He was relatively quiet and indifferent for the most part. When he did smile, I couldn't help but smile back.
Fugaku was even more busy than Mikoto. When he was around, he would hold me or Sasuke and speak with Itachi but there was a stiffness to him and an air of authority that seemed to follow him home from whatever clan business he was handling that day. I couldn't help but wonder, was the coup d'état already becoming an issue? The nine tailed fox's attack wasn't that long ago after all.
When Fugaku did speak to us, it was about the clan, the sharingan, and general details that seemed to only be spoken to fill the silence or some sort of information he thought Itachi or us could benefit from.
By the time I was three, I was toddling around, asking the incessant question of why.
It didn't help that Sasuke did too, much to my amusement. We were like parrots.
Despite being Sasuke's twin, I looked more like Mikoto, my blue-tinted black hair hung straight down unlike Sasuke's that tended to reach for the sky. My face was more similar to Sasuke's, though. My skin was pale and my eyes the generic Uchiha-black. Whenever I saw my reflection, I couldn't help but stare.
This was me now.
This is who I am.
Then like a slap to the face, Itachi was already 8 and a genin with his sharingan awakened.
A painful reminder of the world I was in, and what would come.