Stories – Part One

It is said that ignorance is bliss. Despite knowing more than any other child could or should know, my early years were rife with bliss.

I flashed into existence, ducked under a shinobi's high kick, dodged around to his side, struck fast, and flashed away. My last enemy was vanquished, and I stood victorious on the battlefield. Well, to any human being without an imagination, I was actually standing victorious besides the jungle gym, but what was the point of being a tiny tot if I didn't get to play ridiculous games?

Really, my name inspired many such games for me, because as far as I could tell, my new parents had decided to name me after the Yellow Flash. Though, considering the confounded looks people graced me with upon hearing me describe one of my games, I realized that they hadn't actually named me after the Minato Namikaze, as no one knew of any fictional (or famous non-fictional) person by that name, and therefore I believed the resemblance to be entirely coincidental.

Being a child again held so many awesome opportunities. I got to drive my peers and elders up the wall with questions of varying degrees of inanity. No one judged me too harshly for how weird I acted because, as a small child, of course I didn't know how things really work, and of course it was normal for me to imagine "impossible" things. Plus, even though my emotional control and decision-making skills' development had regressed due to my less-developed brain, I believe my previous life experience and fortunate genetics allowed my brain to develop these areas with greater alacrity than most. It was incredibly frustrating in the time before said development to remember what it was like to have those skills but not be able to exercise them.

I don't recall exactly when I came to the realization that I wasn't in Kansas anymore (well, I haven't ever actually lived in Kansas, but trust me, it's an apt reference from another previous-world movie), but I don't believe it took me too long to realize that everything I thought I knew is now pending validation. Of course, my insatiable curiosity about what still holds true and what doesn't partially fueled my numerous inane questions, though they were limited by the fact that I was a freaking toddler with communication skills to match (nearly, anyway… okay, not at all, but my speech was terribly inadequate by my standards, even if others viewed my speech as prodigious).

I believe that having my previous memories may have forced my brain to develop quicker than others', though I have no proof because my memories of those days is extremely vague, and some "memories" I have are actually just things that were recounted to me later.

One such memory-story goes as follows:

"Minato, wake up! Nap-time's over!" I slowly ooze out from my warm blanket cocoon.

"Yes, Kaa-san."

"Oba-chan, Minato. Not Kaa-san. You know this." I used to call her Oba-chan, since that's what Nii-san calls her, and what I've been told to call her, but Nee-chan calls her Kaa-san. I know I'm supposed to say Oba-chan, but I need to learn why we aren't all supposed to address her in the same way.

"Nee-chan says Kaa-san." I sulk. This language is confusing me with all its differences. Does Suki get to call her Kaa-san because she's the eldest? That would be weird, but kind of understandable.

Kaa-san/Oba-chan let's out a sigh. "I am Suki's Kaa-san. I am your and Inari's Oba-chan. Your Kaa-san is my Nee-chan." That's interesting. I guess Suki isn't really my older sister, though Inari is my older brother. My brow wrinkles in thought. So, does this mean that she's my aunt? Where's my mom, then? Well, there is one way to find out.

"Where's my Kaa-san?"

Auntie looks away and her face scrunches up a bit, but not with grief. It's more like disapproval, regret, resignation, and understanding all in one. Weird. "Your Kaa-san went a long way away with your Tou-san for work. They love you and Inari very much, but their work helps everyone in our family. They should be back soon, and then you'll be able to stay with them." Considering how she paired Kaa-san (mother) with Tou-san, "Tou-san" probably refers to another relative, possibly my father. If those words weren't both referring to my parents, then Auntie probably wouldn't have stressed that they love us and had to go away in order to support us. That actually sounds plausible, if odd compared to my previous family situation. I don't really remember my first few months very well, so they must have left during that period. From Auntie's reactions and her explanations, I'm pretty sure now that Kaa-san is mom, and Tou-san is dad, though I might have to revise that conclusion if it proves to be wrong. "Now, why don't you play with Suki-chan while I get Inari up from his nap?"

"'Kay, Oba-chan." I toddle down the hall to Sister/Cousin's room, being careful not to lose my balance and fall. Suki remains oblivious to my presence as I sneak up behind her. With a notebook spread out on the floor in front of her and a pen in her hand, it is fairly obvious that Suki is writing either a letter or a diary entry. Sneaking up behind her, I peer over her shoulder and try to guess at what secrets she may be penning. Unfortunately, I can only vaguely recognize a couple characters, so I instead turn my head and blow air at her ear.

My efforts are rewarded with a jump and and indignant squeak, but Suki quickly recovers. The book is shoved to the side as Suki maneuvers me so that I am sitting in front of her on the floor. The hands that had been holding me loosen as my cousin decides to switch to tickling me. I giggle, squeal, and squirm, calling out for Auntie in the hope that she can rescue me from this surprise attack.

My squeals get to the point of desperation before my auntie steps in and pulls me from Suki's devious grasp. I can see the glimmers of a plan in her eye and hope it means what I think it means. "Oh, Minato-chan! Was Suki being mean to you?" Auntie's exaggerated gasp carries, and footsteps beat out a thunderous staccato against the wooden floorboards. This is even better than a counter-tickle. Auntie is so wickedly awesome.

"SUKI!" brother's voice echoes along the hall. "If you made her cry, you'll regret it!" I sniffle, and act like the waterworks are looming.

"Don't cry, Minato-chan! Please!" Her voice lowers, "Your brother is an evil-" My lip quivers at her insult to my brother, but my sister/cousin realizes her mistake and her panicked attempts to rectify it turns the quiver into a quirk, followed by a giggle when my brother enters the room and confronts her. My acting skills obviously need more work, but it's hard to stay on the verge of tears when the scene in front of me looks remarkably similar to a big dog being scared of a kitten. Ah, life is good, even with the catch being that my new parents aren't able to be home. At least, as Auntie said, my parents love my brother and me, and we are well cared for here. Nothing is perfect, but I am thankful for having an awesome family this time around as well.

…

When my parents arrived home a few weeks later, I learned that they had been travelling with their merchant caravan. Normally the caravan was only gone for a few months before making their way back to the village, but a combination of complications caused them to be absent for nearly a year. After that, they were more careful with their plans, so that they weren't gone for that long of a stretch again. While they were away, Auntie cared for Suki, Inari (yes, he was named after a food, but that's another story), and me. Since our family all lived together in one good-sized house, we didn't need to move or anything when Mother and Father returned. All in all, I enjoyed living with my new family.

Author's Note: Hi! Sorry I let this go so long without updating. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but here ya go anyway. I'll try not to go so long without an update again. As always, comments and *constructive* criticism are welcome. :) Hope things go well for you all. :)