I stood alone in a field in the middle of winter, husks of withered wheat rasping in the frigid breeze. Dense and heavy clouds promised a downpour. The wind tore through me, and I realized dimly that I was wearing my favorite white sundress. How silly of me. Out of curiosity, I touched the head of a dead plant—it hissed as it crackled into dust. The sound reminded me of a—

Rattlesnake. Snake. Snake. I was supposed to be running from something. Something was coming to kill me.

Fear frosted my insides, coating me from the tips of my toenails to the top of my head. It was coming, fast, so fast that I had no way of ever ever ever getting away in time. The fact that I still drew breath was the most hysterical of redundancies. I felt like laughing, crying, and screaming all at once, but they all congeal in my throat. Tears froze everything inside, creating a large lump of stupid fear.

As my death skulked closer and closer, I felt a sudden spark of anger. I was not going to die a pathetic lump of stupid. That spark was enough to crack the ice, and I ran. I was always pathetic at running when commanded to in gym and sports, but when it was important I could haul my voluptuous ass.

It did no good. The hissing wheat gave away my position and the cold fear came creeping up and down my spine once more. I panted with desperate exertion, the breath slipping between my teeth too fast. I knew I could not keep this speed up. The field was never ending, and my stamina was not. I kept going, angrily screaming at my legs that they had to keep up or I would no longer require their services. It had minimal effect.

It kept getting closer. I neared the end of my life.

I went faster. It did no good.

Another spark of courage—resignation—determination—consumed me, and I stopped to face my death. I would die with dignity. As I turned, I stopped in surprised wonder. In the distance, too far to run to for shelter, was the most glorious, majestic tree I had ever seen. It rose to the crest of the sky, pink, white, and purple blossoms dancing sweetly in the wind. It looked like home, like a hug from my dad and my favorite spot of sunshine and a book on a rainy day all wrapped into one thing. Before I knew it, my cheeks were wet with tears and I felt a tender sense of peace.

In a flash—before the claws shredded my neck—before teeth ripped into my gullet—I realized that tree was something terribly important to me. Maybe it was my soul, I philosophized later, or something else entirely. I was now aware that I was dreaming. It was a strange dream, to be sure, but thank God I was dreaming. Now all I had to do was ignore the pain of fangs and claws and wake up—

wake up—

wake UP—

With a gasp, I opened my eyes to see the comforting sight of the cheap tiled ceiling of my dorm room. I was safe. I was fine. It was a bad dream, after all. I sat up, disentangling the sweat soaked sheet from my bare legs and wiping the tears that still lingered on my cheeks with my ratty t shirt. Out of habit, I checked the time to make sure I hadn't slept though a class. To my luck, it was three minutes until my first alarm went off. I heaved a long sigh, sitting back onto the pillows in thought. What a strange dream… My adrenaline still ran so high that I barely needed my morning dose of coffee—a shocking development to a perpetually sleep-deprived college student. Chasing the last wisps of the dream away, I went through my schedule for the day, another comforting habit I had developed. Today, I had Islamic studies, followed by neuroscience and an organic chemistry lab in the afternoon, and a test tomorrow that needed three or four more hours of studying before I could sleep again plus three more hours of homework aside. I hopped off of the narrow bed to the rest of my morning routine.

Later, I would wonder if anyone else had ever dreamed of dying the day before they died. Maybe everyone did, but most people never mentioned it, or forgot about it until the very seconds before darkness struck. Maybe my subconscious knew something that I did not, and was trying to protect me from the painful truth barreling towards me with every second that slipped by.

After all was said and very permanently done, I mourned the fact that I did not wait around for my roommate to get back from her morning yoga class, to hug her silly one last time, or that I did not poke my head into any amount of friends' rooms to wish them good morning, or that I didn't call my parents to say "I love you".

I proceeded as though everything was normal, scraping together an outfit that was somewhere between "bad bitch" and "I have officially given up on looking super hot, so tepid is going to have to do for now". Gathering my books and papers, I slipped out of the dorm building and began the trek to main campus, grabbing a granola bar and yesterday's green tea in a can to tide me over until actual breakfast.

As I strolled, I felt my hands and feet grow cold disproportionately to the weather. Befuddled, I rubbed my hands together, deciding it was a combination of poor circulation and January's chill. With a creeping sense of alarm, the cold advanced up my forearms and past my knees, pins and needles biting every pocket of warmth. Now sure something was wrong, I increased my pace, desperate to get indoors and warm my numb limbs.

I never made it. With sudden force, my knees buckled and I collapsed on the sidewalk, the cold slithering and squirming into every crevice, suffocating my organs and tissues and all I could think was Oh my God, this is how I'm going to die right here right now oh my God-!

As though from the bottom of a deep pool, I heard people gathering around me, "Someone call 911—" "Oh my G—" "What's wrong with her, is this a drug over—" "Check her pulse, her eyes are rolling back—" "Is she having a seizure—" "She's foaming at the mouth, look—" "Her lips are blue… I don't think that's good—"

I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry, but the terrible chill wrapped a vise around my chest and lungs and my eyesight was going to black and I was so, so terribly afraid of the ice settling itself into my chest and I was dying in the middle of a crowd of strangers and—

And—

The darkness swirled up to meet me, and I sank into its embrace.

Sunlight warmed my fingers and bones, and the scent of my favorite flowers fluttered to my nose. Gardenias and honeysuckle along with every kind of green thing swelled into a fragrant melody, lifting my eyelids with their pleasant song. The sky was blue and the ground was soft with heather and sweet grass. I could not recall being so well rested, so at ease, since I was a child of three. No worries assaulted me, no anxieties about the future or a test or a job prickled my skin. Nothing needed me, and all I needed was to stay right where I was.

I sat up with care and gazed upon a field bursting with every kind of wild flower. Gold, royal blue, red, purple, yellow, pink, and every other color dotted the field all the way to the horizon. A crisp, cooling wind told me that it was near the beginning of spring.

I heard rustling nearby, and turned around to see the tree—my tree—in the distance. It was closer than last time, close enough so that I could see that it was as thick around as my old dorm room and that its tallest branches might actually brush the sky. The white and purple blossoms twirled and danced to see me, gesturing for me to come closer and say hello.

"A plum tree," I whispered to the wind, the knowledge sprouting from an unknown patch of soil nestled deep in my mind. I started toward it with measured steps.

"Hello, my old friend."

I pivoted, not in shock but in happy surprise. The voice I heard was the rustling of leaves in a nighttime storm and wind chimes in a steady breeze and the trickling of a newborn brook.

"Do I know…?" The sight of her stole my words—she was radiance and light, tone and sound, every color and texture and angle and form. I fell shaking to my hands and knees, unable to face her in her great glory.

Out of the corner of my eye I witnessed her pad forward, and the very plants rose up to meet her, like soldiers standing at attention in front of their queen or a dog coming to give a happy greeting. I concentrated on keeping myself upright from the dizzying display, limbs quivering like a newborn lamb's.

She reached to cup my cheek and lifted my head in the process. She had dimmed her glow—enough so that I could see her form without weeping and gnashing of teeth. Appearing similar to a mortal woman in no way diminished her beauty. In fact, her youth and grace far surpassed that of any woman, living or dead, except perhaps Helen herself.

Gathering the wits that had scattered at the sight of her, I managed to whimper once more, "Who are you?"

She smiled with a hint of wistfulness. "You know me, my friend."

Somehow, I knew she was correct. Her form, her grace, her majesty were as familiar and constant as the rhythm of my own lungs.

"But… how do I know you?"

Her smile lost some of its melancholy. "A better question. Your mythology calls me Persephone, the goddess of spring. Once, long ago and before the age of men, you were my handmaiden and harbinger."

I blinked and found that my heart had already accepted this as absolute truth. My mother always pronounced that instinct guided better and truer than the mind, and I believed her enough to refrain from a skeptical assertion and let her continue.

Her eyes softened with an ancient burden. "One day, you lost your immortality and died. Ever since, with the help of my husband, I have guided your every reincarnation to keep you as safe as possible."

I couldn't help a muffled snort. "Not terribly safe in that last one, was I? I died on the sidewalk in the middle of strangers! I was terrified and cold and more alone than I have ever been! I had no chance to say… goodbye…" Tears clogged my throat as I waited for chastisement for my angry outburst.

"Death is not the most evil of outcomes. You and I, of all people, should know that very well." It had slipped my mind on who her husband was, but now it hit me with the force of an eighteen-wheeler. This stunning creature was bound to Hades, the god of death. Of course, to her, death would not be the worst outcome, seeing as she shared a bed with him.

"Besides that, you agreed to die young before you went in. Your death set dozens of people on paths they would not have otherwise chosen. Combined, they make the world a better place."

I could see where this was going. "So my death inspired people to do exceptional things that they wouldn't have otherwise done?"

Her eyes glittered like a stream in the sunshine. "Precisely. One of your friends will go into research, eventually finding a way to make artificial hearts, which removes the need for organ donation wait lists and averting tens of thousands of tragedies. Another becomes a famous author instead of an accountant, another revolutionizes the political system. All because you were their friend, and you were taken far too soon.

I made no response because bitterness clogged my throat. Where was my chance to do amazing things?

She offered her hand to me as a gesture to stand. "It's time for you to go on."

The gentle meadow peeled away as though it had never been—perhaps it never had. What I now saw was a wood that was as serene as it was solid; it was far more real than anything I had ever seen previously. It was like putting glasses on for the first time, not even realizing that they were needed until the entire world snapped into clarity. The canopy of trees covered the sun, and only filtered green rays reached us on the forest floor, littered with small pools of water throughout.

The beautiful woman—Persephone—the goddess of spring—led me to a nearby pool. "What would you like your life to be like this time? I can shift a few things around, as a thank you for your last life."

Even here the plants all strained to meet her, I noted with befuddled amusement. "Wait. Where are we?"

"One of your writers called this place the Wood between the Worlds, and it is apt enough. This is the pond that contains the portal into your world, and that is the place to which you are going back."

I blinked, arrested by a thought. "My world? How is it not yours as well? And more worlds than just my own exist?"

Her eyes twinkled. "How shall I phrase this…? Even in this place, it rains, and drops are shifted from one pool to another. And then, there are underground rivers that connect every tree and every leaf. That is the place from which you know me." She glanced at the sky, which had started to darken. "And now you must choose. Do you have any specific requests, or may I plant you where I will?"

I sucked in a few calming breaths. How could I dive into my next life—which apparently made reincarnation a thing—so soon after I had left my previous? The pain of losing my friends and family still lingered like a bruised heart.

As I thought, another part of my mind admired the figure in front of me. Her beauty, power, and kindness, her perfect alliance with the natural world. As I did, a simple, pure desire was born.

"I want to be like you."

She blinked once in surprise. "I… I am very flattered." She stared off into the distance, thoughts heavy on her brow. "Maybe not in this one… there's no real reason that I can't put her somewhere else…"

She turned back to me, the sparkle of an idea in her eyes. "Come!" she fluted, grabbing my wrist and whisking me away at a fast pace. We jumped over logs, skirted bogs, and galloped over moss and other detritus until we came to another still pool.

"This one shall do very nicely. After thousands of reincarnations in one place, it's a good time for a change of pace, isn't it?"

"Wait. Thousands?" I squeaked.

"Well, no, eight hundred and sixty-two I believe, but thousands sounded so much more dramatic and fitting for the occasion, wouldn't you say?

I shook my head. "Yeah, definitely. Sure." I peered into the placid pool. "So this is my new home?" I couldn't see any differences between this one and the last one.

She nodded. "It's even one you're passingly familiar with. Not that it matters, since it's standard procedure to wipe your memories before you return."

Cold dread trickled down my spine. No! I did not want to forget a single thing about this life! I wasn't ready—not to die, not to forget, although both choices were being taken from me.

The goddess of spring either didn't notice my plight, or chose to ignore it in favor of watching the still darkening sky once more. "We need to hurry. There are things that wander these woods after dark that not even a goddess dares face."

I nodded, sick at heart. "Let's get this over with, then." I touched the water with my bare feet, and I noticed that I was once more wearing my white dress. Saying goodbye, goodbye in my heart to so many people, I waded in without a backwards glance, even though I longed to see her splendor once more.

She only noticed I had moved when the water was up to my hips. "Wait, Wait! You must drink from the water, or else you will not forget! An infant mind is not meant to hold the memories of an adult!"

Or else you will not forget. I stopped, but I was sinking on my own accord. Suspecting that she could not come after me, I turned for a final glance. As she looked on me with urgency, a devilish thought appeared. I locked my lips, threw away the key, winked, covered my nose, and took a deep breath before I ducked myself under the water.

"You fool!" I heard her scream, but it was too late; no water was going past these lips. Her shouts faded away, and soon I heard strains of a melody only half forgotten and colors and shapes that drew familiar patterns in my mind. For the second time in as many hours, darkness came to meet me, and I fell once more.

Meanwhile, the goddess of spring glared at the pool with a combination of shock, indignance, and a hint of amused resignation.

"You were always a bit of an imp, my plum tree."

And with that, I began the grandest of adventures.

A/N: Hello, friends! This is my first ever fanfiction, although I have been reading them for nigh on eight years now. Please be gentle!

A few things I would like to address:

1. The actual Naruto parts will come in the next chapter, I promise! Hold tight!

2. This is an OC fiction (inspired by Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine, so brilliant and beautiful! Go read!), so if that is not your cup of tea there are hundreds of thousands of other fics out there for you to enjoy instead of this one :) I realize that most people associate OC-as-main-character fics with Mary-Sues, but I will endeavor to break your expectations ;)

3. I am a full time college student (that bit up there was taken from my actual life/schedule and not even a little bit exaggerated, much to my dismay!) so updates will be sporadic. I will try my hardest to update at least once a month, although I cannot promise that with absolute certainty.

4. Last, but not least- the myth of Hades and Persephone will crop up quite a few times, and I will do my best to explain the pertinent parts! However, if you have no idea what I'm talking about/would like to go a little deeper into the story, feel free to look it up :)

Namaste,

shapes and colors