Chapter 1: A Name Given
Warmth.
That was the first thing he felt.
Not the vague, distant warmth of before—but something close, real, surrounding him from all sides. Rough cloth brushed against his skin, carrying a faint, unfamiliar scent. His body moved on its own, lungs burning as a cry escaped him.
The sound was loud. Startling.
His own.
"Hush… hush… I've got you."
The voice was soft, trembling slightly, as if exhausted yet relieved. He felt himself being lifted, cradled carefully, pressed against a steady heartbeat.
The crying slowed.
The darkness behind his eyelids thinned. Light filtered in as his eyes fluttered open, unfocused and weak. Shapes formed slowly—wooden beams above, warm lantern light, shadows that swayed gently.
This wasn't a place he recognized.
A face came into view.
She had dark hair pulled back messily, strands clinging to her face with sweat. Her eyes were tired, yet filled with something unmistakable as she looked down at him.
Affection.
"He's so small," she whispered. "But he's beautiful."
Another presence drew closer. A man leaned into his narrow field of vision, his expression composed but his eyes soft in a way that betrayed him.
"He looks like you," the man said quietly.
The woman scoffed weakly. "No, he doesn't. He has your nose."
The man allowed a faint smile.
The child—Rai, though that name still belonged to another life—felt something unfamiliar tighten in his chest.
Parents…
The realization was heavier than fear.
He couldn't move his hands properly, couldn't speak, couldn't even control his breathing—but he was being held as if he mattered. As if his existence alone was enough.
The man reached out carefully, one finger brushing against the child's tiny hand.
The fingers closed around his instinctively.
The man froze.
"…He grabbed me."
A quiet laugh escaped the woman. "Already strong-willed."
Silence followed, comfortable and full.
Then the woman spoke again, softer now. "Have you thought about his name?"
The man nodded. "I have."
He looked down at the child, studying his face seriously, as though trying to see not just what was, but what might be.
"I want him to have a name that reminds him of warmth," the man said. "Of light. Even when things are hard."
The woman listened, then nodded slowly. "Say it."
The man took a breath.
"Rai."
The sound settled into the room.
The child's mind stilled.
Rai…
The name felt strange—and yet, it fit.
The woman repeated it softly, testing it. "Rai… yes. That's good. Rai Uchiha."
She smiled down at him, brushing her thumb gently across his cheek.
"Welcome to the world, Rai."
At that moment, something stirred deep within his consciousness.
Not sound.
Not light.
Just a quiet awareness.
This space will open again in ten years.
Nothing more followed.
No explanation.
No feeling of power.
Just the knowledge—and then silence.
Rai did not react.
He couldn't.
His body was already growing heavy with sleep, the warmth of his mother's arms pulling him under. As his eyes slowly closed, the last thing he felt was the steady rhythm of two heartbeats—one beneath his cheek, one close beside him.
For now, that was enough.