One Week

One Week

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any character from quoted manga, nor do I own anything else that I do not…well, own.

Chapter One: Sunday

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Itachi yawned widely, looking out the window. Sunday mornings. Mornings that varied with the seasons from super sunny to readily raining to freezing frigid. But Sundays never varied in one thing. Sundays were the days Itachi's mother forced him out to the park, the playing grounds of all kids. She thought he was mingling with the others and making friends…but he wasn't. No child dared approach the Uchiha princeling, the child genius who'd already activated the sharingan. In turn, the taciturn boy had never sought their company, preferring to walk the perimeter of the park as the others played.

There was a taboo, so to speak, an instinctive barrier between him and them. Itachi never really minded. He'd never really felt the need for friends. He had Sasuke the whole week…except on Sundays, when their mother shooed her children into their respective age groups.

So another Sunday. Another morning with a big breakfast, another morning with father giving them their weekly lecture on how they were the pride of the Uchiha clan, how they were his children, so they should behave as his children would be expected to behave. Another Sunday with their mother giving dutiful kisses and hugs and reminding them to play nice. Another Sunday where the brothers parted ways, the younger to his group of people, the older to his silent pacing.

Itachi watched them again. Those three boys and two girls…that group of five. Uchiha Rui and Uchiha Dara, the twin brothers, Uchiha Tsuki and Uchiha Izuki, the best friends…and him, of course, him, the true Prince of the Uchiha clan, the much-loved, much adored, well pampered and properly revered Uchiha Shisui. Even though Itachi was the genius everyone considered the future of Konoha, Shisui was more popular. Everyone knew Itachi, but everyone who knew Shisui loved him. He was special. He was cute. The mothers couldn't have him near them without stuffing him full of food, the fathers couldn't stop their hands from patting his back proudly, the sisters couldn't stop themselves from kyaaa-ing at his kawaii lopsided grin, the brothers couldn't help but give him piggyback rides.

He was raven haired like the rest of them, but the jet black was interrupted with streaks of light brown. His eyes were onyx like the rest of them, but they were dimmed and clouded with tints of gray. His father was Uchiha, but his mother was Nara. He was half-and-half, but he wouldn't belong to one clan or the other until it became clear whether he had the sharingan or not. Until then, he was not only the pet of the Uchiha, he was the pet of all Konoha. His curly hair fell freely past his shoulders like a girl's, his lips were full and red like a girl's. He was always smiling, a sleepy, lopsided smile, and his eyes, eternally half closed, added to the impression that he'd just woken up, that he was only half in this world.

They were playing kick-the-can. They always played the funnest games, or maybe whatever they did seemed to be most fun. All the kids looked up to them. All the kids worshipped them.

Itachi glanced over at them again. They seemed to be talking.

"Look Shisui," Rui laughed, "He's watching again."

"I really don't like him. He's so quiet, always acting like he's better than everyone, never talking to anyone," Tsuki complained.

Shisui glanced at the silent boy. "I 'unno guys. His li'l brother, Sasuke-kun is pretty sweet. I think he's just shy."

Dara snorted. "Shisui, you think everyone's nice. He's not shy, he's stuck up."

"No he's not," Shisui said stubbornly. "Izuki, you believe me right?"

The girl pushed her glasses further up her nose. "Ummmm…"

"Izuki!"

"I believe you…?"

Shisui glared at them. "I'll prove he's not stuck up. Hey!" he yelled suddenly, whirling around, "Hey Itachi-kun! C'mere, join us!" he waved.

Itachi froze. What? Why…was he asking him to play? Itachi narrowed his eyes. The others had sheepish grins on their face. That Rui boy was smacking his forehead against Tsuki's shoulder.

A joke. They were playing a joke on him, because he was alone and they had the security of a group. Well, he'd show them. He didn't need a group to feel secure. He was Uchiha Itachi. He was strong. He had to be strong!

He turned his back on them and walked away.

Rui burst out laughing. "See Shisui? He's just stuck-up. Not everyone is nice."

Dara shook his head. "Some people are just born mean."

"I know, how mean, to just walk away when Shisui invited him so nicely!"

"Izuki," Shisui said, "Do you think he's stuck up?"

The bespectacled girl frowned. "It sure seems that way." Tsuki nodded vehemently to back her up.

Shisui shook his head. "No. He must be really shy, no one's ever invited him to play before, he must've thought we were being mean."

Rui frowned, clearly unconvinced.

"I'll make friends with him, just you watch!" Shisui huffed, "And when I do, I'll introduce you to him, and I bet you'll love him!"

He stormed away, angrily.

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"Ah, Itachi, you're back early today!" his mother exclaimed. "What happened?"

"I didn't feel like playing today," he mumbled.

"Oh. Well, then you can train."

"Okaa-san…can I go to bed?"

"This early?" she seemed surprised, "Um, ok."

Another Sunday. Exhaustive. Itachi fell onto his bed, and closed his eyes. Peace. Sleep time was his peace time, his truly alone time, when no one would bother him.

"Um…nii-chan? Can you take me to the bathroom? Its really dark outside," Sasuke's small voice said.

Well. Almost no one would bother him.

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T.T that wasn't funny at all! Bah. Must…try…harder!