He ran and ran and ran and ran. Endlessly.

On and on… on and on… endlessly.

Suddenly, he tripped.

Something was fastened to his foot.

"Uchiha…" the person moaned. "Uchiha… of Konoha…"

"AAAAAAAH!" he screamed, kicking the bloody face right in the mouth and managing to dislodge the tight, deathly fingers off his ankles.

On and on… he ran… when he burst into a clearing.

Blood, blood… kill, kill… flee, flee… fight fight…

Flight, flight.

He couldn't see anything clearly, there was so much going on, he couldn't focus on anything, but he tripped again and something fell on him, knocking the breath out. Something warm…

Something fell on top of that too, and as the light disappeared, so did his consciousness…

"Come here, Riku!"

"Coming, Otousan.."

"Ryuuga, we really should be going..."

"Oh, okay... come on, Riku. Otousan and Kousan are leaving!"

"AAAAH! Wait for me!"

Ryuuga lifted the child up onto his shoulders. "Let's go Tsukimura"

We walked down the path, towards one of the many houses...

"Kousan, he's not playing with me!" Riku complained.

"You're just a little kid" Itachi sniffed. "You're small!"

"Itachi, play with her, please" I yawned.

"But.. But..."

"Go outside or something" I added, cradling Sasuke in my lap.

"Ok, fine" he said, getting up. "Tag, you're it"

I watched as he ran off and Riku tried to catch him with her small, child body.

A few moments later, I had an eerie feeling. Sasuke was crying and wasn't calming down.

Something bad was about to happen... Something really bad is about to happen. I used my Byakugan and surveyed the area. No, nothing...

"Itachi!" I called. He came and I gave him the baby. "Here, take Sasuke, I'm going to warm up some milk for him"

He sat down on the porch with his brother.

"Kousan, I'm thirsty too" Riku said, tugging my shirt.

"Ok, come on, I'll get you some water"

I poured out water for her and she drank it while I warmed up some milk.

"Kousan, don't you feel wierd?" she asked finally.

"What do you mean?" I asked, holding my breath.

"It feels like something bad is going to happen" she said, hesitantly. "Like I'm going to get lost on the way home, or I'll accidently step on my favorite toy... and break it"

"Hmm... Here, give this to Itachi" I said, handing her the bottle. "Stay with him. I'll go see what's going on"

"Okay, Kousan" she said, taking the bottle. "Come back soon..."

I slipped out the door and hurried towards the village. Again, I used the Byakugan.

What I saw seemed almost impossible...

The Kyuubi!

I trudged back.

The Yondaime is dead... The Yondaime is dead.

Kushina is gone... She's gone.

Minato and Kushina were my cousins...

They're gone.

Where was Ryuuga and Fugaku and Mikoto and the rest of the clan? They should have been there, assisting the village!

I opened the door. Everything was dark.

"Riku? Itachi?" I called, moving on. "Are you three okay?"

"Yeah, we're okay" Itachi answered. I saw the three of them huddled in a corner.

The younger ones were asleep.

"Sasuke's asleep too" he added.

I pulled Riku off him, but she clng to his arm. He pryed off her fingers and I layed her down in a corner then took Sasuke from him.

"Where's Otousan, and Kousan?" he demanded. "They should have been here, with us"

"I don't know Itachi" I sighed. "It's late... Go to sleep"

I can't remember my father. All I know is that I'm an Uchiha, and my mother hates Uchiha.

Every few weeks, I remember that two Uchiha would always come to our house and Kousan would always yell at them and insult them and call them dogs and drive them away. I didn't know what they wanted, but I was terrified of them all the same. Kousan was really scary when they were around, watching us from the streets.

They tried being the 'good guys' by sending me clothes and everything, but I can clearly remember Kousan ripping off the Uchiha emblem and burning it, then just stitching on plain colored coth. She hated them.

On other days, this other man used to come, who reminded me of mummies in my books. He had only one eye... Anyway, I remember that Kousan was alot better with him, but she was still scary when he was around. He used to talk about me and weapons and Konoha, which I didn't understand, but whenever the topic reached about me, he was thrown out too.

Kousan isn't mean, or evil. I love my Kousan. She's so nice to me. She tells me stories, and she buys me candy and chocolates. She lets me play on the streets and get as dirty as possible.

"Please, Riku. Be a tomboy for me" she'd laugh.

"Okay Kousan" I'd say, as she combed my hair.

"It's unbelievable, Itachi!" Otousan said proudly. "Unbelievable!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever" Kousan snapped. "Send him to the Academy already, that's where he'll get official recognition!"

"Academy? Those losers and my boy? No way. He's going to train with me. You wait Itachi, you'll become the best Uchiha-"

"Did you hear me, dear?"

"What?"

"Send Itachi to the Academy"

"But-"

"SEND ITACHI TO THE ACADEMY!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry, Mikoto-sama"

I went to the Academy, a stranger. No one knows me, and I know no one.

I'm not a dunce, even if I don't have a Sharingan. I can do a pretty good paper, and manage to come in second. But look who's first. And obnoxious Uchiha… I hate him…

One day, after I finished with my practical, I sat down under a tree and looked at how my classmates were doing stuff. My eyes shifted, and I read every single move of theirs, how much chakra they need, the timing, how to execute it, everything.

"Nice" I murmured, as Sora did a water style jutsu.

"Hey" came a voice, behind me.

It's you, I hissed to myself, before sweetly replying, "Oh, hi. I didn't see you there"

Stalker.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like?" I asked.

"It looks like you're copying jutsus" he said bluntly.

Oh great. Wonderful, you loser.

"Amazing" I said, faking enthusiasm. "Just one problem. How do I do that?"

"I want to see something" he said, suddenly in front of me, holding my chin.

"What's your problem, you doofu-" I started, but his gleaming Sharingan stopped me. After a million years, he finally let go.

"You've got different eyes" he said. "Extremely different ones"

"SO?"

"What do they do?"

"They copy jutsus, just like the braniac reported"

"Nice. You don't show it though"

"That's 'cause I'm not a stupid show off like YOU!"

He only smirked and walked away.

"Later"

Damn, that stupid, show off, I'm-so-high-and-mighty Uchiha, one dy I will show him, I will beat him up until he's purple and blue, then I'll kick him in the stomach, knock out his damn eyes, burn them, then drown him, then burn him with the ashes of his stupid damn eyes!

Calm down, Riku. You're getting over-violent…

I carried the stacks of books across the corridor, staggering under their weight.

Why do I have to carry the stupid books? Why can't Shisui do it? Why does he treat me like his servant, even if he does call me his best friend?

Suddenly, I tripped and fell on the stack of books. Really hard.

"Owww!" I started, getting up. I felt someone's ankles touching mine, and that someone was giggling.

Uchiha Riku, the little nobody in my class…

"What's your problem?" I asked. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"I don't know" she managed to say. "It was so funny watching you fall!"

"Brilliant" I muttered, picking up the stacks of books, only to trip again.

"You're doing it, aren't you?" I said accusingly.

"It's so funny!" she giggled. "I can't believe I tripped the great Uchiha Itachi, not once but TWICE!"

And she collapsed into another fit of giggles.

"Crazy people" I said again. "Carrying books around is against the law right? Thanks, Riku. I'll try my utmost to remember this golden rule"

"Okay, okay. Sorry. I guess I can help you" she said, picking up some of the fallen books. She's making it sound like she's doing a gigantic favor to me, like saving my life or something, I thought.

I knew it. This proves everything.

The Uchiha are all sick.

We carried the books back to the library.

"Why were you outside your classroom?" I asked.

"Because I was trying to beat someone up"

"Oh… why's that?"

"She was making fun of me"

"Oh"

Suddenly, Shisui popped up.

"Hey Junior, did you have fun?" he asked.

"No" I scowled.

"I did!" Riku volunteered.

Shisui was surprised, but hid it well. "Why, what did you do? Stare at Itachi all day?"

"Eww, no. I tripped him" she said proudly, holding up two fingers. "Twice!"

"Wow!" Shisui said, amazed. Not every day do you come across a girl who like tripping innocent people like me just for fun, instead of staring at me all day. Staring at me all day is Shisui's concept of excellent humor, that is, until people stare at him too.

It's a universal truth. The Uchiha are all sick.

What sadists we are.

I scowled darkly and left the two of them to celebrate their "Trip Itachi Day".

Later, I approached them and found her telling Shisui something enegetically. When I realized what she was talking about, I stifled a laugh as Shisui didn't have a clue regarding this Subject. Mothers.

Shisui doesn't have a mother. His mother died when he was three years old.

Anyway, Shisui knew he was walking on thin ice, so he only politely continued the conversation with well placed "Yes", "That's right", "Go on!" and "Of coarse!"

"So of coarse I have to beat them up. If they insult you, wouldn't you beat them up? And since My Kousan is part of me, I'll beat the daylights out of them" she said.

"Hey, guys" I said, sitting down on the grass.

"Hey Itachi" Shisui said, relieved that I interrupted the conversation.

"Hi. You know, I really want to beat you up" she said wistfully, a kunai swinging on her fingers.

"Bring it, loser"

"I'm not a loser!"

"Yes you are"

"No I'm not! You're the loser!"

"I see. Losers don't like to repeat themselves"

"What the hell?"

"Yes, Miss Loser?"

"Shut up!"

"Shut up!" Shisui ordered. "Let me hear… yeah, that's him. Gotta go, Itachi. Looks like some one is looking for me"

He quickly got up and left.

"You know, you shouldn't beat the daylights out of people" I said.

"Why not?" she asked stubbornly. "What do you know about me?"

"You just shouldn't. It's wrong. You can get Shisui to teach them a lesson now and then"

"They'll never learn" she said. "They hate me more than I hate you"

"But still-"

"Stop staring at me with those freaky eyes!" she burst out. "I hate it!"

"What? I'm sorry, but-"

"Just stop it! I hate you, you piss me off, I wanna kill you, and I'll do it, I swear I will-"

I didn't see anything, just a curtain of red.

Next thing I knew, Itachi was on the ground, his cheek touching the grass, dotted with blood while I grabbed his collar.

"I hate you!"

"Feel better?" he asked, staring distantly away.

"I- what?"

"Feeling better?" he asked, his eyes looking at me.

"Yeah! Of coarse I'm feeling better, beating you up!" I hissed, feeling hot and sweaty.

"No you don't" he said.

"Yes I do!"

"No, you don't"

"Yes I do!"

"You're lying"

I stopped. He was right, I felt worse, but I wasn't about to admit it to him.

He wiped the blood off hi cheek and turned his head towards me.

"You're feeling worse then when we started"

"You're the liar! I feel fine!"

"No you don't"

I punched him again.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" I asked, frustrated.

"I won't fight against those younger than me, or those I can deal with myself"

"So? Get up, and fight!"

"You get off me and go home"

"I'm not a puppy who just goes home!"

"I never said you were"

I punched him again.

"Stop it" he said, his hand on my wrists. "Get off me, right now, and go home. Neither of us lose face"

"Lose face? Lose face? I'll make sure you lose yours because I've already lost mine!" I hissed.

"Riku. Get up, right now, before I make you" he said, his eyes red.

I glared at him and he stared coolly back. I felt my hand slowly let go of his collar, the other that was held back to punch him slowly relax and I became aware that I was sitting on his stomach.

I don't know what happened. I just got up, took my bag and walked out the courtyard. When I finally gained control of my body, I turned back to see what he was doing. He was looking at his hands thoughtfully.

Damn him!

How did he make me get and go?

HOW?