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Chapter One

-Innocence-

A pink haired woman walked down the streets of Kyoto, Japan, her short locks clipped up with decorative chopsticks. She had on a beautiful mint green kimono with white and forest green leaves decorating the silk. Behind her was a servant, dressed in a simple, yet nice, grey kimono, holding a red umbrella over the woman and the small boy who was holding her hand as they made their way through the market. "What would you like for a treat today Sanosuke?" the woman asked the dark haired boy beside her, her jade depths lighting up when he looked up at her.

"Can we get some Taiyaki?" Sanosuke asked, a small smile coming to his face. He had deep green eyes and hair the color of ravens that spiked up slightly in the back.

"Of course sweetie. We'll get it after we get some fresh fruits and veggies." She smiled, looking forward.

"Lady Natsumi, would you like to get fruit first or the vegetables?" the servant asked, adjusting the basket hanging on her arm.

Natsumi shrugged, "What do you think Sano?"

His face scrunched up. "Veggies are gross." He said, sticking his tongue out. "Can't we just get fruit?"

She laughed, her smile growing. "Oh you know you like veggies my little one. Just not green beans, and I promise we won't get those."

"Pinky swear?" he asked, raising his free hand and holding out his pinky to her.

Natsumi nodded, linking her finger with her son's. "Pinky promise."

He smiled as they released their fingers. "Let's get the veggies first then." He said. "You know if you break a pinky swear you get cursed for all 'ternity, and have bad luck." He told her.

"I know, and a thousand needles will go in my eye." She said, resting her hand on her head. The three went to the vendor and shopped for the best vegetables, before going to the fruits and finally the meats for the day. Natsumi scanned over the choice, though was pulled from her thoughts when Sanosuke tugged on her kimono.

"Mommy." He groaned, pouting. "I want taiyaki." He whined slightly.

"Sano, just a minute. Okay?"

He tugged on her once more, pointing to the stand. "But it's right there!"

Natsumi sighed and looked down, pulling some money from her small purse. She handed it to her son and gave him a commanding look. "You do not run off okay? Mommy is trusting you."

"I pinky swear mommy!" he said, hooking his pinky with hers once more before kissing her cheek and dashing over to the stand.

She watched him run off to the vendor and glanced at her servant, "Keep an eye on him." She said, before returning her attention to the salesman.

Sanosuke skidded to a halt before the sweet cake vendor, looking over the selection with hungry eyes. The old man smiled at him. "What can I get for you young man?" he asked.

"I want a red custard filled taiyaki." Sanosuke requested, holding the money up to him.

He nodded, taking the money and handing back his change, before grabbing a napkin and one of the cakes. "Here you go. Don't eat it too quickly or you'll get a stomach ache." He advised.

"I won't." Sanosuke said, his eyes focused on his treat as he began to make his way back to his mother. They darted off then as a flash of gold entered his vision, and he halted as he realized that what he was staring at was a girl. She was around his age, and he could tell by her hair color that she wasn't Japanese. His brow furrowed when he saw that her amber gaze was on him, and that was when he realized she was staring at his cake. He glanced over at his mother, before looking back at the girl. "You want some?" he asked, holding it out to her.

She shook her head quickly, a small blush coming to her cheeks as she looked off. She was a fair skinned girl, her short blonde hair braided into two on either side of her head and stopping just past her shoulders. Sanosuke just walked over to her and tore his treat in half, making sure not to spill any of the custard that was inside. "Here." He said, offering her the larger portion. She shook her head again, her blush darkening as she hid behind a cart slightly.

"That's yours." She said softly.

"But I want to share." He insisted.

She stared at him for a bit, before coming back out and taking the piece he'd offered her. She lifted it and bit down, still seeming wary. But when the delicious taste filled her mouth, she smiled. Sanosuke smiled as well. "I'm Uchiha Sanosuke, what's your name?" he asked, taking a bite of his half.

"Talia…Utagawa Talia." She said, taking another bite. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Sanosuke beamed. "This makes us friends now you know."

Talia blinked. "It does?"

He nodded. "Cause' I don't have any friends, and I want you to be my first!" he declared.

"Okay." She smiled, finishing off her treat. "Then let's be friends." She said, hugging him.

The young Uchiha's eyes widened at the sudden contact, but luckily he was caught off-guard enough to where he automatically returned her embrace. "So what are you?" he asked as they parted. "Cause' I've never seen hair the color of yours before."

"I'm Japanese." She said, seeming confused. "I think my mom is from somewhere else cause' she has blonde hair too." Talia shrugged, tugging on her golden locks. "But I don't know where."

"It looks like sunshine." He laughed, reaching out and touching the end of one of her braids.

Her blush returned. "You think so?"

"Yeah!" he nodded. "It's all shiny and pretty…I really like it."

"Thanks. I like your hair too, it's all spikey." She giggled, reaching up and patting it softly.

"My mommy tries to brush it down, but it just stays like this. She's over there buying gross veggies." He told her, pointing at the pink haired woman.

She looked over at the woman and nodded. "She has crazy hair."

Sanosuke's eyes widened and he quickly covered her mouth with his hand. "Don't say that." he whispered, since their faces were centimeters apart now. "She'll get angry, and she's scary when she gets angry. So scary…my dad compared her to a demon one time, 'cept she doesn't know."

All Talia could do was blink, though her eyes widened slightly and she mumbled something into his hand. His brow furrowed. "Huh?" he asked, lowering his hand.

"She's a demon?" she whispered back.

"Oh, no." he shook his head. "But she can get real mean like one. So just be careful, cause' I don't want her to scare you."

Talia beamed, looking proud. "Nothing scares me."

He blinked, looking at her in awe. "Really? Not even the dark?" he asked.

"Nope." She stood proudly. "I'm brave." She said, before beginning to giggle.

Sanosuke gave her a sly look. "So you're not even afraid of the tickle monster?"

Talia seemed confused. "What's that?"

He snickered. "This!" he exclaimed, before lunging at her and tickling her sides.

She began to laugh loudly, trying to fight him off. "Haha! Stop!" she giggled, almost crying from laughing so hard.

"Sanosuke!" they both heard, which immediately made the boy stop when he turned and was faced with his mother's angered and somewhat embarrassed expression. She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him back. "What are you doing?" she scolded, giving him a hard look.

"Playing with Talia." Sanosuke said innocently enough, his wide green eyes portraying that he didn't understand what he had done wrong.

Natsumi looked to the girl, before returning her jade depths to her son. "Come on Sanosuke. You know how to behave." She said, before offering her hand down to him.

He pouted. "You mean we have to leave?"

"I'm all done shopping and we need to get back home." She said. "Say goodbye to your friend and let's go."

Sanosuke frowned, before turning back to Talia. "I gotta go." He said sadly, even though it was obvious. "But I was glad to meet you."

She nodded. "Nice to meet you too." She smiled, lifting her hand and holding her pinky out to him. "Promise to see you again."

He smiled, wrapping his pinky around hers. "Promise." He said, before releasing her and taking his mother's hand. "Bye Talia."

Talia waved until they were gone, Natsumi talking to the servant about all the things they'd gotten. She looked down at her son and tugged on his arm a bit. "So who was that girl? She looked like a foreigner."

"She's Japanese though mommy." Sanosuke quickly defended. "She said her mom is the foreigner, and her dad is local. So that's why she looks like a foreigner." He smiled. "Her hair was like sunshine."

"Where were her parents? Was she all alone?" Natsumi wondered, since she hadn't seen another blonde in the market.

He shrugged. "I dunno, I didn't ask her."

"Well. Do you like her?" she asked, arching a curious brow.

"Of course I do." The ebony haired boy blinked. "She's my friend."

She laughed, bumping her hip against him. "That's not what I meant Sano." She smirked.

Sanosuke huffed. "Mommy…you said I'm not s'posed to like girls…that you were the only one who should ever be in my life." he argued.

"That's right." She beamed. "But you never know when there could be a special one that is a thief."

"I thought thieves were bad mommy?" he asked.

Natsumi blinked. "Well…what I mean Sano, is that sometimes you have to take what you want. And that's okay. As long as it's not harmful."

"So as long as it's for a good reason?" the little boy wondered.

She nodded. "Right."

He seemed to think about it, before he smiled. "I'd let Talia steal my heart then." He laughed. "She's nice and cute!"

Natsumi laughed. "We'll see then." She smiled.