Prologue
"Hey A-Ami?" Sasuke stuttered.
"Yeah Sas?" Amida smiled at him. She has been trying to get him to stop stuttering since the day the two seven year old's met.
" W-Well I uh"
"Come on, spit it out Sasuke!" she laughed.
"Well I-I like you, Amida. A lot." He flinched when he finally said this. Both the young kids were blushing a deep shade of crimson red.
"I-I like you too, Sas." she confessed, breaking the awkward silence. Sasuke pulled out two pieces of dental floss, each with their own locket." What's this?" she asked as he wrapped the string (which smelled of fresh mint) around her neck, trying not to pull off the black and grey, dog eared hat she always wore. He wondered what she was hiding under the strange hat. Amida never showed him.
"A locket. Itachi-nee said girls like those kinds of things. Jewelry, right?" He thought to himself for a moment, making sure that Itachi said something about a locket being jewelry. Her response was a giggle, Sasuke hung his head. "You don't like it?"
"No. I love it!" she hugged him tightly, not planning to let go any time soon.
"Look inside." he managed. She released him, and opened the miniature doors to reveal a picture of her on the left and on of Sasuke on the right. "Mine's just like it" he opened his to show her that his was the exact same. "See, now no matter where we are, we'll always be together!" he smiled, BIG. So big, that it almost scared Amida. But instead of a cower, she giggled again. "Hey Ami?" he suddenly asked. He showed only the slightest bit of hesitation. He didn't however, fail to show his curiosity.
"Yes?"
"Now that I told you MY biggest secret, can you show me what's under that hat? We've been friends for almost six years and you've never taken it off.'' Amida started to twiddle her fingers. She hadn't expected him to ask that.
"Sorry Sas, Mamma says I'm not allowed to. She says no one would like me anymore if I showed them. Mamma said you wouldn't like me, either." She stared at the ground, trying to avert his worried gaze. Sasuke took out a kunai, and gently cut his left pinkie.
"Gimme your pinkie." He tried to sound reassuring. She held out her smallest finger with evident reluctance. Sasuke sliced it very carefully. She only winced a small bit but calmed down. She trusted this little boy with her life. "Now, let's pinkie promise that we'll be together forever. Repeat after me.
I, Sasuke Uchiha, pinkie promise to protect, love, and accept my best friend, Amida Saito until death dew us part."
"I, Amida Saito, pinkie promise to protect, love, and accept my best friend Sasuke Uchiha, until death dew us part." And with that, they locked pinkies, letting one's blood flow into the other, making an everlasting bond. "Okay Sas, I guess I could show you. But you can never, ever, ever, tell anyone what you see, alright?" He nodded. She slowly crept her hands toward the hat residing on her head. Amida had both dog ears in her grasp, and was about to pull, but was interrupted by her mother.
"Amidaaaaaaa!" She called. Amida quickly forced her hands to her side, hoping her mamma didn't see her attempt to lift the hat.
"Hi, !" Sasuke yelled, trying to distract her.
"Hi, Sasuke. Amida, honey it's time to come in now!" Amida was relived that her mother hadn't seen her action.
"I'll be right there, Mamma! Bye Sas!" she yelled back at him. He looked disappointed that she had to go so soon. Before Amida could reach her home, she turned around and pecked Sasuke on the cheek. "See you tomorrow." she whispered. Then she disappeared into her house, leaving a very dazed and blushing Sasuke behind.
*next day*
The Saito and Uchiha clans were in an unbreakable alliance. Amida and Sasuke had been best friends since they were in diapers. The clans shared an academy, in an attempt to make the children from the two clan's life long friends. Sometimes even more.
Sasuke was walking Amida home, when he felt a sudden pang in his gut.
Something wasn't right.
"Ami, stay here, I'll be right back." Sasuke demanded.
"No, I'm coming with you. Something's off around here." She shivered. Suddenly someone screamed. Sasuke stood in a defensive position in front of Amida.
"Stay here." He repeated. "I'll be back for you, I promise." He smiled, reassuring her everything was ok. She nodded and he ran home as fast as his small legs could go. He had a hard time taking in all the blood and limp bodies.
When he finally reached home he regretted it.
He slipped off his sandals and ran into the kitchen. He fell to his knees and into a puddle of blood that belonged to his parents. He got a huge lump in his throat. It sat like a rock until Itachi appeared in front of him.
"Itachi, what's going on? What happened to mom and dad?" Sasuke finally said. Itachi answered with a shuriken thet just grazed the shoulder of his left sleeve. "W-What did you do Itachi." He suddenly yelled. He flickered on his sharingan, but put it away when Itachi grasped Sasuke's small throat. Sasuke tried to squirm out, but it was no use.
"Sasuke, if you are so angry at me then foster your anger. Hunt me down and kill me when you've got the skill." He was about to say something else, but a little girl's scream caught his attention, and he disappeared into the night.