Wilted

Disclaimer: I own nothing~

Chapter 1


If someone ever asked Amaterasu if she liked her name, she'd say no. You see, the kanji for her name was rather tricky, and despite it being rather pretty, the young girl had a rather hard time putting it on paper. Her plump little hands could barely hold the brush steady. She'd been doing this for weeks now, and she could barely make it halfway through her name.

She really really didn't like it! At the tender age of three years old, she could already write a good number of words. She'd be starting the Academy soon, and she really wanted to get ahead of the other children in her class. Already, Ama had surprised her parents with being able to use the restroom without their guidance. She already could comprehend a variety of things, such as that they were at war.

War was something rather bad. Ama would hear her parent's discussions while they were in the meetings that were often held at their home. Their home also doubled as a tea house. Since she was rather well behaved, Ama helped mama from time to time. It did hurt her small heart when she did hear the tales. This made the girl want to grow up faster so she'd be able to help her papa protect their family. She was a big sister now, to a cute baby brother. She never wanted anything to happen to him or her Nii-san.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she finished off the last kanji of her name. A large hand settled upon her head as he papa looked over her work. The child looked up at him as he gave her a nod.

"Come, Amaterasu. We need to train."

"Yes, Pa- Father."

It was hard to call her papa father sometimes. He would correct her every time she'd slip up. The young girl never wanted to disappoint him. The girl stood from the sitting position she was in and followed her papa outside, walking towards the training grounds. It had been a while since she had been able to hold his hand. She was almost four years old, she knew she'd be going to the academy once she hit that age. She knew she needed to do better. Nii-san was barely seven, and he was already a genin.

She needed to try harder. The girl felt a hand on her shoulder; she looked up, spotting a rather familiar woman with a child in her arms.

"Mikoto-dono… It's a pleasure to see you."

Amaterasu bowed along with her father. Something clicked in her mind as she remembered who exactly the woman was. She smiled widely as she looked up towards the toddler in her arms. Mikoto was married to the clan head. She was a rather nice woman, and Amaterasu had always enjoyed her company.

"It's a pleasure seeing you both, Izanagi-san, and Amaterasu-chan." She gave her own bow.

"Itachi-kun has gotten big. I can look after him now, right Mikoto-sama?" Amaterasu beamed up at the woman, whom nodded. "Just a few more months, chibi-chan. You are going into the academy soon."

The girl nodded. "Yes. I'd like very much to protect the village alongside my papa and Nii-san." Ama would reach out, tugging gently at Itachi's foot. He'd glance down at her, reaching towards her. "Su-su…" Mikoto knelt down, patting the girl on the head, and setting Itachi on the ground. "He's almost able to walk, right Mikoto-sama? He got up on his own last time!" She giggled as Itachi reached out to her. She embraced the toddler as Mikoto stood. Ama sat down, holding Itachi in her lap. For as long as she knew Itachi, he had always been quiet. He was a couple of months away from turning one, and already he was almost able to walk. She was quite proud of Itachi, and loved him very much. She hoped they could become very good friends like her Papa and Mikoto. The girl kissed Itachi on the forehead, who squirmed, causing Ama to giggle. "Susu, Up." She nodded, standing up and holding Itachi's hands above him to help him walk.

A high pitched whine lifted into the air. Immediately, the girl was scooped up into Mikoto's arms. The woman's eyes were narrowed as she looked at her papa. The man nodded, disappearing in a poof of smoke and leaves. Ama held onto Itachi tightly as Mikoto sprinted towards the nearest evacuation meet point. They kept quiet, knowing exactly what was going on. Enemy nin were close by. It had been months since the last attack to Konoha. Everyone thought the fighting wouldn't get any nearer. They were wrong. This instance made Amaterasu more determined to become stronger. She needed to be for the sake of her family.

It was a rather bittersweet moment. All her family was there, except her Nii-san. Susanoo was currently residing in the hospital. He hadn't woken at all. A mission had gone bad, causing Susanoo to activate his Sharingan. Something happened, a genjutsu back fired, and now he couldn't wake up. It happened sometimes, Ama knew this, but still, she wanted her Nii-san to be okay. In the past months her brother had been dead to the world, there had been a change in the girl. Harder, and harder she had work, trying to overcome the grief she felt about her brother getting hurt.

There was a chance he'd never wake up.

The young girl had thrown herself in training, as well as her studies. The sudden increase in studying and training had gotten her to be able to get into a high level class at the academy. She already knew the basics, and despite lacking strength, her senseis saw her dedication. She'd enter the academy in the intermediate class. Already, talk of her being a genius was going around. Ama knew better though. The only reason she could have made it that far was the fact that she was taking things much more seriously now. If she was a genius, she wouldn't have so much trouble writing. If she was a genius, she'd know how to wake her Nii-san up.

Her mother hadn't slept in days, and her papa was rarely home. Tsukuyomi seemed much more moody these days. Her family was wilting. She came to the realization that every time she did something good, her parents were rather happy. The girl had decided to work hard. Even if she was a fake genius, at least her mama and papa were happy when she got good marks. The young girl wasn't one to have too many friends either, but she felt a bit more comfortable being around Itachi. She supposed she was lucky that Mikoto and Fugaku didn't mind having her over, especially when she was helping Itachi learn a few things here and there.

Unfortunately, Itachi wasn't in attendance at the Academy Ceremony. She wasn't the only child her age entering the academy. There were a few who looked a bit younger than she did. Hokage-sama's speech made her feel proud to become a shinobi. Ama was still rather nervous; she hoped she wouldn't mess up anything.

Time would pass, her brother had awoken, though only to give one final breath, and die without ever leaving his bed. Her family wouldn't talk about it. Quietly, Susanoo's name would disappear, and Ama would forget that he had been there. Her days consisted with nothing but training and studying. She never wanted to hear her mother's soft sobs, nor see her father rub his temples in anguish. The child knew that they never thought she had seen them. It was rather hard for her, but she had forced herself not to remember Susanoo. If she did, she'd fear becoming a shinobi, and the young girl didn't want that.

Fear would only hinder her.

Two years after entering the academy, Amaterasu graduated. She wasn't the youngest at the age of six, but it was expected of her. Susanoo graduated at the age of five. They were Uchiha. During war time, they didn't have the luxury of taking things slowly. She couldn't be a child anymore, but Ama knew she couldn't go back to those simple days. After all, she had to protect her precious people.


AN: That one was a bit fast. I apologize if it seems a bit jumpy. I'll try to update every week, but we'll see what happens~