(A/N: Hello, again! Two chaps less than twenty-four hours apart is an accomplishment, as many who know me and read my stories already know. ^^

Today, we delve into Ichida's mind, back to when she was a child. Woosh… Woosh… Woosh…

Not working? Alright. Let's just get on with it. To the story!)

I was always told that I was a cute child, that I would grow up to look just like my mother, that my face would take me places…

I grew up in Konoha, the older of two daughters of the biggest businesswoman this side of Tokyo. Senshu Debiro, the 'Tyrant Devil', was one to be feared in the world of stocks and markets. Her biggest rival and longtime friend, Inoichi Yamanaka, and his family were always close to mine. So close that my mother named me after him.

I met her one night when Inoichi brought his family over for dinner. She was pretty, like me. Her eyes were a big, sparkling blue, and her hair was a calm blonde, as opposed to my striking silver locks, given to me by my mother. After dinner, as our parents talked business, I brought her up to my room.

"So, what's your name?" I asked, sitting on my bed while she looked around at my big room.

"I'm Ino. And you must be Ichida, right? You look just like your mommy." the chipper blonde said to me.

"Thanks. You look just like your dad."

"You're room is cool." Ino said, sitting down on the bed as well. "It's not as big as mine, though."

"Yeah, well I bet my pillows are softer!" I joked, grabbing one of my bed pillows and slapping Ino with it. She shook off the feathers and grabbed a pillow of her own, starting a big pillow fight that lasted for over an hour.

Ino and I immediately hit it off. Yesterday, we were completely unknown to each other, but two days later, we were the best of friends. Ino and I did everything together, from hanging out at each other's houses to going to the park or the movies.

I was SO happy to have Ino as a friend, but I was so sad to have left only months after our friendship took off, thanks to my mom's business endeavors. I savored the last day that Ino and I spent together.

"Does this look good on me, Ichi-chan?" Ino asked that day, twirling around and showcasing her beautiful pink yukata, embroidered all over with blue flowers. On the back was a giant kanji of Ichida's name.

I giggled, honored that Ino thought so highly of our friendship as to ask her mother to make matching tiny yukata for us. I was wearing my own custom-made summer kimono, with Ino's name written in kanji on the back and purple flower all over mine.

"Of course it does! You look beautiful, especially today, Ino-chan." I complimented.

Ino blushed with a warm smile. "Hmmm… thanks."

Ino gasped in shock as I stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

"I'm gonna miss you." I sniffled, furling my eyebrows ad holding back tears.

"I'll miss you, too, Ichida." Ino said, patting me on the back. "But let's not focus on that. The big Summer Solstice Festival is starting, and we don't want our sappiness to spoil our fun, do we?"

"Heh, no, I guess not." I said with a smile, my spirits lifting.

000

"Come on, Mom! We don't need chaperones. We'll chaperone each other!"

"I know you two think you're mature, but you're only five. You're getting chaperones, and that's final." my mom told us at the door, holding my little sister, Hakujo. Two suit-wearing men stood beside us, their expressions frozen behind their sunglasses.

"Always nice to see you, Sasoku, Chodo." Ino said to the two goons, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Aw, Mom, come on. Having them as our shadows will cramp our style."

"You're five, you don't HAVE style." Mom retorted.

"Sure we do! Look at our outfits!"

"Yes, Mrs. Yamanaka has great style."

"Oh, Mom…"

"Alright, if you're so upset about this, Sasoku and Chodo will watch you from a distance. Is that any better?"

"Much. Thanks, Mom." I said, brightening.

"You're welcome, kiddo. Now you two get out of here, and don't come back until you've had the best time of your lives!" my mom called to us as we ran down the street. Even if others called her a tyrant, she was pretty nice underneath it all.

000

The festival was amazingly bright and vibrant. Ino and I frolicked into the night, doing everything we thought would be fun. It truly was the best night of our lives. As the clock neared midnight, Ino and I hiked up a tall hill to get a good view at the fireworks, which were starting.

"That was SO fun, Ichi-chan! I never knew you were such a good dart thrower!" Ino laughed, nodding to the giant teddy bear on my back.

"Me neither. I guess I get it from my dad. My mom always told me that he was a crack shot."

"Was?"

"My dad's dead. He was a bad smoker, and lung cancer made him give up the ghost about a year ago."

"Oh… I'm so sorry."

"Naw, it's alright. I miss him a lot, though."

Ino and I watched more of the fireworks in relative silence at that point. Much later, when the fireworks were reaching their finale, Ino turned and broke the silence with an unexpected question.

"We'll be best friends forever, right?"

I looked into Ino's eyes, which were deep with concern. My answer came almost automatically.

"Always… Nobody will replace me, right? Pinky promise?"

"Yup!" Ino giggled, wrapping her pinky around mine. After we let go, her bright smile was replaced with another concerned frown.

"But I wish you wouldn't move, Ichi-chan."

'You and me both…' I thought. I was going to say it out loud, but I didn't want to upset her more.

"Don't, Ino-chan. I'll be back soon, before you know it! Definitely!"

Cheesily, I split my fingers in the peace sign, causing Ino to laugh. We linked our arms and watched the finale of the fireworks in peaceful silence.

000

The next day, I sat in the back of my mom's overly-expensive car with an unpronounceable brand name, inwardly entertained by my younger sister's gibbering and giggling.

"Alright, Ichi. All my deals have been sealed for this town, my office is up for rent, I sold this house to some desperate suckers for a killing, and all of our stuff is packed. We're ready to roll." my mom said, climbing into the car.

I said nothing, causing my mom to look back at my sad face.

"Hey, kiddo, cheer up. Tell you what, once I completely knock out my competition in Nagasaki, I'll schmooze the suckers that live here into giving us back this place at three-quarters the price and we can move back here. You can see Ino again."

I looked up at my mom and smiled. A loud thump surprised me and I turned to see Ino, her face pressed against the tinted window, with a giant smile painted on it.

"Bah, Issi-ban!" Ino garbled funnily, stepping away from the window and waving as we pulled off toward the airport.

000

Nagasaki was a whole different place. The entire land smelled like big business, proven when my mm stepped out of the airport while pushing Hakujo's stroller, taking a deep, long breath.

"Ah… The smell of money to be made and losers to be crushed into bankruptcy. Take a deep whiff, kiddo. Soon, this will be your land."

"But what if I don't want to be the high priestess of your business tyranny?"

My mother laughed hysterically, as if what I said was the best joke she had ever heard.

"That's a good one, Ichida. I'll have to remember that one. High priestess… Where do you come up with this stuff..?"

"But… that's not… ugn…" I groaned, following my mom to the car, which was shipped in a Debiro Inc. cargo jet.

"So where are we staying again?" I asked a few minutes after we got on the road.

"It's a nice mansion in the inner ring. Almost as good as our old- Waah!" my mom screamed as a black Hummer clipped her and ran them both into the emergency lane and the guardrail. There was a bumper sticker on the Hummer that read 'Fugaku Corp.'

"Stay in the car and calm little Jojo down, Ichida. I'm going to give this guy a BIG piece of my mind." Mom said, getting out of the car and storming toward the car, banging on the driver's door. A tall man got out of the car, glaring daggers at my mom, who was about a full head shorter than he was.

After I stopped Jojo from crying, I saw the passenger door open. A kid who was a little older than me looked at the verbal war, then at me. I opened my door, and stepped out, too. My mom was too busy arguing with the man to notice me.

"Look at the damage you've done to my car! Not to mention you could've hurt my children! I could sue your ass into third-world poverty!" my mom yelled.

"Your illegal lane change could've hurt my children AND my wife! If you sue me, I'll COUNTER-sue you for everything you own!"

"You don't scare me, Uchiha! I know how your twisted little mind works. You'd pay out the judge, the jury, AND the prosecution in order to get a guilty verdict on me!"

"Ha! And I bet you wouldn't do the same, right Debiro? You're a power-mad tyrant who'd do anything to win!"

The boy walked up to me, staring down at me. He was about a head taller than me, as well.

"Are you going to start yelling at me, too?" I joked.

"Nah, I'm not as high-strung as my dad is. My name's Itachi. What's yours?"

"Ichida. We're kinda new here."

"Huh. I have a little brother about your age... Anyway, my dad is Fugaku Uchiha, one of the most illustrious business tycoons in all of Japan."

"Well, my mom is Senshu Debiro, THE most illustrious business tycoon in all of Japan."

"Looks like we're rivals, then." Itachi said with a devilish smile.

"Itachi! Get back in the car; we're leaving!"

"Ichida, let's go! We don't have to take this bull!"

Fugaku opened his car door and screeched back onto the highway after Itachi got back in his seat.

"You'll be hearing from my lawyers!" Mom yelled after them before getting in the car and pulling off, too. "Sorry you had to see that, kiddo. That Fugaku gets under my skin every time. He's a self-centered autocrat!"

"Rival of yours, like Mr. Yamanaka?"

"Oh, no. Inoichi is a friendly competitor. Fugaku is pure EVIL, just like the rest of those Uchihas. I don't want you associating with them, you hear?"

"Sure, Mom." I lied. I had a feeling I'd run into Itachi again before this was over…

000

"Hey… Is that… It is! It's Ichida! Quick, Kagura-sensei, call an ambulance! She's really beat up!"

"See what you can do for her now! Make sure she's breathing and stop any bleeding!"

"She's not bleeding and her breathing is faint. She's crying, though…"

"Well, for the most part, she's fine. Keep her that way until we can get an ambulance out here!"

(A/N: There's the second chapter. Getting heavy, ain't it? Our next chapter will follow Ichida's connection to Sasuke, in school! Ooh…

Fugaku, Itachi, Ino, and Kagura belong to MK.

Senshu, Hakujo, Sasoku, Chodo, and Ichida's right half belong to me. Her right half belongs to Tanni.

Till next time, readers!)