Early in the morning, before the start of school, Hikari was rudely awakened by a presence near her bed. Well, maybe not rudely. All Sasuke needed to do was stare at her with intent. Not even menacing or angry intent. He just wanted her to wake up and she did. Cracking an eye open she huffed at him in annoyance. A small teasing smile crossed his face and she groaned, rolling over to fall back asleep. Laughing he tugged on her arm gently. "C'mon Kari, mom is making breakfast." With a pout she slid out of the covers and stretched as she got out of bed. A yawn worked its way out of her throat and she rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Why are you such a morning person?" She complained with faux sadness. "Why are you such a night owl?" Shot back her brother with a grin. Sticking her tongue out she stumbled past him for a change of clothes.
Heading downstairs together they noticed their older brother walking down the hall and turning the corner. It looked like he was leaving. Glancing at each other they followed him silently, stopping only when he sat down to put on his sandals. "Good morning Ni-san." They said in unison. Turning he regarded them with a mildly interested look, though he did not smile. Nowadays it was rare for him to smile at them, and it made Hikari wonder what was going on to make their older brother act so coldly toward everyone.
"Can you help me out with shuriken training today after school? Kari has the kunoichi classes." It was a habit for her brother to stay in the training field at the academy while she was in class. The kunoichi classes were only three times a week so it wasn't that bad. Hikari didn't want to fall behind in their clan training, after all. After she was let out the two of them would walk home together, usually stopping by one of their relatives shops to grab a snack.
"I'm busy. Ask father." The curt response made Hikari frown, concerned. Itachi was not the most talkative person but he was never rude. Something didn't seem quite right. "But father said you're better with shurikens… and I think so too." Sasuke wasn't wrong, Hikari thought so as well. "You always treat me like a nuisance, ni-san." Pouting her twin crossed his arms, she hid a smile with her hand. He could be so grumpy at times.
Itachi waved him over after a moment of silence and Sasuke stepped closer. When he was within touching distance their elder brother reached up and gently flicked him on the forehead. "Ouch!" Rubbing the spot on his head he scowled.
"Forgive me, Sasuke, Hikari. Maybe another time." Hikari felt some relief at those words. Itachi was always sure to include her as well, knowing his siblings would want to train together. It was just too bad that he seemed so busy lately, what with the responsibilities of being the Heir and a shinobi of the leaf. Padding over to stand beside Sasuke she watched their older brother as he seemed to stare at nothing for a moment, lost in thought. Something about it felt wrong to her. Was he worried about something? Should she even try to ask? It might be something he couldn't tell her, after all.
He stood before she could make up her mind. "I have no time to help you out today." He said as he headed for the door. "You always say 'forgive me, Sasuke,' and flick my forehead. And you never help out, not just today." Without another word Itachi left the house, closing the door behind him without looking back. Sasuke huffed and Hikari leaned forward, her long ponytail nearly touching the floor as she looked up at his face. "It's okay, Sasuke. I'm sure he's just really busy. He looked kinda tired…" Straightening back up she stared at the door, a slight frown crossing her face. "Come on, they must be waiting." Taking his hand she dragged him toward the kitchen, intent on breakfast. Now that she was mostly awake she was hungry.
Sitting next to each other at the table they got comfortable and thanked their other for breakfast. "Itadekimasu." They said in unison before eating with the best manners they could manage at the early hour. No real conversations were ever had over breakfast, it was a very quiet affair in their household. So Hikari was a little surprised when Sasuke turned to their father and began to speak. "Father," he started hesitantly. "Does Ni-san not care about me?" She choked on her tea and looked at her twin in concern. "Why would you think that?" He wouldn't meet her eye and just turned away, fidgeting slightly. "Well… he always agrees to help you…" She shook her head. Itachi always helped ithem/i, not just her alone.
Your brother is a little different." Their father said, grabbing their attention. "He's never really liked interacting with people much." That seemed wrong to Hikari. Whenever their brother spoke to them he always kind, even when he was chastising or teasing. He always tried to make time for them to help with training and he always seemed more relaxed when the three of them were alone. "Why?" Sasuke asked, bringing her out of her musings. The man looked up for a moment, needing a moment to gather his thoughts.
"I don't know. Even I, his father, can't understand him." iAfter all, your older brother is a genius./i She knew he was thinking it, though he didn't say it out loud. Silence filled the room, the air slightly tense. Luckily their mother was able to save them from the awkward heaviness. "Here you go, you two, your lunches." Taking hers as she stood she smiled up at their mom gratefully before receiving a kiss on top of her head. "Sasuke, if you want to practice with shuriken I'll help you after you get back." Sasuke took his own bento and received a kiss as well. Though he pretended to be annoyed Hikari knew he loved the affection and attention they got from their mother. Having the chief of police as their father meant he had very little time to dote on them. Hikari wouldn't say he was completely cold or distant but… he wasn't the most affectionate man.
"It's not practice, it's training." Her brother grumbled as they went to grab their school bags. Hikari snickered and was lightly shoved in retaliation, making her snicker more.
On their way out of the compound they were stopped by auntie Shizu as she was sweeping in front of her home. "Sasuke-chan, Hikari-chan, are you both heading to school now?" They stopped as one and said 'yes' at the same time, making the older woman smile at them indulgently. "I just saw Itachi-chan a little while ago. My, he sure has grown up. He's become an excellent ninja." Hikari wanted to sigh a little as she glanced at her brother. i'Here we go again.'/i "He graduated at seven and moved up to chuunin at ten, right?"
Sasuke stiffened slightly but relaxed a moment later, masking his displeasure with a smile. "He could use his Sharingan when he was eight." These were simple facts that practically everyone knew. It certainly wasn't new information. "It makes me proud to be an Uchiha, with him being part of our clan." Hikari reached for her brother's hand and held it, squeezing gently. She already knew where this was headed, and she didn't like it. "Oh, that's right. How old are the two of you now?" Sasuke's face fell slightly and he looked at the ground. "We're seven, oba-san." She chirped, smiling brightly to bring the woman's attention to her. "Already?" The older woman asked, sounding surprised. "Time sure flies…"
Auntie-Shizu's husband walked out of the house and came closer. "What nonsense are you telling them?" He asked in a chiding tone. The woman looked at him, startled. "Dear?" She asked.
"Kids, you're both an important part of the Uchiha clan, a noble family in the village of Konoha. Be confident in yourselves. You'll both make great ninja like your older brother one day." As the man spoke Sasuke began to smile, his body relaxing further. Between the two of them she knew he had the harder time of it, always being compared to their elder brother because they were both boys. She thought it was really silly of everyone. Besides, Itachi was the heir for a reason.
"I'm sorry, but we really have to go. We don't want to be late for school. Thank you Oji-san!" Pulling her brother along she ran up the street until they were around a corner and safely out of earshot. Stopping she hugged her brother around the waist, trying to reassure him. Sasuke's arms went around her shoulders and he let out a sad sigh. "He might have a head start, but we'll catch up. Who cares what other people think? We've got each other." Stepping back after he nodded she gave him a bright smile, glad to see he was looking better. "C'mon, we really will be late at this rate."
Class was the same as always. They sat together in Mitsuru-sensei's class as Sasuke listened intently and she wrote notes or doodled in her notebook. Today she was sitting between her brother and Naruto, the loud blonde boy who liked to play pranks. Unlike other students she wasn't hostile toward him and didn't avoid him, finding a lot of the things he did to be really funny. Unfortunately her brother was not a big fan, and often frowned at the boy whenever he talked to her. She kind of understood why. Naruto had declared Sasuke to be his rival, which annoyed him to no end. She'd had to play peace maker between them fairly often.
Hikari would never say it to his face but Sasuke wasn't as observant as she was. Although he was stronger and faster than her, with better reflexes, he lacked her subtlety, intuition, and imagination. Sh had a special connection with people, almost like she could tell what they were feeling without asking them. She wasn't like Ino or her clan. It wasn't something she'd been taught, or even knew how to describe. Just an ability to observe someone and understand their feelings, even if they tried to hide them. Like Sasuke's budding inferiority complex toward their brother or Naruto's loneliness. If people would only stop comparing Sasuke and Itachi then maybe her brother wouldn't push himself so hard. And why was it she was the only one to notice that Naruto wasn't as bad as everyone thought? His pranks were silly, not mean. Why couldn't people see what she saw?
After the normal classes were over for the day she waved to her brother as they left the classroom. Too bad for him, boys weren't allowed in the kunoichi classes. Entering the room her eyes scanned the area until she spied the shy Hyuuga heiress sitting alone, like always. With a smile she skipped over to her table and and gave her a playful bow before sitting next to her. Hinata smiled, some of her shyness falling away in the presence of her friend. "How are you today, Hina-chan?" The girl's smile brightened further and a pleased blush crossed her face. "I am well, Ri-chan." It had taken a while to get the shy and overly formal girl to call her by a nickname but it was definitely worth it.
Sweeping her eyes across the class, to make sure they wouldn't be overheard, she sighed. "A little sad today." Hinata frowned a little and reached out to touch her arm in a show of camaraderie. "…is it Sasuke?" Hikari smiled. This was why she adored Hinata. The girl was observant and sweet, caring and kind. Not to mention patient and hardworking. "One of the oba-san at the clan compound compared him to Ni-san again. I know they are just proud to have a genius for an heir, but it always makes Sasuke doubt himself." Putting her hands on her lap Hinata nodded, listening carefully as she spoke. "I just wish they would see him like I do." He was her other half. Whenever someone made him feel bad she could feel the pain in her chest as if it was her own. "I just don't know what to do." Hinata leaned closer, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure just knowing he has a sister who loves him is a great help."
Hikari let out a long sigh, letting herself relax for a moment before straightening. "Thanks for listening, Hina-chan. You're a good friend." Hinata's face flushed with pleased embarrassment at the compliment. "You're a good friend too." The girls smiled at each other before Fuyumi-sensei entered the room and clapped her hands to quiet everyone. "Today we'll be working on flower arrangements. I'm going to give each table their own supplies and a riddle with clues on what to make. Let's see what you girls can come up with." Hikari looked over at Ino, who was looking smug. Hikari's nose crinkled slightly in distaste before she turned to Hinata. "Let's kick everyone's butt." The other girl giggled and they got to work.
Regardless of the clan rivalry the two worked well together, and it showed. Fuyumi-sensei was quite pleased with their work. While Hikari worked on the riddle Hinata had carefully cut the flowers to their desired length and set them aside. The young Uchiha was often awed by the delicate and precise way her friend moved, like a dainty porcelain doll. On the other hand she was known for being quite boyish in comparison to the other girls, especially someone like Ino. While there was no open hostility between them Hikari got satisfaction from doing better than the blonde girl in class, even if it was a bit petty. Hey, Sasuke had a rival, why couldn't she have one too?
They were praised by Fuyumi-sensei when she came by to look at their arrangement. She asked a few questions and looked pleased with their work before moving on to another table. She and Hinata shared a triumphant smile and spent the last few minutes of class just talking and having fun.
When class was over they parted ways, Hinata being led away by an attendant from the Hyuuga household. "I'll see you in class tomorrow, Hina-chan~" Hikari called after her with a wave. The attendant looked between them as Hinata stopped and gave her a polite nod. "Tomorrow, Hikari-san." The other girl was always more formal in front of others, but Hikari understood why. Unlike her Hinata was the heir of her family and was expected to act a certain way. She didn't hold it against her.
Knowing where she'd find her brother she headed to the back of the school, toward the training field. There Sasuke was focusing on his shuriken throwing like it was the only thing in the world that mattered. Hikari rolled her eyes at her brother. Once he was like this his sense of awareness just flew out the window. A wicked grin crossed her face and she waited until he had thrown all his shuriken. Sneaking up on him she cleared her throat loudly. Whirling around he almost stumbled, looking startled. When he realized it was her he glared at her. She gave him a sweet, innocent, smile and he snorted in amusement. "How was class?" he asked conversationally as he walked to the target to retrieve his throwing stars. "The same as always. I sat with Hina-chan and we had fun arranging flowers." Sasuke made a face and she laughed.
Rummaging around in her bag she pulled out her own shuriken and grinned at him. "First to ten?" A matching grin crossed his face and they moved on to the targets with rings painted on them. The first person to hit the bullseye ten times in a row won the first round. Then the counter would reset and they would move on to the second round. Then it was the first to ten bullseyes with the added rule that two of them had to be back to back. Each round was exponentially harder than the last, otherwise what good would it be for training? It took a lot of concentration but the two of them couldn't help but to comment now and then, either compliments or taunts.
The game took longer than they had expected. They'd been so focused that they hadn't even noticed the sun setting until it was too dark to see the targets any longer. "We are in so much trouble when we get home." Sasuke said as they packed their things away as quickly as possible.
Leaving the school grounds they dashed toward the clan compound, like there was a demon on their heels. In the future she would wonder what would have happened if they'd gone home before the sun set. What if they had walked home and taken their time, or if a teacher had seen them and stopped to give them a lecture about staying out so late. These thoughts would haunt her for years, leaving her feeling shaken and confused.
As they entered the compound a chill ran down her spine and she stopped dead in her tracks, forcing Sasuke to stop too. Something was terribly wrong. Her heart pounded in her chest and she felt as if a cold wind had rushed past her, making her shiver. Sasuke looked up, as if searching for something, but she was too afraid to raise her head. She was absolutely sure that something was there; something bad. "Hikari? What's wrong?" Confused her brother looked from her back to the street before gasping. Her head whipped up and she stared at him with distress. "The lights…" Blinking she turned to focus on the buildings around them. With sudden clarity she realized what he was talking about. Every light in the compound, as far as they could see, was off. But it wasn't even time to sleep yet. They were late home but there was at least two hours before their bed time. Even then, some of the ninja worked early in the morning and the day shift of the police force should have been coming home for the night. i'It's so quiet…'/i
"Kari!" Grabbing her hand Sasuke began to run. Years of doing things as if they were one person and not two made her legs move, even though her brain hadn't caught up quite yet. Turning down another road they stopped and Hikari bit back a cry. The entire street was littered with ninja weapons. Signs, windows, doors, lamp posts, decorations; everything was destroyed. The dead were laying wherever they had fallen, some more contorted and unrecognizable than others. Neither of them spoke, they didn't need to. They came to the same conclusion at that moment and looked at each other, both equally horrified. Taking off they ran toward home desperately. Father was the clan head. If there was an emergency then he would be the one to handle it.
Up the street they found aunt Shizu and her husband, laying in front of their home as if they were sleeping. "Th-this is horrible…" Hikari whispered, almost afraid that the sound would attract the attention of whoever had done something so despicable. Sasuke's hand gripped hers firmly and she took a couple deep breaths, trying to keep herself from falling over the edge and into panic. Becoming hysteric now wasn't going to help anyone.
The moment they arrived home they burst inside, panting and sweating. "Mother? Father? Are you here?" Sasuke yelled as Hikari peered outside to see if anyone had followed them before she closed the door. Throwing off his bag Sasuke started checking each room carefully. Silently she followed, keeping watch to make sure they weren't attacked from behind. She was scared. More than scared, she was absolutely terrified. It was like walking into a nightmare, but when you were still awake.
A crash echoed through the house and she jumped. Sharing a look with her brother she bit her bottom lip with worry. His eyes sharpened and he nodded at her. Swallowing down her fear she followed him as he turned and ran toward the sound. They approached the door to the dojo, at the back of the house, and her brother reached for the door handle. Something ominous passed over them, an oppressive feeling that made cold sweat run down their spines and their limbs seize. Floundering she grabbed Sasuke's hand and held on tight. They stood there, trembling, for kami knows how long. "W-we're not alone." She whispered. Sasuke's eyes flicked over to her then back at the door. He swallowed. Together they reached for the door handles and pulled them open.
The sight that met them was one that would haunt them forever. Laying in a pool of their own blood, collapsed to the floor like puppets without strings, were their parents. From the scant light coming in from the window it was hard to miss their lifeless eyes. Sasuke yelled and ran forward, wrenching his hand from hers as her feet rooted to the spot. Someone moved in the darkness beyond the light from the window and Sasuke stepped back toward her, wary. From the shadows Itachi stepped forward, his eyes swirling with the red of their clan dojutsu. Relief flooded her body and she began to relax. Then he turned toward them and her blood ran cold.
"Ni-san! Mother and father are- why? What reason is there!?" Sasuke yelled suddenly, his body shaking. Hikari wanted to say something but she stood transfixed by their elder brother. Everything about this was wrong. "Who would so something li-" Before Sasuke could finish his sentence a shuriken came flying out of nowhere and embedded itself in the door. Hikari cried out as her twin grabbed his arm in pain. "Ni-san! What are you doing?" She yelled, lurching forward to try and check her brother's arm. Sasuke held out his arm with a wince, stopping her. Stepping to the side he stood in front of her, shielding her body from Itachi. From this close she could see how his body shook like a leaf. "…Suke?" Distracted by her twin she forgot to watch out for Itachi. She wasn't sure what, exactly, happened; but she heard it.
"Foolish twins. Mangekyou Sharingan." A prolonged and unearthly scream tore its way out of her brother as he collapsed to the floor, holding his head. "Sasuke!" Without hesitation she threw herself over his body, covering him with her own. "Suke, speak to me!" His eyes were unfocused and drool dribbled down his chin as he gasped for breath. She hiccuped as tears began streaming down her face.
"Wh-why?" Sasuke asked the air groggily. "Why d-did you-?" Shushing him she pulled him to her, keeping herself between her twin and her elder brother. "To measure my abilities." Was his curt reply. i'No.'/i She thought. i'That's a lie. Ni-san isn't like that!'/i
"J-just for that?" Untangling himself from her arms he stumbled as he got to his feet. A noise of protestation left her but she was too shaken to really stop him. Walking past her he stood in front of her body, guarding her from an attack. Putting her hands against the floor she tried to stand but her legs wouldn't stop trembling. Itchi took one step forward, she could hear it in the deafening silence. Suddenly she was being dragged off the floor and pulled to her feet. "We have to run! Now!" Adrenaline pumped through her veins at the panic in her twin's voice. Gaining momentum she started to run on her own and Sasuke finally released her. For the first time in her life she was able to keep up with her brother as they both ran for their very lives.
Tears ran down their faces, obscuring their sight, as they ran blindly through the ghost town that had been the Uchiha compound. Itachi flickered into view ahead of them and they stopped. Hikari choked on a sob and fell to her knees, knowing it was pointless. Their elder brother was a highly trained shinobi genius. They wouldn't be able to escape him no matter how they tried. Her head fell into her hands and her shoulders shook as she cried. "D-don't, ni-san. P-please don't kill us!" Sasuke just stood there, too far beyond fear and grief to do anything.
"Foolish. You are not even worth the time to kill." His voice was dead, devoid of life and emotion. What stood before them was not the brother they loved and admired, but a soulless murderer. "If you want to get revenge just try and kill me. Keep living like the unsightly cowards you are." He stood there, unmoving and unblinking. "Maybe I should kill only one of you? Would that eliminate your weakness?" Sasuke seemed to snap out of his stupor as Itachi slowly reached for a weapon. "I won't let you hurt Hikari!" He screamed as he rushed forward, forgetting his fear in his need to protect his sister.
Hikari's head snapped up from her hands and she watched as Itachi's fist connected with Sasuke's abdomen. Blood flew out of his mouth and he made a gurgling sound before he fell to the ground, boneless. "Sasuke!" Itachi appeared before her in a flicker and she stared up at him, eyes wide. In his hands he held a kunai and she let out a whimper. Swallowing her fear her eyes went to her prone twin before she looked back up at their elder brother. "K-kill me. J-just let him live, p-please!" Closing her eyes was difficult but she didn't want to watch Itachi as he killed her, she didn't want that to be the last thing she saw. Waiting for the pain and nothingness of death her breath came in ragged gasps. Itachi's shadow fell over her as he loomed above her, silent like the night. Something wet landed on her cheek and startled her into opening her eyes. Above her Itachi was crying without making a sound. So many emotions ran through his eyes in that one moment. Grief, anger, guilt, determination, resignation and even love. It was incomprehensible to her. One moment he was there the next he was gone.
It took her a while to finally climb to her feet and shakily make her way over to her brother. Pressing her ear to his back she listened carefully, afraid that she would hear nothing. A heartbeat, faint but there. Turning him over she held him in her lap, relieved to see the rise and fall of his chest. "It's o-okay, Suke. W-we're alive… we're alive." Burying her face in his chest she continued to cry. With sadness or relief she wasn't sure.
Not long after Anbu found them. When they tried to come close she freaked out and screamed at them incomprehensibly, clinging to her brother desperately. It took knocking her unconscious from behind to finally separate them. It confused the medics at first but they quickly found out that the heartbeats of the twins would become erratic if they were taken too far from one another, almost as if their spirits could only be calm if they were together.
By the time the sun rose and set the next day everyone in Konoha knew. The Uchiha clan was no more. Save for the last, a pair of twins who were too traumatized to speak and refused to go anywhere unless they were within touching distance of each other. Their path to recovery was going to be a long one.
