Sorry for making this chapter too short. I'll try to make the next one longer! :)
Please review!
It helps!
Thank you! =)
I'm sorry, Sasuke acts a little out of character with Kokoro. He sort of loosens up around her, I guess.
Kokoro opened her eyes sleepily, and found herself staring at Sasuke.
"Hm!" she grunted sleepily, blinking a few times.
She felt something warm in her hands, and was surprised to see that she was hugging Sasuke's hand.
She got up gently, pushing Sasuke's other hand of her, which had been draped over her shoulders.
She winced when she moved too quickly, and looked down at her stomach. It was completely covered by bandages.
Hmm. The bandages felt itchy. Kokoro scratched her stomach uncomfortably and got of the bed.
Her stomach didn't hurt much anymore, so she grabbed the chair Sasuke had been sitting on and dragged it to the window.
She struggled to get up on the high seat, and finally got up, sitting on her knees and resting her head on her hands, staring out the window at the leaf village.
It was dawn and the sun was just beginning to rise, spreading a rosy, reddish pink light over the village.
Kokoro looked at the peaceful village, everyone still asleep, and sighed.
Then she forced herself to think about her family and friends, everyone who had died.
She thought about her mother, Mikoto, who had loved her fiercely.
She thought of the way she would smile gently, and pull her and Sasuke apart when they were fighting. She remembered how Mikoto would stand in the doorway of her and Sasuke's room when she thought they were asleep, and remembered her gentleness and kind understanding.
Then she thought about her father, Fugaku, his rough attitude hiding the gentle loving man he was inside.
Kokoro smiled when she remembered one particular time when she had tripped and fallen, scraping her knee badly. He had picked her up gently and put her on his shoulders, wiping away her tears and directing her thoughts away from her injury.
She thought about her neighbor, Izumi, who would give her and Sasuke sweets if they passed by.
Kokoro's breath caught in her throat, and she swallowed her tears forcefully.
She remembered the grocer and his kind smile, the old lady across the street and her chocolate cookies.
She thought about everyone she had known, everyone who was dead, and thought about all their good points and their kindness.
And finally, she forced herself to think about Itachi. She thought about the old Itachi, the kind Itachi she had known her whole life, not the murderous monster whom he had transformed into , who had killed all those whom she had loved, leaving only Sasuke and her behind.
She thought about how, on rare occasions, he would smile at her antics, and how he would find time to train with her and Sasuke even when he was busy.
She thought about how kind he was, about how he would pick her up and swing her around in the air and tickle her.
She remembered how he would take her shopping with him, just the two of them, and talk to her like an equal, something many adults failed to do.
She closed her eyes and a small tear trickled out.
Kokoro wiped it away hastily, and stood up quickly, vowing to protect Sasuke and care for him. He had been close to Itachi, and the betrayal would be hard on him.
Suddenly, pain clenched her stomach, and she cried out, bend over. Her cry awoke Sasuke, who was at her side in a second.
"Aaah!" Kokoro yelled, the pain overwhelming. She touched a hand to her stomach and was surprised to find that it was wet with blood. She coughed up blood, falling to the ground and curling up in a ball, the pain hurting her terribly.
She screamed in agony again and again, and she heard Sasuke calling for a nurse, and footsteps pounding on the floor.
"Idiot, why did you move, idiot, you are hurt!" Sasuke said, his face blank and stern, but his voice filled with worry.
'I'm not…an….idiot….you…idiot.' Kokoro thought weakly, before passing out.
Sasuke paced back and forth in front of the door which the doctor had taken Kokoro into.. Argh! Why did she have to move? Didn't she know she was hurt? Argh!
He stopped pacing for a second to stare at the door. Nothing happened, so he started pacing again, even faster this time.
'I should have watched her, I should have known she'd move!' Sasuke thought, pacing even faster still.
By the time a nurse opened the door, Sasuke was just a blur, and there was a long shallow hole in the floor.
"If you were trying to make a hole, you can stop now, you've succeeded." the nurse commented dryly.
Sasuke stopped and looked at the floor, looking rather ashamed.
"Your sister is alright, and is resting. The doctor said you can sit next to her again, as long as you make sure she doesn't move. Otherwise the wound will start bleeding again." the nurse smiled, and Sasuke walked inside casually, not wanting to let Kokoro know how worried he had been.
He sat down next to her bed. She was in the same room as before, and was lying in the bed, looking pale.
When Kokoro saw Sasuke, she frowned and said, "I am not a baka."
"Hm?" said Sasuke, startled out of his thoughts.
"You called me a baka before. I'm not a baka."
"Then what am I supposed to call someone who stupidly moves around even when she knows she's injured?" he said with his blank face.
He smirked inwardly as she yelled, "I am not stupid!"
He sat down next to her, quiet, and serious. Kokoro peeked at her brother, and said, "Onii-chan?"
"Hn?"
"Nothing. i just wanted to make sure you were there."
He glanced at her sorrowfully. "I'm here."
Kokoro looked at her brother, and suddenly held out a clenched fist to him.
"Onii-chan, I will become strong. You become strong too so we can avenge our clan's death!"
Sasuke smiled and raised his own fist and bopped it on hers.
"Yeah, baka."
"i am NOT a baka! Ow!"
"Don't move!"
"Who made me move in the first place!"
3 years later-
Kokoro whipped around ,her black hair framing her face as she sniffed at a pot rather tentatively. Sasuke stepped into the kitchen, wearing an apron and brandishing a cooking ladle. His eyes narrowed, and he batted at her with it.
"Out! Out! Do you remember last time when you completely ruined 1 hour of cooking by adding brown sugar to Chicken Soup, hmm?"
"It smelled too spicy!" Kokoro protested loudly, as she was pushed out of the kitchen rather roughly.
"I was helping! Plus I've gotten a lot better at cooking, so there!"
Kokoro pouted angrily as she walked to her room.
She had become a little cuter during the past few years, but in her opinion, she resembled her brother too much.
Her short black hair framed her pale face and black eyes. On her upper right arm she had a strange birthmark in the shape of a cat.
Her face had a determined look to it that made people realize that she was a very hard worker. She was the top of her class at the Academy, and Sasuke had taught her the Fireball jutsu.
She had worked hard to surprise him, and just in a month she had learned it! He had congratulated her with his blank face that looked as though he didn't care, but Kokoro had been please just to earn the praise.
Kokoro stopped inside her room and looked around. It was a mess. Sasuke was always nagging her to clean it up, but she never did.
Kokoro plopped herself on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Sasuke was always nagging her about things. He was 'really' bossy for a 11 1/2 year old. Oh well. He was a good cook.
Before long, tantalizing smells began wafting from the kitchen. She got up and peered carefully around the hallway. Ah! Sasuke had gone to the bathroom!
She crept to the kitchen and carefully lifted the lid of the pot, and reached in to have a taste. Suddenly, there was a sharp rap on her knuckles and she dropped the lid with a loud 'clang!'.
Kokoro looked pleadingly up at the angry Sasuke.
"Early lunch?"
Sasuke sighed and said, "Oh alright, you bottomless pit. Set the table."
The next morning, the two set out for the academy together. Sasuke looked down at Kokoro as she chatted amiably about how Mizuki sensei was teaching her class a new jutsu.
'She is so innocent. I will protect her!' he thought passionately.
Kokoro looked up at Sasuke.
"Hey! Have you been listening to a word I've been saying?"
Sasuke smirked at her. "No. You're way too boring."
Kokoro growled angrily, and chased after Sasuke. When she caught him she started throwing punches at him. Sasuke dogged them easily, but one lucky punch caught him on the eye.
Ouch. Ok, not so innocent. Hmm, she looked nice there, hanging upside down from a tree, screaming her head off. Maybe he should leave her like that.
Chapter End Notes:
Onii-chan means big brother
Baka means idiot