Chapter Two ~Miette~

It was a cold night. Dark. Miette tried not to hear the screams that pierced the air as she ran though the forest. She dodged branches, hopped over rocks, but he was still behind her, and he was gaining. Fast. She dared not look behind, afraid he would use his Sharingan to distract her. He tried to stop her by sending a few jutsus after her, but Miette dodged them.

You're going to lose, just stop now. A voice inside her head said to herself.

"NO!" she screamed aloud, choking back a sob.

But the tears still came, streaming down the side of her small face.

It was true; he was older by seven years, and much more experienced. And he had his Sharingan. She was too little, too inexperienced, and weak. She barely knew any jutsus, and she was tiring now. Miette wished she was powerful, and older, to stand back to fight him. Or, if she could just do an Animal Transformation Justu…just fly away as a bird. But, that was decades beyond her knowledge and capability.

Then, he caught up to her. The yells of the villagers died down in her ears, replaced by the irregular drumming of her heart. They were all dying now…it was just her left. He seized her roughly by the shoulders, and Miette tried to raise her arms up to protect her from whatever was coming next. His grip was iron, though, so her arms couldn't budge.

Itachi Uchiha laughed at the childish attempt. But, she was only five. What had he expected? A Shadow Clone Justu?

"Do it, quickly." She said, her voice shaking as she looked down to the ground, her hot tears spilling into the dirt.

"You are good for a five year old…you have good potential. The kids your age can't even charge their chakra." He said, his eyes smiling, but his face not.

"JUST DO IT ALREADY! KILL ME! KILL ME LIKE YOU AND MADARA DID TO EVERYONE ELSE!" she screamed as more tears came out.

Miette could sense the tight smile vanishing from Itachi's eyes as his fingers tightened. The atmosphere tensed, and she knew what was coming. She relaxed, but her heart beat even faster.

It's not going to hurt a lot, she said to herself, it'll be over before you know it.

"No." Itachi whispered, almost inaudible, like he was talking to himself.

"W-what?" Miette stammered as she looked up at him.

His face was unreadable, as blank as a piece of paper that had not been written on.

"You will learn in time." he said, a twinge of pity in his hard voice; and then the coldness was back, as he gripped her shoulders so tight they hurt.

"Run." Itachi said as he let go, shoving her forward.

Miette stumbled, but did not fall. She didn't look back, didn't stop, no matter how much she wanted to stay and demand to know how she could be spared, but not the rest. She ran faster and faster, trying to drown out the yells of agony, trying to push away the despair and desolation that clung to her, putting the dying calls out of her head…and putting her clan, far, far behind her…