I sighed and plopped down to my soft and comfy bed. I took out the first book I had picked out and looked at the cover. There were five large characters at the cover and I recognized them instantly. I was never great at reading or writing in Chinese, but I could certainly speak and understand it perfectly. Those five characters, though, I had seen so many times that I knew exactly what they meant.

火 – fire

水 – water

土 – earth

风 – wind

电 – lightning

I flipped to the first page and saw it was labeled fire. I read through what I understood and then copied down the ones I didn't. It turns out I knew more than I thought. Out of a whole chapter, which was like 15 pages long, there were only four characters I didn't understand. Reading over it, the four were easily figured out. I had learned that this book was about the controlling of the elements. It spoke of a few special people linked with nature that had the ability to control the elements more easily than others. According to the introduction, there had only been one other person able to control the elements without wasting any energy, but sadly, the man went crazy by not being careful with his power. In the end, he died from a series of disasters involving all five elements.

I shivered as I imagined the terrible sensation of being burned, drowned, shaken, tossed around, and electrocuted at the same time. When they had said going crazy, apparently the man abused his power by crowning himself as king or something and then claiming his powers were greater than any being. He wanted more power and when he forced it out of himself, his weak human body couldn't take the power.

So far I understood the concept of trying to control fire. You mustn't fear any of the elements, and you have to understand the dangers and importance of each. Every element has a voice and fire symbolizes a burning passion that never fades. The only thing I didn't understand was that the ability isn't about controlling the elements, but becoming them. It sounds pretty cliché and everything, and you would think I get it after hearing it from movies so many times, but I don't. They didn't exactly have a manual telling me how to 'become the elements.' Chakra has nothing to do with this, so it's easiest for someone who is not accustomed to using chakra to learn it. With that last thought, I stood up and walked over to the small candle on my desk.

I'm going crazy; there is no way this will work.

I sat down on a chair and concentrated on the fire. That feeling in the back of my mind returned, but this time the voice didn't lower or disappear. Once again, when I tried to concentrate on it, hoping for it to work, it started to disappear. Just as the feeling was about to disappear, I thought of the Uchiha's famous fire techniques. My fingers twitched and the more I thought about fire, the more I realized my body was warming up.

Before the light bulb, people used fire for a source of light. There were lots of fires and people got injured, but if I keep thinking about it, it was almost like Edison was inspired by the effects of fire. Not only that, but imagine trying to cook food. Oh gosh, all these delicious food… gone! Not to mention, how many times do I see in movies or read in books about an effect or cause of fire. Fire as distraction, for survival, pretty much everything!

A small voice in me seemed to ask me to think like fire. I shrugged. I might as well, I'm already crazy!

If I was fire… I'll be sad but instead of just wallow in depression, I would convert that into a much… brighter emotion. Would it be about anger? People tend to associate fire with anger, death, or something bad. Even I had feared fire back in the Big Apple. I think that there is more to fire, more to me. Fire is dangerous, that's true. But… if someone knew how to use it properly, then it would be a great tool. If I was fire, then I would never let myself be forgotten. I'll make sure the effects of me will forever be remembered. I WILL leave a mark on this world.

SNAP!

I gasped and watched as the tiny fire on my candle began to grow and light up my room. It was dangerously close to my paper, and I did not want that to burn. Almost instantly, the fire began to shrink again. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Did I really do it? I blinked a couple of times and inhaled deeply. I had to try this again. I stared intently on the fire once more. I imagined to growing bigger but nothing happened. My smile was quickly replaced by a frown as I decided to switch my methods and imagine it shrinking. Still, nothing happened. Disappointment filled me before a new rush of foolishness and embarrassment took over.

I should have expected this coming. The thought of controlling fire, or any of the elements for that matter, was impossible. Even in this world, you need chakra. Without it, you can't do anything.

I stood up and was walking back to the bed when I remembered the yellow bag. I turned my head and saw that it was still there, untouched. I grabbed it and threw it on the bed before emptying it out. There was absolutely nothing there. I narrowed my eyes and flipped the bag upside down and shook it a couple of times, but still, nothing came out. I sighed and looked inside, but it was dark, like it was a cave that never allowed the sun or any other source of light to reach in. I reached my hand in and expected nothing, but was surprised when I found something. I pulled it out and stared at it for a few seconds before comprehending what it was. It was a golden knife that reached about halfway up my elbow. The hilt was covered with soft but durable fabric. It was white with gold and silver linings that crossed each other, forming many x's. The sheath had more intricate silver designs. There were swirls of delicate flowers and each petal I stared at seemed to bring a picture or scene into my head. On the side were two words – Hidden Potential.

I continued to stare at those two simple words for a while until I heard the door open and slam. Acting quickly, I placed the knife back into the bag and walked downstairs to greet my family and their new best friends, the Uchihas.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you again." I greeted to Fugaku and Mikoto. Fugaku gave me a brief nod while Mikoto smiled softly. The door was burst open and I watched as Electra and the two brothers walked inside.

"An, I'm hungry, can you find me some food?" Electra whined as she plopped down onto a chair. Sasuke frowned and glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"You just ate at our house!" Electra rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"So? I'm hungry again."

"You're such a pig!" Electra gasped and glared at him.

"I am not, you tomato-loving freak!"

"What's wrong with tomatoes? Wait, how'd you know I love tomatoes?" Sasuke hesitated and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Electra's eyes widened at the sudden slip and tried to compose herself quickly while coming up with an excuse.

"Oh, that reminds me! Didn't that pink-headed girl and her blonde hair mentioned something about Sasuke when we were walking home?" Noticing the slightly sharper look in my eyes before it returned to normal, Electra quickly caught on to what I was talking about. Sometimes I'm glad my sister understood me so well.

"Yeah! And they were saying how you love tomatoes and how 'they'll lure you into their trap using your love for tomatoes'." Electra and I raised our hands at the same time and made sure to use the air quotes when we recited Sakura and Ino's "plan." I watched as Sasuke's eyes widened until they were perfect circles and shiver every few seconds. The three of us watched as he continued to shiver until finally he cracked and screamed.

"Sasuke, don't scream!" Fugaku scolded before turning back to the conversation with my parents. Electra turned her eyes towards me and mouthed 'This is your fault, now solve it!'

"Don't worry, Sasuke. Electra was just kidding about the plan. She's just a stalker but not a very good one, so if you see her peeking from your window, don't hesitate to throw something sharp at her."

"I am NOT a stalker and certainly not HIS stalker!" I rolled my eyes and continued, ignoring her.

"If you don't believe me, then you might as well give up your love for tomatoes." I stood up straighter. I could just see the gears working overtime inside Sasuke's head as he tried to choose an impossible choice.

"I-I guess I'll believe you." He finally said shakily. Itachi smiled softly and looked at me appreciatively. I nodded in response. Electra, however, wasn't done with her fun.

"Hey, anyone want any food?"

"I want an apple." I reply. Electra turned to Itachi and Sasuke but both of them shook their heads no. The smirk that was previously on my sister's face fell before it returned again a moment later.

"Are you sure Sasuke? We have plenty of – "

"Oh no." I groaned, finally realizing what Electra was up to.

"Tomatoes!" She finished. Sasuke's eyes widened again and he shook his head furiously. His lips twitched, obviously disagreeing with his decision and the poor child had to slap his face a couple of times to stop it. Electra had finally lost it when Sasuke muttered a quiet ouch after he slapped himself and didn't even bother to cover her laughter.

"Electra!" I scolded but she continued to laugh uncontrollably. I sighed and reached out to slap her arm a bit harder than usual. Electra's laughter began to quiet down and when it finally stopped, she pouted at me.

"It was funny!" She exclaimed after I didn't react towards her failed attempt of a pout. I rolled my eyes and didn't bother explaining to her about respect.

"I'm hungry, and there's nothing good in the fridge." They all looked at me with questioning looks.

"I already searched through the whole house." I answered. Electra nodded knowingly and held her pointer finger up with a look if discovery.

"Let's go out to eat, then! And Itachi and Sasuke are paying!" With that said, Electra dragged all of us outside.

"We're going outside!" I managed to yell before Electra slammed the door behind us.


"Brother, help me train!" Sasuke begged after we finished eating. We were now walking through the streets, half of us (Electra and I) trying to take everything in.

"I can't just leave An-san and Electra-san to help you train." Itachi stated as he glanced down to his brother. Sasuke pouted and looked down to the ground.

"That's not a problem! Just take us with you." Electra suggested as she continued to poke me. Sasuke quickly brightened and looked up to Itachi with pleading eyes.

"Alright,"

"Yay!" Sasuke quickly cheered and skipped forward.

"But, only if it's okay with An-san and Electra-san." Sasuke froze and ran back to me. He gave me the same pleading eyes but this time the cuteness was up to 100%.

"Please?" He squeaked. I pretended to think about it.

"I don't know… what's in it for me?" He frowned and crossed his arms. He stood there, in the middle of the road, blocking my path and didn't appear to move soon.

"Alright, fine!" I sighed with a little too much exasperation but he didn't notice as he started cheering again.


"Itachi!" We all turned back to see a figure run out from the thick forest. At first it was dark but as he came closer, I realized who he was.

"Shisui." Itachi nodded in greeting while Sasuke smiled widely. Shisui ruffled his hair and laughed when Sasuke pouted.

"Stop it! I'm not a little kid!" Shisui chuckled while Sasuke's frown continued to deepen.

"Sure you're not, kid."

"Hey!" Shisui ignored him and turned towards Itachi. He stiffened and his eyes narrowed when he noticed Electra and me.

"I didn't expect the Sima girls to be here." His voice was steady and calm. I couldn't detect a hint of suspicion or disapproval.

"We didn't expect to be here." I answered back. Everyone looked at me and I looked back nonchalantly. I kept my gaze at Shisui and bit my tongue until I tasted the iron taste of blood just to not show any fear or other emotions. I noticed disbelief in his eyes before he looked away.

Ha! I just won a staring contest against an Uchiha!

Shisui turned towards Itachi but glanced back at me one last time with a tiny amused smirk.

"Itachi, I thought you forgot about our training session today!" Shisui stated accusingly.

"I did." Nothing more was said from him and Shisui smiled knowingly.

"Well, since you've arrived, let's go now!" He didn't wait for an answer, just turned around and began walking.

"No." Shisui froze before the soles of his shoes even touched the ground and vanished. His figure disappeared and for some reason, I snapped my head towards Itachi and watched as Shisui reappeared again behind him. How I knew he would turn there – I had no idea, maybe because that was rather predictable in this situation. I saw something glisten below Itachi's neck when he shifted his head slightly. My eyes quickly focused on the new object and saw my careless expression reflected off of the metal before it disappeared as a small cloud covered the sun's rays.

"Why not?" In a situation like this, I would probably be panicking and running for my life. Growing up in New York, when I see anything that looked, was, or could be used as a weapon; I would analyze the situation very quickly. If it seemed safe – as in I wouldn't die or get hurt – I would proceed with life. When it was dangerous, everyone's first instinct would be run. However, this wasn't one of those situations. We could all tell Shisui was joking and when Itachi tried to elbow him, he quickly jumped back a safe distance away from the child prodigy. He placed the kunai back into his pouch and crossed his arms as he waited for the explanation he deserved. Itachi sighed but replied nonetheless.

"I can't just abandon them to train with you." There was a moment – well, less than a moment – of silence before Electra broke it. Being the feminine girl she is (note the sarcasm) she snorted loudly.

"Wow! Is that all? Just take us with you! We'll watch from the sidelines." Electra pointed out. I watched as the two pondered for a moment. They had one tiny second of eye contact before they both nodded simultaneously. How they did that, I will never know. Maybe it's an experienced ninja thing… whatever.

"Fine, let's go then. We're wasting precious time!" Shisui exclaimed as he ran into the forest. The rest of us walked in a much slower pace into the training field.

I sat in between Electra and Sasuke a distance away from the field while Itachi and Shisui stood facing against each other. I didn't even know when the battle started. One second the two were just standing there, then I blinked, and suddenly they both had kunai out in a fighting crouch. Shisui was standing on a tree while Itachi was looking up at him from the ground. Faster than the visible eye can see, Itachi threw the kunai with perfect accuracy. It would have no doubt done great damage if Shisui didn't disappear at the last moment. He reappeared behind Itachi but this time he was serious. Even I can tell that the speed he used this time compared to last time was far greater. This was where he got his reputation.

Shisui of the Body Flicker

Uchiha Shisui is one of the most talented shinobi and member of the Uchiha clan. He possessed the sharingan just like many other members of his clan. His sharingan, however, was able to manipulate others without them even knowing. He is a very powerful genjutsu user, and on top of that, he had great mastery over the Body Flicker Technique.

Even now, in the spar between Itachi, I can see the hidden strength inside him. The two weren't giving their all in this spar, but their skill still amazed me even though I had already known their capabilities. Right now, they're both evenly matched. One would attack, the other blocked. They both used only taijutsu and that went on for a while. Then suddenly they were in front of each other, their eyes analyzing the other and their weapons connected. Just as fast as Itachi and Shisui came together, they pushed each other away.

Their eyes flashed red and their sharingan spun wildly. Both their hands flew up so fast that it was impossible to tell who made the first move. I wasn't completely sure whether or not they even moved their fingers but the next thing I knew, both Uchihas were blowing huge fireballs out their mouths.

Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu

Electra, Sasuke and I cringed and shielded our eyes. The anime did this jutsu no justice. It's supposed to be a C-Rank jutsu, but right now it sure doesn't seem like it. We were pretty far away from them, but I could still feel the heat from that fire. Its warmth spread inside me and I shivered slightly.

No matter how strong their lungs are, they eventually ran out of breath. Itachi reacted quickly and threw a handful of kunai and shuriken at Shisui. He jumped off the branch he was standing on previously quickly and then his eyes widened as he realized his mistake. While in midair, he couldn't move around freely and therefore an easy target to hit. Itachi realized this too and didn't waste any time. Thinking quickly, Shisui made five hand seals. The kunai and shuriken pierced through him but just when blood was supposed to come out, there was a large poof. When the smoke cleared, a log was in place with multiple weapons sticking out of it.

Kawarimi no Jutsu

Itachi smirked, clearly expecting that. He jumped back and quickly began forming seals faster than I can read. Again, I felt that familiar chill but it was easily ignored. I knew that I shouldn't have ignored that. There have been times similar to this and each time I regret the fact that I hadn't paid any attention to it. Something small can easily turn big. I sighed quietly and zipped my sweater up further. I felt warmth for a moment and smiled, thinking that was the end of that.

A volley of small fireballs was created and began flying towards different directions. I was confused for a moment but realized it soon afterwards. Each fireball hit another and counter attacked it. It seems Shisui had tried attacking first, but Itachi had read it with his sharingan.

Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu

I shivered involuntarily this time and it was a lot harder than last time. I shook my head a couple of times and continued to stare at the fire. Electra took off her sweater and complained about how hot it was. How odd… I found it pretty cold. I realized something was seriously wrong when I felt something wet on my forehead and neck. I reached up and wiped it.

Sweat.

I was sweating… yet I felt so cold. Everything was so cold. I shivered again and grabbed Electra's sweater.

"An-san, are you alright?" Sasuke asked quietly as he fanned himself using his hands. I nodded but felt another chill run through me. I found myself coughing and shaking.

"S-so cold." I managed to say through my chattering teeth.

"But An, you're sweating!" My breathing slowed as my body began to go into hibernation mode. As I closed my eyes, I barely felt something warm pressed against me. It was warm and I leaned towards it, but that little comfort was converted into another rush of coldness as I lost control of my body.

Oh lord, what's wrong with me?


Sorry it took me forever to finish writing this chapter, but I'm still trying to piece the plot of the story together. It's quite a dilemma but I think I finally have something… I hope.