School's out! I hope you guys are enjoying summer!

-Emiko

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Once I got home from the hospital I sat down on my bed and stared at the celling. I thought that keeping my eyes locked on the white celling wouldn't make me think about other things when I was trying to focus on the issue at hand--Miki. I envisioned her getting hurt, falling into a lake of leeches, or Soujirou slapping her.

Then I thought about my family. . .and Naruto, technically. Sasuke acted like he knew us forever. He didn't and all of a sudden he is playing the father figure. He's not who I consider my father. But I must've gotten my personality from him--he's serious and cautious. Maybe Sakurako was right about him and I was wrong.

He gave us Ganmo (who was sleeping on Sakurako's bed right now) who was barking all night. Mom said it was normal because he was just a puppy. . .like a baby. He was like Sakurako--always wanted attention.

Calling Sasuke 'dad' still feels weird so I chose to not call him by any name. He must've figured I was some weird introvert when I tape him on the shoulder to get his attention. I hadn't seen Naruto since he showed up. After all, he was the Hokage. When he was acting as our dad he was always late for dinner and stuff because of his job. So when Mom was working we would stay at day cares when we were little. That's how we met Miki. Miki--with her long, slik midnight black hair and perfect teeth, and clothes she was the most popular girl there. She was proposed to by boy a! When she was six! I couldn't help but feel jealous. She sucked up to us and stalked us. We were the 'Hokage's daughters'. But when I entered the Academy and Akahana became my new best friend she got mad that 'I dumped her'.

I suddenly heard a door shut. If got off my bed and Ganmo's ears perked up. If it was a burglar I was prepared. I crept down the stairs with my kunai in hand. I peaked around the corner of the first floor and saw Sasuke in the living room. I let out my breath, which caught his attention.

He must've noticed the kunai in my hand because he said, "I didn't know you hated me that much."

It took for me a few seconds to mutter out a "I don't hate you."

Akward silence.

"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked.

"No, I just wanted to see who came in. I was scared," I squeaked.

"Oh."

I turned around and began to walk off.

"Miyuki, how was you trainning?" he asked as he shuffled through some papers.

"Okay. What are those papers?" I asked, trying to get a better view of the stuff that he held.

"Nothing," he replied rather quickly and hastily shoved them into a folder.

"Do you like your sensei?"

What kind of question was that?

"Yeah, he's okay,"

"What's 'okay' mean?"

"Just. . .okay," I shrugged.

More silence. I needed to figure out something to talk about.

"Uh, what's your favorite food?"

"Tomatoes. Yours?"

"Sushi, but I like tomatoes."

"Could you tell me about your parents?"

His face fell and his eyes shifted to the floor. "My mother's name was Mikoto and my father was Fugaku. I had an older brother--"

"Who was the one. . .who. . .um. . ." I said, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Murdered my family? Yes," he cut me off.

"Aren't Sakurako and I your family, too?" I aksed.

"Of course!"

Then why didn't he say 'our' family?

"That's all I need to know. See you later," I said and ran back upstairs.

xoxoxoxoxo

"Soujirou?" I asked. I hugged my knees against my chest and squeezed the phone.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"I can't think of revenge ideas that aren't illegal,"

He laughed. That was the first time I ever heard him laugh. I liked his laugh.

"I have an idea," he told me.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

I looked over at the the pink book on the table by the couch. That's was my mom's diary. I shouldn't. . .it's an invasion of privacy but there was a spark of curiosity that wouldn't go away. I grabbed the book, shot up and I turned the pages until I passed the entry about my father.

Dear Diary,

I've beens so busy lately--studying for the Chunin exams and all. I think I like getting D-rank missions all the time better.

Dear Diary,

So much has happened! First of all--Sasuke-kun got hurt! He was bitten by this woman (or maybe it was a man. . .) during the First of Death part of the Chunin exams! Once he regained conciousness he pulled this guy's arm out of the socket for me!

What?!

We got to the next round with the help of Ino-pig and her team.

Ino-pig?

Then, like we hadn't had enough, they decided to go directly into some preliminary rounds. Sasuke-kun was first and he was still in a lot of pain from the bite. He won but was immediately taken to the infirmary. My opponent was none other than Ino-pig. I know, right? It ended up being a tie. Naruto fought with Kiba and it was disgusting! He won by a fart!

A fart?

And poor Lee got hurt. The finals are one day from now and Sasuke and Naruto are still not back from trainning!

I need to get going and visit Lee at the hospital now.

The next page was dated months after the last and was stained with water marks.

Dear Diary,

I'm too sad to write but I'll try my best.

Sasuke left Konoha today to go to Orochimaru.

Wait, who was Orochimaru? I searched my mind and remembered Kakashi telling me about him. I flipped to the next page but it was dated a month and then a year later. I shut the diary and just sat. My blood was boiling over. I need to tell Sakurako! What should I do? Who should I confront? Mom? Dad?

Dad.

Who the hell would soil their reputation by doing that! My heart was beating a million miles an hour. I got up, slipped on my sandals, and ran out the door. I ran past the houses with diary clutched in my hand. I ran a good distance through the city when I finally found Sasuke trainning in the woods.

"Omae-" I called out and gripped the nearest tree. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Omae?! Miyuki?"

"Don't talk to me like that after all you did!" I screamed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb!" I replied and opened up the diary that was older than me and gave it to him. He skimmed over the pages and he looked up with pleading eyes.

"Where'd you get this?"

I was dead serious. "Why did you do it?" I ignored his question like he did to mine.

"Miyuki, I made a mistake," he sighed, "I hurt a lot of people and I regret it,"

I stared at the pound to the left. "I knew you were going to say something like this," I said with a cold laugh.

"Miyuki, pretend you were in my position and Sakurako was Itachi and you came home and your mother and I were dead!" he yelled at me.

"I definently wouldn't care if you were dead," I snapped.

And, without a moment's notice, he slapped me. I pushed the hair out of my face and blinked back the tears. I stared at him and walked off.

"Miyuki!" he called. "I'm sorry I left!"

Well, I guess we're even now.