Yo dawg. There's some pretty important stuff in the author's note, and you should really consider reading it, k thanks.

Chapter Nine: Wherein Hanami turns two, Kushina throws an (unwanted) party and Pakun eats the cake.

•

"…why in the fuck would I want to be a ninja? I had other things to worry about, like the mortality rate of my loved ones. I didn't need to be bothered with getting mauled by Tora the hell cat or tree walking."

•

Hanami

The war had momentarily winded down, and Kushina and Minato returned from the front lines a week apart from each other, like they had expected, and the team had begun taking missions again. Tsunade and Shizune didn't stay for long, leaving only a few days after they had arrived. There wasn't really an influx of half dead shinobi like there had been, so I guess they didn't see the point in staying. Really, it's a miracle Tsunade even showed in the first place. From what Rin had said, she vomited and locked herself in one of the janitor's closets after attempting to treat a patient who was in the process of bleeding to death. Haemophobia could do that to ya. Coming here probably just made things worse.

"How was your mission?" We had bunked at Minato and Kushina's, at the request of the latter. Our apartment had flooded while Rin was away, and the issue had yet to be fully resolved. It was like every other day we had some kind of major catastrophe that our landlord refused to pay for, or even put forth the effort to fix himself. I was going to shit on his doorstep one of these days.

"It was fine, Kushina-san. Kind of boring, actually." Rin shoveled the rest of her rice into her mouth, and took a large gulp of her orange juice. I watched them with half lidded eyes, trying to force my mind into alertness. What is with toddlers? Barely awake for an hour, and I feel like death itself.

"…what's for breakfast?" Obito appeared suddenly, finally being roused from his heavy sleep on his sensei's couch. There wasn't really any reason for him sleeping over, other than the fact that he didn't know how to cook for himself and that Rin was here. Sometimes I wondered if she really had no idea that he was madly in love with her, or if she just chose to ignore it. It was depressing, whichever.

"Miso, rice, and eggs! Eat up; you're lookin' a bit scrawny." He made a noncommittal type motion at her and pulled out a chair, and didn't waste much time devouring the bowl of rice that was place before him. I slid him my bowl of miso, and he gladly accepted it. Yuck. Miso was an abomination, and why anyone willingly ate it was beyond me.

"Hey Rin-chan, do think maybe you'd wanna go see a movie later?…With me? Alone?" I was actually pretty impressed that he hadn't stuttered, and that his face hadn't erupted in redness like it usually did. He was making progress, if not by much. Kushina shot him a knowing look and started collecting the dirty dishes from the table, and Rin rose from her seat to help her wash them. I, because I am a toddler and it's ok for me to do these types of things, made kissy faces at him and stuck out my tongue when he flicked me.

"Ah, sorry, I can't. I'm saving up for something, and really don't have any extra money to spend." He started to explain that it would a date and that he'd be paying, but gave up when she turned away from him, her answer final. I patted him on the arm. I feel you, buddy. I really, really do.

"What are we saving up for?" Maybe she was planning on getting us the fuck out of that shithole we have to call home. Last week, one of Etsuko's cats got into our apartment and pissed on all of Rin's clothes. Obito had to hold her back to keep her from strangling the damn thing. "Are we moving? Please tell me we're moving."

Rin laughed nervously, like this wasn't a topic she wanted to be veering into right now. "No, no. That's up next, though, don't worry." She placed a kiss on top of my head as she walked by, and Obito's longing expression didn't go unnoticed. By me. Rin, on the other hand, stayed blissfully aloof.

"Is it about Hanami's birthday p- oof!" Rin clamped her hand around Obito's mouth, her eyes set in a vicious glare. Huh. Was it really that time of the year again? I started losing track of the days after a while. It was also still a little odd, having my birthday not be in be in the fall. February first just didn't have the same ring to it that September twenty-eighth had had.

"Ooh, we're throwing Hanami-chan a birthday party? I wanna help! I'm great with baking!" I could tell that the gears in Kushina's head were turning out ideas a mile a minute. To be honest, birthday parties weren't something I cared about. My birthday had made the transition from being the most exciting day of the year to just another lackluster Tuesday a long time ago. I leaned back in my chair and sipped on my orange juice. Now that I was thinking about, I couldn't remember the last time I truly felt any excitement about turning another year older. Maybe when I had turned ten, when I got my first sewing machine. It was a cheap low level model and broke within the year, but I treated it with as much care as someone would their first born child.

"It's ok, Rin. Don't worry about throwing a party. Birthdays are dumb, anyway." Really, we didn't have the money to be blowing it on presents and streamers. Rin deflated, and immediately I felt guilty for my choice of words.

"No, Hanami-chan, your birthday isn't dumb. You didn't get to celebrate it last year, so this year needs to be extra special." I sighed. I know how Rin is. She tends to overcompensate, always trying to make up for something that she couldn't control. I patted her head, and she sunk in her chair and put her head over her crossed arms. Yep, I felt bad. Shit.

"We can't just not throw you a birthday party, Hanami-chan! We threw Rin one, Kakashi one…hm, Obito, when's your birthday?" Said Uchiha had been in the middle of sulking when Kushina called him into attention. He perked up from his disheveled slouch and scratched the side of his cheek.

"Uh, it's February tenth. Why?" Kushina crossed her arms, and tapped her chin thoughtfully. Her eyes lit up like chlorine colored fireworks, and she clapped her hands together. There was a collective raising of brows. She was always chipper, but usually this kind of enthusiasm was the result of concocting a new way to prank her boyfriend.

"Since the dates are so close, how about we have Hanami-chan and Obito's party on the same day? Double the cake, double the food, double the fun!" She sounded like a total soccer mom, but she kinda was, so it was fitting. Me and Obito looked between each other, and he shrugged. Rin's discouraged look from moments before had completely vanished, and I wished I could say I was as eager as they were.

"Ah, that's a great idea, Kushina-san! How does that sound to you guys?" Rin was just as much a weakness for me as she was for Obito, and I couldn't really find it in me to object. Obito gave sunny thumbs up and a toothy grin, and I tried to replicate it, although I doubt that it was actually convincing.

"That sounds great! I've never had a birthday party before." The mood was promptly turned down a few notches. He was scratching at his cheek again, his expression sheepish. "Usually, Mikoto-sama brings over some dumplings on my birthday, but I've never had a party celebrating it." Goddamn, his entire life was a sob story.

"Obito…" Rin reached over and wrapped her hand around his, and as per usual at any skin to skin contact with my sister, his cheeks abruptly turned red. He was going to blush so hard on of these days that he'd explode.

"Well, that ends this year. We're going to throw the biggest, most awesome birthday party that anyone has ever seen!" Kushina pumped her fist in the air like was she making some grand proclamation to the gods. I was the only one in the room that wasn't animatedly expressing their excitement, and I stuck out like a pouty, unenthused thumb.

"So Obito, what presents would you like for your first official birthday party? Mission gear? New clothes?" They had already decided to make a chocolate cake with blue, vanilla icing for Obito, and I was still completely uninvolved, remaining lost in my own thoughts. I remember for my sixteenth birthday party, my dad had the bright idea of hiring a local band to play. They showed up completely shit-faced, and the drummer tried to get my mom to blow him. Then, one of them tried to stage dive and landed on my cake. Good times, those were.

"A kiss on the mouth from my sister, probably." If I wasn't a toddler and his crush's little sister, he probably would've strangled me. Kushina tried to hide her laugh behind the back of her hand, but failed miserably. I didn't know how that didn't seem to faze Rin, as she just rolled her eyes and swatted me on my arm. The day when Obito blushed so hard he died was apparently upon us, as it was like he was actually melting into a puddle of unrequited pinning and utter despair.

"W-well, I bet you want a kiss from Itachi!" I snorted. Itachi may be pretty, but two year olds really weren't my type. Pretty sure that no matter how you rolled the dice, that would still be considered pedophilia. They just didn't know that.

"Pfft, you're gonna have to try a lot harder than that, Obito-nii." He pulled me under his arm and ground his fist into my head, but ended his assault on my cranium at the disapproving look Rin was giving him. It really paid to have an overprotective sister sometimes.

"Ok, Hanami-chan, what would you like? Y'know, gifts, what kind of cake…" I sat back in my chair again. Really, what I wanted was a sewing machine. I was itching to get busy with my hands again, but I knew that I was a ways away from really being able to use one. I had mastered hand sewing once upon a time, but these hands weren't calloused with the skill I had once possessed. But, I suppose we all have to start from somewhere.

"Any cake is fine, so use your imagination, I guess. I'd like some sewing supplies, and maybe some books." I hummed to myself, ignoring the concerned gleam in my sister's eyes. She didn't like the equation of Hanami plus needles, plus shears, and I knew it. "And…hmm. That's about it, actually." As soon as the words left my lips, a thought came to mind. "Oh, and I wanna see Kakashi's face." I didn't get to see it before I died, so dammit, I wasn't going to die again without knowing what he was hiding under that mask.

"That's it? Really? You don't want any toys, or anything?" I shook my head, and Kushina frowned. "Well, I'm still going to get you other stuff, and you're just going to have to deal with it." And that was that. She left no room for any arguments, but that was Kushina for you.

"Aren't you the least bit excited, Hanami-chan?" It was a few days later, and our apartment was now habitable. Rin and Kushina had been keeping things completely under wraps from both Obito and I, and the only thing that I knew for sure was that my cake was going to have yellow icing. Obito was practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation. The only birthday gifts he had ever received had been given to him by my sister and Mikoto, so the thought of having a party dedicated to his birth was absolutely mind boggling to him. I, on the other hand, couldn't really care less, but went along with things because it made Rin happy. And, because I wanted sewing supplies, dammit.

"Nah, I'm excited, I just know how to contain myself." She wasn't convinced. I sighed and rolled over on my back, my eyes transfixed on the ceiling fan as it spun in an endless circle. "Birthdays aren't that big of a deal, when you think about it. Just one year closer to death."

"Hanami!"

"What?" It dawned on me then that that was probably the worst thing I could've said to her, so I slapped myself. I'm an idiot. "I'm sorry, sis. Yes, I'm excited. Thank you for doing this for me." She shot me one of those motherly disapproval type looks and took a stack of small envelopes from her bag.

"Good. Now, come on. We're handing these out to your friends." I tried to contain my laugh, I really did, but to no avail. I laughed long and hard, and was even able to produce some tears. What friends, besides my family (which according to Rin, didn't count)? Itachi was chill, Shisui I wasn't so sure about, and that was where my short list ended.

"What's so funny? You have friends." She had her hands in her hips, and I knew if she wasn't in mommy mode, she'd be pouting, too.

"No, sis, I really don't. I have you, Minato, Kushina, and Obito, but I can't exactly hand out invitations to any of you guys, because you're already coming. And half of the party is for Obito, anyway. You can't invite someone to their own birthday party."

"What about Itachi? And Shisui? You got along with Itachi really well, I thought." She plopped down on our couch with me and pulled my legs over onto her lap. Yes, Itachi was fine, if not a bit intimidating. Shisui was a fuck head, but I wasn't about to voice that. I didn't feel like getting slapped today.

"I like Itachi, but I'm pretty sure Shisui doesn't like me, so he's out." And odd fascinations didn't count. This time she did pout, but wasn't deterred for long. She stood and pulled me with her, and picked me up when I tried to climb back onto the couch.

"Well, too bad. We're going over there right now and giving them their invitations, and you're going to do it all by yourself." I groaned, she groaned back just to mock me, and I didn't have any more say in the matter.

"Are you really going to make me do this?" We were outside of Itachi's house, the place just as oddly quiet as it always was. The looks we got whenever we came over made the both of us squirm. One thing I had come to notice about the Uchiha, was that they didn't take too well to outsiders. I knew it was more than likely due to how ostracized they had become, but it was unnerving, nonetheless.

"Yes, Hanami-chan, you have to do this. It'll be good for you." she knocked on the door for me, but pulled me in front of her so that I couldn't hide behind her legs. "Smile, please." I didn't. That was just asking too much.

"Oh, Hanami-chan. I didn't know you were coming over today." Itachi looked pleasantly surprised, his normal smile in place like it usually was. Already, my face was beet red. But I knew the longer I stood there in silence, the hotter my cheeks would burn, so I cleared my throat. This was going to be awkward.

"Hey my birthday is coming up and I was just wondering if you'd like to come but you don't have to if you don't want to actually I really won't blame you if you don't show up I don't even want to go-" I took a deep breath. "So, yeah." I shoved the decorative envelopes forward, just now noticing that they were covered in flowers and glitter. I hoped for Obito's sake that his didn't look like this.

He blinked, his long lashes nearly touching his cheeks bones. Really, boys shouldn't be allowed to have eyelashes that pretty. Little fucker didn't even need mascara.

"I would love to come, Hanami. Thank you for inviting me." He eyed the invitations, his finger tips skimming over the bumpy, sparkling texture. "Is the other one for Shisui?" Unfortunately, yes.

"Itachi-kun, who's at the door? Oh, Rin-chan, Hanami-chan, hello. Would you like to come in? The boys were just getting out of the bath. They came home earlier covered in mud." Rin would never pass up an offer to socialize, so she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside, both of us taking off our shoes in the process.

"Itachi, where the heck are you?" Shisui came bounding around the hall with only his underwear on and a towel around his shoulders. This may sound odd, but I was still in shock that the males here had nipples. I guess I had just assumed that regardless if a fucking anime was now my reality, that the whole "HE AIN'T GOT NO NIPPLES" thing would carry over. Shisui skidded to a stop in front of us, seemingly aware now of his partial nudity.

"Oh, hey Hanami." He was the only other Uchiha besides Obito that wore his emotions like a neon sign, and he wasn't happy to see me. His cheeks were tinged pink, and his lips set in a frown. God, what was with this kid? Surely, he should be used to me by now. It was like every time he saw me, he reverted back to how he approached me the day we met. But hey, I guess this is what I asked for. At least one of them didn't care for me. That was something.

"Well, that's no way to greet someone, Shisui-kun." Mikoto swatted him on the behind, but that did little other than make his cheeks redder than they were before.

"What's she doing here?" Have you ever told yourself that someone's opinion of you doesn't matter, but it actually does? Well, that was me right now. He hated me, and the only reason I could really think of as to why is that he didn't want anyone interrupting his dynamic with Itachi, and I understood that. Hell, even I didn't really want to mess with it. My reservations on both of them hadn't subsided just because I socialized with them. If things went the way they had before, both of them were going to die, and under heart breaking pretenses. Why I was allowing myself to get pulled into their world was something I often pondered at night. Maybe I'm a sadist.

"Shisui, you're being rude. Hanami-chan came over to invite us to her birthday party." Itachi's speaking skills were probably better than most adult's, and he was barely two. Freaking baby geniuses, man.

"Oh…ok. Yeah, I'll go, I guess." I almost felt a bit insulted at his tone. Yeah, I know this isn't going to be the party of the freaking year, but damn. He could at least try to act enthusiastic. If I can do it, he can, too.

"You don't have to come, if you don't want to." That came out more snappish than I had meant it to, but there was no taking it back now. He looked taken aback, like he hadn't expected that from me, and truthfully, I hadn't, either. Itachi's eyes switched between Shisui and me, an unsure frown tugging his lips downwards. Well, this was incredibly awkward.

"…well, I'm sorry to have to cut this visit short, but Hanami-chan and I have more invitations to hand out. We hope to see you at the party!" Rin turned on her heels and pulled me along with her, stopping only so we could put our shoes back onto our feet. She shut the door behind her with a low click. We stood there for a moment, and I exhaled the breath that I had been holding. One great thing about Rin, was that she always backed out of tense situations at exactly the right time. I kind of loved her for it.

"What did you do to make Shisui not like you that much, Hanami-chan?" We were home again, and thankfully she didn't force me to throw anymore invitations at people. She cooked us dinner and didn't bring up any mention of the party until afterwards, when we were laying down for the night. I snuggled closer into her side.

Really, I didn't know how to answer that. I had hoped that the both of them would just hate me, and now that I had half of that wish, I didn't know what I really felt about it. If I were to continue pursuing a friendship with Itachi, and Shisui still disliked me, that would just make things more difficult for everyone. And the last thing I needed was for things to be any more of a cluster fuck.

"I don't know, sis." I decided then, as I was falling asleep, that if Shisui was going to hate me that I would break off any contact with Itachi. It would be better that way. They were like brothers, and if it was going to be impossible for me to just kind of exist alongside that without conflict, then I didn't want to interfere. It was better if that happened now if it's going to happen, anyway. If I walked out of Itachi's life now, he'd be able to move on with things without thinking twice about it, I was sure. Obviously, Shisui could survive without me. And honestly, my life would be a hell of a lot easier it they weren't in it.

•

Rin

An aggravated sigh escaped me, and it was becoming increasingly less and less likely that by the end of this, I would still have my patience intact. I hadn't ever wrapped a gift before; and every attempt I had had in the last hour has reaped nothing but failure. Kushina was humming a happy tune, and each gift box that her fingers graced came out looking like they belonged in a catalogue.

"Having some trouble there, Rin-chan?" Another sigh. She giggled, and stacked the latest finished product on top of the other already wrapped gifts. I crumbled the purple and yellow wrapping paper in my hand and slumped against the wall. Everything had to be perfect, not only for Hanami-chan, but for Obito, too. They deserved it, and so much more than that.

"You could say that." She placed her hand on my knee and squeezed. My eyes trailed over to her, brow furrowing at the sight of her pursed lips. For being a jōnin, Kushina was fairly easy to read. Like right now, she wanted to talk to me about something that wasn't my poor gift wrapping skills, but didn't know how to venture into it; whatever it was.

"…Don't you think it's a little odd, that a two year old doesn't want any toys for her birthday?" Kushina had a way about her that when she wanted to veer into a more serious topic of discussion, she'd go about it like she was talking about the weather. And no; I hadn't really stopped to think about it that way. It was her birthday, and I was going to buy her what she wanted. Well, Kushina wouldn't let me actually pay for anything myself, but that wasn't the point.

"It's what Hanami-chan wants, and I wasn't going to tell her no." She pursed her lips, the uncertainty clearly engraved into her expression.

"That's just something more for someone older, y'know? And she's very smart for her age, too. I sure as hell didn't know how to read or was able to speak full sentences by the time I was a year and a half."

"Where are you going with this, Kushina-san?" I was proud of myself for keeping my voice even and my expression neutral, because I had a feeling I knew where this was headed, and that was straight for an early academy registration. Konoha is in dire need of shinobi due to our losses so far in the war, and there was a lot of pressure on ninja families and civilians alike to put their children through the academy, and younger than normal. Usually, the academy entry age is five, but if the child shows exceeding levels of intelligence and skill, earlier than that. If I remembered right, Kakashi-kun started when he was three, and graduated the year I enrolled. That was just too early.

"Well, I was thinking that we could start training her. Start on her endurance; have her begin mediating so she can develop her chakra, stuff like that. With a brain as big as hers, she could really do well in the academy. She'd make a fine kunoichi." I paused. Yes, Hanami-chan is weirdly smart, that much was obvious. And yes, she could be an excellent ninja, should she decide to become one. But I know my sister. Her mind is as far away from 'ninja' as Kushina's mind is 'relaxed'.

"Do you want me to enroll her in the academy early, Kushina-san?"

"Well, kind of. Yes. But not right now. It's just; we've taken some big hits over the last few years. You know how depleted our recourses are…"

"I know that. But she's not ready. And honestly, I don't know if she'll even want to be a ninja."

"Rin-chan, I'm not talking about now. Or even next year, or the year after that. But she has a lot of potential, she just needs a little push. At least let us begin training her." She wrapped her hand around my forearm and squeezed. I let my shoulders relax. It was one thing if she wanted to be a ninja, but something entirely different if we forced her. All of this came down to whether or not she even wanted to attend the academy. So I thought about my answer for a moment, and came to a resolve.

"Ok, you can train her." her face lit up. "But," and then it fell slightly. "Only if she absolutely, positively wants to become a kunoichi." She wagged her head vigorously, reaching over and wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

"That's my girl! I promise we won't make her do anything she's not comfortable with. But, we could really use someone like her in the future, when she's ready." A sense of hesitancy overcame me, but I didn't voice my doubts. Her regular, exuberant demeanor resumed, and the air was quickly filled with her chatter. It was soothing, in a way.

"Here, Rin-chan, let me help." She grabbed the small box I was in the process of not-wrapping and took the scissors from my hands. "Here, fold it like this…"

•

Hanami

Not surprisingly, the night before my birthday, I lied in bed restlessly. Rin had been walking around like there was something on her mind since the day before, and I had yet to decipher what it could possibly be. But that wasn't the only thing that was keeping me awake.

Two years here, already? It seemed like just yesterday that I was taking my first breath. I started to wonder how my mom, dad, and six brothers were doing. Had my oldest brother graduated from college yet? Had my youngest brother mustered up the courage to ask out that girl he had been pinning for since elementary school? But most importantly, were they ok without me? I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt wash over my body, like the relentless waves of the ocean had when I had decided to jump, and unfortunately, to my death. It was so mind boggling dumb, what I did. And so fucking selfish. I let the tears flood my vision, and didn't bother to wipe them away as they trailed down my cheeks.

Who was I, prancing around and masquerading as a goddamn toddler? Who was I, pretending to be the last remaining family member of someone who practically had "Dead Girl Walking" tattooed on her forehead? I would never be Hanami Nohara, and I shouldn't be the one blowing out the candles on her birthday cake.

As the sun had started to rise and as my eyes started to flutter, I wished for something that I hadn't in more than a year; that when I woke, I'd be surrounded by yellow and lavender walls, and my alarm clock would be buzzing, demanding me to wake. That I'd hear my mother's thickly accented voice call me down for breakfast, and then I'd wrestle my youngest brother for the last piece of bacon. I wished that I would walk to school, dreading every step, and I wished that I could spend just one more period of calculus texting my best friend, even though we both had stacks of schoolwork high enough to reach the ceiling.

But when I did wake, I was greeted with the sight of my beaming sister, and I found myself slowly letting go of the wishes I had been clinging to so desperately only hours before. There was still a whole in my heart, and I wasn't sure if she was the one filling it, but it was fading into nothing but a memory. At least for today.

"Happy Birthday, Hanami-chan!" My face split into a smile when she placed a small box on my lap. The edges were crinkled and far beyond perfect, but that made me treasure it that much more.

"Open it, open it!" She nudged my hands, and I complied, carefully pulling back the yellow paper. Beneath it was a purple box, its texture smooth and shiny. I pulled it open, a gasp flowing past my lips. It was a necklace with a black, velvet string, a small amethyst pendant resting at the center. "We got you what you asked for, too, but this was something just from me." I remained quiet, and gently ran my fingers over the glistening gemstone.

"Do you like it? If you don't, we can take it back-"

"I love it." I wiped the tears from my eyes that threatened to fall. "Thank you, Rin. I love it. I really do." The happiness I felt was different from when my parents had gifted me my first sewing machine. They had gotten it for me because I wouldn't shut up about it, but this came from the bottom of Rin's heart. No doubt, she had saved up for this for months. A distinctive warmth settled over my chest. I knew that I loved Rin, but I guess I just didn't realize how much. Her hand reached forward and cupped my cheek.

"Let's get dressed, ok? Kushina will tear us a new one if we're late."

For the first time since I've been here, I felt a bit more like myself. It still stung to look in the mirror, but seeing the pendant shine so brilliantly from its place on my clavicle made things feel alright. Not like they used to feel, but I could live with it.

•

They, as in Kushina Uzumaki, had rented out the park for the entire day, and I was afraid to ask how much exactly that had cost. It was probably unnecessary, considering my half of the whole shebang only included two people- or one, as Shisui didn't show up. Itachi apologized profusely, but I wasn't all that shocked.

Of the party itself, half of the area that had been set up was yellow and lilac, while the other half was blue and orange. All of my sister's friends showed, even Gai (who by the way, was still on Rin's shit list) bearing both gifts for both Obito and I. The former ended up crying, as suspected by basically everyone. We had gotten to the gift giving part after both cakes were completely devoured. Obito's was attacked by Pakkun, who I was absolutely thrilled to finally meet. He had been sitting on my lap since our introduction, his summoner standing off in the distance, arms crossed and probably pouting underneath his mask. I highly doubted I'd be getting what I had asked for from him, but I knew it was probably too much to wish for.

"Ah, guys, thanks so much for all of this. Really, you have no idea how much this means to me." Obito's cheeks were still red and puffy, and if he hadn't cried out half of his body weight in tears earlier in the party, he'd be sniffling now, too. He received mission gear, clothing, a pin-up magazine from Genma and a slew of other things I hadn't paid much mind to. He unwrapped his gifts with the kind of enthusiasm that a five year old has on Christmas morning, and it was positively precious. He even thanked Kushina for a pack of underwear and socks, if that tells you anything about his character.

As far as my half of the party is concerned, I got what I asked for and then some. My sewing supplies came with the rules of "No cutting by yourself! Get Rin to do it for you!" and needles that weren't as pointy as regular ones were, all having a bigger eye so they're easier to thread. Plus a superfluous amount of clothing for a mere two year old, play kunai and shuriken, an elating amount of literature, and a beautiful deck of Hanafuda from Itachi. It even came with its own box, bearing my birth flower engraved on the front. I hugged him and kissed his cheek, and he hasn't stopped blushing since. Kushina and Mikoto have been whispering to each other for the past ten minutes, and I'm fairly sure they're planning our wedding. Sheesh. Like that'll happen.

"Don't worry about it, man. Just don't cry anymore. It's really not manly." Says the eleven year old with a voice as deep as a grown ass man, otherwise known as Ibiki Morino. Asuma nodded in silent agreement, and Kurenai jabbed him with her elbow.

"Well, I think it's attractive. Sensitivity is hot." I'd never seen Asuma Sarutobi pout and sulk like a baby, and I was honestly wondering where it had been all my life. Obito bristled and blushed hotter than ever, even more so when Rin agreed with her. He hadn't gotten the kiss I knew he desperately wanted, but getting called hot and having Rin agree probably made up for it.

Things started to settle down, and the boys had gotten themselves into a "friendly" sparring match that Fugaku and Minato were watching to pass the time. The former I had just met today, who was forced into a party hat by his giggling wife and her hotheaded best friend. He still hasn't taken it off yet. Rin allowed me to go off by myself, but only if I was still visible and within earshot. It was fine. The day's events still left me feeling light and happy- actual, honest to the Universe happiness, but I was the type of person that after so much interaction with other human beings, needed time to wind down.

The air was crisp, and I had a feeling it wouldn't be long before it felt like summer, even in the beginning of February. I wondered what it was going to be like, growing up in this world. This vile, fucked up world filled with child sized murderers and wars that were bound to happen. I was coming to the conclusion that if I didn't look at these people as characters serving a role in a plot, that I was less terrified of the tragedy to befall them. I knew that it wouldn't be long before I would have to face the fact that they would eventually be brought forth to serve their original purpose, but that wasn't happening just yet. For right now, if I lived this life as just another childhood of fleeting memories, then being Hanami Nohara might come to me more naturally, like an extension of myself. Would I ever truly become her? No. That was impossible. But it would have to do, if I wanted to keep my sanity.

"Sorry I'm late." At first, I thought it sounded like Itachi, but the voice then registered in my mind as Shisui. He didn't wait for a reply and sat down in the grass close to where I was laying. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. His curly mop of hair was ruffled by the breeze, and his stony eyes were glued to the pastel sky above us. It was funny to me, in a way. I had almost expected a friendship to form with both of the boys instantly, whether I wanted it to or not. That just almost seemed mandatory. I guess I thought that Shisui would become this brother figure the second I met him, and that I'd just be welcomed with open arms into their little secluded bubble with no hiccups.

"…I brought you this." He shoved a small, poorly wrapped rectangular box into my lap, and I sat up to inspect it. My lips curled into a smile at the wrapping paper; it was covered in little hearts and daisies. The box was revealed to be containing an ink set, complete with a pen and the more traditional brush. "I, uh… didn't know really what to get you, so I hope you like it." I was noticing that the more "black sheep" Uchiha had the tendency to scratch when they were unsure of themselves- be it their ears, cheeks or the backs of their heads. Shisui took to his left cheek.

"I love it. Thank you, Shisui." His cheeks and ears were flushed, and he didn't reply. He drew his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms securely around them. I knew that this wasn't going to come to some sort of resolve unless I took the lead.

"I know why you don't like me." his shoulders tensed, and I saw his nails dig deeper into the skin of his calves. "It's always been you and Itachi, and you don't know if you want there to be anyone else in the mix. And I get that." he was fidgeting, like he wanted to lash out at me and it was taking every bit of him not to. "If you want me to back off, I can. I don't want to make things hard for you, Shisui." I reached my hand over and placed it on his shoulder, and his head snapped up at the sudden contact. I expected him to shrug me off, but he didn't. It was like the touch relaxed him, if only by a hair. He gulped and averted his eyes away to the ground.

"No, don't do that. Itachi likes you, and…and I don't hate you, Hanami. It's like what you said; I'm just…not used to it. But don't leave, please. That would really hurt Itachi's feelings." that was the most he had ever said to me, and it left me speechless. "I just wanna protect Itachi, I guess. And I didn't know you, and I wasn't sure if I even wanted to, and I've never been friends with a girl before, or anyone besides Itachi, really…" He was babbling now, his expression animated and punctuating every word with some kind of hand gesture, which was culturally considered rude and obnoxious. Oh, yeah. Black sheep fit him like a glove.

"I get it, Shisui. It's ok." I felt relieved that I didn't have to cut off Itachi like an extra inch of fabric, but I still wasn't sure if I was ready to be their friend. I just had to remind myself that we were still children; babies, even. They may be ticking time bombs, but at least they weren't going to detonate for another ten or so years.

"…are we friends now? Because I'm ok with that." I nodded once, and a grin practically split his cheeks in half. I didn't know what it was with Uchiha, but whenever they decided to smile, it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

•

...aaaaand that's a wrap for now! Chapter ten, we will be experiencing a three year time skip so we can hurry up and get to the good stuff; aka, all of the (possible) death and destruction. Is Obito going to get crushed by a rock? Is Rin going to die a terrible death? Will Naruto still be an orphan?! You're just going to have to read and find out. Shit is about to get alarmingly real, alarmingly fast, and reality is going to slap Hanami across the face so hard she won't know what to do with herself.

I'm going to be taking a little break for about a week or so, maybe shorter than that. Mainly so I can get chapters 12 through possibly 17 written, edited and ready to upload. I like to have a constant flow of chapters that I can give to you guys, so there's not a very drawn out waiting period. So, there's that. But there are a lot of things to look forward to: different character POVs, the introduction of more characters (IMPORTANT ones, too), Hanami's decision on whether or not she will become a ninja, possible romance and more! Side note; I feel like I'm advertising something in an infomercial; "UNIMAGINABLE PAIN AND SUFFERING FOR AS LOW AS $19.99!11! AND IF YOU ORDER NOW, YOU'LL GET A BOX OF TISSUES AND A HUG FROM THE AUTHOR FOR FREE!"

Fun Fact of the Day: This entire chapter was written in one day, and was a total fluke. No planning at all, just continuous typing. I nearly named it "The Chapter that just Sorta Happened", but obviously that didn't really keep up with the theme of "Wherein blah blah blah".

Remember to review! Predictions of the next chapter, what you liked and not so much, questions, comments or concerns are all welcome.