Chapter 2: Uchiha Varlene

            When Sasuke and Varlene entered the Uchiha house, there was only staring for a few seconds, then Sasuke spoke first, still staring at her with a confused face. "Okay, lets start with this… How did you survive Itachi's wrath?"

            "How did YOU survive Itachi's wrath?!" She countered.

            "Fine. I ran. I ran as fast as I could and decided to live a life of only running from him. I did exactly what he told me. I clang to life and survived in unsightly ways. Just as he said. But now… I've changed. The people that I love are no longer people that I just see and ignore every day; they are now actually people that I love… not too recently did I change, but I did, and I'm going to get my revenge with this new feeling!" Sasuke held up a fist, showing Varlene a determined face. "Now… tell me how YOU survived, Varlene." He demanded as his fist relaxed.

            Varlene took a deep breath before she began talking. "Itachi… he did hunt me down, and he still is…. I listened to the gossip about our family and that's when I heard about us. But I never heard that YOU survived! What I heard was 'The whole Uchiha clan was wiped out by Uchiha Itachi!' I know that I would be the only one left, the only one to continue the Uchiha clan… but I guess I was wrong… and I knew that Itachi would be after me. He's the only one other then you that knows about me in fact… that's why I became a sand ninja, so it's more unlikely for him to find me. When he found me that one-day, I got so scared. I thought that that would be it that I would die because I just knew that I didn't stand a chance… But… he found me when I was in public. I was in the leaf country at that time, and the only way I got away from him was using a technique that he himself had taught me. That's when I decided to start traveling a lot and moving around in different countries all the time. Pretty soon I decided to just go and become a sand ninja since the sand is at war with the leaf, and since Itachi KNEW that I love leaf, always talking about it being homesick and all, he would think that I wouldn't be with the war. So I'm acting as if I am… And I'm somewhat starting to understand the sand country, so I actually don't mind attacking leaf as much as I started off doing it. Even though I still hate it, I keep reminding myself to stay with –"

            Before Varlene could continue, there was a sound from the window. Her eyes widened as she instantly covered her face back up with her cloth- mask, ready to hide. It was literally just the flapping of a bird's wings. "It's just a bird, Varlene… You really are cautious."

            "Ah… thank god… ::sigh:: Yes, I HAVE to be cautious or else someone will find me."

            "What will you do if they will?"

            "Just like before. I'll act normal. Like I'm not suspicious. And if they realize that I'm Itachi's twin sister and about my horrid disease then I… could just kill them, I guess. If I had no choice that is. I just hate killing, that's all."

            "Then how do you support the war? And… you were about to kill Quino. Remember?" Sasuke questioned.

            Varlene laughed at Sasuke's confusion. "Actually, all that was that I was about to do to that guy was a knock out. I call it my 'Fake-Death' attack. I made it up. It looks like he's dead, but really he's just unconscious and lost a little blood. I can't do it to ninja's above the level of a Genin, and that's really all I need to get through this war act. The thing is, you see, they remember what happens before they go unconscious. I don't know how to do that and then give them amnesia. I don't even know a jutsu that has the effect of amnesia… I wouldn't want to do that either, because it's kind of bad even if it's not as bad as killing someone…"

            "So… how did you keep up with you're disease anyway without us, since mother and father died? We supplied you with all you're medicine and anti-contact lotion stuff, whatever it was called."

            "Well… I hardly did. I didn't know what was going on that weekend when I came home and no one was there. (You were probably at the training academy because you always were when I came over in those days.) My lotion always runs out before my medicine does, so that meant that I couldn't get anywhere near anyone until I got that lotion on my skin or else someone would most likely die from my disease and then it could even spread all around and wipe out every human being if they didn't control it like I do with that lotion. So anyway, I eventually decided that I needed to come in contact with someone or else I would eventually die, or even plague the world. From where I was hiding, I met a small child named 'Shino'. He was a very quiet kid but-"

                        "Shino?!"

            "Yeah, Shino. You know him? He seemed you're age when this happened. Quite young. He had some strange obsession with bugs, but that's just what saved my life."

            "Yeah, actually I do know Shino. Just made friends with him today in fact."

            "Really. He came to talk to me everyday, and if not everyday, his bugs did, and he even taught me how to understand his bugs. He would use his bugs as a shield from my disease. When I met him, he was training in the woods quite close where my cave hideout is, and he was too far away from me to catch my disease then. That was when I told him, because somehow I knew that I could trust him. He would go to the store for me every week to get my lotion and every other week to get my medicine. I was so thankful for him at first, I couldn't even believe how generous a child could be. Then we became close friends and I got used to his quiet generousness. He's like a brother to me, not as you are, but that is the kind of friendship we have. Though I never told him my name, we are still very close."

            After a long pause, Sasuke broke the silence. "You look almost exactly like Itachi does. Just like that four years ago. I thought that you would look a lot different, but you really don't. You look just like… Mother… oh god how I miss her and Father… How we would always argue on what's for dinner on those weekends when you came over, and then she would fix something that neither of us argued over… how Father would try all the time to get me to finally choose one of the millions of girls that stare at me every day…-"

            "Ooohh… Sasuke!" Varlene interrupted. "You have a girlfriend now?" She teased.

            "N-no! I never said-"

            "Tell me! Tell me! What's her name?! What's she look like? Come on now!"

            Sasuke never knew that his sister was so nosey. "Listen… I said that I do not have a girlfriend nor do I want one!" He blushed. Varlene giggled as she went back remembering her family also. Sasuke sighed. "So what were you doing here in the first place?"

            "Huh?" Her thoughts came back to reality. "I'm supposed to be on a 'killing spree'. A mission ordered directly from Kazekage… Sasuke… I don't know. Now that I know that you're alive… I don't know if I really should stay with the sand. I can stay with you and you can help me! Besides, I don't know how long I'm going to be able to keep up this act. I hate acting evil deeds. So… will you help me, brother?"

            "Yeah, of course. Maybe my friends will even help you. Like Naruto…"

            "Who's Naruto?"

            "You saw him, I think, he was leading us towards his house when we were walking. Remember? That small blonde kid in an orange uniform, that's Naruto. I hate that idiot… but he's really nice and he'll most definitely help out."

            "What, is he on you're team or something? Who else is on you're team?"

            "Yeah; Haruno Sakura, and Hatake Kakashi is my sensei."

            "Kakashi? Sharingan Kakashi? I've heard of him. Wow." She said. There was a pause before Sasuke spoke.

            "Varlene… tell me something… did you… did you mentally have a hard time after Itachi died? Did you make it you're life-long goal to get revenge on him?"

            "Hmm… I wasn't obsessed with that, but yes. I still plot to get my revenge on him. I guess we both do. But you've probably had a harder time then I did, huh… You spent a lot of time with Itachi four years ago."

            "Yeah… I still can't believe he did that!" His fist came back up and slammed against the wall.

            "Sasuke…" Varlene started, looking at Sasuke with a serious look. "Are we in this together or not? Because either one of us or both of us must kill him…"

            "We both want the same revenge, right? So I say we do it together…" He said understandingly.

            "Oh Sasuke! I knew you would understand. I knew that I couldn't do it alone, but I deserved to get this revenge on my own… Now I have you! We'll definitely get him with us as a team!" She said enthusiastically. Sasuke knew that Varlene was definitely the most cheerful out of the three of them, but not this cheerful.

            There was a long pause of silence between the two siblings. So long that the silence became louder than when they were talking. Even when it seemed that way, there was still silence. Uchiha Varlene started looking around the house, remembering it. It hasn't changed at all. When she looked back, she saw a very emotional Sasuke. His eyes were watered up and he looked depressingly joyous, but his eyes were still serious. Suddenly he flung his arms around the older girl and stayed there. He stayed there for a long time, silent. Varlene embraced him back in a sisterly-love way.

            "I've missed you too, Sasuke." She whispered back softly, letting a tear fall from her eye.