Downfall of the Light 3

by OpposingForce

After several days of enduring against the Sound from invading, Naruto and Hinata finally meet their elites. NaruHina, and many others. Spoilers... none, hopefully

2. Questionable Ethics

Downfall of the Light 3

Chapter 2: Questionable Ethics

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I am just a fiction author who happens to like the characters. Don't get me wrong, I don't like where the story line is actually going. I think it's dragging too much intentionally.

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': Thoughts or quotations within a sentence.

Scene changes are listed in bolded italic brackets.

AN: Okay, before my exams begin, I believe all of you would like to see another chapter before you need to enter the realms of exam period yourselves. To those who may not have exams or done with them, I congratulate you all on surviving or curse you for not having the need to experience it. Nonetheless, I hope you all will enjoy this post. The general idea that I have been receiving so far for the experimental chapter 1 is that you all like it and no changes are needed. Glad that you like it this much or I would be suffering more since I don't want to do any more work.

I thank all those who reviewed, it has been a while since I got over 40 reviews… once again, I thank you very much. Before I go on any further to the Answering Period, I will remind you all about the OCs and their relationship with the existing characters; so I won't have any confused readers. At the same time, I want some of the questions to be answered in this story and not by me. So, here goes.

Uzumaki Shani and Uzumaki Kagari are Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuga Hinata's son and daughter.

Uchiha Asuran is Uchiha Itachi and Ichikaru Ayame's only son.

Hyuga Yamase is Hyuga Neji and Katase Tenten's daughter.

Uchiha Kuroto and Uchiha Umi are Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura's son and daughter.

Kamishiro Hikaru is Kamishiro Rin and Gaara no Sabaku's son.

Nara Tsubasa is Nara Shikamaru and Yamanaka Ino's daughter.

One further note, as long as the chapters are first person point of views by the children, the interaction with the adults would be low. When the view is in third person, that would be different. However, this is not a third person chapter. The next one may be. To those who expect intimate romance this time, I will apologize since I was more on the thinking and inquiry this time.

Also, those who requested more info

Question and Answering Period –where I will attempt to solve anything that you do not get in my story.

1Q: Will Shani and Kagari have any close relations with Kyubi?

1A: My answer to anyone who wanted to ask this… Who cares! Kyubi isn't a major character in my story and I won't even waste my time trying to emphasize anything that I don't need to explain. In addition, I find talking to Kyubi –especially fics that always have Naruto chatting with it- really kills the flow thus making it boring. If Kyubi needs to appear, she will. If not, what can you do?

2Q: Is Shani and Kagari too mature?

2A: I know Shani's words do contradict himself a little bit. Although this answer may be cheesy, let's just say he is aware of other things that are around him but he doesn't know some may be directed to him. For instance, he notices Kagari likes Asuran but he doesn't sense that Umi and Yamase like him. See what I am saying? I hope you do.

3Q: Did I sort of mess up the logic in the events such as the bullies picking on an Uchiha?

3A: To be honest, yes, I did. Why? I ran out of ideas. Come to think of it, I could've just made Umi wound her leg and Shani was there to help her. I suppose the event that took place was kind of cliché –which pisses me off to no end after noticing it- but as long as it works… I shouldn't complain that much.

4Q: Is there a limit where people in Konoha are legally able to make love?

4A: I am no politician and I was very surprised to see this question brought out. Although there are limits in this world, sadly enough we break them too often. Even if there is one, do any one of you seriously believe that Hinata would follow it if she is underage? I guess not, right?

5Q: Is Shani and the other 7 year old kids scary?

5A: More of an opinion question than a logic question. I will leave that to you to think. Personally, I think I made another monster.

6Q: Why did I start V3 this quickly when V2 wasn't at an extent that would be complete?

6A: I have been planning Shani and Kagari for quite a while now and I couldn't wait to get them into my story. Now, V2 is nearly complete and some of you can even say it's considered complete. Yet, there will be an epilogue to end all loose ends so none of you would feel the story is mostly done. When I have the time, I will deal with it. In addition, V3 was something to test my OC abilities in terms of if I did an okay job of their character, appearance, personality etc. Your reviews have helped me greatly. Thank you all!

To those who reviewed, I thank you: Night-Owl 123, HinatasBiggestFanboy, Dragon Man 180, OAD, darkshaman817, D.D Designator, AkiaBinZaid, jasx316, Binnybobarino, Kamiu, nameless reviewer, anonymous, AlphaC, silver fox, Virgil, DaveBoo1378, somebody (OKAY, give me a made up name instead of somebody or anonymous because this is annoying), nonegel, sephynarutocloud, Chupii, Waited4SoLong, Lahmikhara, Drkjester, warprince2000, Max Knight, joekool, AnimeFan-Angel, dark-griffin, violently cheerful (finally, an account!), Aloi-san, Your-Bones-Akin, Jin Kazemaijin, kame-chan, Exiled Shinobi, Karatefumaster, Wings of Shadow, freak, mezzaluna and especially yuugiri!

To those who like Gundam Seed and want to read the fictions, read yuugiri's fic 'The Insatiable Heart'. Believe me, it's got both quantity and quality! It really kicks butt. Now, without further adieu, let's start the next chapter.

(First Person POV)

Never would I have expected such melodious sound from my brother... My oni-chan had such a natural talent in music where as I had a beautiful voice like mother. Hisskills and excellence hadmuch effectiveness in getting me relaxed. I never expected he would have such interest in the flute. Maybe Iwas getting a little too ahead of myself bybelieving this much, I could be picturing successes and skills toa much more escalated levelthan I should be. Then again, oni-chan was always unpredictable.

When we were young, both oni-chan and I would prefer to have a bit of attention from our parents. Although Shani could, as he would say, live without it, I always wanted it.

Mother would spend more time with me where as Father would accompany Shani having their 'man to man' talk. Sooner or later, Father, with his flute, would emit glamorous music by simply blowing to it. Despite how he looked like he was only giving air into the golden instrument, Father did with such skill thus making his audience able to be drawn in emotionally to a high degree. Mother loved his playing and so did I. Knowing that oni-chan was fond of music -rather in a forced way due to personal experiences- I was certain that he might have appreciated it more than I ever would.

Shani believed I was the fortunate one, and he said that in my face fairly often. I wondered what he meant by that. In fact, I was quite envious of him to possess so much natural talent.

It wasn't too long after that these small events every night developed to be an interest for me. When Mother would sing every now and then, somehow my mouth along with my vocal cord would move on its own therefore joining my mother in her spectacular serenade. Mother knew when I sang along with her ever so gently, and sometimes she would simply stop so I would do it solo as a token of teasing. I am not a person who is a stage fright but hearing my own voice when someone else is present definitely feels weird. By that moment knowing I fell for my mother's trap, I would flush up and curl myself into a ball. She would soon giggle -Mother was a young adult friend figure to me since she was so young, she did not look like anyone older than twenty- and continued her song but not before telling me that my voice sounded great. Being me, I didn't know how to accept such a compliment. As of result, I would happily nod knowing Mother would never lie to me.

Was my voice as good as Mother said it was? There was only one way to find out, let oni-chan judge.

Although oni-chan loved me deeply as a brother would to a sister, he would not simply allow his time to be wasted by sitting somewhere while listening to a girl sing. I wasn't because that I was a girl that he would notlisten. It was more like he wouldn't care. However, that would be his answer if that were last year –before he had an interest in music. Nowadays, he would be more open to this kind of stuff since he liked it, too. I sang a song that both Shani and I knew from Mother, Hitomi no Kakera, to see how he liked it. I was nervous during the entire ordeal, and I seriously thought that I was doing a bad job.

To my surprise, he applauded at the end.

Of course, Shani never did anything enthusiastically -aside from meditation, training, fighting, insulting, and the rest- but having him actually doing something positive -such as cheering- was difficult. Up to this day, I was stunned that he actually clapped using his own two hands without having a sense of obligation for his actions.

"So…" I said timidly after I was done, "How was it? Was it bad?"

"Good," he told me in a humane voice thatI loved,"That was… very good. Wow…"

"Are you flattering me too much, oni-chan?" I questioned teasingly.

"I don't flatter people, Kagari-chan," he said seriously but keeping a grin nonetheless, "You are really good. With more practice you will be even better."

"Did my voice crack during the song?" I asked wanting to blush due to embarrassment.

"No, no such thing happened, okay?" he explained, "Have more confidence in yourself, Kagari-chan. I know you will be fine." What encouraging words a big brother –even though he was only six minutes older than I- could say to his baby sister. I was touched.I nodded with delight and embraced him in a tight hug not giving him an opportunity to refuse. Like always, Shani immediately stiffened as he felt life was being drained away from him. His groans only made me giggle harder into his chest.

Speaking of oni-chan, like I said before, he wouldn't have ever done this for me if it were a year ago. One incident that day gradually changed him from a deadpan to someone that showed more logical human characteristics. I wouldn't forget it, I simply couldn't.

---

It was that day a year ago like any other day where I woke up with a smile on my face; did my daily routines in my own personal bathroom; changed and went out to have a good first meal of the day. Once I saw my father and mother having a conversation - being a six year old at that time, I never considered if their conversation held any kind of significance or importance- my smile crept wider as I ran to them happily.

"Otousan!" I called loudly that day with happiness as I leaped into my father's arms and hugging him closely. Father's look made my mother, who was beside him, giggle. Mother told me before that Father wasn't the most ideal person to show his care, and I knew that all the time. Although he was a sharp-tongue and very fluent with words, he was clueless when it came to affection and care. No doubt he could charm my mother to an extent that she would be willing to make love to him, but his children were another issue.

Iknew him for seven years and anyone could detect that he was a cold and silent man -very much like another member in this family. Nevertheless, Father loved us with everything he had and he always found hope in this home. Mother was gorgeous and kind hearted in every way, and like Father, she loved her family in the same manner. I got a feeling that this generation was something much deeper to Mother than I imagined; there was something that I just couldn't get a hold of.

"What is it, Kagari?" asked Father gently as he cradled me slightly.

"Don't jump on your father without him knowing, okay, Kagari-chan?" Mother told me in a small lecture as she used her finger to poke my soft cheek, andwhich made me blush in the end. "It can be dangerous since daddy can fall."

"Don't worry about it, Hinata," assured Father, grinning as he held onto me firmer so I wouldn't drop to the floor, "I am not that careless."

"But you know it can be dangerous for an exuberant little girl to tackle you," justified Motherwhile she kissed Father on the cheek before turning to me with the same smile. "Kagari-chan is so full of energy, aren't you?" I nodded brightly in response. "That's my little girl."

"Speaking of which," said my silver haired father. "Have you seen Shani?"

"Oni-chan?" I asked while tilting my head slightly.

"I saw him brush up this morning," said Mother with a little concern in her voice, "Then he went back inside… What do you think he is doing, Naruto?"

"I wouldn't worry," said Father calmly, "He will be fine."

"How can you keep saying that it's fine when a seven year old boy often keeps himself in a dark room with no light? He listens to music inside and prefers isolation… no child should be like that."

"Shani likes to be alone most of the time," explained Father reassuringly. "It's not like he makes no contact with the outside world, Hinata, he is not an absolute introvert. He is just an introvert."

"I know that… I want Shani to come out, okay?"

"What for? Just leave him be."

"I don't want my son to be like a zombie," argued my mother in an understanding tone of voice. Her face showed only worry.

"Why do otousan and kaa-chan worry about oni-chan so much?" I asked innocently but my mind was nothing close to it. I truly needed to know why.

"I am not worried," replied Father having no hint of concern. "Shani is fine the way he is."

"He's too much like your father, Kagari-chan," said Mother rubbing my cheek, "It's not healthy to live a lifestyle like that where you don't show a bit of care to anyone or anything else. What worries me is that your oni-chan doesn't care much about himself either, very much like otousan here." Father shrugged without much feeling. Similarly, that was how oni-chan would react.

"I know oni-chan is really kind, kaa-chan," I said cheerfully and with sincerity, "I know that he is not going to turn bad, I believe in him."

"I know you do, Kagari-chan," Mother said warmly, when was her voice ever cold? "But kaa-chan doesn't want to see your brother so… stoic all the time. Sometimes it feels like we don't love him enough and it hurts me to see how he sees everything in such a dark perspective. I want him to be like you more so he can be more lively in spirit."

"I understand, kaa-chan," I replied in a low voice.

"You were talking about me?" a stoic voice came from behind Mother suddenly. All three of us gasped insignificantly knowing that was Shani, I wonder how he would react if he heard everything. I was frightened knowing that he didn't like people talking behind his back. Despite that we weren't insulting him in any possible way, it would hurt to hear other people talking about me in a manner that wasn't the most positive. Who was I kidding? I would be devastated.

"Good morning, Shani-chan," said Mother with a caring smile as she bent down to kiss his forehead. Oni-chan grinned but his usual stoic face took over afterwards. However, I knew that grin all too well, Shani was not happy. "What did you hear us say?"

"Enough of it," answered Shani not frowning but a sense of betrayal was evident in his voice.

"We're sorry," Mother said apologetically.

"You don't trust me? Am I a threat to you?" he questioned coldly. Mother and Father were taken aback by that in an instant. "If you have a problem with how I act in my damn life, you come to me directly and discuss it with me. Don't talk behind my back like that, I don't appreciate it."

"Don't talk to your mother in that voice, Shani," ordered Father with a look that showed us that he was not content. However, what Shani did next stunned me for he glared back.

"Not talk in this voice, Father?" Shani further challenged. Therage that was surpressed was similar to unbreakable ice,"Maybe you shouldn't have done what you did to begin with. I will be more than willing to change my behaviour if you feel uncomfortable with it but how does doubting me after what I was able to earn from you tell me about you people? You don't trust my judgment? You think that preferring to be alone is like a sin in this home? Do you simply think that being an introvert is such a danger that you want me to be conformed? How dare you think this lowly of me! I never expected that my own parents would doubt their son's actions when he clearly showed them that he is capable of having this stage of responsibility."

"Shani, that's not what kaa-chan meant," said my mother desperately wanting him to listen.

"I am not good enough to be like Kagari because she is cheerful where as I am not? She spreads harmony when I spread something else? What is it then!" Clearly, Shani's eye narrowed with fury.

"No, of course not."

"Shani," declared Father definitely not pleased but refused to act with rage. "Don't misunderstand your mother. She is just worried about your growth. You have no right to talk to us in the manner that you are using. Why don't you try to understand how your mother feels about you sometimes? How can you expect her to be not worried about you when she sees her own child not acting in a way that does make her concerned? She is trying very hard to make you feel loved and yet you don't show anything to make her believe that her efforts did something. Your behaviour is hurting your mom, you know that?"

"Do not have the right?" opposed Shani with his one eye glaring angrily, "You think such outrage can be easily disputed mannerly without one side getting hurt? You are too naïve to believe that, Father."

"Shani…"

"I do know that kaa-san loves me dearly, but I don't know how to respond to it… What do you expect me to say?"

"Why don't you just say I love you to her then?" I asked as I jumped off from Father's arms and beside him. Shani looked at me with a disbelieving look, he couldn't believe that I would stand up for him like this. "Kaa-chan would never get tired of you saying 'I love her' because she loves you very much. In fact, Kaa-chan loves all of us so much that it would pain her to see any of us in despair. Oni-chan, don't make kaa-chan worried because it makes me worried too. Sometimes, I can understand why kaa-chan is sad for you, she cries for you too because she knows what you have been through. If there was a chance to change the past, she would do it so none of this had happened."

"Kagari…"

"I want to see oni-chan happy regardless if he smiles or not. I want oni-chan to be happy and just make kaa-chan know that you love her and you love otousan too. You know, like anybody, they want to be loved too and you showing them that you care for them can bring a lot more than you can imagine." Amazement was the only expression evident on his handsome face. Was I weird to believe my brother was handsome? Definitely not since he was good looking but I knew he never considered his own appearance that much other than his eye.

"Thank you… Kagari…" my brother said while smiling very kindly to me. Without give me a chance to refuse, Shani embraced me gently but I felt a sense of unexplainable warmth in it. He was so loving -in a brotherly way- that made me understand further that my oni-chan had true kindness within himself. Father only smiled at my words and my brother's actions, where as my mom seemed very impressed and relieved. Not emitting any sound, Mother took the two of us into a lovely hug -which I giggled out loud as I received it when oni-chan only smiled.

"I'm so sorry, Shani-chan," said Mother sniveling slightly. Sometimes being a woman was, as Tsubasa would say, very troublesome for we allow our emotions to take the better of us. However, living our lives without such feeling meant that we were not much different from low rank soldiers who only followed every command without thought. I refused to be someone who would plainly obey to everything given to me. "I apologize for speaking about things that you may not have liked…"

"It's okay… kaa-san," replied oni-chan still lacking the word called passion but it was better. "I suppose you have a reason to be worried… I am sorry that my temper got the better of me, I hope you will forgive me for doing such an act." I knew my father smirked hearing such an apology, what words for a mere six-year-old child to have. Mother shook her head a little before kissing my brother on the cheek.

"I shouldn't have doubted you," said Mother. "Just always remember that kaa-chan loves you very, very much, Shani-chan. Kagari-chan, kaa-chan loves you too."

"I know!" I answered giddily.

"Likewise," replied oni-chan. "I'm just sorry that I said some of things that I said… However, I meant all of it. I seriously felt that way just moments before."

"Don't feel like that, oni-chan," I said holding his arm like how I always did. "Kaa-chan will never see you as a threat!"

"I know… Kagari… But that's what I really believed… Sorry, kaa-san… I guess I can say that I love you too, and I also love otousan… I just regret that I am not good at showing my feelings… I hope you two always know that I love you, no matter under what circumstances. I'll try to smile more…" Father's smile widened understandingly as Mother kissed her son again lovingly like a mother. I wanted to laugh seeing oni-chan's expression, I knew he wasn't someone who loved kisses all that much.

"Kaa-chan loves you too, Shani," said Mother as she retracted and stood up. Her height somewhat towered over us where as Father literally made us looked small. "Naruto, what should you say to Shani?"

"What is there left to say?" questioned my father grinning lightly. "Shani is a good boy who learns from his mistakes. I am very proud of him."

"Thanks for saying so, otousan," replied my silver haired brother. His eye remained quite calm during this conversation, and I was hoping to see more than just a mere bob on the head.

"That's not what I meant, Naruto," stated my lavender-eyed mother giving him a pout. "Shouldn't you say something to make Shani know that you love him too?"

"I love you… son…" said my father with hesitance. Like son, like father, I suppose. Oni-chan merely smirked as he detected the uncertainty in his voice. I assumed it was somewhat amusing to see someone having poor skills in specific agendas, but Shani always took every speck of weakness to his advantage. Like he said, their weakness was your strength.

"Good, now, who wants to have lunch soon?"

"I do! I do!" I shouted happily in glee knowing there would be good food. Kaa-chan never made gave us food poisoning in her life, and heck, I would be shocked if she did. In addition, I was getting hungry.

"Sure…" That was Shani's callous response. "I am kind of hungry…"

"Great! We will have lunch in thirty minutes! Naruto, can you help me?" With my father giving a nod (which was also silent) he followed Mother's lead and headed towards the kitchen to prepare good food that was to come. I was so anxious to see what it would be, I wish it was ramen but the bored expression Shani carried somewhat spoiled my appetite. After giving me a look of neutrality, oni-chan simply headed the other way back into his room by the hallway.

However, I caught him before he left my sight.

"Oni-chan!" I declared hugging him from behind. "Where are you going?"

"I would rather be alone…" he replied in a dead beat.

"But being alone is boring."

"I would prefer that, Kagari," Shani continued, pushing my kind offer aside.

"I want oni-chan," I whined cutely trying to get him away from isolation. "I want oni-chan! Come on, play with me! It will be fun!"

He merely rolled his eyes while struggling to walk ahead without avail. "I don't want to play, Kagari…"

"Fine, let's make a bet then!" I suggested while smiling brightly with innocence.

"A bet?" questioned oni-chan a bit surprised to hear a proposal like that. If he actually would stand from his spot and give his attention, then my suggestion caught his curiosity rather well. "What kind of bet…"

"If you don't blush after I kiss you, I will leave you alone, okay?"

At that point, oni-chan laughed, and in which caused me to pout by expanding my cheeks. In fact, he almost wanted to be an ass about how badly he was going to succeed.

"This had to be the easiest bet that I have encountered," he told me with a victorious smile. "You always kiss me and I never blushed once. What a silly girl you are, Uzumaki Reverie Kagari-chan. What makes you so sure that you could make my face redden if you kis-"

That was the perfect opportunity for me to kiss him -which I did, thus, cutting his sentence short. At the same time, I silenced Shani well for he could no longer speak. Of course he couldn't, I was kissing him on the lips. Although I didn't lick him or anything, heat was evident on his cheeks since it was a new experience, and I never did that to him before. As I pulled back ten seconds after -I wanted him to be in absolute stun- Shani immediately touched his mouth as he blushed quite furiously. Being a typical girl, I followed suit but I had a mischievous grin with it. I liked it -not loving it- and I couldn't believe it, andI wondered if he liked it, too. I loved my oni-chan, not romantically no doubt, but I wanted him to be loved.

"Kagari-chan…" he choked out in a gasp. I could tell he wasvery shocked indeed.

"You blushed! You blushed! Oni-chan blushed! I win!" I cheered in my usual carefree tone along with a bit of joy that wouldn't hurt his pride. Pointing a finger at him didn't hurt that much either. "Oni-chan lost! You promise that you will play with me!" That look of extreme stun was so priceless.

"I can't believe you kissed my mouth…" he said airily. "What a cheap shot… Teme..."

"I never said where, Shani," I declared victoriously. "You just assume too much. Never underestimate a girl!" Oni-chan simply chuckled as he put a hand on my shoulder, I wondered what he would be laughing about. It wasn't long before he gave me a kiss on the forehead along with a grin, in which I squirmed a bit but enjoyed it nonetheless.

"Fine, you win," he said calmly. "But don't expect that you can pull that kind of stunt every time, okay?" I nodded promptly in response. "So, what would you like to do?"

"Want to read me a story? I like stories."

"Sure thing."

After this incident, oni-chan did smile more at home and his developing optimism only brought the family closer. Even though it might have been a gradual process, we all knew that he was trying to be more… alive. Even up to this day Mother still had her concerns for him but it had become less frequent for Father had faith in him. I always tried to be there for everyone knowing that all of us needed to contribute in order for our family bond to remain strong. Furthermore, our family was something I treasured deeply up to this day.

Also, this was one of the first times that I witnessed emotions than logic from Shani. I was someone who allowed more of emotion to guide my life instead of having the neutrality of logic. Although logic was not biased and it could bring forth strong arguments to back up your thoughts, humans could not have such a strong strand on one and not the other. If everything was based on argumentation, this world would be lifeless thus personal morals and values would no longer be necessary. Anyone could imagine what kind of dull lives people would live without their own emotions and only following proof and statistics. However, having pure emotions wouldn't be as idealistic as it may seem to be.

If humanity would sometimes think of logic before their actions, I am sure that many of the wars in the past would not have started. The ambitions of war came from the heart; the desire; the ambitions; all of our selfishness; and also a lot of greed. If we allowed our passion to be the center and the source of our decision making, this world would be screwed for many years to come. Imagine everyone acting on impulse in a manner that because they felt like it or not thinking about the consequences of their actions. For instance, Konoha must have their logic and rationality before commencing an attack on the Sound. Yes, the Sound is despicable for what they have done to the Wave and although Tsunade-sama wants to send in troops to take them out, she cannot just make it because she wants to. In any case, there are outcomes that must be considered such as what will other countries think of us if we made such a decision? What about the thoughts of the villagers here? What chances do we have against them? In the end, humans must have a good balance of both traits.

When Mother worried about Shani, Father had his own concerns about me. I didn't understand why he would though but I clearly noticed that Mother never was that upset with me. Although I may not be a threat to anyone, I was unquestionably different from Father where as I had much qualities of Mother. He still loved me but I had a strong believe that he didn't truly know how to deal with me. Several years later, I knew my father loved me so much that he just didn't want me to think wrongly of him. In other words, he didn't know what the right way to love me was. There were plenty of times when Mother always managed to make me laugh and giggle where he could not. My daddy was never jealous, just regretful, I guess. Father did prefer to be stoic and silent -but full of wisdom- however, there were moments in his life that he wished he could express himself to a higher degree. I guess we all had our weaknesses.

How I wished I could make mine into my strength…

(More Kagari's POV)

It had been around a week since my family received an invitation to Yamase's birthday party. My family was delighted to hear that she would be turning seven where as we turned a little over 3 months ago. Being me, I anticipated the party with very high hopes, and it was no surprise that I was very happy during these past 7 days. Mother and Father noticed my little delightful spirit wherever I went, sometimes they would even tell me that other villagers' days had been brightened by me.

I never knew I was that powerful to spread out such influence.

Oni-chan, on the other hand, I would say he didn't react too enthusiastically. When I told him about it the other night, I wondered why he kept staring at the card that she gave him, as if that coloured artwork could speak incredible, unexplainable magic. A sense of amazement was definitely there, I knew something touched him but I could not fully detect what it was. My brother was a much-concealed person indeed; the word quiet would be considered an understatement. Sometimes, I could tell that asking oni-chan to simply nod with a smirk would be demanding too much from him.

I loved to see him smile, that was because he was my oni-chan.

Aside from that, I knew there was more to his so-called training during the afternoons. My womanly intuition always told me otherwise. How would I know, you ask? Oni-chan frequently or nearly always had strong scent of ramen on him when he came back. When I ask him he would simply say "I had ramen for dinner", and end the conversation like that, as if it never started or existed in our memories. I was a ramen lover since it tasted delicious; that was my opinion of course. Knowing oni-chan, those noodles were nothing more but food that had the ability to keep him away from experiencing starvation. In simpler terms, he never gave a damn.

Should I be suspicious of my oni-chan's activities? I knew I really shouldn't but I do get worried about him -often.

Where was I at the moment? My head was on my oni-chan's lap; my hand was holding onto him somewhere with my eyes half closed trying to take a nap. He was reading a book by the name "Where Would You Like to be Buried?" as he continued stroking my hair with his right hand and not even looking at me. It felt really good, and I wanted to purr pleasantly to tell him he was doing a good job. However, I knew oni-chan would rather like a soundless environment, therefore, I didn't make a sound. Just yet. I love him so much as a sister, he cared so much about me even though I always wanted to be with him wherever he went. I was surprised that he wasn't finding me annoying. Shani had a sense of mysteriousness that I wanted to know more about, and when he did open his cold exterior a little bit it charmed me to no end that he was a boy with kindness and love. The feeling was like a cleansing flood, it was overwhelming to know what great sincerity and care he was willing to offer.

I couldn't hold it in much longer, I had to make a sound. And it wasn't too long before I moaned softly when the treatment was just too good to ignore.

My eyes went up to his head slowly, and my lips frowned when I could only see the right side of his face. Two thirds of his left face was covered by his longer silver hair and it blocked his left eye completely, as if it melded into a shadow that was never meant to be seen. His eye showed no emotions other than staring at the page of the book in a manner that was close to obsession. His lip was forming a dark grin, and to me it seemed like he was enjoying what he was doing. I shifted my gaze to his ear, which had a headphone in it, and I soon smiled. Whenever oni-chan enjoyed something, I want to be there with him.

It was great that he liked the MP3 player that he received on his last birthday, I wish I had one but I had no money to buy it. It wasn't important though; such machinery wasn't all out needed in my life for I had friends. Oni-chan told me a mystery person gave it to him earlier last year. In response, I smiled and showed a little bit jealousy, which earned me a small hug from my brother. Up to this day, Shani-oni-chan still had no idea who actually gave him that.

Did I know? Of course I did, Yamase and I discussed about this gift a several days before his birthday. She was trying so hard to figure out the perfect gift. I could tell that she was about to faint when Shani opened her gift with a genuine smile at the end. I could remember very vividly how my cute little relative's face became infested with shades of red; I knew her wish to make Shani appreciated came true. Shani's smile was just too alluring for a girl to resist.

Yamase was a great relative to me; I really liked her as a sister. Not older, not younger either. For some time now, I knew Yamase had a liking for my brother for some reason that even she wouldn't tell me. I thought she could trust girls, in which she did but I couldn't blame her when it was her own little secret. I respected that, since I had my own secrets too… like my crush for Uchiha Asuran… I could dream about him all day. How much did Yamase like Shani? Or rather, did my oni-chan even know that there was somebody that was watching him all along? He probably did not despite his vigilance, since he placed Yamase in his heart as his close sister and not someone he would love romantically.

Would it be different if Yamase summoned up the courage to tell him? Could it bloom into something anew or scar their current relations forever? I personally did not know, yet I was surprised at myself for constantly not wanting to mind my own business about a relationship that would never involve me.

As a seven year old girl, I never experienced such a thing yet. I didn't even have my monthlies yet! It would look somewhat strange to see them together, but at the same time we should all feel happy for them if they did. I knew my cousin really cared for him although she was always from afar. In my opinion, people need a sense of self-confidence in order to achieve what they truly desired.

"Kagari-chan," Shani called to me, and which made my thoughts vanish in an instant. I took a glimpse of him with an innocent face; a smile was helpful to lighten up the atmosphere.

"What is it, oni-chan?" I asked dreamily. That easily caused him to raise his brow a bit but it was soon replaced by his usual stoic attitude. As soon as he shifted his lavender iris towards the left, I knew what he was saying in an instant, "Do you have to go? I was just getting comfortable." At that moment, I playfully determined that I wouldn't get off his lap. My action made him grin.

"As a matter of fact, I do have to go," he said as he poked my cheek. Soon enough, he played the affectionate game and kissed it softly. I loved his lips, I didn't know why. "But I will be going somewhere special."

"Special?" I questioned with delight, thus, I got up immediately with my eyes watching him intensely. "Where are you going? Can you take me too? I won't bother you."

"Sure, why not," I was surprised that he complied so quickly.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Where are we going then?"

"I'm meeting Asuran for lunch," he said calmly. Hearing Asuran's name made my cheeks burn. Did he have to see Asuran at a time like this? I always stuttered in front of him, I could get too shy… Oh, why did oni-chan have to see Asuran now… that handsome, loving Uchiha could only make me even more embarrassed! Didn't oni-chan know that I always had nothing to say to Asuran whenever he was there unless I really needed to talk to him? I felt so different in front of him, and I wondered if that handsome onyx-golden eyed Uchiha thought I was weird…

For crying to Kami-sama, I prayed Asuran didn't hate me.

"Do you have to?" I asked cutely trying to make him reconsider. I was good at hiding my fears and worries.

"You don't want to come?" questioned my oni-chan, somewhat surprised that I was almost declining the offer. He knew that I sounded like it. "I am sure Asuran wouldn't mind you there. You are more than welcome to be there."

"Really? Asuran would like me there?"

"You lighten up the atmosphere well," he said with a smile but a weak one. "I wouldn't mind you having lunch with us since you do like ramen. Besides, Asuran would like to know you better than just a good friend."

"Are you sure?" Doubt was all my voice managed to carry.

"Asuran wouldn't be mean, I swear on it. Well, I am going with or without you," Putting his scythe on his back so he did not need to carry it, oni-chan stood by the front door for a several seconds to see if I would react. Having ramen and Asuran at the same time… no matter how shy I was to be near him, there was no possible reason why I would allow such an opportunity to slide.

Without another thought, I leaped off the couch and heading out with Shani in my delighted and cheerful self. Shani -on the other hand- remained silent but a smirk was still on the face.

A second later, I kissed him on the cheek to show my thankfulness.

(Moments later)

"Hey, Shani!" called Asuran as he was in the restaurant sitting at a four man table when we walked in. This place had been a lot bigger than what Fathersaid it was before. Somehow, I wa sdisappointed that not too many people were here other than us three kids ,Ichikaru-san, and Ayame. Itachi was doing his missions and only helped out when he could. At least that was what Shani told me.

What could I say about this place? It was very appealing of course, not to mention that an aroma of ramen was present. I swallowed hearing that voice as Shani-oni-chan gave a wave. However, I knew Asuran was a little surprised to see me with him. Who wouldn't? I was considered the unexpected visitor, "Hi, Kagari. Glad that you could make it here."

"Hello," I said waving with a smile trying not to flush up like a moron. "Good afternoon, Asuran…"

"Good afternoon to you, too," he said kindly. "Hey, Shani, why is your sister here?"

"You don't like her here?" my brother questioned rather directly. I could tell the young Uchiha blinked a several times hearing that cold voice, Shani rarely used that tone to him. Come to think of it, I never heard oni-chan to be like that to us.

"No, it's not that…"

"Then what?"

"I just didn't expect her here, that's all."

"I wanted to treat her to lunch, Asuran," said Shani changing his voice to something lighter. "She really likes ramen, you know that. I thought she would like to try out this place's ramen again."

"She is more than welcome to do that," replied Asuran, "You want a bowl, Kagari? It's on the house." I knew what that meant; I would be receiving it for free. I loved ramen and if it was free, it was a deal I couldn't refuse! To be accurate, there was no way I would neglect.

"Sure! I want a chicken ramen with everything!"

"Everything?" asked my brother emotionlessly but undoubtedly found my choice of food queer. I nodded happily in return.

"It's tastes really good! You get to have a flavour of everything!"

"My sister is just a noodle lover…" said Shani to Asuran with a bored look.

"Well, you can't blame her, Shani," stated Asuran with a gentle smile, "I will get her the meal in a several minutes. Oh yeah, I need to talk to you later. Make yourself comfortable, okay?"

"Okay…" said my brother before he sat on the chair with me beside him. I took another glimpse of him and it was then when he rubbed my cheek with his palm. I didn't know why he did that but I knew he really cared about me in a way not all brothers would show. As he patted me on the head, suddenly my eyes felt weak knowing that I didn't take the nap that I needed from earlier. I positioned myself closer to Shani before resting my head comfortably on his shoulder. Before I fell asleep, my thoughts continued to ponder about Asuran and his handsome features for a child. Although he may be a child, he was outstanding in my eyes.

Why did I like Asuran so much? The answer to that wasn't something all out difficult. My oni-chan made very few friends in his life knowing that many of the children feared him for his hideous left eye. To me, it was nothing close to ghastly since it only looked like his activated bloodline. However, to some of the other children… a left eye like a crystal mirror wasn't something that would be considered normal. Anyone would be shocked seeing it for the first time. And like typical idiotic imbeciles, the kids cried out loud and yapped to their mommies and daddies saying how 'terrifying' my brother was to them. Terrifying, how dare they use such a word to my loving big brother! Oni-chan suffered from rejection and he even detested his own face. Sometimes, he would look at me with teary eyes… I knew he was jealous of my perfect, normal, visage. Oni-chan never declared it in anger; he would just take a glance before walking away like a boy whose soul was sold to the devils. Besides just me, otousan, kaa-chan and my parents' closest friends, one other person never minded about oni-chan's eye. He was, of course, Uchiha Asuran.

I admired Asuran for not having such prejudice like how the other children did. He willingly accepted Shani ever since he could remember. Like me, my oni-chan regarded him as someone worthy to have his trust and respect. I never knew Shani could have such compassion and human qualities towards anyone else other than his family, Asuran and oni-chan fascinated my own curiosity. Asuran had good relations with my family and he was also someone that showed maturity instead of childish stupidity. If oni-chan's maturity made me admire him, Asuran's skill in making a cold-hearted lost boy to become his best friend captivated me in a greater extent. I was family and the Uchiha was a friend. If oni-chan considered him his best friend, there had to be a good reason that was somewhere in the underneath. Similarly, my simple admiration turned into affection since I wanted to know Asuran more.

Truthfully, the three of us were quite close friends when we were younger but my timidity took the better of me thus making me somewhat hide behind the scenes. I was never like this to anyone for I wanted to be friendly to everyone and give a sense of kindness for them to experience. However, I knew I was not showing Asuran much of that openness since I often blushed when he was near therefore making me look exactly like Yamase as if she was close to oni-chan. No one had any idea how disgusted I am at myself for not able to show anything good to the one person I really cared about. I would not blame Asuran if he believed that I was a weirdo and not a good friend for I always hid from him like a coward would. Somehow, my own intuition kept telling me that Shani had an idea of my feelings.

Sometimes I get irritated that both of us were so sharp with another, we were nearly not able to keep any basic secrets from another. The best example had to be how he smelled like ramen, I would never believe the explanation that he gave me, I knew there was more to it.

"Kagari," called a familiar voice to my ear. "Kagari, wake up." I rubbed my eyes with my small little hands trying to ease out any kind of tiredness I still had. I eeped when I saw Asuran in my vision with oni-chan silently chuckling at my surprised outburst. Did Asuran laugh? No, but he certainly found it amusing.

"How long was I asleep for, oni-chan?" I asked as my head lifted from his shoulder.

"Fifteen minutes," he replied with his visible eye looking at me. "You should've took a nap when you needed it, Kagari-chan."

"I wasn't tired then…"

"You okay now, Kagari?" questioned Asuran who took a seat. In front of him were three bowls of ramen, and one of them was considerably larger. What made my eyes glitter with delight was that it had everything. It did a great job at making my mouth water. Shani sighed noticing my craving expression while Asuran smiled warmly in return. Why couldn't oni-chan support my love for ramen? It's too good to reject! "You want to eat first?"

"Yeah!"

"The big one is yours, and the other two are for us. Enjoy, Kagari."

"I will!" In a quick impulse, my hands moved on their own and grabbed the largest bowl on the tray in front of me without dropping a single drop of soup. After giving a short prayer, I dug my chopsticks into the multi-flavour ramen and brought it into the realms of my mouth. My tastes buds loved this magnificent taste, I felt like I was in heaven. Correct that, I was in heaven, this ramen shop was my heaven! My mother's ramen was great, but this was just wonderful. Shrimp, beef, chicken, pork, lamb… a fresh combination of everything was so overwhelming that I wailed in delight. Oni-chan closed his eyes while smirking and Asuran finally knew how much I loved this food. He smiled at my exuberance with care not saying a word. At the next second, I hugged my brother so tightly as if I was draining his life out.

"Ka…Ka…gari…" my older brother gasped through his words. The Uchiha's eyes began to widen with entertainment not even considering to help his friend. "Help… Asu…ran…"

"I love you! I love you! I love you!" I yelled out loud as my hold on my poor brother strengthened. Luckily, there weren't anyone else around since it was late for lunch or we would be getting a lot of queer looks. "I love you for taking me here! Thank you so much!" The look of Asuran's face was priceless, anyone knew that he was shocked hearing a girl saying "I love you" to a guy at the same age multiple times in a row. If we weren't siblings, everyone would suspect we were a couple.

"Glad that you like it here, Kagari," said Asuran still not helping his best friend, who was running out of air and the will to survive, "I made that ramen myself." My heart suddenly stopped and my hands released my drained oni-chan immediately. Stunning indeed, that was what my mind kept saying, did Asuran made that ramen? What a blast of talent! I never would've dreamed that he was this good at cooking ramen, it was so delicious! However, my face reddened also. Once my thoughts have relaxed from that exploding wonder, I realized that Asuran made it for me. For me, Uzumaki Kagari! I didn't know what to say at all. Should I tell him that I loved his kindness? Or should I hug him for bringing me closer to the divinity of heaven? Of course, the most extreme way would be kiss him for both reasons. Yet, my body didn't move… I was simply shocked and bewildered at the fact.

"Asuran…" I whispered with a blush.

"What, Kagari?" he asked curiously.

"Thank you so much for fixing me this… I really like it…"

"Glad that you like it, it was my first try…"

"It was?" I asked with disbelief but I was still delighted. "But it tasted so good! It can't be your first try, don't joke with me, Asuran,"

"But it's true though, Kagari," he justified while smiling. "I can't believe you like it so much."

"Of course I will like it! You made it after all. I am definitely coming again. This place will be my favorite."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure on that," said the Uchiha still grinning. "This is only a restaurant, there are plenty of better places than this." He sighed a little bit before his eyes drifted from around the place, this restaurant was great to me.

"I am sure it will always be one of my favorites," I said understandingly, my lips were forming into another caring smile. Asuran turned and looked at me with a bit of confusion, he wanted to know why.

"How come, Kagari?"

"It's the people in there that count, you know," I said as if I was dreaming. "You are the reason why I like this place so much…"

"What did you say?" he asked not sure if he heard correctly. Once I caught a possible meaning of my words, I blushed quickly trying to hide it. I told him it was nothing and luckily he bought it but there was doubt, I knew there was. I almost confessed to Asuran that I had feelings for him, how could I have been so careless when Father, Mother and oni-chan always taught me to be cautious in life. I was never over prudent, but I definitely had a bit of weakness in that category. One day, I would tell him that I appreciate him, and Asuran will know how I feel.

"Asuran," said Shani, who had been quiet for a while, I almost forgot that he was beside me. When I eyed his bowl of noodles, it was already finished. That was fast. "You do know why I came down here, right?" Hearing the low voice of my oni-chan, Asuran quickly turned towards him with his seriousness coming back in a flash. Giving a smile, he nodded while I was still lost. I thought it was just for a simple lunch, what else would they be doing? Was Shani hiding something away from me?

"What are you guys talking about?" I questioned innocently even though I wanted to know about it.

"Nothing much," said my brother, "Just talking about what I should be doing when class begins after this weekend."

"What are you planning then?" There was a distinct suspicion within my voice since oni-chan would never talk about planning in advance about school. I know he is a cautious boy but he never puts thought in the academy. He told me once that if that academy wasn't the place for him to enroll as an official ninja of the village, the academy would be the first place he would commit arson.

"Tick Iruka off," answered Shani easily as he swallowed a bit of water.

"How are you going to do that?" questioned the Uchiha grinning.

"That's what I have to discuss with you,"

"Should I…" I murmured but I was cut off by oni-chan. "Oni-chan!"

"No," he stated clearly with one eye intensely –or half intensely- piercing into mine- "There is no need for you to get involved. My… plot… to Iruka is my own doing. You shouldn't get in the middle of it, Kagari-chan. Please have the anxious anxiety when that day comes."

"It's not nice to tick off a teacher though…" I argued endearingly.

"Well," said Asuran sighing before giving a stretch, "You know how much Iruka dislikes your brother, Kagari. Personally, I want to pull off some stunts myself."

"You too, Asuran?" I asked not really believing this. As far as I was concerned, Asuran was one of Iruka-sensei's most treasured students. Not only was Asuran praised for his hard work, Iruka may be slightly more lenient as well. Undoubtedly, I thought Asuran was outstanding in class, I think he was even stronger than I in some ways; I suppose you got what you paid for, it was the same principle. However, Shani was nearly the opposite but of course Iruka wouldn't say it out loud, the chunnin would merely cut things short or just ignore my brother completely. Not that it was any trouble though, Shani preferred to be undisturbed.

"You are better off going home," oni-chan told me kindly as he kissed me on the cheek, "This stuff is private." Despite how much I wanted to stay by and find out what they would be discussing or plotting, I had to respect my brother's choice. It wasn't because he was simply older and as a sister I had to obey, but it was due to the reason that I respected him fully. There were just some things in life that I shouldn't overstep my bounds of authority. Shani always respected my decision and so should I. Besides, it was really none of my business; I didn't want to upset anyone. Nodding without my usual enthusiasm, I showed that I understood. Before I left, I gave Shani another hug and a wave goodbye, which they waved back without hesitation. I really thought they were discussing pranks during that time but later on I found out it was nothing that I first expected. Their previous words wouldn't indicate what happened later.

(Next day, several hours before the party)

I loved parties, and I still loved them today. However, I really loved this one since it was somewhat of a costume party. Yamase liked dress ups and being a girl of seven, I didn't blame her nor was it a surprise. The adults didn't have to dress up for the kids would be the only ones participating. In addition, Yamase would not demand so much for her birthday. To be very honest, I had no costume or outfits to wear other than kimonos, formal skirts and shirts for meetings or anything serious, casual outfits, athletic clothing etc. I was in a crisis of lacking the proper clothing. The reason of this conflict was more of why didn't I have any of this kind of stuff? First of all, I didn't care about it. Secondly, Father was never too fond of such things and neither was Mother. The party was in two blasted hours and I still had nothing to wear! I couldn't dress up like an athlete… that would look really pathetic. I only had one solution, ask Shani what he would do in a situation like this.

"Shani!" I half yelled as I banged on his bedroom door not even regarding him as oni-chan, "Open this door!"

"What is it, Kagari-chan?" he replied with his voice muffled due to the door not affected at all by my outbreak.

"I need help, can you help me?" I said with my most appeasing voice trying to get my way. It was that moment he opened the door, and his outfit kind of shocked me. It was not the shocking way that it would make me jump up an inch or so, rather it was more of shocking in how simple his outfit was. I suppose Shani would never take anything relaxing willingly. To the very least he did dress up… somewhat…

This outfit clearly was something different that he would wear everyday. However, it was only a blue uniform of something –it looked like a military actually- and his gray pants were very casual with ripped parts nearly everywhere except from his crotch and rear end. Having his hair unchanged from blocking his left eye, he looked absolutely casual in a sense that he wore something different than just blue, indigo, gray, black or white. In addition, the fact that he didn't button three of the buttons that was on his uniform thus revealing his black shirt underneath, I safely concluded that he did not take this dress up thing seriously. Of course, it was Shani, it was expected. At that split second, I somewhat regretted looking for him to help me. What kind of reliability would I have asking someone who did not give a damn about the entire situation? I really should've considered kaa-chan instead of this.

"You aren't dressed yet," he said smirking, I knew he was amused.

"That's why I need your help," I whined trying to be appealing. To add more affection, I held on to his hands warmly, "I need to find something good but I don't have any."

"I know," he stated as if it was the easiest thing in the world. In fact, it was true, how hard was it to say "I know"?

"How would you know?" I asked narrowing my eyes a little bit.

"I do know what kind of clothes otousan and kaa-san buy for us or even what kind of clothes we choose ourselves, we never bought costumes."

"True…"

"Why don't you just cheat?" he suggested, which made no sense to me whatsoever. All I did was gave him a blank look blinking a several times, "Okay, you have two options. Use genjutsu and make yourself a temporary outfit or you can just use the clothes you have and pretend that you are that somebody."

"I don't want to wear a kimono…" I moaned in a complaining tone, "They don't represent anything!"

"Sure they do," he said as he started to lean on the wall slightly, "You are someone who respects your own culture and you also look very pretty in it. I don't see a problem in that, do you? Better yet, dress formally like a professional businessperson or a lawyer. Act sophisticated to be in character and that works out nicely."

"Am I actually that out of options?" I asked in a down tone.

"Oh yes, you are." I could've sworn he wanted to mock me.

"How did you get your 'costume', oni-chan?" I asked him questioningly while pouting.

"Found it in the drawers. It looked like a uniform, so I consider myself a soldier."

"It doesn't really look like you actually even bothered, Shani-oni-chan. I wouldn't consider it a pass."

"Whatever," he replied dully, "I have no love for these things. Just consider yourself fortunate that you are seeing me in something that is different from my pajamas and usual cloak and whatnot. Damn, I hate these insolent pieces of fabric…"

"You look fine, oni-chan," Without warning, I tiptoed and kissed him on the cheek, "Thanks for the advice. I'll change into my kimono then."

"Glad to help," he said as he poked my forehead, which caused my cheeks to inflate, "Better get moving, Kagari-chan, the party is in less than two hours." This time around, I nodded delightedly before taking a short sprint back into my room to change. After half an hour of dressing and all the other procedures to get myself looking the best I could, I wore my blue kimono with a tint of makeup –which kaa-chan helped me- and Mother said I looked gorgeous.

Was I as beautiful as Mother said I was? In my opinion, I certainly looked prettier but nothing close to beautiful. Father's way of humility must've rubbed off on me well for I also never bragged about my looks, wealth, family etc. In addition, those people who actually seek fun from making others feel inferior were nothing more than a scum. Refuse to be a hypocrite –one of the mottos that I follow in life- and it indeed made life seem more meaningful since there was a commitment to keep. Also, it was a goal. Having such an insight, it wasn't too long when the question of what was the purpose of life came by. It was too much for a girl at seven to ponder about into a great depth yet this question never left my mind.

(Later on at the Hyuga Mansion)

"Oh, it's so good to see you again!" said mother delightedly when she met Aunt Tenten along with Uncle Neji at the front of the Hyuga mansion. I would never get sick of the exotic place since it washuge and the surroundings made it full in colour.Father smiled giving Uncle Neji a good friendship hug where as Mother was cooing my newest little cousin –who was in my aunt's arms- and Shani standing elsewhere with his headphones on listening to the rhythm. I would assume he was enjoying it but the neutrality that his expression contained truly puzzled people to a great extent. Knowing him, he certainly preferred being alone compared to having human interactions. I, on the other hand, wanted to coo to my cousin like Mother was. She was so cute for a one-year-old!

Who is she, you ask? She is Yamase's younger sister, Hyuga Kari. How much could I elaborate on an infant? Not a lot, actually other than she was soft, gentle, sweet, and totally endearing! Her eyes were identical to oni-chan's; lavender and will eventually obtain the noble sight Byakugan, but significantly rounder and larger to shine her adorable features greater. Kari had a beautiful child like smile that would make anyone calm. Lightening up people's spirits was her special trait, and I could tell that she would be like me in some ways –not that I ever minded of course. It was fortunate to have more of these people in this pathetic existence.

"It has been a while," said Aunt Tenten in her Chinese dress embracing Mother who was in her kimono, "Oh, Hinata, you are looking very well! You are younger every time I see you."

Mother blushed a little bit hearing such a compliment as where I was snickering mischievously. Of course Mother would not look old, since she was part of our family; the demonic family. All of us have demonic blood within our veins, and the difference between each individual was the percentage of the blood that was corrupted. I had fifty; oni-chan had fifty –but his capabilities of utilizing that demonic trait were more exceptional than me since he had Forbidden; Father had ninety; and Mother had around twenty percent.

Even so, this low amount was sufficient enough to do wonders in her body.

Not only was Mother having nearly eternal youth –she could look like a twenty-five year old at the age of eighty- she also obtained the Metamorphosis from Father's blood. Unlike Father's transformation to a large winged demon, Mother spreads out her wings like an angel in similar to my ability. However, due to the fact she was not someone who had a high percentage of demonic powers, the only thing the metamorphosis did for her was bless her with the ability to take flight to increase speed. I suppose lacking the increase combat capabilities advantage wasn't such a big deal to Mother, not when a vast majority of people could not keep up with her in a fight.

Anyone who approached Hyuga Hinata sinfully was practically asking to meet the devils in the deepest depths of hell sooner.

My mother's tactics surprised me occasionally indeed. Not only did she have very slow aging and flying abilities, her movements were now a deliberate demonstration of grace and beauty. This quality shined in combat when her agility, evasiveness, attack rate, movements were all effectively demonstrated to her favour. Coordination was a good word for Mother. There were a few times where errors happened, but my kaa-chan was definitely amazing as a human.

Father would sometimes say that Mother was like his guardian angel that came from the heavens to save his soul. I found it absolutely legitimate when Mother kept my Father's humanity in tact, and it was no surprise that he loved her with everything.

"Oh, you aren't bad yourself, Tenten-nee-san," commented Mother giving her sister-in-law a kiss on the cheek. Somehow I wondered why it was not sick to see women kissing another while if men did that it would considered gruesome, "How is the little one?"

"She is doing just fine," said my aunt happily with a smile, "Kari-chan already has her own sleeping habits so Neji and I no longer have any hassles at night."

"Hello, Aunt Tenten!" I greeted in a child's voice with glee. I might have interrupted, but both of them did not mind for a second.

"Hello to you too, Kagari," she said, rubbing my cheek smiling happily before holding Kari in front of me, "Would you like to say hello to Kari, too?" I only nodded with a sense of exuberance.

"Hello, Kari-chan!" I soon kissed her forehead, which made her smile a little, "She doesn't like me!" I said whiningly to my aunt. Mother giggled where as Aunt Tenten laughed softly like any kind woman would.

"Oh, she does like you, Kagari," explained my beautiful aunt, "She just needs to know you a little better." I looked at her with my head tilted slightly to question, but I soon decided to trust in her judgment. She did know Kari better than I did. She was her mom after all. "Does Shani want to see Kari?"

"He would love to, Tenten-nee-san. Shani- Where is he? Wait, where is Naruto?" asked Mother looking back and not finding the two males anywhere in sight.

"I think they went in without us, Kaa-chan…" I stated in a low voice. Mother only sighed as she suggested that we should go inside as well. Agreeing without a problem, all three of us went in awaiting the party that was to come. I couldn't wait until I experience a life of luxury again.

(Moments Later)

Like a habit that I followed every time I entered Mother's old home, Shani and I would head straight for the living room –which was now the children's play room- and have our moment of fun. This room was not connected to any other room aside from the hall where as the other lounge that our parents went to had access to the dining room –and that one was connected to the kitchen- and they would do their own stuff.

Who knew what they did, it wasn't like whatever they did affected me in any possible way. All I could assume was having friendly talks, more sophisticated card games, or other mature games, or maybe planning for a meeting ahead of time. After bidding a small farewell to Mother, Aunt Tenten, and Kari, I entered the living room to see who was there already.

Once I pushed the slide door aside, I found out I was not the first guest. Rather –except for Yamase since she lived here- Hikaru and Asuran were already here on the carpet ground examining their weapons. Yamase was on the blue couch watching the other two in this bright white room. I frowned noticing that they were dressed up –unlike me who couldn't pick anything other than an indigo kimono. Hikaru was in a tiny chunnin uniform with his mother's old Air forehead protector. Asuran was in a long dark cloak with a straw like hat that shadowed his eyes finely. Furthermore, Asuran also carried his usual weapon on his back. It looked nothing more but a long cleaver but a large section of the blade was hacked off generally making it useless.

However, I knew what it truly was.

It was actually a chakra generated blade weapon that was very similar to Shani's scythe. The only difference was that Shani could use his weapon effectively even without chakra where as Asuran's cleaver could only stab with the sharp point without the energy charge.

Kamishiro Hikaru was Kamishiro Rin and Gaara no Sabaku's only son -at least that was what I was told but I knew Auntie Rin was already pregnant again. Why did Hikaru have his mother's last name, you ask? Father explained that Gaara's family did not want their offspring to carry the former Kazekage's name. Sadly enough, that was all Father told me, and I wanted to know more. Then again, I thought a bit deeper and asked Hikaru himself one day. What he said to me that day shocked me quite well. That moment I realized that Uncle Gaara and Father were very alike, and it was no wonder why they were such good friends.

Uncle Gaara also hated his own heritage with his own reasons, and having hunted and hated by his own family and friends alike only drove him to his limits. How was he supposed to react when he witnessed the closest people to him betraying him and soon wanting to take his life? The only word I could use was devastating. He lived a life similar to Father's –which both of them had no control over- and it was a miracle to me that Uncle Gaara and Father grew up fine. The only thing I pitied for them was that they had such deep and possibly unforgettable wounds in their lives. I knew Father hated the Fourth Hokage up to this day, and if it weren't for Mother, I would never have known.

What was Hikaru's physical appearance? He was the oldest amongst the eight of us since his birthday was on January the second. He had sharp yet short violet hair but his eyes held a sense of clear green. Hikaru was quite handsome, I would admit that much. His height was definitely above average –around oni-chan's height. And like his father and mother, Hikaru had much wisdom in his words but he frequently put it behind a tint of humour thus making it easier for anyone to absorb. Was he loud? No, none of us were too loud other than Umi –she was especially cheerful around oni-chan- but Hikaru would be more than willing to be audible to lighten up the atmosphere.

He also had a secret like Shani and myself for he was also a half demon, and the only people that could help him enhance demonic control in combat was us. If he unleashed his Mother's bloodline to go berserk –the action was similar to his pupil breaking into shards making him having incredible enhanced abilities- on his friends, he had the potential to severely wound or even kill them. Auntie Rin was not only an effective mind reader; she was an advanced human being along with minor abilities to control the winds. In other words, Hikaru was the perfect precedent of Auntie Rin and the demonic blood from his father merely increased his strength formidably. Fortunately, Hikaru never abused such power for he believed that this was his special gift. He was blessed this for the bright future, and for the goodness in the world, and no one in this life would be able to tempt him to do otherwise.

It is funny if you picture the three of our heritages. We are all crossbreeds; it is undeniable. We have a demon father, and a human mother –who are ever so exquisite and loving. This world should have more of those crossing birth situations; it is amusing to imagine what kind of race this place would have. For example, a French man and a Greek woman marring another thus they would give birth to little Freeks. Imagine this, a woman from Iceland and a Cuban man therefore blessing this world with Icecubes! Possibly even take one from India and another from Spain for instance to make an Inpain. I don't know what these countries even are, but hell it's funny to hypothesize such possibilities.

Of course I am only joking, please don't take this so personally.

"Hello, Kagari-chan…" greeted Yamase in a fairy costume while getting of the couch with a welcoming smile, "Glad that you made it."

"I would never miss your birthday, Yamase-chan," I said happily and honestly, "I could not. Before I forget… Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks, hope you have fun!"

"Hey, Kagari," called Asuran standing up with Hikaru following a second later, "If you are here, where is Shani?" Hearing Shani's name being called, I noticed Yamase's face reddened immediately. She was this timid only hearing his name? What would she do if she met him face to face? However, it was that point where I found out that oni-chan wasn't even in here yet. I thought he came in before I did. If so, where could he be?

"I thought oni-chan would be here…" I replied confusedly, "He did come in before I did…" The other three only gave me a blank stare. The only girl nearly inseparable from her oni-chan had lost her oni-chan… talk about an unexpected turnout. Speaking of which, where was that guy? I dedicated myself to squeeze him; hold him; or anything that will not make him leave my sight for a second. However, having Asuran around, I may get a bit distracted.

"Yo," called a voice from behind me that held no enthusiasm. I positively could recognize the speaker. Once I turned around to face him, a gasp soon escaped my mouth with my hands on my lips. "What?" asked Shani giving everyone his bored look. Feeling the tension and pressure from behind me, I knew my adorable cousin found this outstandingly astounding. Here he was, my brother, with wasabi green hair. Finally, he looked dressed up but I couldn't get a hold of which person he was trying to be.

"Shani-chan…" murmured Yamase with a heavy blush on her cheeks.

"Hey," said Hikaru, smirking, "What's with the hair, Shani?"

"Damn it," added Asuran chuckling underneath his cloak but failing quite marvelously, "I didn't even recognize that it was you. What's with this?"

"This dye, you mean?" questioned oni-chan, pointing to his head with a stoic face, "Uncle Neji wanted to test it on someone and he said… okay, or convinced me that I looked good on it. Father agreed too and so I tried it out in the end. How do I look?" We all exchanged glances at another to seek the appropriate answer. In truth, oni-chan looked great with it for it radiated his lavender eye and other physical features on his face well. However, I knew Shani would not like such a compliment, since he would see it as insincere sincerity. At the same time, anyone would've known that Yamase was on a verge of maintaining her consciousness; she found Shani strikingly cool. Of course, her shyness and low sense of courage bid her from saying it.

"What's with the green hair guy?" asked another person from the door. Hearing that familiar voice, all of us turned our eyes to the entrance finding Kuroto, Umi, and Tsubasa watching us with an amused expression. Kuroto and Umi were in chibi Anbu uniforms where Tsubasa was like a flower girl in a wedding in an appealing white dress. If I knew Tsubasa well enough, she didn't prefer dresses, "Hey, where is Shani?" That question merely made oni-chan and Asuran flashing 'the look' at the younger Uchiha –it silenced him quite well.

"Wow," said Tsubasa actually having a kind of interest instead of her well-known laziness, "Is that really you, Shani?" Her voice finally sounded like a girl for once. If I said that out loud, she would be quite upset so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

"Yes…" replied oni-chan dully. However, before he even finished, Umi rushed to him with fascination plastered on her incredibly attractive face. Even today I was surprised that she had such beauty at the age of seven. Did I wish to have her beauty? Was I jealous? Sometimes I would be but at an early age I was taught that it was the heart that counted, thus the physical characteristics were only a fake persona/exterior.

"Shani-kun," the Uchiha girl exclaimed happily with a delighted smile, "You really know how to dress up, who knew you had such a liking for this kind of thing? We all should do this more often!" Oni-chan liked dress ups? Get real, I thought. If it wasn't for a special event, and I mean really exquisite, he would not bother trying. Yamase flushed a bit hearing Umi's words somehow while Kuroto and Asuran shook their heads gently in unison.

"I don't like this kind of thing…" oni-chan replied in the nicest way possible.

"You don't?" she asked, quite surprised, "But you sure took your time to be… to be…" All of us sensed awkwardness after that moment. To be very honest, we didn't know who he was trying to be. I was attempting to figure out the solution ever since I saw him in that unique uniform. I was ashamed that as his sister that I didn't know enough. I suppose I needed to try harder. "Doesn't matter, you look really great!"

"Thanks, Umi-chan…"

"Weird would be my word," commented Tsubasa, sneering amusedly. Oni-chan smirked as if he wasn't affected by that remark. Why would he be? Moreover, Asuran knew he thought he looked strange, and Tsubasa was only stating the facts. I giggled hearing that but Umi decided to flash a glare. A deadly glare wouldn't hurt either. Before she could speak, her words were interrupted.

"C'mon children," came a woman's voice after the slide door opened. We all faced the person in an instant and Aunt Tenten was there with little Kari in her arms. Once she eyed Shani carefully, Aunt Tenten couldn't help but giggle. "Anyway, it's time to cut the cake for Yamase. Happy Birthday, sweetie."

"Thank you…" my cousin replied timidly with a smile, "Thank you all for coming…"

"Who wants cake?" asked my aunt appealingly which caused all the kids to cheer happily. The only exception would be Shani –who shrugged with no feeling. Once Aunt Tenten moved out of the way, all the kids rushed out of the playroom and ran towards the room for feasting. Who wouldn't love sugar and cake? Regardless of how some kids may not love cake, they would like sweet things one way or another. Why? Because it was appealing for the taste buds, it was that simple. None of us had cake too often, and once we know we would have a chance to eat it, the next several moments would be close to ecstasy.

Once we all exited in a flash, I noticed oni-chan maintained at the speed of my aunt; slow and in control. It wasn't too long before Aunt Tenten kneeled down a little and allowed little Kari to be in the hands of my brother. Shani outstretched his hand to the young infant without a word, and what surprised me was that Kari took it with a smile. His eye was unreadable -but to Kari, she seemed to understand a sense of security. Neutrality turned into a welcomed smile, and soon she wanted to be closer to Shani.

In a matter of seconds, the baby was already in his arms purring softly as if she was going to sleep. Aunt Tenten smiled so warmly at the two of them before Kari literally fell asleep.

What was I thinking about at that moment? The only thing would be how not everyone would like you for who you are but never give up on yourself. Oni-chan was not liked also but he went for another crowd thus allowing them to know his true self instead of his cursed eye. Today, we had enough people that we care about and fight for. In other words, someone would deeply grieve for us if one of us literally disappeared from this world. I didn't know how oni-chan did manage to survive under these trials, but it undoubtedly made me admire him to another depth.

(After the cake but not after the presents during the night)

It was a wonderful party so far, I would say that much. Uncle Neji, Aunt Tenten, and Grandfather Hiashi certainly knew how to locate the party. I never thought we would be in the fabulous backyard during the night. The cake was delicious; everyone was having fun; children and adults alike –the adults consisted of Mother, Father, Neji, Tenten, Itachi,Ayame,Rin, Gaara, Sakura, Sasuke, Shikamaru, Ino, Lee, Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya (He was being a pervert so the Hokage refused to let him near us), Haku, Shino, Asuma, Kurenai, Gai, and Kakashi (Who was reading perverted books so Kurenai did not let him get near us as well)- were enjoying their time here; everything was going very smoothly.

Mother and Father soon approached Yamase and wished her a very happy birthday. It wasn't that long after they gave her a red pocket, it was a tradition. No doubt the Hyuga girl accepted gently with hidden glee, and Father and Mother's expression only showed satisfaction at her well learned manners. As I consumed the last bits of my own piece of chocolate cake, it wasn't a surprise that I didn't see oni-chan anywhere in sight.

To the least, he was no where nearby, since he was sitting at the far end of the mansion ledges looking at the moon as if he was meditating. His piece of cake was half eaten and I was sure that it was still his first piece where I already swallowed my fourth. Even in a cheerful party, Shani had to be like this…

Where was I at the moment? I was with the ring of friends along with Kuroto, Asuran, Umi, Tsubasa, and Hikaru playing with my baby cousin. Kari seemed to get along with Umi pretty well, and that gave the Uchiha girl something to brag about to the blond hair girl, Tsubasa. I have known them for a long time already; I would know what their rivalry was like. To put a long story short, they competed with almost anything. The contrast between them with Kuroto and Shani was that the boys' competition had more meaning and well dealt with. What I am trying to say is that Kuroto and Shani knew how not to get carried away thus conserving friendship first.

Boys will be boys, and girls will be girls, I guess.

Asuran –who was beside me- took a quick glimpse towards the direction of the far side of the mansion for a split second. When he detected a message for him to come over, Asuran excused himself and made his way to my brother silently while not wanting to draw attention to himself. I wanted him to stay since his arm was next to mine -and we were getting comfortably warm. A pouting look came upon my face soon, and the Uchiha sure seemed guilty for leaving me. Yet, Asuran needed to get out of it despite how much I –or even he- might have liked it.

His silent departure was good but however when it came to Shani, Umi always seemed to sharpen up in nearly an instant.

"Kagari," she said to me as the baby crawled out of the circle and soon got picked up by Uncle Neji, "Why is Shani-kun doing over there? Shouldn't he be with us?"

"You want him to come over?" I asked her as I drank down my soda, "You can ask him."

"That would sound strange…" she replied while blushing. Kuroto, Hikaru, and Tsubasa's eyes raised a little hearing that, why would it be strange? "You know Shani-kun… he's really… stoic…"

"And what?" challenged Tsubasa lazily as she lied on the grass, "You like him so much that you are afraid to talk to him? You think Shani would reject you?"

"Tsu-chan!" hushed Umi telling her rival to be quiet but her face continued to carry that blush, "I didn't say that! What gave you that idea that I like him? I don't…"

"Sure, Umi," said the blond Nara girl yawning as she took a piece of her cake and stuffed it in her mouth with a fork, "You just 'admire' him, right?"

"I may admire him… Can't I do that?"

"No one said that you can't," stated Hikaru while smirking an all too suspicious smirk.

"However, you have been talking a lot about him ever since last week," Kuroto recalled with a knowing grin, "You have been saying how cool Shani was to you everyday." During that moment, Umi's face flushed deeply. At the same time, I had my own questions to ask. It seemed that I was missing a large piece of information that I needed to acquire in order to achieve perfect understanding.

"What did oni-chan do?" I asked immediately.

"He saved me." Umi responded dreamily as if she was in a fantasy.

"Saved you?" said Hikaru with distinct doubt, "Man, what did you do this time? Did you pretend to fall off a cliff? Or better yet, hire mercenaries to hurt you so you can put up an act?" That statement alone resulted a crushed can hitting the Kamishiro's skull. I would've laughed but I wasn't that kind of person to tease someone else's misfortune. In short, slapstick humour did not suit me. Once or twice to lighten up the mood would be fine for it was amusing sometimes, however, it had the potential to be too cliché; too overly used therefore making it annoying.

The perfect ideal cliché would be the phrase "No pain, no gain".

"You deserved that…" stated Kuroto dryly. Tsubasa agreed with a laugh and Hikaru only rubbed the wounded part of his head..

"Three mean guys were trying to… they were picking on me…" Anyone would've known the Uchiha girl decided to use different wordings moments ago, "I seriously thought that something bad was going to happen but fortunately, Shani-kun came by and helped me beat those bullies. He was so strong and brave, and he made them run away like a bunch of sissies! I was grateful that he helped me. Really, I was."

"Oni-chan didn't tell me that," I said in a quite disappointed tone, Shani never hid anything from me. "Was oni-chan… heroic to you, Umi?"

"Of course!" replied the raven pink hair girl delightedly. Her outburst made Hikaru's ears hurt since he was beside her, "Shani-kun is really cool! He's… very… charming…"

"I thought I was cool," complained Kuroto in a friendly way.

"Oh, you are, Kuroto-kun," commented the Nara girl lying on the ground with an admired look on her face, "You are cool to me and to everyone else here. We wouldn't just abandon you, we aren't shallow people." I nodded in agreement immediately to support my friend. Kuroto was our longed childhood friend, what kind of people would we be if we simply differentiate each other just because someone else had qualities that seemed more appealing? Everyone had their own abilities, strengths, weaknesses and different minds, and we could never judge anyone by their first appearance. That was what I believed in and still believed in it today. At that moment, I found that Asuran and Shani were around the adults' area while Tsunade-sama was with Mother patting oni-chan on the head. How did he get there so quickly? In a matter of seconds, my heart wanted to join in.

However, something else caught my attention when Shani approached Yamase. Of course, being Yamase she reddened like a strawberry but what surprised me further was that he took her somewhere else in private. That was when I stood from where I was, excused myself, and followed them in stealth. Noticing nobody was here; I planned my next advance. Where I hid was on the roof with my eyes activated, and I intended to understand the situation. Luckily, I got up here unnoticed. What I witnessed was surprising and it took me much self-control not to scream.

I simply couldn't believe it.

"Who would've thought you slipped through my guard, Kagari," said a voice from behind me. Okay, so I didn't bypass without someone noticing. That person was indeed skilled to detect my presence. With a serious glint in my now teal eyes, I stole a glimpse of who it was showing a fierce look. However, once I saw who it was, I discarded my previous thought.

"Asuran…" I said not blushing but surprised, "What on earth…"

"I don't know if I should curse you or congratulate you for having such capabilities of sneakiness," he said, shrugging in a quiet voice, "But I don't think I was too bad that I was able to detect you."

"Curse me?" I asked innocently but wanting to know the reason.

"Don't take it the wrong way," he justified as he now kneeled beside me looking down at the event that took place below, "Of course it's good that you are improving, I am glad." It was then when he turned to face me directly, "However, you may want to keep this a little secret. The thing happening with Shani and Yamase, I mean."

"What are they doing down there?" I questioned in a hurry, "Is oni-chan… does oni-chan like Yamase-chan? Does he?"

"Shani liking Yamase?" countered the Uchiha raising a brow. It sounded similar to disbelief, "He is giving her a present that he got for her birthday. He said it is a token of appreciation for being a good friend. Instead of having the adults going all mushy-mushy, he wanted to give it to her in private so it would be a thing between them only."

"How did oni-chan get that kind of money?"

"You don't need to worry about that," said Asuran, smiling. That look was practically telling me not to worry about a thing, and more or less commanding me not to be too suspicious. "He earned it well." I didn't understand this; how did oni-chan earn money? Somehow, the only chance he could be was during his training…

"Thank you, Shani-chan!" I heard Yamase say out loud from below. Asuran and I immediately had our eyes glued on the situation carefully without being seen. I gasped instantly when I saw my cousin wrapped her arms around oni-chan into a warm embrace, what surprised me was that she took the initiative to do it and she performed it quite marvelously. If my eyes weren't deceiving me, the Hyuga girl seemed to be nuzzling gently in his chest, trying to enjoy this as much as possible.

"You're very welcome, Yamase-chan," said oni-chan caringly as he hugged her like how he would embrace me, "Thanks for inviting me to your wonderful party."

"I would never not invite you to this, Shani-chan…" whimpered Yamase with a hiddensmilein his chest. "I would've been really sad if you didn't come…" Then she allowed her head to look at his, "But you really shouldn't have given me this necklace… It must've cost a lot of money. Even if it is my birthday."

"Don't worry about that," said Shani, "Can't I give my favorite relative a gift for being such a good person?"

"I am your only cousin… well, aside from Kari-chan…"

"Want me to tie it around you?" he suggested as he took the silver necklace that was loosely in Yamase's fingers. The Hyuga girl nodded with a tint of pink as he placed the jewelry around her neck to help her. A necklace… I was a little envious that oni-chan never brought me any jewelry, I would've liked it. But once I remember all the happy times that Shani gave me, all the gifts that made my spiritual self feel fulfilled and satisfied, materialistic objects were not necessary. It was then when I felt Asuran's arm brush against mine, my cheeks burned finally remembering that he was beside me the entire time. Anxious to witness the scenario below must've made me forgot that the Uchiha Asuran, the person I deeply admire, was inches away.

"Thank you, Shani-chan…" said Yamase shyly as she felt her present, "How do I look?"

"With that fairy outfit that you are wearing… I will say you look stunning." Hearing that kind of sincere compliment, my cousin flushed noticeably as of result. If Asuran said that to me, who knew what I would do? Next, my hands clasped to my mouth when I first handedly marked the most courageous thing my Hyuga cousin ever done in these seven years of her life, she leaned up to my brother and kissed him gently but unquestionably sweetly on the cheek. Asuran was in equal shock as well; I have never seen him in a state where he could keep his eyes opened without blinking once. When I really wanted to reveal myself to him, Asuran quickly held me back down silently ordering me not be an idiot.

"Shani…" murmured Yamase pulling away believing that she did something wrong, "I'm so sorry… I shouldn't have kissed you… Please don't get angry…"

"Why would I be?" oni-chan asked with a smirk, "I never knew you would be that happy to receive something from me."

"Why wouldn't I be happy when I get a present from my favorite relative?" Shani looked somewhat surprised since his eye opened a bit more.

"I am your favorite relative?" he asked in a more human like voice other than his deadpan expressions, "I thought Kagari-chan was your…"

"No," she said silencing him, "I like you better…"

"What did I do to make you like me better?" Once that question was brought out to the open, Yamase went back to her timidity and soon trying to look away. Just when some words were choking on her lips –I knew she wanted to say something, and you have no idea how desperate Asuran and I were trying to hear what she was going to say- all four of us heard someone calling us.

"Yamase," said the voice –I recognized it was Uncle Neji. Asuran and I cursed in our heads in unison where as Shani and Yamase became alerted at once. The question oni-chan brought up earlier of course was forgotten in a flash. "Where are you? It's time to open your presents."

"Kuso…" cursed Asuran as he crawled back a several meters before standing up. I followed suit as well, "We should get out of here, Kagari," The Uchiha told me softly as he offered his hand to help me.

"What should we do now?" I asked not wanting to get into trouble. "What if the other adults ask us where we went? What should we say?"

"Not so loud, okay?" Asuran said putting a finger on my lips, "If they ask us, just say you and I went out for a walk. Is that good with you?"

"A walk?" I recalled blushing immediately. How could I picture having a walk with Asuran? I would faint before that happened.

"Yes, just say that." It was that second when he took my hand in his own guiding me off the roof, "Come on, Kagari. We have to move." Nodding in the most convincing way as I could muster, the two of us sprinted lightly before leaping back down to ground.

"Wait," I said stopping the Uchiha from advancing. Once hearing my order, Asuran turned around to face me with a confused look.

"What is it, Kagari?" he asked concernedly.

"Was this thing planned all along? Is this what you and Shani-oni-chan discussed the other day when the three of us had ramen? Did oni-chan had a will to give something to Yamase-chan?" Asuran was sure taken quite aback at the amount of questions I had. Although I may be asking a lot, I could tell he was shocked at the desperation for the answers.

"Yeah, we were." Asuran replied in a sigh, "Shani just wanted this to be a little secret. There is no way that I wouldn't help my best friend when I have the ability to. Also, he cares a lot for his friends in a very indirect way where as you care for them directly. Kagari, you are very special to have a brother like him and I also really like you for being a great friend to all. You are the light in our ring without question." I was at a loss of words. Asuran liked me a lot for being who I was, he appreciated me; he cared for Shani and I; he had no prejudice whatsoever towards people. In a rage of emotions, I hugged him closely and rested my head on his shoulder blades for a several seconds. I didn't know if he blushed but he certainly felt surprised.

"Thanks for being such a good person to us, Asuran-kun," I said dreamily as I retracted my head. When my eyes looked into his, he quickly moved his away attempting to hide his own embarrassment. However, he had a strong sense that his efforts were futile. Once I giggled, he knew he lost.

"You're… welcome… Kagari…" he said stuttering very badly. His hands were shaking for his mind was in confusion in terms of if he should hold me in a small embrace to the least. Once I gave in more affection with my hands, he finally gave in and held me by the waist delicately. I would admit that this was very comfortable and Asuran was so good to hold. Despite how much I wanted that to last, one of us had to let go. But before I did, I gave a smile wholeheartedly therefore causing him to smile back. "Kagari?"

"Yes?"

"You remember what we should say if the adults…"

"A walk, right?"

"Yeah. Hey, we should get going." I immediately nodded and followed my good friend's lead. Yet, I wonder what oni-chan's excuse would be if the adults asked him what he was doing with Yamase. Later on that night, I wanted to laugh when he used the same excuse that Asuran made up and Yamase only nodded since Shani did all the talking. Fortunately, all the adults bought it so we weren't in trouble. However, even if we say we were on the roof, would we get into trouble? I highly doubt it. What kind of mischief would seven-year-old kids pull off? I seriously refuse to believe that we were capable of such mass devastation.

As I stole a glimpse at my cousin, I just couldn't help feel happy for her. Somehow, I wonder if oni-chan received anything after all the affection Yamase showed; I seriously hope he did. As for me, I would do anything to get Asuran to understand how I felt about him. He was someone too important for me to simply discard to someone else.

Overall, today was another remarkable day in my memory.

AN: It's exam time for me, so updates will be very slow because I need to study for them. Good luck to anyone who is going through the exam period and I wish those who already completed their exams to have a considerable grade. I hope you all liked this chapter! However, now I want to ask you all a question.

Who was Shani dressing up as? Yes, he was dressed up as somebody and if you know, please tell me. I want to serve this kind of like a game. If you guess it right… I can't actually give you any rewards but you certainly will be thanked specially if you get it right.

Next, what pairings do you wish to see in the future? I haven't decided on who Shani should be paired with but Kagari is paired up with Asuran for certain. Give me your opinions if you wish to, it would be very helpful to me. Thank you very much for reading my story up to this point, I couldn't have done it without your major support! Until next time, it's probably sometime in February when my schedule isn't as messed up as this one.

Those actually got rifles or firearms in general from me during Christmas, don't even think of using it to threaten me. If you kill me, there will literally be no story for you to follow and I have no intention to give this story to someone else to continue. What I am trying to say is… use it to threaten someone else! LOL! I will speak no more of this. Have fun with this.