Chapter 4


"Four is the number of death in most Asian cultures because it's a homonym for death. I don't like four. Can we skip it? Please?"


Since it took twenty minutes to walk to the hospital, Masaru had plenty of time to worry about what he'd find when they arrived. Images of a too-pale Akari comatose in a bed plagued his thoughts, two doctors hanging in the doorway discussing her condition in low tones sparsed with theatrical gasps of surprise from a beautiful female nurse to low-key dramatic music.

In his defense, Masaru had never been to a hospital and most of his knowledge came from the medical dramas his mother liked to watch. He knew reality would probably be very different from that, and sure enough, it was.

"Masaruuuu!"

He yelped as his sister enthusiastically tackled him in a pale blue blur, nearly toppling him to the ground as her arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace. "I'm so boooored!" she whined. "Let's go home and train!"

"Akari, no," their mother sighed, shaking her head with a long-suffering look, while Mikoto covered her mouth to stifle a small giggle.

As it turned out, Akari was fine. The doctors pinned her collapse as a result of overworking herself in the extreme heat. "She'll need to stay overnight, just to be safe," Ryoko explained. "And they want us to come back in a few weeks. They found some other things during the examination and they want to look into it. It's nothing serious," she added hastily at her son's horrified look, "They said Akari-chan is perfectly fine right now. They just found something unexpected and want to look into it some more, that's all. You don't need to be such a worrywart, Masa-chan."

She smiled and ruffled his hair before turning to admonish Akari for trying to sneak out the door during the conversation. Being in the hospital for even a couple of hours had left the young girl antsy and impatient to go back to training, much to the hospital staff's consternation.

"Don't let her become another Kakashi," she told their mom in a serious tone when she stopped by, and Ryoko just laughed and promised not to let it reach that level.

Hospital policy prevented kids from staying overnight with patients, so Mikoto volunteered to host Masaru for the night while Ryoko stayed with Akari. Dinner proved quiet and somewhat awkward, though not as tense as Masaru had expected after his last few visits to the main house. Maybe it stemmed from Fugaku's absence; he'd stayed late at the police station that night, so only Itachi, Sasuke and Mikoto were there for dinner.

Most of the conversation revolved around school, Mikoto gently prodding the two younger boys about what they'd been studying and Sasuke eagerly filling her in. Masaru contributed on occasion but mostly remained quiet, though he still talked more than Itachi, who ate in near total silence before quietly excusing himself. The remainder of the evening proved relatively uneventful, he and Sasuke not really talking aside from when they set up a spare futon in his room. When Akari and Ryoko came to get him the next morning, Masaru eagerly welcomed his sister's familiar warm personality.

While Akari was slated to return to the hospital for a more extended stay in a couple of weeks, nothing seemed wrong with her. At school Akari proved as fit and active as ever, her performance in class never slipping. "Even I don't get what's wrong," she admitted to him with a frown. "The adults won't tell me anything." It struck them both as strange, but it soon faded to the backs of their minds as they went about their days.

Life at school continued as usual, most of their time spent studying and quietly conversing with each other. Akari had some more free time after her tentative friendship with Hinata stalled due to her clan's disapproval. Apparently the Uchiha and Hyuuga had a powerful rivalry due to their competing doujutsu, and having the clan heiress consort with a lowly branch member of the Uchiha was too unseemly to support.

"The Uchiha has a branch family?" Masaru asked in surprise when Akari told him.

"That's what I said!" she groaned. Frankly, they never really thought of their family in terms of its position within the clan. While the Uchiha clan definitely had a main house and a council of elders, they didn't have a strict dichotomy between them and the rest of the clan like the Hyuuga did. The Uchiha were just Uchiha, simple as that. As long as you weren't a bastard and respected your elders, the clan cared more about your ability as a shinobi than where your parents fit into the hierarchy.

Still, though that friendship proved to be a washout, Akari didn't sulk and quickly moved on with her life. Having given up on most of the kunoichi in their class as a lost cause, she turned her sights to their male classmates for companionship. Surprisingly (or perhaps not), she had much better luck there. Initially they treated her warily due to the typical male pride that ran rampant at their age, but she quickly proved herself their equal.

Partially by beating up anyone who insulted her.

Ryoko had actually spit out her food at dinner when Akari recounted giving one snobby boy a black eye over a snide comment about her breaking a nail. "As your mother, I should not approve," she told them, trying to muffle her snickers. "But as a kunoichi and fellow woman, next time, go for poetic justice. They tell you not to break a nail, scratch them to hell and back!"

They spent a good chunk of that meal discussing similarly ironic physical comebacks, neither seeming to notice Masaru gradually sink further and further into his seat. If he seemed to be a bit more withdrawn from his sister over the next few days, she never commented on it.

As Akari's social life at school expanded though, that meant they spent a little less time together. Contrary to what some might expect, being her twin did not automatically grant Masaru membership into her new social groups. According to her, some of their classmates believed his quiet nature to be due to arrogance. "You're kidding," he deadpanned, and she grinned.

"Well, you can be pretty snobby when it comes to sparring," she teased. He responded to that by slamming a pillow at her head. She just laughed and threw one back.

That said, Masaru really didn't mind the growing distance between them at school. After all, he and Akari already spent plenty of time together outside of it, seeing as they lived together and even shared a room. Twins tended to get lumped into a single unit by other people, so they were pleased to realize they'd each managed to attain a certain level of autonomy at school. Having different friends made them feel a bit more free and independent.

If anything, it motivated him even more to try to make his own friend. To that end he had lunch with Naruto together a few more times, but as the days passed Masaru felt progress to be slow on his end. He still didn't contribute much to their conversations, letting Naruto do all the talking, and it made him feel like he wasn't putting in much effort. So when Naruto invited him to get ramen after school one day, he'd been caught by almost complete surprise.

As they headed through town he couldn't help notice the glares various civilians sent their way. Previously he'd been aware that others seemed to treat Naruto differently, but until then he hadn't realized just how bad it really was. Whispers of "fox" and "demon-brat" tickled his ears as shopkeepers glowered at Naruto, pedestrians crossing to the opposite side of the street to avoid them.

Pain flickered in Naruto's eyes at each spiteful look sent their way, yet he kept that big grin plastered on his face. His excitement as he chattered about their destination was genuine, his love for the ramen stand bordering on fanaticism. Considering how heavily Naruto vaunted it as the best in Konoha, Masaru expected it to be a grand, fancy building filled with throngs of people clamoring for more bowls.

Instead, Ichiraku Ramen operated out of a small and plain wooden building that barely stood out from the rest. Square flaps of white fabric dangled from the front of the stand to provide some privacy for the diners, each flap bearing one of the characters that made up the stand's name. Beneath them he could see the stools were empty, further shattering his preconceptions.

Viewing the surprisingly unremarkable structure, Masaru wondered if maybe Naruto had overhyped it a little. However, when Naruto climbed onto a stool and loudly announced his presence, Masaru quickly realized why the blond liked it so much when the stand's owner greeted him with the first friendly smile he'd seen all day.

"Well, if it isn't my best customer!" he laughed, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he grinned at Naruto. "I was wondering when you'd show up!"

"You know I can't stay away too long!" Naruto replied with a grin. He then turned to Masaru and patted the seat next to him, prodding, "Come on, sit down so we can order! I'm telling you, this place has the best ramen in town!"

"Oh? Who's this?" The chef turned a curious eye to Masaru as the young Uchiha climbed onto the stool next to Naruto. Instinct kicked in under the stranger's scrutiny, and he straightened his back as all the lessons in proper etiquette he'd received as an Uchiha kicked in.

"My name is Uchiha Masaru," he greeted, dipping his head politely. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir." The formal nature of his greeting seemed to catch the man off-guard, but he quickly recovered with a hearty chuckle, flashing a cheery grin.

"Oh, so this is the famous Masaru, eh?" he teased, and Masaru snapped his head upwards to stare at him wide-eyed.

"Famous?" he stammered, but then froze. His gaze whipped to Naruto to find the blond offering him a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I, uh, might have mentioned you to old man Teuchi a couple times," he admitted with a small laugh. "Sorry, it's just—it's just really cool to have a friend, you know?"

Friend.

The word sent an unexpected surge of warmth through Masaru, catching him off-guard. He stiffened in his seat as he stared at Naruto wide-eyed, and the blonde's smile gradually faded as the seconds ticked by, growing increasingly nervous at Masaru's silence.

"Uh, sorry, is—is that too much?" he muttered, hesitating. "I mean, I know I'm, well, you know..." He trailed off, for once at a loss for words. Fidgeting in his seat, he turned forward and started fiddling with the hem of his shirt, his normal confident grin replaced by an uncertain frown. "I mean, I guess I can see why—why you might not think that—"

"No," Masaru interrupted, and Naruto whirled his head around to stare at him, his cerulean eyes large with surprise. Meeting his gaze straight on Masaru let his lips curve upwards, offering the blonde a small, feeble smile. Until then Masaru had been hesitant on how to classify their relationship, not wanting to put it on too high of a pedestal, but hearing Naruto use the word settled it once and for all. "It's fine. I'm just—I'm just not used to having a friend either."

Naruto's eyes widened even more at Masaru's response, his mouth dropping open, and then—

He turned into sunlight.

Beams of light seemed to radiate from him as he broke into a giant grin, his golden hair glowing like a halo and his sky blue eyes shining with pure joy. The abrupt shift in his demeanor—the pure, unadulterated look of elation on his face—momentarily stunned Masaru, his own eyes widening in shock.

Beside them Teuchi just laughed, and he placed a hand on both their heads in an affectionate pat, effectively snapping them out of the moment. "I think this calls for a celebration!" he declared cheerfully. "Two bowls of whatever flavor you want, on the house!"

Grinning, Naruto eagerly took him up on it and Masaru placed his own order. They stayed there for almost an hour, chatting eagerly as they ate. Over the course of that meal they learned a lot of things about each other. For example, Naruto could eat at least fifteen bowls of ramen in a row and still have room for more. Masaru decided that was really scary too.

"I never really had a friend before," Masaru mused at his uncle's grave that weekend after recounting the event. "I mean, I go to Sasuke's house every week, but... we don't really talk that much. And when we do, I don't know what to say and I mess it up. But Naruto doesn't need me to talk, he can do all the talking for me. And maybe that's why we get along, I guess we kinda balance each other."

He smiled at the thought, reclining on the grass and glancing at the sky. Ominous dark clouds covered it in a thick blanket of black and gray, threatening to send rain soon. Sighing softly, he turned his head slightly and a flash of color caught his eye. Mountains of bouquets decorated a nearby gravesite, the rock slab still shiny and polished with no signs of the wear and tear the others accumulated over the years.

Masaru's lips pursed at the sight, and he slowly turned his head back to its original position. "Hey," he murmured softly, closing his eyes. "Do you remember... that story I told you about when Naruto pranked me the first time? There was a boy at the house that day, another Uchiha I never saw before." He fell silent, letting it linger for a few moments as he quietly breathed through his nose.

"His name was Shisui. He died five days ago."

News of the unexpected death had sent tremors through the Uchiha clan, whispers of conspiracies and doubts echoing through the compound. When he first saw the framed photo of Uchiha Shisui draped in black, Masaru had been surprised to recognize the laughing teenager from that day years ago, his boisterous laughter easing the tension he'd felt after seeing his mother's Sharingan. Drowned in Naka River, they said, with a suicide note found on the banks while the body remained missing.

His fists clenched at his sides, his nails digging into his palms and leaving small marks. He had only seen Shisui that one time, but he suspected he visited quite often without him or Akari noticing. "Mom's... Mom's really upset," he whispered, his voice faintly quivering. "She still acts normal and has dinner with us, but she's been spending more time in her study. I think the nightmares are back, too, and I think they're even worse. She woke us up twice this week screaming."

Flinching as he recalled the blood-curdling screams, Masaru shuddered and quickly raised the heels of his palms over his eyes, pressing hard until his vision began to swim even behind his closed eyelids. Something about the sensation felt vaguely comforting for reasons he couldn't explain; maybe it had to do with his dormant Sharingan, or maybe it was just a personal oddity. He did this whenever he felt like he wanted to cry, starting way back when he was a toddler.

Over the past few days, he'd done it pretty often.

"I'm scared," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm really, really scared."

"Masaru?" A quiet voice drew him from his thoughts, and he opened his eyes as he turned around. Spots sparked in his vision before fading away to reveal his sister standing behind him, her face far more tired than he'd ever seen. She held a bright red umbrella in preparation for the upcoming rain, the crimson color popping against the dreary desaturated hues of the cemetery.

Slowly getting to his feet, Masaru silently joined her under the umbrella, gaze cast to the dying grass. He slipped his hand into her free one as he stood by her, giving it a small squeeze. They cast the gravestone a final glance, offering it feeble, tired smiles.

"Bye, Uncle Obito," Akari called softly. "See you next week." With that the twins walked home, hoping vainly for things to go back to normal.


(A/N: So here we have it, the grand reveal! The grave is in fact Obito's. Hope that surprised some of you, though one commenter on AO3 figured it out. I hope it doesn't feel too cliche, but there is a reason for it. Next chapter things will get more serious. The massacre is coming...

Also, thanks to reebajee for posting the first-ever review here! I'm glad you like Akari. I won't give away anything quite yet, but I will say there's a bit more to her than meets the eye.

And one final note: When I post Chapter 5, I will be changing the story's name to "Echoes of Light". I've been flip-flopping on the title ever since I got the idea, and Echoes of Light works really well. I'm also thinking of posting a modified version of the prologue, since I feel like the current one is a bit too mundane. It would still feature the current parts, but more as flashbacks. But I feel like the revised version I made might be a bit too grand, so I'm still on the edge about it. Any thoughts? I'd be wiling to send a copy of it to anyone if you're curious.)