DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, Kishimoto does. I don't own Hikari Aino.

A/C: Constructive criticism is warmly welcomed and appreciated, as well as readers' suggestions/ideas (particularly when it comes to Lemons – I really suck at those! :S). However, if you choose to leave a negative review - please consider to yourself before sending it: if you were the one recieving your review, would you feel hurt upon reading it? Thanks for your consideration.

REPLIES TO REVIEWS:

GUEST: I was unaware that 'saying "no offence" only intensifies the offence', was irritating to you and possibly other readers. That was not my intent and I'm very sorry about that. Yes, you're right - I should suck it up and allow other people to have their opinion (positive or not), so I thank you for bringing that to my attention.

THREE LONELY SHINOBI

"A GOOD friend will come bail you out of jail, but a TRUE friend will be sitting next to you saying...'Damn, that was fun!'"~Unknown

~SASUKE P.O.V~

"Well…shit! That knocked me for six!" muttered Naruto who was walking beside me towards my family's home, looking grave and…well for the most part, completely freaked out. And frankly, I couldn't really blame him.

I looked behind to see Hikari trailing behind us, staring at her sandals with a melancholy expression on her face, while clutching for dear life on the straps of her backpack. Tears were falling down her cheeks as I wondered if I looked like that the day my parents had been murdered.

I shuddered as memories of that horrific day returned to my mind after years of trying to repress it…

~FLASHBACK (AUTHOR'S P.O.V)~

'I promised Mom, I'd be home for dinner…'

Six year old Sasuke thought to himself, frowning as he sprinted for the Uchiha compound as fast as his legs could carry him. Had he known what was awaiting him when he arrived, he would've taken his time to get there. He brightened instantly as another thought suddenly occurred to him.

'Plus, Itachi-nii-san is gonna be home early today! Maybe, I can persuade him to train with me. I need to practice for class anyway!'

He added, excitement coursing through him like a sugar-rush as he finally made it to the main gates of the compound. However, something was off about the small housing development he had grown up in for most of his short life.

Everywhere he looked, there were signs that a battle had occurred: the odd kunai embedded into the walls or doorframes of some nearby buildings and even some street-lights, some shuriken as well; broken pieces of furniture; destroyed flora; Japanese lanterns dangling loosely from a rope that had been carelessly chopped down by someone with a sharp blade; trees missing the odd branch or two, again looking as though it had been cleaved cleanly from the tree with a sharpen blade; and smears of red that made Sasuke think rather uncomfortably of blood…

'What's going on here?' Sasuke thought feeling an unpleasant chill shooting down his spine in a sense of foreboding.

He needed to find his Dad, he'd make sense of the dishevelment of his home - at least he hoped so. Sasuke walked cautiously towards his house, keep alert for danger that he almost certainly knew was still around - not that he'd be able to do anything about it at the moment.

Considering he was still learning about being a Shinobi.

He slid the door open and removed his sandals, replacing them with the household slippers the family always had waiting for them and their guests before closing the door behind him and travelling deeper into the house, hoping to catch some glimpse of either the kind, gentle face of his beloved mother or the stoic, austere face of his father to make sense of the madness all around him.

When neither of them made themselves known to him, Sasuke began to feel worried and walked towards the one place he knew he would most likely find the both of them: his father's study.

However, when he got there and politely and respectfully knocked, waiting to hear his father's gruff voice allowing him access, he heard nothing and decided to look in to see if his father was in there. There was nobody in there. Suddenly, Sasuke heard the sound of somebody grunting in pain and he followed the noise towards the dojo.

"Otou-san? Chichie-san?"

Sasuke opened the door and felt all the air leaving his lungs as he stared horrified at the scene in front of him. There lying in the middle of the room were both of his parents, surrounded by pools of their own blood, and standing above them looking to all intents and purposes like nothing barbaric had actually happened, was Itachi.

"Aniki?" whispered Sasuke, feeling his jaw shaking from his grief.

Itachi turned when he heard his kid brother address him.

"Ah, otouto. Welcome home!" Itachi greeted Sasuke serenely, not at all concerned about how incredibly incriminating he looked holding a still dripping ANBU katana, slick from his own parents' blood.

Sasuke took a step further into the room, still staring at the corpses of his parents.

"What have you done?" Sasuke demanded, not able to comprehend what Itachi had just done.

Itachi merely gave his parents a dismissive glance as he answered Sasuke's question.

"What this? Just disposing of the unnecessary trash." He clarified, taking a rag from his pocket and wiping the blade clean.

Sasuke broke the gaze he had on the corpses and fixed his brother with an angered look. He felt betrayed by somebody he had adored and placed on the highest pedestal he could find so he could look at him for motivation and guidance in everything he attempted. Now? He felt sick to his stomach at the sight of his older brother. He betrayed everything there was to being Uchiha and he needed to be eliminated.

"How dare you!" snarled Sasuke as he charged at Itachi who easily side-stepped him and fixed the youngest Uchiha was an expression similar to that of amusement and mocking.

He knew that Sasuke couldn't harm him. At least, not at the moment. But he was all too willing to poke the raging bull between the eyes to enrage him even further. Just to see how far he could get away with it before Sasuke actually did succeed in harming him. Just fanning the flames of hatred that were nothing more than little embers coming to life at the moment.

"How dare I? You need to be a bit more specific, Little Brother." asked Itachi innocently.

Sasuke growled.

"They were our parents!" Sasuke stated, coming over and grabbing Itachi by the lapels and pulling him close enough that they were literally nose to nose.

Itachi chuckled insanely before breaking the hold Sasuke had on his shirt by head butting the child. Sasuke sprawled to the ground, clutching his sore head in pain. Itachi crouched down in front of him and grabbed his chin to turn his head to face him.

"Our parents were nothing more than useless distractions… not to mention…ugh…overbearing as hell!" Itachi explained matter-of-factly as he sharply and arrogantly tapped Sasuke's cheek, hard enough that the youngest Uchiha rubbed his reddening cheek in surprise as he eyed his brother off hatefully.

Sasuke swung a punch at his brother which the prodigy easily evaded and got up to stride away from his baby brother.

"You coward, fight back!" screamed Sasuke, as he got to his feet and got into an amateur's stance.

He was still learning after all, so you can't expect even the somewhat perfect Uchiha heir to get it right the first time. Itachi bristled and with lightning fast reflexes pinned Sasuke to the wall and angrily grit his teeth as he stared down his defiant brother.

"That I can assure you, Little Brother, I am not." spat Itachi, squeezing his brother's throat a little bit tighter, causing Sasuke to struggle to breathe.

"I can see the hate in your eyes, Otouto. But it's not enough, not nearly enough for you to succeed with." He smirked, causing Sasuke to shudder in fear and rage. But just as quickly as the smirk appeared it vanished as he pulled Sasuke away from the wall and leaned down to whisper in his brother's ear.

"There is no value in killing the likes of you… My foolish brother… If you want to kill me… curse me! Hate me! And live a long and unsightly life… Run away… run away… and cling to your pitiful life." and with that Itachi clipped Sasuke hard enough on a pressure point on his neck and knocked him unconscious.

Sasuke's body hit the ground and crumpled into a heap. Itachi gave his brother one final look before shedding tears and leaving the room, obviously reluctant to do what he had set out to do…

~END OF FLASHBACK (AUTHOR'S P.O.V)~

~SASUKE P.O.V~

I sighed miserably, but also felt an overwhelming rage that I forced myself to repress as I turned to reply to the Dobe's statement.

"When you're right, you're right, Dobe." I answered softly while still looking empathetically at Hikari.

Naruto blinked twice before fixing me with a incredulous expression. He then smirked slightly.

"You're agreeing with me?" He questioned in surprise. I rolled my eyes before choosing to ignore him. That is until he suddenly spoke again.

"Who are you, and what have you done with the Teme?" He joked and I turned and glared at him for his lack of tact.

Naruto flinched back and mimed pulling a zipper across his lips before turning his head to look at Hikari as well. To our surprise, Hikari had paused without us knowing and was standing in the middle of the road, staring up at the sky, tear streaks clearly visible on her face. I swallowed hard before both of us walked towards her.

"Hey."

Hikari looks down at me and Naruto and smiles softly before looking up at the sky again.

"You okay?" I asked cautiously.

As expected, she shook her head before shifting the weight of her backpack on her back.

"I'll live." Hikari replied softly before looking down at me again and smiling a little.

The smile fell slightly before she walked passed us and continued walking towards my home, dodging a few of the villagers out and about oblivious to the tense air that hung around the three of us. I knew before dawn tomorrow, everyone in Konoha would know what had happened to Hikari's mother - it was a well known fact that she was a respected (albeit retired) Jounin who was gifted in the art of Katana sword fighting, so it would be completely unheard of that NOBODY would not hear about the event.

What I was dreading more than anything was how clingy Sakura was going to be tomorrow when she finally heard about it. I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, holding it open for both Naruto and Hikari, who immediately removed their sandals.

"C'mon. I'll show you to your rooms." I muttered slightly uncomfortably.

It was off putting having people living the same house as I did, considering I had lived by myself for a long, long time, since my parents' death. Hikari mutely nodded before rising to her feet and following Naruto and I deeper into the mansion, heading for the bedrooms.

"So what now, Teme?" questioned Naruto as we watched Hikari move about the room, setting up her futon and then setting aside her backpack and a long, beautiful katana which immediately caught and held my attention. It was sheathed in a baby blue scabbard which had her family's symbol subtly engraved on the handle.

So, Hikari's got some skill with a blade, huh? I thought feeling extremely impressed.

I also realised that I was yet to answer his question, so I hastily answered.

"Leave her be at the moment, Dobe."

Naruto looked like he was about to protest before I grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him back to the Living Room.

"I know from personal experience, that the last thing anyone wants is to be constantly hounded by people wanting to know if you're okay." I explained somewhat forcefully to get it through his thick head.

"So back off and leave Hikari alone for awhile. Let her come to us." I suggested and moved off into the Kitchen to make tea, leaving Naruto standing in the doorway.

I could feel the heat of him glaring somewhat resentfully at my back, and part of me - the part that actually gave a shit - felt slightly guilty that I was lashing out at the idiot for wanting to protect and comfort his friend, who was obviously still grieving.

However, the hardened, 'takes-no-bullshit' side of me, saw Naruto as being immature and tactless, and therefore I merely rolled my eyes and ignored him.

~HIKARI P.O.V~

Pleasant smells roused me from my dreamless sleep, as I sat up groggily and took in my surroundings with a critical look, momentarily forgetting where I was.

The room was large and painted a midnight blue colour, and featured a large mahogany desk and leather desk chair, a dust covered bookshelf complete with books, a walk in wardrobe and a door that presumably led towards the bathroom.

My stomach growled unpleasantly and I got up and shuffled out the door and downstairs towards the Kitchen, whereupon I found Naruto kneeling next to a table in the Lounge Room and sipping on what appeared to be tea (and pulling a face with each sip), and Sasuke who was busy preparing something that smelt divine and made me drool.

Oh yeah, I'm staying over at Sasuke's house for awhile…

"Hikari-chan! You're awake!" exclaimed Naruto, as exuberant as ever, which caught Sasuke's attention as he turned around and saw me, freaking me out again when he smiled softly.

I smiled a little at my friends.

"Hey, guys." I replied, then frowned when Naruto suddenly put his cup down, got to his feet and immediately engulfed me in a tight hug that threw me completely.

Naruto buried his face into my hair and I awkwardly wrapped my arms around him, unsure what to do as I looked at Sasuke for answers. He rolled his eyes and turned back to what he was doing.

Unhelpful.

"I'll always be here for you, Hikari-chan. You're not alone anymore." Naruto murmured into my ear and I felt my heart skip a beat before smiling gratefully and returned Naruto's tight hug as well and buried my face into the crook of his neck as he rocked me back and forth gently.

"Thanks, Naruto. You're the best." and kissed his cheek gratefully which caused Naruto to flush red in embarrassment and scratch the back of his head modestly, before going back to the table and continuing to drink his tea.

I turned towards Sasuke, who still had his back to us and I silently moved over to him.

He paused.

"Is there something you need, Hikari?" He asked politely.

I raised an eyebrow at the lack of coldness in his voice that usually presented itself whenever he spoke. I smiled and without saying anything, I merely wrapped both my arms around his waist and buried my face into Sasuke's toned back.

I felt him stiffen in surprise.

"Thank you, Sasuke." I murmured.

Several minutes passed before I felt Sasuke's hands closing over mine and knotting his fingers with mine - a gesture that shocked me a lot.

What's gotten into him? I wondered, not for the first time and flinched as Sasuke turned around in my embrace so he could look me directly in the face. I gaped at him when I saw that Sasuke was genuinely smiling back at me, and then pulling me into a proper hug which I instantly relaxed into.

"You're welcome." He replied, also burying his face into my hair like Naruto had done only moments before.

The gesture was so sweet, that I could feel the tears returning again and I started bawling into Sasuke's shirt again, feeling mortified and startling both Sasuke and Naruto in the process.

"What did you do to her, Teme?" demanded Naruto, coming over to us and scowling at Sasuke as if suspecting that he had just done something to upset me.

On the contrary, I was extremely happy - I had the support and friendship from my two best friends, the only people whom I could trust with my life. Sasuke immediately started soothing me just as he scowled at Naruto with annoyance.

"How should I know, Dobe? All I did was accept her gratitude and she started crying." Sasuke retorted as he gently tugged me away from him and fixed me with a concerned frown.

I wiped my eyes, and then beamed at both boys who were obviously expecting me to be angry with either one of them - certainly not smiling like I had won the jackpot. All in all, my behaviour to them, must have been extremely unusual - considering my Mother had just resently been murdered in cold-blood.

Naruto placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Hikari-chan?"

Without saying a word, I grabbed Naruto's hand and yanked him towards me, surprising the blonde and did the same thing to Sasuke and wrapped them up in a joined hug with them both.

"I'm not upset or angry, silly. I'm extremely happy." I explained and tightened my hug.

~NARUTO P.O.V~

From where I was squashed up against Hikari in her random hug, I glanced over her left shoulder at Sasuke, and was surprised when I saw a calm, nonchalant expression on his face as he returned her hug.

Teme even smiled a little.

I locked eyes with him and raised an eyebrow at him, hoping to translate to him 'what the fuck's going on here?' with that gesture. He seemed to get the message as he pulled a face and shook his head slightly, before immediately dropping the expression as Hikari pulled away from us.

Then without saying another word, she moved off towards the low table, drying her red-rimmed eyes and sat down at the table, before reaching for a fresh cup and helping herself to some green tea.

"That was weird." I muttered, scratching the back of my head in confusion. However, Sasuke shakes his head in disagreement.

"It's normal, dobe. Just go with it."

Before turning and going back to whatever he was cooking before Hikari started hugging the stuffing out him. I didn't like that explanation.

"Go with what? I don't understand." I protested, feeling annoyed.

Sasuke smirked at me which I glared at him for.

"Doesn't take a genius to work out that you don't understand, Dobe." He replied, but before I say anything, the bastard continued talking.

"Like I said before, Hikari is grieving. The process is full of up and downs. One moment she could be crying her eyes out; the next, she could be happy." I nodded - so far getting it.

But apparently he wasn't finished.

"It's when she get's pissed that you have to watch out."

I frowned "Why?"

He rolled his eyes as he finished fashioning a ball of sticky rice in his hands and setting it aside. I grinned when I realised what he was making: Lucky Dip Onigiri.

"Naruto-" He sighed - his tone indicating he was getting irritated with me.

I frowned again.

"-When my parents died, my emotions were going all over the place. I felt alone. I felt betrayed and abandoned. But mostly, I felt angry. Not just at Itachi but at the Village, and myself." He said, his voice growing softer by the minute - which I realised was because he was reliving painful memories, and I instantly felt guilty.

I also cringed at the venom I heard in Sasuke's voice when he spat out his brother's name.

"I kept asking myself why I hadn't been there - I could've died alongside them, or even better, done something about it. Why did he spare my life? I know for a fact that it wasn't just to convince me to hate him-"

I raised my eyebrow at that, thinking that Itachi must've seriously lost his mind.

"-Kill him."

What sort of sicko convinces his little brother to train until his legs give out; gain more power and then eventually kill him? I wondered disgustedly.

"I also asked myself, why the Village wouldn't get out of their own way to actually help my family in their time of need." He sounded bitter and resentful and I didn't blame him.

Because it finally made sense why Sasuke was the way he was, personality wise. That night must have seriously scarred and traumatised him enough to become the person he is today. I looked over at Hikari and wondered if she was mirroring the same feelings as Sasuke did back then.

But then again, she had lost her father and grandfather around about the same time (maybe earlier than that), and she turned out okay for the most part.

I sighed, feeling a headache coming on before I turned towards the silent, pre-occupied Uchiha, who I'm pretty sure had retreated by now back into his armour and would probably not emerge unless something else drastic was going to happen.

"You need some help?" I asked quietly.

Sasuke stared at me for a moment before nodding curtly and pushing a plate of different fruit towards me.

"Mold them into the rice balls, dobe." He instructed me and turned to continue cooking something that involved fish and a sauce that caused me to drool.

"Itadakimasu!"

Chopsticks were snapped in two and immediately, the three of us dove into the meals Sasuke had made. I grinned when I noticed that Sasuke had prepared some Ramen too, probably against his wishes as well.

By my second bowl of Ramen, I couldn't help but notice Hikari who was distracted by something that was wrapped around her finger on her left hand. She was just playing with it - spinning it around and around while staring morosely out of the open screen door.

It looked like a ring? But who gave it to her?

"Where'd you get the ring, Hikari-chan?" I asked, pausing to chew.

Hikari flinched before looking down at her hand and then at me. She blushed before turning away slightly, hesitating.

"Uh…a friend made it for me." she answered and took a sip from her teacup.

I raised an eyebrow before turning to Sasuke for his view on Hikari's behaviour before feeling my eyes widen when I saw that the bastard's face had gone red, as though embarrassed, and he seemed to be glaring down at his lap.

"Whoa. Are you okay, Sasuke?" I asked concernedly.

"Never you mind, Dobe!" he snapped before stabbing at something with his chopsticks and shoving it into his mouth.

I jerked back in shock before scowling at him and turning to look at Hikari who had returned her attention back to the courtyard outside. Suddenly, she smiled and turned back to us.

This was getting weird.

"Do you guys wanna train tomorrow?" she asked brightly, and evidently, changing the subject away from that stupid flower ring on her finger.

What was so wrong with my question anyhow? And why did Sasuke look extremely embarrassed the moment I mentioned it?

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You sure you're up to it?" He asked cautiously.

Hikari's smile dimmed a little, but didn't completely fade away as she nodded quickly.

"I'd rather be out training with my friends/teammates, than sitting in my 'room' crying my eyes out over something that was out of my control." she replied curtly.

Sasuke nodded before returning to his meal.

"Besides, we're gonna be bored tomorrow with nothing to do anyway." She added.

I grinned.

"Well, I'm in! What about you, Teme?" I agreed, looking at him determinedly.

Sasuke paused for a moment, probably debating with himself about what he should do. But it was only for a minute before he suddenly smirked and got to his feet, grabbing dirty dishes and heading for the kitchen.

"Hn, whatever."

"Yeah! DATTEBAYO!" I yelled out excitedly, then smirked pointedly at Sasuke when he came back in carrying two plates of 'lucky dip onigiri' and glaring at me.

"Dibs on sparring with you first!" I challenged him.

Teme scoffed before kneeling down again and helping himself to the treat in front of him.

"Didn't know you enjoyed getting your ass thoroughly kicked, dobe." He retorted, biting into the rice ball and contemplating the flavour.

"Strawberry." He muttered before swallowing.

The smirk on my face dropped immediately.

"TEME!" I growled before launching myself at him.

Didn't expect to feel Hikari seize me by the collar and yank me back to my seat: "ooof!"

"Can you two stop going at each other's throats for more than five minutes?" she growled before reaching over and grabbing a rice ball herself.

I looked away from Sasuke resentfully before turning and looking at Hikari, shamefaced.

"My bad, Hikari-chan." I mumbled before grabbing one myself.

I bit into it and instantly brightened: "Hey, I got orange!"

Hikari giggled, while Sasuke rolled his eyes. But I could've sworn I saw the corners of his mouth lift a bit.

"How ironic."

A/C: As of the 4th of March, due to the start of my University studies - updates will be later than usual because of important homework requirements. But don't fret! During my break times - I will be working on chapter updates and sending them out whenever I can. That goes also for my other stories as well. Cheers xx