A\N: Here goes nothing..
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 1
She stared at the cell, eyes glazed, mind busy with thoughts, plans and different scenarios.
At last, she let out a heavy sigh and got up, took a shower and dressed in simple black t-shirt and short pants. She passed the mirror on her way out and paused, staring at her reflection. She frowned at it, but shrugged off soon after running a hand through her neck length hair.
It's been a few months since her first meeting with Naruto, their friendship developed considerably since then. To think that such deep friendship could be formed in a short amount of time. . . The boy's open personality did make it easy. Although she denied and hated to admit it, the friendship didn't only help Naruto, but to her as well. He had been a great stress reliever, a needed break from herself, and she was grateful, deep down anyway.
The pale-skinned dragged herself to the Uzumaki's favourite restaurant, the Uchiha clan still in mind despite her effort.
She had many thoughts on what happened to them, or if she was being honest, to Sasuke. Annoyingly a lot, she just can't stop thinking about it for more years than her current life has. Literally.
Rei recalled the first time she encountered the show, she was 8-9 years back then, maybe younger. The black-haired didn't deeply understand it nor did she obsess over it like she did with Digimon Adventures, she also didn't like any particular character, though she did pick Sasuke to mimic, and in return, her cousin chose to be Naruto. She remembered perfectly how they screamed their lungs out 'Chidori!' And 'Rasengan!'. She snorted at the memory. They were ridiculous.
Oh, her mind drifted away again, what was she originally thinking about?
"Rei-chan! You're late. I already ate a few bowls, I couldn't wait!" High peach voice blocked her original thoughts' way to come back
She lifted her head, putting a smile on "Sorry Naruto. I'm here now."
He nodded his head in response, easily waving the non-sincere apology off "Were you talking with yourself?"
. . . Talk to herself? Ah. . . The snort. She stared at him in a deadpan.
The coal eyed didn't give an answer and instead claimed the seat next to him, now facing the chuckling Teuchi who just served her own bowel of ramen.
"Thank you," she said.
Naruto, of course, forgot about his previous question in favour for his daily one "So, Rei-chan, are we gonna play today?"
"Mm, actually, I have to go back home now. Sorry Naruto." This time, the apology was sincere
The disappointment on the blue-eyed was as clear as his hair, but he tried to mask it with beamed expression.
"But we can do that tomorrow, right?" His hopeful tone gets her every time
"Of course."
Rei just got back from the academy, no need to say it, but seeing Itachi's mask less face in addition to cheerful Sasuke never failed to shock her into reality. Two years, two years until that scene would never be seen again.
She thought a lot about that, and the thinking process always ended with the same conclusion; she wouldn't be able to prevent it, but it didn't mean that she couldn't prevent Sasuke from taking the path of hatred.
Sasuke's 'emo' state as people call it wasn't in anyway his fault. His brooding wasn't completely his fault; big part of it was Itachi's. The latter was never really the perfect older brother everyone pictured him to be.
How so? Well, he was ordered to slaughter his clan, and as a loyal shinobi of Konoha, he was expected to obey, and obey he did, but. . . Did he have to show his actions to a child? Did he have to lead said child to that path? No, no he didn't. He didn't have to give Sasuke the bullshit talk of hatred, didn't have to insert the idea of revenge into his innocent, already traumatised head.
And his sick joke of excuse "it'd make him strong"? Was bullshit, as well. Sasuke didn't need that to get strong, didn't need to be tortured repeatedly to be motivated. He was talented and a hard worker, he was bright; he would've found a dream, an ambition to fill.
"Rei? Are you home?" A female tone called
Her line of thoughts was cut off. "In the kitchen!"
She patiently waited for the footsteps to come to a stop.
Tall figure in ANBU standard uniform came in view, mask nowhere to be seen, and face set into a relaxed expression.
"We're going to the Uchiha compound today."
She nodded her head before taking a sip of the black tea. A few moments passed before her brain resigned the statement; causing her spit some tea out.
"What?"
The other girl grinned "Oh? Haven't I told you before?"
Narrowed eyes answered the rhetorical question.
"Mikoto-chan is a friend of mine. She invited us over for dinner. We are supposed to be there in. . . Actually, we should be there now."
Eyes now full opened in a glare that'd rival a Huuyga's cold stare, she hissed, "Why didn't you tell me before?"
The older frowned "You know, children shouldn't address their mothers like that."
Rei let out a snort before shaking her head and muttering a few unintelligent words "Well, what are we waiting for? You don't want to pull an Obito, do you?"
The ANBU smirked "No." A few seconds passed "Aiko is a good girl."
The younger one shook her head, almost in fondness, and walked out of the house.
The Uchiha compound was suspiciously close to their house, mere a few steps away, really. She had many questions to her mother; one of them is why she wasn't introduced to the Uchiha earlier in.
As the clan head's house came in view, she realised that they didn't receive the infamous Uchiha glares or even curious glances, didn't the OCs always say that they receive them when they enter the compound? Maybe it's because they blend in with their similar looks -but they weren't wearing clothes with a red-white fan- or, most likely, no matter how weird, that they were used to seeing Aiko around. The latter option raised more questions.
She didn't get a chance to ask them.
"Shisui-kun, Itachi-kun, long time no see."
Definitely weird. Her mother wasn't only friends with Mikoto Uchiha, but was also on friendly-terms with the clan's head son, and said son's best friend.
A tick almost appeared on her forehead, but she took a deep, calming breathe.
Aiko shot her a knowing smirk as to disturb her just achieved calm state; it failed to do so, which led to short-lived disappointment.
Before any of Itach and Shisui reply, the youngest Uchiha present voiced his confusion
"Rei-san?"
"Sasuke."
Needless to say, the adults were amused.
A\N: How was it?
