Hello again, everyone! :D I'm back with another chapter. First off, I'M SO EXCITED! I have favorites and followers. That means you like the story, right? I sure hope so… that made me extremely happy.

Real life has been hectic, especially at work. Our general manager was fired, so half of the store quit and I've been getting all of their houses. Luckily I work the graveyard shift, so I've been able to write during my downtime. This chapter is strictly character development, and to show her thought process and relationship with Itachi. Plus, I wanted to ask your guys about teams.

Should I put her in Team 7 and just make it the 4 of them? Or make a new team? Suggestions are greatly appreciated! :)

But I won't run your ear off. Enjoy~

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters in it. I do, however, own Natsumi.

Dinner passed without incident, Natsumi made their mother's dango for the hundredth time, despite the constant whining her twin gave her. Feeding him sweets was her own form of punishment. After all those vigorous training exercises he put her through? Not to mention it was her favorite meal.

Sasuke disappeared to take his turn in their shower, claiming he needed to scrub the sweet from his teeth. After cleaning the kitchen and washing all of their dishes, the obsidian eyed girl made her way to the roof. The moon was exceptionally bright tonight, shining down in a cool light that warmed the young Uchiha's pale skin. The official Konoha shinobi headband hung neatly from her slender neck showing the world her newest status. Her fingers fiddled with it absentmindedly as she stared up into the night sky. Full moons seemed to have big impacts on her life. First the slaughter of her clan and betrayal of her eldest brother, now she sat underneath another, a full-fledged ninja. No matter what circumstances it leaves her in though, she can't seem to hate the moon. Part of the reason is, deep down, she knows the moon has no control over her life events, but the fact still remains. Full moons were a big deal in Natsumi's life.

Tomorrow she would finally meet the jounin who would be teaching her for the next few years, depending on how long it would take her to gain a rank. The chunin exams were coming up in about a year's time, perhaps a month or two less, maybe she could get it out of the way. As for her teammates, she wasn't sure how they were going to separate them. It's well known to the students who pay attention and study outside of class that usually the highest girl and boy are placed together with the dead last. In their class's case it would be Natsumi, Sasuke, and Naruto. However, placing the last two Uchiha on the same team could prove to be unfair and over-powering to the rest of the genin, so it would be unlikely for her to be placed in her brother's team. On the other hand, who planned on training them in their sharingan? Of course, there's always the chance that they'll try to suppress the sharingan, but that's a long shot. What will most likely happen is one of the two with be switched back and forth between teams, depending on who is going to train them.

Natsumi let out a deep sigh, all sorts of thoughts running through her head as the moon rose higher in the sky. Sasuke hasn't even awakened his sharingan yet. Only a select few knew that hers had awoken that night. Including Sasuke, the Hokage, and some of the higher-ups. The fact hers has awoken at such an early age is what the Hokage called 'a miracle'. She doesn't like it though. The young Uchiha didn't want to be a prodigy. Every time she switched her sight a dull ache would resound in her heart, reminding her of why she has her sharingan eyes. Memories and flashes of Itachi standing over Sasuke, of her aunt and uncle laying in puddles of their own blood run her eyes red, the single tomoi spinning wildly and out of control every time. That's another subject she needed to figure out.

What did she plan on doing about her elder brother?

Sasuke wouldn't discuss this subject with her, no matter how hard she pressed the matter. Natsumi knew, though. She knew he what he planned to do, and really, was it her place to restrain her twin's rage? It was righteous in its own sense, his desire to destroy the man who destroyed their home. The question remained, what did SHE want out of this? No matter how hard the girl tried, she could not bring herself to hate her brother. He destroyed everything, killed EVERYONE, but her heart wouldn't darken. She loves her Ita-nii.

No, she didn't want him dead. What she wanted was answers. She wanted to know why he found it necessary to slaughter their clan.

Tears prickled at the corner of her eyes as memories of her beloved brother come to the surface. It is nights like this when she can let go; Let go and feel everything from the confusion of a pre-teen girl to the anger of an orphan to an undying love for the murderer. So, when the tears came to let them flow, curling her legs to her chest to conceal her sobs.

"'Sumi-chan, get down from there! You're going to break your neck," Mikoto Uchiha rushes forward to catch her only daughter, who was currently teetering off the edge of the fridge. The three-year old had a logical reason for crawling so high, though. Her twin brother, who was snickering in the corner at the moment, had called her a chicken, saying she could never make it to the top. Now, in retrospect, the reasoning was childish, but three-year olds take their dares VERY seriously and Natsumi Uchiha was NO chicken.

"But Kaa-san…~ Sasu-nii said I couldn't do it!"

The whining went unheard as her mother plopped her down at the table, "If he told you to jump off of a bridge, would you? Don't let other's words define who you are, Sumi-chan," leaving a gentle peck on the girl's brow Mikoto shoo's them both away, "Go bother your brother, I have to cook dinner!"

"Kay!" They chorused together, pushing one another out of the way in an attempt to get a head start. As always Sasuke was the quicker one. He bolted through the back door and right onto their elder brother's back, "I win!"

Tears fell dramatically from Natsumi's eyes as she caught up. For once she wanted to beat Sasuke at something. Poking her little lip out the girl whimpered for her Aniki, "Ita-nii…"

Whimpering she wraps her little arms around Itachi's thigh. Now covered in toddlers, the eldest of the siblings tries to twist his head down to look at his baby sister.

"Imouto, why the crocodile tears?"

"S-sasu-nii is a b-big meanie!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

Adjusting the boy on his back, Itachi leans down and picks up Natsumi, holding a twin with each arm. Lips turned up in an adoring smirk he bumps their heads together roughly, earning a grunt of pain from them both, "Instead of fighting with each other, why don't you learn to work together."

She wrinkled her nose at the idea, as did Sasuke.

"I don't want to work with him!"

"I don't want to work with her!"

Fingers laced through her long hair Natsumi bit her lip, swirling red eyes burning with the flow of water. Her sobs began to get out of control, growing louder with each memory. Curling onto her side she relives every good memory she has of her family. Meanwhile, under the windowsill she used to jump to the roof, Sasuke clenches his shaking fists, as he listens to his sister's broken soul; the rage burning deeper than before.

The sun had just set. It would be bed time for the growing twins soon. Natsumi had just gotten out of the bath, her raven hair tangled and wild as she races through the house, chasing after her brother. Laughter fills the house as they continue their antics.

"Get back here, enemy nin! I, the mighty 'Tsumi, will bring you to justice!"

"Never! I'll finish this with one blow… HEEEYUAHH!"

Sasuke whips around slinging his wooden stars at the rampaging girl, clipping her shoulder as she ducks under the rest. Pain flashes through her body, but she continues for her target, tackling him to the ground swiftly, leveling her wooden sword to his throat, "I win! ~"

"Don't be so sure!" Giggles erupted from the girl as her brother flips them over in the hallway, banging his head into the wall in the process. This game never got old.

"Sasuke, Kaa-san says it's bath time," before either of the twins could finish their mock battle their Aniki pops into the hall, hiding a smirk at the tears threatening the boy's eyes. Their game always ended with one of them in tears. Whether from the other getting to rough or them being unable to accept defeat. He's had to break up plenty of fights because of their stubbornness.

"Awwwwwwww, but Ita-nii… we were just getting to the standoff!"

"You can finish your 'standoff' later, Otouto," ushering Sasuke towards the bathroom Itachi whips around and sweeps his baby sister into his arms, her squeals of delight echoing off the walls.

"Ita-niiiii, put me doooown!"

"But, Imouto. You're an injured ally. It's my duty to protect you," squeezing the shoulder Sasuke had hit with his star he smiles when her eyes grow wide with understanding.

"Oh, woe is me, fellow comrade, if I don't make it tell my family I love them. ~"

Her arms flail off of Itachi, head draping backwards for emphasize to her dying wish. Itachi continued playing along, urging her to survive, but Natsumi had decided her death would be imminent. Turning the corner she clenched at her chest, groaning as loudly as she could in pain. So that, just as they entered the younger siblings' room she could let out a croaking noise, signaling her demise.

"It was an honor to know such a brave kunoichi," suppressing giggles as her brother lays her down onto her bed, Natsumi lets her tongue hang out of her mouth for added effect.

Arms wrap around the sobbing pre-teen as she continues to remember. The twins don't say a word to one another as she grips ahold of her other half's shirt, leaving stains all over the front. Sasuke tightens his hold on her and begins rocking back and forth, soothing the body-wrenching sobs he could feel ripping through her body.

"You have such beautiful hair, Imouto. I hope you let it continue growing," running a brush through his baby sister's raven hair Itachi smiles when the girl shifts around on his lap, her embarrassment shining in her rosy cheeks.

"It isn't as soft as yours, Aniki…"

A pout pokes out onto the girl's lip. Itachi lets out a soft chuckle at her expression, entwining her hair into a braid, before tying it at the end. Glancing at the mirror in front of them, he smiles at how eager she is. Her temper is a new aspect to the family as well, getting heated over silly things only to forgive it moments later. So much of their mother was held in the girl's features. Her eyes were black like the rest, but they held a softness to them that could only be their mother's. She had gotten her hair from him though, the black running through his fingers gracefully. Her rosy cheeks were raised in a very Uchiha grin, however, as he noticed mischief spark in the young girl's eyes.

"It's my turn now!"

Jumping off of her big brother's lap the girl snatches the brush from his grasp, "I'm going to make you look so pretty, Aniki!"

Rubbing small circles into the small of her back as the sobs begin to die down, Sasuke grits his teeth. It was like this every full moon. She would go to the roof to hide her break down, and he would always find her, curled into a ball. It was an unspoken agreement to never mention these nights to one another, but as her head nuzzled into his chest fury began burning brighter than ever. It was HIS fault she was broken. It was HIS fault they were all alone in the world.

"Thank you…"

She whispers it softly, but Natsumi knew he could hear her. It was embarrassing, breaking down so severely, but she could always bounce back with his help. Without her twin by her side, she knew she would never have made this this long. His grip tightened around her even further and she could feel the hateful aura leaking off of him. Tilting her head back she watched with horror as her brother's facial features twist into someone she couldn't recognize.

"He'll pay for this, Natsumi. I promise."