Chapter Four: History

"This is where you live?" Sasuke asked with his usual frown. Lips parted, she turned to the boy and a smile spread across her face.

"What's wrong with it?" she said as she dashed into her room and took off her wet clothing.

"You live here alone?" he asked out, loud enough for her to hear between the halls. Still shivering and feeling oddly…damp, she changed into a thick, warm sweater. She walked outside her room and looked around, arms falling by her sides as she gave him a grin. "Mhmm," she answered, pushing about all the memories – of the days when she had her father, her mother…

Sasuke instantly saw the light in her eyes dim, and recognized the look of getting lost in thought. Awkwardly, he turned to the door, about to leave but she snapped up and touched his arm. When he looked at her again, his face creased with displease, she simply smiled again. "Aren't you going to stay? We can always grab dinner."

He frowned. "Why would I do that?"

Oh. Spirit diminished and smile slipping, she let him go.

0-0

"Hey, Masayo?" Rei called out to the older woman that ran a Dango shop in front of her home. Masayo's eyes twinkled at the girl as she waved her in. Taking a seat in the shop, Masayo placed a tray of the sweet dumpling in front of her and sat down as well.

"How can I help you, dear?" Masayo asked kindly, friendly as always to the young girl. Masayo always found it strange that the Yukimora girl was a recluse so she always felt the need to be motherly to the orphan. Rei took a bite – she had a huge sweet tooth and could live solely on desert food all her life, if given the opportunity. But she ate it mindlessly as she was distracted with a very bothersome curiosity.

"Masayo, you've lived in Konoha all your life, right?"

The elder woman laughed heartily. "For quite a while, my child."

"Do you know anything about the Uchihas then?" she asked as she chewed the sweets. Masayo paused, eyes unreadable. Rei raised an eyebrow, leaning forward patiently. At last, the grandma sighed.

"It's..." She didn't want to say it was a sad story because it was, really, just a horrible, stark reality. "Why do you want to know, Reiko?"

"There's a boy on my squad, Sasuke Uchiha…and I was lost earlier today and found myself in the Uchiha compound." Biting her lip, she prompted, "What happened?"

Masayo sighed. Well if the boy was on her squad, Masayo figured, the girl would be bound to find out sooner or later. "Years ago, Konoha had a police force. The Uchihas were one of our noble clans, and they always hailed great, truly great ninjas. There was a certain shinobi who…did a horrible deed, Rei. Terrible act."

"What did he do?"

She took a deep breath and spoke gently. "He killed his entire clan."

"K-killed?" Rei repeated quietly, eyes wide in shock. "But –"

"The man who did it had a brother." Masayo continued smoothly, not wanting Rei to stay on the fact that there was a massacre. "Sasuke Uchiha was the only one who survived."

Rei leaned back, taking a deep breath. She didn't feel guilt or pity – she had always hated those that looked at her with those emotions – but instead, she just felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. She felt like she had never known Sasuke…who probably just felt alone as she did. "Why didn't I know any of this? Why doesn't anyone –"

"It's a horrible event that Konoha would rather forget, Reiko. And you were seven…it was –"

"Okay." Rei cut her off immediately, rather not talk about the incident that took place five years ago. The thought of it already made her heart race. "Thank you for the food, Masayo." She bowed quickly and left to find the sole survivor of the massacre.

She searched through the streets for Sasuke – and again, it struck her how much of a stranger he really was to her. Sure, they were on the same squad, but she couldn't see herself getting close to him. She could imagine being close friends with Sakura and Naruto…but not him. In a few minutes, she already felt weary and strangely disorientated – but then she caught the sight of a dark haired boy and forced herself to catch up.

"Hey," she said almost in a pant.

"Hey," he said slowly back, watching her carefully, suspiciously. She looked almost feverish, as if she was about to pass out.

She opened her mouth. What could she say? I'm sorry that your brother killed your family and your entire clan? No, of course not. So instead she smiled, but then her body just quit and then everything went black.

0-0

When Rei woke up, it was completely black outside. Still not quite awake, she looked out the window through sleepy eyes and then slowly turned to see someone at her bedside. This can't be real. "Sasuke?"

His eyes shot open immediately and he sat up straight. Then as if remembering who he was, he slunk back down to his seat apathetically and crossed his arms. "You fainted." She blinked, and sighed, falling deep back into her pillow. She wondered how much he knew – Rei didn't want anyone she was weak or incapable of being a kunoichi. "It's morning."

"I just lost an entire day?" she repeated in a dejected tone.

"Actually, you lost two."

"It's been two days?" she cried out, scrambling out of bed but only to be hit with a sense of nausea. And then her head was hurting – painfully. It was like something was pounding inside, trying to break free of her skull while another force was pressuring her head together, trying to squeeze her brains out. So she screamed. And screamed, and screamed until Sasuke ran outside to get a doctor, but by the time Yuri came, Rei already gave up and passed out.

0-0

Sasuke was nerve-wrecked by the time he left the hospital the following morning. He had absolutely no idea what was happening or how the hell he got caught up in that situation but now he did not feel right leaving Rei after the chakra-induced slumber. However he was stopped at the entrance by his sensei. "So now you know," Kakashi said slowly. Sasuke just stared and in an indifferent voice, he asked what was wrong with Rei. Still he couldn't hide the slight worry in his voice or the dark glare he was giving to the older ninja.

"If she wanted you to know, you would've known and not have to ask me," Kakashi said in that stupid cryptic way of his. It was as if he avoided straight answers. But there was one question that Kakashi couldn't play on the words with.

"But will she get better?"