Authors Note: We broke over fifty follows. I teared up when it happened, thank you all so much for the support! Also Thanks to the people who favorited and I even got my first few comments this week which made me beyond excited. I love the support you guys give and seeing you all really makes my day, please continue to review, favorite, follow, or support in whatever way you like. I love hearing from all of you!

Also on another note I apologize for the fact this is a day late. Work is kicking my ass as of late and then I got pretty sick over the weekend so there was a lot of sleeping going on and not much else. Hopefully you will all forgive me because at least I'm only off by a day. As always if there are any errors please point them out to me! I don't have a beta (and especially since I'm sick right now I'm not sure if my fever is affecting my editing skills).

Anyways, I hope you continue to enjoy the ride!

"We do not remember days, we remember moments."

-Cesare Pavese

Mom and Mikoto talked quietly at the table as Itachi and I sat a little ways away. It was awkward at first, probably due to the mix of Itachi just seemed to be the quiet sort and the fact that I had never really had to interact with anyone my age before so I wasn't quite sure how to go about it. Or perhaps it was because I apparently came across as 'shy' during my little flub-up involving skipping through time and space for a couple of seconds, something I just did not want to think about right at this moment but the idea was clawing at the back on my head with no restraint. Putting a cap on it for now I chose to assume it was the former opinions and decided that some kind of game would probably be best. My thoughts slowly but easily slid into what game we should play and considering we were inside and things were more quiet anyways it was pretty easy to choose one.

"Itachi-kun," I said, voice light and steady despite my stumbling over my words earlier, "wanna play cat's cradle?"

Training for children disguised as a game, not that I found it in myself to care much about that thanks to the fact it was actually pretty fun once you got going.

Itachi blinked at me and nodded, heading off to find a string and soon the two of us were seated across from each other, starting to weave the string between our digits. The first bit was easy, working up to the cradle the first time is really just to get into the movements of it, and the two of us remained quiet while doing so. Peaceful and boring, once we hit the first cradle it was time for the fun to begin. On the next pass of the string I sped up a bit, glancing at him and hoping he got the idea. He mimicked my pace as he glanced back before focusing on the string. I grinned slightly and looked down. Challenge accepted, the game was on.

Typically the game itself was just about getting the forms right before moving to the next one, easy. However I quickly figured it out and it became boring, and my parents noticed so they changed it up a bit on me and we started trying to do it as fast as possible before one of us would get our fingers knotted in the strings on accident. Thankfully Itachi seems to have caught easily onto the idea and the two of us started speeding through as many formations as we could remember. I thought I would have an edge considering I had played like this before but Itachi was surprisingly good at keeping up with me.

My brain was keeping count of the pace my fingers were moving, trying to keep up between his fingers and my own when during his turn I spared a glance at him. He was staring down intently, eyebrows furrowed with a slight smile on his face as he easily formed the next shape between us- (proud he looked up, a slight smile on his lips as he said-), I snapped out of the thought as fast as I fell into it as my fingers got caught between segments of strings and completely knotted in a matter of a second. I looked down at the mess as he blinked at he, something akin to confusion on his face. Suddenly I wondered for a moment what I look like when ever my brain went and did that. Shrugging that idea away I let out a sigh and tried to flex my fingers.

"Well shoot." I mumbled before looking up at him, shooting him a small grin and offering him the clump that was now my fingers and strings all tangled, "Mind lending me a hand?"

"Okay." Itachi replied simply at he reached forward and carefully started detangling my fingers from the mass, and once freeing my fingers working on getting out the knots in the string I had caused. He looked up at me as he worked, black eyes meeting dark blue, a barely-there smile on his face.

"I think I won." He stated in a matter-of-fact-tone.

I let out a small huff and pouted a bit in response, resetting the string around our hands and making the first move to restart the game.

"Best two of three?"I asked, looking at him expectantly.

He didn't verbally respond but I'd say he looked fairly pleased with the idea as he made the next move and we quickly fell back into the rhythm of the game. We quickly picked up the pace from there and fell back into companionable silence. I didn't bother glancing up at him this time, focusing on keeping pace with him because the spark of competitiveness in me didn't want to lose again due to some stupid mishap with my brain. The result was the game lasting far longer then I think either of us expected because either of us had fumbled by time my mom walked over to take me home, startling both of us a fair bit due to our focus in the game and causing the string between us to snap when we jumped from the surprise. We both stared at the string for a moment before looking at each other.

"A tie?" Itachi offered after thinking about it for a moment.

I nodded in consent and smiled adding, "Next time we'll keep going, okay?"

Another small smile came from Itachi due to that along with a nod, "If you win next time though we'll have to go best four of six."

That was the most I had heard out of him all day. I couldn't help a small grin from my face,

"Sounds fair to me, Itachi-kun."

Because it was.

And besides, if we happened to end up like today we would just tie forever and have to keep playing against each other.

That sounded pretty good to me.

I sat in Rin-nee's lap in the living room, watching her gently twist strings and beads together as she tried to show me how to make bracelets. My craft's skills weren't horrible considering I didn't normally do anything, but my deft yet pudgy fingers had not gotten used to this kind of activity. Glowering a bit at her work I looked down at mine and tried to copy her to the best of my ability.

Obi-nii and Kaka-nii sat in the kitchen at the table sharpening their kunai and bickering while Mom and Dad cooked dinner. The normal routine that everyone seemed to fall into the night before Dad and everyone would leave the village for a few days. It had been happening more often along with the growing tension forming in the air. Something big was going to happen- (the clashing of metal and the smell of iron in the air. Adrenaline fueling each strike foreword in the desperate struggle to not even win, just to live. I just wanted to live-) and that didn't bode well. I hit my discomfort of the sudden flashes with a shiver as Rin-nee blinked down at me.

"You okay Kami-chan?" She asked gently, setting the bracelet she made down to adjust me on her lap.

I frowned slightly and wondered if I should say anything about those flashes, but decided against it and looked up at her.

"I'm just sad you, Dad, Obi-nii, and Kaka-nii have to go away again." I explained away simply.

Rin-nee frowned slightly and thought for a moment before answering,

"We won't be away for too long, we've always come back before you've gotten lonely right?"

Pouting slightly as I leaned back against her I allowed myself to whine about this, I felt it was deserved.

"I guess," I dragged out, "but you've been going out more and more. I don't like it."

Rin-nee hummed for a moment as she thought and gently combed through my hair with her fingers before absentmindedly braiding it.

"Well then, we'll just have to make it up for you when we all get back right?" She responded with a smile. "So how about you think about what you want all of us to do when we get back and we'll do it when we do. Okay?"

I accepted that with a nod and looked back down to finish my bracelet before wiggling off Rin-nee's lap and heading over to Obi-nii and Kaka-nii.

"Obi-nii" I stood next to him and tugged on his pant leg to get his attention. He paused mid breath like he was about to say something, and judging by the glare he was leveling at Kaka-nii it was going to be another argument, so I didn't feel bad interrupting at all. Obi-nii let out a long breath and settled for a sharper glare at Kaka-nii before brightening a bit and looking at me.

"What is it Kami-chan?" He said, smiling as he ruffled my hair and I giggled at bit at the action.

"Gimmie your wrist." I demanded as I smiled up at him. He did so with no hesitation and I looped the bracelet around his wrist, tying it off.

"You're getting the first one," I said, looking at my handiwork before looking back up at him, "Do you like it?"

Obi-nii looked at it and faked a deep contemplative look, humming and rubbing his chin in thought before smiling at me.

"I like it, thank you Kami-chan." He said before giving me a hug then smirking at Kaka-nii. "I'm glad you gave your first one to your favorite brother."

Kaka-nii rolled his eyes and ignored Obi-nii, finishing up sharpening his kunai and putting them in his holster. I laughed and hugged Obi-nii back.

"I didn't say that though," I said, putting on my most innocent expression, "I love both of you equally."

"No, no Kami-chan," Obi-nii said in faux seriousness, "You don't need to lie to protect Bakakashi's feelings."

Kaka-nii snorted and shot him a deadpanned look, "If anything she's trying to protect your feelings since I'm her favorite."

"I don't see you the one with the bracelet." Obi-nii answered, waving his arm in Kaka-nii's direction to show it off.

"That's because she knows I don't need proof." Kaka-nii answered plainly.

Dad's shoulders shook a bit with a stifled laugh. Kaka-nii's eyes flicked to him and a weary look of exasperation fell on his face.

I giggled because my family was wonderful and I loved them.

I loved them so much.

Dad got to tuck me in tonight, another ritual to prove that he was going to be gone for awhile because usually Mom and Dad would do it together. This was the only time he really did it by himself, and when he did he would usually sit with me on my bed and read to me first before doing so. And thus here we sat, me snuggled in bed as Dad finished reading one of his favorite books, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi. I had heard it a handful of times through and through by this point and could probably recite at least half of it by memory. It wasn't that fantastic of a book really, I found it cheesy and with too many purple prose, but Dad really liked it so it was special.

He closed the book and set it besides my bed before looking at me with a soft smile. I loved his smiles. Moms were like the sunlight, bright and blinding and filled with energy. Dad's were different, much calmer but filled with this never ending warmth that seemed to radiate out from him.

"So are you ready for bed Kami-chan?" He asked lightly, smoothing out my blankets as he stood up.

"If I say no will you stay longer?" I asked, somewhat joking. I would love for him to stay longer and read another story to me so I could ignore the fact I wouldn't see him or my siblings for a while, but that wouldn't happen. I knew it wouldn't.

Dad chuckled slightly and kissed my forehead.

"I wish I could," He said gently, "But you know I have to go to bed so I can get up early tomorrow."

"I know," I conceded, allowing myself to pout slightly though, "Just promise that you'll come back safe."

"I promise I'll come back safe." He said and then thought for a moment before his smile widened a fraction, "And when I get back I'll show you something cool okay? We'll spend a whole afternoon together so you can learn it then too."

I perked up at the thought of that.

"Is it another game?" I asked, getting a small grin at the thought of something else to play with Itachi-kun maybe next time I saw him.

Dad just chuckled and stepped away from my bed as he deflected the question, "It's a surprise."

I let out a displeased noise at this but smiled and cuddled into my bed.

"Fine. Night Dad, I love you." I said

He smiled softly at me again as he turned off the light.

"Goodnight Kaminari, I love you too." He softly said before he closed the door and I heard his footsteps head down the hall.

Dad was gone before I woke up the next morning. A week later he hadn't come home but news spread fast. Everyone worries were confirmed and a few attacks along the borders had erupted into a war.

It was a month before Dad was able to come home.