oOXOo

"You make me feel things that I've never felt before. And because of that, I have to stay away."

oOXOo

Naruto clung to my arm tightly, his eyes scanning the area. He had been on edge ever since I had been released from the hospital.

Though I never knew why. He had rapidly changed from the time I was in the hospital. He wasn't as… laid back as before. I figured it was puberty.

We walked behind Sasuke through the crowd. It was crowded today, I heard there was some sale at the market today.

"Sasuke-kun, slow down a bit. We'll get separated in this crowd." I called. Sasuke turned, stopping to allow Naruto and I to push through the crowd to him. "Teme! Stop walking so fast!" Naruto glared at him. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"It's not my fault you're holding Seika-chan back."

"What was that?!"

I sighed before grabbing Sasuke's hand, pulling him back to my other side. "You guys are so bothersome." Sasuke blushed, shifting his hand in my hold to a more comfortable place. Naruto glared at him from my other side while we walked through the crowd towards the Uchiha estate.

"Is Itachi home?" The words flew out of my mouth before I could process.

Sasuke shook his head. My heart sunk just a little. "He's out training, but he should be home soon."

Naruto jabbed Sasuke in the side behind my back. Sasuke squealed, jumping into the air in shock.

"Hahahaha! Teme is taze-able!"

"S-shut up, dobe!"

A small smirk formed on my face as I jabbed three fingers into Naruto's side. He choked mid-laugh, jumping away from me in shock.

"HAHA YOU MOFOS ARE BOTH TAZE-ABLE!"

Naruto whined in protest, meeting Sasuke's gaze. They both grinned evilly, stepping towards me.

I cringed, body flickering onto a tree branch above them.

"E-eh?! Where did she go?!"

"Not funny, Seika-chan! Come out and face us!"

An unattractive snort caused them to look up at me. I stuck my tongue out at them. "As if! No way I'm letting you bishez taze me!"

The look in their eyes made me gulp.

Super ninja speed activate!

"OI!"

"GET HER!"

I laughed, getting a beautiful head start and running pretty damn quickly to the Uchiha estate. I slid through the door and shut them behind me. They crashed into the door, groaning.

I snorted before bursting into fits of giggles.

"What's with all the r- SEIKA-CHAN!"

I turned, watching as the Uchiha mother rushed over to me, embracing my small body in a tight squeeze. "MY DARLING DAUGHTER! DON'T YOU EVER DO SOMETHING STUPID EVER AGAIN!"

I laughed nervously.

Mikoto pulled me back to meet her fiery onyx eyes. "You ever do that again, I'll have Itachi put you in a genjutsu of all the tempura in the world being burned to a crisp."

I gasped in shock, my heart coming to a complete stop. "You cruel woman! How could you say something like that?!"

A sigh escaped from the other doorway. Fugaku shook his head at his wife and my beautiful scene. Sasuke and Naruto stood next to him, copying the suit.

"Onee-chan is so weird."

"My mum is so weird."

They looked at each other before grinning. Finally, something they had in common.

I grinned at Mikoto, who was grinning right back. During the time I was visiting the Uchiha estate, I noticed Mikoto treating Naruto and I as her own. It felt… nice.

It felt really nice.

But it made my heart hurt for my own mother. She must be worried sick.

I hadn't really thought of my parents since I left. And I feel selfish for doing so. I miss them. I miss Suna. I miss Gaara.

But I had to finish what I started here. I have to change the future. I have to get stronger in order to do so.

No more suffering. That's what I had promised myself.

"I made tempura tonight in celebration of your release!" Mikoto said cheerfully. I sniffed the air, the sweet smell of fried food filled my nostrils.

"You're the best ever." I drooled, walking to the kitchen in a daze.

She beamed, following me.

"Naruto-kun, nice to see you again," I heard Fugaku say behind me. "How is school?"

Naruto's face lit up. "It's great! Onee-chan taught me how to throw REAL shuriken, so I'm ahead of my class!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. "What?! No fair! Onii-chan hasn't been home and he's been too busy to teach me anything!"

"Hm… I'll be sure to teach you some new things, Sasuke." Fugaku said, smiling down at his motivated son. Sasuke's eyes sparkled as he looked up at his father. "R-really?!"

"Mhm."

Sasuke fist pumped the air. "Yosh! I'll be sure to beat you Naruto!"

Naruto scoffed. "As if!"

Mikoto and I rolled our eyes. "My boys are so energetic." She sighed.

I shrugged. "They'll mellow out by puberty."

She looked towards me and gushed. "Oh, but I'll still have you! You're so cute, Seika-chan! I wish I had a daughter as cute as you!"

I blushed a bit, "E-Eh? Well…" She scanned my face for a moment, before an imaginary light bulb popped up over her head.

"You should let me do your hair and makeup before Itachi-kun comes back! Surprise him with how cute you are!"

I blushed brighter. "B-But Itachi doesn't… see me as a girl… besides, we haven't seen each other in a while so-" "Exactly the more reason to do so!"

Before I could protest anymore, Mikoto grabbed my hand and dragged me down the other hallway.

oOo

"You have such nice hair, Seika-chan. It's a shame some burned off."

"Mm…"

"Is something wrong?"

I stared at myself in the mirror.

What wasn't wrong?

This face, this body, these emotions were all wrong. Everything about me was wrong. I wasn't suppose to be in this universe. I wasn't supposed to feel these strong emotions. I wasn't supposed to… mess with these people's lives.

What was I doing?

The Hokage was right. What right do I have to change the future?

"Seika-chan?"

I smiled. "It's nothing. I was just thinking."

Mikoto smiled back, brushing my hair in the middle. "You know, Seika-chan, I wanted to thank you." Oh wonderful. More respect and gratitude I didn't deserve.

I opened my mouth, but she put her hand up. "No, let me just say this."

I shut it.

She smiled softly towards me in the mirror. "I wanted to thank you for saving my family… Truly. I don't know how to repay you enough. But I also wanted to thank you for being with the boys." She stroked my hair, pulling the top layer back and tying it with an elastic.

"Itachi and Sasuke have changed because of you. Itachi used to be so… robotic. I blame Fugaku for putting so much pressure on him all the time, but ever since he's met you… He's been much more kind. Much more easy to read with his emotions."

I looked away. "Ninja's aren't supposed to have emotions. I've been burdening Itachi more than helping."

Mikoto shook her head, her fingers curling the short strands of my hair. "No. I believe there needs to be balanced. If you are cold and emotionless, you lose all purpose in life. If you are too emotional, you are to vulnerable to life. Itachi was becoming cold and emotionless… other than his love for Sasuke, of course. But you've changed him."

This time, I shook my head. "I assure you, Itachi doesn't see me like that. He, at the most, only sees me as a little sister."

But Mikoto only smiled, as if she knew otherwise. "Oh Seika-chan… As his mother, I can honestly tell you otherwise. But I know you won't believe me."

I didn't. I couldn't believe.

"There. All done."

I looked at myself in the mirror again.

She had pulled my hair into an Asuna-style half ponytail and curled the loose strands. She used black eyeliner to pull the corners of my eyes up. She used concealer to hide the scrapes on my cheek and some other spots. She used rose lip dye to color in my lips.

I looked… different.

Not bad. But… I didn't know.

"You look so beautiful, Seika-chan." She gushed. I didn't know how to feel.

"Thank you, Mikoto-sa-" "Oh just call me mom."

I didn't realize I was crying.

xXx

When Itachi came home, he was immediately greeted by the sound of Naruto screaming and Sasuke yelling back. He sighed. Just a normal day in the Uchiha household.

But then his mother came out, rushing towards him.

"Itachi-kun, welcome back." She breathed. Itachi stared at his mother, a worried expression forming over his face. "Okaa-san, is something wrong?"

She nodded, pulling him towards the western halls where the bedrooms were. "Seika-chan was crying, I was going to bring her a cup of water but now that you're here, you should talk to her." She said, putting a cup of water in his hands and ushering him to the guest bedroom.

Itachi frowned. She was crying? Was she having another panic attack?

Itachi moved on his own accord now, the hesitation disappearing.

But before he could open the door, it opened itself.

There she was, with her hair tied back and curled, makeup on her face, and a small white dress with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. Itachi looked down at her. She wasn't crying, but he noticed her eyes were red and puffy.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "My mother said you were cry-" "I'm fine." She said, a bit too quickly before slipping underneath him.

He watched her walk away. A part of him wanted to reach out and embrace her. He could still see the scars from when she was in Orochimaru's dungeon.

He wanted to hold her and tell her everything was alright. He wanted her to share her burden with him. For she had made all of his burdens leave him and go onto her shoulders. She carried so much.

But he couldn't touch her. He hadn't… gotten a hold of himself yet. Until then, he would watch her from a distance. He would be her friend, but not close enough for her to get hurt.

...Her? Really?

In all honesty, it was Itachi who didn't want to get hurt. These new emotions, so strong, were enough to penetrate his defenses.

He couldn't let them get out of hand.

oOo

After dinner at the Uchiha's, I promised Naruto to dango and tea. I could really use some dango myself. I haven't had any in forever.

"Can you teach me cool jutsus to beat Sasuke-teme?" Naruto asked. During dinner, Sasuke and him were yelling across the table about who would be top in our class first. To be honest, as of now, I was.

Being trained by the Hokage helped a lot. I learned how to control chakra and how to use it. It took a while, but eventually, I became top in our class.

"As expected of the dragon vessel," Fugaku had said when Sasuke told him.

Oh great, now I'm expected to do great things. That's like saying 'Oh, no pressure' to someone with a gun in his hand pointed at an apple on top of someone else's head.

Okay.. maybe a bit different.

"Yeah." I told Naruto, biting into my dango.

It was weird being first in class. While I lived in Suna, I was last.

Naruto grinned. "Yosh! I'll definitely beat teme!"

I chuckled, putting a hand on his head and rubbing his head affectionately. Around us, two boys from our class pointed and laughed. One, with his foot in a cast, glared into my eyes. I recognized him as the guy who tried to trip my in class.

The group of five got up and began approaching our table.

"Well well if it isn't the albino bitch and the blonde loser?"

Naruto made a move to fight, but I held out my hand.

"It's alright, Naruto. Don't lower yourself to their pathetic level." I said, sipping my tea.

One, with dark brown eyes and a hitate headband on his forehead, stuck his hand out and grabbed me by the collar.

"Listen you little bitch, don't you ever hurt my little brother again. I'm a genin, ya see?" He flashed me a cocky smirk, pointing his thumb at his headband. I rolled my eyes.

"If you're a genin, then you should know not to pick on people younger than you. If you're smart, you would let go of me and leave us alone. Or I won't be so nice." I said cooly, fiercely glaring into his eyes.

He glared back, raising a hand over his head to smack me. But I caught his wrist with one hand, clenching it tightly.

I felt adrenaline rush through my veins, a large grin formed on my face as I began squeezing his wrist as hard as I could. He howled in pain.

"You bitch! Let go!"

I added more pressure into my hand before efficiently shattering his wrist.

He screamed, falling back onto his knees, cradling his hand in his chest. I glared down to him, feeling the urge to just end his pathetic life.

"Pathetic…" I found myself saying, but I wasn't in control. "You are a sorry excuse of a ninja."

"Why you-!" His friend swung a fist at me, so I ducked before slamming my elbow into his ribcage. He grunted, a quiet crack was heard. I frowned. I didn't hit him hard enough.

People began to crowd around us now. Three of the five were already injured. I don't know why they kept coming.

The one on the left aimed a messy punch, the other tried to kick me from behind. I jumped into the air, letting them hit each other. Geezus. These kids were around two years older than me and they can't even land ONE hit?

I cracked my knuckles, pulling my elbow back and punching one straight in the jaw, sending him flying into his friend.

I stood in front of Naruto, putting my money on the table and putting the last stick of Dango in my mouth.

The adrenaline left, the blood lust disappeared.

"Don't mess with us again, or next time I won't be so nice." I spat before grabbing Naruto's arm and pushing through the crowd. They parted, letting us through.

Maybe that wasn't a good idea.

The people will start to be afraid of me.

But as of now, I'm okay with that. Those bastards deserved what was coming to them.

Naruto stumbled to keep up with me. "W-wow… Onee-chan." He stuttered. "That was really cool.." He said, hesitantly.

When we got back to the apartment, I locked the door behind us. I was worried someone might take revenge on us or something.

Naruto jumped onto the couch, bouncing for a minute.

"Onee-chan, what are you?"

I turned, blinking at Naruto. "What do you mean?"

He stopped bouncing. "Oh.. well it's just… You seem to be really strong and…"

Oh… he was talking about that night. The Uchiha attack.

I sighed, walking over to him and putting a hand on his head. "I'll tell you when you're older, okay?"

Naruto pouted. Such a cute baby fox.

"Buttttt Oneee-channnn."

"No buts. It's late. Go brush your teeth and go to bed."

Naruto sighed before getting off of the couch. "Fine… But you better tell me!"

I smiled, watching him walk to his room. He closed the door behind him.

With that, I let out a long sigh and sunk into the couch. Whatever adrenaline rush I had earlier, it really drained me. I felt so heavy and tired. But I know what tried to take control of me. It felt weird, but I felt stronger than usual. Like I could do anything.

So Kasai, you tried to take control of me?

I heard a deep chuckle in my head.

So you finally figured out how to communicate with me?

Mmm… Didn't really give me much choice back there. That was kind of overkill.

Ah… I couldn't help myself. They were annoying both of us.

Indeed, but I coulda just insulted them and ruined their egos a bit more.

Heh… Don't act like you didn't like my power.

I do. But at the appropriate times.

I see…

I cracked my neck, shifting in the couch. A cool chill ran up my body, making me shiver.

There are some things I wish to discuss with you…

Like what?

Just the terms to our bond. The advantages and disadvantages and such.

Hm… alright.

Excellent. He chuckled. I'd like to point out that you have not yet bonded with the other three.

Mmm… Yeah… I don't exactly know how.

You must call upon their power like you did mine.

Er… I was kinda unaware when I summoned your power.

I know. It surprised me. But you called upon my power when the fox boy was in danger.

I don't want to just.. Bond with a dragon every time Naruto's in trouble.

So you must learn to bond with the others without a life threatening situation. You must call upon them yourself, but maybe you're not ready yet.

I guess not. I have time though, I'm still young.

Indeed.

So what else do I need to know?

With all of the dragons, it's something like… a one-time use sort of scenario. With the Uchiha attack, you used most of the power I grant you, so I was unable to help you anymore after that. I must grant you only a limited amount of power as of now. Though you are quite strong, you still are unable to contain all of my power. If I gave you more than you can handle, you would burn up.

Good to know.

Do not worry, the amount of power you will be able to contain will increase as you get stronger.

Hm…

I felt another shiver run down my spine.

Don't be afraid… I will help you on your.. Mission.

So you have seen my past? My memories?

Indeed… I must say, you carry a heavy burden on your shoulders.

If not I, then who would?

How noble of you.

Was that sarcasm?

Of course not.

I feel like it was sarcasm. Fight me, dragon man, I will kick your ass in a sarcasm battle.

He chuckled, Aren't you just… I yelped as a cool sensation fell on my neck, as if sharp teeth were dragging along the flesh.

"N...ngh…" I made some weird noise out loud, my cheeks beginning to heat up. What was happening with my body?

Get some sleep, Kaida, I will watch over you.

I sighed, laying down on the couch. I grabbed the blanket from the end of the couch and wrapped it around my body.

Don't let me down, Kasai.

I wouldn't dream of it, Kaida.

oOXOo

Chapter End.