A/N: I finally got a beta reader! This chapter is edited by the lovely /The_Mountain_Fairy on AO3.

PS: Taken some creative liberties, hope you don't mind cause I certainly do not.

"Miko! Stop, you're embarrassing me!" Sasuke giggled, wiggling away from her tickling fingers.

Sumiko pouted before giggling back. She loved how ticklish her twin brother was, no matter how many times she tickled him. It was so adorable to watch his face break into an uncontrollable giggle despite his protests.

"Are you embarrassed of me, little brother?" she asked with a teasing voice, smiling as he pushed her hands away.

"Yes!" he said, lips twisted in a stubborn pout.

She glared. "Really?"

He stared at her for a moment, fear radiating off of him. "Wait no, I didn't mean that. Please no more tickles, Sumiko. Please, I'm begging you!"

She brought her hands closer to him as if ready to attack before wrapping them around his shoulders and pulling him to her in a hug. He complained once but wrapped his arms around her nonetheless, knowing how much of a touchy person she was. Sumiko studiously ignored the looks of passing citizens of Konoha, instead focusing on her brother. Sasuke looked adorable at this age and she couldn't stop showering him with affection.

Okay maybe she was acting like a mother spoiling her child but sometimes, that was how it felt like to her. She couldn't help but feel significantly older than what her physical body indicated despite her tries. She had always wanted to have a twin and now that she finally had one, he felt more like a child of hers than anything. It was frustrating at times but she was beyond that now. There was no use dwelling on problems that had no solution.

"Okay, enough with the cuddling, we need to do the actual work that mother sent us for or we're going to get thoroughly scolded when we get back." Sumiko said, withdrawing from the hug.

Her brother gave out a sigh of relief and she mussed up his hair, only to receive a pout in return. Hey, he was her brother after all. She was allowed to tease him.

Walking to the shop their mother had asked them to go to, she picked up a packet of herbal tea and some for helping with digestion. Paying the asked price, she held the bag in one hand and her brother's hand in the other. "Do you want to train when we get back?" she asked. "I want to get better at taijutsu before we start at the academy anyway."

He gave her a thoughtful look. "Yeah, I don't mind. Nii-san isn't home so we'll just have to practice with each other though."

She shrugged. That was fine. She couldn't rely on him all the time. He had his own job, after all.

She turned her neck to look at him. "That's fi–"

Her response was cut off when she felt his hand snatched away from hers and she spun around, eyes searching frantically for a mass of dark hair. Her eyes widened in fear at the sight of her brother held in the arms of a foreign shinobi.

She whipped a kunai out of her pocket, bringing it up in front of her. The shinobi dressed in the brown garments of a Suna nin held his own kunai against her brother's neck, the edge sickeningly close to the delicate skin. "Miko," Sasuke whimpered, dark eyes glancing down at the pressed kunai.

Heart thudding a violent beat, Sumiko clenched her own weapon harder. She didn't dare take her eyes off her opponent but that couldn't stop her from wondering why no one was coming to help them. Where was everyone? Why was a Suna shinobi in the village? Were they under attack? Nothing seemed to make sense. It just didn't add up.

"What are you doing in Konoha?" Sumiko asked, voice surprisingly steady. "I should warn you that Konoha shinobi will be here any minute and you will have no route to escape. Release my brother and leave here."

He gave a booming laugh. "You are quite the talker, aren't you? Why would anyone come to save a weak, useless civilian when there are more important people to protect? Do you think they care about you when you can give them nothing in return?"

She was silent for a moment. "I might not be strong or have much potential but there is no need to hurt my brother. Do not think our family will let it rest if you hurt even a hair on his head."

"Your family?" he chuckled.

She jumped back at the sight of his face morphing into someone else's and this was a face she would recognize even half asleep. The voice turned deeper as the eyes turned violet. The Rinnegan shone under the red sky. "Look around. Is there anybody left to help you? Nobody is going to save you, not even your precious Nii-san."

Her eyes turned in horror at the sight of her family's dead bodies. In front of her feet lay the body of Uchiha Itachi, eyes staring blankly at her. Goosebumps rose on her arms. "Nii-san," she whispered, hands shaking as she prodded at his face. "Nii-san, wake up."

Her blood froze in her body. She couldn't move, no matter what she did. Her body was shaking, terrified to the core.

"Nii-san!"

Sumiko's eyes forced open to see her brother's face hovering above hers. With a gasp, she moved away, head banging against the wall. "Nii-san?" Her voice was a small whisper, eyes widened in fear.

"Sumiko," Itachi acknowledged, before sitting on the bed beside her. An arm wrapped around her as she snuggled against him.

"Did I wake you up?" she mumbled, face rubbing against the sleeve of his shirt.

He shook his head. "No, I got up to have some water, and went to check up on you and Sasuke. I found you tossing in the sheets, so, assuming you were having a nightmare, I thought it would be best to come wake you up."

"Oh."

She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of her brother. As a shinobi, he barely left anything except the natural body fragrance but even that was a comforting presence for Sumiko. She was allowed to be vulnerable, wasn't she? It was her brother after all. Then why did she feel as if her heart was thudding in her chest, asking her to move away? Why did she feel as if she had to wipe the tears away and pretend to be the woman her mother was? She wasn't like her. She couldn't be all nice and proper and strong when she clearly wasn't. Not in the presence of somebody she loved and relied on. Then why did she want her brother to leave? Why, despite how comforting his presence was, did she want him to forget this and go away?

"You have an important mission tomorrow, don't you?" she asked, eyes down. "Thank you for waking me up. It was just a nightmare, that is all. I'll be fine, you should get some sleep."

He looked down at her, dark eyes solemn. She looked down again, giving a small laugh. "Nii-san, you don't have to look at me like that. I'll be fine, really. I'm not a kid anymore."

She never was.

"Okay," he said, standing up. "Have a good night, little Sumiko."

"Good night, Nii-san."

…

Sumiko's ankle scratched against the corner of a table as a hand dragged her across the room. "Father, please stop,." she cried, as his fingers tightened around her arm, burning her skin.

"You will learn to control your chakra better or you will continue to endure the punishments I give you,." he said, dark eyes glaring at her.

Tears leaked out of her eyes and she tried to pull her hand away. "I will do better, father. Please, don't lock me up. I really don't want to be locked up." she begged. "Please, I promise I will improve my chakra control but don't lock me in the bunker. I don't want to stay in the dark, please."

Sumiko propped her feet in front of her in an attempt to stop moving forward. Her father tugged at her arms and she almost fell forward.

"Fugaku-san, please be a bit gentle with your daughter,." her mother said, palm hiding her mouth.

"Mama!" she cried in desperation. She didn't want to be alone in that dark room with nowhere else to go. She didn't want to endure all the memories that were sure to follow. She didn't want to feel like she was dying all over again.

Footsteps thudded against the stairs and a flash of black hair appeared. Sasuke was in front of them within a moment. "Father, what's wrong?"

Her eyes widened. Fugaku gave him a look. "Do not meddle or you will have to go through the same fate."

Sasuke stumbled back. Hesitance was clear in his eyes as he looked at her with wide eyes. Sumiko's heart thudded in her chest. "Sasuke, get back. Let me deal with it by myself."

She couldn't ask for his protection, he wouldn't be able to deal with it. She couldn't ask him to go through that. Not for her.

Fugaku dragged her to the forest. Her feet dragged in the mud, skin chipping off. Tall trees loomed over her tiny form, glaring from above. The sinking sun gave off long shadows, looking like ghosts among the dancing leaves.

Why was Itachi not home? Where was he when she needed him the most? Fugaku's hand left her wrist to open the locked door, leaving a red mark behind. The lock opened with a snap, the sound ominous in the silent evening. They walked down the stairs, feet trudging down in darkness.

The night seemed to creep up on her. She tried to control her breathing but it was getting harder and harder. Her father dropped her hand by a stone table and turned around without a word, heading back up.

"Father!" she tried one last time. "Please!"

He gave her a cold look. "Sit by the table and practice. You must be better by the morning."

"No..."

She sobbed. Sumiko could feel the memories creeping in. The dark room, her body bound, the blood. She grabbed her head, trying to push them away. She grabbed the edge of the table and tried to calm down. She was being irrational. That was ages ago, a lifetime ago. She was alive now, she wasn't going to die.

Breathe.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

In.

Out.

And repeat.

Her heartbeat slowed down, the erratic beating calming to a steady drum in accordance with the rhythm of her breaths. Sumiko had practiced this before. If she could stay in her room alone, she could stay here. There was nothing wrong with this room. Her family was right next to her and they would come if anything happened.

This was irrational.

Her nails dug into the stone slab, tiny particles stabbing into her fingertips. One of the nails cracked and sharp pain slid up her right arm. She took in another breath and opened her eyes.

There was barely any light but her eyes had adjusted by now. The stone slab, which was covered in a thick layer of dust, had a bunch of scribbles on it. She ran her fingers on the rough stone, years of soot sticking between the pores of her skin. She looked around to find an unlit hearth on each side and an Uchiha crest directly in front of both. The red umbrella shape was faded to almost nothing, merging in with the brown walls.

Sumiko sighed.

What was she supposed to do now? She didn't think sleep would come easily, as it tended not to when one was locked in a creepy underground bunker. Instead she took another look at the stone slab, a memory inking at the edge of her mind. It took a moment for her to remember before she gave a gasp. That slab… it was the one which Madara and Sasuke had used. It said how to get a Rinnegan. False, of course, but believed nonetheless. She didn't even have the basic Sharingan to decipher the code but she didn't feel the need to. After all, she already knew what it said.

Sumiko grabbed a kunai from her pocket. She had to practice her chakra control anyway, right? Might as well learn the tree walking exercise with a little twist. She put the sharp end of the knife against the stone, pushing with chakra enforced muscles. It was nowhere near the kind of technique used by Tsunade but that would be enough for now.

The stone cracked, deforming the words. Sumiko wrecked the stone in front of her with all her might, letting her anger control her. She made sure that the change wasn't completely visible, made sure her father wouldn't notice. This little piece of earth had wrecked the lives of many and would continue to wreak more. It was because of this stone that her family and clan had suffered. It was because of this stone she would lose her brother.

Taking a breath, she stopped to observe the fruits of her anger. The scribbles were still scribbles but they were changed. She hoped they would be different under the Sharingan too.

She sat back, leaning against her masterpiece, looking up at the ceiling. With a sigh, she threw her kunai across the room and formed the hand signs for the Substitution Jutsu. She had a long night ahead of her.

….

In the morning, when Sumiko woke up, the first thing she saw was the light filtering into the room from behind the open doorway. Standing in front of it, bathed in the yellow light was the figure of her older brother.

He looked like an angel.

….

Her chest ached. Despite the pain, she weaved her hands to form the seals and a puff of fire, if you could even call it that, erupted from her mouth. Coughing, she propped her hands on her knees, bending down to catch her breath. Beside her, her brother blew out an almost perfect ball of fire and she cursed inwardly. Hers was nothing compared to his.

She could feel her father's gaze on her back and her muscles tensed. Why couldn't she do it? If her twin brother could do it, then so could she, right? It was only natural that she did it too. It was expected from her. She was an Uchiha. She could do this.

"Well done, Sasuke," Fugaku said, face not betraying a hint of a smile.

"Thank you, Father."

And then he turned around, heading back to the house. Sumiko glared at the small waves on the surface of the lake, eyes stinging. Just why couldn't she do it? She had practiced chakra control since she was a baby. Added to that was the fact that she was a kunoichi. Their chakra control was supposed to be better than a male shinobi's. She should be able to do this, god damn it. Her fists clenched.

"Miko…," her brother started, the uncertainty obvious in his voice.

"It's fine, Sasuke. You head back, I'll be home in a few hours." she replied, watching the bright rays of sunshine reflecting on the water, turning the surface a shade of orange. It was still morning. She still had a lot of time. Sumiko was going to master the heck out of this jutsu so she could show it to her father.

For the whole day, Sumiko practiced and practiced. It was evening by the time she dropped on the ground, heaving out a sigh. She had barely any chakra left. The coils inside her were drawn thin, barely managing to stretch inside her body. It was something she couldn't get used to no matter how much she tried. It felt so foreign to her, like something cold spreading inside her body, flowing through her veins. With another sigh, she got up, trying to put it out of her mind as she had done countless times before. There was no use thinking about it. She just needed to practice.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" she shouted, forming the seal. A burst of fire erupted from her mouth, turning the calming blue a brilliant orange. Huffing, she bent down. Her whole body was aching, her insides throbbing. Finally, she thought, finally she had managed to make it bigger. It wasn't on Sasuke's level yet but it was still better than what she could manage in the morning. It was enough to make the pain worth it.

A grin spread on her face. She turned around, walking back towards the house to call her father. He would appreciate it a little bit at least, won't he? She had practiced for the whole day. He wouldn't just ignore her after that, would he? Would he compliment her like he had done to her brother?

As she started walking, her heart thudded in her chest. Goosebumps rose on her arms. Sumiko stopped, fear rising in her gut. This wasn't excitement. Excitement did not feel like this. Grabbing at her chest, she grit her teeth. Her body… She couldn't breathe. This was bad. Her limbs ached. She felt for her chakra, its cold branches embroiling her organs. The bridge under her feet was no longer steady and the trees around were gliding. Her heart gave another low thud before she collapsed, not making a sound.

Before Sumiko had even opened her eyes, or was fully awake, her ears caught pieces of a conversation that she was clearly not supposed to hear. Straining her ears, she tried to listen in.

"She'll be okay, right? It's just chakra exhaustion, isn't it?" She could recognize the voice clearly.

The silence was just a tad too long. "That's what I first thought too but… there seems to be another problem." Pause. "Her body… I don't know how to explain this, but it seems as if her body is rejecting her chakra."

What was going on?

"What are you trying to say? Could you explain, please?" She almost smiled. That was so like her older brother. Polite in every situation no matter what.

"It's just as I said. Her body – no, I should probably say her mind is rejecting her chakra. It's almost like she isn't used to it but that makes no sense. It's like the chakra isn't even hers, but somebody else's. I have no idea why this seems to be happening but it's the truth." The feminine voice was soft with concern and worry.

There was a short silence before her brother spoke up. "Is there anything we can do?"

"No, it doesn't seem so." Another pause. "Because of the operation we performed, her body might be going through some serious detoxification. She'll have to be bedridden for the next few days. She will probably experience a high fever and some dizziness."

"I understand." If Sumiko hadn't known her brother as well as she did, she probably wouldn't have noticed the stiffness in his words.

"I'm sorry," the nurse replied. "Once she wakes up, you can take her home. There is no need for her to stay here. If anything unusual happens, please contact the hospital immediately."

"Thank you."

Sumiko finally opened her eyes, staring at the white ceiling. Was there any need to make hospital rooms so morose? Shouldn't they be trying to cheer up their patients?

This explained why she couldn't perform jutsus as well as her brother. She was, in every literal sense of the word, handicapped. Her body wasn't used to her chakra, or rather, her mind wasn't. She always knew this. The strange thing in her body had always been something uncomfortable, crawling under her skin. Shouldn't she be used to it by now? What was she supposed to do? Quit as a ninja? She could hardly just give up, could she? That was just like giving up and dying. If she couldn't protect herself, who would? Who would protect the ones she loved when they couldn't?

Nobody.

No…

She wouldn't give up. She didn't have that choice. She was born as an Uchiha in a world close to destruction. If she didn't train her body and mind, she would lose everything and wither up. She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't just die and leave everything behind again.

The door opened and her brother entered. Seeing that she was awake, he rushed forward, putting up a forced smile. That won't work with me, Nii-san, she thought.

"Sumiko, do you feel okay?"

She gave a slow nod. "What happened?"

Itachi explained how she had collapsed on the bridge and that he had found her and brought her to the hospital. He made no mention of what the doctor had said. She was glad for it.

…

Sumiko could hear people screaming outside and it wasn't the chaos that was common for a usual morning. Was it even morning? She turned to look outside the window to see stars twinkling at her, the moon shining bright. No, this definitely wasn't the chaos of a usual morning. She could smell it in the air – the stomach churning odour of rust.

So it had finally come, hadn't it? Or wait… was she dreaming? Was she having a nightmare? That was entirely possible. She had been having nightmares after nightmares for the past few days. Her fever had refused to die down, much to her and her family's annoyance. Now she understood why her father was so frustrated to have her sick.

She turned her head, tucking it beside her pillow. The screams were slowly dying out. Sumiko didn't want to hear anything anymore. Why couldn't she go to sleep? Maybe it was better to get it over with. When was her brother coming?

As if God were answering her last wish, the door to her room opened and her older brother came in, dressed in his Anbu uniform with a sword at his back. She turned to him.

"Nii-san?" she said, her voice barely a whisper. "What's happening?"

She had to pretend. Even in what could be her last moments, she had to pretend.

She tried to sit up but the world was spinning too fast. It wasn't supposed to, was it? She blinked at her brother as his hazy form finally came into focus. Her feet touched the cold ground as her brother watched from the doorway. Her legs felt like cooked ramen, too weak to support her weight. She pushed off the bed with the palms of her hands and stood up.

There was a searing pain in her side before the world twisted and she was thrown into darkness.

When Sumiko opened her eyes next, all she could think of was that she never wanted to faint again. She was tired of dropping down. Because of her frustration, she didn't notice the hard surface beneath her left cheek. Blinking, her eyes adjusted to the light, or lack thereof, in her room and she immediately knew where she was. She had been in this position for far too many times to not notice even in her feverish haze.

"Nii-san?" she asked, whispering in the neck of her older brother. His hands were wrapped around her body, a knee touching the floor. He must have caught her as she fell. Sumiko breathed out. Why, though? Why bother when he was going to kill her anyway? Would he not – no. She couldn't afford to think that way or when he finally did pierce her heart with his sword, it would break her. Hope was something she had abandoned quite early in her life. She wasn't strong enough to challenge him, and she would never be. There was no reason for him to keep her alive.

She was never going to be the strongest kunoichi in the world, was she? She wouldn't even live to become one.. Her chakra wasn't stable. So even if she survived the day, she wouldn't be able to pass the tests. She would fail and the world would continue to go into the state it was supposed to. It would go on and leave her behind and she wouldn't be able to do a thing.

"Are you okay?" Her mind snapped to the present.

"Nii-san. What's happening? I could hear the screams, you know?" she asked instead. "This isn't a nightmare, is it? You would've been there to wake me up. You're always there. What's happening?"

His hands tightened on her body. She swallowed. Her heart was aching. Itachi shouldn't have to go through this. He shouldn't have to kill his family and friends. She wanted to wrap her hands around him. She wanted to hold him till all his pain went away. She wanted to kiss his forehead and pour all her love into him. Why couldn't she help him? Why was she forced to pretend all the time? She didn't want to anymore.

"Will you promise to be strong, little Sumiko?" he asked. His voice didn't break like she thought it would. "Will you not give up no matter what and survive this world?"

"I – I will. I will try my best to survive. You'll be there when I can't protect myself, won't you?" Her voice was cracking. She could feel the wet trails of tears on her cheeks. "Please don't go. I don't know what's happening but we can solve it together. Don't leave me. Please." If he went away, who would encourage her? Who would give her hope when her parents brought it down? Who would comfort her when she was down?

Itachi let her go and stood up. She plopped down without the support, looking up at him. There was a scuffling at the door. She could hear it clearly in the silence. Itachi's pupils had turned red. She could see the three tomoe spinning to form the Mangekyo Sharingan. "Survive,." he said, red eyes staring down at her. "Survive to become the strongest kunoichi out there and then come for me. Then, and only then will you be able to defeat me. So run away, run away and survive."

"Wait –" she began but she could see the dark edges already. Just now, she had decided never to faint again but she had already lost the battle. Her brother's Genjutsu was far too strong for her to break.

As the dark took away the light, she could hear her brother's final words. "Goodbye, little Sumiko. We will meet again." It was the last thing she heard before the world faded into darkness once more.

…

Sumiko groaned at her pounding head, turning to her side in pain. She squeezed her eyes open, eyes darting around the dark room. The pastel brown table and bland white walls as familiar as the back of her hand, she let out a soft breath. Then, she began to sob.

She couldn't really understand why she was crying. Pleasing her father had been a torture to her. Living up to his expectations took everything from her and yet. And yet, she wanted him beside her. She could remember the days she spent crying on the balcony with her guitar, singing soft songs well into the night. She could remember her older brother coming in to comfort her. She could remember leaning into his side, sniffling as he wrapped an arm around her. Why was she crying? Why couldn't she stop? She wanted to be held by her brother again. She wanted to lean into his side and breathe in his scent. She wanted to smell the soft hint of orange again. She wanted to spend time with her brothers again.

Sumiko felt a distinct pain in her chest. She wished she could tickle Sasuke and watch as his face strained to maintain some dignity while trying not to burst out laughing. And –

Her heart gave a low thud. She had completely forgotten about her twin brother. Sumiko cussed at herself, sounding not at all like how a seven-year- old girl was supposed to and stood up. Her fever had already gone down. Running down the corridor, she searched each and every room but Sasuke was nowhere to be found. All she encountered were the dead bodies of her parents. She did not pause even for a second. Heart pounding in her chest, she ran outside and came to a standstill.

There were bodies.

Everywhere.

The entirety of the Uchiha Compounds was littered with the bodies of her clan, lying out in the open. Swallowing, she walked around and finally noticed the tiny body of her brother lying on the ground. She ran to his side, her fingers touching the side of his neck. Sumiko plopped down on the ground, breathing a sigh of relief. He was alive. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him to her. Tears flowed down her cheeks but this time, they were tears of relief. Her brother was okay. He was okay. She was not alone. She still had her brother. Everything was going to be okay.

Footsteps echoed down the silent pathway. She looked up, eyes wide. The shadow of a man rounded the corner and she blinked. The robe and the hat indicated his identity. Standing before her was the Third Hokage himself. What in the world was he doing here?

As soon as his eyes landed on her, his feet stopped. He came and knelt down in front of her.

"Little one, are you okay?" His voice was soft with concern. Why did he care? He had never even met her before. Her entire family had been murdered on the orders of his right hand man and he had no care in the world. He did absolutely nothing to stop him and would never do. Why was he worried about what had happened to her? It was his fault this had occurred in the first place. If only he had disciplined Danzo, this would've never come to pass.

"I'm fine, but my brother – he needs to go to the hospital. He's still alive.." She needed him right now. She needed to make sure Sasuke was okay. "Please, help me take him. I can't have him die."

The Third Hokage nodded and bent down to take Sasuke into his arms. Sumiko didn't fail to notice his fingers brushing his neck. He didn't believe her. Of course, he didn't.

"Do you know if anyone else lives?"

"No," she replied, throat dry. "Everyone else is dead. My parents–". Please, let's go to the hospital immediately."

He didn't say a word, just began to walk. Sumiko didn't mind it in the least.

…

She was tired of looking at the dark eyes in front of her, despite the concern in them. Why were they interrogating her when she was supposed to be by her brother's side? Couldn't they wait a few hours till he woke up? She was strained as it was. Knowing Itachi wouldn't actually harm his own brother wasn't exactly at the forefront of her mind right now and all she wanted was to see Sasuke wake up safe and sound. Well, maybe he wouldn't exactly be sound but there was very little she could do about that for now.

"Are you sure, all you're telling is the truth? Anything else will be considered treason., I hope you know that." Ibiki was really infuriating. How many times was she supposed to repeat the same thing?

"I told you already, multiple times. Uchiha Itachi slaughtered the clan and ran away. Everyone is dead except for me and my brother whom he spared because of a reason I don't know. Familial love? He didn't show any of that to our parents. Duty as an older brother? Don't know. Why did he kill everyone? I don't know. What else do you need from me?"

Was all of that the truth? Maybe not. But she could hardly tell them all her secrets. It would lead to political war. To be honest, Sumiko considered dropping Danzo's name but that would lead to more unpleasant questions that she honestly didn't have any patience for. He would meet the fate he was destined to, one way or another. She would make sure of it.

Ibiki sighed. "Fine, you can go. If we have any further questions, you will be called for. I hope you don't mind."

As if she had a choice.

With a sigh, Sumiko left the interrogation room with a sour taste in her mouth, heading directly for the hospital. As she walked, she couldn't help but feel as if her reaction to the situation at hand was a little too… bland. Her entire clan had just been killed by her older brother. Shouldn't she feel a little more, perhaps, sad? Maybe it was because she knew it was going to happen or maybe it was because the emotions of the event hadn't really caught up to her. At any rate, it didn't matter.

Heading past the receptionist, who must have known about her beforehand for allowing her to pass without complaint, she approached the room Sasuke currently inhabited. Opening the door, her hands fell by her side and would have ended up dropping the fruit basket she was thinking of picking up on the way here. Sasuke was looking at her with eyes wide open, mouth slightly agape.

"I thought you died."

After the initial shock, Sumiko had decided to sit down on a nearby chair before continuing the conversation any further. The cold, hard surface didn't offer any comfort as she replied, "Is that so?"

That seemed to throw her brother into a blind rage. "Is that so? Is that so? That's all you have to say?"

She was being tactless, wasn't she? He hadn't had any idea what his beloved older brother had been up to, after all. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice gentle. "I just – I was really worried and then when I came here, you were all fine and worried about me instead. It just – it sort of annoyed me, that's all."

Sasuke looked down, seeming to have calmed down if his not so glaring eyes were any indication. His lips were slightly pouted as he clutched the blankets in his hands. "It's fine. I'm fine. You don't have to worry anymore."

"Sasuke," she returned, voice condescending. "I'm always going to worry. Especially, if you're lying unconscious on the ground surrounded by dead bodies. Especially then."

She could see his tiny Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

"So it wasn't a dream, was it?"

She didn't say anything.

He stared right into her eyes. "Are they all dead? Everyone?"

Sumiko gave a slow nod. He didn't say anything for a few minutes before scooting to the side. Understanding the meaning behind the gesture, she got up to lie beside her brother. They both stared at the ceiling, doing absolutely nothing, before he spoke up,. "I'm glad you're not dead."

"So am I," she returned.

And suddenly, it was okay. Her chest felt just a little bit lighter and her throat a bit freer. She knew it wasn't all okay yet. There was a lot she had to do, a lot she had to take care of, including her twin brother. But time was her friend. Next time, she thought, closing her eyes, tucking her chin by Sasuke's neck. Imagining her older brother tapping his fingers on her forehead hard enough to leave a slight bruise, Sumiko decided she would think about it some other time when her eyes weren't dropping shut.

Next time.

A/N: By the next chapter, we'll be caught up with canon and the story will start to get more interesting. Hope you guys are excited! Thank you for reading xx.