Hikari, Shisui and Itachi appeared soundlessly inside the redhead's bedroom at her house, the girl instantly withdrawing from the boys and standing near the door. She had wrapped her arms around herself in a defensive manner, watching silently as Itachi helped Shisui sit down.
"I think it's time for you to keep your promise now, Hikari-chan."
"…yes, I suppose it is."
The two Uchiha studied the stony expression on their friend's face and then glanced at each other, not sure why she was like that. It was like a switch had been flipped, her emotions changing from ice-cold fury to a forced calm.
Despite saying that they wanted answers, neither Shisui nor Itachi knew how or what to ask.
Fortunately for them, Hikari spoke up but her was voice eerily flat, "What do you want to know first?"
"Why were you so angry at the Sandaime?" Shisui asked slowly, wondering if that would set her off again. "You mentioned three strikes; how did you even know about the first two?"
Hikari twitched.
"Shikaku-san told me about the thing with Shibi-san. The first one…I guess you could say that I heard it from the Sandaime himself."
'Why does Shikaku-sama trust you so much?'was Shisui's next question but before he could say it, Itachi asked, "Why are you so upset for us? I would understand if it was only because we are friends, but I can tell that it's deeper than that."
That got the girl's blank façade to crack.
"Because I made a promise to myself to protect the two of you!" she cried, expression twisting into something broken. "And I almost lost you both because I wasstupidenough to trust Jiji!"
Two pairs of dark eyes widened at the pure emotion in the Uzumaki's voice. To think that Hikari had made that kind of promise…
"When?"
"Right after I met you guys in the forest," Hikari admitted, not meeting either of their gazes. She didn't have the courage to look up and see what they thought of her. "You are far too precious to me…I can't lose you."
"Hikari-chan, you're not making any sense," Shisui spoke gently. While he was touched that she held them in such high regard, things weren't adding up. There was no reason for her to be so attached to him and Itachi right off the bat.
"I know. But for you to understand, you need to know who I really am."
Itachi frowned at that plaintive statement. "You've been lying to us?"
"Yes- no- I don't know!"
Hikari bit her lip. Though there was no accusation in Itachi's voice, she kept imagining that he was pulling away from her. And she didn't want that. "I don't believe it is a lie, since it's my truth now, but in another perspective, it might be? I had my reasons but it's not an excuse-"
"Hikari-chan, breathe!" Shisui interrupted, voice calm but authoritative. The redhead was starting to hyperventilate and he could see the signs of someone getting lost in their own head. He didn't want that for his friend and judging by Itachi's alarmed expression, he felt the same.
It took a few moments for the girl to calm down. Hikari wrapped her arms around herself again, but she looked more composed this time.
"Sorry…it's just very complicated."
"Then go one step at a time," the younger Uchiiha prodded gently, not wanting to make her spiral again. No matter whatever secrets his friend had, Itachi trusted her. After all, shehadmade it clear that there were things she was hiding from them. "We will wait for you."
Hikari stared at him then nodded.
"I was once known as Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto."
The abrupt statement made the boys blink and it took them a few seconds to process it. They both knew that it wasn't a lie, not with how certain the girl sounded. Shisui asked, brow furrowed in confusion, "So is this a case of sharing the same name? Because Itachi and I know who the kid really is."
"No. Iamhim, from a different dimension. A dimension where Naruto was born a girl."
Shisui's first thought was to make a joke and brush off her words, but a closer glance at Hikari told him that she was rather tense, as if expecting a negative response. He turned to the side when Itachi squeezed his hand, the younger boy frowning and shaking his head at him.
Neither of them wanted to say something that they would regret.
Satisfied that Shisui wasn't going to run his mouth, Itachi asked, "Hikari, are you saying that you came here from a different dimension?"
"Yes. But not on purpose," the girl explained cautiously, still not looking at either Uchiha but not quite shutting them out. "But I am here and it is what it is."
There was silence after that, neither side knowing how to proceed.
"Kit,"Kurama spoke up suddenly, startling his Jinchuuriki."Bring them into your mindscape. That way, you can show them your memories. It'll be easier for them to believe you."
"How would I even do that?"
"It's your mind; you can do as you like."
"That's not helpful at all."
But that was all she had to go on and Hikari braved a glance at her friends, blue eyes wavering slightly. "I could show you my memories if that'd help?"
Itachi blinked. "Are you sure? I don't want to invade your privacy."
"I…yes. I did want to tell you and Shisui everything when I felt that the time was right."
Letting her arms fall to her sides, Hikari moved forward one step at a time until she was standing in front of the two boys, Shisui and Itachi looking at her with mild curiosity. She held out her hands to them, waiting for them to make their choice.
It didn't take more than a couple of seconds for the boys to place their hands over hers, intertwining their fingers and holding on tightly.
Hikari smiled weakly, "On with the show then. Close your eyes."
Shisui and Itachi did as asked without a question, bolstering the girl's confidence as she listened to Kurama's instructions and pulled them into her mindscape. "Okay, it's fine to look now."
The first thought that entered their minds when the two Uchiha saw the mindscape was,'This place is so neglected.'
There were pipes running along the walls, some of them leaking and dripping into the ankle-deep water they were standing in. The lighting was dim and somewhat eerie, sending shivers down Shisui's spine. Before he could think better of it, he blurted out, "Is a mindscape supposed to be like this?"
He winced at how insensitive he sounded, hoping that he hadn't offended Hikari.
To his relief, she wasn't bothered. Hikari merely shrugged, "I heard that a mindscape was supposed to be a reflection of the person's state of mind. But I don't really know. This place reeks of neglect, right? That would have been right a long time ago but I'm not the same person I was back then. So theoretically, it should have changed to reflect who I am now."
"So this may be something else?"
"Maybe, maybe not. But that's not what we're here for. Follow me."
Hikari led the two further down the corridor, where the darkness seemed deeper. "I've never done this before, so bear with me," she murmured, closing her eyes in concentration.
The darkness shifted and blurred, colors blooming and twisting to form an illusion of the main market street of Konoha. A kid dressed in bright orange and splattered in paint was running towards them, chased by a bunch of furious, red-faced Jounin.
"I'm going to be the next Hokage!" the kid declared with a wide grin, sticking her tongue out at her pursuers before jumping onto a nearby stairwell and climbing up to the roof. "When I do, you're all going to bow before me, believe it!"
Hikari let out a sound of frustration and waved her hand, making the illusion disappear into a blur of colors.
"Was that…was that you?" Shisui asked hesitantly, gaze shifting from where the little blonde girl had been and his friend. That kid had looked identical to the Naruto he knew, down to the whisker marks on their cheeks. Only the gender was different.
The redhead sighed. "Yes."
Itachi spoke up, staring ahead blankly, "How old are you, Hikari?"
"As expected of Itachi," Hikari said ruefully; in the illusion she had appeared to be at least ten years old, which was how old she looked now. "I'm actually twenty-two. I was nineteen when I first met you."
"That's why you sounded so mature," Shisui realized. If she had been truly older than she had appeared, of course she would have known how to manipulate people to suit her goals. "You were an adult in a child's body."
Hikari stared.
"You two are taking this way too calmly," she said, bewildered.
"If you had told us a year ago, we might not have believed you," Itachi shrugged, finally turning to meet his friend's eyes. "This just explains some of the things Shisui and I had wondered about."
Shisui added, an easy smile on his face, "And after everything that has happened within the past few hours? This is the least surprising." He then turned serious, "What made you come to this dimension anyway, Hikari-chan?"
"My dimension was almost destroyed. Hard to believe, isn't it? But that's what happened."
Hikari waved her hand and the darkness swirled again, displaying yet another memory.
"No matter what, we will stop you!"
The declaration came from a blonde teenager in a black and orange outfit, her hair tied into twintails and flying in the wind. Behind her stood a large number of people, all of them wearing a hitai-ate that simply said 'shinobi', instead of any village markings.
"The Allied Shinobi Forces will never give up!"
As she had said, the gathered shinobi appeared to be from all the major villages, all of them with grim and determined expressions. Their uniforms gave away what village they belonged to, yet they stood as one, supporting each other, regardless of past grudges.
It was an incredible sight.
"Allied Shinobi Forces?"
"Hmm. There was a group called Akatsuki who were gathering the Bijuu in order to awaken the Juubi. The villages joined together when it became clear that the threat wasn't something they could handle alone."
Uchiha Madara laughed maniacally, floating in the air as six black spheres hovered behind him. He had absorbed the Shinju and the Bijuu, becoming the Jinchuuriki of the Juubi. Having obtained the Rinne Sharingan, he proceeded with his plan, Tsuki no Me.
The moon turned blood red, the pattern of the Rinne Sharingan appearing on it.
"Finally!" the man exclaimed. "My dream will come true; I will bring peace to the shinobi wor-Urk!"
A black arm was sticking out of Madara's chest, Black Zetsu behind him as the creature gave everyone a malicious grin.
"What…is the meaning…of this?"
"You were a pawn, Madara, just as you made Obito your pawn," Zetsu said, powerful surges of chakra erupting all around them. "All of this…was to free Kaguya!"
The gathering chakra flowed into the immobilized Madara, the man beginning to bloat as his body wasn't able to handle the amount of chakra forced into him.
"In the end, even Madara-sama was being used?" Shisui asked, sickened as he watched the form of Uchiha Madara become the vessel for a weird-looking woman. He understood that the little snippets they were seeing were vital parts of Hikari's memories, to help him and Itachi understand how and why she had arrived in their dimension.
Hikari nodded, blue eyes trained on her past self, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi as they scattered to avoid Kaguya's attacks. They had not known how severely unmatched they had been, the Otsutsuki on a different level than them. It had not helped that they had been low on chakra too.
"Zetsu has been manipulating history for thousands of years, ever since Kaguya had been sealed away by Hagoromo, who you would know as the Rikudo Sennin, and his brother, Hamura. The Senju-Uchiha feud is an example."
"Why?"
"Because they're descended from Hagoromo's children. I'm sure you know about Indra? He was the older brother, and the Senju and the Uzumaki are descended from the younger brother, Ashura. Zetsu needed someone with the Rinnegan and the ability to use the power of the Bijuu."
Itachi tore his gaze away from the illusion where the older version of Sasuke was fighting Kaguya and said, "The legendary dojutsu?"
"Yeah. Supposedly, a person with the blood of both the Otsutsuki brothers could awaken it. Madara got it after he fused himself with some of Hashirama's cells."
There was silence among the trio after that, the two Uchiha watching as the quartet retreated and used Sasuke's Rinnegan and Naruto's power to lift the Infinite Tsukuyomi, in an attempt to reduce the amount of chakra Kaguya could gather from the victims.
They watched as the battle stretched out into a full-blown war, shinobi being crushed like ants by the force that was Kaguya.
They watched as the dead were raised on both sides, made to fight in a war that should never have started.
They watched as they were cut down one by one, the survivors weighed down by grief and guilt.
They watched as the blonde woman screamed, raged and fell silent as she lost her friends and family.
They watched as the light left blue eyes when her best friend crumbled to ash in her arms.
They watched as she fought a futile war, supported only by her longtime partner, a converted criminal and her reanimated father.
They watched as she finally fell.
"Where were we?"
The question was asked in a near shrill voice, which was rather uncharacteristic of Itachi. Shisui reared back in confusion, but the younger Uchiha's attention was completely focused on the redhead across the room.
Itachi was shaken; he had seen his beloved little brother suffer from injuries that would have killed any normal human, had seen him shed blood yet stand up again and again. Sasuke had fought viciously until the end, when he had sacrificed himself to protect his one true friend.
The sight of Sasuke turning into dust was engraved into Itachi's memory even without the Sharingan and it wasn't something he would forget anytime soon.
"There is no way we would have sat back when such a disaster was occurring," he pressed when Hikari turned away, discomfited. "Even if we would have lost, we would have still fought."
It was the truth.
Itachi would have definitely been on the frontlines, since that was where Sasuke had spent most of his time during the war, when he was not out scouting for places that had remained untouched by Kaguya or Zetsu.
The same could be said for Shisui.
"For a brief time, Itachi-san fought alongside us," Hikari whispered after a long moment of silence, still avoiding the boys' eyes. "We sealed his soul when it became clear that Zetsu had a way to forcibly gain control of the reanimated shinobi."
Shisui's breath caught.
Reanimated.
Edo Tensei.
That meant that Itachi had died sometime before or during the war.
"And me?" he asked, subconsciously reaching for Itachi's hand and intertwining their fingers, in an attempt to keep himself grounded.
Hikari's lips tightened, her nails digging into the skin of her arms where they were crossed over her chest.
"I never knew you."
What?
"Out of everyone I'm close to in this world, I never knew the two of you. Or never truly knew, in Itachi's case."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
The redhead finally looked up, expression blank as she stared at the two Uchiha. "In my dimension, Uzumaki Hikari did not exist. As such, there was no one to force the Sandaime to defend the Uchiha against the accusations from the Elders. There was no one to subvert the rumors, to erase the misconceptions of the civilians. In such a situation, what do you think would have happened?"
She could see the very moment the words sunk in, Itachi's eyes widening while Shisui breathed in sharply. "The Elders wouldn't have been the only ones in on the coup," Shisui whispered, tightening his grip on Itachi's hand. The younger boy had gone stiff, back ramrod straight and it was almost like he had stopped breathing.
"Yes. There were two who were against it and reported the Uchiha's plans to the Sandaime," Hikari continued, knowing that even if she tried to keep it to herself, the boys would no doubt force it out of her. "The Clan Heir and his best friend."
"Itachi and I."
"I don't know the details but Shisui-san was going to use Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku-san, to make him stop the coup. But Danzo didn't let him, stealing his one of his eyes. He wasn't able to get it back and was dying from poison, so he gave his other eye to Itachi-san and committed suicide by falling into the Naka river. Itachi-san said that he did that to demoralize the Uchiha clan."
Shisui didn't know how to feel or react.
It had almost happened the same way to him; he had had his eye stolen -even if he had managed to retrieve it-, had been dying from poison. The only difference was that he had chosen to commit suicide to protect Hikari and the kids.
No wonder Hikari had been and still was so shaken.
"What happened after that?" Itachi asked, voice cold as ice and expression cleared of any emotion.
Hikari shrugged half-heartedly.
"Shisui-san's attempt failed. The clan believed that Itachi-san had killed him to gain the Mangekyou and ostracized him. A year later, he ended up killing the entire clan bar his little brother and let himself be branded a traitor. Sasuke killed him a few years later in revenge, believing that Itachi-san had killed the clan for power."
There was nothing Itachi or Shisui could say to that.
What could they, in the face of such tragedy?
"I'll leave you two to process everything," Hikari said abruptly and swept out the door before either boy could attempt to stop her.
She couldn't stand there and watch, not when she wasn't sure how they would react.
"Wait, Hikari-chan!"
The door swung shut with a soft click and Shisui sat back on the bed with a sigh, knowing that chasing after the redhead wasn't going to help.
And she was right that he and Itachi needed to process.
"What a day…"
Shisui grumbled under his breath, wondering if he was dreaming but immediately discarded that notion. It was too vivid to be a dream and he could rule out Genjutsu as well.
Itachi shifted next to him, expression downcast.
"What's wrong, Itachi?"
"Would I really have done that?" the younger boy asked quietly, staring at his hands. "Would I really have killed everyone?"
Itachi couldn't even think about killing his clan, his father and mother. The mere idea made him recoil and shiver. But his counterpart had done it, most likely due to pressure and his hand being forced.
But still…such a drastic choice…
"As you are now? No," Shisui shook his head firmly, understanding what the other was thinking. He had unknowingly mirrored his counterpart, even though their situations had been vastly different. But that was also why he knew Itachi wouldn't do such a thing.
"If I understood Hikari-chan's words right, then it would have been the two of us against the clan, while also trying to protect them. If I had died and left you alone to bear that weight, then perhaps."
Itachi finally tore his gaze away from his fingers, looking at Shisui with worry. "But I…"
I was willing to join Danzo.
The unspoken words hung between them, heavy and painful. At his core, Itachi was a pacifist. If he could prevent a war, he would do almost anything, even at the cost of his own life. That was probably his counterpart had done, willingly taking on a tremendous burden, something that had likely haunted him all his life.
Shisui smiled faintly, raising his hand and placing it on the other's head. "Don't think too much about it. Remember, whatever happened in Hikari-chan's world will not happen here. She made sure of it, didn't she?"
Itachi nodded, the lines of his face finally easing into something softer. He had needed the reminder that whoever his counterpart had become, wasn't whohehad to be. All his choices were his own, even if he was coerced or forced.
What had happened in Hikari's world was only another possibility for their own, something that they had the power to change.
"We're not even considering the possibility that Hikari is lying," Itachi remarked wryly, meeting Shisui's eyes. Neither of them had questioned her credibility, simply accepting her words as truth.
Shisui snorted. "She's never hidden that she was more than she appeared to be. We were just missing out on a lot of context for her actions, which all make sense now."
Falling back on the bed, he stared up at the ceiling, recalling something from a few hours ago. The memory made him wince.
It was the memory of Hikari panicking over him, almost on the verge of tears as she worked to remove the poison from his body. He remembered biting back screams even as she healed the damage, until he ended up blacking out from pain and exhaustion.
He literally owed her his life.
"What is it?"
"Just thinking about how much Hikari-chan has done for us."
"That's the saddest part in all of this," Itachi stated, pulling his legs up onto the bed and turning to face Shisui. "She didn't have to do anything. After everything she had gone through, Hikari would be justified if she had chosen to simply live her life."
"But that's not the kind of person she is."
"No. She is not."
The conversation died down for a while after that, the two of them caught up in their own thoughts. There was a lot they needed to think about, now that Danzo had revealed his hand and the Sandaime had proved to be useless. It was clear that Danzo would do anything for his goals, whatever they were.
There was also the threat they had seen in Hikari's memories, even if it was a long way off.
Thinking about that made Shisui's gaze drift to Itachi and he studied his friend. Itachi was a lot calmer than he had been when he had arrived at Hikari's house almost two hours ago.
"What are you thinking about now, Shisui?"
Itachi tilted his head to the side in confusion, not bothered by the sudden scrutiny but curious about what had prompted it. He didn't think he had done anything to warrant it, apart from processing everything that had happened that night.
Shisui didn't reply immediately, placing a hand on the younger boy's cheek. He rubbed his thumb under Itachi's eye, murmuring, "You awakened your Mangekyou."
The boy tensed but nodded. "I did."
"…"
"You won't ask me how?"
"I can guess," Shisui admitted, a soft but sad smile curving his lips. He felt a little touched, to be honest, that Itachi cared for him so much that just believing Shisui had died had been enough to awaken the Mangekyou. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"Actually, it sort of is. I was stupid enough to go past the walls of the village alone, thinking that since Root hadn't made any unusual moves, they wouldn't do anything."
Itachi stared.
"Youidiot."
"I know."
"You understand that if Hikari hadn't had a way to get to you, you would have died?"
Shisui flinched.
That was harsh.
True, but harsh.
Itachi knew Shisui well enough to make an accurate guess at the other's train of thought from the moment Danzo had accosted him. While he wished that the situation had never happened, he also understood that things would have eventually come to a head.
It might not have been ideal, but things had turned out mostly okay.
They were all alive and not under Danzo's thumb, which was the best they could ask for.
"I'm sorry, Itachi. I really am."
"…it's fine."
"It's not, but I'll make it up to you and Hikari-chan. Somehow."
That made the younger Uchiha crack a smile, raising his hand to cover Shisui's, which was still against his cheek. "I believe you."
Shisui chuckled and moved his hand to grip the back of Itachi's neck instead. He used the hold to tug the boy down, pulling him into a tight hug. "Awakening the Mangekyou is never a happy occasion, but yours turned out to be less tragic. I'm not dismissing your pain, but I think this is the first time in Uchiha history."
"I suppose so. Some in the clan won't think of it that way."
"What?"
"The Elders."
"You think those geezers have a leg to stand on?" Shisui retorted with a raised eyebrow, raising his head slightly to peer down at Itachi. "If you believe that Fugaku-sama doesn't already know what happened tonight, I'll call you stupid."
"How would Father know…Hikari."
"Correct. My guess is that she told him and Shikaku-sama, the latter because she's already implied that Shikaku-sama knows about her."
"And Kakashi-senpai as well."
"Sounds likely. In any case, no one is going to let this matter slide, even if Sandaime-sama has done so. It should never have happened in the first place."
Itachi nodded, shifting so that he was lying next to Shisui rather than atop him. Now that the fear, panic and adrenaline were starting to fade, exhaustion hit him with full force and his eyes started closing.
"Tired, Itachi?"
"A little."
"Then sleep; we're safe here."
"But Hikari…"
"We'll talk to her first thing in the morning."
"…fine. I don't…want her to…worry…"
Shisui stifled a chuckle as the younger boy finally nodded off, reaching to the side to grab the blanket. He pulled it over both their shoulders, deciding to stay awake as long as he could to see if Hikari would come in. As much as he wanted to talk to the redhead, just like Itachi, he knew that she needed space as well.
The poor girl had suffered enough.
And if she didn't come to them, they would go looking for her.
It was time that Hikari had someone supporting her too.
Kakashi slipped into the main wing of the house a few minutes after dawn had broken, having not slept a wink the whole night. He knew that whatever had set Hikari off the previous night had something to do with either Shisui or Itachi, or maybe even both.
He had wanted to check in on her earlier, but she had assigned him a task and he didn't want to break her trust.
Also, if it had something to do with the Uchiha boys, then Danzo had to be involved. Kakashi hadn't been up to taking any chances with the kids if that had been the case.
But it had been fairly quiet the whole night and since Tenzo had woken up, Kakashi decided that it was fine to hoist guard duty onto him. Not that the Mokuton user really minded.
Back to his current situation, Kakashi frowned when he realized that the house was far too quiet and still. Stepping into the hallway, he found that the living room was empty and dark but he noticed a shadow in the kitchen. Padding forward on silent feet, the Hatake saw the redhead.
Hikari had her back to him, hair tied back in a low tail. Her clothes were wrinkled and there were dark brown stains on the edges of her sleeves, which Kakashi thought were bloodstains.
What made him worried was how unresponsive she was.
"Hikari?"
When he didn't get a reply, Kakashi cautiously moved closer, not wanting to spook her in case she hadn't noticed him. He noticed that she was staring at the kettle on the stove with a blank expression, thoughts clearly elsewhere.
Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, he called her name again.
"I could have lost them."
More than the abrupt statement, it was how eerily flat her voice was that was concerning. "What do you mean?"
Hikari still didn't look away from the kettle, but replied, "Danzo went after Shisui and Itachi; Shisui almost died and Itachi almost joined Root."
Oh.
Kakashi winced internally, knowing how much she cared about those boys. To have such a thing happen right under her nose, it would have hurt her greatly.
"Where are they now?"
"Asleep. In my room."
"That's good, right? You protected them."
"But it should never have happened!"
Hikari turned to face the Hatake, eyes wild as she clutched his arms. Kakashi wasn't fazed when her nails dug into his skin, instead kneeling in front of her.
"I knew that Danzo was after them!" the girl almost yelled, her voice filled with self-loathing and regret. She had known what kind of fate Shisui and Itachi had faced in her old dimension and in her carelessness, had almost let it happen again. "I was lucky that I managed to get to them in time!"
It was the truth.
It was pure coincidence that she had decided to look for Shisui.
It was pure coincidence that she had awakened her chakra chains just in time to save him.
It was pure coincidence that Itachi had come to her instead of directly going to Danzo.
All of it…
Just one misstep and she could have lost her precious friends.
"I promised! I promised that I would protect them no matter what! And I almost failed!"
Kakashi didn't let himself startle when Hikari threw herself at him and started outright sobbing, her emotions overwhelming her. Even though he still didn't know the details, he knew enough that whatever had happened almost broke a part of her.
And after a lifetime of great loss, it would have been too much for Hikari.
It took a while but the redhead quietened, having cried herself to sleep. Kakashi didn't have the heart to wake her, considering that she likely had stayed up all night.
That was when the doorbell rang.
Kakashi almost groaned out loud, not in the mood to play the role of host since Hikari and Manami were asleep but knowing he had to. Looking around the kitchen one last time to check if everything was safe -Hikari hadn't actually switched on the stove earlier-, he hoisted the sleeping redhead up with one arm and made his way to the door.
The Hatake raised an eyebrow when he found Fugaku and Mikoto on the other side of the door, a drowsy Sasuke in the woman's arms. Kakashi assumed that they already knew what had happened and were there to see the boys.
"Is she alright?" Fugaku asked quietly once he had removed his shoes, directing a pointed gaze at the redhead. Hikari's expression, even while asleep, spoke of worry and the tear tracks on her cheeks were obvious.
"No," Kakashi replied honestly, directing the Uchiha upstairs to Hikari's room. "But she will be."
None of us will let her break.
Fugaku and Mikoto heard the unspoken words and nodded in acknowledgement, watching Kakashi walk away towards one of the other rooms. Then they looked at each other, the Clan Head sighing deeply before knocking on the door of the room the Hatake had indicated.
"Come in."
Itachi started to get off the bed when he realized that it was his family who had entered but Fugaku gestured for him to stay where he was.
"Father, Mother, Sasuke."
"He refused to stay behind when we told him that we were coming to see you," Mikoto murmured, giving Sasuke to Itachi when her second son sleepily reached for his big brother. Her hands now free, Mikoto cradled Itachi's face, checking him for any injuries. "We were worried, Itachi."
"…I'm sorry."
"I wish you would have come to me, but I understand," Fugaku said, looking over Shisui with a frown. His gaze lingered on the bandage over the thirteen-year-old's right eye, the lines of his face tightening in anger. "I'm glad you went to Hikari, at least."
Itachi ducked his head, knowing that he had taken extremely bad decisions the previous night. If he had not decided to talk to Hikari before going to the designated meeting spot with Danzo, he might have already become one of the man's puppets.
"I really wasn't thinking clearly," he admitted, watching Sasuke snuggle against his chest and doze off. He had only thought of Danzo's threat and how it would have affected his precious little brother. "I thought if I agreed to Danzo-sama's orders, I could at least buy some time for the clan."
Fugaku sighed and shook his head. "You might be my heir, Itachi, but that doesn't mean you have to take on all responsibility yourself."
"I…"
"Danzo-sama's plans wouldn't have worked anyway," Shisui said suddenly, drawing all attention to him. The teen pushed himself up, raising his hand to rub his eyes before remembering that one was bandaged and dropped it. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Shisui-kun," Mikoto greeted with a soft smile, amused by the sheepish look the boy shot her. "What did you mean by that?"
"Hikari-chan knew about Danzo-sama right from the start and she's a sensor. So the instant she wasn't preoccupied with me, she would have noticed Itachi being where he's not supposed to be."
Fugaku raised an eyebrow, curious. "Her range is that large?"
"Her passive range covers all of Konoha."
"That's…" Mikoto trailed off, shocked. Such a huge passive range was almost unheard of, Senju Tobirama being the only other person in Konoha's history. "…impressive."
"I suppose that's how she found out about Shisui being attacked," Fugaku stated drily, his nephew squirming under his stern gaze. He was not going to berate the boy for his foolish actions, feeling that he had been punished enough. Shisui's own guilt for worrying everyone would keep him quiet for a while.
"That's what she said, yeah."
"In any case, the two of you are truly alright?"
"Mostly," Shisui replied, Itachi nodding in agreement. The older boy then shot his friend a significant look, arching an eyebrow when Itachi tensed. The staring contest went on for a while, making Fugaku and Mikoto curious. Only Sasuke was unaware of the tension in the room, sleeping peacefully.
Finally Itachi gave in with a nod.
"Father, Mother, there's something I need to tell you." The boy hesitated, not sure how to phrase his thoughts, which were already jumbled as it was. A warm hand settled on his shoulder, Shisui smiling at him encouragingly.
"You can show them, if you feel that's easier."
A nod.
Closing his eyes, Itachi channeled chakra to them, feeling them shift into his Sharingan, then somethingmore. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, opening his eyes and raising his head so that his parents had a clear look of his face.
He knew that they had seen it when Mikoto gasped in shock and Fugaku froze.
"The Mangekyou…how?"
"I truly believed that Shisui had died…it was enough."
Mikoto stared at her son in horror, feeling sick that Danzo was so cruel as to use the supposed death of Itachi's best friend against him. Even if she herself had not awakened it, she knew enough about it. The Mangekyou Sharingan was activated when an Uchiha experienced pure despair and sorrow, to the point that most never truly recovered from it.
There was a reason that the Uchiha were a traumatized bunch.
The woman gently embraced Itachi, pulling Shisui into the hug too when the boy shifted awkwardly in an attempt to give them space.
Shimura Danzo.
The Uchiha Elders.
They were the reason for her boys to suffer so much.
Even if she couldn't go after Danzo, the Elders were well within reach. They would soon learn why they should have minded their own business.
"Dear husband," Mikoto called, voice deceptively soft and sweet, "I believe you called for a meeting of the Elders this afternoon?"
Fugaku inclined his head, not pitying the soon-to-be crucified Elders. He had no mercy for them either. "Yes."
"I would like to sit in as well."
"As you wish."
"Thank you."
Shisui and Itachi watched the by-play with wide eyes, startled by the fury hidden underneath Mikoto's demure expression. They were aware that she could be just as vicious as the rest of them, but it had been so long that it startled them.
"Mother…"
"Hush, sweetheart," Mikoto silenced her son's protest, smiling slightly. "Let us deal with it."
Itachi took one look at his mother and promptly agreed, not wanting to cross her. Besides, even he felt that the Elders deserved whatever they were going to get.
The boys took a few minutes to fill in the adults about what had happened in the Hokage's office, about the Sandaime's stance and Danzo's supposed punishment.
'I see now why Hikari implied that it was time to step up,'Fugaku thought grimly. Once, he would have believed that Danzo had Konoha's best interests at heart. But over the years, he had realized that the man was deluding everyone and perhaps even himself, claiming that he was working for Konoha while actually furthering his own goals.
The Sandaime was going to be of no use in leashing Danzo, which meant someone else had to do the job.
But that was a matter for later.
"You should take each other's eyes."
Fugaku smiled faintly at the owlish looks he received at his sudden statement, watching his words sink in. "Use of the Mangekyou will eventually cause blindness, which can only be partially reversed by highly advanced medical techniques that aren't good in the long run. It is better for the two of you to obtain the Eternal Mangekyou."
Itachi looked uncertain. "But, Father, you also…"
"I am no longer an active shinobi. The two of you would benefit more from the exchange. Besides, would it not be more meaningful for you to have each other's eyes?"
It was the truth.
Itachi and Shisui shared a bond that was stronger than anything they shared with him. Fugaku had no intention of intruding upon that and if in the future, should Sasuke ever awaken his own Mangekyou, he would like to aid his second-born.
He hoped that would never come to pass, though.
The expressions on the boys' faces were priceless and they looked at each other, thinking over Fugaku's suggestion. Neither of them desired power, but they knew that they needed it, especially considering their decision to stand at Hikari's side. For that, Shisui and Itachi would do anything.
"We understand."
"Good. If you're amenable, I will set up an appointment with the clan's healer…or not?" Fugaku trailed off when Shisui grimaced and even Itachi made a sour face. "What is it?"
"It's…well…can't we ask Hikari-chan to do it? She did re-implant my eye."
"You would trust her with your eyes?"
"Of course we would!"
"Very well then. We might as well make a formal request to her."
Fugaku got to his feet, holding out a hand for his wife to help her up. Now that they were reassured that the boys were alive and well, it was time to get to work. "The two of you will stay here for the duration of Shisui's recovery and also whenever you undergo the transplant."
"Not that I'm complaining, but why, Fugaku-sama?"
"Because this is the safest place for you right now. And I would prefer that the two of you be out of the compound while we deal with the Elders. We will keep you updated on the situation."
After exchanging goodbyes and prying a reluctant Sasuke off Itachi, Fugaku and Mikoto stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind them.
"I didn't want to mention this in front of the boys, but right now, I feel like joining in on the coup," Mikoto murmured, voice tight. While she despised how the Uchiha Elders had attempted to conspire behind their backs, she was furious at the Sandaime.
"It is the same for me, but we must not act in haste."
The woman let out a resigned sigh. "I know."
"Mikoto-sama."
The couple turned to see Kakashi standing awkwardly a few feet away. When he felt their eyes on him, he gestured to the room on his right, asking, "Would you mind changing Hikari? I've left her clothes out on the bed."
"Oh, of course."
Kakashi nodded and stepped to the side to let the woman in, closing the door and turning to meet Fugaku's considering gaze. After a moment of contemplation, the man quietly requested the Hatake's presence and led them downstairs.
"How much do you know about the situation?" Fugaku asked once they were seated, dark eyes focused on the ANBU.
Kakashi stiffened. "I don't know what happened last night, but I can make a fairly accurate guess."
"Do you feel that it is worth pushing for results? Give me an honest answer, Hatake."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because we still have the risk of the other villages targeting us if they sense weakness," the ANBU replied blandly. He was sure that the Uchiha Clan Head was more than aware of the situation, so Kakashi assumed that Fugaku was probing other people's thoughts and opinions.
"I see," Fugaku inclined his head in acknowledgement. He had already come to the same conclusion and was only checking to see if others felt the same. With relations on the intervillage level being rather precarious, any perceived chink in their armor and their enemies would swoop down on Konoha like vultures.
But that also didn't mean that they had to sit back and simply watch.
Konoha was a shinobi village, meaning that the power laid within the hands of the shinobi. If Fugaku could somehow get the other clans to ally together, they would have enough power and political clout to challenge the Hokage.
"May I request the assistance of your ninken, Hatake? I would like to pass on a message to the other Clan Heads."
"Of course, Uchiha-sama."
The doorbell rang before Kakashi could perform the Kuchiyose though and he got to his feet with a frown, excusing himself for a moment. He would have been surprised at the amount of visitors so early in the morning, were it not for the previous night's events.
A grumpy Shikaku squinted at him when the door was opened, the dark circles under the man's eyes speaking of a sleepless night.
"Kakashi," the Nara greeted with a yawn.
"Shikaku-sama."
"Who else is here?"
"Uchiha-sama and Mikoto-sama arrived a short while ago, along with Sasuke," Kakashi replied easily as he stepped to the side to let the older man. He didn't question how Shikaku knew there were other visitors, since the extra shoes placed near the door were a dead giveaway.
Shikaku hummed. "As expected."
The two headed into the living room, Fugaku giving a nod of greeting when he saw the other clan head. He wasn't surprised by the Nara's presence as Hikari had already told him that she was going to speak to Shikaku.
"Give this to Shisui and tell him to take one every two hours for twenty-four hours," Shikaku told Kakashi, handing him a bottle of pills. To Fugaku, he added, "The antidote for the poison."
Kakashi nodded and left the room, summoning Pakkun for the Uchiha before leaving. That caused Shikaku to raise an eyebrow in question as he took a seat on the couch, intending to talk to Fugaku since he had the chance.
"What do you need Kakashi's summons for?"
"I intend to make the events of last night known to the other clan heads," Fugaku explained, expression grim.
"What for?"
"Because Sandaime-sama has let Danzo go with a slap on the wrist, so to speak."
He quickly summarized everything Shisui and Itachi had told him about the punishment Danzo had received, which in reality, wasn't much of a punishment at all.
Shikaku grimaced; Hikari's prediction had come true, despite their hopes. It meant that Danzo would be more wary and more secretive, which would make their lives harder, especially if they intended to stop him without anyone getting caught in the crossfire.
While they cared about collateral, Danzo definitely didnot.
Glancing at the clock, Shikaku told Fugaku, "Tell everyone to come here within the hour. We need to get this over with, before rumors spread."
The Uchiha's shoulders relaxed minutely at the implied support; if Nara was on his side, things would be a whole lot easier.
There was a concern though.
"Would everyone coming here not implicate Hikari?"
"She's already on Danzo's radar," Shikaku shrugged off the other's worry, having more information on the redhead's abilities. Hikari could take care of herself and those she cared about as well.
Besides, there was one more thing.
"Hikari told me that Root had been following Itachi last night. They would have known that he had come here, then somehow had appeared in the Hokage's office with Shisui when no one had been seen leaving the house."
Fugaku blinked, having forgotten that. "Ah. Of course."
"And don't worry about Hikari being upset that you didn't ask her for permission. She wouldn't care as long as we don't ruin the house."
"Right…"
Shortly after Fugaku and Mikoto had left the room with Sasuke, Shisui turned to Itachi. "You're really okay with exchanging eyes?"
Itachi nodded, a determined glint in his eyes. "I would like to wait until my eyes have stabilized and yours have healed, but I'm fine with it. Are you uncertain?"
"It's not that…" Shisui trailed, picking at a loose thread from the blanket lying over his legs. "I thought I'd go blind before I even turned eighteen. I awakened my Mangekyou rather early, remember? While I haven't used it much due to the strain it puts on the optic nerves, it's still damaging."
"Father would have been willing to exchange his eyes with yours, if it had become necessary."
"Perhaps. But I never desired it. I didn't need the sort of power that came with the Eternal Mangekyou; my eyes don't define me. That would be an insult to my abilities."
"I understand, but what does that have to do with your current reluctance?"
"Because now I want that power. And it scares me."
"Youneedthat power," Itachi corrected with a faint smile, getting the point Shisui was trying to make. If the two of them really wanted to stand at Hikari's side, then they needed to be far stronger than they had ever even imagined.
Shisui and Itachi had always seen their eyes as tools, so they weren't very reliant on their Sharingan, unlike most Uchiha. That was probably where Shisui's reservation towards his new desire to get stronger stemmed from. But it was a needless concern, since neither of them would use their power for purely selfish reasons.
"Even saying 'need' is wrong," Itachi spoke after a moment of thought, shaking his head. "In my point of view, it is a matter of accepting everything that is available to us, so that we can do what we wish to do."
Shisui huffed, the sound filled with amusement. Trust Itachi to read his worries so very clearly.
"Yeah, you're right. We should use everything we have at our disposal."
They smiled at each other, reaffirming their resolve.
The sound of the knob turning made their heads turn in the direction of the door, Kakashi stepping in with a bundle in his arms.
"Kakashi-senpai!"
"Sorry to disturb you two, but I thought she'd be more comfortable here," the Hatake spoke in a quiet voice, nodding at the bundle, which was actually Hikari, wrapped up in a thick violet blanket.
Itachi was the first to react, pushing Shisui towards the wall while he himself slid off the bed. Kakashi set the slumbering redhead down in the middle next to the older Uchiha, with enough space on Hikari's other side if Itachi wanted to get back on the bed.
"She's been crying," Shisui murmured with a frown, having spotted the girl's swollen eyes and the slight redness of the skin. "What happened?"
"Better ask her yourself when she wakes up."
"You're not staying, Kakashi-senpai?"
The ANBU shook his head, holding out a small bottle and stepping back towards the door when Itachi took it. "I have a guard shift in an hour. Besides, it's not me who she needs right now. And that's medicine from Shikaku-sama for Shisui. Take one every two hours for twenty-four hours."
"Understood," Itachi nodded, unscrewing the lid and tilting the bottle just enough to make a single pill to drop into his palm. He gave it to Shisui, who popped the tiny ball into his mouth and swallowed with a glass of water from the bedside table.
"I'll be leaving now. Pakkun will remain in the house until I get back, so send a message via him if you need me for anything."
Shisui and Itachi looked at the redhead once the older male was gone, noting the lines of stress on her face. "I guess she was worrying herself over us and our reactions," the curly-haired Uchiha mused, tucking the girl against his side to give Itachi space to make himself comfortable. "I should probably be shocked by how much she's affected by us, but I'm really not."
"Me neither," Itachi agreed, sliding back onto the bed. It was a slightly tight fit, being a single bed, but all of them were small enough that it didn't feel cramped. "Because we are just as affected by her as well. Remember that time when you thought that she didn't trust you?"
Shisui groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "I don't want to remember how stupid I was."
"It was also when we got our summons."
"Yeah. It was pretty clear even back then, wasn't it? How much Hikari-chan trusted us."
"The first thought I had when I learnt that she was a dimension traveler was that she perhaps cared for us only because she had known our counterparts," Itachi murmured, a tinge of guilt in his voice as he lifted one of Hikari's hands and gently cradled it with his own. "Then she said she never knew us and I immediately felt guilt for doubting her feelings. So, we're even in that regard, Shisui."
"It's okay."
The boys startled at the sudden words, looking down with wide eyes. Hikari was smiling at them in a somewhat bleary manner, which was justified since she had been asleep until then. The stress that had been visible on her face had disappeared and she looked lighter.
"I'm just happy that you're not mad at me."
"Why would we be mad?" Shisui asked, raising an eyebrow in question even as he grabbed the redhead's free hand and intertwined their fingers. It was the right move, as the girl relaxed a little more, the touch conveying that she hadn't messed up like she thought she had.
"Because I hid a lot of stuff from you."
Itachi shook his head. "I would have done the same in your place. And don't say that you lied to us, because you straight out told us if you didn't want to or couldn't say anything."
"But…"
"Nope!" Shisui cut her off cheerfully, grinning when the girl directed a half-hearted glare at him. Hikari was going back to normal, so their actions were working. "There isn't any precedent for stuff like time travelling or dimension travelling, so I'd say you've done pretty well so far. Give yourself more credit, Hikari-chan."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you trust me so much?"
"Because, Hikari, just as you called us precious, you are precious to us as well."
The boys shifted awkwardly when Hikari's only response was to stare at them blankly.
All of a sudden, she yanked them forwards and wrapped her arms around them when they toppled over, the trio sprawling across the bed in a tangle of limbs.
"Uh…Hikari-chan?"
"Thank you," the girl whispered, smiling even as tears glittered at the corners of her eyes. She had thought that Shisui and Itachi might keep their distance from her, even if they had accepted her. But reality had far exceeded her expectations.
"I'm really glad that I met you, Shisui, Itachi."
Hikari was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Shisui and Itachi pressed close on either side. They were filling her in about Fugaku and Mikoto's decisions regarding the Uchiha clan, to deal with the mess that their Elders had created. It was something that needed to be resolved as fast as possible, so that Danzo couldn't take advantage of it.
"Were there any documents? Paper trails or something?"
Itachi paused in his retelling at Hikari's question, thinking back about what he had spied on. "A few," he replied after a few seconds, lips pressed into a flat line. He wasn't sure what kind of documents had been passed between the Uchiha Elders and the Root nin they had been in contact with, but they might have something incriminating.
"Should destroy those then," the redhead mused, stretching out her senses. Danzo was still in his base in the eastern forest, his chakra agitated and practically boiling with rage. Most of Root was with him; a few were investigating the cliff Shisui had jumped off of, probably to figure out how he had survived.
"How?"
"Whatever the Elders have can be dealt with by Fugaku-san. Then we can get information out of them on Root and destroy that too."
Shisui looked at the pensive girl strangely. "And how will you get into the Root base?"
"I'll sneak in, of course."
"You can do that?"
"To a certain extent."
"…"
"What?"
"We've underestimated you, haven't we?"
"Yup."
"One day, you're going to tell us just what you can do, Hikari," Itachi remarked with a wry smile. They had seen some of her abilities in her memories but he was sure that there was more to her. "You even get along with theKyuubi."
Hikari brightened at the mention of the Bijuu. "Want to meet him?"
"Wha-?"
Before Shisui could finish, a hand clamped around his wrist and Itachi's, and the next second they were standing in the girl's mindscape again.
Only this time, it wasn't quite empty.
"Hmph. Disturbing me again, brat?"
Shisui stared up at the huge form of the Kyuubi, nine tails lazily waving behind the fox.'A single whack of those tails could likely turn me into a splatter on the ground,'he thought hysterically.
Next to him, Itachi wasn't doing much better, his expression having gone completely flat.
"Hah! As if you do anything but sleep!"
"And I repeat: your mind is boring."
Hikari rolled her eyes, walking towards the fox who lowered his head to her level. "We've repeated this conversation so many times that I'm no longer offended that you're basically calling me boring."
Kurama huffed, crimson eyes boring into you alright now?
Hikari nodded, giving her partner a small .
"What's with the other brats you've brought here?"
"I thought they should know you; you're an important person to me, Kurama," the girl grinned, spinning on her heel to face her dumbstruck friends.
"Shisui, Itachi, meet the strongest of the Bijuu, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Kurama!"
She knew that she was laying it on thick, flattering the fox. But she could be dramatic too and shesowanted to know how all of them would react.
Kurama's response was to preen, a smug look on his face as he bared his teeth at the frozen Uchiha in a grin."Hello, brats."
"A pleasure to meet you, Kyuubi-sama."
Itachi was the first to recover, shooting the mischievous-looking redhead a small glare before bowing to the fox. Respect and courtesy always went a long way and the current situation was no way different.
Shisui gathered his bearings too in short order, hastily sketching a bow in imitation of Itachi. His memories of the past were a little fuzzy, as he hadn't been involved during the Kyuubi attack. Even if the fox in front of him wasn't the same, it was still afreaking Bijuu.
"Finally, humans who acknowledge my greatness. Even if they are Uchiha."
"Oh, get off your high horse, Kurama. You've already admitted you like them. Shisui and Itachi, stop that; the grumpy fox's ego doesn't need more inflating."
"B-But he's the Kyuubi!" Shisui squawked and flailed, gaping at the bewildered girl. The Bijuu could easily flatten them all with one paw if he felt like it and Hikari was happily poking fun at him.
She truly was one of a kind.
And a tiny bit crazy.
Hikari shrugged, eyeing the two Uchiha with interest. "So? He's nicer than he looks…although it's only towards people he likes or at least tolerates."
"And we fall in which category?"
"Isn't it obvious? Kurama's not even using any killing intent against you two, so he clearly likes you."
The fox snorted, sitting down on his haunches."Be grateful, humans, that I don't squash you like bugs."
There was a mocking tone in Kurama's voice, making Hikari roll her eyes in exasperation. "Seriously, Kurama, we need to work on your social skills."
"I do not want to hear that from you, brat."
"Hey! I'm better than you!"
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"Urgh! Stupid fox!"
Itachi had to smile at the sight of Hikari bickering with the Kyuubi. To an outsider, it might look odd: a tiny girl who was smaller than the fox's paw, arguing with the mightiest of all Bijuu? It was certainly unbelievable. But since he had inside knowledge, he knew that the two were dear friends, even if the Kyuubi acted prickly.
"Oi, Uchiha."
"Uh…which one?" Shisui asked slowly, barely managing to keep his voice from rising to a high-pitched squeak. While the initial alarm had faded away and had become a sort of awe, it was still intimidating to be in the presence of a powerful creature, especially since the fox didn't bother to hide his strength.
"Both of you. The two of you may address me by name. But be warned, do not use it lightly."
Hikari stifled a snort at the wide-eyed looks of shock the two Uchiha shot the Bijuu, stunned at the way Kurama was speaking to them. The world in general did not know that the Bijuu even had names -Shukaku being an exception since he kept roaring his name- or how they had come into existence. So to Shisui and Itachi, Kurama's choice of words implied a gravity and pride that he associated with his name, a gift he had received from the Rikudo Sennin.
Evenshehardly used his name when she referred to him when with Kakashi, Shikaku and the Sandaime. Back in her original dimension, it might not have been like that. Hikari had earned the right to learn Kurama's name when she had proven her determination to accept him, despite all the hate and pain.
She did not want to give his name away lightly, not when Kurama guarded it so carefully.
Leaning against Kurama's leg, Hikari smiled.
Shisui and Itachi had gained her partner's approval, even if it had been unknowingly on their part. Kurama giving them permission to use his name meant that he would provide them with aid, should they need it. Of course, it would be through her but it was the thought that counted.
"Now scram; I need to talk to the midget."
There went the sentimental mood.
"Kurama! I'm not that short!"
"You're the shortest one here; that makes you a midget."
Growling in annoyance, Hikari waved a hand when the boys looked at her and they disappeared from the mindscape.
"What was all that about? I get the significance of what you did, but why?"
"They will be the only ones I acknowledge,"Kurama replied, resting his head on a paw. Crimson eyes bored into sapphire, the Bijuu smirking at his Jinchuuriki's confusion."I distrust humans; while a few may be good, there are far too few of them. You have chosen those two, despite having others at your side, like the mutt. So I shall entrust a part of myself to them as well."
It was the truth, Hikari realized with a startle.
While she loved Kakashi, she had drawn an invisible line between them, closer than most but it still existed. She was willing to let him in, but only so far.
Shikaku was a friend and ally, certainly precious but not quite someone she was willing to open up to. The other clan heads were in the same boat, even if they didn't know her past.
The Sandaime was a totally different can of worms.
There were the kids, Manami, Tenzo and so many others she had befriended and cared for, but there was a line there too.
But Shisui and Itachi…
They were hers.
And she was theirs.
Looking up helplessly into the knowing eyes of Kurama, Hikari realized that he had long since picked up what she herself had not noticed.
When had she begun to trust Shisui and Itachi so much, that it surpassed the bonds she had had with Sasuke and Sakura?
No, not surpass, that wasn't quite the word for it. She would never be able to choose one over the other but the bonds…they weren't the same.
Just what was different?
"It is because of how it all started."
"What?"
"Did you not tell the mutt that while they may be the same existence, they aren't truly the same?" Kurama rumbled, pushing the girl towards the conclusion he had already come to, many months ago."You said it yourself; those Uchiha are not the same as the ones from our world. You made sure of that."
"Yes… and I never knew them. We were all blank slates when it came to each other and I never truly hid myself from them," Hikari whispered to herself, realization finally settling in. She formed bonds easily but whether that connection grew was a choice that she made consciously.
Or used to.
Hikari had never intended to become so close to anyone in the current world. Her only goal was to make sure that Kaguya was never unsealed and to do her best to make her new home a better place.
Then, she had met Shisui and Itachi. She had befriended them, had chosen to place her trust in them. She had even told Kakashi that she intended to tell them the truth, that day when she had given them the summoning contracts.
But she had not truly realized how deep her trust had run even back then.
It took almost losing them for Hikari to get it.
Team 7 had had with a toxic start; distrust, dislike and rivalry had overpowered any sense of camaraderie they could have had. It had taken years, a lot of trials and pain before they stood together as one, the powerful team they could have been right from the start.
Hikari's relationship with Shisui and Itachi wasn't like that; instead, it was born of curiosity and kindness, with a gentleness that had only felt natural. There were no misconceptions on either side; even if she had known about the boys' counterparts, however vaguely, she had not let it cloud her judgment.
'I'm not replacing Sasuke and Sakura,' Hikari thought, taking a deep breath and letting it out, along with her reservations and hesitation.'I am simply moving forward. This is my present now and I will live in it.'
"Hey, Kurama?"
The fox grunted. "Figured it out?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"Hmph. Get out of here, kit."
"Surly as ever! But that's just who you are!"
Hikari opened her eyes to find two pairs of dark eyes staring down at her and she blinked. "What?"
"Nothing. Just waiting for you to wake up."
"Being inside the mindscape isn't the same as sleeping."
Itachi studied his friend, tilting his head to the side in thought. She looked lighter and the unrest in her eyes had settled, as if she had had some sort of huge realization and it had eased her. Maybe she had, he wouldn't know.
Whatever it was, he was thankful for it, since it looked like an invisible burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
"I have a lot of questions, but now isn't the time for them, huh?" Shisui mused regretfully, staying still to let Hikari inspect his injured eye. Seeing the perfect opportunity, he asked, "Would you do the surgery to exchange Itachi's and my eyes?"
"Sure," Hikari replied absently then blinked when the question actually sunk in. "Wait, what?"
Itachi was the one to explain, shooting Shisui a stern glare. "Overuse of the Mangekyou will cause blindness. So Father suggested that Shisui and I exchange our eyes."
"Huh…not that I mind, but remember that I'm not a certified medic."
"Yeah, but we don't trust the general hospital with our eyes and with the current situation in the Uchiha compound, we don't want to risk it there either."
Hikari grimaced but agreed; shinobi with literally any kind of bloodline abilities were wary of the hospital as a rule, more so than normal shinobi. For the Uchiha whose eyes were widely coveted, it would be a nightmare.
"Fine, I'll do it. We might have to wait a week or so, though."
"We know."
"I'll beat you up if you start relying on your eyes too much," the redhead warned, jabbing Shisui in the stomach when he laughed. While the Eternal Mangekyou did alleviate the side effects of a normal Mangekyou, it did cause some measure of strain on the optic nerves. Not to mention that it drained chakra like nothing else.
"We'll be careful," Itachi replied with a smile, chuckling when Hikari shot him a suspicious look. "I'm serious."
"Sure, sure…"
Shisui wrapped his arms around the redhead and hauled her up onto his lap, resting his chin atop her head. Nuzzling into her hair when Hikari's only reaction was to huff in amusement, he said, "Hey, Hikari-chan?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for trusting us."
