Chapter Five

Current Age: Sasuke 7, Hinata 6

Sasuke was shaking uncontrollably in his bed as the nightmare returned. The images were so vivid… so real.

Mother… father…. aunt…. uncle…. cousin….

He watched as they all fell. He watched as they all were slain. Murdered… by their own kin. By his own brother. His brother who he loved. His brother who he looked up to. His brother who he always wanted to be like. His brother who he trusted.

His brother who they all trusted.

And Itachi was playing it all for him. He was making Sasuke watch. He was making him see it all… through the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Please, Itachi, stop! Stop showing me this! Why did you do this?!"

"To see what I'm capable of."

The images played in Sasuke's head repeatedly. So vivid, so real. It was like he there himself… like he was an unknowing accomplice. And he couldn't believe it. Even with the images that Itachi showed him. Even with the evidence of their parents' lifeless bodies right in front of him. Sasuke couldn't believe it.

He couldn't believe that his brother could do such a thing.

His brother who he adored all his life.

"To see what I'm capable of."

It didn't make sense! He couldn't understand it! What happened to his brother? What brought this on? Was it even Itachi? Who was this person that took over his brother's face? And what was he going to do next? Was he done? Was there more? Was Sasuke next?

"I'm scared! Please don't kill me!"

"You're not even worth killing…. My foolish little brother. You're weak… so very weak."

Itachi pointed at his Mangekyo Sharingan. "This is proof that I have no weaknesses. Not anymore. The price that I had to pay for this…" Itachi played him images of him killing once more. Sasuke let out another scream.

"I had to get rid of the one thing in the world that was meant to weaken me. And I have ridden myself of it. If you ever think you're going to kill me… then hate me – resent me… live your pathetic life. Use that hatred to fuel you. Eliminate your weakness…. Only then can you challenge me."

Hatred.

For the first time in his life, Sasuke felt pure hatred. And it was for his once beloved brother. Sasuke feared Itachi… he was devastated by his actions. But above all, he hated him. He hated him for what he did. He hated him for replaying it all to him. He hated him for turning on his family. He hated him for leaving him with no one. He hated him for causing him to be alone.

He hated Itachi.

Sasuke never wished death on anyone before in his life. But he did now. And he wanted to be the one to do it.

He wanted to kill Itachi.

The images returned once more. He watched as his family – his kin – fell to their deaths. Fell at the hands of Itachi. He watched as his parents were slain. He watched it all – over and over again.

"Eliminate your weakness… Only then can you challenge me."

Sasuke woke up from his nightmare screaming.

News of the Uchiha massacre spread through the village.

Hinata was panicking. She didn't know what to do. No one would tell her anything – she was too young. A child. Too innocent to hear these gruesome words.

But she didn't care – she needed to know!

She'd cried herself to sleep every night since the news broke. She visited their secret spot every day – to no avail. She was scared. She was devastated. She was panicking. No one would tell her anything. And not knowing… that seemed like cruel torture. Not knowing seemed worse to her in that moment.

Is Sasuke okay?

"They said that he only left one survivor." She heard her cousin Neji say. She was hiding near the door to the dojo. She was eavesdropping on his conversation with his sparring partner who she didn't recognize. "Who could do something like that to their own family?"

"A psychopath, obviously." The partner responded. "I always knew the Sharingan could cause bad side effects. That kind of strange power… it must drive people crazy. They probably were all hiding their true mental state-"

"Let's not dwell on it too much." Neji said as he picked up his sparring kunai. "It isn't good to speak of the dead in that way."

"Ah." The sparring partner answered. "You're probably right."

"Who w-was it?" Hinata heard herself ask. She widened her eyes when Neji and his sparring partner turned to her hiding spot near the dojo's door. She hadn't meant to speak. She hadn't meant to expose herself for eavesdropping.

But no one would tell her anything. And she had to know!

"Who was what, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked her.

"The s-survivor." She said softly. She was terrified of the answer. But she needed to know. "Who… who w-was the-"

"Sasuke Uchiha." Neji answered. Hinata widened her eyes. "Itachi left only his little brother alive."

61 days.

It had been exactly 61 days since Hinata had last seen Sasuke. 61 days of worry. 61 days of sadness. 61 days of visiting their secret spot and waiting for no one to show.

She tried to find comfort in the knowledge that he was alive. He wasn't harmed, she knew that. But that could only do so much. She wanted proof. She needed to see him. She wanted to talk to him. She wanted to hug him. She wanted to hear that he was okay with her own ears – see it with her own eyes.

She missed her best friend.

It felt like her heart was breaking into two. Every day that passed without him was worse than the other. She felt grief – intense grief. Even though she knew he was alive. She grieved him. His memory played in her head constantly – his smile, his voice, his kindness. Her best friend – her only friend. Even though he was alive, he was gone. And it was hurting her.

As selfish as it sounded, Hinata felt abandoned by him. She knew what he went through was horrible. The worst thing imaginable. He lost everyone he knew. Hinata couldn't function after just losing her mother. She couldn't imagine losing everyone… all in one day. She understood that. She knew it was horrible.

And yet, she still felt abandoned by him.

The day of her mother's funeral, she sought him out. She went to him. And he gave her his company. He helped her. He pulled her out of a dark place and helped her regain her life back. During a time when she felt so alone, Sasuke reminded her that she wasn't. And she just wanted to do that for him – be that for him. She wanted to return the favor, to let him know that she was here for him, that he still had someone.

But he wouldn't even give her the chance. He wouldn't show. He wouldn't reach out to her. He wouldn't let her be that for him.

But she still went. She never missed a day. She stayed later and later, just in case. She knew Sasuke wasn't at the Uchiha compound – she checked – no one was. She wanted to account for a long travel distance. Wherever Sasuke was, if he decided to show, she didn't want to miss him by leaving too early. She kept hope.

And he still never showed. Even after everything he went through. Even after all this devastation. Even after a few weeks later, when her uncle Hizashi was murdered in a failed assassination attempt on her father by Kumogakure, which completely shattered her trust for the world. Even after she desperately needed his company as much as she knew he needed someone as well. Even after days turned into weeks into months.

Sasuke never showed.

And Hinata wondered if their friendship meant absolutely nothing to him after all.

A/N – I know the timeline isn't canon, but it fit better with the story sooooo yeah LOL. Please let me know what you think!