The Yin and the Yang (Naruto)(OC)

[JonathanAnubian]

Summary;
"The last Uchiha," they always said. "The sole heir to the Uchiha clan." It wasn't as if they were wrong, not really. After all- where one twin went the other did too. One half of a whole. The Yin and the Yang.

Hikari Uchiha is the younger twin sister of Sasuke and is his opposite in many ways save one- they would both die for one another. Unlike her twin, however, she can see the bigger picture. With her attention to detail and her brother's drive there's nothing they can't accomplish. Except maybe keeping a certain blonde team-mate out of trouble.

Pairings;
Naruto/Hikari (OC)
Sasuke/Undecided

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Prologue

It was a particularly hot day in the middle of summer. Cicada cries filled the air as an excited energy circulated around the clan. Everyone was praying for the safety of the clan head's wife and her soon to be born child.

Sitting quietly on a chair in the hallway five year old Itachi Uchiha watched his father pace the floor, hands clenched at his sides. With every cry of pain the man would twitch towards the closed room, before catching himself and continuing to pace.

Inside the room was Itachi's mother, the midwife, and the midwife's two assistant. While he didn't know exactly what was going on he knew that his mother was in pain and that soon his younger sibling would be born.

But from the moment his mother had started to make pained noises until now felt like days, rather than hours. In all that time the young boy had refused to move, his hands clenched around the bottom of his shirt as he did his best to be good and stay out of the way.

There was another cry of pain before a squalling sound had him perking up. He'd been around enough clan members who had babies to understand what the sound meant. Looking up at his father he saw the man smile and brightened.

But a new cry of pain had the man turning away with a look of deep concern.

The door to the room opened and the elder midwife exited, a small bundle in her arms. "Congratulations, Fugaku-sama, the child is a healthy boy."

Hands trembling slightly his father took the bundle and cradled it gently to his chest, smiling tenderly. "Itachi, come here."

Sliding out of the chair he hurried over to his father's side, curious and excited to meet his new sibling.

Kneeling his father allowed him to see the baby, a small pudgy thing with a dark patch of hair on his head. "This is your little brother, Sasuke."

Reaching out gingerly he smiled when a tiny hand gripped his finger and refused to let go. He was about to speak when his mother made another loud sound of pain, making him jump slightly.

The midwife smiled apologetically at them. "Don't worry, Itachi-sama, your mother is in good hands." That said she went back into the room, sliding the door shut behind her.

Time ticked by as he stood next to his kneeling father and bundled baby brother. He wondered if his mother was going to be okay and was just about to ask his father when the cry of another baby split the air.

Looking to his father he saw the same surprise mirrored back at him. Carefully his father handed Sasuke to him before standing just as the midwife returned.

"Congratulations once more, Fugaku-sama. The Kami have seen fit to gift you with a set of healthy twins. One boy and one girl." Holding out a second bundle the elder woman's smile was almost blinding.

Taking the second bundle his father held it just as carefully as he had the first, if not more so. A bemused smile crossed his face as he cooed down at Itachi's new baby sister.

"Mikoto-sama is also doing well, she is just very tired. We'll let her rest a while and help her get cleaned up before she receives any visitors." Stepping back she nodded to one of her assistants. "Sasako will help you with anything you need for now." Then she vanished back into the room.

The young woman smiled and bowed politely, standing off to the side in case she was needed.

Itachi looked down at the sleeping face of his baby brother then up at his father, who was holding his baby sister. "Tou-san, may I hold her too?" His father smiled down at him and knelt, before realizing there was no easy way to trade the bundled babies without risking an injury.

Sasako quickly stepped forward and took Sasuke from him so his father could hand him his new sister. When she was safely in his arms he stared down at her face, which looked exactly like Sasuke's. "Tou-san?"

"What is it Itachi?" His father asked softly, so as not to wake Sasuke.

"What is my new imouto's name?"

The man looked surprised for a moment before he smiled. "Hikari. It is what your ka-san wanted if your sibling had been a girl." He paused then chuckled. "It looks like she got her wish."

Itachi smiled. "Hello Hikari-chan." Blinking open blue-grey eyes the baby looked right at him before smiling. At that moment Itachi knew he would do everything he could to be the best big brother in the Elemental Nations.

 

[JonathanAnubian]

Chapter 1- The Twins

Early in the morning, before the start of school, Hikari was rudely awakened by a presence near her bed. Okay, maybe not rudely. All Sasuke needed to do was stare at her with intent. Not even menacing or angry intent, either. He just willed her to wake up and she did. Every time.

Cracking one eye open she huffed at him in annoyance for interrupting her sleep. A small teasing smile crossed his face and she groaned, rolling over and pulling her blanket over her head to fall back asleep.

Laughing her brother tugged on her arm, pulling her partway out from under her safe refuge. "C'mon, Kari, ka-san is already making breakfast."

Pouting up at him she sighed and slid out of bed, getting to her feet and stretching. A yawn worked its way out of her mouth and she rubbed at her eyes tiredly. "Why are you such a morning person?" She groused.

"Why are you such a night owl?" He shot back with a grin.

Sticking her tongue out at him she stumbled past him to search for a change of clothes, ignoring his snickers behind her.

Heading downstairs together they noticed their elder brother at the same moment as he turned the far corner of the hall. It looked like he was getting ready to leave the house. Glancing at each other they followed him, silently agreeing to see him off.

They stood a ways behind him as he pulled on his sandals. "Good morning Ni-san." They spoke in unison, which if other people were to be believed was either endearing or creepy depending on who heard them.

Turning he regarded them with a mildly interested look. Nowadays it was rare for him to actually smile at them and it made Hikari wonder. What was he going through to make their beloved older brother act so coldly to everyone lately?

"Can you help me out with shuriken training today after school? Hiari has kunoichi classes." It was a habit for her twin to stay in the training field of the academy while she was in kunoichi studies. They were only three times a week so it wasn't that bad but she knew Sasuke got bored without her there. Plus she didn't want to fall behind in her training. So when classes ended the two of them would practice a little before wandering home, usually stopping by one of their relatives shops to grab a snack.

"I'm busy, you'll have to ask otou-sama." The curt response made Hikari's frown deepen in concern. Itachi was not the most talkative person but he was never outright rude. Something didn't seem quite right, but she couldn't put her finger on what.

"But tou-san said you're better with shuriken… and I think so too." Sasuke said, looking down at his feet. Not that he was wrong, Hikari thought so as well. "You always treat me like a nuisance, ni-san." Pouting her twin crossed his arms, making her hide a smile behind a hand. Sometimes he could be so grumpy.

After a long moment of silence Itachi waved Sasuke over. When her twin was within touching distance their elder brother reached up and flicked him on the forehead.

"Ouch!" He whined, rubbing the spot on his head as he scowled.

"Stop scowling so much, and forgive me, Sasuke, Hikari. Maybe next time." Hikari felt some relief at those words. Their elder brother was always sure to include her as well, knowing the two of them preferred to train together. It was just too bad he seemed to be so busy lately, what with his responsibilities as the Heir and a shinobi of Konoha.

Padding over to stand next to her twin she watched their brother as he seemed to lose himself in thought, staring at the wall yet not seeing it.

Something deep in her gut screamed that something was wrong, that their brother wasn't usually distracted like this. Was he worried about something? Should she even try to ask? It may be about a mission he couldn't talk about, after all.
He stood up before she could make up her mind. "I have no time to help you today." He said as he turned towards the door.

"You always say 'forgive me' and flick my forehead. And you never help out, not just today." Sasuke grouched.
Without another word or even a glance back at them Itachi left the house, closing the sliding door with a firm clack.

Sasuke let out a huff, still rubbing at his forehead. Leaning forward, her long ponytail falling over her shoulder and nearly touching the floor, she looked up into his face. "It's okay, Suke. I'm sure he's just really busy. He looked kind of tired…" Straightening she stared at the door, frowning. "Come on, tou-san and ka-san must be waiting." Taking his hand she dragged her twin towards the dining room, intent on breakfast.

Now that she was awake she was ravenous!

Sitting beside one another at the table they made themselves comfortable and thanked their mother for breakfast. "Itadekimasu." They said together as they began to eat with the best manners they could manage at such an early hour.

No real conversations were ever had over breakfast. It was always a more quiet and subdued affair in their household. So Hikari was a little surprised when Sasuke turned to their father.

"Tou-san," he started hesitantly, "does ni-san not care about me?"

Choking on her tea she whipped her head around to stare at her twin in concern. "Why do you think that?"

Her twin wouldn't meet her eyes and turned away, fidgeting slightly. "Well… he always agrees to help you but not me."

She shook her head in denial. Itachi always helped them when they needed it, not just her.

"Your ni-san is a little bit… different." Their father said, grabbing their attention. "He's never really liked interacting with other people much." He said with a small grimace as their mother nodded along.

But that seemed wrong to Hikari. Whenever their brother spoke to them he was always kind, even when he was chastising or teasing them. He always tried to make time for them in his busy schedule to help them with training and he always seemed relaxed when it was just the three of them.

"Why?" Sasuke asked, bringing her out of her musings.

Their father looked up at the ceiling, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "I don't know. Even I, his tou-san, can't understand him." After all, your brother is a genius. Came the unspoken words she knew he was thinking.

Silence filled the dining room, the air tense for reasons she couldn't grasp.

"Alright, enough of that. Here you go, you two, your lunches for school." Their mother said, breaking the silence with a smile and two wrapped bento.

Taking hers as she stood she smiled at their mother gratefully before receiving a kiss on top of her head.

"Sasuke, if you want to practice with shuriken I'll help you after you get back." Sasuke took his own bento and received a kiss as well. Although he pretended to be annoyed with it, mumbling about how he wasn't a child anymore, she knew he loved the affection they got from their mother. Having the chief of police as their father meant he had very little time to dote on them. Hikari wouldn't say he was completely cold or distant but… he wasn't the most affectionate man. Their mother, on the other hand, had always been there to give them all the love they needed.

"It's not practice." Her twin grumbled. "It's training."

Hikari snickered as she went to grab her school bag and was lightly shoved in retaliation, making her laugh.

Well on their way out of the clan compound they were stopped by Auntie Shizu as she was sweeping the front step of her home. "Sasuke-chan, Hikari-chan, are you both heading to school now?"

Together they stopped and said "yes" at the same time, making the older woman smile at them indulgently. "I just saw Itachi-chan a little whole ago. My, he sure has grown up. He's become an excellent shinobi." The woman said, stars in her eyes.

Hikari wanted to sigh a little as she glanced over at her twin. Here we go again. She thought to herself.

"He graduated at seven and moved up to chuunin by ten, right?"

Sasuke shifted on his feet, his shoulders tense as he masked his displeasure with a polite smile. "He could use his Sharingan when he was eight." It was just a simple fact about their elder brother that everyone knew but it meant so much more to her twin than it did anyone else. "It makes me proud to be an Uchiha, with him as the Heir." Words he truly believed in but that cut him just as equally to the core.

Reaching over she grabbed his hand and squeezed it in reassurance. Knowing that she was there beside him to support him always helped whenever this topic came up.

"Oh, that's right! And how old are you both now? Time goes by so fast I've forgotten." The woman asked, unknowingly rubbing dirt in the wound.

"We're seven now, oba-san!" She chirped, smiling brightly and bringing the woman's attention to her as her twin stared at the ground.

"Already? Why, I can remember you as two adorable babies, all-"

Coming outside, lured by their voices, Auntie Shizu's husband tutted when he looked over the three of them. As a retired MP and lifelong shinobi he was a very observant man. "What nonsense are you telling them?" He asked gruffly, his tone chiding.

The woman startled slightly and looked up at him in confusion. "Dear?"

The man shook his head and regarded them with a serious expression. "Kids, you're both an important part of the Uchiha Clan, a noble family of Konoha. Be confident in yourselves. You'll both make great ninja one day."

As the man spoke Sasuke began to smile, his shoulders relaxing now that someone was acknowledging him. Between the two of them she knew he had the harder time of it, always being compared to their elder brother by virtue of being a boy. She always thought it was really silly of everyone. Besides, Itachi was the heir of the clan for a good reason.

"I'm sorry, but we really have to go or we'll be late. Thank you Oji-san, and have a good day Oba-san!" Pulling her brother along she ran up the street, waving good-bye, until they were well around the corner. Once they were safely out of sight or earshot she turned and hugged her brother around the waist.

Sasuke's arms went around her shoulders as he accepted the hug. Normally he would act standoffish when anyone tried to give him affection he considered 'childish' but this was his twin sister. She was the one exception to every rule.

"He might have a head start but we're going to catch up. Who cares what other people think? We've got each other." Once she felt him nod into her shoulder she stepped back and gave him a warm smile, glad to see that he was already looking much better.

"C'mon, Kari, we really will be late at this rate." He said, nudging her arm.

She snickered and slapped him on the shoulder. "Last one there's a rusty kunai!" Then she bolted, giggling when she heard his indignant shout right behind her.

---

Their time at the academy was the same as always. They sat together in Mitsuru-sensei's class as Sasuke listened intently and she wrote notes or doodled in the margins of her notebook. Today she was sitting between her brother and Naruto, the loud blonde boy who loved to play pranks.

Unlike the others she wasn't hostile to the poor blonde and didn't try to avoid him like the older kids. In fact she found a lot of the things he did to be quite funny and often cheered him on in the background.

Unfortunately her brother was not a big fan and often frowned at Naruto whenever the blonde talked to her. She kind of understood why, though she thought it was pretty childish. At one point Naruto had declared Sasuke to be his Rival, which annoyed her twin to no end. Especially since the blonde's skills were very sloppy, which prickled at the edges of Sasuke's perfectionist nature.

She'd had to play peace maker between the two quite often.

Now, she'd never say this to Sasuke's face but her brother wasn't as observant as she was. Although he was both stronger and faster than her, with better reflexes, he lacked her subtlety, intuition, and ability to understand others. It was almost like she had a special connection with people, like she could tell what they were feeling without asking.

It wasn't like the Yamanaka clan's abilities, or something she had been taught from a young age. It was more like… intuition. The ability to see someone's true feelings even when they were trying to hide them.

Like Sasuke's budding inferiority complex toward their brother or Naruto's gnawing loneliness.

If only people would stop comparing Sasuke to their brother then maybe he wouldn't push himself so hard. Likewise, she wondered why she was the only one to notice just how lonely Naruto was? That his pranks were just a misguided attempt to gain attention and were never meant to be mean or vindictive.

Why couldn't anyone else see what she saw?

A question that would have to be explored another day as the bell rang and everyone packed up for the end of the day.
Grabbing her bag she waved at her twin before they parted ways outside the classroom. Too bad for him, boys weren't allowed in the kunoichi classes. Even though that would have been really funny to see.

Entering the room her eyes scanned over the groups of other girls until she finally spied her friend. The shy Hyuuga heiress was sitting alone, like usual, and being very careful not to fidget obviously.

With a bright smile she skipped over to the table and gave Hinata an overly elaborate bow before plopping down next to her.

Hinata smiled, some of the anxiousness falling away in the presence of her friend.

"How are you today, Hina-chan?"

The girl's smile brightened further and a pleased blush crossed her face. "I am well, Ri-chan." It had taken a while to get the shy and overly formal girl to call her by a nickname but it was definitely worth it in the end. "How about you?"

Sweeping her eyes over the gathered girls once more she made sure none of the others were listening in as she let out a small sigh. "A little sad today." She admitted.

Hinata frowned gently and reached out to touch her arm in a show of camaraderie. "…is it Sasuke?"

This was why she adored Hinata. The girl was observant and sweet, caring and kind. Not to mention patient and hardworking. All good traits in a friend. "One of the oba-san at the clan compound compared him to ni-san again. I know they're just happy to have a genius for an heir, but it always makes Sasuke sad."

Setting her hands in her lap Hinata nodded in understanding. Having a talented older cousin and younger sister herself she knew what it was like to be compared to someone else.

"I just wish they'd see him like I do." She said passionately. Sasuke was her other half. Whenever someone made him feel bad about himself she could feel the pain in her chest like it was her own. "I just don't know what to do."

Hinata leaned closer, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure just knowing he has a sister who loves him so dearly is a great help."

Letting out a huff she forced herself to relax and reign in her frustration. "Thanks for listening, Hina-chan. You're the best friend I could ever ask for."

Hinata's face flushed with pleased embarrassment at the compliment and she ducked her head bashfully. "You're my best friend too, Ri-chan."

The girls were still smiling when Takako-sensei entered the rooms and clapped her hands to catch their attention and silence the room. "Today we'll be working on flower arrangements. I'm going to give each table their own supplies and a riddle. You will have to answer the riddle in the language of flowers specified on the page." Picking up the box she'd brought with her their sensei started handing out the required items.

From where she was sitting Hikari could see the smug look on Ino's face and her nose crinkled slightly in distaste. Turning to Hinata she clenched a fist in determination. "Let's kick everyone's butt and solve the riddle first!"

Hinata giggled behind her hand and nodded, all too happy to put their heads together and work out the answer.

Although their clans were supposed to have a longstanding rivalry Hikari and Hinata worked well together. And it showed. While Hikari tackled the riddle first Hinata carefully cut all the flowers to an appropriate length and set them aside. The young Uchiha was often awed by the delicate and precise way her friend moved, like flowing water. Even if she looked like a dainty porcelain doll.

On the other hand, Hikari was well known for being quite boyish in comparison to the other girls. Especially someone like Ino. While there was no open hostility between the two of them Hikaro still got satisfaction from doing better than the blonde girl in class. Even if it was a little bit petty.

Hey, Sasuke had a rival so why couldn't she have one too?

They finished just as Tatako-sensei came by their table to look over their arrangement. She asked a few questions about how they'd gotten their answer and looked pleased at their answers, praising them for dividing up the work and being efficient. Once the woman had moved on she and Hinata shared a triumphant smile before spending the last few minutes just chatting.

Once class was dismissed they parted ways with a promise to have tea some time soon. With a polite bow Hinata left with an attendant from the main Hyuuga household. A stoic woman whose eyes narrowed slightly and lips tightened as she looked between the two girls.

Hikari understood, even if she didn't like how formal Hinata became around anyone from her clan. As the heiress there were certain standards she had to meet when interacting with others. Something Hikari had never really had to deal with besides the whispers she heard from the Uchiha elders about potentially finding her a good husband in the future.

Knowing exactly where she'd find her twin she circled around to the back of the academy, toward the training fields. There Sasuke was, standing some distance away from the targets with a scowl of concentration on his face. In his hand was a shuriken, the target and the ground littered with the sharp throwing weapons.

Rolling her eyes as his focus made him lose awareness of everything else around him she waited until he had no more weapons in his hands before sneaking up behind him and letting out a loud cough.

Whirling around her twin stumbled and almost ended up in the dirt, eyes wide in surprise. When he realized it was just her he glowered, a faint flush coming to his cheeks.

She gave him a sweetly innocent smile and he snorted in response. "How was class?" He asked, trying to cover his embarrassment at being caught unawares.

"The same as always." She said with a shrug as he went to collect his shuriken. "I sat with Hina-chan and we had fun arranging flowers." Sasuke made a face and she laughed. "There was more to it than that, but I know it's not very interesting."

Rummaging around in her pack she pulled out her own shuriken and grinned at him. "First to ten?"
A matching grin crossed her twin's face. "Loser buys the winner dango."

The rules of their little game were simple. The first person to hit the bullseye ten times in a row won the first round. Then the counter would reset and they would move on to the second round. Then it was the first to ten bullseyes with the added rule that two of them had to be back to back. Each round was exponentially harder than the last, otherwise what good would it be for training?

As they started throwing shuriken they tossed out teasing remarks, knowing it was all in good fun.

It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

---

By the time they'd finished their game they had taken a lot more time than they expected. Neither of them had noticed how close the sun was to setting until it was too dark to see the targets any longer. Picking up their shuriken in the dark Sasuke muttered under his breath, "we are in so much trouble when we get home!"

Leaving the academy grounds they hurried towards the clan compound, hoping that they wouldn't be punished too harshly for forgetting their curfew.

In the future she would wonder, morbidly, what might have happened if they'd gone home earlier before the sun set? What if they'd walked home early because a teacher had caught them and lectured them on staying out too late? Or if their parents had sent a clan member to find them and bring their recalcitrant children home?

These thoughts would haunt her for years, leaving her feeling shaken and confused.

Walking through the entrance to the compound a shiver of warning ran down her spine and she stopped dead in her tracks, forcing Sasuke to stop with her. Something was terribly wrong. Inside her chest her heart was pounding and it felt as if a cold win had rushed past her, making her exposed arms break out into goosebumps.

Sasuke's head snapped up, eyes scanning the street and even the rooftops for whatever had set her off. But Hikari was far too afraid to raise her head, certain that something terrifying was there. Just waiting to meet her eyes and pounce- like a cat hunting a mouse.

"Kari? What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, confused by her sudden fear. Then he sucked in a breath and she finally looked up, worry for her twin overriding her fear. "The lights…" He whispered.

Blinking she glanced at the street, though her eyes never strayed above the bottom row of roof tiles. As far as they could see the lights of the Uchiha compound were out. Not even a lantern or candle flame could be seen in the eerily quiet street. Even though the sun had already gone down there was no way that every single family in a prominent ninja clan would be off. Not to mention the lack of sound or movement.

"Kari!" Sasuke hissed quietly, tightening his grip on her hand. "We've got to go!" Then he began to run.

Only the years of doing things as one person and not two made her stiff legs move to match his frantic dash, though her brain hadn't fully caught up yet. Turning the corner they skidded to a stop and Hikari bit back a cry of horror.

The entire street was littered with ninja weapons. Signs, windows, doors, lamp posts, decorations- everything was destroyed. The dead were laying wherever they had fallen, some more contorted and unrecognizable than others.

Neither of them spoke, they didn't need to. Both of them came to the same conclusion at once and shared an equally terrified look. They needed to get home. If anyone could figure out what was going on it was their parents and older brother.

Down the street a ways they found Auntie Shizu and her husband, laying in front of their home where it was clear he had defended his wife to his dying breath.

"Th-this is…" It was awful. There were no words to describe the sick feeling deep in her gut or the way her fingers had gone completely numb with cold. The words were a bare whisper, as if speaking aloud might call down whatever evil had killed so many of their clansmen.

Sasuke pulled her closer, putting an arm around her shoulder as she took a couple deep breaths, trying to keep herself from falling over the edge into sheer panic. Becoming hysteric now wouldn't do anyone any good.

The moment they arrived home they burst through the door, panting and sweating. "Tou-san! Ka-san! Are you there?" Sasuke yelled as Hikari peered outside at the empty street, trying to see if anyone had followed them. When she was fairly certain they were alone she quickly shut the door.

Throwing off his bag Sasuke started checking each room carefully. Silently she followed behind him, her own eyes peeled for any sign of movement or any hint of their family. After each room she looked behind them, feeling as if something was nipping at their heels. Like a ravenous dog.

Hikari was scared. More than scared, she was terrified beyond belief. It was like walking through a nightmare, except you were wide awake with no chance of waking up safely in your bed.

A loud crash echoed through the house and she jumped, slapping her hands over her mouth to muffle a terrified squeak. Sharing a look with her twin she saw him bite his bottom lip in worry before his eyes sharpened with determination. He inclined his head toward the dark hall that led towards the back of the estate and she slowly nodded.

Swallowing down her fear she followed Sasuke as he turned and hurried towards the sound. They approached the door to the dojo together and her twin reached toward the door handle.

An ominous feeling passed over them, oppressive and dangerous. A cold sweat began to bead on her forehead as her limbs seized. Their breath came in short gasps and she wondered if this was what a mouse felt like just before the cat's jaws snapped shut.

Floundering she grabbed Sasuke's hand and held on tight, gaining reassurance and giving it in return. At the very least neither of them were alone to face whatever had them standing frozen in place, trembling for Kami-sama knows how long.

"We-we're not alone." She mouthed slowly.

Sasuke glanced at her, his eyes filled with understanding, and she knew he could feel it too. Someone, or something, was standing behind the door waiting for them.

As one they reached for the door handles and pulled the doors apart, ready to face the threat together.

The sight that met their eyes was one that would haunt Hikari forever. Laying in a pool of their own blood, collapsed to the floor like puppets without strings, were their parents. From the scant moonlight coming through the window it was hard to miss their lifeless empty eyes.

Sasuke yelled and ran forward, wrenching his hand from hers as her feet became rooted to the spot.

'Tou-san, ka-san… no… no no no no no!' They couldn't be dead. There was no way they could be killed!

Movement in the dark corner of the room caught both of them by surprise. Quickly Sasuke scrambled away from their parents and stepped back towards her.

From the shadows Itachi stepped forward, his eyes swirling with the red of their clan dojutsu. Relief flooded her body and she began to relax. Then his head slowly swung towards them and her blood turned to ice in her veins.

"Ni-san! Tou-san and ka-san are- what happened? Why?" Sasuke yelled, needing answers to the horrors they'd witnessed. She could see his hands shaking at his sides and wanted to say something, anything, but her tongue felt like lead in her mouth.

She was transfixed, stuck in place as their elder brother watched them with a dispassionate gaze. Everything about this was wrong. This was not her beloved elder brother who would push her on the swings or read them bedtime stories when he had the time.

"Who would do something like-" Before Sasuke could finish a shuriken came flying out of the darkness and embedded itself in the door. Hikari cried out in alarm as her twin held his now bleeding arm in pain. "Ni-san! What are you doing?" She yelped, lurching forward to inspect the wound.

Sasuke held out his arm with a wince, holding her back. Slowly he stepped in front of her, shielding her body with his own. Shielding her… from Itachi.

This close she could see how much he was shaking, like a leaf in a windstorm. "Suke?" So focused on her twin she missed whatever it was Itachi was doing.

"Foolish, little brother. Mangekyou Sharingan."

A prolonged and unearthly scream tore its way out of her twin's throat as he collapsed to the floor, holding his head in agony.

"Suke!" Without hesitation she threw herself over his body, covering him with her own. "Sasuke, speak to me! What's wrong?" Looking at his face she could see how unfocused his eyes were as drool dribbled down his chin. He gasped for breath, like he was drowning, and she felt as if her heart was being torn in two.

Tears streamed down her face and she hiccuped as she desperately held onto her twin and began to rock back and forth.
Sasuke's screams died down and his breath came in sharp ragged burts. "Wh-why!?" He asked the air groggily. "Why d-did you-?"

Shushing him she pulled him closer, keeping her back between him and the monster wearing her older brother's face.

"To test myself, to measure my abilities." Was the curt and soulless reply.

'No!' Her mind screamed. 'That's a lie! Ni-san isn't like that!'

"J-just for that!?" Untangling himself from her arms he stumbled to his feet. A noise of protest left her lips but she was too shaken to stop him as he stood in front of her once more.

Putting her hands against the floor she tried to stand but her legs wouldn't stop trembling. The fake Itachi took a step towards them, the sound loud in the deafening silence.

Suddenly her arm was being yanked and she was dragged to her feet. "Go! Now!" Adrenaline rushed through her as her twin urged her to run, forcing her legs to move. Gaining momentum she started to run on her own and Sasuke released her arm.

For the first time in her life she was actually able to keep pace with her brother as they ran for their very lives.

Tears poured down her face, obscuring her vision, as she ran blindly alongside her twin through the ghost town that had once been the Uchiha compound. In front of them Itachi flickered into view and she fell to her knees in the street, a choked out sob leaving her lips. She knew it was pointless to run. Their older brother was a highly trained shinobi genius. They wouldn't be able to escape them no matter how they tried.

Head falling into her hands she shook as she cried. Both for all they had lost and for themselves. "P-please, ni-san! D-don't kill us!"

Sasuke just stood there, too far beyond fear and grief to do anything.

"Fools. You're not even worth the time to kill." His voice was as empty as his eyes, devoid of emotion. As if their beloved brother they once admired had become nothing more than a soulless husk. "If you want to get revenge just try to kill me. Keep living like the unsightly cowards you are." A moment of silence passed before he let out a thoughtful noise. "Maybe I should kill one of you as well. Would that eliminate your weakness?"

Looking up from her hands she saw the moment Sasuke snapped out of his stupor as Itachi slowly reached for a weapon.
"I won't let you hurt our imouto!" He screamed as he rushed forward in a last ditch attempt to protect her.

"St-" She had no time to protest as Itachi's fist connected with Sasuke's abdomen. Blood flew from her twin's mouth and he made a strangled gurgling sound before he fell to the ground in a boneless heap. "Sasuke!"

Appearing in front of her with a flicker their eyes locked. In his hands he held a bloodied kunai and she let out a whimper. Swallowing down her fear her eyes went to her prone twin before she looked back up at the monster who had murdered her family. "K-kill me instead." She choked on the words, barely able to force them past her lips. "J-just let him l-live, p-please!"

Closing her eyes was almost impossible with such an overwhelming threat right in front of her but she didn't want to see someone wearing the face of her elder brother as he killed her. She didn't want that to be the last thing she saw.

Waiting for the pain was excruciating as time seemed to stretch on and on. Her heart was beating faster than a rabbit's and her breaths were shallow. The man's shadow fell over her, silent like the night.

Then something warm and wet landed on her cheek and startled her into opening her eyes. Above her Itachi was crying without making a single sound, eyes filled with emotion. Grief, anger, guilt, determination, resignation, and even adoration. It was incomprehensible to her. "Ni-san?"

One moment he was there and the next he was gone, leaving her alone in the empty street.

It took her a long time to finally climb to her feet and shakily make her way over to her twin. Her body felt heavy and her soul cut open, like someone preparing a fish for dinner. Pressing her ear to Sasuke's chest she held her breath and listened carefully, afraid that she would hear nothing.

There. A heartbeat. Turning him over she pulled him into her lap as she lay against the wall of what had once been a sweets shop. She watched the rise and fall of his chest for a moment, feeling relieved. "I-it's going to be okay, Suke. W-we're alive an-and t-together." She swallowed hard. "W-we're still alive."

Burying her face in his chest she continued to cry, with sadness or relief she wasn't sure.

She remained like that for an unknown amount of time when Anbu finally found them. The moment they tried to come closer, however, she screamed at them incomprehensibly- clinging to her twin desperately.

It took knocking her unconscious to finally separate the two of them for the medics. Then came the realization that the farther away from each other the twins were the more distressed they became. In the end they had to keep the two in medical beds right next to each other in order to keep them stable.

By the time the sun rose and set the next day the entirety of Konoha knew. The Uchiha clan was no more.

Save for the last, a pair of twins who were too traumatized to speak and refused to do anything unless they were within touching distance of one another.

It was clear that their path to recovery was going to be a long one.