A/N: I thank all those people who took the time to read my story and especially those who reviewed/favoured/followed my story!

If any errors are found, please do inform me, I'll correct them immediately. Constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Italicized words indicate emphasis/thoughts.

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Kishimoto, not me.

Previous:

There was a pause as everyone stared at him.

"Neji...is that a lollipop?"

CHAPTER-12

Sasuke wondered what the hell he was doing.

Here he was skipping(skipping!)along the cobble stone path that winded and snaked with the sunlight warming its worn benches along the sides, with Shisui rambling on about the hardships he faced everyday to defend the honour of his village and his adorable little brothers(read: lies).

His sandals clattered on the stones, and he could feel the warm sunlight falling on his face and arms and feet, bright dragonflies buzzed around them, their multicoloured wings glinting like precious stones under the sun.

All the while the three year old chirped and oo'ed and aah'ed at the right places, throwing in big adoring eyes for good measure, while wondering how his younger self could have been this gullible.

But even as he skipped (why?!),with all the bright sun and dragonflies and the warmth, his mind was swirling like a tornado, loud and relentless. His seventeen year old self was practically screaming at him to stop grinning like an idiot and crouch into a defensive position.

He could feel his palms getting sweaty and heart beating loud and thebloodgushingin his ears.

"Calm down" he forced himself to think, "We're Uchiha and we don't panic"

Never mind the fact that the last part was basically a squeak.

He let his feet wander, seemingly aimless (but very definitely not, so not, so very not) leading his babysitter of the day, along with him, his high pitched voice giggling along clashing with the darker voice inside his mind, creating a maelstrom of darklightlossfearnoyes!

"Calm down" he reiterated, "maybe she's not even there"

He latched onto the thought like a lifeline, letting his tornado focus and calm down. After all it was true, there were so many parks littered across the civilian area, she didn't have to be there. Nope. Or maybe he should just turn back and let go, wait for time to run its course and hope for the best.

But he didn't slow down, neither did he turn, he wandered along because he had to.

And so he waged his war, his mind snarled and his face beamed, while he felt his darkness skitter around the edges of his vision, he could feel the inky blackness trying to swallow him whole, he could hear its thoughts, feel the hatred and cold...so cold.

He could feel it clawing at the bars of his mind, howling to be let out, to cause chaos, to destroy. The seventeen year old in him was being equally difficult, with his sword glinting black and oily and...wrong.

Just for a moment as he tried to rein in his demons, he felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked straight into the bloodshot eyes of his older self, pain and despair and remorse stared back at him, making him feel impossibly small, impossibly fragile, like he was smaller and more delicate than the smallest atom in his body, like he was ready to slip between them and be lost in the haunting darkness forever, never to be found, never to feel light ever again.

Then suddenly the world sharpened back into clarity, all its colours and sounds and warmth driving away the cold and darkness and he could breathe again, his cage snapping close with a growl.

He yelped when he felt himself being picked up, feet kicking instinctively ,until Shisui grinned and tossed him high, looking very much like a smug cat.

"You looked broody for a second there"

He said by way of an explanation as he deftly caught the shrieking(Uchiha do not shriek!)toddler, looking suitably contrite, well, as contrite as one can look when sporting a shit eating grin.

Sasuke just channelled his inner seventeen year old and glared at the older mature(read: sarcasm) boy.

Shisui just beamed at him, before plopping him on his shoulders, ignoring the high pitched put me down!, and bounced ahead, continuing his rant, oops-heroic tale-of rescuing a kitten from a tree.

Sasuke just tugged at the short raven hair in exasperation, pouting and grumbling, but eventually settled down, since Shisui didn't seem inclined to let him down any time soon. The darkness had faded away leaving behind bright warm sunlight and Shisui' s deep baritone tone and his own high pitched giggles in its place.

The nervous tension looped at the bottom of his stomach didn't magically disappear, unfortunately, but he could hear his heartbeat again, and breathe again. In a move that surprised himself, he lowered his chin on his nii-san's best friends' head.

Shisui didn't pause or stop but Sasuke could feel the warmth from the way the hands braced his legs protectively and the slight bounce in his step.

He marvelled at his past (is that right? Because he was already in the past?)selves' way of thinking that light would dissuade him from getting stronger, that bonds ever made you weak.

Because right now even with absolutely no power or strength, he felt invincible.

He remembered Naruto back when they were still young(what do you call your past when you are bloody in it?) and Sasuke was less dark, when the world around them was small enough for his darkness to be claustrophobic and he had a reason to live, when there was his village and his team and nothing else. He remembered the echo of a whisper of another lifetime, amidst tears and fighting and two enemy nin who didn't turn out to be so black as the world painted them to be.

"You grow strong when you have something precious to protect"

Sasuke had once believed those words as nothing more than the declaration of a naive thinking idealistic idiot. Darkness was strong, light weak in all its intricate bonds and vows and second chances.

It had taken years of solitude and despair and a battle of all the nations and one Dobe to make him see light. Literally.

He snorted, obsidian eyes traitorously soft, "He always was too stubborn for his own good. Idiot."

He leaned into the warm dark locks tickling his chin as Shisui hopped around like a big dump bunny, his voice high and strong, spinning a tale of exaggeration and mirth and utter stupidity.

Sasuke felt his pulse grow calmer and his clenched muscles loosening, the baritone voice too loud and bright for his thoughts to drown him and he abruptly decided, in a rather un-Uchiha way, that he wanted more.

"Oi" He interrupted the elder in midst of his wildly exaggerated stories, "I'm bored, tell me a real story"

"Hey! What do you mean real story? All my stories are real!"

"Hn"

"Stop speaking like your anti-social brother!"

"Hn"

Shisui grumbled about brainwashed kids and their tendency to speak in monosyllables, before agreeing with a sigh.

"Alright! hat story do you want to hear?"

Sasuke shrugged, chin still resting on the elder's head,

"I don't really know, but Itachi-nii told me you know that you're the best story teller he knows!" he gestured with his hand though Shisui couldn't see it, "Tell me your favourite story!"

The excitement wasn't all false, Sasuke genuinely wanted to know about the man who had become Itachi's mentor. Shisui had died a hero like Itachi, but his story died with Itachi and the old coot Danzo. His story was forever lost between war and politics and sacrifice.

Shisui gave an enthusiastic jump at his words, before drawing himself up haughtily

"Well, Of course! I am the best story teller of Konoha"

The younger rolled his eyes, wondering if Naruto and Shisui were related, they certainly seemed to share the overly cheerful and comically haughty persona.

They continued t walk, steps growing less bouncy as Shisui hummed and cast about for a story. Sasuke simply closed his eyes and let the present soak through and calm the seventeen year old in him.

Ugh. That thought sounded like he was dealing with a love struck hormonal teenager. Just ugh.

Strangely enough Shisui seemed to grow less bouncier and more slower as they took a turn and stepped onto a path with filtered sunlight streaming through the dense leaves of sakura trees above them and creating a myriad of odd patterns on the harsh stone beneath.

Sasuke glanced up and noted the absence of the eye catching blossoms, the leaves still supple and emerald green, glinting under the sun. There was still time for that.

"Hey Sasuke" the said boy glanced down at the slightly wistful tone, "Did you know that sakura blossoms are said to be the embodiment of fallen nameless warriors?"

Sasuke looked above at the bright green shoots as Shisui slowed down to a stop, and wondered if his Itachi and parents and everyone else from his time were indeed the small buds that hung above him.

"Really?" he asked, voice soft.

In answer the elder just stared at the leaves for a few moments before shaking his head and walking forward. They walked in silence, for once the slightly flamboyant shinobi quiet and lost in his thoughts.

It stayed like that for several minutes that Sasuke abandoned all hope of hearing any story, even those ridiculously outrageous gossips, and was starting to feel slightly disconcerted at this unnatural behaviour and was thus startled(justifiably!) when Shisui did speak.

"Once there was a boy "

Sasuke leaned forward, the conventional opening urging his younger self to squirm excitedly but the older jaded one in him caught the slightly wistful melancholic tone.

"A boy with the heart of vision and a head full of dreams. He was intelligent and bright and had all the world behind him. But there was one thing that scared him, for he was cursed."

"Cursed?"

"Yes, he was cursed with the spell of hatred. Destined to fall to the dark hatred that twisted people and drove them mad and snuffed out their brightness" he continued, "But as all children were, the fear was muffled, muffled between youth and life. And so he lived, happy and carefree, with the curse pushed to the back of his mind. Then one day he punched the living daylights out of another boy who returned the courtesy with even more vigour"

"What did they fight about?"Sasuke asked, giggling.

"Ah but you see, that was the point, neither boy knew. When asked they replied that just felt like it, like it was something set in stone and destined to happen. And really, fate's weird that way, because by the beginning of next day, they were best friends"

"Huh?"

Shisui chuckled at this, bouncing a bit,

"Well, I guess it does sound weird but to them it made all the sense in the world. People are strange, my dear otouto, and the bonds we make even more still"

The image of a certain lip lock suddenly flashed in his mind and he couldn't help but agree, grinning ruefully.

"The boys grew up side by side, throwing pebbles by the same river, fighting together, learning together, and dreaming together. They would sit under the same tree for hours talking like the world was going to end around them any moment. They were inseparable"

"What were their names, nii-san?"

Sasuke couldn't see the other's face but he knew Shisui' s lips were twisted in a sort of wry smile that wasn't really one, like Kakashi 's had been when he had chased after Sasuke, like the way Itachi's had been when he had pressed his blood soaked fingers against his otouto's forehead.

"Names aren't nearly as important as the story, dear Sasu-chan"

"But they are! Names are our identities!"Sasuke said, ignoring the bait.

The elder simply sighed, steps slowing down almost imperceptibly.

"Identities are important, Sasuke but never as much as the story. Never"

Sasuke immediately opened his mouth to protest only to be cut off by the other Uchiha,

"Do you want to hear the story or not?" he threatened gleefully, his wistful tone lightening a bit.

That shut him up. Well temporarily anyway.

"Then one day a monster attacked them and their precious worlds, threatening and roaring."

"Who was that monster?" Sasuke asked, eyes wide.

"The monster was the worst kind of evil. It destroyed people all the while deceiving them in the name of victory and power. It was a creature of deceit, lulling men in the name of power and sweet vengeance. But the worst thing was that very few could recognise this monster"

"What do you mean?"

"It disguised itself as a being of righteousness. Cloaked within lies and power, it destroyed without distinction. And sadly the boy with the heart vision fell into its trap"

Sasuke leaned forward, letting the words float in his mind, while they walked.

"But how?"

"The monster was veiled, remember? To him it appeared in the form of justice and peace and he fell deep in it. The curse that had been pushed aside all these years, sprung back with a vengeance, enhancing his gift of vision but leaving it darkened and broken. The curse nearly crushed him"

"What happened then? Did the curse get him?"

"Just when the curse nearly destroyed him by blinding his vision, and letting the monster kill him, the other boy, his comrade stood before the monster. The monster , delighted to snare another prey, tried to woo the boy singing its sweetest tune"

Shisui grew quieter at this, voice merely a whisper.

"But he couldn't. No matter how much the monster tried, the boy stood firm. Because the boy too had a gift. The heart of compassion. The monster tried and tried but couldn't win. And so in a move of vengeance, it turned to attack his best friend who was helpless."

Shisui paused at this, the wind whispering around them, before continuing,

"But he didn't allow it. As the boy with the heart of vision watched with his darkened and bleeding eyes, his friend stood and let his heart of love burn, bright and big, in every colour of the world, in every range of the spectrum . The fire burned down the monster, and the colours of the flame shot through the darkness of the other boy's eyes, shattering the curse." He continued, "When blood in his eyes stopped flowing, he opened his eyes and for the first time saw the true form of the monster in all its grotesque ugliness and hatred and he reeled back and looked away and was astounded at his vision and looked around for his friend only to find him gone. "

The toddler gasped at this,

"Gone? But where ...?"

"He burned away with his heart. It was the cost of love." Shisui replied solemnly, "The boy left behind screamed and screamed for him to come back. But he didn't, leaving the vision he restored forever tinged with grief."

Sasuke fell silent at this, before tentatively asking,

"What happened then?"

"He lived. The boy, well young man really, lived for the both of them. He smiled and cried and laughed and learned for the both of them."

"What about the monster? Did it leave forever?"

"Monsters never die, Sasuke, they hide till the time of attack. But this time the boy with the gift of vision would be ready because he had his friend's heart of love now. And something else. A gift from his fallen friend"

Sasuke thought back to his big brother who had died with a smile on his face even though he knew the rest of the world would never know his story. He thought back to his parents facing their death with steel in their backs and love for their children.

He thought about his two morons, standing on either side of him with light eyes and bright smiles.

He felt the corners of his lip tug up; he had a feeling he already had this gift.

"What sort of a gift?"

"The heart of insight. It gave his vision all the depth and perception it needed but without the curse. He was forever free from its clutches. And never would the monster would be able to fool him again"

They both fell silent after this, the sunlight above their head having completely been blotted out by the thick overhanging branches. Sasuke glanced back at the small buds that hung above him, wondering about the story, about the boy with the heart of vision.

"So...that's the end? The story's over?"Sasuke finally asked after the silence stretched for a few minutes, "But what about him? What happened next?"

Surprisingly this seemed to have snapped Shisui to his usual self as he heard the loud throaty bellow of a laugh that only Shisui could manage.

Sasuke nearly fell down when the other twisted his neck to meet his eyes, head bent at unnatural angle, even as they continued to move forward.

"Stories never really end, Sasu-chan. People are stories and the stories grow and entwine with other stories never letting them die. No story ever ends, they keep living and spreading with people." Shisui grinned at him, which looked slightly disturbing since it was upside down, "As for our hero...who knows? His story isn't over yet, who's to tell what his ending might be?"

"But they 're just stories!" Sasuke protested as Shisui straightened his neck and slightly rotated it, "All of Itachi-nii' s stories end with 'happily ever after' "

"That's because he's an idiot"

"No he isn't! He's smarter than you!"

"Oh my poor deluded Sasu-chan"

"It's Sasuke!"

"Hey!, that's exactly how Naru-chan responded...you two are really similar y' know?"

They were both jolted out of their bickering when a noise caught their attention and they glanced to their right to see a bright violet ball tumble towards them and hit Shisui' s feet, who stopped speaking, and bent down and scooped it up, easily keeping Sasuke balanced while he did so. But before either of them could comment on it, a shrill yet soft voice rang out,

"Hey!"

Two pair of obsidian eyes glanced in the direction of the sound, meeting jade green ones.

Sasuke drew in a sharp breath as he watched a little girl, his age, with big jade green eyes and cotton candy pink hair in pigtails, all delicate laces and ribbons and weak delicate knuckles run towards them.

knuckles that would one day be able to crush boulders and mountains, knuckles that had survived the training from one of sannins herself. Knuckles that had punched him square in the face during a lag in the war and broken his nose for being an 'overdramatic emo idiot'.

He watched with wide eyes as Sakura Haruno, his teammate and the future apprentice of one of legendary sannin, Tsunade, stopped before them, panting slightly.

Sasuke felt the tension that had left him at some point in the story burst in his veins, making his blood roar and his heart thump almost painfully against his ribcage.

Meeting everyone in his life had been difficult, it had nearly knocked him out, but meeting his team mate was different. Even different than Itachi' s. Because he never got the chance to make it up to her.

Sakura had chased after him forever and even though he had never felt anything like that for her, he had still cared for her as his comrade. And that care had grown into genuine friendship by the time he left. But he never got to tell her to find someone better. To dream something better.

Sakura had been his greatest failure.

Sasuke forced his fists loose, letting the training for his genjutsu techniques calm his mind, and had just about managed to calm down when Shisui kneeled down and smiled warmly at the small girl.

"Hey there kiddo...this yours?"

He held out the violet ball to the girl, who hadn't spoken at all save for the earlier exclamation and was eyeing them with open curiosity.

Shisui just beamed at her patiently, while Sasuke kept silent, his pulse somewhat calm now.

Sakura smiled back hesitantly and raised her hands tentatively but just as her hands reached midway , a shout of 'Sakura!" rang out from the direction she came from.

Within seconds a middle aged man appeared, running towards them. He had...Sasuke blinked, taking in the flower shaped slightly pinkish hair. As he came closer he could see that the man had extremely light blue eyes, and a slightly angular moustache. The man was quite tall, easily towering over Shisui but had a kind air about him that made him appear smaller, more jovial.

The man, Sakura's father he realised, came to stand beside her and glared at Shisui as if he was planning to kidnap his precious daughter.

"Didn't I tell you not to run off like that, sakura?" he asked, sighing as his daughter just smiled

Sasuke tried to place the name even as he turned his attention to the two of them, taking in the ball in Shisui 's hands and realising that they were just helping.

Something like Kakashi...

He grinned apologetically at them, eyes crinkling,

"Sorry about before, I was just worried" he rubbed his head, "This one just keeps disappearing and making me worry" he glared playfully at his daughter who smile back unapologetically.

Kazashi?

"Trust me, I understand" Shisui replied easily, rising back smoothly, and jostled Sasuke lightly, "Sasuke makes me want to tear my hair sometimes too...sometimes his hair too, it depends"

No

Kikashi?

The light eyed man laughed, before receiving the ball from him and handing it to his daughter.

No..Ah!..it was..

"I'm Kizashi, Kizashi Haruno" he introduced himself and nudged his daughter slightly.

"Sakura Haruno" she dutifully chirped, hiding her face partially behind her face.

"My name's Shisui Uchiha" Shisui said and pointed to Sasuke who was still watching and observing rather than actively participating, "And this brat is Sasuke Uchiha"

Blue eyes widened slightly as he most probably connected their names and the infamous clan. But to his credit that was the only outward reaction to the name, before he smiled jovially at Sasuke.

"Why don't you two join us in the park? It's only a few minutes from here and Sakura here is always complaining about having no one to play with"

"What do you say, Sasu-chan?" Shisui asked, once again twisting his head to meet his eyes.

Sasuke wanted nothing more than to say no. When he had guided them to walk upon the path that meandered near Sakura 's house, he had never really expected it to happen, sure some part of his mind was prepared for it but the large part of him didn't.

"Yeah, why not?" he answered, grinning brightly.

A few minutes later, strangely enough, Sasuke was sitting on a swing beside his former teammate while Shisui found a new victim to torture.

"So what do you want to play?" Sakura asked, lightly kicking with her feet and swinging a bit.

Sasuke stared ahead and thought back to why he had agreed to this. Why couldn't they have left her to grow up normally? Let time run its course and everything, even if it was hugely hypocritical of him to say so.

"Because she needs to grow up"

Surprisingly enough that answer had been provided by Shika. And Sasuke was forced to agree, the last time around, Sakura had took too long to grow into her strengths and dreams. He didn't want to deal with the sickeningly sweet weak sakura who cared far too much about skin beauty to be considered a true shinobi. To be considered true in any way at all.

They couldn't afford that this time.

"How do you feel about ..dodge ball?" he asked, resigning himself to his fate.

The small girl wrinkled her nose, looking uncertain,

"But won't my clothes get dirty?"

All of a sudden he wasn't sitting on the swing and he wasn't three years old, he was twelve and grumbling, leaning against a wooden bridge with an annoying pink haired girl complaining loudly about her clothes getting dirty in a mission with an equally annoying blonde fawning over her.

He blinked and he wasn't twelve anymore; he was seventeen and not dark , wielding a lean silver sword while his comrades ran with him, wild and strong. An emerald eyed young shinobi confidently punching through a mountain, grinning devilishly through the mud and dirt that covered her, with the same blonde idiot(except he wasn't , not anymore) grinning and covering them both.

He blinked again and he was back with the same emerald eyed girl. Except not really.

Sasuke shrugged, "What's a game without dirt?"

Sakura still seemed hesitant but nodded after a few minutes and got up.

Sasuke got up too and glanced at the bright green leaves and the buds, before grabbing the ball.

There was still time.

The blossoms weren't here yet.

...

Naruto was deliriously happy.

Not many people knew the fact that Naruto loved books. Of course it hadn't been true all the time, when he was younger he could barely read anything, but that was to be expected, after all it wasn't like his teachers were all too eager to acknowledge his presence even long enough to teach him to hold a pen properly.

Strangely enough his introduction to the wonderful world of books had come by the one person who had been trying to get out of that world. Sai.

The black haired youth had blinked at him when Naruto had said that he had never read, and then proceeded to drag him to the Konoha library. Naruto had protested of course but in the end gave in to the rather creepy monotonous smiley pestering.

By the end of the week he was hooked. And like a true addict, he wanted more. And Sai was only too glad to oblige, taking it as his personal slight that Naruto' s literature skills left much to be desired and dragged the blonde for crash classes on his reading and writing. In fact Naruto was certain he owed almost half the credit for his success with the sealing art to Sai.

Sai.

The blonde sighed as he traced the basic sketch of a particular seal design, wondered where his slightly creepy friend was. Had he already met Shin? Did he smile a lot more? Had he begun painting? Was he lonely? Was he happy?

He knew going after Danzo was a risk they couldn't afford. Not even sneak attacks or attempts at finding information. They were too many ways that could end up as a disaster.

And thus by mutual consent, even though it broke his heart utterly, he had agreed to wait patiently.

For now. He added mentally because there was no way in hell that he would watch the pain of a friend. Hell no.

"You can understand them?"

Vibrant blue eyes blinked to see Neji, who had spoken, looking at him with slight admiration, even as he was engaged in a play of shogi against the lazy Nara.

"No, not really" He lied easily, "But I really like looking at the diagrams"

Neji accepted his answer easily enough and smiled at him, before returning to the game. Shika grinned at the blonde from where he sat opposite Neji, looking right at home with the board of his favourite game in front of him. Shika had explicitly warned him against being too smart with the books, Sasuke had nearly choked himself with his drink on the ensuing snort.

Naruto pouted at the antics of his so called mature friends, and shook his head, absently tracing the containment seal on the book with his finger, his mind noting the lack of proper cross ventilation and the reduced thickness and drawing up an alternative seal in his mind with slanted perforated cuts to replace the original straight rigid ones.

The blonde knew perfectly well the collection of books in his hands was just the tip of the iceberg of the real Hyuga collection and contained no more than simple containment and storage seals, flawed ones at that.

But he also knew that he wasn't supposed to know anything about the sealing art yet and thus had no choice but to act interested and enthralled by the mediocre work.

"Hmm..I wonder if mom left me some kind of inheritance connected to fuin...Kurama would know..."

Sapphire eyes clouded over at the thought of his vixen friend. Kurama still hadn't surfaced and though he'd never admit it out loud, Naruto missed the fox dearly. After seventeen years of jeers ,taunts, malevolent whispers and then finally gentle teasing, playful smacks, and affectionate insults, the ringing silence left him feeling incredibly alone.

"Naruto!"

The said person jerked forward slightly as he registered the call and turned to focus on the slightly grinning Shika.

"Want to help me beat Neji over here?"

Naruto knew what Shika was doing and despite himself, he felt his heart warm at the slightly clumsy attempt at distraction and beamed at him, snapping close the book and abandoning it in favour of bouncing over to his two friends.

"That's cheating, you know" Neji stated with his arms crossed against his chest and lilac eyes narrowed.

"Not if I help both of you" Naruto retorted back, flopping himself down between them.

Neji seemed to consider this, looking at Shika for his reaction who yawned and shrugged, his honey brown eyes twinkling with humour and nodded, seeming comically solemn for a child playing a board game.

Shika grinned to himself as he watched Naruto whoop with childish excitement before falling silent and staring intensely at the board pieces, Neji mirroring the expression as he sat on his haunches and decided his next move.

Shikamaru wasn't sure how many times they played or who won the majority but he found himself falling into a long forgotten pattern, with Neji smiling indulgently at Naruto every time he'd knock a piece off the board claiming 'he was staring at me', with Naruto making them both act out of character and totally out of bounds, with Neji and Shika chatting about everything from how ugly the curtains looked in the room to who was smarter to whose hair was shinier (Naruto).

The young genius looked at his friends fondly, eyes focusing on the lilac eyed boy who'd grow up to overcome his own iron shackled beliefs and rise above them, who'd grow up to become an exemplary young shinobi with a dry kind of humour and stiff loyalty and an iron will.

He glanced up at a particular point in the game, eyes instinctively sweeping the room when his deep brown eyes fell on the calendar that hung on the wall opposite him, laying limp on the rose coloured wall and felt the familiar foreboding coil in his mind.

Suddenly the air in his lungs didn't seem enough and he felt a chill prick at the nape of his neck.

December 27th.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Yawn. Calm down. Yawn.

It was a trick he picked up back when he had a war to fight. Yawing gave him more oxygen to work with and had the added advantage of making it look like he wasn't the least bothered about the situation, it usually made the enemy mad enough to be made utter fools of. Sometimes Shika wondered how his enemies had made it as far as they had considering how idiotic some of them were.

Gradually he could feel the crippling anxiety and fear fade into a familiar barricade of controlled adrenalin and nerves.

Breathe. Yawn.

Shika sighed, running his hand through his hair, and not for the first time wondered about the complexities of time travel. If they saved Hizashi Hyuga, would Neji still grow up to be the strong shinobi he knew?

As much as he loathed it, all of his friends had gotten stronger only because of the pain they endured and overcame. If they prevented the tragedies, would their consequent victories be compromised?

His thoughts paused as he heard footsteps heading in their direction, the sound was muffled and quiet but Shika could hear it clear as day. He glanced up just in time to see a tall brown haired man enter the room and blink at the sight of the three of them sprawled on the warm wooden flooring.

Hizashi Hyuga considered the three children for a moment, his gaze lingering on Naruto and Shika, before he smiled at them, lavender eyes light.

"Well, looks like my Neji has found himself a worthy contender in shogi-" He looked at Naruto who was flopped on his belly in between them, Neji' s silver knight clutched in his right hand, "-and a cheerleader too it seems."

Naruto just beamed at him unabashedly even as Neji blushed a light pink.

"He's helping out both of us" Neji grumbled, snatching the piece back but not unkindly.

The long haired man chuckled slightly, amusement dancing in lavender eyes, before walking forward a few steps into the room,

"So Naruto, Shikamaru" he nodded to the two boys, "How are you finding our house?"

"I like it" Naruto replied, blue eyes bright, "Its warm"

"Warm?" Hizashi frowned, a thoughtful look crossing his features, "Well, now that 's an interesting description"

"Oh but it is!" Naruto insisted, "It's warm and bright and sunny" he threw up his hands to express the last word.

Hizashi blinked a bit before smiling warmly at the small blonde, and turning to Shikamaru,

"And what about you Shikamaru?"

"It's nice" the brunette replied, "Thanks for letting me tag along with Naruto"

"Now don't worry about that" the older man said, waving away his concerns, "After all it's the first time Neji has brought friends home"

Shikamaru smiled up at one of his best friend's father, feeling his heart heavy at what would happen next week and what should and couldn't.

"Now Neji" He said, still smiling, "I came here to remind you of your fencing class" he paused glancing at his near silent son, "But since your friends are here, maybe we could skip it for today?"

But before Neji could even consider replying, Naruto broke in excitedly, pushing himself to sit up straight, eyes glowing with excitement.

"You have fencing classes? Really ?" he was practically in his new friend's face.

Neji blinked, not understanding the other's enthusiasm, but replied,

"Well, yes, I do, I've been learning it for a year now"

This seemed to be the final catalyst for the blonde to propel himself up and standing, who was practically vibrating now, hands clasped together and eyes literally glowing.

Beside him, the young Hyuga heard his other friend sigh and drag himself up.

"Naruto 's been obsessed with anything with swords after he saw Itachi-nii train one day" he offered to both the Hyuga present who were watching the tornado that Naruto bustle about with an occasional over enthusiastic shout and the hyper mania of a bull on a sugar rush.

"Hey! Hey!" suddenly the blonde was standing beside the elder Hyuga , tugging at his hands, "Can I use swords too?! Please?", he pleaded, eyes big and sparkling.

Shika offered his hand to the younger Hyuga who was still sitting on the floor, looking sort of lost, and grinned slightly at him,

"Looks like our game's going to have to wait a bit, huh?"

Neji finally snapped out of his Naruto induced brain freeze and smiled at the Nara, taking his hand and pulling himself up,

"Well it does look like it, doesn't it?" he said, before a teasing glint entered his eyes, "Looks like you escaped this time, Nara"

Shikamaru felt as if someone had slapped him with Sakura 's strong knuckles, his jaw felt tight and his heart thundered.

Just for a moment Shikamaru was somewhere else, somewhere with the same walls and floor, somewhere not so warm and bright, somewhere it had all begun and ended, somewhere he and his lilac eyed friend had sat opposite the same board and exchanged the same words.

"Looks like you escaped this time, Nara"

He looked up abruptly when he felt a warm hand grasp his, and saw the same pair of big lavender eyes and grinned automatically even though his jaw hurt and his stomach felt knotted.

"C'mon" Neji spoke, ignorant of his friend's pain, "They're waiting for us"

Shikamaru numbly looks ahead to find a laughing Hizashi and a still very hyped Naruto walking through the door with the elder gesturing for them to follow.

"C'mon" Neji urged once again, before pulling his friend forward with him.

Shikamaru glances down at the joined hands and feels a sudden intense need to get away, to somehow shield himself against the echo of another lifetime. And he wrenches his hand away from the young Hyuga who had stopped and was now looking at him with open curiosity.

Breathe. Small breaths. Yawn.

"I 'm not really a fan of fencing" He manages to speak, voice high and strange- like a stranger's voice, "And I'm really thirsty, I..I'll...be find you guys"

Neji frowned at him, obviously confused,

"Well, if then I can take you-"

"No" Shika nearly yells, but manages to bring it down, he closed his eyes briefly to get rid of the sudden onslaught of memories, of blood and pain and failure, "I'll be fine on my own, I ..kind of like exploring"

He smiled at the long haired boy weakly, desperately trying to hold down the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

Neji still looks uncertain but nods his head, lavender eyes slightly clouded,

"If you're sure..?" he said, though with a good bit of reluctance.

Shikamaru was already moving before Neji had even finished speaking and gave his friend a sort of a backward wave and hurries forward, ignoring the called out directions to the kitchen . At the back of his mind he knew there would be questions for him when he eventually calmed down but right now his mind felt blank and numb and he knew he had to get away.

He didn't know how long he kept walking on the warm verandas that stretched around the main house, but eventually his steps slowed, thoughts gradually meandering back in.

"Way to handle that, you idiot" he thought as he finally came to a stop and leaned against a wall, feeling the afternoon sun warm his face.

Shikamaru knew that logically speaking, he was the least possibly candidate to be running away from Neji; Naruto was the one who had watched him die and had that death be mocked and cruelly manipulated by Madara. Even Sasuke, who still harboured the guilt over abandoning a friend and going rogue.

Not Shikamaru. He and Neji were comrades but they never shared a deep bond. They were satisfied with lazy taunts and exchanging knowing smirks.

But now, this whole thing threw him off balance, tossing his logic across the continent.

He sighed and shuffled his feet, still leaning against the warm wood.

"Guess I should be heading back, they'd start looking if I stay any longer"

With that thought he wearily pushed himself off the wall, mentally preparing to lie and act normal. He was just about to head back when a faint rustle caught his attention. He glanced around curiously, taking in his surroundings while simultaneously chiding himself for not doing so sooner.

"I'm getting used to being relaxed" he thought.

The veranda he stood on stretched in opposite directions with doors and windows poking in between, a few steps below, fresh grass glinted under the sunlight that fell through the gaps of the branches of an impossibly big and wide tree.

He waited for the sound again, finding it weird that this part of the house was so secluded and quiet. He was about to turn back after a few minutes of silence when he heard the sound again.

"It sounded like it came from over there"

He walked quietly towards the tree that stood at the centre, his feet making no noise at all. He reached out his hands and grasped the rough bark of the tree and slowly stuck his head around the girth.

He glanced down to find a familiar small raven head sitting beneath the shade; he felt his breath catch even before he could consciously stop himself and the raven head looked up.

Big lavender eyes, even bigger than Neji' s stared up to meet his honey brown ones, there was a moment of silence as the two of them stared at each other. Shika forced a stuttered breath and grinned weakly at her,

"Hey there"

Hinata Hyuga continued to stare at him, eyes unblinking and curious, without an inch of fear or hesitation and Shika began to fidget under her intense gaze, the sweat making his hands slippery and clammy.

Just as he was considering whether making a run for it would be feasible or not, the small heiress 's face lit up in recognition and she beamed at him.

"Oh! You must Neji-nii san's new friends!" she chirped, "Are you the one who made that cake?"

Shika blinked at the sudden turnabout of the situation, "Well, Yeah, I mean , uh, I didn't make the cake , Naruto did, but we're both Neji' s friends" he offered a weak smile, "My name's Shikamaru"

"I'm Hinata", the raven head didn't seem to mind the stumbling response and grinned at him brightly, "Nice to meet you"

Shika continued to blink at her stupidly, feeling completely out of depth with this new bold Hinata.

The young heiress crinkled her nose in thought considering the young boy in front of her, " You're not very bright, are you?"

That was exactly what he needed.

Shika burst out laughing, feeling all his hesitation fade into mirth at the declaration. He dropped beside the brightly grinning raven head still chuckling, "I have been called many things but stupid...now that's a new one"

Hinata giggled and shrugged at him, looking impossibly pleased with herself.

He grinned at her and found himself liking this non stuttering version much more.

"So what were you doing out here?" Hinata asked, the giggles having faded into a smile.

Shika considered his answer, before deciding on the truth...well somewhat,

"I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and I got lost" he shrugged sheepishly, " Your house is huge"

The young girl was nodding her head even before he had finished his statement, "I get lost all the time too!" she smiled at him, "But maybe I can help you, where did you want to go?"

"Where Neji has his fencing lessons" Shika replied.

It was as if the words were a switch, turning her vibrant grin into a sort of resigned fear, shoulders drooping visibly.

"You don't like fencing, huh?" Shika enquired, leaning back against the rough bark and feeling the filtered sunlight fall on his face.

Hinata played with a blade of grass near her feet, lavender eyes lowered. For a moment Shika felt he was with his time's Hinata, the Hinata who never met his gaze or spoke in a loud voice.

"No, it's not that...It's nothing" she finally said, smiling slightly and standing up, offering a hand, "I'll take you there" she promised in a quiet voice.

He stared at her a moment before accepting the offered hand and pulling himself to his feet, feeling the soft grass tickle his feet and a breeze waft through the dandelions in the front.

"This is a great place" He mused, "Makes me want to stay here forever"

Hinata perked up at this, regaining some of her brightness,

"It is? Right?" she looked around as if seeing it for the first time, "I come here all the time, it's so warm and quiet" she smiled, "But father is allergic to pollen, so he never comes here"

Shika looked around and noted the wild hydrangeas and the violet irises, the tall lavenders , the scented roses, the bright tulips and so many more flowers dancing beneath the sunrays.

"I can see that happening" he grinned.

Hinata just giggled softly and began walking, the bright sunlight reflecting off her glossy head.

They walked side by side for a few minutes, the whisper of the wind and their footsteps the only sound between them, but Shika could tell the other was not overly happy. Hinata walked quietly, with her shoulders hunched and posture drawn inward.

Shika didn't try to engage, he had never been a fan of forced conversations, he understood and cherished the importance of a comfortable silence. Naruto was the one with loud proclamations and impromptu speeches and tearful confessions that left people wondering as if they'd survived a storm. And well, Sasuke was all for monosyllables.

They made a really good team that way, he supposed.

They kept walking for several more minutes and Shika noticed the lack of flowers in the lawn that was to their left. More people trickled through, many bowing to Hinata who'd simply nod looking shy and every inch the Hinata he knew, others simply smiling warmly at them.

A few more minutes later Shika could hear Naruto 's loud voice shouting and laughter and the dull sound of wood on wood. He noted the way his companion's steps slowed, hesitation showing through clearly.

"You don't have to come with me, you know" Shika finally said, stopping by the corner that, he assumed, led to the training courtyard.

Hinata jerked her head up and met his gaze, eyes wide and considering.

"Obviously you don't like fencing, I won't ask you to come with me" he continued.

The lilac eyed girl smiled ruefully and shook her head, "I don't hate fencing or fighting" she admitted, " I just...don't want to hurt anyone" she clasped her hands together, looking anxious.

In that instant he knew that his time's Hinata lived within this tiny fragile girl. A fierce soul of compassion buried beneath layers of doubt and fear.

"But no one gets hurt, they use wooden swords, right?" he asked, frowning.

Hinata nodded, "Yes, but still...I..." she drew a deep breath and looked at him, "I don't want to hurt people"

Even though he was impressed by the statement, the seventeen year old in him knew the cost of peace and love. And he knew that some sacrifices were irrevocable.

"But what about protecting and dreams?" he asked, knowing full well the impact his words would carry.

The pale girl drew her eyebrows in a puzzled manner.

"Don't you want to protect your own and fight for your dreams?" he asked again.

"I...yes..I do" Hinata replied, looking a bit uncertain. Shika didn't blame her, typical three year olds didn't have to think about dreams and self protection, but he knew Hinata had to. She was part of the team, after all, and they were here to change time, literally.

"Then you have to learn to fight" He replied, "So that your voice never gets lost"

"You don't have to hurt" Shika interrupted when he saw his future teammate about to protest, "You just have to learn to protect" He willed the young child to understand the difference between fight and protect, between power and strength.

"Don't you want to have a dream?" he asked softly.

The instant he saw the small girl draw herself up and grin brightly at him, back straightening, he knew that this crazy wish of their' s to change the world was perhaps a bit more achievable.

"Let's go then" she walked forward, except this time there was no tremor or hesitation.

The courtyard was enormous with Naruto and Neji occupying only a small corner. Neji and Naruto were engaged in what he assumed was supposed to be fencing but in reality looked like a sort of chicken dance. Two men, Hiashi and Hizashi, he supposed, were watching with matching amused expressions. They walked straight over and Shika waited.

Within minutes he heard the ever familiar shout of "Shika!" and looked ahead to find sparkling blue eyes watching him with a hint of concern peeking through. He smiled back, letting him know everything was fine.

"Ah, you must be Shikamaru"

Shika looked towards his right to find Hiashi Hyuga smile at him, looking exactly like his brother.

Except for the curse seal. He thought.

"Shikamaru Nara" he smiled back at the man.

"Who're you?"

Beside him, Naruto had now completely abandoned the wooden sword and was peering curiously at the raven haired girl standing with him. Hiashi seemed especially surprised by the small girl.

"Hinata" she grinned back at him, "You're Naruto, right? The one who made that cake?"

Shika smothered a grin of his own when Naruto blinked slightly at Hinata' s behaviour, but to his credit he was back to normal within seconds and was eagerly nodding his head, even as Neji joined them and grimaced slightly at the mention of the cake, and for some reason touching his head gingerly.

"Let's start playing" Naruto jumped after a few more minutes, grabbing Shika with one hand and his sword with the other, blue eyes glowing, "C'mon Shika"

"What about Neji?"

All four of them turned to stare at Hiashi, who had spoken, his almost white eyes were strangely speculative and gleamed with well hidden surprise.

"Hinata" Naruto stared at the man as if he was an idiot, and Shika suppressed a grin at the look on the man's face.

"Would you, Hinata?" he turned to his daughter.

Hinata looked up at him and her eyes hardened, "Yes"

Hiashi blinked as Naruto cheered, Shika complained and Neji threw his cousin a sword, grinning at her, "Let's show the newbies how it's done, cousin"

The day was spent amidst laughter and taunts and complaints (Shika). Even Hiashi and Hizashi joined in at some point, and from that point Shika wasn't sure what they were doing.

They ate in between, played shoji, ran around a lot and fenced (chicken danced) a bit more. They even joined the alphabets class the two young Hyuga attended. At some point they invaded the kitchen and made something Naruto called GJs , with Neji vouching for its taste.

But as satisfying as the day was, it was at the end at the gate that Naruto and Shika got the thing they were waiting for.

"Father, can I invite them?" Hinata asked as they were just about to turn, with the four of them at the gates.

Neji jumped in between, looking equally hopefully, and dishevelled, "Yes, can we, father?" he pleaded to his father.

The two men glanced at each other, considering even as the two not three year olds held their breath,

"I don't see why not" Hiashi finally said, smiling.

"It would certainly be a first in our house" his brother agreed, turning to the two toddlers, "Would you like to join us on 27th December for Hinata' s birthday?"

Naruto was practically crushing Shika' s arm, even as he smiled brightly and nodded, "Yeah!Um...can we bring friends?" he added hopefully, using his puppy dog eyes.

"I don't see how we can say no to that, right brother?" Hiashi laughed, not in the least bit resembling the harsh leader he would soon become.

Even as all four of the children cheered, the sun setting behind them, basking everything in a dark red hue, Shika was painfully aware of Naruto 's crushing grip on his arm and his own thoughts, wondering about the fate of Hizashi Hyuga.

And Neji Hyuga.

...

The crimson eyed woman stared at the dark room in front of her.

The room that once had bright emerald drapes with silver trimmings that were always pushed aside for the sun to grin through. The room that once had blood red and gold carpets that were always warm and soft, even in the harshest of winters. The room that once echoed with loud laughter and muffled lullabies and boisterous songs .

The room that now stood faded and grey, emerald and red torn and dull, tinged with dust and fungus, time had extracted its price. It now resonated with silence and a dull echo of its past.

Kohaku Seimei walked forward and rested her head on a cracked portrait on the once midnight blue and sunny yellow walls, her eyes closed and brow furrowed , fingers tracing all the grinning faces.

"Makes you scared, doesn't it?" a baritone voice asked.

Kohaku didn't reply but straightened her back and turned around to stare at the man who had spoken, not looking in the least bit intimidated.

"Everything falls" she replied, eyes narrowed, "It's how things are, right, Fugaku?"

Fugaku stared back at her, eyes hard and unflinching, "Maybe. Maybe not."

She considered his words, eyes cool and misted, as if she was seeing something other than this dusty old room with the faded curtains.

"I didn't ever think I'd come back here" she turned back to the portrait, features soft and pale.

The head of Uchiha didn't answer, staring at the bright portrait that even time hadn't managed to dim and wondered if everything was indeed fated to end, if nothing could stand the ravages of time.

"No, not everything"

"I, on the behalf of the Uchiha clan" he bowed to the young woman, "Welcome you back, Kohaku Seimei-Uchiha"

A/N: Hello, My wonderful victi- uh, I mean readers. How are you guys?

I know I'm late so please accept this extra long chapter as a meagre compensation from this suitably contrite author. :p

And before any of you tell me, I know Hinata sounds too bold, I purposely made it so. People aren't timid by birth, it's the environment that makes them shy and awkward. In Hinata' s case, I think that the early doubt and criticism from her dad left her with a low self esteem and that 's what led to her non-confrontational nature. And since she's 3 in this, she's not that lost. Yet.

She still possesses her key personality traits- compassion, kindness and persistence. She just won't be the stuttering girl we all know.

On another note, next chapter will be all bout the cloud incident and since I have no plot planned out, give me your opinions and suggestions and I might include them!

Thanks for sticking by me, it really means a lot to me.

Thanks for reading!