Note: This is the first thing I've ever posted on here, so be nice please, but I can take CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. It may not be the best thing you've ever read, but please read it anyway.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, the Hyugas would probably get more spotlight than the Uchihas. I did, however, create a couple of the characters who are mentioned, but do not appear in this fic. I guess that's not saying much. (shrugs)

"Hey, Sashi! Hisashi!"

"Huh?" Hisashi looked up, "Oh, hey Hiash."

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"Daddy says that since it's our birthday we can play in the forest and stay out 'til sunset!"

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Wow. He's never let us stay out that late before."

"Well duh," the older-by-seconds Hyuga twin said, sitting down by his brother on the floor of their room, "That's because we were always too little. But not today. Today we're four."

"Yeah…"

"So c'mon, let's go!" Hiash said, pulling up Sashi by the hand and dragging him out the door, "Hey, race me to the forest?"

"Sure." The twins took off. Sashi ran as fast as he could, pumping his fists with all his might, trying to get far ahead before Hiash yelled it, like he always did.

"Last one there has to eat a bug!"

Sashi grinned, "I hope you like crickets!"

Of course it wasn't always bug-eating, especially after that time at school when they made Suki Aburame cry, but there was always something the "last one there" had to do. Sometimes it had to do with chores, sometimes it had to do with whatever game they were playing next, like "Last one there takes the black checkers!" Sashi hated that one. Everyone knew that the white checkers were lucky and only losers played with the black ones. Like the way their family dressed. Main family people like Mommy and Daddy wore white all the time, while branch ones like Cousin Kaiya always seemed to be in black. Branch members like Cousin Kaiya and meSashi reminded himself, a little bitterly, as he stopped and caught his breath, having reached the forest first.

"Aw, man!" Hiash whined when he finally caught up, panting a little. Sashi laughed and scooped up a roly-poly from the ground.

"Here's your snack, Hiash," he said, holding out his hand.

"At least it's not a cricket," Hiash mumbled, reluctantly picking the doomed arthropod out of his brother's hand. Sashi grinned again. It was Kaiya, their favorite cousin and baby-sitter, who had been the inspiration for the bug-eating dare when she once threatened to make them eat crickets and worms if they didn't finish their vegetables. She'd also been the one who nick-named them Hiash and Sashi. Sashi had no idea what was with her obsession with making them eat vegetables and other healthy stuff, but as for the names, he had once overheard her muttering to herself, "Hiashi and Hisashi, what kind of sadistic lunatic would inflict that on their twins? Just goes to show what inbreeding does to people's minds…" He'd asked her what inbreeding was, and she'd told him that he would get in big trouble if she ever caught him eavesdropping on her again, even if she was just talking to herself. After that day he started noticing that even though she always used their nicknames when it was just them, she had no problem at all with their full names when Mommy and Daddy were around.

"Hey Sashi, wanna play hide-n-seek?"

"Sure."

"Alright, that tree trunk over there will be base," Hiash said, pointing, "I'll race you there. Last one there has to count!"

Once again the twins were running at top speed, and Hiash was trying really hard this time; he scrunched up his face and clenched his teeth with effort. But it was no use; Sashi just couldn't be beat today. As Hiash counted, Sashi crouched behind a log. He was really good at racing, really really good. He beat Hiash all the time. But there was one race he lost that he really shouldn't have. One he couldn't even remember. One day Kaiya had told Hiash to go play by himself for a while and explained it to Sashi. She'd said that the birdie seal that he was going to get on his fourth birthday wasn't the wonderful thing Daddy said it was. She said it hurt a lot. And that the only reason he had to get it was that when he and his brother were born, Hiash came out first. It was like losing a race. Last one out gets the Curse Mark.

Later that day they raced to the waterfall, and it was last one there has to dive in first. Sashi lost that one, and found out it was way too cold to swim in today. As he sat on the bank, shivering, he resisted the urge to push Hiash in. Sashi would have won except for Hiash had tripped and hollered "Do-over!" and Sashi was tireder the second time. If only I could have had a do-over on our first race.

They played for hours, until finally the sky started to become shades of yellow and orange.

"Sashi, it's almost sunset. We need to go home."

"Can't we play one more game of hide'n'seek?"

"I don't know… C'mon, you don't want to be late for getting your birdie seal, right?" Hiash poked his brother's forehead playfully.

"I guess not…" Sashi's tone of voice wasn't very convincing.

"What do you mean you 'guess not'? Don't you want to be like Cousin Kaiya?"

"If you think it's so great, why don't you want one?"

"I didn't say I didn't…" Hiash looked away guiltily.

"Sorry," Sashi said, not meaning it even a little bit. I guess you know about our first race too.

"But anyway," Hiash said, less cheerful now, "It's almost sunset…" He bit his lip. It's not my fault you gotta get the Curse Mark. Why do you look at me like it is?

Sashi noticed his brother biting his lip. He always did that when he was about to cry. "Sorry," Sashi said, meaning it this time, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"'Salright," Hiash said glumly.

"Howabout this?" Sashi said, trying to cheer Hiash up again, "We'll play one more game of hide'n'seek, and then race all the way back home. We'll be running really fast, so we won't be late."

"I don't know…"

"What if I count?"

"Oh, alright," Hiash already looked happier.

"Great! Well," Sashi turned toward a tree and covered his eyes, "One, two…" He was glad he could get this one last game in, but still sad about getting the seal. Daddy always said that since you can't prevent your fate there's no point postponing it. One time he'd heard Kaiya mutter under her breath, "But there's no harm in trying." Maybe she was right. This game was fun, even though he knew the race home would be sad.

The game ended minutes later, but they ended up playing two more. Then the sun really was setting and they really did have to run. As the twins charged full-speed ahead toward home, Sashi wanted one thing more than anything else in the world, more than any of the birthday presents he'd gotten today, even more than getting Cousin Kaiya to tell him what some of the words she muttered to herself meant. What he wanted most, in his young heart of hearts, was to holler, as he ran home several steps in front of his brother, "Last one there gets the seal!"