Disclaimer: As sad as it is, I do not own Naruto. I'm not that creative. Haha.

Music inspires me a lot in my stories so at the beginning of each chapter of this story, I'll give you a chapter song. I'll give you the title of the song and I'll post either all or part of the lyrics. So, yeah. If you have the time, look up these songs. They're all songs that I like and usually fit very well with what's going on in the chapter. So, here's this chapter's song.

Chapter Song: We're Going To Be Friends - The White Stripes

And when I wake tomorrow I'll bet
That you and I will walk together again
'Cause I can tell that we are gonna be friends

Years and years ago lived a brave Knight. He was a kind knight but very distant one. He never really talked to people. He kept to himself most of the time. The Princess of the land ran into him one day and they became best friends. The Knight was still very quiet but when the Princess talked to him, he wouldn't even think twice about talking with her. The Princess fell in love with the Knight but she was afraid that he didn't love her back. So she kept it to herself. But then the Knight did some very bad things and got in big trouble. The Knight didn't want to go to where they put all the other bad people so he ran from the village. The poor Princess was heart-broken. She didn't know what to do. She decided that no matter what, she still loved him. So she left the village to find the Knight. When she did, she realized he hadn't changed one bit. She realized he wasn't really a bad guy. He was told to do the bad things by someone else. He hated himself so much though for what he did. She didn't know how to convince him to come back. So she did the only thing she could think to do; she told him that she was in love with him. The Knight couldn't believe someone as sweet as the Princess could love someone who had done the things he had but he was happy because he had fallen in love with her while they were friends, too. So the Knight agreed to go back with her. The village wasn't happy at first but when they heard that he was told to do those things, they were glad the brave Knight had come home. Neither of them could believe it, but in the end, the Knight and the Princess were able to live together, happily ever after.

"Tell me another story, Nii-chan!" Emiko shouted at Fumio just as he spoke the last words of his first story.

"Not tonight, Ems. It's time for you to get to bed. Tomorrow's your first day at the ninja academy. We wouldn't want you falling asleep in class because you stayed up too late listening to stories, would we?" Fumio said, smiling at her.

Emiko sighed. "I guess not. Will you tell me another one tomorrow night, then?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course I will. Goodnight, sweetie," he replied.

Fumio kissed Emiko's forehead and pulled the covers up to her chest. Even at her young age of six, Emiko knew just how lucky she was to have an big brother as great as Fumio. Fumio was eleven years older than Emiko and has been taking care of her all by himself for three years now, ever since their parents were killed on a mission in Sunagakure. The death of their parents never bothered Emiko much since she never really knew them but she could see that it greatly effected Fumio. Of course, since he was trying to be strong for his little sister, he fought so hard to hide it.

"Nighty night, Nii-chan," she said sleepily.

Emiko yawned. No matter how much she wanted to hear another story, she couldn't deny she was tired. She curled up in ball on her side and drifted off to sleep.

There was blood every where. On the walls, on the ground, on the bodies that lay on the floor, but worst of all, on the man sitting in the corner. It was too dark. Emiko couldn't see who the man was. But she saw a little boy come running into the house she was in. She could see the tears in his eyes and his lips moving but couldn't hear anything. She couldn't even see him very well. Everything was a pale black except for the blood. The blood was a very bright red.

Suddenly the scene changed. But it didn't make any more sense than the last one. It was a pitch black room and all Emiko could see was an older version over herself. Probably twelve or thirteen years old. And she crying; screaming at the sky. This time, Emiko could hear. Oh boy, she could hear. She could hear the pain and sadness behind each cry this older self made; by each word she screamed out. Emiko wanted to know what was going on so she tried listening to what the older her was saying. "Why?!" she screamed out. "Why would you do this?! Why would you do this to me? Why would you do this to your very own little brother?! I don't understand . . . Help me understand! Please . . . COME BACK!"

Emiko shot up. She was back in her own room, in her own bed. Just a dream, she told herself. She was shaking all over and her breathing was heavy.

"Emiko? Are you alright? You were screaming."

Emiko hadn't noticed Fumio by her side. She nodded her head and hugged him.

"Just a bad dream," she said quietly.

"Tell me about it, it might help," Fumio suggested, hugging her close to him.

Emiko knew the dreams were important. There was something about them that just seemed so important that she couldn't bare to let go. If she told Fumio the dreams, he'd try to make her forget them. So Emiko just shook her head and whimpered.

"I don't want to talk about."

Then, in an effort to stop from worrying Fumio, she jumped out of bed with her normal bright smile on her face. Fumio looked at her with worried eyes and Emiko just continued to smile at him. He sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to force it out of her, and stood up.

"Come on, Ems. We'll go get you some breakfast and then you can get ready," Fumio said.

Emiko took his hand and followed him into the kitchen. Emiko sat on the counter and helped Fumio mix up some pancake batter. As the pancakes were cooking, Emiko brushed out her bright orange hair and got dressed in her usual dark green tank top and shorts. By the time she had finished and skipped back to the kitchen, Fumio had a plate sitting on the table for her. This surprised her. She usually ate breakfast sitting on the counter and Fumio would eat standing up. Still curious, Emiko sat down at the table and looked up at Fumio.

"Sorry, Ems. I have to leave early today. Kimi's parents are in town and she wants me to meet them," he said, rolling his eyes.

Kimi was Fumio's girlfriend of six years now. Meeting her parents was not something he was looking forward to. Emiko wasn't looking forward to him meeting Kimi's parents, either. Probably for basically the same reason Fumio wasn't looking forward to it. There was a big chance that her parents would end up hating him.

They haven't really liked him at all since he first started dating Kimi, even though they've never actually met him. When Fumio and Kimi started dated, they were only eleven. Her parents were furious, claiming she was too young for a boyfriend. Kimi didn't listen to her parents, though. She moved in with her aunt, who loved Fumio, and her parents moved away to god knows where. They've never visited before. Emiko was very curious as to why they decided to visit now.

"Can I trust you to brush your teeth when you're done and get to class on time?" Fumio asked with a goofy "serious" face.

Emiko giggled and shook her head no. She didn't really mean no, she just wanted to see what her big brother would do. Fumio faked a gasp and shook her playfully.

"No? What do you mean 'No'?" he asked.

Emiko laughed as he continued to shake her. Suddenly, he stopped, taking in a deep breath through his nose. He puffed out his chest, folded his arms, and stared down at her.

"Do you know what that means?" Emiko shook her head, a smile on her face. "It means . . . it means the tickle monster is going to get you!"

Fumio started tickling Emiko in all the places he knew affected her the most. Both of them were laughing the whole time. After a moment, Fumio stood up, frowning slightly. Emiko frowned too, knowing this meant he had to leave. She was having fun with Fumio and didn't want him to go. Actually, she just didn't like being without him. She was used to being with him from the time she wakes up until the time she has to go to bed. Suddenly, she wasn't looking forward to having to go to the ninja academy.

"I have to go now. You'll be a good girl during class, right?" Emiko just nodded her head. "That's my girl," Fumio said, ruffling her hair. "I love you, Emi."

"I love you, too, Nii-chan," she replied.

Fumio smiled and kissed Emiko's forehead before leaving. Emiko turned back to her food and she couldn't help but giggle. Fumio had made a smiley face with whip cream. She then noticed that on the napkin set under it he wrote "Mr. Pancake here isn't nearly as gorgeous as I am but he should do until I get back. Love you lots, Fumio." This made her laugh even harder. Thanks to the pancakes and the note, Emiko was feeling a lot better about having to go to the academy.

As soon as she was done eating, Emiko brushed her teeth just like Fumio asked her to. The happiness she felt while eating the pancake wore of now as she walked to school all by herself. So she pulled out the music player that Fumio had bought earlier that year and put on a funny song that her and Fumio loved dancing around to. She was filled with joy again as she skipped down the streets, singing along with the song.

"Gotta be green, gotta be mean, gotta be everything more, why don't you like me, why don't yo- oof!"

Emiko fell on the ground as she made contact with a solid object. She turned off the music and looked up. There was a boy about her age standing there. He didn't say anything, didn't really show any emotion, but he offered Emiko his hand. She took hold of it and he helped her up off the ground.

"Sorry. I wasn't paying attention," Emiko said, brushing herself off.

The boy smiled a very small smile at her.

"It's okay," he said.

Emiko took a better look at who she had ran into. He definitely was her age but quite a bit taller. He had black hair that was pulled back into a small pony tail. His eyes almost matched his hair, being a dark onyx color. Besides that small smile, there wasn't too much emotion on his face. Actually, there really wasn't any at all. That smile looked more like he was trying to be polite but it wasn't like he wasn't feeling anything, it was more like he didn't feel the need to show it. Emiko smiled brightly at him. She felt like he'd be one of those kids that wouldn't end up with many friends. Since she didn't think that would be a pleasant thing for anyone to go through, she decided right then and there that she'd be his friend.

"I'm Emiko. Hama Emiko," she told him, still smiling brightly.

"Uchiha Itachi," he replied.

Just then, the bell at the academy rung. Knowing that if he really was her age, he'd be starting at the academy today, too, Emiko grabbed his arm.

"We're going to be late!" she called to Itachi as she ran towards the academy, dragging him behind her.

Emiko quickly sat down and though she wasn't sure he really would, Itachi took the seat next to her. She smiled at him and he smiled back. His smile was different this time. It wasn't just a polite smile, it was a true smile. It was a bit of a shy smile but a genuine one none the less.

Class dragged on and on. Emiko was afraid it was never going to end. She had a difficult time with even just the simple things they learned today and was grateful to be sitting with Itachi who willingly helped her out with anything she didn't understand. Itachi seemed to know most everything before the teacher explained them. Of course, Emiko knew they were only learning basic things since it was the first day. She knew it was possible that Itachi would not know as much as they went on in their academy training but somehow found it unlikely.

"That was horrible! And to think the work is only going to get harder from here. Maybe I just wasn't cut out to be a ninja."Emiko sighed, knowing this was probably true as she walked out of the academy with Itachi still by her side.

"You shouldn't give up so easily. Our sensei is pretty advanced. He doesn't explain things in easy terms. That's all," Itachi said.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I couldn't do it. My parents were the first ones on both sides of the family to ever become ninjas. Even my ani wasn't very good at it," Emiko explained.

"But your parents were. Hama Yuu and Hama Rin. They were ANBU captains, weren't they?" Itachi asked.

"Yes," Emiko said quietly, frowning.

Itachi was proving her wrong and like most little kids, Emiko didn't like being wrong.

"See? I bet you'll be a great ninja one day," Itachi told her confidently.

"Humph."

Emiko folded her arms over her chest in a huff. Itachi laughed quietly causing Emiko to stick her tongue out at him. Itachi walked with Emiko all the way to her house. She grab hold of the doorknob, only to realize it was locked and wouldn't turn. She sighed and sat down on the steps in front of their house.

"I guess Nii-chan isn't home yet," Emiko said to herself.

"Why don't you come with me to my home? It isn't always safe to sit outside by yourself," Itachi suggest.

Emiko knew Fumio would be upset if he came home and she wasn't there but Itachi had a point. Besides, Fumio wouldn't be mad at her and it'd be very easy for him to find her once he did get home. So Emiko smiled, standing up.

"Are you sure? I mean, your parents won't be mad or anything, right?" she asked and Itachi laughed.

"No, they won't. Come on," he said, smiling at her.

Emiko smiled back and skipped down the steps. She ran up to Itachi, grabbing his hand. Itachi led Emiko back to his home, allowing her to hold his hand the whole way. Once they got there, Itachi finally pulled his hand away from her's in order to slide open the front door. He smiled at Emiko and let her enter first. Emiko saw a very beautiful woman sitting on the floor with a little baby boy in her arms. Well, not that little. He had to be at least a year old.

"Itati!" the little boy shouted, running up to Itachi.

Itachi smiled and sat down, hugging him. The little boy sat in Itachi's lap, facing him, and just started playing with his shirt. Emiko leaned down and looked at the little boy, smiling. He was so cute! When Emiko looked up, she noticed the woman standing there, smiling at the three of them.

"Hello, Itachi. And who's this?" She asked, looking over at Emiko.

"This is Emiko. Emi, this is my mother. And this is my baby brother, Sasuke."

"Hello Emiko. I assume today was your first day at the academy, too?" Emiko nodded. "Well, it's nice to see Itachi made a friend."

Itachi rolled his eyes. He lifted Sasuke up to his mom who took him back into her arms. Itachi stood up and smiled at Emiko who was still looking at Sasuke. Sasuke stared back, tilting his head to the side. Emiko remembered that when she did that to Fumio, he'd always mimic her actions and it would always make her laugh. So, she decided to try the same thing by tilting her head the way Sasuke had. Sasuke seemed curious and decided to tilt his head to the other side. Emiko followed, smiling at him. Sasuke smiled and tilted his head back the other way again. Again, Emiko followed. Sasuke laughed and clapped his hands then tried doing other things like lifting up his arm or his leg. Emiko continued to follow each movement he did. Itachi's mother laughed along with Emiko and Sasuke while Itachi continued to watch, smiling brightly. This went on for quiet a while until Sasuke finally started yawning.

"I think somebody needs a nap," Emiko said, giggling.

"I think you're right. Come on, Sasuke," Itachi's mother replied.

"Bye-bye Itati. Bye-bye Emi," Sasuke said in that cute childish voice of his, waving.

Emiko and Itachi both waved back.

"He's so cute. You're lucky to have him as a little brother," Emiko said, smiling at Itachi.

"I know I am." Itachi replied, smiling back.

"Emiko, Itachi. Are you two hungry? I can make you something if you like," his mother asked as she walked back into the room.

Emiko never liked saying she was hungry when at someone else's house; it just felt rude to her but she didn't have any choice when Itachi looked at her, showing he wasn't going to say yes if she wasn't hungry.

"I-I guess," she stuttered.

"Okay," Itachi's mother said, smiling at her. "Would you guys like ramen, sushi, omusubi, or-"

"Omusubi!" Emiko and Itachi both shouted at the same time before his mother could finish her list.

Emiko and Itachi looked at each other and laughed. His mother smiled, shaking her head at the two of them. She made up a few rice balls and set them on a plate for Itachi and Emiko to share. As they ate, Emiko blab on and on about nothing in particular and even told some jokes. She was used to people telling her to shut up because she talked too much but Itachi just sat, listening with a smile on his face, even laughing at all of her jokes.

"I'm sorry. Am I talking to much? I'm probably boring you with my lame jokes, aren't I?" Emiko asked, staring at the ground as she took another bite.

"No, it's okay. I like listening to you. And you're funnier than you give yourself credit for," Itachi insisted, smiling at her.

"Really?" Emiko asked hopefully, smiling brightly.

Itachi nodded his head. Emiko opened her mouth to start talking again but there was a knock at the door. Out of habit, Emiko jumped up and ran to answer it. Fumio was standing there with Kimi by his side. Itachi suddenly appeared by Emiko's side. She glanced over at him then looked back at Fumio and Kimi.

"Hi Nii-chan! Hi Kimi!" Emiko shouted, smiling up at them. Fumio opened his mouth to say something but Emiko was talking before he could even take a breath. "Sorry. I know I didn't stay at home but you weren't there and Itachi offered to let me stay at his house and I didn't want to just sit on the house steps so I agreed to come here and I met his mommy and his little brother and I played that game with Sasuke that you used to play with me and we were laughing and everything and . . . and . . . and we had rice balls!"

"Well, sounds like you had fun," Kimi said as her and Fumio laughed.

"She sure did. I'm Mikoto. Uchiha Mikoto," Itachi's mother said as she came up behind Itachi, having heard the knock on the door.

She held out her hand, smiling. Fumio smiled back as he shook her hand.

"I'm Hama Fumio and this is my girlfriend, Yano Kimi."

"Nice to meet you both. Apparently Emiko and my son Itachi here became friends at the academy today," Mikoto said, placing her hands on Itachi's shoulders.

"I heard. Their sensei told me said he saw them leaving together. That's why we decided to come and see if she was here," Fumio replied, smiling down at Emiko.

"Nii-chan, can I stay? Please, please, please?!" Emiko asked, jumping up and down.

"Well that's not really up to me, Ems," Fumio, glancing up at Mikoto.

"Uchiha-san, can I stay for a bit longer, please?" Emiko asked, being as polite as possible.

"Of course, dear. You're welcome to stay as long as you want. Or, as long as your brother will let you, that is."

Kimi, Fumio, and Mikoto laughed. Emiko really liked Itachi and didn't really want to leave his side. She'd be much happier if they somehow got glued together. But with Mikoto's words an idea formed in Emiko's head. Sure, she couldn't stay here forever but she could at least spend the night, right? She was afraid to ask, feeling it would be very rude, but she didn't have to.

"Kaa-san, can Emi spend the night?" Itachi asked.

"If she wants to and if it's okay with Fumio-san," Mikoto replied, looking down at Emiko first.

"Sure! Nii-chan, can I? PLEASE!" Emiko begged.

"I don't see why not. Just don't stay up too late because you still have class tomorrow," Fumio replied.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they're both asleep at a reasonable time," Mikoto assured him with a smile.

"Well, it's settled then," Fumio said.

"Yay!" Emiko shouted.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then, Ems."

Emiko ran up to Fumio and gave him a big hug and a kiss. She found it funny how earlier today, she wasn't sure how she would get by without him by her side. But now, though she knew she'd miss him, as long as she was with Itachi, she knew she'd be just fine. It was like she had to have one of them by her side at all times.

"Hey, don't I get a hug and a kiss, too?" Kimi said with a pouty face as Emiko was about to go back to eating with Itachi.

Emiko giggled and ran up to Kimi, hugging her tightly and letting her kiss her cheek. After their goodbyes, Emiko and Itachi went back to eating their snack and talking. They both had fun playing with Sasuke when he woke up from his nap. Before they knew it, Mikoto came in telling them they needed to head to bed. Emiko slept in Itachi's bed with him; two little kids cuddled up together as best friends. Emiko fell asleep, praying she and Itachi would always be friends.

Hello,

Thanks for reading! The song used in the story is Grace Kelly by Mika. Also, I apologize here and now if any of the original Naruto characters seem out of character but the thing is, Itachi wasn't always Mr. Serious. Sure, he didn't have a lot of friends but if you remember the flash backs of him and Sasuke, he smiled and laughed and everything. He was normal back then! Haha. So, yeah, he'll be out of character most of my story. Anyways, please, please review! It makes me feel special. Haha. Oh and two more things! First, not all the chapters of I Will Love You After . . . will be as long as this one. This one is very long compared to what I usually write. Two, for the next couple of chapters it's going to be age jumping. Haha. Like, I mean, in this chapter Itachi and Emiko are six. The next chapter they'll be seven, the next they'll be twelve, next they'll be thirteen, and then from then on they'll be eighteen unless I tell you otherwise. Okie dokie? Don't worry, I'll remind you of their age as time goes on. Haha.

--Chelsea(: