Yet another story I shouldn't have started due to being busy.

Hiashi's wife...doesn't have a name. I looked up what Hanabi (fireworks/explosion of life) and Hinata (most meanings dealt with the sun) meant, which led me to name their mom Kyokko (sunrise/dawn).

Keep in mind Hinata didn't grow up a Hyuuga here.

Enjoy!

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Sasuke and his sister were close.

They always have been.

He was close with his older brother, too, but it was Hinata who was always by his side growing up. Whether it was to the park, to the Academy, to the market with their mother, training with Itachi, she was right along with him. She was, after all, his age and was the only other person he could confide in, if not the sole person. Still...he had a secret he hadn't intended to keep and justified it with facts. She was...

Well, she didn't look like him.

That was always his first thought when he looked at his younger sister. She didn't have his hair, his eyes, his facial features – nothing. In fact, it wasn't just him she didn't look like. She didn't look like their mom, their dad, or anyone in their clan. It was like a one in a lifetime chance that her genes had mutated, and it just so happened to take place in their mother's womb and only happened to her.

The womb was a strange place, if he thought about it.

He didn't understand how he and Hinata could be the same age, come from the same place, but celebrate their birthdays at different times. For a while, he doubted the fact that Hinata was his twin sister because, aside from looks, when July 23rd came around, it was his name on the cake. When December 27th rolled around, it was her name on the cake – and she got a lot more presents than he did.

The perks, he assumed, for celebrating it around Christmas.

Still, twins couldn't be born on different days (not to get technical), let alone five months apart. Then, he asked, how could he and his sister be the same age if they were born in the same year and by the same mother but at different times? A baby took nine months to pop out, so why did Hinata defy all logic? When he asked his parents about the two different birthdays and why they insisted on celebrating them separately, it was always the same. His mother said, "So, we can focus our love on you both equally, Sasuke". His father said, "Ethics".

Ethics was just a fancy way for him to say he didn't want boys and girls sleeping over when they opted for that ever lovely birthday wish.

It didn't really matter. What did matter was...she didn't look like him. That's what made this all a little...better. If she had his dark hair or his dark eyes or his face then maybe it would bother him more than it did because...Sasuke loved his sister.

He really loved his sister.

When these feelings started, he wasn't sure if there was a difference from the love he had for the rest of his family. Maybe it had always been there, but he noticed that the love he had for the rest of his family never made him feel guilty. Then, he thought, it only felt different because she was younger, and they were always together. That had to be why these particular emotions felt stronger, but then his mind started seeing her differently, too.

It hadn't always been this way, no. In fact, from age two to eleven, he would have proudly declared he loved his sister, but that changed. It happened when they were in a meadow (they started out sparring, but then Hinata got distracted by the flowers). A group of boys wandered through and, for some reason, started picking on Hinata saying that she was 'the ugly duckling' of the Uchiha clan. Naturally, Sasuke stood up for her and told them that they had no idea what they were talking about. Hinata looked better than all the girls at school, so they'd have to be depressingly stupid to not see how pretty she was. The boys only laughed at him and asked questions like,

"So, you'd rather date your own sister?"

or

"Was that a confession, Sasuke?"

or

"You have feelings for her or something?"

They were joking, of course. No one likes to be asked questions about their family like they could be together, but if he had to answer any of them, he wouldn't have known what to say. He meant all he said about Hinata being pretty, but did he want to date her? Did he confess his feelings with her huddled behind him? Did he have feelings for her?

Feelings that were not normal?

He didn't know. Or maybe he did and he was confused by them. He shouldn't have been; it was only brought on by the stupid prattlings of his classmates.

On the walk home, Hinata didn't seem fazed by what they had said. She only thanked Sasuke and added, "I love you, nii-chan."

That was the first time her words made him nervous. They said it all the time, but he couldn't say it at the moment. He only grunted, but that didn't bother her.

The rest of their time at school, people noticed a progressive change in Sasuke. He became more calloused, his emotions more closed off. In some ways, he started acting more like Itachi – they both didn't care one way or the other about any given thing. People wrote it off as some phase he was going through to emulate the person he looked up to most, but he was acutely more harsh than his older brother. Even when people thought it would pass, which it didn't, they didn't try to provoke him.

As the years went on, Sasuke became plainly aware to Hinata's continued metamorphosis – she looked less and less like him. She was paler, her eyes white, her hair purple (dark blue when it was cold), and she just...didn't look like him. It wasn't long before he grew taller than her and the subtle characteristics that made them twins vanished. When those traits were gone, so was the image that she was just his sister. Puberty started hitting her and she...wouldn't stop filling out. Her figure became womanly and she grew her hair out in an attempt to look more like their mother, but she did not look like them. Still, Sasuke and Hinata remained close. Whenever they were together, people stared. They were siblings, but they looked nice – together, they looked very nice. If Hinata ever noticed the attention they got, she hid it well.

On one occasion, he asked Itachi if he thought it was weird that their sister looked so different from them. Not surprisingly, he gave a simple "no". Sasuke then told him that people around the village always whispered that she must be adopted or something, to which Itachi looked his younger brother in the eye and asked,

"Do you believe them?"

He replied, "No. She's been here since I was born, so I know she's not."

Itachi took a moment to read his brother's expression before finishing with, "Then let them talk. She's your sister after all, Sasuke."

Just his sister...

Sasuke grumbled to himself. It was too early to function at this ungodly hour, but he was in no position to disobey his brother.

Not yet, anyway.

Maybe when he was able to surpass him, he would tell Itachi to shove it and force his training on anyone else.

He stretched in his bed and rolled over to look at the clock. It was four twenty-five in the morning, and they needed to be in the clearing outside the Uchiha gates at five o'clock on the dot. There was more than enough time for him to rest, but Hinata was a whole different story.

He forced himself out of bed and to the room next to his. He opened her bedroom door and saw her sleeping soundly. Her room was as clean and organized as ever (something she picked up from Uncle Hiashi and Aunt Kyokkō). Though, around her bed was always where the mess was (something they both picked up from Itachi); there were clothes, books, and other crafts thrown carelessly to the ground. He walked to her bedside and noticed the two framed pictures on her nightstand. One was of the main family (father, mother, Itachi, himself, and her) and the other was of, what Sasuke referred to as, her second family. It consisted of Uncle Hiashi, Aunt Kyokkō, Hanabi (Sasuke and Hinata's cousin), and Hinata.

Their uncle and aunt had an odd practice. Whenever he saw them, they always had their eyes closed or wore a blind fold. They reasoned that shinobi had to train all their senses beyond normal levels. Deceiving the eyes was easy and would be the first sense to be attacked, but smell, touch, and hearing could be formidable counters in battle. It was weird, but he has yet seen them deceived when sparring or walking around the village – something they rarely did. Hanabi also wore a blindfold, and was quite skilled at the practice, as well. Nevertheless, Sasuke found that side of the family to be very, very strange.

"Hey, Hinata," he shook her. "Get up."

She moved slightly, but did not wake up.

"Hey," he shook her harder. "We have to leave soon."

"Nooooo," she mumbled.

"Seriously. Get up."

"What time is it?" she mumbled again.

"Four twenty-seven."

She whined and tossed in her bed. There may have been protesting, but they were muffled by the blankets.

"You're the one that told Itachi we wanted to train, so stop complaining."

"Sasuke, I'm tired," she whined.

"Sleep when we get back. The last time we were late, he made training hell, remember?"

"It's always that way," she yawned, pushing the blanket and pillows away from her face. She set her hazy, white eyes on him. Her hair lay rumpled over her sheets and a long lock folded over her sleepish face. Sasuke closed his eyes momentarily, feigning annoyance just so he could clear his mind.

"Hinata," he said through clenched teeth. "Get. Up."

"Sasuke," she returned his firm tone. "No."

She was a pain in the morning.

Sasuke ripped the covers off her body and threw it on the floor. Hinata screamed, irritated that cold air was embracing the exposed skin from her beige spaghetti strapped shirt and violet shorts, and threw a pillow at her twin. Sasuke flung the projectile from his line of sight and scooped his sister up. She squealed and protested as she was tossed over his shoulder.

She shook her hips furiously, repeatedly hitting her brother on the side head. "I don't bother you when you're sleeping!"

"Because you know better."

He brought the raging Hinata into the bathroom; though, by the time they arrived, she had given up and tried falling asleep on his back. He placed her on the toilet and vaguely chuckled when she leaned backwards, dropping her hands to the side and letting her head fall as far back as would allow.

"Don't act like such a brat," he commented, reaching for his toothbrush.

"Don't call me that," she gurgled. "Itachi works me harder than he works you, so forgive me for not being as eager to get ready for pain at five in the morning." She rolled her head in his direction, frowning. "You brush your teeth before you use the bathroom?"

"I can't exactly use the bathroom with you on the toilet," he said, words slightly masked by the toothbrush and accumulating foam.

"I can!" she chimed, standing so she could pull down her shorts. Sasuke shot her a glare, stepping on the rug she was standing on and tugged it from under her. Hinata gasped softly, hastily executing a handstand as she began to fall. "I was joking!" she nearly screeched as she threw her legs forward to stand again.

"Just warming you up for training," he shrugged, spitting into the sink. "You should be thanking me."

"Well, thank you," she walked over to him, hands on her hips, and grabbed her toothbrush, "for nearly killing me."

"I meant thank me for not killing you."

"Funny." She glanced at her brother, humming to herself, and brought her arm back in an attempt to land a hit on his stomach. She blinked at the emptiness next to her, then realized at the last moment he was behind her.

"Too predictable." He took her still extended arm, intending to bend it, but Hinata took her other arm and threw it back as well. Sasuke caught this with ease. "That was bound to fail."

"But look what Uncle Hiashi taught me," she smirked, preparing her strength. She bent forward, bracing her legs at angled distances, and swiftly moved her arms in a way to grab hold of his wrists. In a graceful, forceful fashion, she twisted her body and threw him over her. Sasuke landed on his back, part of his body landing outside the open bathroom door.

How...?

Hinata applied toothpaste to her toothbrush and commenced the brushing. She looked down at her astonished brother. "Itachi had that same look," she giggled.

"You were able to do this to Itachi?"

She spit in the sink, smiling victoriously. "There may be a bit of a reason Itachi is so hard on me during training."

***0o0o0o0***

The two were dressed and ready by four fifty-five and were running dangerously low on time.

"Hinata," Sasuke called from the door, putting on his shoes, "hurry up."

"But we haven't eaten breakfast!" she replied, rushing to the door.

"Stop complaining. If you wanted to eat, you wouldn't have taken so long to get dressed."

"But Itachi would understand if-"

"No. He wouldn't. Let's go."

She sighed, defeated yet irritated. "Are you scared of nii-san or something?"

"Yes." Sasuke said, voice flat. "Terrified."

Itachi leaned against the tree outside the gates. His siblings were two minutes late.

He hated when they were late.

Despite being the one setting the time for training to begin, Itachi hated being up this early. So, when they failed to show up on time, and he's been here for twenty minutes, he becomes a bit bitter – not because they made him wait, but because he was foolish enough to think they'd give their big brother some leeway in training by arriving as soon as possible so he could leave as soon as possible. He was relieved of anything relating to ANBU work for the day, and he'd much rather spend it in a way in which he could relax.

He sighed, closing his eyes. Perhaps he could go home and stop them at the door to tell them that he's lost the will to help. He could... Except...

"Nii-san!"

Itachi looked up. Hinata and Sasuke were running his way, making a fuss as usual. He noticed Hinata was unusually fast today because she was a good distance in front of Sasuke. That was especially unusual because Sasuke never let the youngest Uchiha get in front of him when running. He looked harder as Hinata yelled for him again.

Oh.

Now he understood.

"Nii-san, help me!"

She did something to upset Sasuke.

Again.

Hinata scurried to the eldest Uchiha and grabbed his arm, circling behind him. She screeched as Sasuke halted his momentum at Itachi's chest. His brother was glaring at their sister, face flushed.

"Coward," he spat.

"What is it this time?" the eldest groaned, mildly rubbing his temple. He lidded his eyes to slow down the progression of any head pain. First late and now chaos. They were such treats.

"Sasuke got mad because I said he was afraid of you!"

"Tell him exactly what you said, Hinata," Sasuke hissed, bringing his face close to hers, causing her to squeal and bury her face in Itachi's back.

"Hinata," Itachi prompted, "what did you say?"

"Nothing," she muttered.

"Hinata," he said again. Last chance.

She shuddered, not sure which of her siblings would strike first. "I said... I-I said..." she sighed helplessly, "anyone who was afraid of you...pr-probably liked to take it from behind."

Itachi opened his eyes slightly. He looked back at his sister who was still refusing to look at him. Since when did she start using terminology like that? He glanced at his brother, who was still fuming, and wondered if he had been as shocked as he was right now. The dog boy on her team must be rubbing off on her.

"Hinata," he wrapped his arm behind his back, hooking around her middle, and pulled her in front of him.

"Yes...?" Her head was bowed, bangs hanging over her eyes.

He bent to her level and lifted her chin with his finger. "You look pretty afraid of me right now."

She blinked, waiting.

"So, what does that say about you?"

She reddened, eyes widening to impossible sizes.

He stood, patting her on the head. "Remember to keep your face down."

She swatted at his hand, glaring at him even though she was thoroughly embarrassed. "Don't be such a pervert!"

"Forgive me." He smiled ever so faintly. "Now apologize to Sasuke."

She turned begrudgingly toward her other brother. His arms were crossed, eyes squinting. She bit her trembling bottom lip. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry," she said a little louder.

Sasuke huffed, rolling his eyes. "Whatever."

Hinata wrung her hands, desperate. "I'm sorry, Sasuke! I'm really sorry! I was just joking!"

His eyes slid back to her. "You're loud." A pause. "I forgive you, alright?" He hooked his arm around her neck, bringing her ear to his mouth. "As long as you admit you like it from the back."

She pulled away, face redder than the healthiest tomatoes. Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, looking between her brothers. She stamped her foot on the ground, crossing her arms and pointing her nose in the air. "Perverts," she muttered.

"Anyway," Itachi huffed, "the two of you are sixteen, so stop pestering each other like you're six."

"When she was six, she was more agreeable," Sasuke muttered.

Hinata turned her head sharply, whipping her hair at him. "Maybe you should start setting a better example."

"No more," Itachi said. "Let's just begin."

"Wait," Hinata said, head snapping in his direction while keeping her poised demeanor. Her eyebrows were raised, but she kept her lids down halfway. "We haven't had breakfast. Uncle Hiashi says that one cannot function at his or her full potential if he or she does not take care of his or her body."

Sasuke snorted. "And dad says the effort put forth in bringing out one's full potential is a reflection of the shinobi's will and determination. Nothing. Else. Hinata."

"How can shinobi give all they've got if the body is weak? Answer. That. Sasuke."

He grit his teeth. "If the body is so weak then maybe this shinobi should consider pressing flowers for the rest of her life."

An argument broke out.

Itachi groaned inwardly. They were getting absolutely nowhere and he was too fatigued to waste energy on shutting them up by force. How long have they been here? Why were they not all training right now? Moreover, why did these two seem to bicker more than they ever have? It was only three years ago that he wondered why they never argued. He thought it wasn't healthy for a brother and sister to be so close, but he would prefer to worry rather than deal with this at all hours of the day.

"Enough," Itachi commanded. The younger ones stopped, looking at him. He looked them over.

His brother wore a black T-shirt, black shorts that stopped above his knees (that appeared baggier than he remembered), and black arm warmers. White bandages were wrapped around his arms and legs, and he wore his usual black shoes. This was a look that hadn't changed much over the years.

Hinata wore a dark purple (almost black) half shirt with sleeves that stopped short of her elbows. Her shin-length skirt of the same color had slits that went up to her thighs and covered thigh-length black tights. In the back of Itachi's mind, he wandered if she was hanging out with the Yamanaka and Haruno girls too much; though, he didn't remember why she started in the first place. She, too, had bandages around her arms and legs; the bandages on her legs ran down to her knees while Sasuke's ran up to his knees. She also had bandages around her midriff. Hinata wore her hair in a high ponytail (something he suggested months ago), and wore her hitai-ate around her neck. Sasuke usually did this, too, but Itachi thinks he caught on that he was emulating his little sister. He also noticed she started wearing the new sandals with straps around her ankles – a present from their aunt. His sister...almost looked like-

"Nii-san?"

He snapped out of his thoughts, taking in his siblings' inquisitive stares. He opened the pack at his hip and pulled out two rice balls. The sudden gleam in their eyes almost made him laugh.

Almost.

"Eat." He handed the food to them. Hinata took hers, but Itachi snatched Sasuke's away at the last second. The young male glared at him. "Tell me, Sasuke, which do you prefer?" He pulled out a tomato from his pack and held both spheres out to him.

Sasuke stared at them, eyes flicking between each. Admittedly, the eldest sibling had a guilty pleasure: Itachi liked to mess with his siblings and, when it came to Sasuke, he enjoyed it immensely. He didn't know why his brother tried to act so tough when he was so easy to rattle.

"You can only have one," Itachi added.

Sasuke stared harder, arms firmly crossed over his chest. His face started turning red, conflict building within his body.

He wanted them both.

Hinata watched from the sidelines, chewing on her snack. This was the battle of the morning. Would Sasuke choose the savory taste of the rice ball or the juicy goodness of the tomato? In this moment, they would know which he liked more.

Sasuke's cheeks were changing color again. He was holding his breath – a rebellious act he often did as a child. Itachi wasn't aware he still did that.

Then his choice was made.

He snatched both offerings and stalked off behind the tree. In the end, he couldn't choose between them. Itachi smirked, turning to watch his brother, but let it fall when he found his sister staring at him with wide, white eyes.

"Can I help you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nibbled on her rice ball, extending her hand out to him. He stared at her hand, then at her, and shrugged.

"Nii-san," she pleaded.

He caved, giving in as he reached into his pack once more. "Gluttonous Uchihas." He placed a rolled napkin in her hand; Hinata could smell the cinnamon roll inside.

She squealed, jumping on her toes. "Thank you!"

He sat against the tree, his sister next to him and his brother behind him. Training was taking longer than usual.

"Did you eat?" Hinata asked.

"No."

"Why?"

"Slipped my mind."

"...Are...are you hungry?"

He shifted, leaning his head back, and shut his eyes. He was a bit peckish, but he could eat later. "No."

He heard the shifting of bodies. He opened his eyes to a sight that could only bring joy to an older sibling. To the left, Hinata was offering him her half eaten rice ball. From the right, Sasuke's protruding arm was doing the same.

"Are you both full?" Itachi asked indifferently.

"No," Hinata answered, blushing slightly, "but...you're always...l-looking out for us. So...so the least we can do is do the same for you."

"So, you're giving me the food I made."

She frowned, blushing darker. "It's the thought that counts."

"Just take it," Sasuke muttered.

Itachi thought it over. They weren't going to let up because...they were so defiant. Sasuke must have gotten it from him – mistaking his confidence and analyzing nature for defiance. Hinata may have gotten it from Sasuke, but she only recently started acting this way.

"Well," he said, taking both half eaten pieces, "thank you very much. I now have a whole rice ball."

They fell quiet, eating their respective treats. He wondered if Sasuke was blushing half as much as Hinata.

"I love you, Itachi," she whispered, nibbling on her cinnamon roll.

"I know," he replied. He thought that over. "I love you, too."

She looked to her upper left side. "I love you, Sasuke."

He didn't say it back. He never said it back these days.