Romeo and Juliet

That morning when I woke up I didn't get right out of bed and open the curtains. I sat up in my bed and stared down at my hands. Would being able to fight be okay? As long as I didn't fight? Would it make Daddy proud? With my new thoughts I jumped out of bed with a new purpose.

"Why are you in such a hurry, Tsukiko?" my mom asked as I finished my food in a matter of seconds.

"I have stuff I have to get done really quick. Love you Mommy!" with that I ran out of the house. I ran to Ryuu's house.

"Um...can I borrow those shurikens we got from Neji?" I asked him. His eye brows notted.

"What for?" he asked.

"Oh, um, I just wanted to see them...so I could...um...practice sketching them!" I said to him.

"Oh, okay, let me go get them." He went up stairs and brought back the four edged star looking things. I thanked him and left his house. I waited till after all the kids were done entering the academy. I think I saw Neji but I wasn't sure. Either way I didn't want anyone to notice I was there so I wouldn't have said hi even if I was positive it was him.

"Just throw like this," I said throwing it like I had the day before. It landed in the ground a couple inches infront of my feet and I squeeled. Phew, I almost hit myself. I thought as I regained my senses. I picked it up and threw the other one. It flew behind me and hit a tree...just not the one I was aiming for. I sighed going back and pulling it out of the tree. I stood back on the patch of dirt that probably once had grass. It was where Neji was standing the other day. I pulled my arm back and threw it as fast as I could. It hit the roots of the tree. I sighed before going to pick it up again.

"Ah, I hate you!" I yelled at the shurikens. In my anger I threw both of them at the same time and they landed somewhere in the woods. I went over to look for them but became still when I heard footsteps approaching. Then I sprinted home.

"I'm home!" I said when I got home. My family had already started to eat at the table. I took off my shoes and sat down at the table with my head down.

"Where were you all day?" my mom asked me.

"I was playing with some new friends."

"What are their names?" my dad interupted.

"Um, I don't know...we just played around the park." My father finished his food and left the table before the rest of us could even finish.

"I have to meet at the tower early tomorrow," Was all Itachi said before leaving the room.

"Sasuke, can you help us with the dishes?" my mom asked.

"Eew, that's for girls to do," he replied.

"Hey, you can do it too," I responded.

"I'm older than you," he said.

"Only by three minutes."

"I'm smarter than you."

"Says who?"

"Me."

"Then what does mean?" I asked and Sasuke remained silent. "See you're not smarter."

"I'm a boy," he said coming up with another excuse.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"I'm going to be an amazing fighter, maybe even hokage. I'm going to make Dad proud," he said leaving the room before I could respond. I just looked at the doorway he had gone through. Hokage...you mean you want to become a killer?

"Itachi?" I asked nocking on his door.

"Hnn," was his responce. I opened the door to see him sitting on his bed. It was still made up...did he ever sleep?

"Can I go to the tower with you tomorrow?" I asked shyly.

"If you'd like," he said before lying down on the bed. I shut the door but didn't go to my room. I knew Itachi wasn't going to go to sleep. So what was he going to do? I sighed before going back to my room.

~*~

"Bye Mommy, bye Daddy!" I said before bolting for the door.

"Tsukiko," my dad and I quickly turned toward him. "Don't get in Itachi's way."

"Yes father." Then we left. I walked in silence with Itachi trying to keep up with his long strides.

"Why do you have to be so tall?" I mumbled. Itachi chuckled and I smiled up at him. He almost never showed emotion. Never around mom and dad, and only once in a while around me.

"You'll be taller soon enough, Tsukiko."

"You think I'll be able to reach the top shelf in the pantry?"

"Positive."

"So Mommy won't be able to say no to me having cookies!" I said excited to be taller and older.

"Tsukiko." I looked over at Itachi. His voice got low and emotionless.

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to be going on a lot of missions now. I won't be able to hang out with you as much as I used to."

"Will you still visit me?"

"When I can."

"What if Mommy and Daddy start yelling?" He remained silent for a moment.

"You can go into my room anytime you want. When you feel lonely or afriad. Just remember I'll always be in there with you."

"Okay Itachi. Thank you!" I said happily and skipped as we went on our way.

"Bye Itachi! Good luck!" I waved to him as he entered the tower. He didn't wave back, but that was just because there was guards on the outside. He would've waved if they hadn't been there, I told myself. After that I skipped off to Ryuu's house.

"Hi Ryuu," I said as I saw him. He didn't look happy.

"W...what's wrong?" I asked him, my once bright mood fading with the company of my sad friend.

"My mom and dad decided to send me to the academy."

"So you mean I won't be able to play with you anymore?" I asked on the brim of tears. He nodded. I cried and hugged him.

"Don't let the boys pick on you, don't like any girls with blond hair, don't hate anyone you don't know, don't hurt any innocent animals, don't eat anything someone makes...besides me...because it will probably be poisoness." I kept going on about what he should do and what not to do. I kept crying there and tackling to him. The whole time he nodded and occasionally added a "yes" or a "I understand".

I walked to the training area after crying at Ryuu's house for hours and hours. I have no idea how long I cried there. When I got there I started looking around the shuriken that I had lost the previous day. I jumped and turned around when I heard someone behind me.

"Neji?" I said quickly.

"What're you doing here?" he asked.

"Um...I can't...find...the shuriken." He just stared at me.

"Were you...?"

"I was trying."

"I thought you were against the war and all that," he replied.

"Huh? How'd you know that?" I questioned. He broke eye contact for a second.

"Good guesser," he responded.

"Well...can you keep a promise?" I asked as he came over to me.

"Yes."

"I thought maybe if I could fight my dad wouldn't hate me."

"Your dad hates you?"

"Well he doesn't like me, that's for sure."

"I know how you feel," he responded quietly.

"Really? Is your dad like that too?" I asked. I regretted asking what I did when I saw pain flash through his eyes for a split second.

"My dad's dead."

"I'm so sorry."

"And my uncle...doesn't like me." I stayed quiet for a few moments.

"Well, maybe you just need to show him that you're strong. That you cand do amazing things. I'm sure you can." Neji stayed quiet for a while and I wasn't sure if I said the right thing.

"Here," he said handing me a shuriken. "want me to show you how to use it?"

"How did you..?"

"That's what you were looking for, was it not?" he asked me.

"Yeah," I said completely flabbergasted.

"Stand over here," he said pointing to the dirt patch. I did as I told and he put the shuriken in my right hand. "Now," he said putting his arms around mine and holding mine in the right possition. "Release it with your wrist. Don't move your arm an inch."

"Okay..." I said and tried as I was told. It didn't go very far, as expected.

"That was a good try."

"Really? Yours were so precise though, and you used your arms."

"You'll get better, and once you get the wrist flick down you'll be able to use your whole arm and it'll go further."

"Cool."

"Sorry I'm late," I said sitting down at the table quickly. I was once again late for dinner. Dad just stared at me as he ate his food. All of use ate in silence. I did notice though that Itachi wasn't here and that made me sad.

~*~

"Bye mom," I said right after breakfast. Then I ran to Ryuu's house. It was his first day at the academy. We walked there in silence getting ready to say good bye to eachothers long play visits and wandering around compound. I stopped just down the road from the academy.

"Ryuu?"

"What is it?" he asked noticing I had stopped.

"Promise me you won't turn into a ninja. Promise you won't kill people." My friend smiled at me and put his thumb up.

"You can count on me, Tsukiko!"

"And throw," I said before releasing. I watched annoyed as it didn't hit the target...it did hit the tree though, so it was an improvment.

"Maybe if..."

"You're holding it wrong." I twisted around to see Neji standing very close to my face. I blushed and turned back around. "Here..." he put his arms on mine and fixed them. "That'll be easier."

"Thank you."

~*~

"Love you mom, love you dad!" I ran out of the house with the excuse of seeing Sasuke when he got out of the academy.

~*~

"I'll be back later!" I said shutting the door before my parents could object.

~*~

"I don't want to be late," I quickly put the last dish away and leaving.

~*~

"To see Sasuke?" my mom said more like a statement than a question and I nodded.

~*~

"Tell Sasuke to pick up some rice at the market." I nodded before leaving.

~*~

"Bye," I said more to myself than anyone before exciting my home.

"Hey Neji," I said as I came into the training ground. We'd been doing this for months. We would meet after his academy and he'd train me. I met clear and blank eyes and smiled. He just stared at me before slightly bowing his head and I followed suit. Then he disappeared.

"Dodge," he whispered and I swung around to see his foot advancing toward my face. I dodged to the left, but just barely. He attacked again with a punch and I ducked. He brought his foot around to trip me and I jumped backward. "Dodge then attack quickly." I nodded. He disappeared again and kicked me in the back. I mumbled a few colorful words I had learned from Neji on accident...

"Shit," he mumbled when I actually hit him with a kunai.

"I'm sorry!" I squeaked before running over to help him. He held onto his arm carefully before pulling it out. My mouth dropped. "You're losing a lot of blood."

"Never break consentration!" he yelled appearing behind me and going to punch at me. I squealed again before my hand automaticly grabbed his hand, hit his blood vein on his wrist which caused him to drop the kunai, and grabbed it once again pushing it into his body.

"Damn it," he said and I brought my hands over my mouth as I gasped.

"I'm so sorry!" I said quickly. He pulled the second kunai out and blood was now staining his whole shirt.

"Dumb ass kunai," he said and I couldn't help but let out a giggle. He looked so funny, almost as if he was pouting while glaring at the kunai. As if the kunai had drove itself into him instead of me doing it. He looked up at me when I laughed and had the normal blank expression on his face. "You think it's so funny."

"No!" I said quickly but couldn't help but giggle again. He smirked before showing me his bloody hand. "Ew," I squealed as he chased after me with his hand nearly touching my back. "Yuck, yuck, yuck! Ew! Stop stop!"...

"Ouch," I mumbled as he hit me again.

"Don't lose concentration," he mumbled rolling his eyes. I mumbled some more colorful words and blocked his next punch. Then I twisted to the side and pulled his arm to my right. Making him fall forward I grabbed his shoulder and pulled his arm behind his back.

"Good job," he said and I rose my eye brows.

"No, I give up?" I asked letting my grip release a small bit.

"Tsukiko, I have something to tell you." I lost hold on his arm.

"What about?" I questioned. Then he disappeared and did the same thing to me that I had just done to him.

"You lost concentration."

"Damn you," I said under my breath.

~*~

"Sorry I'm late," I said sitting down at the table. I looked over to Itachi's seat which was sadly empty. My family didn't speak until Sasuke spoke.

"Dad, I mastered the technique you showed me!" he said and I looked over between the two. Dad taught him a technique?

"Mastered?" my dad mumbled to himself. Sasuke grinned.

"You want me to show you? I can show you right now."

"No," my dad said pausing. "Show me tomorrow." Sasuke stuck his tongue out at me when mom and dad weren't looking as I just glared at him. I should have paid more attention to all the burn marks Sasuke had been getting the past week. So a fire technique then? I'd have to ask Neji about it tomorrow.

"Hey Sasuke," I said after dinner. He was in his bed as I was supposed to be.

"What is it Tsukiko?" he asked tiredly.

"Will you show me how to do the technique?" Sasuke sat up in his bed.

"It's really hard so you probably won't be able to, but sure. I'll show you first thing tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Thank you," I said before shutting his door and heading to my room. Yay! I bounced in my head.

He showed me the technique for a third time. Then he panted and sat down. I walked over to him and sat by his side, my shoes off and my feet hanging over the lake. My toes barely touched the tip of the lake.

"That was amazing," I said to my brother and he smiled victoriously. I guess my being worse than him always made him feel stronger. "What do you call it?"

"It's called a jutsu," he responded. A jutsu...like Itachi's book!

"Are there lots of jutsus?" I questioned.

"Oh yeah, and some day I'll know all of them." So the book Itachi was reading...was he trying to know all of them? So he'd be...I swallowed hard...stronger?

"Do you think Itachi knows all of them?" I asked and Sasuke grit his teeth. Sasuke was starting to be extremely jealous of Itachi. In more ways than one. Anytime Itachi came home for a short visit Sasuke would watch his every move and never leave him alone. But it wasn't a happy he's home, it was more like Sasuke wanted to be Itachi. That probably sounds weird...I'm probably just seeing things and jumping to conclusions.

"He doesn't even know half of them," he said and paused getting a distant look on his face. "I'm going to be stronger than him one day. I'm going to make dad love me more." I looked over at my brother noticing that he was clenching his hands into fists.

"Don't worry, Sasuke, you'll be so strong. You'll blow everyone out of the water," I said smiling to him. He looked over at me and smiled back. Then he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, I don't need to worry about it so much. After all, I'm going to be hokage someday." I giggled before reaching my hands down into the water and splashing him. He just stared for a second before he blinked and did the same. I squeaked as the cold water hit my skin.

"You're not supposed to hit a girl!" I complained as he kept splashing me.

"This isn't hitting a girl, it's just splashing one," he laughed out. I cupped water into my hand and dropped it over his head.

"Oops, I think I ruined your hair," I said giggling. He cupped water in his hands and I ran for it...while screaming of course.

"I give up!" I said lifting my hands up. We were both soaked to the bone. Sasuke laughed and sat down beside me. We were sitting in the shallow part of the lake.

"It's not like you to give up something you set your mind to," Sasuke said peeking to look at me through the corner of his eye. I chuckled. Then splashed him again.

"Always keep your guard up!" I said continuing splashing him.

~*~

"Hi mom," we said in unison. She just stared at us flabbergasted. "We'll go wash up...I mean dry off for breakfast."

Easier said than done.

"Where were you earlier this morning?" Dad asked us in his normal almost dark voice.

"Training."

"Studying."

We looked at eachother.

"We were studying on how to train," I said and made a desperate smile. He looked at both of us before taking a bite of his food and we followed suit.

"Hey Neji," I said as I came into the training ground at the usual time. He was already practicing and turned in my direction. He turned back around after acknowledging me. "Can we um...practice something different today?"

"Like what?" he asked suddenly standing right beside me. I put an arm out and took a step back as protection. He smirked as saw me do this. "Always keep your guard up."

"I wanted to try jutsus," I said.

"Like what jutsu?" he questioned.

"Katon no jutsu," I replied.

"No," he said disappearing again.

"Why not?" I complained.

"Because I can't do that one." My eyes widened in shock. He couldn't do it but Sasuke could? Did that mean Sasuke was...way better than him?

"You can't be worse than Sasuke," I said to him and he chuckled but glared. Neji was so weird at times.

"I'm not," he said when his voice went dead serious. "But only Uchiha's can do that one. Hyuga's cannot."

"That's bull-"

"I'm not lying. Why would I waste my time?"

"So like your eyes and I can't possibly have them, you can't use Katon no jutsu?" I questioned.

"No..." I sighed annoyed. He had just said so! "Just like you can't use the gentle fist fighting style I can't use Katon no jutsu...and like my eyes I can't have yours."

"Huh?" I asked surprised. What was so special with my eyes? I couldn't whisper byakugan and see for miles. I couldn't read people chakra's and hit their chakra points.

"A Uchiha has special eyes too."

"What are they called?" I asked excited.

"I don't know," he shrugged and I sighed. Way to get my hopes up.

"Well, can you at least show me how to do another jutsu?" I asked.

"Sure," he said forming his hands in a weird possition.