> "..because the only kind of love I have to offer is stupid and blind and so deep and powerful that I feel like I'm cracking just to hold it in."

> —Brent Weeks, "The Way of Shadows"

>

> ----------------------------------------

A soft murmuring filled Noramori's ears. The passing of whispers is like the turning of pages in a book. A few syllables are strung together to create a story. Waking her from the chapter that was a myriad of nightmares and memories

She felt warmth. It felt uplifting, not like the passing of a summer's day when the sun beat upon your back, but like the gentle updraft that kept an eagle soaring high in the sky.

She smiled to herself and opened her eyes. The room was the same quaint hospital room that she remembered from her talk with the hokage. The memory of the terrible fox is forgotten in the depths of repression and nightmares. Here she felt happy, safe, and full of unconditional love. She'd never felt this before, not like this. It was as if she could feel a tangible blanket surrounding her every thought, weighing down the darkness that comprised the tumultuous portions of her mind, the deepest portions of her soul.

She was surrounded by her family. Sasuke was happily speaking to Father. Mother simply sat by and watched her two men as they poured out their needs and wants in the form of encouragement and boisterous behavior. Fugaku was proud of his two children, and Mikoto was so happy to finally see them act like father and son. She was happy to finally see her daughter overcome a great pain in her life. Throwing off the shackles of her birth to become something that benefited the clan. To become powerful.

Mikoto was the first to notice her daughter's awakening. She said nothing, and her eyes simply glittered with unshed tears.

She had been so worried when she heard the news that Noramori had been hospitalized. A series of powerful emotions had carried her into the darkest of places. Were they pushing her too hard? Was this because they couldn't accept her lack of control? Would they one day push her so far that they lost their daughter? These thoughts plagued her until she heard the news of what had transpired to leave Noramori in this state.

She was immensely proud. She still feared that they had pushed Noramori too hard, but she knew her daughter. She knew that her daughter had finally obtained a piece of what she wanted in life, and she wouldn't let her self-doubt and recrimination overshadow her daughter's accomplishments.

Noramori didn't say a word. She simply took the moment to bask in the warm adoration emanating from these three individuals.

She could feel an undercurrent of worry and regret, but overshadowing everything was a mountain of elation and love that felt like it was trying to smother her. She could only imagine the kind of worry they had felt when hearing that their only daughter was in the hospital after a training accident. They probably blamed themselves; after all, she was only practicing so hard to live up to the standards that the clan set for young shinobi.

Sasuke turned his head and saw his sister's shiny eyes gazing at all of them in undisguised joy and wonder.

He pounced.

"Moriko! You're awake!"

When he embraced her, it hurt a bit, but the pain couldn't hold a candle to the pride she felt inside. She had succeeded. She had finally lived up to what the clan required of her, going one step beyond it and unlocking a powerful dojutsu. To think about it, it seemed that this physical sensation of emotion was something she had experienced before. This was like all the times she just seemed to know when something was bothering the family. It was much more powerful now, but it must be tied to her previously dormant Dojutsu. Maybe she had been experiencing a passive version. A prelude before the climax was her new power.

"Ow, Sasuke, be more careful! Dummy, I'm still pretty banged up," she said, "but yes, clearly, I am very much awake. I'm so happy to see everyone."

The boy jumped back, shame-faced. He knew he had probably jumped the gun, but he couldn't contain his excitement at the news of his sister succeeding where he had failed only a few hours ago.

"Sorry," he looked down, and his shoulder came up to his ears as his face turned crimson, "I'm just so glad that you are awake."

"None of that now. This is a great day. We must celebrate," Fugaku said. "Not one, but two Uchiha reached the heights of greatness and recognition today. You both walk the path now. You must only place one foot in front of the other, and you will bring about change in this world."

"Stop acting so magnanimous," Mikoto scoffed at her husband's antics. "Just tell them you're proud; drop the regal and tough guy act for once in your life."

Fugaku looked back at their mother, who was preparing a retort. A retort that died in its tracks at the sweet smile he saw on his wife's face.

"Yes, dear!" he acquiesced.

'Heh, I still got it,' Mikoto's thoughts were colored with amusement.

"Anyways, I hear someone activated their Dojutusu. Come on, let us have a look," Fugaku replied. "It took a little longer than Itachi took, but it is a great accomplishment nonetheless."

Fugaku winced as Mikoto's hand struck faster than a starving pit viper. Already back in her yukata sleeves before he could process what happened.

"Heh," he rubbed the back of his head, "well, come on, don't keep us waiting."

Noramori was worried. Her eyes were different. There didn't appear to be any record of what they meant for her or the clan. She knew that her parents had already been informed, but it was one thing to hear something secondhand; it was entirely different to witness it with one's own eyes.

"Okay, but please understand that I didn't have any control over this."

Her family waited with bated breath as Noramori closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't know if she was prepared for their response. Sometimes you can spend all the time in the world preparing, but it doesn't make up for the depth of the problem that you face. Unfortunately, she hadn't had much time at all to prepare, so the depths of this problem were unfathomable and fresh in her mind.

As she opened her eyes, the world was alight with colors. It was overwhelming but manageable. It was as if these great and powerful auras she beheld were comfortable to her. Something familiar, like returning to your favorite book or a smell that lingers from a beautiful memory,

Her family let out a collective gasp.

"My word!"

"Oh my!

"That's so cool!"

"Sweet Jezebel!" Whoops, that one was her.

They all looked at her in confusion. Their gazes were in part due to her weird comment, but they were used to her nonsensical ramblings. Most of all, they were uncertain what these new eyes could mean for her and for the clan.

She was more focused on them than their reactions. She could see a multitude of different strings reaching out from her mother and father. The strongest for her mother were her three children and husband. These threads glowed with pride, love, loyalty, and acceptance. It saddened Noramori, but it seemed that Father's strongest tether led to a nebulous concept that encompassed the idea of the clan itself. Steeped in a sense of duty and responsibility, his family's tethers only played second fiddle to his position as clan head. It now made sense to her why he acted so harshly. He wished to make sure that the clan grew in power, and he relied on his children to make this happen.

Sasuke's was confusing. She could only see one tether, and it was the tether that connected to Noramori herself. It didn't make sense to her; she knew that he had more connections in life. It was like she could sense that he was attached to others but was barred from viewing these ties. All of the bandwidth was taken up by the ties that bound the two of them together.

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This tether was strong. While the other strings were just that, strings. This was more like a rope, no, a great chain, tying their souls together at a fundamental level. She wondered what this meant for him. Would he develop the same power? Was it simply the depth of their connection that overshadowed everything else in his life? Was he simply immune to her probing?

He would be glad to know that it was indeed a form of immunity. They have been so tied together that her eyes considered them as a greater part of one whole, and the laws of this world wouldn't let her see past his soul shield into the secrets that he beheld. She could still strongly feel his emotions and desires. But it was less an invasion of privacy and more of a feeling that she had always experienced. This was her brother, her twin, and they had been connected since birth.

"Well, come on," Fugaku prompted. " Tell us what you see."

"Everything," Noramori replied without skipping a beat.

"Everything?" Mikoto looked surprised at her daughter's words.

"Yes, everything. I can see your hopes and your dreams. I can see your desires, your hatred, your anger, and your righteous fury, and if I look hard enough, I can even see some of what I believe to be your future. More of a glimpse at what you may become than a play-by-play, but what seems to be a future nonetheless." She explained.

Her family was speechless. They didn't know how to process this kind of information. Her father's thoughts turned to the military application, and his aura flared with avarice and greed. Plans began turning over and over in his head. The application of this power could make a weapon most powerful when wielded in the name of the clan. These thoughts brought many threads to the forefront of his tangled web. Threads that scared Noramori She had noticed a few of them when she was looking at her father before, but now they covered him, steeping his soul in a feeling of blood and conquest. A man of the military that his children so rarely saw in truth

Her mother's letters were full of worry and apprehension. No doubt she saw through Fugaku and knew exactly what he was thinking. She knew better than to speak up. He was quite stubborn when it came to what he believed must be done for the good of the clan. If he wasn't so stuck in his ways and his duty, she would have been able to get through to him about the treatment of their two youngest. She would have been able to turn him away from inflicting the horrors of war on Itachi. Horros had instilled a need for peace in the young boy. As a result, Itachi despised bloodshed.

To Noramori, her mother's web was a mess. A tangled nest of regret, love, fear, and resignation She caught a few glimpses of the connections her mother shared with the rest of the family. The anchors that attached themselves to Noramori, and by proxy, to Sasuke, were full of fear and resignation. The tie that she assumed was Itachi's was full of regret and resignation. Finally, the tie she shared with her husband was the most prevalent of all. It was coated in a layer of resigned acceptance so thick that Noramori could barely separate the tinges of pain, sadness, rejection, love, and support from it.

"Sister, what do you see in me?" Sasuke looked excited as he stared at his sister.

"Everything," she lied, "I see all of your secrets. Even the ones you keep hidden from the family. In fact, it seems that you are hiding a great fear; it seems that you are afraid of—

"Nope! That's enough, you stop right now!" Sasuke seemed panicked.

'The look on his face is priceless! I let him stew a little bit more before I let him know the truth. This is way too much fun.'

Noramori's eyes were shining with playful mischief as she looked at her fidgeting brother.

'Oh, it's like that? I see, I wonder what the limitations are?' Mikoto saw right through her daughter's charades, but she would play along for now. She wouldn't spoil her daughter's fun. Not after Noramori went through so much to obtain this power.

Fugaku interrupted their happy little moment.

"Noramori, what would you do for your duty? Answer honestly. I will not judge you." Her father had on a serious face. Not the face of love and acceptance she so rarely received. No, this was the face of a clan head. A military commander assessing his troops

Honestly, Father, I don't know," Fugaku frowned as Noramori spoke, "I have always wanted to be considered an Uchiha. It fills me with pride to be a part of something greater. I think deep down I just needed to know that I really belonged in this world. That I belonged to something greater than myself. I don't think the clan is what I really wanted. I just wanted to be loved and to love my family. I don't feel the same loyalty to the clan as I do to you, to Mother, to Sasuke, and to Itachi. I would do anything for the four of you but the clan. The clan is but a concept to me, as distant and ephemeral as the stars are to a stone. I feel little for them."

Fugaku's face was cast in a look of grim understanding. He had been too soft on her, too soft on both of them. The clan was the most important thing. He would correct this. He would do what was necessary now that he had found such a promising tool. His plans for the future of the clan could only benefit from the support of these two children. Noramori's power mattered most of all, but Sasuke showed great promise as well. They hadn't been tainted by the effects of war. They were still malleable, and he had plans to shape them into a sword that cut deeper than anything the clan's enemies could throw at them.

"Very well," Fugaku sighed, "we will speak more of this later."

Noramori was terrified by what she saw in his aura. She didn't see the stern but loving father she always looked up to. She saw the grinding of the gears of war. marching ever forward towards a tumultuous end. She saw an image that terrified her: her father, cast in blood, his eyes lifeless. She didn't know if he was dead or if she was feeling the deaths he would cause. All she knew was that he had been hiding plans that would spell the doom of the shinobi world, or at least plans that would spell the death of her world.

'Father, what are you planning?'

Noramori chose not to speak. As much as her father was scaring her, she trusted him to reveal the truth of the matter. He had said they would speak later and that she would accept his word. She had learned a long time ago not to question his authority when he was acting "for the good of the clan".

"Enough doom and gloom; this is a great day." Her mother broke the tension with all the grace of a practiced diplomat, "Up! Up! We are taking you home. Let's celebrate the burden of your achievements."

She ushered Noramori out of bed as she smiled at her two children. Her face showed happiness and love, but her soul told another story. She thought that Noramori couldn't see the truth of her actions; even without her newfound abilities, she would have noticed her mother's quick glance at their father's back as he led them from the room. A glance that was full of concern and quite a bit of reproach. She didn't want her youngest involved in the machinations of the Uchiha or in the plans of the clan head. They didn't need to experience the horror of war.

Noramori's mind turned once more to her father's aura. It was bloody and resolute, like an assassin's blade ready to cleave apart its target in order to ensure the world continued turning smoothly. He had plans. Plans that would bring great changes Plans that would warp Noramori's and Sasuke's lives for years to come

'Father, what are you preparing to do?'