Hope for a Change

Chapter 1: Flourish

/ˈfləriSH/

verb

(of a person, animal, or other living organism) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.

"I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily

I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make"

~I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz~

Five Years Later, Uchiha Compound

The flowers of the Uchiha compound's gardens were in full bloom, amongst the colourful blossoms sat a young girl in a beautiful blue kimono, with long black hair -which could almost pass as a midnight blue in the sunlight, and sparkling blue eyes, her pale cheeks were adorned with three whisker-like markings on each cheek.

Her tiny hands wove flower-crowns with expertise, her adorable face was scrunched up with concentration.

Uchiha Nozomi was the princess of the Uchiha clan,

As she worked her way through making a rather complex flower-crown for her eldest brother, the young girl had to pause as an onslaught of memories assaulted her once more. She had learned a long time ago that her dreams were never just dreams - that she had lived a completely different life.

Uzumaki Naru no longer existed, and she wouldn't for another eighty years.

"Gaara! Don't do this! You're the only one I have left!" She sobbed, reaching desperately for the auburn haired man in front of her.

Gaara hesitated, before placing a light kiss to the girl's forehead. "I'm sorry, Naru…" With a final, sad smile the last link she had to her sanity left her.

"NO!"

The world exploded around her.

The flower crown dropped to the ground with a barely audible thump, and her hands flew to her head, her eyes widening as tears dripped down her pale cheeks.

"Sasuke, what the hell did you think you were doing?!"

The dark haired man coughed weakly, blood staining his lips red as he smirked up at her. "I was… protecting you, Dobe."

"Why? WHY?!"

"I don't... want to live in a world without your light." His glazed eyes slid from her teary face to the sky above them. "I couldn't stand… the thought of a world… without you… You bring us hope, Naru...Tell sensei, I'm sorry… for all the trouble I caused him…"

"Y-you'll tell him yourself, baka!"

A small longing smile appeared over his face, "I can finally see them… again. Sakura… Itachi… My family…"

His hand dropped to the ground.

One memory after the other, they flew past her eyes as if she were the one living through them, until an agonized scream ripped itself from her throat.

It began at the pupil, blue seeped away into red, a single tomoe spun within each iris as she hunched in on herself, clutching desperately at her head as she sobbed out names of people she didn't know, yet felt sorrow over nonetheless.

The world blurred, then went black.

"-omi! Nozomi, can you hear me?!"

She came to with a hand gripping her shoulder, a frantic voice calling her name. Her eyes fluttered open to see her eldest brother leaning over her, face pale and painted with shock.

"W-what- Nozomi, your-"

A hissing noise to her right made her flinch on reflex, and she all but threw herself into her brother's arms as a snake slithered out of the bushes.

Nozomi had always hated snakes she couldn't explain it, but the mere sight of them made her skin crawl in revulsion.

"Don't let it bite me!" She wailed, cuddling against Madara's side as she glowered at the green reptile basking in the sunlight.

Her older brother blinked, his eyes moving from Nozomi's face to the snake that slithered past them. "A snake… You awakened your sharingan… over a snake?"

Sharingan?

She had awakened her sharingan? Even earlier than Madara, too! (Whose sharingan had awakened on the day of her birth)

"Sharingan?" She echoed, before a large grin spread over her face. "I beat you, Madara-nii!"

Madara chuckled helplessly, shaking his head in clear amusement as the sharingan faded from his sister's blue eyes. "That you did." The eleven-year old agreed, ruffling her hair playfully.

"Oh!" She exclaimed in remembrance, reaching for the colourful flower crown that lay beside her. She placed it on her brother's head with a flourish and a sunny girn. "This is for you!"

Madara released a long-suffering sigh before smiling at the beaming sister. "Thank you, I love it."

Nozomi bound forward and placed a kiss on her brother's cheek, "I love you, nii-san!" before skipping away, leaving her brother alone, surrounded by flower crowns.

Nobody dared say anything as Madara spent the remainder of the day all but sparkling, a soft smile on his face and a flower crown on his head.

Six Years Later, Forest

Nozomi hated being trapped.

As much as she loved her older brothers and her clan, she could not stand being locked away in the compound like some invalid while everyone else went out to complete missions.

So she did what she did best; she took matters into her own hand

Gathering herbs and medicinal plants was the only way anyone would allow her to leave the compound at all, and she usually went with at least one guard.

But this time was different. The clan was too busy fighting against the Senju to spare someone to accompany her into the woods, as the fighting had grown worse over the past years, ever since Madara had befriended the Senju heir.

Madara had taught her the basics of the ninja arts after she had used her most powerful technique to sway him to her side.

Puppy-Dog Eyes no Jutsu was truly a powerful attack.

Madara's one rule had been that he would only teach her what she needed to defend herself; basic taijutsu stances and genjutsu only (which, for some reason, she excelled at -she could vividly remember that Uzumaki Naru could not use genjutsu to save her life). So Nozomi taught herself everything else.

Nozomi could remember things from her dreams about Uzumaki Naru; jutsu (something told her she shouldn't use many of these), taijutsu forms, fuinjutsu. But her body was not ready to use such techniques, which was why she defied the social expectations around her and convinced (read: blackmailed) her lovely, easily cowed, onii-san into training her.

What she had quickly fallen in love with was medical ninjutsu; it was useful, and it helped her help her clan. Using the healing jutsu always made her think of a hot-tempered blond woman and her pink-haired student; two woman she wanted to grow up to be like. Being able to help in ways that the strongest ninjas couldn't made her feel like she was making a difference, true she would have liked to be on the field with her brothers. With her medical jutsu she was slowly proving that she had what it took to be a shinobi, despite her gender.

Nozomi had no wish to be some sort of trophy wife, which was what she was expected to be, being the Clan Head's only daughter; she would much rather be recognized as a kunoichi.

The young kunoichi's train of thought derailed when she stumbled upon something that was most definitely not meant to be in her herb patch.

A young boy in blue armour lay face-down in her favorite patch of medicinal herbs, he looked to be a year, maybe two, older than she was, with silver hair and pale skin that was caked in blood.

She made a surprised noise of alarm and rushed to the boy's side, she carefully rolled him onto his back so she could survey the damage.

The flesh in his upper left thigh was torn open, leaving trails of blood to gather underneath him. Both of his arms were littered with cuts, bruises and his left arm lay uselessly at his side, probably dislocated, no broken bones, but there was signs of a nasty concussion.

He looked terrible.

She quickly got to work, unpacking her medical supplies and carefully beginning to flush the wounds of any possible infection or poison.

When she was finished, Nozomi leaned back on the balls of her feet and prepared herself for the wait.

POV Change - Senju Tobirama

Senju Tobirama, thirteen years old and the youngest living son of Senju Butsuma, was in pain.

The last thing he remembered was being ambushed by a group of cowardly Uchiha, and being left for dead.

But he wasn't dead.

Eyes opening, Tobirama vision focused on a rocky ceiling.

Where was he?

"Oh! You're awake!"

The face of a young girl, possibly two or three years younger than he, appeared in his line of sight. She was definitely a pretty little thing, with a pale face, big blue eyes, and strange whisker-like markings on her cheeks. Her hair was long and black, and she wore a high-collared dark blue yukata.

However, his eyes narrowed when he caught sight of the clan symbol stitched onto her shoulder.

An Uchiha.

(He absentmindedly noted that he had never seen an Uchiha with blue eyes before)

"-we shouldn't be rude, so I'll introduce myself first. My name is Uchiha Nozomi, who are you?"

Tobirama blinked and struggled to sit up, red eyes locked on the beaming face of the Uchiha. What the hell?

Nozomi just grinned at the bemused, and slightly horrified look Tobirama was giving her. "As you can clearly see my clan's symbol Senju-san, there's really no point in hiding who we are."

Tobirama couldn't argue with the logic, but it still unnerved him how easily this girl could break clan law.

"I needed you to trust me." She stated plainly, "If I hid who I was, you would trust me even less than you do now."

Tobirama was about to make a nasty retort, but he was cut off by the Uchiha girl shoving a bundle of something in his mouth. He gagged in disgust and spat it back out, "Dear Kami woman! Are you trying to kill me?"

The cheeky grin that the Uchiha girl was giving him sure didn't help his temper, and what kind of Uchiha smiled?

"Now then," The smile was suddenly frigid and frightening, and it reminded him of his mother. "You're being very impolite Senju-san."

Deciding to go along with her wishes for the moment, he scowled, "Senju Tobirama." he introduced himself sharply, at her cold smile he cowered a little. "My name is Senju Tobirama." He said weakly, feeling much like a child being scolded by his mother for dumping snakes in Hashirama's bed again.

The cold smile went back to a warm one, much to Tobirama relief (not that he'd ever admit it) and he relax a bit, because as much as she didn't act like it, she was still an Uchiha.

"Senju Tobirama - one of the clan head's sons?" She asked with a bemused grin, as if she didn't know how to react. "

Tobirama scowled darkly, "One of two now, thanks to your clan." He spat bitterly.

Uchiha Nozomi's smile vanished, her eyes becoming sad. "There are not winners in war, only survivors…" It sounded as if she was quoting something, "Your hatred doesn't surprised me. My clan has kill many of yours, however, your clan as killed just as many of my clan."

Tobirama was startled, this kid couldn't be any older than he was and yet she was spouting words of wisdom? She was what - ten? She couldn't be any older than eleven!

He had to admit though, the girl did make a grudgingly good point, despite her age... but there was one thing that bothered him.

"Why did you help me?" He asked faintly, and a small, hesitant smile lifted the corners of the Uchiha's mouth.

"Because you needed it." The Senju was floored at the response, and the girl didn't end there. "I promised myself I would never leave someone who needs help to suffer on their own. And I never go back on my word. That's my nindo! My ninja way!"

Heyo our dear followers, here's the next installment of Hope for a Change.

This chapter was mostly written by blue-hart, and I must say, they did a pretty good job ;).

Hope you enjoyed it,

~Uzu & blue-hart