A/N: Oooh, this is my first fanfiction for a long time. The story is probably full of grammar mistakes (English is not my mother tongue), but hopefully it can still be somewhat enjoyable. The characters are more or less OOC, and the stories could be considered happening in AU.
I would greatly appreciate If anyone is willing to help me with using FFnet, my apostrophes etc. have gone hiding and I wish to fix my story if I upload more of these stories...
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to M. Kishimoto... I only own... Sadly, I don't own anything!
Warning: contains mentions of violence. This is tragedy; if you do not like the idea of the genre, I suggest not to read this story. I will not tell everything that happens in this fic here, so be warned.
In this story, Hinata is approximately 15 years old and Itachi is about 20.
Dark Eyes, Part One: The Secret
Flowers, flowers, flowers. The grove in the woods of Hyuuga was full of beautiful, ready-to-pick blossoms, and that is why she loved the place so much. It was a grove she had used to go when she needed time of her own; it was a perfect location to medicate and just be without rush, the peace around her soothing and relaxing.
Since the first days of the clan, it had been a tradition of Hyuuga girls to come there and pick flowers for medicine and decorative. When younger, Hinata had gone there with her cousins, using her Byakugan to take the most suitable ones for ingredient of ointments. The ones that had healing effect could be seen only with untainted Hyuuga eyes; after getting married it was impossible for women to find them anymore. Or that is what Hinata had learned; her old friends one by one wedded and didn't follow her to the grove anymore. And since Hanabi had no interest whatsoever for flowers, she had to go to the grove alone.
Not that she didn't mind; now, she could enjoy the view by herself, listen to birds singing in trees and watch them fly over the sky. The normal ninja life seemed to disappear there; no sign of battles, disappointments or death ever found its way there.
Singing a lullaby to herself while collecting, Hinata couldn't help but think the relationship she had with her flowers; every one of them were important to her since they were a valuable aid when needed. It was her duty to pick them carefully, and she was talented in it; the ones she had taken were never damaged, thanks to her exactness. She had however tried to grow them in a pot before, but they died soon in her hands. So after few unsuccessful attempts she had decided to leave flower growing to Ino.
She sat under a cherry tree, sometimes watching its inhabitants wander around. The birds chirped while gathering food for their young, hopping from one branch to another. The tree behind her was truly full of life.
Evening was coming faster than she had thought. The shadows grew larger, and the wind began to rise. Suddenly a herd of crows flew over Hinata, cackling loudly as they went. It was abnormal to see so many of them in this forest, and it startled her. Closing her basket, she decided that it was time to leave.
A twig snapped behind Hinata and caused her to jump and turn over.
Though there was no reason to be afraid; a boy bit older than her stood next to cherry tree. He had no weapons visible to Hinata, and his relaxed being calmed Hinata down. He seemed harmless, but as a shinobi Hinata knew not to trust total strangers without caution.
"Oh, I-I-I didn't see you t-there."
The boy moved closer, stopping next to her.
"You should be careful; it's dangerous to be alone and not to ensure your safeness every once in a while. There are people who are ready to use the situation for their own good."
If she had been Neji, she would have had a witty remark ready, or if Hanabi had been there, she would have insulted the boy by claiming her heritage better than his. But as herself, Hinata felt ashamed; there she was, being scolded by someone she didnt know.
"S-s-sorry," she whispered.
"It's all right. In fact, I should be the one apologizing. It was I who interrupted you." Watching the blue sky over them, the boy sat down and motioned Hinata to do the same. Hinata followed his example; she felt oddly calm, as if she didn't need to fear anything. His aura was calming, just like the forest she loved.
"So, you're one of the Hyuuga, eh?"
"I-I am."
"What is your name, then?"
"H-H-yuuga, Hyuuga Hinata."
"Why are you here?"
"T-T-o collect flowers." Hinata wondered why the stranger was so interested her, after all, she would have probably won "Most Boring Person ever Born in Konoha" –award if her classmates, her team mates and relatives had decided to give them out. Besides, it was fairly obvious what she was doing here, since she had a flower in one hand and a basket in another.
"Why?"
He looked like he was not just doing this for courtesy; otherwise Hinata would have felt herself somewhat annoyed by his questions.
"I like it. I-I have done it since I was little. I consider it nice and entertaining." Putting the last flower to the basket, Hinata thought it was her time to inquire information of the boy.
"W-Why are you here?"
"To watch the sunset", was his short response.
The sun was already nearing the horizon, the sky colored by various shades of red. Hinata had never been in the grove this late before, and the view pleased her, as did the presence of the boy next to her. She had only few close friends and because of that, she was practically longing for new ones. The stranger beside her could be one addition to the short list, and because of that, she decided to act as nicely as she could.
"I-I-I h-have not seen you before. D-Do you live in Konoha?"
"No. But I have relatives here."
I wonder if he looks like them and if I can recognize his family, Hinata thought as she studied his face briefly. Yes, there was something oddly familiar with him, though she could not tell what it was. At first glance, he appeared as plain as one might be; his black hair and dark eyes were very common in this area and everywhere else, nothing like the naturally pink hair of Sakura or the light blue eyes of Ino. He had pale skin that Hinata was so familiar with because of her family; but unlike Hyuuga, he was not as scary looking, ghostlike as they were.
At first glance he was common, but the second one revealed his beauty; his somewhat feminine form was pleasing to the eye, and Hinata wondered if she had seen someone as naturally elegant as he was.
He has grace both Kiba and Shino lack. He would win Neji anytime. He… is nothing like Naruto.
Her glance that had quickly turned into intense stare did not freak him off. A flash of red appeared in his eyes when he looked back at Hinata.
"Sometimes, when I need solace, I travel to Konoha and watch how the sun goes down. It is different here than in other places." He paused and took a daisy to his hand, starting to pluck its petals.
"Would you accompany me tonight? It would be an honor to me." He glanced, smiling at Hinata who thought she probably radiated warmth because of her ever increasing blush.
"S-S-Sure."
After that unexpected meeting, Hinata began to see him more in her grove. Soon, she started to trust him, his tranquility and relaxed manner some of the reasons for that. He also never demanded, nagged or whined about anything, and so he was welcomed as her friend, even though she didnt ask his name when they met. Hinata simply thought that he would tell it to her if he wanted, and she left him to do the decision. She had been trained to be polite, after all.
They didn't chat much, as they both concentrated on the sunset that changed its appearance every time they were there, and the silence soothed her poor nerves that were constantly under stress because of her missions. Sometimes he started the conversation (he probably had noticed her awkwardness with words), plucking the leaves that had started to be a habit of him when around her.
"I don't understand your interest in these things. You are a shinobi, and yet you collect flowers that are either puny or trivial. You could easily use other methods to do your medicine. Your habit of coming here reminds me of you sheltering yourself of the world, since no one else other than you visit this place. Are you hiding something from others, Hinata?"
Hinata looked down as she tried to arrange her words into sentences.
"I like these flowers just the way they are; they might be vulnerable and need protection, but I can easily identify with them. Plus, I like my way of doing things. And I have nothing to hide from them or others."
"Dear Hinata, don't you know that everyone has something dark in them? Even I have secrets that would make your blood freeze. Desire, want and need control all humans, even you, your family, your friends. Do you need something – or someone – to save you from these feelings or the change they bring?"
Hinata looked him questionably, one brow up. The boy coughed and continued: "Is it possible that you, Hinata, think you have to have someone to look after you? Like these flowers here have the spirits of woods?"
"I wish I did, though I have none. You see, I have felt myself weak as long as I have lived. No one supported me when I had misfortune and it has made me hard inside, but as I see these flowers, I can find the child in me once more and at that time I have no need for sympathy of others. I still have my innocence that guards me of all evil, even though I have seen that the world is full of deceit and death and how easily it corrupts its residents. And so this place is my hideout; the flowers remind me that there is still something to live for."
"Yet I could easily destroy one of your beloved flowers by crushing it with my hands. Can't you see that someday, someone will do the same to you and take away your pureness? And more importantly," he watched Hinata, eyes flaming with blood red, making Hinata wince," Are you not interested in finding out what happens after that? Or are you afraid of the future of adults that is clearly full of losses and exploitation?"
Hinata turned to face the boy, curiosity rising. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean," he said as he scooted closer to her," is that the life does not end to that, even if you have to face the world. Think about those hidden but vast possibilities, waiting for you to take them! No naivety controlling your actions; you are free to go and do whatever you like."
"I like it the way it is now."
"But then, when you lose your innocence, you'll lose everything. Are you not afraid?"
"If something like that happened, then so be it. I have no right to ask for more or less."
"Well, it is your own choice. But it's such a pity that you think so. I could have shown you many things, so exciting ones that you possibly couldn't have ever dreamt of them." His voice was full of disappointment; Hinata could just guess what was so devastating in their discussion for him to get so upset.
"Besides, you are the one who kills these flowers when you choose and take them. They die, rot and are forgotten; the death is thus always present. What if they wanted revenge on you, Hinata? What if they decided to steal back the pureness you obtained from them? What if you had to share their cruel fate?"
Then I wouldn't have any reason to live for, she thought to herself.
Dropping the flower absently on the ground, the boy rose and watched as the sun begun its play with clouds and the sky.
"I have to leave Konoha tomorrow, my boss demands so, and I do not think I will be able to come back for a while... But before that, I would like to give you a gift."
Childlike enthusiasm overwhelmed the otherwise puzzled Hinata. "Oh. What is it?"
"You'll see. I leave it here for you to find it. Something small, nothing special."
"I must thank you beforehand, then", Hinata said as she watched the red colored horizon. She then realized that she didn't have a gift for him.
"S-Should I get something for you?"
"Oh, you have given me more than I need. I have enjoyed these evenings with you. You truly are an intriguing person, Hinata."
The sky had gotten dark in an abnormal speed while they spoke that it amazed Hinata. Soon, the moon rose; unlike usually, it was the color of crimson. She did not fear the change though, as she had a trustworthy companion with her.
"Wow, I have not seen a moon like that before."
"I have seen many of them", he whispered as he raised his hand, as if to touch the heavenly body.
Hinata started to feel tired, because of the long day she thought, and decided that it was her time to leave and go home.
"I should get going. My father waits me."
As she gathered her belongings, she could not help but look at the beautiful red moon again. Such a wonderful thing, she pondered to herself as she exhaled the sweet air around her and closed her eyes.
Opening her eyes next time, Hinata found herself in her bed. It was morning, and the birds sang outside her room.
Hmmm, I do not remember how I got back here. Oh well, I probably had a boring journey that asked to be forgotten.
Putting on her slippers, she walked to her closet and took out clothes she used when training or on mission. After brushing her teeth quickly and checking that her braided hair looked tolerable, she decided that it was time for breakfast. An apple would have to do today; at 7:25, she was already a bit behind her schedule, as she was supposed to meet her friends Kiba, Shino and her teacher Yuuhi Kurenai at the gates of Konoha before eight o clock.
Her team was already there when she got outside the gate.
"Yo Hinata!" Kiba shouted and waved his hands. Kurenai pulled a small file out of her pocket, showing them an image of a middle-aged man.
"Well, good to see that we are all here. Our mission today is to take the man in this picture, X Y, from the village of Sand to Konoha. I suppose that all of you have everything you need for our three-day trip."
"Teacher Kurenai, I did not get the info of this mission, and I have not gotten anything with me, a-a-as I thought this would be a D-rank one…"
"But we met yesterday, didn't we? And I told you about this."
"I… I must have forgotten. Forgive me, teacher."
"Oh, it is alright. Go get your things; we'll wait here, don't we?" Kurenai asked the boys, smiling brightly at her students.
"Sure! See you soon, Hinata!" Kiba jumped up and down; Shino merely nodded at his friend.
What´s going on with my memory? Hinata thought as she ran to her house, took clothes and other things necessary, packed them in her bag, and sprinted back to the gates.
The next three weeks went in a hurry that Hinata had never experienced before. The missions were more or less difficult, and they kept her away from home; and when she got home, she didn't have enough energy to go to her grove. Stress was wearing, and Hinata wished to have some time of her own.
On one day, her team was assigned to do guarding on the southern border of Leaf; a missing-nin had been spotted in the area and he was thought to be there still, disguised as a local or camping in the vast forest area.
After running around the woods for several hours, Kurenai decided that they would have to take a pause and eat their lunch in a small meadow they had come up against while searching for the criminal.
Hinata loved the place: it reminded her of her grove, though it wasn't obviously as beautiful as hers was. The most spectacular thing there was the amount of different flowers that covered the ground like a thick mat; daffodils, forget-me-nots, lilies of the valley and so on were under the trees, and Hinata couldn't stop herself from picking one flower up.
Staring at the bluebell in her hands, she raised her new acquaintance to her nose, desiring to breathe in its scent. As she did, she closed her eyes and thought of her grove that was waiting for her in Konoha. The sweet scent brought her some comfort she had desperately sought while on these hectic missions.
Opening her eyes to view the pretty blossom, Hinata plucked one petal. Suddenly her hand felt wet, as if the flower had had liquid inside it. And somehow it had; Hinata's happy look turned into horrified stare as she realized what the fluid was.
The bluebell was bleeding, smearing Hinata's hands with blood.
"Oh G-God! Why?!"
Her little outburst awakened the interest of her friends: Kiba and Shino were next to her in an instant.
"Hinata, what is it?"
"Cant you see? L-l-look at the flower!" her trembling hand pointed the bluebell she had dropped to the ground.
"What, Hinata? It's a perfectly normal bluebell." Shino took the flower and looked it of different angles.
And yes, as she observed the flower again, it was indeed flawless. No sign of blood was on view.
"O-O-Oh, I must be imagining things."
"Hinata, are you okay? You seem pale," Shino said as he raised his hand to her forehead, "and you're pretty feverish, too."
"I think you should rest, Hina. Maybe we should abort the mission; you cannot work if you're falling ill."
"I agree. Kurenai!" Shino shouted to their teacher who was focused on boiling water for them. She lifted her gaze up off the kettle.
"What is it, Shino?"
"Hinata's not feeling well," Kiba answered, "we think that it might be better for us to return to Konoha."
Kurenai approved Shino's and Kiba's decision, and the team packed their things and left the meadow in a hurry. Hinata's condition got worse while moving to Konoha, and in the end she had to be carried by her friends. The temperature she had made her hallucinate and her team mates could only wonder what had gotten her in this state.
She walks in the forest, enjoying how good it feels to have fresh grass underneath her bare feet, how nice it is to caress the long strands of them. The woods whisper her their hidden secrets and touch her gently with their branches and guide her to the safe path, making sure that she hears and understands them.
"Are you hiding something from others, Hinata?" Asks one of them.
"I see that you have something that only I can notice." A darker, lower voice comes behind the trees. Hinata cannot see the speaker, and for some reason she fears the one she cannot find.
Dear Hinata, don't you know that everyone has something dark in them?" Another asks.
"Foolish Hinata, can't you see that the devil himself is in front of you?"
"Do you need something – or someone – to save you from these feelings or the change they bring?" One asks tenderly, singing its message to Hinata.
"Little Hinata, only you can help yourself, and now it's too late for that," the dark voice says.
"Can't you see that someday, someone will do the same to you and take away your pureness?
"Oh Hinata, the thing you fear so is already happening." Someone laughs at her as she starts to panic. Hinata searches desperately way out of the forest, but in vain.
"Are you not interested in finding out what happens after that?" One of the woods fondles her cheek with its leaves.
"I know that you would, and I will show you." All of a sudden, a harsh pain in her stomach forces her to her knees.
"When you lose your innocence, you'll lose everything. Are you not afraid?"
"I lost everything and so will you, my dearest Hinata."
The flowers start to wrap around Hinata's legs, yearning for justice, screaming help for not only themselves but also for Hinata. Their faces are full of pain and sorrow as they decay in front of Hinata's eyes.
"What if they wanted revenge on you, Hinata? What if they decided to steal back the pureness you obtained from them? What if you had to share their cruel fate?
The trees won't help Hinata as she tries to block the voices out of her head.
"The blossoms show you your future. You cannot find your loved ones anymore. You have lost yourself."
"I can! I can!" she cries as she stumbles and tries to touch the dying flowers, but they wither away as she watches them. "Don't die, please don't die! I beg you!" she screams as the only white blossom that has the secret turns to ashes.
Hinata jumps up, the awful nightmare ending as she wakes up to the reality. She is in her own bed, tangled in her sheets. Sweat runs down her face, her heart races until she forces herself to calm down. It was only a dream, after all.
But the fear doesn't go away. She needs to go to the grove.
She is still in her nightgown as she races the corridors of the Hyuuga Manor, not bothering to put on shoes when she reaches the door. It is dawn, and the darkness surrounds both the house and the area near it. That doesn't scare her; she needs answers.
After finding the path to the grove, she runs along it as fast as she can; moving soothes her soul and she doesnt want to think about her latest dream. It doesn't leave her alone, though.
She approaches the grove and the cherry tree that is the center of it. The flowers are still here, moving silently as the wind blows over them. Everything else is alright, too. Her nightmare hasn't harmed the place.
But the silence is depressing, and Hinata knows that she must use her Byakugan to find the truth. Activating her bloodline limit, she opens her eyes and views the surroundings.
All she sees is black. Her sight might not be working properly, she thinks, and she decides to try again.
She still cannot see her flowers.
Hinata feels her legs wobble and she falls down next to the cherry tree. Tears appear in her eyes; the woe makes her ill.
Why, why, why?
Then, she remembers the evening she shared with the mysterious boy she had met only few days before, how the boy tried to touch the moon with his left hand and how the right one stroked her neck gently.
"No, dont you dare to touch me!" She says to herself as she recalls what has happened.
She doesn't notice his advances; she is far too fixed with his eyes, those lovely red eyes that make her world swirl with them. He embraces her tightly, lowering his lips on the same spot he had first touched with his fingers.
"Leave me alone, please, stop it!"
In the memory, his genjutsu has left her paralyzed; she cannot move, but her mind screams as he opens her shirt. He doesnt seem to mind having her like that, almost lifeless, like a doll of some sort.
Pushing her down to the grass, he positions himself on top of her. He smirks at the helpless figure under him.
"How does it feel to remember?" He asks.
"No, no, no, no, no!" She cries as she beats the cherry tree with her bare hands, gasping for air as she lives the nightmare again in her mind. She tries to think something else, but he doesn't let her; she can feel him next to her, on her, in her, even four weeks after the incident.
He gets up when he is satisfied, jerking her up as well and cleans most of the smears and stains she has with a water jutsu he knows. Then, he ensures that the genjutsu works and directs her to the road that leads her back home. She walks calmly, but inside she feels like dying because of the macabre experience he forced her to have.
Kurenai comes towards Hinata, stopping her since she is worried of her student. It is night already and girls like her shouldn't be alone in woods.
"Hinata, is everything alright?" she asks, eyeing her with concern.
Hinata tries to show her feelings, but her body doesnt respond to her orders. She sobs mentally as her physical side is acting the part he has written.
"I have never felt better," Hinata answers and smiles widely as she continues her walk towards the house of Hyuuga.
"I was supposed to remind you that we have a mission tomorrow in Suna. Take everything you need, we'll be travelling for couple of days!" she yells after her; Hinata doesn't stop this time. His hands guide her through the woods; his eyes wont leave her until she is securely in her bed.
Her mind is in turmoil, and she grabs the flowers, tearing them from the ground as she screams for help she couldn't have in the past. But the blossoms won´t help her; they laugh at her misfortune, stinging her with their thorns. Her hands bleed on the flowers that have turned into thistles in her eyes, and she continues plucking them until she reaches the layer of mold under her traitors.
She cries, tearing locks of hair off of her head, scratching her cheeks as she tries to take away the feeling of his touch on them. Hinata doesn't want others to see her now in a condition like this, the shame inside her is too overwhelming.
"Don't you like my gift?"
She presses her forehead against the trunk of the lonely cherry tree, cursing her own ignorance and how she didn't see the signs of danger beforehand. All she wants is to die so that no one can hear of her scandalous misfortune.
And so the flowers weep around her, telling the story how easily innocence dies in darkness.