Hinata's grip on the fraying rope tightened when she felt Sasuke's hands on her back.
Without warning, he pushed her and stumbled back to where his brother was standing. She let out a yelp and watched the ground travel away from her before zipping backwards.
A fit of giggles left her lips as she swung on the makeshift swing, leaving the other two boys grinning in amusement. Her pearl eyes glanced back to look at them and she watched Itachi poke at Sasuke's forehead before the swing took her back up. She stole another glance to see Sasuke's irritated face and Itachi's warm smile directed at his brother.
Itachi eventually stopped the swing by grabbing onto both of the ropes and smiled down at her.
"Do you want to try Itachi-san?" She got up quickly as if he was begging her to.
Sasuke filled the empty spot on the seat and he looked up at Itachi's face with a triumphant smirk. Itachi's shocked expression quickly turned into a smirk of his own, a deadlier one.
Hinata stepped a few feet away as she watched the scene unfold. Itachi had pushed Sasuke hard enough that he had screamed when the swing was at least 12 feet up in the air.
Itachi walked over to where Hinata was standing, his arms crossed over his chest. He seemed proud of his work. She giggled quietly as she watched Sasuke try and regain his call demeanor, but the fear was still on his face.
Hinata would walk to the same tree that they had always played around as kids when she was stressed. The memory that stood out the most was when they, mostly Itachi, had taught her how to walk up the side of the tree just so she could go home to show her father.
She had fallen so many times that the bruise on her back was there for weeks. In the end though, her father seemed to be pleased with the sudden demonstration. She had earned a few needed points that day.
When she arrived to the old spot, it was darker out than she hoped it would be. She needed to be by herself for a while; sort things out in her jumbled head.
Itachi
Her heart lurched at the thought of him once again, it seemed his presence would never leave her mind alone.
She remembered the horror she felt that day when her father informed her of the massacre that occurred. Her immediate reaction was to try and run past her father to check on her friends, but a strong grip left her screaming to be let go.
He explained that Itachi, who was missing, was the prime suspect and that Sasuke was still alive.
That was all she heard before the objects around her blurred through her tears and the pounding of her heart sounded loudly in her ears.
She shook her head to rid the horrible thought from her mind, already causing a few tears to gather in the corners of her eyes.
Itachi, the kind boy that always encouraged her and protected her.
Itachi, the murderer that killed his entire clan and spared his younger brother.
She tried to stay close with Sasuke but the massacre had left him a shell of what he used to be. He rarely spoke to her after-wards, his quest to destroy his brother clouded his corrupt thoughts. When she learned of his departure from the village, no surprise was evident on her face.
The wind had picked up and a sudden breeze brought strands of her hair up, causing a momentary lapse in her thoughts.
The shoulder length hair that she donned had grown longer, stopping at her waist, and she had changed her attire to something a bit more mature.
Her hand idly pressed against the rough bark and a sigh left her lips. The sky was already showing it's first signs of stars when she looked up. The frown on her lips deepened as her current situation weighed down on her as well.
Her father had talked to her about a future plan for a suitor and her ears tuned out the rest. He told her so calmly, as if they were discussing lunch plans.
The ceremony wouldn't happen until she was 18 but the thought of handing her life over to some stranger struck a nerve in her. She wished Itachi was there to offer some guidance or one of his warm smiles and an affectionate stroke of her hair.
She just wasn't cut out for marriage; her image was clumsy and her sentences came out in fragments rather than full sentences. Surely no one would want to be stuck with a failure of a heir.
A pair of scarlet eyes in the distant forest cut off her busy thoughts though and she felt her body freeze.
"Itachi-san" She greeted the older boy with a smile, already knowing he preferred it over formal greetings. Her hand gripped a small basket filled with sandwiches and drinks that she prepared before coming to their spot.
His face was scrunched up in deep thought as he sat idly on the swing and Hinata stopped a few feet in front of him. Worry pooled in her chest as she watched his dull, inky eyes stare down at the ground.
The grip on the basket tightened as she waited for him to acknowledge her presence. Had something happened? Itachi never struck her as the type of person that let his inner conflicts show on his face, no, he was more conscious of it.
"Hinata" His voice came out rushed and almost shocked and she took a step back from the piercing eyes that had suddenly looked up at her.
"A-Are you o-okay?" She felt self conscious under his gaze and occasionally glanced around to break the uncomfortable stare he was giving her.
"I'm sorry. I'm just ..not" He stopped and she felt a frown tug at her lips as she watched him struggle with his words.
"I'm tired" He stated softly.
Her heart felt like it had cracked at the vulnerable statement he let out. She had never seen him so hurt before.
It was obvious that his current condition was more than fatigue but she didn't want to pry more out of him in this state.
Instead, she set the basket down gently and pulled a small, folded up blanket from it. She laid out the sheet, carefully pushing all the wrinkles out of it.
Itachi watched dully from his spot on the swing as she set out two plates with neatly made sandwiches on them and two juice pouches.
He slowly rose from his spot on the swing and walked to the small blanket and plopped down in front of her. The small smile she gave him as she handed him a napkin put some normality back into his clouded thoughts.
Hopefully you guys enjoyed this C: I really love this pairing~
This is my first uploaded fan fiction, so if there's any errors please let me know ! I'll fix them.
Also, any constructive criticisms are welcome ~ Please be nice ^_^ I'll be uploading the next chapter soon hopefully 3
Comments are highly appreciated !