AN: Okay… I wasn't supposed to continue this but due to reviews, whining from my sister, and the fact that I'm weak for this couple, I decided to anyway. Well, I'll give it my best shot! ^_^

Purple Flowers

Inspired By Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto

It was quiet in the mass of lush green trees. There was no bird song, no wind rustling leaves, and no animals scampering around the underbrush. It was as if the very forest knew there were dangerous predators stalking silently through its shadows.

Said predators were, in fact, two men wearing the dreaded black cloaks with red clouds on them that only Akatsuki wore. One was blue skinned with dark navy hair and a large bandaged sword on his back. The other was slightly smaller with black hair swept back in a neat ponytail and dark eyes that peered ahead of him intelligently. They were known respectively as Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha.

While Kisame was content with heading towards their latest mission Itachi was distracted, as he had been for several months. It wasn't that he was concerned about the mission- which was easy as all they had to do was go and steal some valuable ornaments from a renowned collector so they could, as Kakuzu put it, "Fund their miserable organization for another year."- but rather he was unable to stop contemplating his memories of a girl he had met all that time ago.

It wasn't as if they had spoken to each other. The girl hadn't even seen him. He just watched her train and gave her a piece of paper with some tips for improving her fighting style written on it after she had accidentally fallen asleep against the tree she had been using for training. And, he added mentally with an inward wince, I was foolish and kissed her.

He hadn't taken a kiss from her lips or even the cheek. The kiss wasn't romantic or sensual in any way. But the surprisingly tender kiss to her brow held deep longing, something he wasn't supposed to show. Not even to an unconscious girl.

Itachi finally broke from his thoughts when he and his companion came across a large clearing, only to stop several yards away from the edge of the tree line. Normally they would go right through the remaining trees and through the meadow and right back into the trees again, taking a straight route right to their target. They would have now if not for the girl sitting in the center of the field picking the delicate purple flowers that surrounded her and gently placing them in a basket beside her.

The Uchiha signaled for his partner to wait before slipping effortlessly through the trees and coming to a stop at the edge of the field of flowers. He tried to focus his fading eyesight on the female before him, taking in her baggy lilac jacket, purplish-blue pants, and long, dark blue hair. Her back was to him, but he realized with a small jolt that it was none other than the Hyuuga girl he had been thinking of only moments before.

He couldn't see her face from his angle, but just like the last time he saw her he was struck by her beauty. He couldn't help but admire how the sun lit up the lighter hues in her hair. He tried to shake himself from his train of thought, instead attempting to figure out why she had ended up where she was. They weren't very close to the Hidden Leaf Village, which meant she was probably on a mission. It probably had nothing to do with his own…

His thoughts trailed off and his mind seemed to go blank when his ears caught the sound of her softly humming a sweet tune he didn't recognize but couldn't help but think fit her. For an instant he was tempted to indulge his foolish side again and just stay there listening to her, but a small, firm headshake made his mind start to work again… even if it was a little slurred from the sound of her continued humming. With some effort on his part he decided it didn't matter why the girl was there so long as she didn't find out about his- or Kisame's- presence.

He turned and made his way back to his impatient companion- who was now frowning in his direction- and stated in a low voice, "We're going around."

"Why?" Came the hushed response, "Its only one girl. We could kill her easily."

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the strange sick sensation that filled his belly at those words, "No."

Leaving no room for argument he simply began to walk again. Kisame, however confused he was, simply shrugged in acceptance and followed him.

~oOo~

Hinata Hyuuga hummed happily to herself as she carefully plucked her latest purple flower. She had just finished the mission she had with the rest of Team Eight and they were on their way home when they decided to take a break. During that break she had happened to come across an enormous field of flowers that she had never collected before. Seeing as she had time to she decided to collect a few that she could press later once they got back to the village.

Suddenly Hinata's head snapped up and her Byakugan activated. She checked all around her, but she couldn't see anything unusual. She deactivated her power and frowned. For a moment she could swear she felt someone watching her. With a sigh she stood and grabbed her basket full of flowers before beginning to walk softly away. She must have imagined it.