A/N: I'm back! With a quicker update this time, it seems. :) I want to thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter! It definitely helped my motivation for writing this chapter! Please keep it up, and let me know if you have any suggestions or constructive criticism. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters.

Hinata had gotten home before the rain had become too harsh, quickly taking a shower and changing her bandages before laying down to sleep, her mind full of thoughts about "her" Nazo man.

When she woke up the next morning, she felt refreshed and happy. She tried not to attribute it all to her new friend, but she already knew better—it wasn't like she was complaining, though. She got up and changed into a pair of fresh clothing, feeling a little relieved as she found her coat clean and wearable. She quickly made her way out of the room, heading towards the exit door of the compound when a voice startled her to a stop.

"Hinata."

She took in a deep breath and turned around, smiling nervously at her father. She held her hands at her side, fighting off the urge to immediately start fiddling with her fingers. She had been scolded before about it, and didn't feel like going through that again. So, she looked at the solemn face of Hiashi Hyuuga.

"Y-yes, F-father?"

Hiashi's eyes narrowed slightly, although his mouth didn't falter from its straight line other than to speak.

"Where are you going?"

Trying not to shudder at his coldness, she responded, "I-I have a d-doctor's appointment today . . . I w-was going to g-go get my injuries c-checked."

Hiashi stared at his eldest daughter for a long moment, easily realizing how uncomfortable she was before him. Finally seeming satisfied with her response, he nodded. "Very well. Don't be late. The village needs an extra pair of hands to work to rebuild, no matter how weak."

Hinata frowned at the jab, lowering her head as her father turned, not noticing her reaction. She sighed softly as she turned to leave, pushing the door open with less enthusiasm than she had just a moment ago.

She was happy to get off of her clan's property and head towards the hospital, trying to forget what her father had said. She knew she wouldn't, but looking at the sight of how much had already been done for the village today lifted her spirits some.

When she finally made it to the hospital, she waited for her nurse to come to her. She sat in the waiting room, telling the nurse to leave the door open until it was time for her to change. She tried to tell herself that it was because she wanted to see how urgent the hospital was today—which didn't seem too bad to her relief—but knew it was because she wanted to see if Sakura was here, which would mean Naruto was back, too. She offered the nurse a strain smile as she came back and shut the door, beginning to examine Hinata's injuries once everything had been prepared.

With a minor set of healing jutsu being performed to heal the last of her wounds, Hinata walked away from the hospital soon after with no bandages. She smiled, stretching out the spots that had been sore earlier. It felt good to be able to move normally, and had been told she was allowed to use her chakra again at a normal rate as long as she didn't go overboard.

So, she did what she thought was best; Hinata made her way to the Hokage tower.

She was greeted upon arrival, Shizune happy to see the Hyuuga up and moving around normally. She had noticed the girl seemed sad the past few days when she'd spotted her in the village. The woman smiled at Hinata, carrying Tonton with her to Tsunade's office, opening it without knocking.

The blonde Hokage looked up from her desk, scowling at her assistant.

"If you have more paperwork, I'm throwing the pig out the window this time."

Shizune's look of horror disappeared after a moment as she straightened herself, but her mild glare at the Hokage didn't go unnoticed by Hinata. The older woman cleared her voice.

"No, Tsunade-sama, you have a guest."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. She could only see Shizune at the moment. She was going to make good on her threat if this was a trap. "Who is it?"

Shizune turned to Hinata, gesturing for her to go ahead and go inside. Hinata nodded nervously, not quite sure how to go about it with the Hokage in such an obvious bad mood. She bowed to the blonde.

"G-good m-morning, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade's eyes softened some at the sight of the shy Hyuuga. Although she couldn't admit it, she was always happy to see the girl. Especially when she wasn't half dead. She smiled at the girl.

"Hello, Hinata."

Hinata offered the woman a smile in return, before the Hokage motioned for Shizune to go ahead and go. Shizune bowed and exited, leaving the two to themselves. Tsunade turned her attention back to the Hyuuga, nodding to her.

"Is there something you needed, Hinata?"

"I w-was hoping y-you would assign me s-somewhere to help rebuild the v-village. I-I got a good r-report from the hospital," she said with a smile, eagerly waiting for a response as she shoved her father's comment to the back of her head.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the girl's request, before nodding. "All right, let me see what all needs help."

The woman reached into her desk to pull out some paper, eyeing what appeared to be some sort of diagram for the village. After scrutinizing it, she looked at Hinata with a smile. "How about you help rebuild some of the shops in the shopping district? You can help team ten, since your team is busy with their own districts."

Hinata nodded, a little uncomfortable with the idea of working with Ino. She didn't mind working with Shikamaru and Choji, but Ino was always a little . . . Overbearing. She didn't want to show this in front of the Hokage, however, and offered her some thanks before getting her location and heading off to locate the squad she would be assisting.

When she finally arrived, she found an interesting scene before her. Shikamaru was spread out on top of a few pieces of wood staring at the sky while Choji sat beside him and snacked on some chips. Ino was scolding them both about being more productive while she sat across from them, clearly flustered. Hinata breathed in nervously as she approached them, trying to gather the nerve to speak.

"U-um, h-hi."

Ino's head snapped in the direction of the shy girl, about to shout something, before pausing as she realized who it was. She smiled warmly at the girl.

"Hinata! What are you doing out here? I thought you were stuck at home."

Hinata smiled back awkwardly. "I-I got a g-good report f-from the hospital," she replied quickly. "T-Tsunade-sama said I-I could help y-you guys r-rebuild."

Ino smiled. "Finally! Someone who wants to work!" she said, shooting Shikamaru and Choji a pointed look. She turned her focus back to Hinata. "I've been trying for an hour to get these guys to help!"

"Damn it, Ino. We were just trying to take a break. All of this extra work is troublesome," Shikamaru complained. "It's pointless, anyway. You just want everything to be rebuilt here so you can shop again."

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with a girl wanting to get a few extra outfits!" Ino retorted, before looking at Hinata. "You agree with me, right, Hinata?"

Hinata felt her face redden a little at the sudden focus on her again. "I-I, um . . . N-no, a n-new outfit is n-nice s-sometimes."

Ino glared back at Shikamaru. "See? Now, you've been resting long enough! Get up and get to work!"

"If you keep yelling at him," Choji said, taking another bite out of a chip, "You'll never get him to work."

"Yeah right! If I don't yell at him, he'll never work, either!" Ino growled, before tossing Hinata and exasperated look. "Help me, Hinata!"

Hinata flinched some, only to make her way a little closer, looking at Shikamaru. "U-um, if we go ahead a-and get s-started, we c-can be d-done sooner, and w-we won't n-need a b-break . . ."

Shikamaru stared up at Hinata, making the girl's face flush a little as she started to poke her fingers together. He sighed, sitting up. "Fine . . . Just so Hinata doesn't have to deal with Ino yelling at her, too."

Choji frowned a little, but nodded. "Yeah, I guess so . . ."

Hinata offered the men some thanks before the small group began to work on rebuilding some of the shops, Ino relieved at finally getting some help.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong, Itachi-san?"

Itachi resisted the urge to Tsukuyomi his partner. While the idea seemed useful after being asked half a dozen times if he was okay, he knew it would be pointless.

Since Itachi and Kisame had been sent on their latest mission—to pick up supplies for the Akatsuki base, as it was, which Itachi found demeaning but a nice change of pace—Itachi had found himself lost in his thoughts on more than one occasion. While it was true that he was normally silent, it wasn't true that when Itachi went into one of his thoughtful moods, he was found smirking a lot. So, in light of this new change of behavior, Kisame had taken it upon himself to decide that his partner had finally lost his mind for good.

Thus, the repeated questioning of, "Are you sure there's nothing wrong, Itachi-san?"

Which, in turn, resulted in the repeated answer of, "Yes, Kisame, I am fine."

Itachi turned to his partner, coming to a halt as he did so. Kisame slowed up a little, stopping only when he realized that Itachi wasn't moving anymore. The shark-like shinobi stared down at his partner curiously. "Why are we stopping?"

"Because I'm tired of you asking me if I'm okay," Itachi replied sharply, staring up at the man evenly. "I am fine, Kisame. While I appreciate the concern, I just have a few things going through my head is all."

Kisame eyed him suspiciously for a moment, before nodding. "I understand, Itachi-san," he stated seriously. "It's just that for a little while, you were acting pretty down for you, and now you seem to be back to your regular self—if not happier."

Itachi sighed a little. "Yes, well, it's a private matter. Nothing is wrong."

Kisame stared at him once more for a good few moments, before turning. "If you say so, Itachi-san."

Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes—he was too mature, and deadly, to do that—and took off towards the base again, Kisame trailing alongside him. The steady thump of their feet was the only noise that accompanied them for the rest of their journey, and by noon they had arrived back at the base. Itachi put everything where it belonged, turning to head to his room when he stopped at the sight of the stoic female of their organization. He looked at her curiously. It wasn't like her to be out and about so often. She and Pein shared their own kitchen upstairs, so coming down here was unusual.

Konan looked at Itachi evenly. "Did you get everything?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes."

Konan walked over to the fridge and began to sort through it for items. "Good. Pein-sama has no missions for you at the moment. You and Kisame are free to do as you please. We don't expect any missions for another day or two, but keep an ear out just in case. We don't want any shinobi going missing in the middle of the night and not returning," she said shortly, gathering up her items and turning towards the exit of the kitchen. "Do in your free time what you will, but let it cause no inconvenience to us."

With that, the kunoichi left. Itachi watched her go, a little unsettled at the fact that her comment had more or less said she knew he'd been going out. He'd have to be a little more cautious. He didn't want his little Shizuka Girl to get mixed up in something she didn't need to worry about.

He paused. His Shizuka Girl? He frowned a little. He couldn't believe he'd thought that way. He sighed. It still wasn't fair for the girl that she didn't really know who he was, but the secrecy of it made their situation a little more alluring. In all fairness, he didn't know who she was, either. Of course, he'd thought about this quite a few times throughout the day, drifting off when times evened out to think about it. He smirked a little. What could it hurt?

Besides, he rather liked the idea of showing up as "Nazo", eager to see if his Shizuka Girl was in a happier mood again. He was still curious as to why she had been in such a sour mood when they first met, but knew he would have to be more tactful if he wanted to ask her again. Then again, he also knew he didn't have much of a right to ask her if he didn't intend to tell her what had been wrong with him.

Itachi turned and made his way back towards his room, listening to the silence that befell the base. Since the deaths of some of his other teammates—Deidara and Hidan, to be specific—everything had grown significantly quieter. Itachi didn't necessarily miss his old teammates, but he did know that things weren't quite the same since they weren't around. Kakuzu, even, had made a difference in his time here. He pushed the thought aside, opening the door to his room. It wasn't like they were friends.

Akatsuki members weren't supposed to have friends.

Still, he found the girl he planned to go see later was becoming dangerously close to that description, but he didn't intend to stop it.

Hinata waved goodbye to the team ten trio as she left the few newly built shops. She had been surprised at how quickly they'd managed to work once Shikamaru and Choji had gotten a little motivation, and was happy with the work they had gotten done. She was proud of herself, too, for not slowing them down and actually having a few suggestions that would make their job easier.

Now, though, Hinata was eager to get back home and change, hoping to get to speak to her Nazo-kun. She felt far stronger about the likelihood of him being there again tonight than she had the day before, and almost felt giddy about getting to go meet with him again. It almost felt a little forbidden—they were sneaking around in the middle of the night, sort of, and she knew her father would kill her if he knew it was a boy she was going to see—but she knew she would keep going as long as he kept showing up.

Hinata felt her heart skip a beat as she turned a corner towards the district, excitement seeping even further into her. Again, though, she felt it begin to draw away from her as she spotted Neji leaving the compound. He spotted her almost immediately, and she could see the grim demeanor on his face. She had a bad feeling already.

"Hinata-sama," he stated once he came close enough to her. She nodded to him.

"Neji-kun."

"Hiashi-sama has asked that you, Hinabi, and I be at the table for dinner this evening," he said seriously. Hinata could see the unhappiness in the man's features. Hinata never enjoyed dining with her family—it was always too tense and seemed like more of a business meeting than anything else.

Hinata suppressed a sigh and nodded to her cousin, offering him a kind smile. It wasn't his fault that they were going to have dinner with her father, so she knew she shouldn't treat him like it was. Of course, she knew that if she did, it wouldn't have even been that insulting.

Neji turned, making his way back towards the compound as Hinata began to walk, lost in her thoughts. She wasn't excited about having to dine with her family—she'd hoped she could be heading out to her new favorite spot before the scheduled time for dinner. She quickly made her way to take another shower, cleaning all of the building debris off of her. She relaxed as much as she could during her free time, before heading down the hall towards the dining room, her nervousness settling in full time.

Seeing that everyone had already arrived, Hinata quickly shuffled to her seat, sitting down as gracefully as she could. The setting in the room was icy, making her hands shake some. She offered her father and sister an uncomfortable smile, tossing Neji a more genuine one. He nodded in return, while the other two remained fairly stoic.

Hinata felt bad for her sister. She knew that her father had focused more attention on his more 'promising' daughter, which meant Hinabi was unlikely to have a normal childhood—even during her days at the academy. Hinata had occasionally seen some boys trying to talk to Hinabi, and Hinabi had almost seemed like she wanted to talk back, but the boys' parents would pull them away before she could. It was well known throughout the village that the Hyuuga leader didn't want his youngest daughter to turn out like his eldest.

"How did your hospital report go, Hinata?" Hiashi asked Hinata stonily. Hinata flinched a little, knowing that the question wasn't out of kindness.

"I-I got a good one. I-I was able t-to help w-with the r-rebuilding today."

"Good," Hiashi stated, staring at her as the servants brought their drinks out and told them dinner would arrive soon. Hiashi turned his focus away from the uncomfortable Hyuuga once the servants were gone, and shifted it to Hinabi, beginning to converse with her about her lessons and her daily routines.

Hinata was relieved at the quickness of their conversation, but was saddened as well. She often wondered what it would have been like to have a normal family, but knew it was unlikely that she would ever know. So, she paid attention to her food as it was brought out and ate with the practiced precision of an heiress.

The meal ended an hour or so later, and Hinata waited patiently but eagerly for this uncomfortable situation to be over. Hiashi was still speaking with Hinabi after their dinner was finished, and it was a good half an hour or so before everything was finally dismissed. Hinata was pretty sure that Neji had never moved so quickly in his life to get out of a room. Hiashi departed quickly, and Hinata began to make her way towards her room when Hinabi spoke up.

"Onee-chan?"

Hinata looked back at her little sister with a light smile. "Yes, Imouto?"

Hinabi smiled back at her sister a little more relaxed. She was more comfortable when their father wasn't around, too. "Are your injuries doing well? You said you got a good report, but that doesn't mean that you are feeling too much better."

"T-they're doing g-good. The m-medical ninja healed t-the rest of t-them," Hinata replied, turning around fully to face her sister. She didn't get to talk to Hinabi too often like this.

"That's good to hear. I know Father didn't ask too much about them," Hinabi commented, a little bit of sadness in her eyes.

Hinata's brow furrowed. "H-Hinabi, y-you don't h-have to worry about h-how Father t-treats me. I-I'm just h-happy t-that he spends time with y-you. D-don't worry about me."

Hinabi looked at her for a few stretched moments, before finally nodding. "Okay, Onee-chan. I should be off to bed, then . . . I have to go to class in the morning."

Hinata smiled at her, before walking over and giving her a hug. They weren't allowed to do such things as much anymore now that they were older, but she tried to sneak one in once in a while when no one was looking. Hinabi was surprised, but hugged her back, before releasing her and heading off towards her room to get some sleep.

Hinata watched her little sister go until she was gone, then turned and headed back to her own room to change into a different set of clothes .Once she had changed and she decided everyone was asleep, she grabbed her bag of koi food and quickly left the compound.

Hinata found herself arriving at the clearing a little after one in the morning. She leaned over to toss some fish food in for the koi, watching with contentment as the sight of the swirls the fish made in the moonlit water. She could see the light reflecting off of their scales and smiled. She really did love looking at the koi fish.

Still, she found her attention for them was a little shortened this time. She turned her focus towards the vine-covered trellis, trying to see if she could spot any unusual shapes on the other side of it. She smiled as she spotted an outlined bulk that didn't look like any kind of plant. She made her way over, trying to avert her eyes so she didn't catch too much of the man's appearance—she had to maintain her promise, after all.

She leaned against the trellis behind where the man sat, and smiled a little.

"H-how long have you b-been out h-here, N-Nazo-kun?"

She felt the trellis jolt, and squeaked a little in response. Her eyes widened as the figure shifted. Silence followed for a few moments, before a groggy answer reached her ears.

"Shizuka Girl?"

Hinata stifled a giggle. "Y-yes. A-are you okay?"

Itachi grunted a little, sitting up a little straighter. When the hell had he fallen asleep? And when had his Shizuka Girl shown up? He blinked a few times to try and focus his eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine. I suppose I fell asleep at some point waiting on you."

Hinata blushed a little. "I'm s-sorry you had to wait so long."

Itachi smirked some, stretching out his stiff muscles. "It's fine. I didn't mind, but I didn't expect to fall asleep. Was everything okay?"

"Y-yes. I h-had some family m-matters to attend t-to," she replied, her tone a little sadder. She quickly snapped out of it. "D-did y-you have a g-good d-day?"

Itachi's eyes widened some. He hadn't expected such blatant small talk. "I suppose my day wasn't too bad. Yours?"

"I-it was g-good. I g-got to help r-rebuild s-some of the v-village."

Itachi frowned. Right, Konoha was still in a lot of shambles at the moment. "I see. Well, at least it's getting back together."

"Y-yeah. Everyone's w-working so h-hard."

"I imagine," he replied calmly. "It's good to hear that you're mostly cheerful again, though."

Hinata's face flushed again. "Y-yeah . . . I g-guess I am . . . I l-like c-coming out h-here."

"Me too," Itachi replied calmly, closing his eyes some. "I look forward to it during the day."

Hinata couldn't help but smile, and was happy that she wasn't the only one who looked forward to meeting the silhouette of a person late in the evening. "I-I'm glad."

"Good," Itachi smirked, happy with her response. He could tell that she was starting to relax a little more when she came out to visit, and couldn't help but feel a little prideful about it. He leaned his head to the side to catch a glimpse of her again, only to find that she wasn't looking his way. I could see the outline of her hair.

"Shizuka Girl?"

"Y-yes?"

"Why do you listen to what I ask you to do?"

Hinata's brow furrowed. "W-what do you m-mean?"

"Well, you haven't looked at me since I asked you not to, and I can't really see a reason for you to not have tried."

Hinata smiled to herself. "Y-you asked me n-not to. I-it would b-be a b-breach of t-trust if I d-did. I-it's not th-that I'm not c-curious, t-though."

Itachi nodded, satisfied with her answer. "I didn't think people like you existed anymore."

"I t-try to b-be as honest as p-possible."

"I can tell. You seem like a very kindhearted person."

"Y-you do, t-too."

Itachi suppressed the urge to scoff. He couldn't remember the last time someone had made a comment like that in a serious way. "Thank you."

"S-so, c-can I ask you a q-question?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"W-why do you c-choose this p-place to come?"

Itachi paused to think for a moment, debating whether or not to answer the question. He knew it wouldn't be too fair if he kept avoiding her question.

"A long time ago, a marriage took place in this clearing. It was the marriage between my mother and my father," he stated honestly. "While I wasn't around when this wedding took place, my mother often spoke of it fondly. I ventured out here one day and was shocked when I found it. Of course, not many couples got to get married here, but it looks like it's been a long time since anyone has. My sibling and I would come here occasionally to play when we were younger, but those were happier times. I come here sometimes to relive those memories, as a reminder of things that once were."

Hinata frowned some. She hadn't expected such an intimate answer, but was happy that he had shared with her. "I-I see. I-I'm sorry that it's s-such a s-sad reminder."

"It's all right," Itachi stated. "Can I ask you why you come here?"

Hinata smiled some. "W-well, a l-long time ago, m-my parents g-got married here, too, actually. My m-mother brought m-me here and told me t-that when I got m-married, I would p-probably be wed h-here. I u-used to come h-here as a l-little girl t-to daydream about it. I w-would also p-play w-with the fish. A-after M-mother passed away and I e-entered the a-academy, I c-came here less and lless, until I stopped c-coming at all. I c-came here the other n-night w-without actually intending t-to."

Smiling to himself, he nodded. "I see. That's an interesting coincidence," he stated thoughtfully.

Hinata blushed lightly. "I-I suppose it i-is."

Itachi smirked, before glancing over at the kiosk structure thoughtfully. He stood up, startling Hinata a little.

"A-are you l-leaving already?"

"No, I think I want to go sit inside of the kiosk."

Hinata frowned a little. If he was going in there, he probably didn't want her to go, too, since if she sat, she'd most likely end up seeing his full outline, which was more than she'd seen thus far. "O-oh."

Smirking at her unsure response, he stopped at the front of the kiosk. "You can join me if you'd like."

Hinata smiled at his comment, ignoring the blush that spread to her ears and down her neck. She stood up as well, brushing herself off before heading to the kiosk. It shaded some of the area surrounding it from the moon, so Hinata watched her footsteps carefully. Of course, she quickly learned that she'd focused on her feet too hard when she slammed headfirst into the front of her waiting "Nazo".

Immediately her blush darkened and seeped down her neck faster than it had before. Her eyes widened significantly, stepping back quickly. "I-I'm sorry!"

She heard a light chuckle. "It's okay," he smirked, turning to go inside and take a seat on one of the built-in wooden benches. Hinata's blush didn't fade as she walked into the kiosk, taking a seat as well.

"Comfortable?" Itachi asked curiously. Hinata jumped as she realized one very important fact:

Itachi was sitting directly next to her.

She immediately got up to move, and stiffened when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"You're alright if you want to stay there."

Hinata hesitated for a moment, before making up her mind. She sat back down, poking her fingers together habitually. It wasn't that she was scared, but she wasn't used to sitting next to 'strangers'. Plus, after he made such a big deal about not looking at him, this seemed like a sudden change. Still, she couldn't help but feel the excitement that welled up inside of her. She bit her lip, not sure what to say now.

"I'm glad that you don't mind my company, Shizuka Girl."

Hinata didn't fight the smile that spread on her face. "I-I'm glad y-you like m-mine, t-too . . ."

Itachi looked out in the open spaces between the beams that held up the roof of the kiosk, genuinely happy at the moment. He sat with Hinata for a good while in silence, listening to the steadiness of her breathing and the sounds of the evening animals that surrounded them. He was content, feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time.

Then a certain Hyuuga heiress's head lolled onto his shoulder. He stiffened for a moment, looking down at his shoulder. He waited for a good moment before he realized that she was sleeping. He smirked a little to himself. She was really that comfortable with him?

He sat there with her for another hour or two, listening to her steady breathing. He only moved when she twitched little and almost fell off him. He situated her a little more comfortably, allowing her to sleep on him for a while longer. He was too comfortable at the moment to wake her up. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a female come this close to him, trusting him this much. He sighed softly.

He was getting way too close to this girl, and they'd only known each other for three days. Plus, she still didn't know who he really was.

He felt his muscles beginning to get a little stiff, reluctantly causing him to decide that it was about time for them to part ways again. He cautiously shook her, waking her up gently.

Hinata's eyes opened lazily, unsure of why she was being woken up. Her brain started to focus again, though, and it wasn't long before she realized just where she was—and who she was with.

She sat up almost immediately, her face burning like fire. "I-I fell a-asleep? I'm sorry!"

Itachi chuckled again. "It's all right. You didn't drool or anything," he smirked, before standing. "I only woke you because I needed to go home again, so don't worry."

Hinata looked down towards her feet shyly. "T-thank you . . . U-um, I g-guess I need to g-go, too."

Itachi nodded, stretching some before turning back to his companion. "I look forward to seeing you again, Shizuka Girl."

Hinata smiled. "A-as do I, N-Nazo-kun. G-goodnight."

"Good night," Itachi smiled, before stepping out of the kiosk. He was gone a few moments later.

Hinata stood up and stretched. She couldn't believe that she had fallen asleep on the man. Her face still burned like fire, but her heart was beating insanely fast.

She turned and left the kiosk as well, almost positive that she would have a difficult time going back to sleep when she got home.

A/N:

So, that's the end of the chapter! Let me know what you think!

Thanks!

Shebby