Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with it.

I want to thank those who have reviewed so beautifully, actually speaking about what they think and what they loved. I woke up this morning with half a dozen notifications and it made me reread my own chapter as it looks new to me with someone else's input. It always keeps the ball rolling. much much appreciated.

Also, anyone else notice this random person going around flaming my stories? Their exact words are "Sasuke wouldn't like fugly Hinata, go kill yourself virgin." They've done it twice and both times have made me guffaw a little.

If anyone else is being flamed the same way and reading this please know you're awesome, please, don't kill yourself and more importantly- virgin isn't a derogatory term so ... it's not really an insult... like... I feel like if I'm going to be flamed I'd rather it be done accurately but you know, cest la vie.

much love,

Inky


It had taken them twice as long to get to the village as she had expected. Near the end, only half a day's walk away he had stopped twice, dragged on the arrival by an entire day and a half, sat and scribbled away on his scroll.

Twice he had stood, removed her mask, placed his hands on her face, made her gasp for air as he kissed her, dragged moans from her mouth with such fervor she was sure it would never end.

Every time he pulled back, behaving as though it was nothing. A medical exam, perhaps.

She was always left shaking, confused, frustrated. She was always left mute.

As they walked together with the sun setting behind them Itachi stopped. Far below the rising hill Hinata could see the fingers of smoke and acrid smell of burning wood that meant the village was near. She paused behind her master, waiting patiently.

"Let us stop." He murmured, and her heart raced at his words.

Around her the forest had turned a blazing glory of orange and red, the light fusing with the branches and splashing through to the undergrowth, setting it on a lovely innocent fire.

He walked slowly, and with the same awkward stiffness as before towards the side of the road, settling himself on a round boulder covered with moss. Hinata paused before him, watching as he arranged himself in the fading light, seeming to enjoy it's caress on his face.

Unable to stand it any longer she whispered.

"What is wrong?"

Itachi didn't look up but continued to gather his things, pulling out the now dwindling scroll, smoothing out it's surface with one pale hand.

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you wounded?" her voice was cool and even like the lengthening shadows around them. Itachi blinked, glancing up at her with what appeared to be approval and surprise. "Why do you ask?"

How could she explain that the dance of his movements had begun to turn stilted and sore to watch? How could she put to words that instead of the smooth silk in water glide he looked like he was learning to walk?

How?

"Please." she whispered, and to her shame her voice broke. "Are you wounded?"

"No..." he breathed, and then sighed. "And yes, in a way."

Slowly she walked to stand in front of him on the stone, her cloak mingling with his at his feet. "May I help?"

Itachi laughed. He actually laughed. It was a sound she had not heard, not once. It wasn't a mean spirited and hurtful laugh either. His hand reached out, placing his brush down for a moment, and tangled his hand with her fingers.

As always it made the air get stuck in her windpipe, neither useful to her lungs or to her vocal chords.

"Here." He whispered, and pulled, drawing her hand closer and closer and then into his cloak, beneath the cover of his shirt, against the firm press of his chest to his heart.

With her own heart hammering in her ears she could hardly think straight, leaning over him this way. She could smell him, partly ink, partly ashes and something else that was sweet and lovely.

"Count the beats." his eyes looked into the mask on her face, searching. "Count."

1...2345...12345...1...2...3...

Her brows furrowed, and a little sound escaped her, both surprise and worry. "W..why is it-"

"Racing... then stopping, gasping to keep up?" he watched her, not letting go of her hand over his chest, pressing it more and more firmly there so her fingers began to hurt.

"I'm dying."

She pulled away so harshly that she was afraid she had scratched him, holding her hand in a pinched grip with her other, like he had burned her.

"No."

"Hinata. I've told you. Everyone dies."

"No."

More firmly and with a bit of irritation he reached forward, pulling the mask off her face, untangling it from her hair. "Stop it."

Wide eyed she stared at him, and it didn't matter that he looked back, lips pressed together firmly in what appeared to be distaste. "Stop."

"D-demo...you-"

"I said stop."

She did as her master commanded, forcing her face to be calm, her hands to lower to her sides. With the heat of the sun drowning behind her she looked back at him, straining to do what he asked.

Itachi pulled himself to his feet, studying her face, feeling as his heart alternatively galloped and slowed, and wondered if it was his illness eating away at it...or her.

With her face in the shadow he breathed deep, looking instead of her eyes at the smoothness of her cheeks, at the heart shape of her chin, at the contrast between the darkness of her hair, and the ivory of her skin against her neck.

"Her name was Izumi." he murmured, as though continuing and old conversation. She didn't move in her reply, although her lips trembled.

His eyes stayed there, at her lips, at the pink softness of them. He knew what they tasted like, something between a summer strawberry and a bottle of expensive wine.

"She loved me, before I loved her." His hands moved of their own volition, and expecting a flinch from her he reached up, tracing the fall of her hair from her temple down the side of her face, feeling the silk between his fingers.

"I paid her no mind for too long..."

Her lips trembled again, and he could see the strain of staying still. Was she wanting to pull away, to gasp in panic?

Was she wanting to push in?

He had done so much, ripped her skin, broken her bones, stripped her mind. A new person stood before him that what he had stolen. It had been necessary. He had had no choice. His eyes finally lifted following the soft curve of her small delicate nose to her eyes.

They gazed back at him, like open windows in a home at night, lights on, transparent.

He had told her that the mask was for her sake. That being known as a woman would be a disadvantage, that it would inspire conflict, that conflict must be avoided. Hide who you are, and you will avoid unnecessary battles.

It was true, except for that the mask wasn't for her, it was for him. With it he didn't have to feel her gaze, didn't have to see her drowning inside herself.

Her eyes stared, and he stared back, feeling that pull.

She was so different, pale as snow, and shining. He could read it all there. The terror she still felt with his fingers on her skin of her cheek. Would he break her, rip her skin with his roughness?

Or would he...

Slowly he slid his thumb across the smoothness of her lips, feeling a tremble pass through his arm.

God forgive him, how had he come to this?

It wasn't a choice, some things just were not. Her eyes demanded it, and without sharingan, without mangekyo he found himself there again, against her mouth, drinking in her smell, her taste.

She whimpered, and it made him shiver, sliding his fingers through her hair down to the small of her back, feeling through the fabric of her clothes the scars he had inflicted and feeling both shame and pride.

In these moments the clarity of his work was vast, he could stare at it in his minds eye with her mouth soft and warm against his coldness, pulling back he was surprised to find her hands gripping his clothes more tightly, a sound that was both familiar and distinct drifted through her bruised open lips.

"D...don't die..." it was a feather soft whisper, just the passing of air over her vocal chords. A sigh.

He smiled, a genuine heart breaking smile that made tears spring to her eyes.

"Everyone dies, Hinata."

It was the only truth he could count on, the only thing that stayed the same day in and day out.

"Everyone dies."

"Katon!"

She felt the threat before he whispered the word, and before her body even received the signals from her brain she had jumped in front of Itachi, her chakra snapping out of her in a wide net, dark purple and solid.

The fire exploded, it smashed like a tidal wave against the wall of chakra and despite it's protection Hinata flinched behind her mask, hands up to keep it at bay.

"Sensei!"

Itachi's body dashed forward in front of her, and with one deep breath a storm of light burst from his mouth and the swirling fire met it's twin. Between the two Katon hurricanes her chakra bristled and died, disappearing like petals burnt in the grate.

Grunting with the effort Hinata watched, wide eyed.

The heat of the flames made the ground before them melt, the smell like burning hair.

Abruptly the two flames withdrew, sucked in like dogs with leashes being pulled back by their masters.

In the ensuing darkness Hinata heard the screams as villagers raced to get away, dragging their children from their beds in their hurry.

Across from them her eyes detected the glint of a blade, and a dark shadow stood still, watching them through the smoke and ashes.

"It's Sasuke." Itachi whispered to her, and she felt herself start.

"Your brother?"

"He's not just that..." Itachi's voice had a sound she was baffled by. Guilt? "Remember your promise to me."

She gasped, feeling his hand reach back, pushing the scroll into her fingers, lingering there for only a second. "Remember."

"No."

"Stay!" it was a shout his eyes blazing red as he glanced at her over his shoulder and she stepped back, feeling like chains dragged her to the ground and tethered her there.

Whatever he commanded...gritting her jaw, she must obey.

A voice drifted through the sputtering heat of their katon, swimming through the smoke. In it was the velvet dark undertones of death, it was rich and full, a strong warm cup of coffee in the freezing cold.

"Itachi."

For a moment Hinata paused, feeling a pain sharp like kunai in her chest. She winced, a hand drifting to her heart. What is this?

"Sasuke." her master's voice replied softly, he stood at the ready, one foot back, the other balancing his stance, his fingers lifted in half jutsu. "You took your time."

"Where is she?" The strangers words were making her chest feel brittle, she breathed in hard, trying to steady herself, confusion and panic flying through her mind like startled birds.

What the hell is happening to me? Am I scared? I can't fail him.

"Close." Itachi murmured. "Although... I was starting to wonder if you cared."

He had said the wrong thing.

A sound like a thousand birds of prey in flight ignited and the shadows danced with lunatic vibrancy around them, electric chakra sparked from the strangers hand.

Hinata stared, seeing the stranger's face for the first time, startled.

...I...I know that face...

"Chidori." She whispered, itching to move forward, itching to fight it.

"Sensei-" she began.

"No. Stay out of this." Itachi snapped, and Hinata flickered out of sight and backwards, just in time to avoid the catastrophic explosion as Sasuke's chidori ripped the ground where Itachi had been to shreds.

Above him Itachi gasped, surprised by the speed his brother had gained in the years since he had last seen him. This wouldn't be a long fight. Already he could taste the blood in his mouth as his heart struggled to beat in his chest.

Do it, Sasuke. Do it now.

Abruptly his eyes widened, feeling suddenly the presence at his back. Like a bolt of lightening he felt the impact of his brother's body against him, dodging the katana to his back by millimeters.

Together the exploded into the ground, a wave of ash, dirt and smoke rushing from the center of their landing, making Hinata flinch against the heat.

As it cleared she felt her mouth go dry. Pinned to the ground, with the katana at his shoulder Itachi winced up at Sasuke, unable to keep the blood from trickling out of his mouth and down his chin.

Sasuke's mouth moved, she could see it from the distance but could not hear his words. His blade was in her sensei.

No... no this wasn't supposed to happen. Like a god Itachi moved through the world impenetrable. He molded people. He had molded her, like clay he had made her. No...

The shriek of sound was so loud in her ears, it was a high pitched never ending pain, almost like screaming but not quiet, she couldn't hear, despite her best efforts, her eyes taking in the information of the two brothers exchanging words, unmoving.

Suddenly Sasuke twisted the blade and she watched in horror as Itachi's back arched and his scream filtered through the ring in her head.

"No." she whispered it, and disappeared from sight.

Sasuke felt the incoming force at the last second, it was so fast.

With a grunt he ripped the blade out of his brother's shoulder and brought it up just in time to parry a blow from the hands of the other black cloak.

"Huh!" He grunted and shoved, the masked being flipped, landing on his feet with ease. The silence he emitted was unnerving.

"No," Itachi's voice was marred by the blood rising in his throat and Sasuke looked down at him confusedly for one second before gasping, bringing the katana up again, and again and again, the chakra infused hands of his opponent flew, driving him away from Itachi with force.

Goddamnit.

Growling Sasuke parried again, hard, snapping his blade to the right, startled that instead of embedding into the shoulder hidden beneath the cloak his blade met the metal of armor, skidding across it's smooth surface, drawing him close enough to feel the chakra sharp hands slice at his side.

With a hiss of pain he spun, withdrawing the blade, wielding it elegantly above his head and around to drive into the side and thigh of the cloaked shinobi, but the body seemed to be made of light. It moved out of his way, pushing instead to get closer, the glowing purple of the hands trapping Sasuke in a twisted knot with his katana and his opponents limbs.

He was so close, he felt his opponents heat, and as battles often did everything slowed to a crawl.

The small hands moved, and he felt the slice of a wound on his shoulder as he moved to avoid his jugular being slit. His katana danced, slicing sideways to sever the torso from the legs but the cloaked figure jumped, and although the cloak was shredded they landed with ease on the other side of it, leg already extended to kick his side.

Blocking with his forearm he pushed hard, ignoring the hiss of fire as the impact of both their combined weights connected on his one limb.

Surprised that he would take the blow the shadow he fought fell backwards, stumbling for two small steps before regaining their balance, hands up in a strangely familiar battle stance.

"NO!" Itachi was shouting now, and the warrior froze, muscles trembling as though restraining themselves.

Sasuke panted in front of them both, anger swirling inside him making him unable to understand.

"Stay out of it." Itachi's voice continued, and a cough punctuated his words, the blood spattered over his hands and he sighed.

Slowly with an obvious internal battle the masked Akatsuki moved back, stepping away from Itachi by a few feet, chakra disappearing from their hands.

"Sasuke." Itachi gasped, struggling to sit up with one arm.

His brother let his eyes drift from the kabuki mask for one moment, back to the familiar rotating red of sharingan eyes.

"It had to be done... It was an order... from the council itself..."

The words he was spewing made Sasuke's eyes darken, and the pupils divided, slowly entering into a different sharingan than before. Itachi shook his head, one slow motion from left to right.

"You don't need that..."

He motioned with one hand urging him closer, the blood dripped down his palm into the sleeve of his cloak.

Sasuke's gaze flickered to the kabuki mask beside him.

"Tell me where she is."

"You'll find her." Itachi whispered, watching as death approached him, the katana glinted softly in the light. Beside him Itachi raised his hand, a sign to stop as the tattered cloak on Hinata shifted as if to move.

"Tell me where she is, now, and I may end you quickly."

Heart in his throat Sasuke's steps sped up, his grip on his katana tightening. Here was the end of a lifetime, here was the end of their clan. He lifted the blade to his shoulder, aiming at the smooth white bloodstained throat of his brother.

Itachi shook his head again, motioning once more, his black eyes smiling through the pain. "Sasuke, come." he whispered it, his teeth stained red. "I will tell you."

Slowly the young man lowered the blade, his ears ringing. One hand up Itachi placed one pale bloody finger to his forehead, his other hand, wrapped itself around the Katana blade, around his brother's fingers.

Sasuke breathed in, something starting in him that he did not recognize. Before he could decipher what it was Itachi sighed. "She will find you. She will. I promise. She's in there... somewhere...I did what I did...because I had to."

And suddenly his grip tightening, he drew the blade home into himself.

The crunch of his ribs and the tear of his muscle and skin ripped in the silence. Sasuke gasped, hands shaking, feeling the finger pressed to his forehead slide with blood down his face and then fall away.

"No." He gasped. He had not told him... he had told him nothing. NO.

"No." another voice whispered beside him. "No."

He turned, seeing the black and red cloak fall away from the figure beside him. He could hardly see, the sweat and blood was mixing on his face.

It couldn't be. He couldn't have left him without her. The confusion swelled up, staring again at the wide eyed smiling face of his brother, gazing up at a sky filled with dying smoke and blinding stars.

"No." his grip on his sword loosened, letting it clatter to the ground. His hands reached for the cloak, drawing his brother up. "You tell me where she is... you bastard..."

He could feel his fingers slipping off the ledge he had held on to for so long. His grip faltering, insanity raged like an ocean below his dangling feet, threatening to consume him.

Years of training and instinct made him throw his weight backwards suddenly as a flash of purple chakra sliced where his neck had been.

"Don't touch him."

The voice was distinctly female. He started, brow furrowing suddenly. "You." He hissed, falling back into battle stance.

"Tell me where she is. Where has he hid her?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." The woman replied, and to his surprise she picked up his katana, chucking it back at him like a spear through the air. Deftly he caught it.

"Arm yourself. I don't plan on slaughtering an unarmed man." The flat voice continued.

Sasuke felt his teeth clench. "You don't know who I am then."

"I know enough." falling back into battle stance the kabuki mask stared back at him, impassive. "You have to die. That is all there is for you."

"Tch." His heart hammering in his chest he shot forward. "Shut up."

The blow he had expected to land hit air and as she spun to kick his legs from under him he jumped, landing on her other side, diving to strike her neck. The hair spun like a fan as she twisted away, right hand flashing out to slice the arm that held his sword. Roughly he slipped beneath her deadly hand, slamming his elbow into the kabuki mask, hearing the crack of the porcelain.

A grunt escaped her then and she spun, slicing across the back of his shoulder hard, making him jump back, a hiss escaping his lips.

Together they gasped, breathing hard.

Hinata's gaze lingered on him, struggling to catch her breath. What had she expected? He was her sensei's brother. The same blood pulsed through his veins. He would not be easy to kill.

Suddenly, from the depths of her chest where an invisible kunai seemed to be buried a voice screamed, hardly audible against the thunder of her beating heart.

You promised! You promised!

Eyes blinking through the sweat and shards of her cracked mask she glanced back at the lifeless body of her master, her stomach feeling both hot and cold inside her.

I promised...

A shout from the only Uchiha left made her wince, snapping out of the way, suddenly unsure of what she was doing. The katana was a thing of beauty, it moved in his hands like an extension of his body, it danced, almost like it was made of fabric as he spun it in his hands.

Grunting Hinata spun, dodging several blows in a row by a hairs breath before slamming her palm out to his chest, shooting chakra hard into the glowing points of energy lit in the darkness of her Byakugan gaze.

She needed to think, she needed to decide if she would disobey... if she could actually disobey her master's last request.

The blow seemed to have incapacitated him more than she expected, panting she watched as he froze, looking down at his chest, his eyes so wide that the glow of red from his sharingan made him seem demon like in the dark stillness of the forest.

"...B...byakugan." he whispered, hand on his chest.

Hinata frowned, hands still raised and ready for his next onslaught. She would incapacitate him, she would drive him to his knees, and then she would read him the scroll and she would take his head from his shoulders with his own blade.

But the blade didn't rise again, it dropped like a stone from his hand, his eyes looking upwards at her, something passing over his face that she did not understand.

"Arm yourself." she snapped, muscles tensing.

He ignored her, walking towards her over the ashes and embers slowly, searching her face.

"Stop!"

Frightened more by his shaking approach she stepped back. "Stop!"

His steps continued, slow, his hand reaching up with trembling fingers towards her.

It's a trick... I have to...I have to...

Her body moved, with speed that was rivaled only by the Uchiha brothers themselves she snapped her elbow out to hit him on the face, and he spun, twisting around her like a dance, his hands sliding over her hips and back, and she gasped in fear, turning her body hard to kick him away from her, finding to her surprise that he had moved again, suddenly in front of her.

He wasn't taking her seriously, he wasn't even cutting. Angrily her chakra hand a ball of fire in her grip she drove her fingers hard into his side.

A gasp escaped him, his face level with hers, but instead of lifting his hand to block, to rip her skin apart he pushed with soft fingers the mask from her face, letting it disintegrate into pieces as it fell.

Panting Hinata glared back at him, byakugan in full power, meeting his soft gaze with hate, feeling the heat of his blood on her fingers.

"Hinata." he breathed the word like a spell. It escaped him so softly she stopped breathing, feeling the pain in her chest double. How...how did he know...who she...was?

Frightened again she ripped her hand from his side and he groaned, lowering his head slightly, and she could feel the softness of his hair against her face. Fingers pressing into his side to try to staunch the bleeding he sighed.

"I...I have searched for you...for so long..."

Hinata shuddered, taking a step back. "No."

"Tell me where she is!"

"Close."

"She will find you."

His sharingan dimmed, slowly turning to black with each blink as he looked at her, a torrent of red dripping down his side.

"No."

"Hinata..."

The pain in her chest was unbearable now. She pressed her hands there, gasping for air. What was he doing? What kind of jutsu was this?

I can't fail him... I can't fail my sensei now...

Furiously she dragged in each breath, her gaze marred by the blood dripping down the side of her face and forehead.

But there she was, he devoured her with his eyes, feasting on her locks of black hair, remembering the scent that always followed her wherever she went, it had been there all along, whispering.

"Please." He began softly, taking a step towards her again. "Please, Hinata..."

"No." Unable to breathe, feeling like her heart was going to implode inside her chest she shot forward, chakra hands aiming at his chest. She would rip his heart out, she would make him feel this pain too.

Sasuke closed his eyes, listening as her feet moved through the ashes, sensing her heat as she approached. Before she could blink he shifted, letting her hand slam into his shoulder instead of his chest, drawing blood, at the same time using her own force to drive his elbow into her face.

Body limp she began to fall, and smoothly he caught her, lowering himself and her to the ashes below, touching finally, the thing he had been chasing so hard for so long. Knocked out completely she lay in his grip, still and soft, the frown and hate wiped clean off her features.

He could feel through he folds of her shirt thick hard wounds along her back, he could smell the wilted petals that now marred her lavender scent as he buried his face into her neck, a sob escaping him despite himself.

"I found you... I found you..."

He rocked there, in the ashes, unwilling and unable to move.

His life could end now, he was finally home.


Well damn.

Leave me some love, ne?

inky