(A/N: Okay, so I'm sorry for the slightly late chapter. Writer's block is a cruel, debilitating disease. Slightly shorter chapter this time, but I hope yall understand. I know I was supposed to post yesterday, but I got behind and hit a wall. But! I crushed the wall, so now, here's your newest installment!
Warning: Spoiler if you're not up to chapter 393.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.)
Mysterious Captivation Chapter 4
Deidara silently slipped into Konoha, dressed as a commoner. On his hands, he wore dark blue colored gloves and over his head he wore a large hat that covered his face.
His cloak was brown from the dust of the road he had walked along. At the beginning of the journey, he had been told to act like a commoner from the moment he entered the village closest to Akatsuki to the moment he donned his disguise as a Kumo ninja.
He wondered if this mission was Leader-sama's attempt at making Hinata hate him. He was, after all, destroying the house of her family. That would ruin the bond that was forming between them.
He wondered at the mix of feelings that brought. Relief that he would no longer be attached to her. Sorrow for the lost friendship. Anxiousness for her survival without him. Anger at Leader-sama. Confusion over the mix of feelings. He was Akatsuki! He shouldn't care about the small girl he had kidnapped, and especially not about her family!
With that resolve, he proceeded through the village gates and made his way to the nearest hotel, wanting to relax for a short while before night fell and his mission began.
The hotel, a small, yet well-kept place, was located in the commercial residence nearest to the Hyuuga Compound. The innkeeper exchanged his money for a key to his rented room, and within the span of several minutes, he was lying out on his bed.
Resting his eyes until night had fallen, he mapped out his plan in his mind. Following it, he should be able to gather who was most closely related to the captured heiress (to make sure they witnessed the bombing, he told himself) and possibly spy on her friends, also (to make sure they knew with whom they were messing).
Night fell slowly as the crescent moon's dim light shone in a sky of dotted stars. Donning his newly aquired Kumo ninja attire, he leapt from the room and stealthily made his way to the Hyuuga Compound.
His mission was made easier by a remembered conversation with Hinata. It had been a few days into her stay, and she was slightly out of it was the only way to describe how she seemed. He thought, his training keeping him from laughing aloud at the memory.
"Isn't it kind of creepy to live in a house where anyone could be watching you at any given time?" He had questioned her.
He had realized she was possibly relapsing in sickness when she coughed, sniffled, then spoke. She must have a fever. "Silly, they can't see us when we're in our house. It's not legal." She had giggled at him, surprisingly without stuttering.
He had puzzled over her cryptic statement for several minutes before figuring that he had the meaning. The Hyuugas weren't allowed to use their Byuakugan while in the compound to protect their privacy.
He knew she hadn't meant to say it, but her mind had been clouded by the sickness. He also knew the honorable thing would have been to let her rest instead of talking to her, but his insatiable curiosity got the better of him.
He had never been so glad that his prying trait had shown itself.
That knowledge made his observance easier. Making his way into the compound through the shadows of the nearly moonless sky, the first person he sought out was the leader. Her father…
He shook his head. There was no way he could think of their relation to the captive and still be able to focus on his mission.
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After her first day under his care, Hinata found that Itachi was as fearsome as she had originally thought him to be upon their first meeting in Akatsuki. He did, however, know how to physically care for captives.
It wasn't that Deidara didn't care, in fact, he seems to care a bit much for a ruthless criminal; he just did not know how to be responsible for providing someone's every need, especially not a female's.
Although she hated to admit it, both men lacked an important piece of caretaking skill, but they still took rather good care of her. Each had a separate way, but it showed that they cared enough about her, about their jobs, to keep her safe. That was more than most criminals could say.
Maybe they were serious about training her and making her part of their organization. The thought rushed through her mind that they were more willing to spend time with her than her own family, but she quickly pushed it away.
The Akatsuki must be desperate if they think they need me to make them stronger. She thought skeptically.
She turned with a sharp gasp as the locked door clicked open and Itachi glided silently into his room. "It is dinner time, Hyuuga-san."
She winced imperceptibly. Dinner had become her least favorite part of the day after only one experience. Usually, Deidara chattered incessantly until food was set before him, and then they ate in a shallowly comfortable silence.
Itachi, on the otherhand, was frigidly silent throughout the entire affair, making Hinata feel awkward to no end. The night before, he had stared at her in an unnerving way as she consumed her meal. She wondereed what had gone through his mind.
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He chuckled silently as he observed her reluctance. The night before, he observed her openly through dinner to see her reaction. She figeted and blushed, looking about uncomfortably under his gaze, but otherwise made no protest. Had he been a lesser man, he would have laughed aloud at her discomfiture.
He noticed that even though she was ill at ease, she ate as daintily as though she were still at the Hyuuga Compound. She was not relaxed, but maybe she was used to uncomfortable dining. Goodness knows that was the way it was at the Uchiha Compound before he had been ordered by the Konoha council to kill his clan.
He watched her keep her eyes focused on her plate as she seemingly ignored his presence. Soon, he knew, she would finish and begin fidgiting.
He allowed the meal to continue in silence, unwilling to bring up conversation because he did not wish to talk, and knowing that she would stay silent as long as he did. That had been the first small detail about her that he noticed. Her silence.
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She quickly finished her dinner under Itachi's scrutiny, wondering once more what he was thinking. There was no way she would ask, though. From past encounters with Sasuke, she knew that the elder Uchiha brother prefered silence.
Upon seeing that he was finished, she picked up her plate and made to retrieve his, but recoiled when he suddenly stood. "I'll get those." He said smoothly, smirking as she backed away.
Her head bowed, she passively stood by as he took the dishes to the sink. She wondered why he had taken them. Could she have done something wrong?
"Come." He ordered, sending her scurrying to catch up to him. She was still frightful of being left behind after the incident with Kisame and Deidara, but she trusted Itachi even less with her safety.
The treck went without incident, and Hinata was surprised to find that she was glad to be locked back in the security of her captor's room alone, even if she knew it was only temporary.
He came back several moments later, handing her a night dress.
Quietly, she readied for bed, dreading the moment she would emerge from the bathroom. Eventually mustering all the courage she possessed, she slid the door open silently and nearly leapt into the bed in an effort to escape Itachi's amused expression.
She knew the only reason he allowed it to show was because it made her uncomfortable. She knew that he enjoyed making her squirm.
She lay silently as he slipped under the covers on his side of the bed around ten o'clock. He didn't allow her to sleep on the floor, and there was no way he was going to, so he had decided that they would share the bed. He had told her it was easier to keep track of her when he could feel her movements.
A nightmarish sleep did not come to claim her until the softly glowing digital clock read two in the morning.
She awoke with a scream passing through her vocal chords as she jerked to a sitting position. The door to the room flew back on its hinges as it was opened by none other than the leader of Akatsuki.
He swept through the mess and immediately closed his hand around her throat, lifting her off the bed and slamming her against the wall. In his ever-so-quietly angry voice, he spoke. "Itachi, control your hostage. The next time I wake in the middle of the night because of her screams, she will die. I don't care whether we need her or not. I want my sleep."
Hinata couldn't breathe. She began to panic, clawing at his hands, trying to pry them off of her windpipe.
Konan brushed through the rubble behind him. "Pein, this hasn't happened for a week. Calm down and let her go before you kill her. You know this won't help at all. She'll just wake up tomorrow night screaming again because you frightened the little coward."
She turned to Itachi. "This happened a lot the first week. She woke up screaming the second night she was here, and Hidan nearly sliced her through. She was frightened for the next week. Eventually, Deidara said something to her, and her shrieks became less frequent."
This was the last she heard from the woman. The next thing Hinata was aware of was that she was laid out on the bed with a cold compress on her throat. She started to murmur a name, but was stopped by Itachi.
"Your throat is going to be sore for a while. Don't make it worse. Or do, that's on you." His eyes opened slightly from the plush black chair in the corner of his room.
Hinata merely nodded and spoke to Itachi in a whisper, knowing he would hear her. "A-Are you the o-one who t-took care of m-me?"
Itachi turned his full attention on her. "I put you on the bed and gave you the cold cloth. Konan is the one to give the credit to, though."
"Why?" Her whispered reply sounded far louder in the silence of the room. She wearily glanced to her side at the clock without turning her head. It read five in the morning.
"Her cold logic made Leader-sama let you go and leave you in my care after he made me swear to talk with you as Deidara did. Leader-sama is desperate to gain the Byakugan, so he's putting up with you. Anyone else who woke him in the middle of the night for something so pitiful would die."
His lack of empathy for her did not surprise her. He was known for his uncaring, aloof attitude. What she didn't expect were his next words. "What is it that has you waking most nights screaming in fear?"
She hadn't thought he would care enough about her to try to find the source of her fears. She couldn't very well tell him that he was the one causing her fear. "L-Living with a-an organization of S-class m-m-murderers, f-fearing for my l-life every m-moment I'm a-awake and w-worrying about my f-family even in m-my sl-sleep." I'm scared that I will die and have never told anyone goodbye. I'm frightened that I'll be forgotten.
Itachi watched her silently for a few moments, as though debating whether or not to say something. Finally, he sighed and spoke. "You have nothing to fear. Of all the things that I am, I'm not a liar."
A tiny, sad smile stretched her face as his words registered in her mind. After removing the compress from her neck, she rolled onto her side, facing away from the Uchiha, and closed her eyes. "Thank y-you, Itachi-san," she murmured quietly as she gained the most peaceful sleep she'd had since she arrived in Akatsuki.
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Itachi watched her facial muscles relax as she fell into a surprisingly peaceful looking sleep. He wondered at his words that were meant to comfort her. It hadn't taken much to get her to quiet down and relax, but maybe she was just exhausted.
He had refused to acknowledge the quickening pitter-patter that his heart had made when he'd seen her helpless form crushed against the wall of his room. It had almost been the feeling he had possessed when he was little and had accidently kicked a puppy when he was playing catch with his brother.
For a split moment, his heart had twisted within his chest. He had stomped the emotion flat before he could even ponder it. Instead, he had found that he would be better off doing something with his hands, so he had walked to his bathroom, knowing she would stay unconscious for a while longer.
He had searched the room, looking for a wash cloth, but could not find one. He made a mental note to question Kakuzu later before sighing and removing his shirt. I can't just let my charge suffer, he reasoned with himself.
He made his way back into his room with his wet shirt and a bowl of icy water to rest upon her neck to keep the swelling down. He had known she would be in pain, and probably have trouble talking, for the next couple of days.
He had sensed the tensing in her muscles the moment she had awoken. He had spoken before she could, warning her of the damage to her throat. She had been unable to form words any louder than a whisper, and for once, he had been glad that she was normally so quiet. He was attuned to listening for her nearly silent voice.
Now, watching her, he felt a small peace fall over his shoulders and frowned. She shouldn't be having that kind of effect on him. He was the heartless killer who murdered his clan on orders from the village. He, who was too heartless to kill his brother. He, who ruined that boy's life.
He shouldn't be feeling these things. He had possessed a fiancee, but had been able to kill her along with his clan. He hadn't truly felt since the last time he had seen Sasuke. So why was his heart matching up to the beating of hers?
He halted his thoughts before they grew out of hand. My thoughts are only scattered because it is so early in the morning, and I was so rudely awakened. His inner self reasoned with him. He shook his head and gave up on meditating.
He slipped back beneath the covers of his bed and allowed himself to drift into a sleep that was somewhat more relaxed than usual.
He looked around several hours later, wondering in the back of his mind what had awoken him.
Sensing the room, he realized it was the Hyuuga girl. She had shifted closer to him as they slept, and the heat her body radiated had awoken him, alerting him to her presence.
He came very close to smiling gently at her contented look against his shoulder before his mind came fully awake.
He shifted away from her. Though he was unwilling to wake her up, her eyes fluttered open and met his bare chest. When his gaze locked on her red face, he belatedly realized that he had forgotten to find another shirt to put on before he fell asleep.
He chuckled slightly, though it sounded more like a sadistic growl. She shrank away from him. "I-I'm sorry," she stuttered in a painful whisper.
His small, nearly imperceptible smile was short lived as he saw the full damage done to her windpipe in the broad daylight from his window. It was high enough up the wall to be out of reach from the floor, but open enough to let sunlight filter into the room.
His eyes narrowed as they stared at her neck. She selfconsciously raised her hand to cover the damage, but he caught her hand before it even came close. "Go look in the mirror," he ordered.
She warily rose from the bed, shaking slightly in the chill of the morning sun.
Gasping at her reflection, she once again brought her hand up to gently caress the black and blue bruises below her chin. "I know the basics of healing jutsu if you would like me to try to heal that," Itachi offered off-handedly.
Eyes alight with a hope for less pain, she nodded her head. "Smart. Keeping quiet so as not to damage your windpipe even further. You may show some promise yet," he told her, giving her the first sincere compliment she'd heard in a long while. She knew Itachi didn't give out praise lightly, so maybe she really did have potential.
Wouldn't it be ironic if I showed my potential here, when all Konoha ever did was crush me. She plastered an almost bitter grimace onto her face as Itachi's hand hovered just above her injuries. She winced at the pressure of the chakra pouring into her neck, and finally relaxed when he brought his hands away.
"I healed your bruises, but you will have to deal with your vocal chords being sore, since they resisted my chakra," he watched her nod before continuing, "but you should be fine."
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Deidara smiled as his bomb grew to a giant owl before plunging out of the air head first. It was headed toward the place where it would do the most damage to the building, but the least to the Hyuuga population. "Art is a bang, yeah."
He just hadn't been able to kill off many Hyuugas, knowing they were Hinata's family. Now he realized what Leader-sama and Konan had been trying to tell him. His unhealthy attachment to the young Hyuuga heiress affected his mission.
Maybe I'll tell them the Hyuugas had been called for a meeting with the Hokage and I hadn't known until the bombing had already been set in motion. His thoughts were directed at the excuse he would give to his leader when he returned.
He jerked around when he heard a twig crakle and a deliberate cough. "I hope you planned on fighting today." A voice sounded from behind him.
The blonde whipped around, coming face-to-face with a tall man in a hooded olive green jacket. His eyes were covered by a pair of dark lensed sunglasses, and his nose and mouth by a high collared black shirt. With his hitai-ate wrapped around his forehead, all that was visible of his face was the skin around his eyes.
His legs were covered by a pair of thin baggy pants that ended covered in pristine white bandages. The wraped white cloth travled down into open toed boots and the only other part of his skin showing: his toes.
Wondering who this man was, Deidara spoke without answering the man's stated question. "Who are you, mm?"
"Doesn't matter," the other man replied.
Deidara scowled. "What do you want?" He demanded.
"What does Kumo think they're going to accomplish by blowing up the Hyuuga household? Is it that stupid grudge you hold against them for giving you the brother of their leader, instead of that man? Or is it because someone else got to your target first?" The muffled voice rang out in a deep baritone.
"If we can't have the power of the Byakugan, the no one can!" The blonde shouted at him before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Deidara was positive that the man he had encountered would spread the word about the identity of the attacker's village. Now, all he had to do was sit back and watch as the Hyuuga clan prepared for war.
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Hinata rubbed her throat in an effort to gain the sound she wanted. She had been adjusting to the sound of her voice all day: a raspy, gravely sound that grated on her nerves. "I-Itachi-san, when d-do you th-think-" she interrupted her sentence, remembering her captor's hatred of her kidnapper just before the word left her mouth. "Nevermind."
"When do I think Deidara will return?" He questioned almost harshly. "Probably within the next three or four days. Have I not been taking good care of you, Hyuuga?" He asked, seemingly to make her feel guilty about speaking like she wanted to get away from the Uchiha.
"Y-You are v-very kind, b-but he was th-the first p-person to c-care for me h-here, and I-I was m-merely curious." Besides, the first time I saw you, you called me a failure. I'm more comfortable with him.
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Deidara smirked in relief. The Hyuuga vs. Kumogakure had finally begun. He could finally make his way home.
He leapt from the midday shadows cast by the wall surrounding the village. Most high ranking ninja were at his crime scene, saving the wounded and looking for him in the direction for Kumo.
The travel was slow because he was once again in his civillian garb, but it was with a much lighter heart that he was returning. He had stayed long enough to learn that no Hyuuga member had been killed, but several had been severely wounded. It's their own fault if they die. They should have better medics.
Finally shaking his head, he realized that there was no way he could unattach himself from the svelte Hyuuga girl he had captured. A month in the presence of her gentle companionship could soften even the iciest hearts. He couldn't wait to see the change in Itachi if this was what she had done to him.
The blonde's lips twisted in a poor mockery of a smile at the thought of her permanently softening his rival.
He couldn't wait to get back to base.
(A/N: Not really much to say, but I think this is progressing quite nicely. Possibly won't be as long as I originally thought, but who knows. I may come up with some weird, off the wall plot twist that takes forever to type out. (: Who knows? Certainly not me. lol Later yall!