Note: I just realized that I misspelled Pakkun, so from now on it's going to be double k.

Death's Little Angel: No, no, thank you! Here's the next chapter!

Juliagulia1017: Pakkunwould bebetter used in funny situations, but sadly, I really can't write humor. T.T (Thanks for showing me that his name was spelt with double 'k.')

Mariagoner: I really like characters like Itachi; probably spend too long pondering on them, so I'm glad that you liked my description of him. I suppose that both Hinata and Neji will have to become stronger to deal with him!

Noctalis Noctis: I see, another Itahina fan! Well, good, seeing as how I foresee Itachi and Hinata having a lot more interaction time coming up. :)

Silvya: Next update, here we go!

Nobody: I agree, though I like Nejihina more, this one just begs to be Itahina. We'll see…

mI. ShOE: Thank you! ;

Caramel: Thanks for the review!

Tempermental Otaku: Wow, I've seen your story! I've always admired authors who write humor because I know just how hard it is (especially when hosptalized!) I'm really happy to have heard from you!

MasterChimChim: You've got some really good ideas! Well, Itachi will continue to be mean, at least for the duration of this chapter!

Rochelle: Thanks!

MonkeysTotallyRock: You're right, Nejihina does seem a bit difficult in this story. But never underestimate the power of a determined author:) Expect a lot more Itachi and Hinata interactions though.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Neji trudged back into his room for the night. He was exhausted.

"It's terrible." He heard a kunoichi said to another as he passed the group on the streets. "You know Hyuga Hinata?"

"The one who was supposed to be the heir?" Neji paid closer attention. Gossip was always unpleasant and sure to offend, but he could not draw away. Even as he moved further away, their voices seemed to follow him. "What about her?"

The first kunoichi lowered her voice and said confidentially, "Well, I heard that she's disappeared."

"You mean like… defected?" Another asked, shocked. "No way, I know Hinata. She was too shy and quiet to change sides just like that."

A boy, probably a genin, shrugged. Neji frowned at his assuming air. "Who knows? Those large clan might have some problems. Look at what happened to Uchiha. That older brother was quiet too, but look at what he was capable of doing. " All of them looked at each other knowingly. "They're looking for her now, but frankly, even if she didn't leave on her own, she's probably dead. It's pointless to waste time when Konoha needs those shinobi for other missions."

Hearing that, Neji had forced himself to walk away doing nothing but clench his fists. Maybe he was just holding on to such a small hope because he… All of a sudden, Neji felt the heavy air stifling him. He headed outside to the training ground to let out some of his pent-up frustration.

Whack. He hit the wooden training post with his fist.

Hinata-sama would never defect willingly.

Whack. But her chakra should have left an imprint. Why did it suddenly stop?

Whack. What if she…? No. There were no more traces of bloodshed.

Whack.

Was it possible that she didn't want to be found? No… Pakkun would've detected her path if she had gone further, and besides, Hinata-sama doesn't know how to mask her scent.

Pause.

But was there someone else who could?

Neji stopped. He had never seen a shinobi capable of that skill, but then again, there were many things that existed that he did not know about. Before this, he had not considered a second person since there had not any signs of anyone other than Hinata being in the Uchiha compound that night. But they could have missed something. What if Hinata-sama had been kidnapped? What if the kidnapper could somehow have left no tracks to follow? What if I've been searching for the wrong scent?

It was time that Neji investigated more carefully.

---

Itachi pondered quietly about his findings. It seemed that Hyuga Hinata was adapting well; she no longer bled or passed out from the venom. Physically, she was fine.

Yet, she was too subdued. Even when put under physical and mental torment, Hinata did not react like Sasuke had. Instead of giving her greater conviction, it gave her pure terror that could not be put to good use.

Stranger still, she did not seem to hate him. Rather, she was becoming numb to his presence. Sometimes he knew that she was aware of his being close by, but the kunoichi pretended to be ignorant. Truly, all he wanted was to test her strength, but she was giving him no opportunity.

Ever since Hinata had taken her first step—choosing life instead of death, Itachi had felt that perhaps there was hope for her. She was not foolish enough to fight him head on, knowing for a fact that she would lose. And Itachi respected that.

But it was problem that he was not able to instill hate into her. How was one supposed to obtain power with enough hatred? Hate me, seek vengeance on me, and you will be strong, Itachi thought, with Sasuke in mind.

How was one supposed to truly become strong without willingly breaking all attachments while suffering for it?

Throwing one last kunai at the target hanging on the tree, Itachi stopped to rest. He looked at his hands, thinking about what they could accomplish. It was disappointing. His skills were not improving as much as they should be. True to the secret scrolls of the Uchiha clan, he had broken every bond that had even remotely meant something to him. And he certainly had no lack of hatred.

Then why was his goal so impossibly far out of his reach?

Itachi clenched his open palm with displeasure. The wind whistled in the leaves above. The setting reminded him too much of the time that he had spent Konoha, the village hidden in the leaves. This training ground was similar to the one he and Sasuke had frequented. It was there that his younger brother had sat and watched him, admiration so obvious in his wide eyes. Had he known that his older brother had been measuring his worth all along?

Suddenly, as if an arrow had been shot through his chest, Itachi felt a moment of intense pain. He jerked forward, hand clutched over his heart. But before long, the spasm passed, leaving Itachi confused.

It felt like a warning.

Although he did not know how it happened, Itachi had no doubt that it had something to do with the Hyuga kunoichi who he had left in the mansion. Perhaps he had been too presumptuous when he assumed that she would pose no threat. As soon as the fit subsided, Itachi returned to his home, determined to find out what was going on.

---

She had heard him leave. Hinata did not know how many days it had been since her arrival in the empty house, but her strength was slowly returning. Her spirit felt no better. Desperate to pull herself out of self-pity, Hinata forced herself out of her room. She wanted to stay in, so that she would be hidden from his eyes, even if all that was between them was a flimsy door.

I… need fresh air, Hinata thought, listlessly. She needed to be reminded that not all the world was dark. Everything was tainted now that she knew that her life had been bought by cowardice. All that she could cling to was the chance that she would be able to get home safely.

So when Hinata had felt Itachi's menacing presence retreat, she took the opportunity to creep out. It was close to noon, and the sun was bright. Bracing herself against the door frame, Hinata gazed into the blue sky. It was a clear day with clouds of pure white. The birds seemed so free…

Escape! Her mind reeled and fell into panic. She had to escape!

Breaking into a run, Hinata rushed past the gates in a frenzy. She was sure that she had never run as fast in her life. Anywhere was good, anywhere but here. The freedom of escape would be greater than all other freedoms.

Hinata ran through the forest, going a short distance before stopping dead in her tracks. Her mouth fell open in shock, for there he was standing there, eyes piercing and merciless. It was gone; her last chance was gone.

"I told you that death was your only escape," he said, chillingly. His movements were slow as he advanced, step by step, on her. "You chose not to take it."

Tears welled up in Hinata's eyes. She did not move away from him. Why give me the choice when you knew that I couldn't do it?

"For you, there is a punishment worse than death." Itachi's eyes seemed to warp and swirl, the pattern in his irises connecting into a single kaleidoscope.

---

Running. Falling. Hinata landed with a thud on the ground. She was only six years old, but already expected to train without end. She could not bear to see the disappointment in her father's eyes even more than the irritation.

She trained hard, but it seemed all for naught. Kunai after kunai missed their mark. Defeated, Hinata sat in the shadow of the wooden target, biting her lip and sniffling. Her cousin walked by. Tossing her a brief glance, his expression quickly became scorn. He passed her without saying a word or giving her another look.

It was like she was invisible. So insignificant that she was unworthy of his attention.

'Neji-niisan!' Hinata wanted to call. But for what? Even if she did, he would not turn back. He hated her. It hurt because she did not hate him. No, she had always felt too much pity and sadness on his behalf for hate.

But what if she tried? "Neji-niisan!" she cried out, scrambling to her feet and chasing after him. He stopped, but did not face her.

"What do you what?" he asked, frostily. A Branch House member was not allowed to ignore a Head family member, particularly not the heir, but he could choose the tone of his voice. With the hostility in his voice, Neji dared her to force him to speak to her.

"P-please, Neji-niisan, teach me how to be a better shinobi," she pleaded. "You're much better than I am, and if you could just—"

"No." Neji cut her off. He went on, mocking, "Why would Hinata-sama need me to teach her? She learns from the best, after all. No, it would be far too degrading for her to be accepting my training."

"B-but that's not—" She started to protest. That wasn't true! She only asked him because she really wanted to improve, not to ridicule him or remind him of his lowly status.

"All of you are the same. You think that you're better than us. Even you, Hinata-sama. You watch and do nothing." Neji glared at her, ice in his eyes. He was remembering all the times that she had seen the unfairness of their clan and looked away silently. "So go ahead and enjoy your weakness, I couldn't care less. Let the great Hyuga fall because of you."

This was all wrong. Hinata turned away, covering her ears. Neji wouldn't—

"What's wrong, Hinata-sama?"

She looked up and saw the grown-up Neji standing there, reassuring and kind. He came toward her. "Are you all right?"

Hinata smiled gratefully. "Y-yes. I'm fine." Everything was, now that he was here.

"Good." His gentle smile twisted into a smirk. Pale eyes had taken on the Byakugan, and they were trained onto her. "Then I can change that." Neji reached out and struck her directly in the chest with a jyuuken punch. Hinata choked and droplets of blood fell from her mouth.

She fell to the ground and asked, mortified, "N-neji-niisan. W-why?"

"Did you think that anything has changed, Hinata-sama?" he spat out. His face was contorted by loathing. "Clans never do." He ripped his headband from his forehead. The mark of the caged bird was clearly etched on the pale, otherwise smooth skin.

"You were wrong to think that I ever cared for you, Hinata-sama," he told her as she cowered from him. "This curse seal represents the eternal bond of hate between us. I wish that you had died when I fought you the first time."

---

Itachi watched her as Hinata writhed on the ground. He noted the quivering, as if invisible blows were striking her. No doubt that the illusion created by his Sharingan was very real to her. This was a new ability that allowed him to manipulate the memories most dear and twist them to become the stuff of nightmares. Once caught in his deadly gaze, escape was not possible.

He had hoped that he would not need to end her life so quickly—there were still unexplored blood connections—but if she refused so stubbornly to stay, then there was simply nothing else to be done.

The sky had become overcast. The chill wind rustling the leaves was a telltale sign of the changing weather. It would begin to rain soon.

---

"P-please stop, Neji-niisan!" Hinata could do little as his blows came fast and furious. She could block one, but another would come and knock her off her feet. With Neji, she felt like the scared little girl she had always been again. After all, he and Naruto had been the one to help her build self-confidence. He was the one who could break it down.

"You wanted to die, didn't you, Hinata-sama? I'll do you the favor of putting you out of your misery. No one will ever look down on you again," Neji said. "We would all be better off. I should be the heir, not you."

"H-hanabi." Hinata said through gasps. Where she was unsuited to be the head of the Hyuga clan, young Hanabi wasn't. She would be a fine leader.

Neji paused and said with distaste, "The brat." But he smiled soon after, crazed in his illusionary madness. "No matter, she won't be a problem. Your sister unfortunately met with an accident. She's dead, Hinata-sama." His manner betrayed the truth of the 'accident.'

"No… Y-you didn't—" Hinata's eyes widened with horror, and her vision was blurred by tears.

"Yes, I did," he replied, nonchalantly. "What's ridiculous is how long it took me to wise up. Now there's only you to finish."

He dashed forward and struck a final blow to her heart. Hinata had felt the same stinging sensation before, a scratch eventually becoming an unbearable pain. Hinata's thoughts flashed back to the chuunin exams, his strike, smashing her hopes and all chances of victory.

And she fell, the fall seeming to take an eternity.

---

Her ragged breathing had stopped.

Feeling that death had finally come to claim Hyuga Hinata, Itachi closed his eyes. When he reopened them, the Sharingan had vanished, releasing its hold on her. There was no doubt that she had succumbed to the fears in her heart; it was always the ones that they loved most who gave them the greatest pain. The stronger the bond, the more fatal. Such a regrettable failing in human nature had caused many downfalls.

Itachi started to walk away, just as the first drops fell. It was a common, natural occurrence, this rain. But it reminded him of tears, like those of his mother's as she saw him with evil intent in his eyes.

It was the perfect weather for sadness. For a funeral.

Itachi felt unusually hollow; normally he felt so full of energy that it was a strain keeping it all in check. Leaving the kunoichi's still body behind him, he began his slow return to the now truly empty mansion.

"Neji-niisan… Neji…"

For the first time in a long while, Itachi was truly surprised. He spun around, and saw her hand slowly rise and reach out before falling again. Her voice was barely audible through the pitter-patter of the heavily falling droplets of rain, but it was there, and not just a whisper of wind created by his mind. How could she still be alive?

---

Hinata lay on her side, seeing him go, back turned to her. Don't go… "Neji-niisan…Neji…" Please, come back. He was really going to leave her to die alone in the cold rain. Hinata reached out to call him back, but she was too weak to hold it. Her voice was only a thin string in the roaring ocean waves. How hopeless it was.

But Neji was coming back.

He had heard her. As he retraced his steps, his face was expressionless, unreadable. Hinata was glad that at least the frightening rage was gone. Maybe he was not angry with her anymore.

Then, the white eyes became red, everything became red and black. The trees, the sky, the blood. Fear crept into her heart again. Hinata looked back at her cousin, but it was not Neji facing her anymore.

No! No! Her inner voice screamed Neji! But he had faded away. In his place stood the man with the demonic gaze, Uchiha Itachi..

Even the hallucination could not be much worse than this reality.

---

"Geez, Neji," Kakashi said, grumbling slightly as he leapt over rooftops alongside the younger jounin. "Was it really necessary to wake me up at this time in the morning?"

Neji was apologetic as he replied, "I'm sorry, I was just so caught up and my first thought was to find you."

"Not that I was hard to find," Kakashi said wryly. He had been sleeping, as most people were at midnight. Waking up to Neji's insistent knocking on his door had made the copy ninja grumpy, but remembering the reason for his urgency, he swallowed further complaints. "Did you find any new leads?"

"I might have," Neji's expression was unsure and troubled. "But I need you to help me confirm it."

They stopped at the place where Hinata's blood at been found. The small area had been sectioned off for investigation, but Neji passed the yellow tape and gestured to Kakashi, "Could you summon your hounds to sniff this place again?"

Kakashi was surprised. "I already did, when the investigation first started. You want me to do it again?" Neji nodded. Doubtful, Kakashi did as he was asked and called his dogs, giving them the order to pick up the scents.

Shaking his head, Kakashi told Neji, "There's nothing different. Other than a few passerbys, Hinata, and those involved in the search, no one's been here."

Neji pulled a bottle of black liquid from the pouch at his side. He opened it and gave it to Kakashi. "Try this. See if they can find a scent around here based on this."

Kakashi's look was quizzical, but he decided not to argue. Letting each of his partners smell the liquid, he then asked them to try again. Pakkun was the first one to respond. "Hey wait, there's one here that matches!"

"Are you sure!" Neji and Kakashi asked at the same time.

"Positive," Pakkun replied. "It's extremely faint, but I can tell. I passed it over as Sasuke's scent earlier since he always comes to pay his respects before leaving on missions, but now that I think of it, this one's a bit different."

Kakashi looked at Neji. The Hyuga's face had become ashen in the moonlight. His hands held the bottle, so tightly that the knuckled turned white. "I had hoped it wouldn't be true…" Neji whispered. "It is him. How could I have missed it before?"

Similar to Sasuke? But there was only one man who could fit that criterion. His older brother.

"Itachi was here?" Kakashi asked, stunned. The last time the Akatsuki member had been in town, he had stirred up quite a storm. In fact, because of him, Kakashi had been stuck in an illusion that seemed to last for days. The mental damage had been difficult to repair. This time, no one had even been aware of the Uchiha's presence.

"This liquid," Neji said, holding up the bottle for Kakashi to examine. "Is a sample of the poison that Hinata-sama was infected with."

"You mean…?" Kakashi's unhidden eye opened fully as he realized what it meant.

"Yes." Neji's voice was subdued. "It was made with Itachi's blood." Gazing at the empty street, he said, "Now we know that Itachi was here, he probably took her with him. Then he made their scents fade so quickly that it slipped under Pakkun's check the first time." Now it was nearly a week later, and there was no telling what had happened since then. "We have to start immediately."

"Sure, I'll help file a report with the Hokage first thing in the morning," Kakashi replied, stifling a yawn. "It'll give you time to get ready." To Pakkun, he instructed, "Go with Neji, okay? See you in a month or so. Now I'm going back to sleep." He started off before turning back, "Good luck, Neji, all right?"

Despite his casual tone, Kakashi was keeping his fingers crossed that the results of the search would be favorable.

---

It was faint, like it was coming from far far away… But as her mind cleared, she heard the quiet voice coming from close by telling her to eat. Hinata felt warmth touching her body that was numbed from the cold. A comforting, tempting smell reached her nose and she stirred slightly. Hinata's stomach felt the passage of time very clearly. It had been too long since she had last eaten.

"Drink."

Something was held to her lips. She parted them, too tired to resist, and a warm liquid trickled down her throat. Swallowing, Hinata found that the soup was delicious and rich. Without opening her eyes, she continued drinking eagerly until the hunger pangs had been soothed.

It did not occur to her that the hands that held the bowl and steadied her were the same ones that had inflicted pain to others, to her. All she could think about was the relief.

The memory of such an incident faded as soon as she fell asleep.

---

Itachi stood outside the room that he had laid Hinata. Is the will to live that strong? he wondered, perplexed. It was disconcerting that where he had killed his entire clan in one night, he could not do the same to this kunoichi. I am reaching new heights, stretching my capacity—and hers— more and more by finding out about this bond, he argued with himself.

But… Itachi looked sideways through the gap in the door. She was sleeping in a restless dream. Or nightmare. This is dangerous. He was groping for something that he could not see or measure.

Then again, it didn't matter. Which part of his life wasn't dangerous?

Fate worked in strange ways sometimes. It was pure coincidence that she had been the one to be joined to him. Bearer of the Byakugan, Hyuga Hinata had the capability of becoming far stronger than she was now. Yet, that was not where her true strength lay.

Ah, Sasuke, my foolish brother, he thought, his eyes briefly shifting into the patterned irises of the Sharingan in a moment of controlled excitement. I have found another like you. With this, I am one step closer to fulfilling my potential. She will test the strength of my convictions. Her will to live versus my will to destroy that life.

That is why she must live. For me.

---

It was after some time had passed that Hinata awoke. This was getting to be a familiar scene. Her head hurt, and her body felt bruised where Neji had had hit her. No, not Neji. It was Itachi. His Sharingan.

Her body trembled momentarily just remembering the effect that the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan had had on her. To think that for a while she had truly believed that Neji had turned against her, killed Hanabi, and then killed her… That was the power that Itachi of the Uchiha clan held. Hinata hugged herself, pulling her legs toward her chest.

The sharp pain in her shoulder could not be ignored, and Hinata winced. But even though Itachi had meant to kill her at first, he had released her from the illusion at the last moment as she had felt life leaving her… Or had she freed herself?

Either way she was alive.

Hinata felt like every minute was bought on stolen time. There was no telling when the term would expire. Itachi was like a volatile chemical, capable of exploding when least expected. When it came to that, no doubt that she would be the first to feel his rage. Yet, she knew that she would have to face him sometime.

Hinata sat in the dark, fearing the unknown, the unpredictable. The primal fears continued to exist in her heart, despite her wishes for them to go away. But before long, they started to disappear.

Eventually, the shivers stopped.

So many breaks in this chapter! I feel a turning point coming on…