Bonjour!

Ok, never mind.

I decided to update in time, even if my BETA hasn't not sent me yet the chapters (I need to be cheered up).

So, you could find mistakes in here. If so, please let me know.

This is actually the only chapter I really like in the whole story – together with chapter 13.

By the way, I'm actually working on chapter 19.

And I need your help to get as many reviews as possible – which mean inspiration, for me!

For those who follow my Itachi x Tenten, "Disguise", the update will be soon, I promise.

Yumi.

Chapter 7: Mocking

Itachi's sense of space and time was astounding.

Eight hours later they reached a quite comfortable clearing surrounded by high, autumn trees.

'Exactly as he said.'

And, exactly as he said, the Hidden Mist was just a couple of miles away from there, Hinata started using her Byakugan.

Hellishly annoying.

She felt so…..inferior and yet so spellbound!

She hated it. Also because he surely was aware of how Hinata felt.

'There is a trick,' she thought, quite inconsiderately. 'There MUST be a trick…'

"How many times?" she asked him. "How many times have you been here before?"

"What makes you think that?"

She frowned, stiffening in the cold air of the upcoming night. "You knew the place perfectly."

Itachi stared at her for a long moment, then broke out in a light chuckle.

"Never. Even if I wandered around the world for so many years, I've never been here before," he smirked. "Do I have to swear on my pride to prove it, my lil' fairy?"

Hinata distinctively felt waves of rage hitting her mind furiously.

She was hopeless. Completely hopeless.

Why did she keep on asking him these stupid questions?

He was powerful, and she was not.

It was him who ruled the game.

Even if she didn't like it.

"Don't be mad at me," he said, absentmindedly analyzing the place. "The ugly face you have when you frown doesn't suit you at all, my little fairy."

Hinata's scowl deepened.

He was incredible.

He spoke so thoughtlessly, that wintry tone of his always pouring those mocking words.

She sighed, deciding not to pay attention to his unfriendly being.

Her pale eyes began to wander around the area, looking for a safe place to rest – and as far as possible from him – and, maybe, for something to eat, too.

'Ok…Let's see…Damn! Just trees, trees, trees…no hollow place to stay away from him. And I'm not even able to see something edible…'

"What are you looking for, my little fairy? I'm sorry but there are no hotels or restaurants around here, as far as I can see… - his lips slowly turned into a smirk – But I gathered some fruits, during the march."

'What? When did he…?' "Fruits?" Hinata replied, pouting more because of his rude manners – and astonishing abilities – than because of the food.

"Oh….They don't suit your idea of meals, my spoiled princess?"

' S-spoiled?'

Her first instinct suggested her to punch him, but her noble decency – and his horrible fame, even if she would never admit it – prevented her from connecting her fist with his -beautiful-but-so-damn-smirking face.

"No, it's ok with fruits. But it's actually not with you…"

Uchiha Itachi raised a brow. "With me? Oh my, my…Am I being too rude and impolite too accomplish the desires of such a noble lady?"

Hinata frowned a bit more.

'So he knows this is getting on my nerves…but he keeps on talking and acting like this…What does he think he is doing? I'm not his toy…I'M NOT HIS FUCKING TOY!'

But expressing her emotion wasn't so simple.

She had become pretty fierce and pretty tough, it was true.

But…every time she took a glance of his aloof figure, she felt every single hint of her resolution slowly faded away and a sense of fear came over her mind, freezing her body.

And her thoughts.

Hinata hated herself for that.

She couldn't stand that part of her.

It reminded her too much about her previous self.

Whenever terror crawled under her skin as her white eyes met his red ones, she felt like she hadn't changed at all. She felt like she was still so shy, so powerless, so…

So much the Hinata that died along with Naruto.

The thought of the blonde ninja brought to the surface a lot of pleasant memories.

And an overwhelming pain.

"I don't want to have anything to do with you, as far as I can." her eyes darkened "If we have to go together on a mission, just tell me what kind of mission it is…"

Itachi smiled, his lips curving into that sinister smile of his. "You'll change your mind, sooner or later….My fairy… - he sat against a willow tree – Anyway…we're going to spy a rich lord and try to find out if he hides or not an important scroll…Nothing too difficult, as you can see."

Hinata just nodded, turning away and heading to the farthest place from where that man had sat.

"You should eat," his voice reached her ears, sending chills down her spine. "I don't want you to be a bother, tomorrow…"

"I won't eat anything touched by you…And then, if you're so fond with eating…why don't you eat them yourself?"

And with that she hid behind an high tree, resting her aching back against the hard trunk.

She immediately fell asleep.

For the first time in weeks, she dreamt.