Wow, it's been awhile, I know. What can I say?


Contrived Flaws

Chapter 9: The Nightmares


Last time...


Her furious stomping found her at the Uchiha main house. Why had she come here? To talk with Mikoto. No.

She bit the inside of her cheek as she considered. With a self-affirming nod, she tucked Heiwa inside her coat and knocked on the door.

To her surprise, the person she wished to speak with answered. "Sasuke," she said without a stutter.

He didn't seem surprised at all. "I heard Itachi was back. How did that go?" He seemed smug.

Hinata's anger came flooding back, "He's completely… he's-" she let out a strangled noise. "He wouldn't even let me speak!"

Sasuke nodded calmly like he'd expected nothing less. "Well, do not let me keep you. Did you come here to speak with my mother?"

She hesitated, "Um, no. I came to speak with you."

"Oh?"

"I want your help."

Sasuke openly smirked, "Okay."

She waited, but he said nothing more. That's it? she wondered.

As if reading her mind, or perhaps her expression, he said, "You'd better get back home or you'll make things worse. I'll take care of it."

She smiled then, cautiously, "Thank you so much." Then she was off.

She felt lighter on the walk home. It was taken care of, he'd said so. And who knew Itachi better than his own brother? She would be able to keep Heiwa, she was sure.

When she walked inside their home, she was surprised to learn that Itachi was still in the shower. She felt like she'd been gone longer.

She carefully removed Heiwa from her coat and deposited the pup safely in her room. Then she paced the hallway lightly, anxious about Itachi emerging from the bathroom.

As she did so, she began to doubt her actions. Was she wrong to go behind Itachi's back? It wasn't as if she did it on purpose, it was just that he wasn't here, she reasoned.

But was she wrong to go to Sasuke? Her cousin had warned her, but Sasuke seemed genuine, she thought. But then, he had threatened her quite severely before the wedding.

She didn't realize she was chewing so harshly on her lip until she tasted blood. It was metallic and reminded her of days training with her father that she'd rather forget.

Then the shower cut off and she froze. She wasn't giving in exactly, but perhaps Sasuke had been right about her being a poor wife. She straightened up and sucked the blood off of her lip just as the door opened.

Itachi appeared with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He paused to take in Hinata, who was standing in his path.

"Did you need something, Hinata-sama?"

An honorific, she noted. So he was still angry. She twisted her fingers painfully behind her back.

"H-How was your mission?" she asked, not moving from her position in the middle of the hallway.

He blinked rapidly and she detected a bit of irritation. Perhaps she should wait until he was rested.

With a sigh, he responded, "You know very well that I am not at liberty to discuss missions with you."

"But yo-you're okay?"

"Do I not look okay to you, Hinata?"

"Y-you do, I'm glad." It wasn't technically a lie. While she hadn't especially missed him, she was fairly certain that if he'd died she would've. A little.

"Wonderful," he said sardonically. Then gathering that she wasn't going to move on her own, he gently pushed her aside and continued to his room.

Hinata marveled at a side of him she hadn't seen. Was that… almost like sarcasm? Almost like Uchiha Itachi letting his serious side crack open and reveal a hint of something else?


Hinata woke a short while after going to bed to a strange noise. She thought at first that it was Heiwa, but she flipped her bedside light on to see the pup sleeping soundly in its bed.

Curious, she slid out of bed and padded into the hallway. To her left, she saw Itachi's door, cracked as it always was during the night.

She had never been brave enough to ask why a ninja like him would leave his door ajar while he slept, but tonight she used it to peek inside.

Sure enough, the strange sound was coming from within. The heiress sidled in the crack and let her eyes readjust to the darkness.

It took her a moment to realize that the sound was coming from Itachi himself. He had the blankets kicked to his feet and he was gripping the sheets beside him forcefully. He had a pained expression on his face and Hinata decided at once that it was her duty to wake him.

"Itachi," she whispered.

She didn't dare touch him for she had learned the hard way never to wake a ninja by touch. She had once woken Neji that way and had found herself on the floor with a knife to her throat before she could even muster a noise. He had been very angry at her, she recalled.

The Uchiha made no indication that he had heard her so she stepped closer, whispered louder, "Itachi."

"No," he muttered, "No." His body trembled.

Hinata leaned over him slightly, "Itachi, wake up," she said at a normal volume.

He lurched upright, his head colliding with Hinata's. They both grabbed at their throbbing skulls for a moment before Itachi broke the silence.

"What are you doing, Hinata?" He sounded more tired than cross.

"Y-You looked like y-you were having a nightmare," she whispered.

Itachi closed his eyes for a long moment, not a response.

Hinata sat down gingerly on the edge of his bed, looked at him with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Go back to sleep," he murmured, opening his eyes.

She almost did. She almost got up and left, like a good little wife, a good little heiress. But instead, she leaned toward him, and he backed away slightly making the moonlight streaming in from his window catch the edge of his face.

"You're crying... You were c-crying in your sleep," she whispered, seeing the moisture reflecting on his face.

"Go to bed," he said again. His voice sounded strained and Hinata frowned.

"What happened?" She asked against his will.

He scrubbed a hand down his face. "It's none of your concern." He pushed off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Hinata alone on his bed.

Itachi braced himself on the bathroom counter and forced himself to look at his reflection in the mirror. Hinata was right, he had been crying in his sleep, dreaming a horrible dream. What was wrong with him?

He splashed his face with cool water several times, slowed the rapid beating of his heart. He was unsettled by his dream, undoubtedly. He hoped it hadn't shown in front of his wife.

The last mission had been a terrible one, it had taken a toll on him and he knew that he would not be sleeping again tonight.


Hinata sat on Itachi's bed for a long while. At first, she told herself she was waiting on his return, but after a short while it became apparent he was not coming back.

With a disappointed sigh, she returned to her room.

By then, Heiwa was awake and she scooped the puppy from its bed and cradled it in her arms.

"I don't understand," she whispered to herself and Heiwa. "Should I not try to help him?" She stroked the puppy's head rhythmically, "I can't... understand him."


Hinata awoke early the next morning. It wasn't for lack of exhaustion, she had just slept rather fitfully after the evening and night before.

She shuffled out of her room, with Heiwa at her heels, and noted that Itachi's door was closed.

She made her way to the kitchen and made coffee for her husband - A habit she thought wasn't very tasty. She hoped it was a placating gesture, though those never seemed to turn out well for her.

A knock at the door made her pause in her scan of potential breakfast foods. She glanced down the hallway, curious if Itachi would stir. There was no sign of movement, so she answered it herself.

It was Sasuke, who quickly pushed inside out of the cold wind.

"Morning," he said, "Do I smell coffee?"

"Yes, w-would you like some?"

He shook his head, "Its disgusting, I don't know how Itachi stands it. Speaking of which, is he here?"

She nodded, "Still in his r-room, as far as I know."

"His room?"

Hinata swallowed. Was it secret that they didn't share? She didn't think so. She settled for nodding ambiguously.

They stared at each other a long moment, then Sasuke said, "Tea."

Hinata blushed slightly, "Oh! Would y-you like some tea?"

The Uchiha seemed to consider a moment, then, "Nah, I'll just go and have a chat with Itachi."

Hinata looked a bit flustered, but motioned to his brother's room.

Eager to get vengeance on Itachi for appearing through his own window, Sasuke barged in without knocking.

"Rise and shine," he said loudly, flipping the light on.

To his annoyance, Itachi was not asleep. Instead, he was sitting on his bed meditating.

"Good morning little brother," he responded flatly.

Sasuke sat on his bed with an unnecessary bounce. "How was your mission?"

"Fine," his standard answer.

"Your wife still doesn't offer me tea when I come over."

"I'll have to remember to praise her for that," Itachi let a rare smirk slip onto his face.

"Cute."

"To what do I owe the pleasure, little brother?" Itachi asked, standing now and stretching.

"Oh you know, just came to make sure my favourite brother wasn't dead. Or dying."

"As you can see, I am neither."

"Oh but that's where you're wrong, brother," Sasuke smirked.

Itachi stared at him mildly, waiting for him to go on.

"If mother hears about this little..." He paused and looked side to side mockingly, "Puppy incident, she'll have your balls."

"You knew about the dog," was all he said.

Sasuke scoffed, "You're the one that asked me to check up on her. Of course I did."

"Did you put her up to it?"

"I'm touched you thought of me, but no. It was all her."

"It's still here, isn't it?"

"Yep."

Itachi massaged at his temples. "I overreacted," he muttered.

Sasuke stepped toward him, "What's that?" He said loudly. "Did the great Uchiha Itachi just admit he was wrong?"

"You are the one without humility, little brother."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Bottom line, she keeps the dog. If not, I'll tell mother you won't grant your sweet, little wife this one, harmless wish and... You can figure out the rest."

The younger Uchiha stood, looking quite smug.

Itachi blinked rapidly and pressed his fingers into his eyes. "Why the sudden change of heart?" He asked. "I thought you disliked Hinata."

Sasuke shrugged, his back already to his brother. "She's not so bad," was all he said, then left.

Itachi smiled ever so slightly, shook his head. Sasuke was really something.

He smoothed his shirt down and tied his hair back. Whether his little brother blackmailed him or not, Itachi had behaved poorly the evening before, and he had an apology to make.

He came down the hallway and scanned the sitting area. It seemed his brother had vacated the house entirely.

He found Hinata in the kitchen, making herself some tea.

"Hinata," he tried to speak softly.

She didn't jump, just spun around to face him. "S-Sasuke left."

Itachi just nodded. "I want to apologize for my behavior last night."

Hinata's mind immediately jumped to his nightmare... Or whatever it was.

"I overreacted about the dog..." He cleared his throat, "Your puppy." Yes, that sounded better.

The heiress' eyes widened. Oh. "Y-You did? I mean... I can keep her?"

"I didn't say that."

Hinata's face fell.

Itachi sighed. "But yes."

She almost squealed. "Oh Heiwa, did you hear that?" She knelt down to pick up the puppy who had made itself comfortable at her feet.

"Did you say Heiwa?"

Hinata smiled, "Yeah, that's what I named her."

Itachi looked at her funny for a very long moment, like he'd lost something and was trying to find it in her mind. Then he said, "Why?"

"It's pretty, don't you think?"

"Yes."

She smiled back at him, evidently pleased he agreed with her.

Itachi reached out and touched the pup gently, barely.

Then Hinata shattered the moment with an exclamation. "Oh! I made you c-coffee."

She sat Heiwa on the mat in front of her food so she would know where she was. When she turned back around, Itachi was pouring his own cup.

Strangely, Hinata was a little disappointed. She really wanted to show everyone she could be an Uchiha wife, do something properly.

"Thank you, Hinata," Itachi's voice broke through her thoughts, made her smile.

"You're wel-welcome."

"So my brother and you seem to be getting along now," he said, sipping his coffee.

Fear jolted through her for a second. Did he know about the deal she made? Would he be mad if he did?

"Y-yeah I-I guess," she said, her eyes glued to the floor.

"That's good," was all he said before disappearing into the sitting room.

Hinata let out a breath of air, relaxed a little.

"Hinata!" Itachi called from the other room.

She straightened instantly. There was the tingling fear again. "Yes?" She asked as she walked that way.

"Why is the furniture moved around?" He must've been really tired last night not to notice.

She almost laughed. "Oh. Heiwa is...s-she can't see very w-well. I didn't want her to r-run into things."

"You're kidding," he said flatly.

She shook her head. And she's deaf, she added mentally, but didn't think she should dump so much on him so soon.

Without another word he melted into his usual chair with a pen and papers.

Mission report, Hinata thought. She had the overwhelming urge to sit near him, try to sneak a peek.

Something had happened, she had decided while she was awake last night. She resolved to find out. If not through Itachi, then some other way.

But before she could even begin to calculate the optimal place to sit and spy on Itachi, there was a knock at the door.

The Uchiha didn't even look up from his work, so Hinata moved to the door. She opened it to find Ino, Sakura, and Tenten.

Ino looked somewhat perturbed, next to a bright eyed Sakura. Tenten was hanging back behind the both of them.

"Stupid Uchiha's," Ino muttered.

Hinata saw Itachi perk up slightly at the insult. She wondered if she should be insulted too.

"Hi, Hinata," Sakura said brightly. "Don't mind Ino-pig, she's pissed cause her blonde charm couldn't get us in the compound and I could."

"Whatever, just cause you're teammates with Sasuke-kun," the blonde replied, flipping her hair.

Behind them, Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Wh-what brings you h-here?" Hinata asked, when there was a moment to speak.

"The puppy of course!" Sakura squealed. "I can't believe you didn't tell us."

"W-well-"

"Where's it at? Naruto said it only had one ear and was hairless," The medic continued.

"W-what?"

"Naruto's a retard," Ino interjected.

"How'd you f-find out?" Hinata asked, ushering them inside.

"Someone told Neji, who told your sister, who told Konohamaru, who told Naruto, who told Sakura," she explained.

"Yeah, for once you were left out of the gossip chain, pig," Sakura said dryly.

"Shut up, forehead."

"Good morning, Itachi-sama," Tenten said over them all. She was apparently the only one who noticed his presence.

"Good morning, ladies," he grunted, not lifting his eyes to look at them.

"Oh, hello Itachi-sama," Ino purred.

He didn't respond.

"Heiwa is in the kitchen," Hinata said, hoping to save them all the awkwardness of trying to converse with Itachi.

As they approached the pup, she was settled on her rug, wrestling with a bone.

"Well, looks like it has two ears," Tenten commented.

"It's so cute!" Sakura crooned, "Is it a girl or boy?"

"Girl," Hinata said, gathering the pup in her arms for the other girls to see.

After they had swooned sufficiently over the puppy and expressed their sympathy for its handicap, they were all sipping cups of tea, when Ino spoke up. "So is this what you and Itachi do all day? Sit around and ignore each other?"

Hinata flushed red. She was certain he could hear them.

Panicking, she tried to usher them outside to 'see the garden,' which was, by the way, dead as a doorknob.

"Hell no, it's cold out there," Ino protested, not budging from her spot. "Oh I get it," she raised her voice, "You don't wanna talk about him when he can hear you." She smirked at the Hyuuga girl.

Beside her, Sakura snickered.

"Leave her be," Tenten said. She knew how difficult the clan types were and felt for Hinata.

Itachi appeared in the doorway, making Hinata yelp. He moved beside her and placed an arm around her waist. She was too shocked to move.

"If you'll excuse us, ladies, Hinata and I have things to do besides sit around and ignore each other." He turned his head and put his nose in her hair, keeping his gaze on the girls.

Hinata was so red that she honestly feared she may combust at any moment. The girls took her color as embarrassment about what Itachi was saying. In reality, it was based more on the proximity of him.

Ino chuckled knowingly, "Of course, we'll get out of your hair. Come on girls." She beckoned them and said they'd show themselves out.

"See you later," Tenten called before they heard the door shut.

Itachi still hadn't moved and Hinata was feeling faint.

"I-I-Itachi?"

"Mmm?"

"Wh-wha-"

Itachi interrupted her with a deep chuckle, she could feel his breath on her ear as he let go and stepped away. "I wanted those vapid girls out of my house."

An odd feeling traveled down Hinata's spine. One she immediately decided she liked.

She was frozen, dumbfounded. She barely heard what he said, she was so struck by the noise that had escaped him. A laugh. She was certain she had never heard him laugh and she was immediately consumed with the thought that she wanted to hear it again.

It was rich and beautiful and unmistakably male.

She suddenly felt embarrassed at such thoughts and put the brakes on. She shook her head slightly and realized that Itachi had already left the kitchen.

She was certain her cheeks were still roaring red as she stepped hesitantly into the living room.

Itachi was working on his paperwork as if he'd never stopped.

She stood in the doorway for several moments before retreating to her room.

She paced restlessly for minutes. Picking up things, placing them back down. She wasn't really paying attention to what she was doing. She was too busy chastising herself.

How could she be so quick to... to... to what? It wasn't like Itachi was the enemy. And what was it her sister was always saying? He was hotter than a flaming shuriken?

She giggled to herself. Hanabi could be downright silly sometimes. But maybe she had a point. Itachi was... Attractive. And he was her husband. Her feelings certainly weren't out of place.

But maybe she was overreacting altogether. She would've done the same thing if his brother had been up in her personal space that way. Of course, no one ever said he was anything less than attractive either.

She shook her head quickly. That was an inappropriate thought. She needed to get it together.

She glanced at the clock beside her bed and was relieved to see that it was time to go meet her team. They were leaving on a mission today, one that Hinata couldn't go on since they were leaving the country. Still, she would see them off, wish them luck.

Tenten was going as her replacement. Despite being a ranged fighter, she was the only one available. Neji was in ANBU now and Lee had begun teaching at the academy. That left the weapon's mistress as a sort of freelance ninja.

She wasn't jealous or anything, but it hurt to be replaced, even if she knew her feelings were illogical. They simply needed a three man team. But she knew there would be many more missions which she couldn't participate in, many more times she would be replaced.

Gathering herself, she made sure her cheeks had returned to their normal color before leaving her room. She let Itachi know where she was going and headed out.

And then she had a horrible thought: What if Tenten asked her what she and Itachi did when they left?

She almost turned around and went back. Her team would understand, right? Shino would. Tenten was questionable. And Kiba, he would likely come find her, yell at her, then ask her what was the matter. It would make the whole ordeal of being replaced worse than it already was.

She would simply bare the questions if they arose. She would have to get used to such ideas anyway, she was going to be married to Itachi for a very long time. And those topics came up, and consummation, and heirs, and she was going to be sick if she didn't stop thinking.

She sucked in a deep breath of the chilly air and let it sober her. One step at a time, she told herself. For now, Itachi didn't even want her company half the time. And she was okay with that. She was more than okay with that.

She arrived at the village gates well before her team. Standing around idly did little to calm her raging thoughts. She was almost too relieved at the sight of her teammates - and Tenten - headed her way.

She could see Kiba grinning from several meters away as he yelled at her, "Hinata!" He seemed almost surprised to see her there.

She waved back, then twisted her hands together as she waited for them to get closer. She decided she would avoid glancing at the weapon's mistress and perhaps she would get by without any questions.

"Come to see us off?" Kiba asked lightly.

She nodded and failed magnificently at her plan not to look at Tenten. The girl just smiled slightly, "Don't worry, I'll take good care of these two."

Hinata was surprised at the kunoichi's sensitivity.

They all exchanged goodbye's and goodluck's before her team headed off with Tenten in tow. The heiress loitered at the gates for some time, until she could no longer see her team, then a little more.

She had no desire to return home to Itachi. She felt like he was becoming more of an enigma as the days went by, instead of less of one. She wondered if he understood her? Was she like an open book to him, ripe for manipulation?

The thought made her uneasy, and she had the strong urge to go to her own clan's compound, see Hanabi. But she wouldn't risk running into Neji. Not when her betrayal of his advice was so fresh. He could always see right through her lies like they were made of glass; transparent and easily shattered.

Despite the cold, she strolled through the market and busied herself, waited on the sun to sink below the horizon.

When it finally did, she made a slow trip to what was now her home, and prayed Itachi wouldn't be around.

She was relieved to find he had already retired for the night. Still, she found herself lying awake, listening for any sounds coming from his room.

All she heard was silence, until she finally relaxed, teetering on the border between dreams and consciousness, when a raspy scream tore through the house.

It was Itachi.

And he was screaming that he couldn't see.

That he was blind.


I apologize for the wait. I know how frustrating it can be waiting on a new chapter. I'll try to do better for you guys!

Let me know what you think!

Big thanks, as usual, to my reviewers. The last few I got prompted me to get my butt in gear, so keep em coming. :)