ten.
Strange, he thought to himself. The morning was colder than the usual and yet the girl didn't seem to mind, her breath making puffs of snow-colored smoke in the air, with her tangled mop of hair covering half of her face. She was clad in nothing but a shirt and pants, her fur coat back at the mansion. He regretted not bringing it with him but she didn't complain at all.
"Let's go."
They joined the rest of the Anbu on the military truck, latching onto the edge just as it passed by. For a moment, he was afraid she wouldn't reach out towards him—but of course she did. His hand caught hers and hoisted her up effortlessly. She was as light as a feather.
"Good morning, Shosa!" one of his men greeted, saluting.
He saluted back. "At ease," he told him, nodding curtly. "Likewise."
"Hime," the Anbu added, smiling slightly towards her direction.
Itachi felt another surge of ire which he suppressed. It was too early to be losing his temper, especially when his men meant no harm. He sighed gently through his nose and fussed his hair with a hand, sitting down beside the girl. He wondered what this would entail. Obviously, they would be expecting her to be present now after that show last night. He would have to be careful with his approach to the Major General, else he might lose his custody over the girl—if this was ever called custody.
He glanced sideways at her, noting the thickness of her lashes and the flush on her cheeks. His breath hitched, the sun slipping through the trees, and she turned towards him at that exact moment. He couldn't breathe. She was beautiful. So pure and precious, and it made him want to protect her. Just the thought of her tainting her fingers red made him want to pull her towards his arms.
Later, when they had arrived at the city and were walking through the sleeping streets, Itachi listened to the steady clicking of their boots on the cobbled pavement. It was barely past six and so it was terribly quiet on the road. Pacific. Serene. He felt a sense of fulfillment overwhelm him as he knew he was tasked to keep this peace.
She tugged at his sleeve and he slowed into a stop, turning his head towards her. Strange, he thought again. The sun surrounded her like a halo, and it was breathtaking.
"Hinata," he whispered softly, the shock making him dizzy as he grabbed her shoulders. "You—You will be Hinata."
She would be named beneath the sun, a sunny place, forever protected from the darkness that threatened the peace of this world. She would be safe with the light. Hinata. Hinata. Hinata.
"Hi—Hina… ah… tah!"
He stiffened. "You understand me?" he asked with disbelief.
"Sho—sa," she said slowly, nose scrunching in frustration as she dragged out the syllables. "Sho—sah!"
He crouched, blinking rapidly. "Yes, yes," he murmured, almost in a trance. "You are Hinata, and I am Shosa. Itachi."
"Itah!"
He felt laughter bubbling inside him which he resisted, lips pressed tightly amongst each other in an effort to stop himself from smiling.
"Hinata," he repeated, whispering almost, as she shook her head to keep her hair out of her face.
"—tah!" she exclaimed back.
He closed his eyes and dropped his head, propping his elbows on his knees. He hadn't felt this happy in a while and it felt exhilarating.
Finally—finally, she had a name. Hinata.
The girl born beneath the sun.
a/n: AAAHHHH I've been waiting all week to write this scene. Ten days! It's been ten days since I first wrote this story and I still love it! I'm glad I decided to go ahead and write it as it has given me good exercise. At first I was quite worried that Hinata didn't mean anything and I'm glad that it did, and it suits her a lot! I'm so glad this ended up well and I hope you liked it. Thank you for your lovely reviews. Please leave a comment :)