Love's Sweet Melody
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: My friend informed me that a ghost was used in Land of Birds Arc. So apparently, ghosts are cannon. Let me know what you think of the slightly supernatural angle. If people like it, it will be added to. If not, well it will only be one scene in this chapter. Happy reading.
Chapter 10
He was visiting again. Hiashi often did that and it always brought about contradictory feelings inside her heart. Well more specifically, the place where her heart should be. She no longer physically had one.
Emiko Hyuga had been dead for years. That was alright. It was the natural order of things. There was a time to be born, a time to live, and a time to die. Unfortunately, she had gotten stuck somewhere between step two and three.
"Yes, I do remember that story." She whispers as she watches him place the lavender roses on the grave.
Lavender had always been her favorite color. It brought a wistful smile to her face that he remembered, even after all these years. The body could die, but love never did.
"You're thinking of meddling." Another spirit says to her.
Of course, her husband couldn't see her or the other spirit. It was just as well though. Hiashi would probably believe that he had gone insane and would attempt to attack them, if he could see the pair of them.
"It's hard not to consider it. We've been caught between this realm and the next for years. What harm could it do?" She asks the other woman.
"Maybe, this is the reason. The reason why we can't move on. The rift between the Clans. If we do this, I might see my Izuna and Bakura again." The other woman dares herself to say.
By almost anyone's standards, Hana Uchiha was a beauty. Well she used to be Hana Hyuga before her brief marriage to Izuna. Still Emiko digressed.
Her was such a dark blue that it almost seemed purple and flowed all the way down to her ankles in two long ponytails. She also had two elegant buns on her head. Her eyes were the trademark lavender of the Hyuga Clan and she wore a beautiful matching kimono that came to her knees and then a pair of fishnet purple pants. That combined with her figure and Emiko could certainly understand why once upon a time, she had been considered the most beautiful woman in the Leaf Village.
"Yes, you can be reunited with your husband and son and I can finally move on. I'll be able to wait for Hiashi and my daughters where I was meant to do so all along." Emiko agrees.
"I'm just not certain how we can help them in this case. Our ability to communicate with them is quite limited." Hana points out.
"I'm certain that we'll think of something. We have to. If we combine our energy, do you think that we could manage a note?" The Hyuga woman asks her ancestor.
Hana pauses as she considers her question. Emiko knew that she was asking a great deal. They would likely only get one shot at such a feat and after that, they would fall asleep for awhile.
That's what she called it when she lost consciousness for an extended period of time in this existence. It had happened more than once before, but she had gotten better at preventing it. It was all about not overexerting yourself.
"If it's a short note, I think that we can manage it." Hana replies cautiously.
Emiko nods her head gratefully and heads into her home with the other ghost. She quickly finds the journal that Hiashi kept underneath his pillow and opens it to the most recent page, before penning the note.
Itachi & Hinata ~ The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars.
It was an extremely brief note, but she could already feel herself straining to finish it. She could only hope that Hiashi would be able to understand it. The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars had been the song that she sang to him on their wedding night.
If he could remember her favorite color, Hiashi would surely remember that. Putting the names of her daughter and the Uchiha boy next to each other sent a clear message. It was now just a matter of whether or not, he would listen.
"Did you do it? I can't hold on much longer." Hana inquires desperately.
"I did it. We'll see what comes of it." Emiko answers her and that was the last thing that she was aware of before everything went black.
A few hours later, Hinata sighs. She knew that she'd have to go back to her family's home. If she didn't, people would worry about her. It was hard to leave Itachi though.
"We'll see each other tomorrow at lessons." He assures her as he caresses her cheek.
"I know. How long do you think that we can keep this a secret from our families though? They're going to find out." Hinata whispers.
It wasn't often that Itachi Uchiha appeared perplexed by much of anything, but he definitely looked perplexed now. Hinata would have found it quite comical, if the situation wasn't so serious. Unfortunately, it was serious.
"I'm not entirely certain. It's a large village. The odds are great that someone will stumble upon us. Though we are ninjas. We're certainly capable of being stealthy." Itachi reasons.
Hinata nods in agreement. She didn't want to have to keep it a secret. If Itachi's last name was anything other than Uchiha or hers was anything other than Hyuga, they wouldn't have to. Sadly, there was too much bad blood between their Clans for that to work.
"Do you think that it's possible we could make them understand? I doubt most of them even knows why our Clans act so coldly towards one another in the first place. I certainly don't." Hinata says.
"My mother and grandmother would likely see reason relatively quickly, if there was as possibility of grandchildren or great grandchildren for them in the future. My father and even Sasuke, are more cautious though. Sasuke knows, but I trust him not to tell anyone." Itachi assures her.
Hinata could only bite her lower lip at that last part. She didn't really know Sasuke that well. They had both attended the Academy together, but they had rarely spoken. He'd never been cruel to her, but the Hyuga Heiress wasn't entirely certain that she wanted to trust him with her biggest secret.
"Are you sure that Sasuke won't tell anyone?" She asks warily.
She didn't think that Sasuke was a bad person. It was just that was an awfully big secret to keep. It would surely eat him alive.
"I'm certain. Sasuke may be foolish, but he's a good man. That and in all honesty, I think he's more worried about dodging Hanabi's affections than the ones that we have for each other at the moment. Your sister is quite…devoted." Itachi observes with a chuckle.
Hinata laughs. It looked like Hanabi's first crush was going strong. Poor Sasuke. She almost pitied him really.
"That's good to know. I should probably go though. I'll see you tomorrow." Hinata whispers as she kisses him.
"Of course, you will. Though you should probably change before heading back to the Hyuga Estate. I would imagine that your Clan would be curious about your state of undress." The elder Uchiha Brother points out, after returning her kiss.
Hinata blushes. It wasn't that revealing! Was it? It covered a bit more than most bikinis!
"I guess I should at least throw on my training clothes." She concedes.
"Yes, I think that would be a very wise course of action. If we're going to do this, it would be prudent not to draw too much attention to ourselves." Itachi reasons.
"Yeah. I'm really sorry about all this." She says as she pulls a shirt over her head and a Jonin Vest quickly follows suit.
Hinata meant that. She shouldn't have to hide her relationship with Itachi. He was a good man and well respected by the village. The Uchihas might be somewhat isolated from most of the Leaf, but Itachi was Itachi. It was almost impossible not to look up to him.
It was the strangest thing, really. Their Clans reputations were so different. The Uchihas were equal parts admired and feared. They really were like fire. Conversely, her Clan was more like ice. Powerful and biting cold.
"It's not your fault that I'm simply following in my ancestor's footsteps." The raven haired man assures her.
"What do you mean by that?" Hinata asks as she slides her pants on.
"My ancestor Izuna Uchiha fell in love with a woman named Hana Hyuga. They married in secret. He was killed in the war before he knew that she was pregnant." The smoky eyed ninja begins.
Hinata frowns. She'd never heard that story. One would think that the fat that Izuna had a child with a Hyuga woman would be common knowledge. Hinata had never heard of their bloodlines mixing before.
"Why doesn't anyone know about this?" The bluenette asks as she checks to make sure that her hair was dry.
"I think it's because of the shame both Clans over the incident. That's probably why barely anyone has heard of Izuna and Hana's Union. Madara didn't have any children at the time, so Izuna's child would have been the Uchiha Heir." Itachi tells her as he walks over to his beloved.
Her hair was still damp. Too damp, really. Her family would notice that and someone might ask questions. He certainly couldn't allow that.
"It happened such a long time ago though." Hinata whispers.
"Some wounds run very deep and time doesn't entirely heal them. It only scabs them over. Bringing up such things, is seen as picking at the scab and that's a never good idea. As someone who is training to become a medic, I'm certain you're aware of this. Here, let me dry your hair." Itachi offers with a kind smile.
"Maybe. This should have been resolved before now though. The wound has been allowed to fester and become infected. Oh and thank you." Hinata says with a smile as she feels Itachi heating up his hands.
It was a very mild version of a Fire Jutsu. Itachi was summoning the heat, but not the flames. Now, that was one damn useful Jutsu for drying your hair.
"I suppose that's true and you're welcome. Now where was I? Both Clans wanted the boy and the mother ran away with him. That's how all this started. The different Clans simply stopped discussing the matter and the two of them faded into history. Hana and her son. No one knows what became of them." Itachi explains.
Hinata frowns. That story was so sad and it appeared the Clans hadn't learned anything from it. They were still keeping people apart.
"Strange. I don't know how they managed to stay hidden. Surely, the boy must have been able to use the Sharingan or Byakugan. Perhaps both or even a new bloodline would have developed. No one noticed at all?" She asks softly.
"I don't believe so. It's possible that neither of them lived long enough for it to become an issue though. I'm sorry. That was awful of me to say. It's just that back then, a Great Ninja War was going on. The odds were not good for a woman traveling alone with a small child." Itachi says with a wistful sigh as he kisses Hinata's cheek.
Hinata nods in understanding. She wasn't completely naïve. She had read about the Great Ninja Wars. Everything had been absolute chaos back then. So much senseless bloodshed.
"That might be it. We won't let that happen to us though." She says.
"Of course. Don't worry about it. For now, you should get back to them and I should get back to my own family." Itachi tells her as he kisses her forehead.
"Alright." Hinata says and finally, she manages with great reluctance to pull herself away from Itachi and head off.
Elsewhere Hiashi sneezes as Tsuki saunters her way into the Uchiha Kitchen. He was meeting with Mikoto and Fugaku again. They needed to find a way to deal with Danzo. Apparently, that meant the little feline was doing some intelligence gathering for them.
"Well he's making the rounds all across the village. Danzo is talking to a lot of people. Judging by the expressions on their faces, I think that blackmail is a common denominator for most of the "support" that he's getting." Tsuki says.
The Hyuga Patriarch was inclined to agree with the Ninja Cat on that particular matter. He doubted that most people were backing Danzo because he was just such a charming and friendly fellow. He wasn't winning people over with his charisma like Minato had.
"That does sound like him." Fugaku says with a sigh.
"This is serious. He could really become Hokage. How much support does he have?" Mikoto asks her animal companion.
This was very important information. Hiashi could only hope that Tsuki had gotten an accurate number. They needed to know how swiftly they had to act.
If Danzo became Hokage and died suddenly afterwards, everyone would know it was an assassination attempt. Such an outcome would be positively disastrous. That meant that the three of them would have to act quickly, if it looked like the elderly ninja might have the necessary support.
"I think he's about halfway there. His age is working against him. The man is already in his seventies. Sarutobi is old and most people aren't protesting his leadership, but he didn't start the job with one foot in the coffin." The feline reasons.
That was true. There were few calls for Sarutobi to step down, despite his age. Though that didn't necessarily mean that people would want an elderly man to replace another elderly man.
"We might have to act sooner than expected. Let's discuss our options." Fugaku suggests.
Hiashi nods in agreement. For the better part of an hour they brainstormed. Sadly, it hadn't been a particularly fruitful session.
"Well we've thought of some ideas. We'll have to think on it some more. This plan must go off without a hitch." Mikoto says.
"Of course, Lady Mikoto. Well once again, I must thank the both of you for your warm hospitality. I'm afraid that I must be going. My family will be wondering where I am by now and I do not wish to worry them." The lavender eyed man replies.
"Of course. I do wish that we were able to resolve this dilemma today. We will though. Danzo's treachery will not go unpunished." Fugaku promises him.
Hiashi nods and heads off. He believed the Uchiha Patriarch when he said that. The man had just as much of an interest as taking out Danzo as he did. After all, they had both been blackmailed and no Clan Head responded well to blackmail.
It didn't take long for him to get back the Hyuga Estate and to his room. The Hyuga Patriarch sighs as he sits down on his bed and pulls out his journal. Years ago, he had started keeping it.
"If one doesn't find a way to vent their frustrations, one will go mad." He mutters to himself as he opens it to the most recent page.
That's when he stops and stares. Instead of his own writing or a blank page, Hiashi saw something entirely different. Someone else's handwriting. Handwriting that he recognized.
Itachi & Hinata ~ The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars.
That was impossible though! His wife had been dead for years and yet, he was staring at her handwriting. The words written upon the page were written in fairly fresh ink that looked as though they had been put upon the page on that very day.
"It can't be." He whispers to himself as he stares at the page in shock.
At that same time, Itachi heads back to the Uchiha District. It was getting harder and harder to leave Hinata. As inconvenient as it might be, there was no getting around the truth now.
The Sharingan Dragon was most assuredly falling for the Byakugan Princess and he didn't know what to do about it. If this match was to have any happy ending at all, it would eventually mean that Hinata would have to leave her family behind. They would disown her.
"And the thought of hurting her in such a fashion is unbearable. Though so is living without her." He mutters to himself.
Loving her was quite possibly the most selfish thing that he had ever done. If anyone else had been in this situation, Itachi would have told them to do the right thing and let the woman go. Hinata belonged with her family. What right did he have to take her away from them?
"I presume that you are talking about Hinata. Itachi, my son, I do believe that it is time that we had a talk." The young Uchiha hears an all too familiar voice call out to him.
His father. His father knew! Fugaku had seen him dance with Hinata at her Introduction and he must have put the pieces together!
Itachi mentally curses himself for getting caught. He really shouldn't have left Hinata. That might very well be the last time that they were ever allowed to be alone together.
"Father…" He whispers, not sure what to say to the other man.
"Itachi, come with me. It's alright. I'm not angry. Though I have to admit, your choice hasn't made things easy on me or your mother. If you had chosen anyone else, things wouldn't have been as complicated." The Uchiha Patriarch says with a wary sigh.
Itachi cautiously follows his father into the his study. With each step he took, the feeling of dread only grew in his stomach. There was no scenario in which he could envision this ending well.
"Do not look as though you are a man who is awaiting his execution." Fugaku orders him.
He was a man awaiting his execution though. There was no way possible way that his father would approve this match. Assuming that he could convince Fugaku though, Hiashi would certainly never approve it. Hell would freeze over before such a thing happened.
"Am I not though? You can't be pleased by my affections for Hinata." He says cautiously.
"I'm not. Honestly, Itachi. Any other girl would have been simpler, but you had to go and fall for the Hyuga Heiress. You were spotted kissing her. Danzo has pictures of the incident and is attempting to blackmail your mother, myself, and Hiashi into supporting his bid for Hokageship with them." The other Uchiha explains.
Itachi blinks. This couldn't be happening. Danzo knew?! Danzo knew and he was blackmailing their families?!
"I detest killing, but there is really only one solution to this problem. We can't allow such a man to ever lead the Leaf Village." Itachi whispers.
"Yes, we all quite agree on that. We have had Tsuki trail him. She simply took off her Ninja Cat Uniform and followed him around. Danzo is not the type of man who would pay much attention to a "stray cat" following him." The elder Uchiah continues.
That was true. Itachi couldn't really see someone like Danzo being particularly fussed about such a thing. He probably wasn't even human enough to try to pet or feed a stray animal. It was quite pathetic, really.
"And what did she find out?" The furious ninja demands.
"Danzo is doing his best to gather support for his bid, but his age is hurting him. Right now, she estimates that he has about half the support that would be necessary for him to get the position." Fugaku informs him.
Half. Half could be dangerous. Knowing Danzo, he probably had dirt on every single ninja in this village. If nothing else, he might be able to threaten his way to the top.
"That man's ambition knows no bounds." The future medic hisses in agitation.
"That's most certainly true. Sadly, we have to deal with the facts and the facts is that he has some very damning information on you and Hinata. Hiashi is taking it better than I could have ever expected, but he rest of his Clan wouldn't and I'm really not sure how our family would react to this news either." His father explains.
That was true. There would probably be riots. This could easily trigger a Clan War. Itachi had no idea how something so pure and beautiful as his feelings for Hinata could lead to this much chaos.
Well pure was probably stretching it. He could still remember what she looked like in that swimsuit, but Itachi digressed. It was the principle of the thing. Love shouldn't lead to such hatred!
"What are we going to do about this situation?" Itachi demands.
He was so enraged by Danzo's actions, that the Uchiha didn't even realize it when his mother walked into the room. In hindsight, he really should have paid more attention to his surroundings. A ninja who didn't pay attention to their surroundings was normally a dead ninja.
"We're going to do exactly as you said. We're going to find a way to kill him. We simply can't tolerate someone treating our family in such a fashion and neither can the Hyugas. If Danzo is willing to do this to us before he even becomes Hokage, who knows what he'll be capable of once he's finally in power." Mikoto whispers.
"Mother!" Itachi says, almost jumping from shock as the woman managed to sneak up on him.
"I'm sorry, Itachi. I didn't mean to startle you." She apologizes.
It wasn't her fault. He really should have been paying more attention. Still this was a good thing. His mother and father were on the same page as him. Now, they just needed to come up with a plan.
"It's alright. Does Sasuke know about this? What about Shisui?" The future medic asks.
"Sasuke and Shisui do not know yet. Currently, the only people who know are yourself, myself, your mother, and Lord Hiashi. The fewer people that are involved in the plotting, the greater our chances of success are." Fugaku reasons.
Itachi nods. That was as fair point. Things tended to go wrong in assassinations when you added more people.
"Alright. So how are we going to do it? How are we going to rid the world of that vile viper?" The youngest Uchiha in the room asks.
"Itachi, that was quite cruel. You shouldn't call him a viper." Mikoto says.
"He is blackmailing our families. What do you think that I should call him, mother? Personally, I believe it to be a rather accurate description." Itachi protests.
He probably should have seen the next part coming. His mother had always had a rather wicked sense of humor. Most likely, that was one of the things that had most attracted his father to her.
"It's rather cruel to vipers. They didn't do anything to warrant such an unfair comparison." The dark beauty chides him.
"You're absolutely right. He's more of a cockroach than a viper." Itachi agrees.