A/N: Sorry for my absence but I'm extremely happy to say that I'm finally back! Things are on a somewhat back-to-normal schedule and what that means for you is that I can go back to my regular updates! *insert collective cheer* Thank you for the positive feedback I had last chapter even though it was kind of short. I worked on this chapter throughout my short absence I really couldn't help it and just had to keep on writing! I want to thank everybody for their reviews; thank you to the ones that remain constant, the ones that have rejoined me, and the new readers you are all greatly appreciated and loved! Anyway enough of the rambling and let's get on with the story!

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto, just my imagination and love for the characters Kishimoto so kindly created for our enjoyment.

Title for chapter courtesy of Trivium.

Last edited: 6/11/13

A Grey So Dark
••••••••••••

The silence was deafening; it had become his constant and welcome companion, but now it had become too overwhelming. He had surrendered to it since the death of his beloved Hikari, she alone had been his reason for being, his existence. Yet even when there had been nothing he wanted more than to follow her into that place— that place there would be no return from— he couldn't. She had left him her most cherished treasures: their two daughters and her younger sister. Hiashi knew that if he met an untimely end Hikari would never forgive him, even in the afterlife, which is why he had had to gather the strength to learn to live with the loss of his other half. He learned to live with it for he would never move on or get over it, the pain was too great.

His daughters and sister-in-law became his reason for fighting for that was what his existence had become, a daily fight that became increasingly difficult as the years went by. It had become so for a number of reasons; his eldest daughter was the spitting image of his dead wife and he saw it as some sort of test just to see how long it would take for him to cave with that everyday reminder of that which he had lost. His wife's best friend had come back into their lives to remind him of that promise she had made to her before her passing, to care for her daughters as if they were her own. That led to the Uchiha and Hyūga clan heads making amends and working towards settling the hate between the two clans, a long-standing wish of Hikari's. The clans had not embraced the change so easily, it had been four years since then and nothing had really changed except for the head families. He had developed a strong friendship between the Uchiha clan head and his wife, she in turn had become a surrogate mother for his daughters and they had become attached to their sons to the point the children were inseparable.

In the end it seemed fate did not smile upon the Hyūga or the Uchiha. Tragedy followed them and struck when they were at their happiest and most complacent. The Hyūga and Uchiha would never set things right for the Uchiha were now dead— the entire clan with the exception of two— Sasuke and Itachi. Where had they gone wrong? Why had this happened? Itachi had massacred the entire clan in one night in cold blood. The Uchiha prodigy had turned on them and left only one survivor. That lone survivor had been unconscious for three weeks and had shown no signs of ever waking up. The most gifted of Konoha's medical ninjas had not been able to awaken him, they had only been able to determine he was trapped in a genjutsu, one that surpassed anything they had ever encountered, and it was now all up to him if he would wake up or not.

His eldest had been devastated by the news. She would visit Sasuke every day at the hospital without fail and would spend hours on end at his bedside, hoping for some sign of life from the last Uchiha for that was what he was— the last Uchiha— Itachi had become a rogue ninja, a traitor, a murder. Sasuke had missed his clans' funeral and showed no signs of gaining consciousness. When he had arrived at the hospital with Hinata this morning they had been shocked, upon entering the familiar room they saw no signs of him and had immediately feared the worst. The Hokage had been informed of the situation and ANBU had been dispatched to search for the boy. Hours later Hinata had returned informing them of his whereabouts and of his wishes to be left alone. He had seen her and knew that something had happened between them.

That had all brought him to the current situation he was in. He sat on his chair in the study, alone in the dark, it was late in the night but he made no move to retreat to his bedroom. Sleep evaded him these last few weeks for there were far more pressing matters at hand. He had yet to break the news to Hanabi of what had happened. She hadn't been completely kept in the dark, after a few days of no sign of any of the Uchiha she became alarmed, they had never spend more than a day apart from any of them in the past four years. He had been left with no choice but to tell her of the clans' demise. She of course had not been allowed to attend the funeral it would have been too much for one as young as her. He would roam the halls at night and he could hear her crying softly in her sleep.

Now he had been left with the hardest thing to do, reveal to her that it had been her beloved Itachi who had massacred his clan. He wished with all his heart that he could keep her in the dark, to shelter her from that pain he knew she would never come back from, but he knew he couldn't she had to know. That was the main reason she had not attended the funeral, for fear she would overhear a conversation among the villagers and learn of the atrocity Itachi had committed. However, as the days passed she became more restless and asked for him more and more, wondering what mission was so important that it kept him away for so long. Hiashi knew that it would be worse if she found out later from someone else of what had happened. He would have to tell her.

The following morning he woke up to a light knock on his door and realized he had spent the whole night on his chair. He moved his neck from side to side and noticed the pain in his neck from the uncomfortable position he had been in and wondered how long he had actually managed to sleep. He knew it must not have been long for his body felt like lead. He straightened up a bit to at least look like he had just recently entered the study and not spend the night there.

He cleared his throat. "Come in," he spoke to the person behind the door.

The door opened slowly and revealed a very tired looking Hiroko. She bowed when she stood in front of him. "Ohayō gozaimasu, Hiashi-sama."

"Ohayō, Hiroko." He hadn't noticed how tired and aged his voice sounded. At that moment he felt like he had aged ten years.

Hiroko straightened and glanced at the Hyūga clan head giving him a knowing look. He knew he had been caught and she'd realized he'd spent the night there. "I just wanted to inform you that breakfast will be served shortly. Hinata and Hanabi are getting ready and will be joining us soon." She looked at him worriedly with bright almost silver eyes, silently asking if he was okay. She was now 16 but was much wiser than her age gave her credit for. When had she grown up so much?

He looked at her as if communicating to her not to worry about him and nodded. "I'll be right there." She stayed there for a few seconds waiting for him to request anything else and when he didn't she bowed and made motion to leave. As if her movement snapped him out of whatever stupor he had been in he called out to her. "Hiroko I think it is time." When she looked at him questioningly he clarified. "I need to tell Hanabi the truth. I just want you and Hinata to be present when I do."

She sighed audibly and looked at the ground, this was not going to be easy. "As you wish, Hiashi-sama."

曰向

曰向

"Hanabi, I would like to have a word with you." The Hyūgas had shared their first meal of the day together. To say that it had been awkward would be an understatement, Hinata and Hanabi had been silent the whole time, halfheartedly picking at their food eating it out of habit not from actual hunger. Hiroko had tried to initiate conversation several times but eventually gave up when Hiashi only gave her brief answers.

As soon as they had finished his daughters had started to get up from the table. He had no doubt Hinata would be on her way to see Sasuke, now that he was awake she would not leave his side and that satisfied him, there was no one closer to the last Uchiha than Hinata. Hanabi was a different story— as of late she had completely absorbed herself in training be it with Hiroko, Hinata, or Neji— it was her way of keeping her mind occupied for fear of dwelling on his absence. The deception had gone on long enough he had to tell her or risk having his youngest daughter hate him for the rest of her life if she found out from someone else.

The only indication Hanabi made of hearing his request was of her regaining her former seat. Hinata continued to stand, "I need you to be present as well, Hinata." He told her before she could walk out and she looked back at her father in alarm. Hiashi saw the silent question in her lavender eyes and nodded in understanding he saw her face visibly pale at the knowledge of what he was about to do. He turned to his left and saw that Hiroko had remained at her place and nodded in appreciation.

Unique shades of Hyūga eyes stared back at him questioningly different emotions reflected in each, yet there was one that remained constant, fear— fear of the unknown, of what was to come. He cleared his throat before speaking, unknown to the females he had made an attempt to speak but his voice had failed him, being Hiashi Hyūga he recovered from it immediately and hid it well.

He didn't know where to start being tactful was not one of his strongest suits and he knew this was a very sensitive subject, therefore how he said it was of extreme importance. He knew there was no gentle way of saying what he was about to.

"Hanabi, as you know Sasuke has finally awakened from his coma." He paused to make sure he had her full attention and satisfied he continued. "He is the lone survivor of that night, the only eyewitness as to who committed this crime. The Hokage has been impatiently awaiting his recovery, waiting for any information Sasuke might be able to reveal and shed new light to the ongoing investigation."

Hanabi continued to look at him questioningly but remained silent. "He has confirmed the suspicions the Hokage had and revealed the identity of the— perpetrator." He couldn't say it he couldn't call him a murderer out loud much less in front of his daughter. He looked at Hinata and Hiroko and saw that their gazes were now fully focused on Hanabi.

It was until then that she spoke up after Hiashi remained silent for too long, "Who was it otō-san?"

He focused once again completely on his youngest knowing that what he was about to reveal would forever change her life and scar her. "It was… Uchiha Itachi." He saw the blank look on her face not fully understanding the gravity of what he had said, or perhaps it had not sunk in yet.

Then he saw it— that what he had not wanted to see— he saw the exact moment his youngest daughter broke and it would forever be engraved in his memory. He saw all light leave her white-silver eyes as she finally understood that it was Itachi who had killed his entire clan. She shook her head slowly refusing to believe what her ears had just heard.

"No… no… no… you're lying!" She burst out unexpectedly Hanabi had never raised her voice at anyone let alone her father. "You're lying!" Her voice cracked as tears broke out and she looked down away from his face. "He's on a mission and he's been gone for three weeks! He said goodbye to me that day…" She looked up at him as if finally understanding what Itachi had been trying to do that last day he had spent with her.

"But you told me- you told me he's been on a mission all this time! You lied to me?" Hiashi heard the betrayal in her voice and he felt physical pain at his daughter's disappointment in him. "No- no! He couldn't have killed them! He couldn't have killed okā-san or Fugaku-sama! Itachi is not a k-killer!" Hinata had been crying along with Hanabi the whole time and stood up to hold her sister. "Tell him Hinata, tell him it's a mistake… please tell him it's not true…" Her tears had turned into desperate sobs that shook her small body as she let Hinata hold her. "You have to tell him- it can't be."

Hanabi looked at Hiashi and he had to fight his emotions from betraying him, he wanted to weep with her for the immense pain and betrayal she was feeling, no child should have to go through this.

"It must have been somebody else, otō-san. Itachi- he loved them, he loved us he couldn't have done it…" Her small hands were clenched tightly on her lap. "He's away on a long mission but- he'll be back just like he always is. He promised to always come back." She turned to Hiroko and looked at her pleading for her intervention. "Tell him Hiroko-chan, please you have to convince him that it wasn't Itachi! He wouldn't have done something like that. Itachi-nii is going to come back… he has to. I know it. I-Itachi…" A new wave of sobs racked her body.

Hiashi couldn't take it anymore he stood up and walked over to Hanabi. She reached out for his hand with her small one and pulled on his robes with the other. The shinnying white-silver of her eyes was gone and was replaced by a cloudy and turbulent white he didn't recognize as his daughter's, "It wasn't Itachi-nii, otō-san it wasn't him— he didn't- kill them… he loves us so much. You have to believe me. You have to believe in him…"

Hiashi knelt down and embraced his daughter, surprising everyone especially himself. Hanabi only sobbed harder while he held her. "I'm sorry Hanabi but there's no mistake. Itachi killed his clan and fled; ANBU has been searching for him for weeks but have been unable to find any trace of him. Sasuke saw him do it, he killed— I'm sorry, Hanabi." He couldn't tell her that he had killed his parents in front of Sasuke.

Hanabi held onto him tighter and wept for Itachi. Unable to take it any longer, Hiashi aimed for the weak spot on the back of her neck before applying pressure and he felt her go limp in his arms. He picked her up and turned over to Hiroko who was already standing next to him. He handed her over, "Please take her to her room. She will be out for several hours." Hiroko bowed with the young girl in arms and left his presence.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation before he sensed a familiar presence still with him. He turned and he saw that Hinata had lingered her eyes irritated from crying. He sighed audibly, "There's nothing else you can do for her at the moment, Hinata. There's somewhere else you are needed right now." He saw understanding dawn on her features before she bowed and left.

This had been the second hardest thing he had ever had to do, the first was telling Hinata that her mother had passed away, and though she had been very young at the time knowing that she was unable to grasp the concept of death had seemed cruel to him. Now he had revealed to his youngest a truth that had destroyed her innocence and the image she had of the world around her. She had been forced to see that not everything was as black and white as she had first thought, and even the ones that were closest to her were capable of committing horrible acts. What comforted him was the fact that one day she would know, one day when she was old enough and they were safe once again she would know the truth of the gray in between.

曰向

曰向

Hiroko slid the door open with all the stealth of a skilled kunoichi despite the small body in her arms. She made her way to the bed of the younger Hyūga and placed her gently on the bed under the sheets. She looked at Hanabi's face and saw that although she was unconscious tears still streamed down her face. She gently moved the golden brown hair away from the tear-streaked face and wiped at the tears only to have them replaced by new ones. She sighed and felt the swell of her very own coming forth. Hiroko placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before they overwhelmed her.

She made her way to the open window when she saw the curtains move slightly in the wind out of the corner of her eye. The day had started off with the possibility of being a beautiful day, but was now cloudy and she could smell rain in the distance— it seemed as if the day itself felt the pain Hanabi was going through and was reflecting it. She knew rain would soon come to Konoha. She was about to close the window and lock it but thought better of it. The area where the window was located shielded rain from coming in. There was also another reason why she didn't; she had known all along of Itachi's late visits to Hanabi's room when he came back from his missions and knew that the young girl was unaware of them. She had no doubt it had been unintentional, but Hanabi had always left it open, perhaps as a beacon for him to find his way back.

Hiroko refused to believe that Itachi had murdered his clan in cold blood. Maybe there was something else— something nobody else knew or maybe something only a few knew— whatever the case might be, if Hanabi believed in him so blindly so would she. Though Hiashi had been the one to reveal the culprit, she had seen no conviction in his eyes when he confirmed it had been Itachi. All of that didn't matter for Itachi was long gone and she knew the probability of him ever coming back was slim to none. There were only two things that tied him to Konoha now… Sasuke and Hanabi.

She left the window open. Itachi… you have to find your way home someday… She turned to look at the young girl once more before walking out and saw the lotus necklace around her neck. You will eventually even if it's only for her.

曰向

曰向

She had made her way to the Uchiha District and though she was afraid of rejection once again, she swallowed her fear and pushed forward. If he did reject her it would definitely not be the last. She carried a bento box with a few of Sasuke's favorite foods making sure there were plenty of tomatoes. She knew food was the last thing on his mind at the moment but he needed nourishment and Hinata was afraid he would fall ill again. She shivered at the thought.

She almost ran to get to his house, the deserted district made her uneasy, and when she finally reached his home she hesitated before knocking. She gathered all the courage she could muster and knocked hoping he would see her. She waited a few moments before knocking again only to receive no answer. She didn't want to use her Byakugan, she was still working on mastering it and felt it was a violation of privacy to use it to look inside the home— that and she was afraid of what she might see. She walked in quietly if he was asleep she didn't want to wake him. Hinata made her way further inside the house searching for Sasuke. He wasn't in the kitchen and he wasn't in any of the rooms. Where could he be? She suddenly remembered his favorite place and hoped he was there.

When she walked out she was surprisd to find that the garden was almost in the same state she last remembered it, with the exception of the grass having grown past its usual length, it was still as breathtaking as the first time she had seen it. It was the last reminder she had of her beloved second mother, why was it that she kept losing them? She had lost her real mother when she was really young, and the few memories she had of her made her ache with longing; how different things could have been. Mikoto Uchiha had taken that place and even if they weren't related by blood she had filled that emptiness with her unwavering love for them. Just like that it had all been taken away. Why? Why was it that she couldn't be happy for long?

She came to the rundown gazebo at the back of the garden hidden under the Wisteria, when not in bloom the small structure was more noticeable. She heard faint rustling and felt her heart speed up, it had to be him. She approached the entrance and saw him tucked away in a corner on the bench with his knees pulled up towards his chest.

If he felt her next to him he made no indication and she proceeded to sit by his side and placed the bento beside her. After what seemed like hours he stirred, "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you I didn't want your pity?" She heard the pain and venom that laced his voice. "Didn't I make it clear I don't want you around and I want to be alone?"

Hinata was beyond hurt. Sasuke was worse today and it felt as if he hated her. She bit her bottom lip to stifle her cry, "I- I brought you some food, Sasuke. I k-know you don't want to eat and it's probably the last thing on your m-mind right now, but you have to eat something. You'll get s-"

"I said I want you to leave!" He looked up at her, the anger and pain visible on his face. "Why can't you understand that, Hinata?"

She felt as if he had physically struck her and she felt anger rise inside her. "I don't want to understand- I refuse to!" She saw his eyes widen. "I am not leaving you alone, Sasuke! You can say the meanest things to me, but I will stay by your side. Don't- don't you understand? I lost her too…"

Though she had been trying her hardest not to she cried and it was then that she saw that he finally understood they at least shared some of the same pain. Her body shook from the admission and she slowly leaned her forehead against his arms, which were still resting on his knees. Hinata placed her right hand on his left arm and let it rest there as she held onto him as if whatever composure she had left depended on it. She expected him to push her away and to leave her there alone, but he didn't, he had allowed her in if only momentarily. She felt relieved that at least this time, if only this time, he needed her too. The Uchiha Sasuke she knew was gone. While she cried until her heart's fulfillment, she failed to see the silent tears that fell from his eyes as he realized he was not completely alone.

曰向

曰向

It was one of the happiest days of her life; she had been looking forward to this day the whole year, it was the indication of the beginning of the summer. He had gone away on another one of his long missions and they had both hoped he would make it back in time for the festival, he knew how much she loved it. She had been walking the streets visiting the different booths with Hinata, Hiroko, Sasuke, and Ren. The village people were dressed in yukatas and she enjoyed looking at them as much as the entertainment the festival had to offer, no two were alike, but in spite of everything there was something missing. The usually highly anticipated evening had yet to be what she had hoped it would… not without him.

It was now twilight and she had lost all hope, he would not be coming back in time. Suddenly behind her she felt a familiar and comforting presence. She quickly turned around and saw that it was him. He had made it back just like he said he would. "Itachi-nii!"

She flung her arms around him and felt him return the gesture. "I'm sorry I took so long, I had to report to the Hokage before I went off duty." He was no longer in his ANBU uniform and was dressed in his civilian clothing. "I'm here now."

Hanabi looked up at him without releasing him, "I thought you wouldn't make it back in time for the fireworks." The fireworks show was her favorite part of the evening and it had become something she liked to share with him over the years.

His lips turned up slightly, "I wouldn't want to miss that." He looked up and nodded a greeting at everyone else. "I know the perfect place to see them, too." He looked up at Hiroko to ask her for permission to take the young girl, but she was already walking away dragging Hinata along with her.

"Just look after her, Itachi! Make sure she gets home safely, if Hiashi-sama asks I'll let him know!" Ren rolled his eyes and tucked his hands inside his pockets before following them and gesturing Sasuke to do the same.

Before Itachi could say anything else they were lost in the crowd. He held on to Hanabi's hand before she suffered the same fate and pulled her away from the crowd. "Itachi-nii, do you like my yukata?" She asked as she tugged lightly on his hand. "Hiroko-chan picked it out for me she said yellow is one of my best colors."

He looked down at her and smiled, she was wearing a yellow and pink flowered summer yukata that complimented her golden brown hair and lightly tanned skin. "Yes, I like it very much and I agree with Hiroko-san, it's a very flattering color on you." She smiled in satisfaction.

He steered them free of the crowd and made his way to the outskirts of town. Hanabi began to recognize the direction they were going in, they were going to the dock. The streets were deserted everyone was now at the festival leaving the dock exclusively to them. He led them to the end where he sat down and let his legs hang over the edge; he helped her sit beside him. A few seconds later, Hanabi was startled by a loud bang and the night sky was suddenly alight with all the colors of a rainbow. Reds, purples, oranges, yellows, and blues erupted throughout— the much awaited fireworks display had begun.

She felt a huge smile on her face, the wait had well been worth it in the end. "Do you know what your name means?" She was able to hear over the loud noise of the constant show.

"Fireworks," she answered.

"There couldn't have been a name more fitting for you, Hanabi-chan." He smiled at her.

She blushed slightly and quickly turned to look at the fireworks. She quickly felt her happiness diminish for she felt the worry that had been nagging at her resurface lately. She didn't want to bring it up for it would ruin the mood, but she couldn't let it go.

"Itachi-nii," she whispered almost inaudibly. When he turned to look at her she found her resolve and continued. "I can't help but worry about you when you're away." She felt the blush come back and turned to look at the reflection of the fireworks on the lake surface. "Sometimes you take so long… what if one day you don't come back?"

He didn't reply for a while and she felt that she had said something she shouldn't have. He finally broke the silence, "I am sorry if I worry you, Hanabi-chan, but unfortunately that is the life of a shinobi." He paused briefly, "We go out never really knowing if we are coming back safely from the mission. The safety of our loved ones is our priority." She turned to look at him and felt true fear, what if she never saw him again? Maybe he saw the fear in her because what he said next quelled her troubles. "The only thing I can do is make a promise to you. I promise to come back to you every single time no matter how long it takes and regardless of the circumstances."

That was good enough for her— Uchiha Itachi's promises were never broken. She hugged him as tightly as she could, "I love you, Itachi-nii…"

Itachi… She felt consciousness coming back to her gradually; the memory of that promise stayed with her, it always would. She felt panic rise at the darkness surrounding her, but slowly realized it was night already. She stayed in bed trying to piece together her last memories. She remembered waking up and being called for breakfast. It had been boring as usual. Then she remembered her father telling her he needed to talk to her, but about what she couldn't remember… all she wanted was for Itachi to come back form his mission.

It all came flooding back to her suddenly. The confession her father made, the reason he needed to talk to her. Sasuke was awake and had revealed who had killed the Uchihas— it had been Itachi… No! It can't be true! Though her father had said there was no doubt. She sat up quickly, a little too quickly, and felt her head spin. She placed her hand on her neck and felt something cold. The lotus Itachi had given her. She felt anger boiling and grabbed it roughly in attempt to yank it off and get rid of it. Hanabi wanted nothing from Itachi she wanted nothing to remind her of her big brother… the murderer. The one that was not coming back. Yet she couldn't do it, she couldn't take it off.

Itachi was not what they said he was. He couldn't have done what they said he did. She wouldn't believe any of it. She would keep it on her as a constant reminder that the person he had been with her and the things he had done for her had truly happened and hadn't simply been a figment of her imagination. No matter how long it took she would wait for him— he had to clear up what had happened. He would come back to her… he promised he would and promises made by Uchiha Itachi were never broken.

火

A/N: I hope you liked this chapter, I loved writing it. Please let me know how I did and what your thoughts are. I'm really trying my hardest to update my stories. I'm exhausted, guys and gals! So I'm sleeping as much as I can on my days off and writing my chapters in between. I don't know what's going to be updated next, Turquoise Dreams or Crimson, I did update the third chapter of Hierro not too long ago although I might update that one since I love it so much. Or I might post the first chapter of my next story in the ARLD series. Thank you for reading my story!

-Wyvern