Well. I was supposed to update this a lot earlier a lot earlier but... I dont know what to do with myself since Im doing so many things all at once and I know you guys dont want to hear excuses so Ill stop now.
Shadows
It felt like every step clung to her skin, like a nasty substance that was impossible to get rid of. The sun; usually so bright and cheery, blinded her. It made it so it was impossible to think; to see in the dark. To see in the shadows that they were walking in.
When Itachi had mentioned the 'hidden' Uchiha archives that they were supposed to unveil, she hadn't really thought too much about it. However, she had supposed for them to be hidden somewhere, far away from the village…. But, in contrary, they were walking straight towards the abandoned Uchiha compound.
Questions were forming on the tip of her tongue, but she regrettably chose not to voice them: she knew that soon enough, all unasked would be answered, whether she wanted it or not. It was just luck that she wanted to know; wanted to know about the Uchiha, the Hyuuga, the scrolls, everything in itself. But more likely than not, no opportunities would arise unless she made them.
Hinata was glad when Itachi stopped walking in front of the Uchiha compound. It gave that small bit of time for her mind to soak in the images that surrounded her, however cold and unmerciful they were.
The abandoned Uchiha compound. When she was younger, it was still called so; but then, it was different: then, there was at least one person staying, living in the vast amount of buildings and complexes. That person, now a traitor to Konoha, went by the name of Uchiha Sasuke.
And now that he was gone, or ever since he had been gone, the Uchiha compound had taken a turn for the worse. The walls were dirty and down-trodden, and the entire area seemed desolate, dead. There were cracks on the pavement, weeds protruding from them; the different holes on the buildings didn't seem much better.
But what was the one object that caught Hinata's attention the most? The large Uchiha fan in the centre of the district that stood alone in its solitude, crumbled and discoloured. The fan that was supposed to be fanning the flames was no longer doing so as the fire had dispersed, leaving shadows in its wake.
Her white eyes glanced at the figure stood next to her: Itachi's face was unreadable, but she could tell by the subtle hints in his body language that he was, ineluctably, on edge. And although he wasn't trembling like she had, she couldn't help but try to provide him the support he had given her. Her hands, small and fragile (but still murderer's hands) drifted to his own, clasping them in a hold.
Itachi's hands were cold, Hinata noticed. Colder than normal. But that was okay, because she would warm them for him.
They stayed there motionless for a few more uncountable moments. Finally, Itachi seemed to have regained his senses as his voice, seemingly strong and stable muttered, "Follow me." Promptly after saying that, he began walking in a hurried pace towards his destination.
But… "No way," Hinata blurted out, her eyes wide. "How could the secret archive be hidden in there? That's impossible. The Hokage and the council would have instantly found them." And they would have. Or they should have: because Itachi was walking straight towards the main police station/Uchiha building, the one with the cracked fan that Hinata was observing earlier.
Itachi didn't answer - he only continued his journey, leaving her to tumble along in his wake. When they were finally inside, Hinata caught a glimpse of his unguarded face: dark and icy. Almost frightened, she reached to grab his cloak, unconsciously trying to rid him of his dark thoughts. Because - she didn't know how and when and why - she cared about this person. "Itachi... what's wrong?" Hopefully, her whisper could reach him.
But hope was not a good thing to depend on, since he didn't answer and started making different hand-signs with both hands. Which was a rarity for someone as advanced and skilled as Itachi. Boar, snake, dragon, bear... Her eyes lost their capacity to track his movements at the speed he was going; after a minute or so passed, he made the final sign - tiger - and the valve miraculously opened.
Hinata's eyes widened as the small tile became a gap - or opening - large enough for them to enter. And when they did enter, her eyes widened further as she took in the many scrolls lining the not-too-small corridor; scrolls hidden from Konoha for generations... Scrolls that as a non-Uchiha, she was probably the first to see. Being privy to such knowledge caused a small warm feeling to rise in the pit of her stomach: why, she didn't know.
"Should I use my Byakugan?" Hinata hesitated as she asked the question, because Itachi had been ignoring her for a while. Maybe not purposefully... but it still bothered her... somewhat.
He glanced at her, eyes still dark and full of shadows of the past before nodding slowly. "Just... Be careful as to not read anything. I'd just like to know where exactly the sector documenting the birth and death of every Uchiha is."
Accepting the fact that she must limit her curiosity, Hinata's veins bulged as she surveyed the sight. Hmm... Nothing was labelled exactly, but looking at the titles of the books... "Just a bit further down the corridor, to the right. It's about four bookshelves long..."
"We'll have a look," the you in his sentence was implied, "at the last sixty years or so. Fortunately, the Uchiha were very careful about keeping track of the bodies. Mostly because they didn't want the wrong kind of people to get a hold of the Sharingan - that'd cause problems. I assume that the Hyuuga are similar?"
"Yes," Hinata muttered, preparing herself to experience the pains of migraines once more. "That's why in the last one hundred years, as far as I know, only one body has gone missing... The eyes are accounted for: a ninja of the Hidden Mist have stolen them." Her tone turned dark near the end, as they came to a stop in front of said bookcases.
"That makes our jobs easier. Hinata, as we're under a time limit, if you would please use your Byakugan to look through the scrolls." She had been expecting this (and she'd been warned earlier, anyway); after all, every Akatsuki knew that Itachi was somewhat of a slave driver. Closing her eyes, she opened them once more and activated her bloodline limit. One scroll was about ten years, so that meant that she had to look through five scrolls... Taking into consideration that the archives stopped around ten or so years ago.
First scroll, nothing. Second scroll, nothing. Third scroll, noth- wait! There was something! "Itachi, take a look at the third scroll, the one from thirty years ago! Somewhere in the beginning, there's a name - if you would please look at that while I continue my search." Not bothering to check if Itachi was following her instructions (she knew he would), she moved onto the next two scrolls. There was nothing else to be found.
Meanwhile, Itachi had already found the name she had mentioned. "Obito Uchiha - MIA - body was supposedly crushed under heavy rocks. And yet, it isn't found..." Itachi's mutter sounded perplexed. "Oh, so that's where Hatake's eye comes from; and yet, one of the eyes is missing."
Trying to concentrate with a pounding headache, Hinata conjured what she could remember of the two men she dreamed so long ago. "Can you describe him for me?"
"Well, the right side of him was crushed under stones, so I'd imagine that that side would me deformed-" Hinata interrupted before Itachi could get any further.
"Yes! It's him... Brown hair, right?" Her tone sounded excited, and not, at the same time. She didn't really want to deal with any more Uchiha, and she had been hoping that the nightmare she had had was just that; only a nightmare.
"Yes. But you mentioned that there was one more, if my memory serves me correctly." She noticed that his eyes were clouded in thought, and almost sighed in relief at the thought that he was no longer dwelling on what happened eight years ago. "But there's only one possible choice that the archives are telling us..." Itachi trailed off in wonder. "Unless he's older than sixty."
"But now that we know that that dream was actually real," and Hinata wanted to curse, because she hadn't particularly wanted it to be real, "we also know that there's something to investigate. I think that the information we have gathered today is enough - now that we have such conformation, we can track down Pein to find out the identity of the second Uchiha."
"You're right. For now, let's concentrate on our original task - finding the scroll about the Hyuuga. Which means we have exactly-" Itachi glanced at his watch attentively, "five hours until midnight. Sasori and Deidara should be attacking at noon tomorrow. It will take them around four to five hours to return the One Tails to Headquarters - and we must be back before them for the sealing ritual. That means we have from now until noon to gather intelligence: at noon, we will infiltrate the building, and search through the Hokage library with the help of your Byakugan."
"That sounds like a well thought out plan," the like always was left unsaid lest Itachi get a big head. "However, I see one flaw: it took us much more than four hours to travel here. How will we be able to get back in that short amount of time?" Today, she had been travelling at her maximum speed - and it wasn't slow. But, as much as she hated to admit it, she didn't have the ability to travel at the speed that Itachi required.
"Yes, I am aware. That is why I have deemed it necessary that I carry you." Hinata blinked, wondering if she didn't hear him correctly. What? What was he talking about? Carry her? As if she would allow such a thing! As if he read her mind, Itachi added, "It's the only way to insure our mission's success within the time restraints given. Was I wrong in thinking that you would do whatever possible to inform yourself of your clan's past?" Hinata grit her teeth. When he phrased it like that, she had no choice but to comply with him! That! That! Urg!
Deciding not to waste emotions pointlessly, Hinata agreed with his plan dully. "The sooner we find a route into the Tower, the sooner we can sleep. That's why I advise that we begin the plan... now."
With that said, they were on their way, with Hinata ignoring the victorious smirk on Itachi's lips. There were other things that she had to focus on - like the cool way the entrance sealed itself up the moment they had exited the archives. It was almost like it was never there: this must have been why it had remained undiscovered for so long.
Hinata kept on glancing at Itachi as they made their way out of the building, and eventually out of the Uchiha compound. The dark look on his face was back; she could tell, even though it was harder with their disguises on. Grabbing his hand, she squeezed it, letting him know that she was there, right next to him, and that he wasn't alone. She reminded him the same way he had reminded her. Because she wouldn't let dark thoughts absorb him the same way that he wouldn't let them absorb her. Most of the time, they were mutually on the same page - and she didn't know that something like that could make a person feel so warm inside.
The Uchiha compound was farther away from the Hokage Tower than what she would like it to be - far enough away, that they had to cross through the centre of Konoha, where all the small markets where. She knew that there was a very small chance that she'd meet someone that she used to know - she knew that - but it still made her feel uneasy, knowing that there was that small chance there.
And what if she met Naruto once more? Even if she met him, he wouldn't recognise her anyway... He wouldn't want to recognise her. She knew that, she'd known that for a long time now, but even still, a very small part of her hurt; because Naruto had been her idol, her dream, her love and her inspiration for longer than what she could remember. And even though she didn't know him that well, she knew him well enough to know that he was someone that was worth it. Worth her time, worth her love, worth her everything. In fact, it was she that was never worthy of him.
Then again, even if she met him, would he remember her? They had never even had a proper conversation - he'd probably remember her as the Hyuuga who killed her own family - a family that he wished to have. A bitter smile rested on her face, and she hadn't noticed that her hand slipped away from Itachi until he himself gripped it once more, threading their fingers together. "Whatever you're worrying about, don't. I'm beside you - and will help you overcome whatever trouble you encounter."
A small smile appeared on her features as she gratefully started caressing the top of his palm with her thumb. "Likewise," she returned warmly. Itachi always knew how and when to distract her from pointless dark thoughts. It was just his ability - as the mind reader, or psychic, that he was. Maybe it was an extra feature that came with his Sharingan? Who knew...
But those pointless thoughts didn't seem so pointless after all, as she spotted a bright ball of black and orange and yellow in the distance. She instantly stiffened before trying to pull her hand away from Itachi. And yet, he wouldn't let her, instead gripping it tighter. Taking in a deep breath, she tried not to panic.
He wouldn't notice her. He wouldn't notice her. He wouldn't notice her, so instead, she should examine the people he was walking with - since they probably had a larger chance at recognising her. Sakura - of course, Hinata thought, surprised by her own bitterness - and Shikamaru, for some reason.
She relaxed as she realised that none of these people were likely to recognise her. Naruto was in his own world looking at Sakura - both of whom she didn't know very well. After all, from what she could remember years ago it had been the same: Naruto had always been too busy looking at Sakura, who was too busy looking at Sasuke. It seemed like not much had changed. But she moved onto the next person, deciding not to dwell too much on it - Shikamaru.
What did she know about Shikamaru? Thinking deeply, she managed to remember a couple of things: he was best friends with Choji, he liked to watch clouds (having stumbled upon him doing it once) and he was far more intelligent that people gave him credit for... because he was far too lazy. But he was never particularly close to her - so even if he was intelligent, and noticed things fairly quickly, she should be safe.
"Someone you know?" Itachi's voice was nonchalant and uncaring as he asked the question. Hinata realised that it was through his lead that she managed to bring herself not to look too suspicious. And once more, she was grateful.
"Yes," she answered, the feeling of panic beginning to settle down into something more calm. "But they're just old - quite old - classmates. It's nothing to worry about."
The said group of classmates was still far off, but was directly facing them, so it was highly likely that they would cross paths. How vexing it was that they couldn't just change paths without making themselves seem too suspicious. "Follow my lead and laugh," Itachi whispered, his tone sounding oddly playful.
Following his strange instructions, she forced a natural sounding laugh through her throat. What was he trying to do? Make it seem like they were having a mundane and totally unsuspicious conversation? To insure the fact that they didn't walk in tense silence... Hmm... It was a good idea; she hoped that she would be able to follow it through correctly. She had never been the best actress.
"I'm definitely never doing this again," Itachi muttered, sounding oddly annoyed. Hinata's eyebrows knitted, confused. What was he talking about? But he said to follow his lead, so she supposed she'd just blindly trust his judgement.
"What are you talking about?" Her confusion was real, so it was portrayed well. Hinata hoped that that was what she was supposed to be doing.
"I'm definitely never wearing couple clothes again!" They were probably in hearing distance with Naruto and the rest now, so they would definitely hear what Itachi was talking about. But - what was she supposed to reply? If they were wearing couple clothes, that meant they were a couple - maybe that would explain them holding hands? But, but, how would a regular girl reply to this sort of statement from her boyfriend? How was she expected to answer?
In the end, she decided to screw it all. "Why not? I want to make sure other girls know that you're taken!" She had no idea how a normal girl would reply, but from what she had observed from Ino (who was the better alternative considering the other one was Sakura) this was the way to go. Luckily, her mind was spinning too much to take notice of the hints of pink on Itachi's cheeks.
"Well, there are other ways to do that! Like this!" Itachi now no longer sounded annoyed, but playful once more. His hand separated from her own, and instead slipped around her to hug her waist possessively. What was happening?! This was all moving too fast! She felt like her eyes were spinning since the world seemed to be spinning, but she could still see that Naruto and the others were only three metres in front of her. That meant - five steps!
If she was her old self, she definitely would have fainted by now. "Don't do that!" She was continuing on her Ino impression, knowing no one else that she could imitate. "It makes me feel embarrassed!" It did, but Ino would have done something even more intimate - so Hinata did exactly that and snuggled her head into Itachi's arm.
Only three steps to go before they crossed paths. Her heart was beating fast, way too fast - and she'd control it if she knew how. She hoped the sweat that glistened all over her skin wasn't too noticeable. "It does? But I like this better!" She'd never heard Itachi whine before, and it sounded so... weird... for lack of better explanation.
One more step. "Well... I do... t-too," Itachi's face twisted in unguarded surprise at hearing her stutter. Hinata cursed at the habit that she thought had died so many years ago. It must have been the pressure combined with Konoha... Her face twisted in disgust, the same disgust that she often saw on her father's face when she was younger.
She thought that she heard Shikamaru pause what he was saying, but decided she was being too cautious. Both she and Itachi continued at the same pace, hoping that their silence could pass for a 'romantic moment'. At any rate, they were out of hearing range soon enough for them to disappear, untraceable.
And they did not turned back to look at the group, but if they had, they'd have seen Shikamaru turning back, a look of puzzlement on his face before he shrugged and returned to his original position and continued walking as if it were nothing.
o_O Uh oh. Im getting better at cliffys. That was... So awkward to write. I hope I did okay. Was it believable? Rather than romantic, I thought it was funny... haha... So. Our main protagonists have discovered something about Obito! Is it helpful? Is it not? Only time will tell...
Reviews? Aurora. Edited 3/12/2014 by Tamani