Zeelee-Vallen: A long awaited chapter. Have fun my lovlies! Thank you for reading, and I love you all! I hope this story pleases you! I have been working on my writing skills, but, I am still a bit insecure. Plus, a lot of my early stuff is so… Rushed. I just wanna grow as a writer, and give you stories worthy of your attention!

A special thank you to my reviewers: nuriiko, LB Cat, shango740, Senpai-sama1, Guest, Hinatafan!

Do not own Naruto.

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Thankfully the class was barren, much like the hallway. It looked as if Sasuke had already taken his lunchbox from her desk. He probably expected her to be out for the rest of the day. Her face reddened as she gripped the bentos, her eyes flashing to the man beside her. If only she had stayed unconscious… She nibbled on her lip, before straightening up. No, she was stronger than that. She had duties to fulfil!

After all, she was required to meet the expectations of her family.

"I have a place in mind. How is your chakra control?" Itachi looked her over, and she did her best not to squirm under his gaze. She peeked up at him through her bangs, her fingers lightly quivering in her nervousness. Chakra control? She had practiced her control alone with the mentorship of books, but never actually used it in front of others yet. She did this for one reason, to pretend to be weaker than she was.

When it came to sparring with her sister, she refused to use her knowledge and chakra. She knew the Clan leaders were already teaching Hanabi chakra control, while they had purposely never taught her. If it was not for the fact she had been so studious, she might have had to only rely on the basic teachings in class.

They wanted Hanabi to be the successor, and she wanted Hanabi to be the successor. She only needed a few more years of pretending to be weak, and then she could show just how much she was working to be strong.

But now was not the time. "Very… Ve-very basic…" She stuttered out the lie, her eyes averting to the ground. Lying was not something she was good at, and always did mediocre in Kunoichi class.

"Hn." He knew she was lying. Her heart beat harder, blood draining from her hands, and ice prickling her spine. She knew Sasuke well enough to know the Uchiha tone of suspicion! "Well, in that case," He paused for a moment, then clicked his tongue. She blinked, looking back at him and the floor frantically. "We have three options. We can go out into the yard and find an uncrowded space." Her eyes widened in fear. She did not like that option! Sasuke or Naruto would see her! "Or, we can go to the place I have in mind. But, we only have two ways to get there." She nodded, a bit too quickly. "You can get up there using chakra I teach you, or, I can carry you." She felt the ice prickle down her arms, and goosebumps be left in their wake.

He was going to force her lie out of her.

She shouldn't have lied! She should have just avoided the question completely like she usually did!

Her chest heaved, all the air leaving her body. She felt light headed again, but kept herself upright by touching the desk beside her.

She needed to tell him everything.

It was part of her duty as his Fiancé, and to herself. Lies were not supposed to be between lovers, yet here she was trying to scrape past.

She needed to fix this. No, she was going to fix this.

It was going to take a while to explain to him… Why she was doing things like she was, and why she intended to lie to him. Would he be free for her to explain…? She sucked in cold air, reminding herself she needed to breath.

"I…" Her voice cracked, her blush deepening. She took another long breath, trying to steady herself. "I… Are… How long are you… Free?" She forced out, quivering when she watched his feet shift. She did not have the guts to look into his eyes.

"I can make my afternoon available." His tone was even, not hinting at any anger. Mustering up all her might, she glanced into his eyes. The dark depths did not hold any contentment, instead only a passive interest, at most.

"Pl- please?" She quickly glanced down, ready to get scolded for her assertiveness. It was against her bridal training to ask her husband to do something for her. She was to wait on him, not the other way around.

But no punishment came. Instead, she watched as a crow was summoned by Itachi. He wrote something on the piece of paper, and sent it off. "Alright, you have me for the afternoon." She nodded, her chest clenching, before looking to the teacher's desk. She quickly wrote a note to her Sensei, stating she was not feeling well and intended to take the day off.

She and Iruka got along well, she was sure he would not give her up to her family. After all, she was one of his more responsible students and helped him with student duties often.

They left the classroom, the bento in her arms, and her pace matched with his.

She was glad the school front was empty, as she did not want to be seen leaving. Then, Itachi glanced at her, then pointed up. "He wanted them to go to the top of the Hokage tower? Or beyond to above the mural? She was aware of the pleasant view up there, but rarely visited due to her having to take the long way up the mountain. But, since she wasn't hiding her chakra use from him, they didn't need to do the 6 hour walk.

She nodded. He jumped first, graceful as a cat, and landed so softly there was no sound heard. She followed, not nearly as graceful, but just as quiet. Grace was something she focused on, yet. He rose an eyebrow at her, and she blushed as they jumped again. She followed, copying his movements, hoping to achieve at least a bit of his grace.

He wished to be on the hill above the Hokage mural, it would seem. They made it in minutes, whereas the walk would usually take her hours. She did not feel tired, unlike when she had the long walk. He took a seat, motioning to the grass around them. She nodded, kneeling down facing him, and holding his bento box towards him. He took it, and she bowed before turning to face the village, her own box placed neatly infront of her.

She had no thoughts of eating, yet. She needed to tell him, everything… But where to start?

Hanabi. The reason why she was so focused. "I have a little… sister." She started. She glanced at Itachi, who nodded for her to continue. "My mother, she passed when I was little." She was sure he knew that part, everybody knew. "My mother, she asked me…" She quickly inhaled, and forced the tears back. She did not need to cry over this. "She asked me to take care of Hanabi, since she was unable." Itachi stayed quiet as she formulated the words. She was only 5 years old when her mom passed, but remembered that day vividly. She still dreamed of it. "In my family… Only the heir will be able to escape the caged bird seal." She was only six when she was forced to watch the ceremony as heiress. She could vividly remember the children's cries and the smell of sizzling flesh. Hanabi was only one year of age, still so pudgy and innocent. She could never, ever force her sister through such a horrible thing. That was the day she decided to protect her sister, and formulated a plan to span the years until fruition.

"I hold back, for her." Her words were a bit more sturdy, and a little less broken. It surprised her. "Because I held back, she was seen as the better option as successor to the Clan. She was raised to be better than I, and I allowed it." She smiled, a hint of bitterness on her tongue. "I am sorry for lying…" She looked to her lap, the bitterness spreading to her throat. "I am telling you this, because…" She paused, her heart twisting painfully. "I plan on being useless, and, I plan on taking the caged bird seal and marrying you to tighten the bonds between our clans." She looked to Itachi, who was watching her with a scarily blank expression.

He blinked, then slowly looked her up and down, analyzing her.

"You are much more mature then I originally gave you credit for, I apologize for my initial evaluation of you." He closed his eyes, and she watched as he tilted his head towards the sky. He was like a plant soaking in the sun rays, his skin radiating the sunlight he took in. He was beautiful. Heat rose to her cheeks as she cursed the intrusive thought. Then, the guilt set it. He was being forced into this, more than her.

"There… There is no need to apologize. I am the one who is sorry. You will be forced to marry me for my selfishness," She looked up to the sky as well, avoiding looking at Konoha, and at Itachi. The sky was free of clouds, the expanse was endless. She fixated on the one visible thing, a single bird gliding. "But… I need to do this for her." She said to herself under her breath.

"No, no need. I always knew I would be in a political marriage." He sounded almost amused. Almost.

"I… Understand." Her fingers clutched the hem of her sweater, eyes still on the single bird. This talk was both longer, and shorter than expected. She felt like so few words were said, yet judging by the sun, it was almost the end of the school day. "I hope my cooking is to your taste." She looked to her bento, her stomach twisting painfully. She would not be able to eat, but she hoped Itachi would be able too.

"Ah, yes." He opened it, and she could feel her heart flutter as he clicked his chopsticks. She was always nervous for people to eat her food for the first time.

He took a bite, and she swore her stomach was so twisted it was no longer existent inside her body. This was, after all, a stressful day.

"Delicious." He smiled ever so softly at her. She beamed back.

"Thank you." She meant it in more way then one. He was far kinder to her then she could have ever hoped for. Inside her chest, she felt a little bloom of warmth.

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Zeelee-Vallen: I would much appreciate a review, if you feel like you have the time. They fuel me. They are food for my writers soul.