Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters do not belong to me
If anyone has any idea why fanfiction deletes accounts, could you please send me an email and let me know? I've checked the terms of service and I haven't done anything like plagarizing or posting the same story multiple times so it's really frustrating.
"Harder. Your aim is off."
Hinata panted; every muscle in her body ached. For the past two weeks, they had been training nightly until she was on the verge of collapse. Itachi, on the other hand, always stood at ease, dodging her attacks effortlessly while he ruthlessly pointed out flaws in her movements. Combined with her daytime training sessions with Kiba-kun and Shino-kun, Hinata wasn't sure how much longer she could last.
"Please...Itach...Itachi-san. I need to...to rest."
Kneeling on the ground, she closed her eyes, grateful that he allowed her to do so. In fact, Itachi had proven to be a surprisingly patient, albeit strict, sensei. He rarely raised his voice or showed any emotion but appeared to take his role seriously.
"Like I said, you are not suited to taijutsu. Your body doesn't have the strength for hand-to-hand combat."
Hinata didn't move. She had heard this all before from her father.
"We will focus on ninjutsu instead."
The girl struggled to her feet. "But the Hyuuga fighting style...I have to..."
He ignored her protests, as was often the case. "Your blood limit allows you to see Chakra flows. Can you see the tenketsu points in your own hand?"
Hinata nodded, focusing her Byakugan on the blue pinpricks of light in the centre of her palms.
"Open both channels and watch how I do the seals. Ninpon Karamon no jutsu."
Itachi completed the hand gestures and watched as she copied the movements. "Now look at my chakra flow and point out a tenketsu on my arm. Then strike it with your palm while imagining the tenketsu in your own hand drawing the chakra from my body."
Hinata did as he instructed and gasped when her eyes identified a weak stream of blue chakra escaping Itachi's body into her own.
"This technique enables you to suck the chakra from your enemy's body into your own. In addition to draining his energy, it will increase yours. Naturally, you will need to practice in order to drain larger amounts than this."
With a snap of his hand, the chakra flow between them stopped. Hinata blinked; she did feel somewhat less tired than she had before. Was Itachi-san's chakra so great that even such a little bit could revitalize her to this degree?
"Ita...Itachi-san, if I keep practicing this with you, won't it...won't it hurt you?"
The cloaked figure regarded her with what could only be deemed as genuine amusement. Hinata was suddenly breathless; his whole demeanor changed with that little sparkle in his eyes. It was as if the heavy burden he carried around had been lifted temporarily.
"I doubt you could harm me, Hinata-san. Even if you trained for three years."
Flushing at his words yet unoffended due to his teasing tone, Hinata wrung her hands in her typical fashion. "Please...please call me Hinata."
He was silent for a second before nodding.
"Goodnight, Hinata."
-o-O-o-
Itachi had no idea why he kept coming back. At first, his sole goal in returning to Konoha had been to investigate the widespread rumors about the 'sole Uchiha heir.' Unfortunately, he had been disappointed. It appeared that much of the inflated gossip had been due to the existence of the legendary Sharingan, rather than the individual talents of the bearer. He had fully intended to leave this pitiful little village...until he had met her.
Hyuuga Hinata.
The pale face, the quivering voice. Itachi had seen and heard them numerous times before. Beautiful women, pleading women, dying women. They all melded together into a faceless memory he had no interest in exploring. She should have been just another worthless weakling, someone that could never directly benefit or harm him in any way. He couldn't understand what had possessed him to offer to train the girl.
All he knew was that she had stood her ground had stood up to him when her every instinct had obviously been to flee. Such a timid creature. Yet there had been something else. Something heady and urgent that had tethered her to the spot and forced her to face him. Something that Itachi instinctively wanted for himself.
It's curiosity. Nothing more.
Maybe that was why he was hurrying there to meet her even though his body was screaming for rest after the endless months of mindless destruction. Maybe that was why he no longer protested when the image of a pale face with glimmering eyes appeared repeatedly in his mind.
-o-O-o-
The girl curled up in bed, tracing small circles on her plain white bed sheet. It had been three months since he had told her he would be gone for a while. For the first few nights after that, Hinata had continued coming to the training field every night, worried that this was some sort of test she couldn't afford to fail. Each time he hadn't shown up, she had been relieved.
I'm not disappointed. I'm not.
S-class criminal. Mass murderer.
The mantra circled endlessly in her head. Hinata wondered just how desperate she must be to accept the help of someone hated by her entire village. There was always that nagging threat in the back of her mind that this was merely some sort of sick game to him. That she was nothing more than an amusing insect whose existence depended on its owner's length of interest. Every time they sparred, she was almost sick with the fear that her clumsiness would suddenly infuriate him and provoke him into getting rid of her.
"You weren't at the field today."
Hinata sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. "Ita...Itachi-san?"
A cloaked figure leapt silently off the windowsill to stand in the shadowed corner of her room. They both stayed motionless for a while, warily watching each other. She caught a glimmer of black; it was the first time that she had seen him without the Sharingan activated.
"How...how did you get in...in here?"
"Easily."
"But...but the guards...my fam...family..."
Hinata was struck with the horrific image of this man killing everyone within the Hyuuga house in order to reach her. After all, this was the same person who had mercilessly slaughtered his entire clan in a single night for no apparent reason at all. She jumped out of bed and rushed towards the door in a blind frenzy. Her movements were abruptly stopped when Itachi appeared in front of her.
"I didn't have to kill to get in here."
"I...I don't trust you."
In her panic, she didn't consider the effect her words might have on him. He allowed her to stumble back to the bed and plaster herself to the wall as she held up a pillow as makeshift shield.
"You shouldn't. But I can assure you that in this case, I'm telling the truth."
Hinata hesitated, her clear eyes blinking up at him. When he made no move towards her, she relaxed marginally. So far, he had not displayed even the slightest intention to harm her. She felt that slight prickle of guilt at having judged someone, however deserved his reputation, before they had done anything.
As the silence stretched out between them, Hinata sought to find the reason he was here.
"I've been training. I haven't...haven't been lazy."
When he continued to gaze at her, she foundered for another possible explanation.
"I haven't told...told anyone about you. I prom...promise..."
"Why not?"
For once, his voice had lost that odd, expressionless quality. He sounded almost curious.
"I...I don't know."
"Fair enough. Tell me about your cousin."
Hinata was startled. "Neji nii-san?"
When he didn't answer, she took that as a yes.
"Neji nii-san is...complex. He's strong...prob...probably the strongest Hyuuga. But he's...he's hurt too..."
"I heard he tried to kill you during the Chuunin Exams two years ago."
"N-no!"
In her eagerness to defend her cousin, Hinata didn't question his knowledge about her past.
"Neji nii-san was an...angry. The Branch family...the Main family...Neji nii-san lost his father and...and he's been all alone. But it's bet...better now...inside, he's...he's very kind..."
"How can you say that when all he's ever done is hurt you?"
"He has never...never hurt me. It was always the...the other way around."
Although her voice shook, Hinata's belief in her cousin was rock-steady. She could still recall his face during that match. The pain and loss boiling just underneath that cold calmness. And it had hurt her far more than any of his physical blows had. To know that her family, her weakness had destroyed the life of the one person who had always been there for her, Hinata had wanted to give him everything in compensation. It didn't matter what he had done in the past because inside, he was still the same child who had adored and played with his little cousin.
"So you believe that regardless of what someone has done, they can change simply because of who they once were?"
Hinata's head snapped up. His voice had changed. It was now cold and hot at the same time, the anger emanating from him so heavy that she felt as though he was trying to suffocate her with it. He was suddenly much closer.
"It...Itachi-san?"
Pale hands reached out towards her. The girl squeezed her eyes shut, her breath coming in short gasps as she waited for him to strangle her to death. There was no point in even fighting back. Instead, she felt long fingers stroke down her cheek.
Jerking her head back, Hinata stared wide-eyed up at him. Dark pools of black searched her face until Itachi finally stepped away. The soft rustle of a curtain signaling his departure floated through Hinata's mind along with his parting words.
"I don't believe that."