Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter Four: Fever and Care
Hinata coughed and turned her head slowly to look at the music-box on the oriental dresser next to her bed.
She had been ill for several days already and had not been able to go to school. She had been lying in bed most of the time, feeling very weak and tired.
No one came to disturb her rest apart from making sure she took her medicine and her meals.
Her father was busy but he did visit her once or twice these few days. He had been his usual stern self though Hinata thought that he had not been as stern as usual.
Hinata had been so happy to see her father but she was also very nervous when he was there.
She closed her eyes and her thoughts drifted to the parents and children that she sometimes saw in the streets. They looked so carefree with each other.
She could not understand why they could be so carefree. It seemed so difficult to her.
She was tense all the time with everyone.
When she was at school, she was not noticed because she was so quiet but she would be tense anyway.
When she was at home, she was also tense because everyone there looked at her and she could feel them putting her on a balance with 'the heir of Hyuga' on the other side.
She would feel their eyes saying that she would never measure up to what she should be like and it made her nervous and afraid.
It seemed as if she had been like that all her short little life.
She sometimes wished that she could grow up quicker and then perhaps she could improve more and become cleverer and not disappoint her father anymore.
She would pray secretly that she would grow up quicker so she could become stronger.
She wanted to be tall and strong someday and become a clever shinobi.
Maybe if she jumped more, she would grow quicker…
Hinata sneezed and coughed a bit more.
She turned slowly towards the other side of the bed. It was a cloudy night tonight and she could not see any stars.
She whispered to herself, "Maybe the stars need to rest too…"
She sneezed again, a little animal-like sneeze that was quiet like she was. She sniffed daintily, a little person with a little sniffle.
She had been sleeping so much that she could not get to sleep.
Hinata closed her eyes and started to count little sheep. However her mind wandered and little sheep turned to little stars that slowly turned around and around in her head.
She opened her eyes because the little stars in her head were dancing and it was making her very dizzy.
She sneezed again. She finally decided to drink some water.
She sat up slowly, her head twirling a little because it seemed very heavy when she was ill.
Her head twirled and she caught herself. Her head was definitely very heavy.
She wondered dizzily if that was because her head was heating up like that hot-air balloon she saw once.
Maybe that was why everything seemed to be moving slowly. Her head was turning into a hot-air balloon and she was floating…
No, wait, hot-air balloon…
No, what was wrong… Hinata scrunched up her little face and tried to think about what was wrong with her head turning into a hot-air balloon.
However, this time, her body started to sway as well. It would seem that she was burning up again.
Suddenly, she remembered that she was going to drink some water. She edged towards the edge of the bed slowly, dizzily.
She murmured to herself, "Water… drink…"
She reached out a weak hand slowly. It took hold of her mug.
She reached out the other hand slowly. It took hold of the ear of the water-pitcher.
She raised her mug slowly and poured it over the water-pitcher. Nothing came out.
She held it not too steadily for a few seconds before she realized that this was not right. She put down the mug slowly and lifted the water-pitcher.
This time, her hand did shake because the pitcher was quite heavy.
She was about to pour the water into the mug when her fingers grew weak and decided to let go by themselves.
She was startled and instinctively closed her eyes, ready for a loud crash… which did not come.
She waited a little bit and peeked open one eye. She saw someone standing by her bedside.
She opened the other eye and saw that there was really someone standing by her bedside.
She blinked slowly at the dark clothes in front of her. She then remembered to look up.
She moved her head up slowly and her eyes came into contact with a face that made her smile instinctively.
She said slowly, "Itachi-niisan…"
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Itachi had been watching her for a while now.
He had heard her coughing and sneezing and had perched outside her window, thinking maybe he should just leave. If she was ill, then he doubted that she could keep him company.
Then he noticed that she seemed to be a bit odd.
He saw her turn from side to side. It was not a strange action but she was so slow!
Then she had sat up, still in slow motion. Itachi did not remember seeing anyone move so slow except for the really old people in villages.
When she had sat up, she had swayed as well.
Since he had not been ill before, he would not know how she felt but it seemed as if she was not fit to be by herself. Not if she was weaker and slower than usual.
He considered her weak and slow even when she was well. Now, she carried that to new stage.
Itachi decided to stay a bit and observe her for a while. It was something he had not seen before and it seemed interesting.
He made no sound as he watched her. Part of his senses was careful to be aware of his surroundings.
He did not forget that he was intruding into the Hyuga compound and it would simply not do for him to be caught.
It would be highly unlikely that they could catch him but being detected was not acceptable to him. It could mean life and death if this was a mission.
To him, these visits to the Hyuga compound were more important than those stupid missions and it would definitely gall him to be detected.
He saw Hinata move ever so slowly towards the side dresser with the mug, the water-pitcher and the music-box he had given her.
Then he was somewhat surprised and not a little amused when he saw her trying to pour water from the mug into the water-pitcher.
He was not often amused, being a rather serious person but this was beyond normal. He decided that she must be rather unwell and that would probably be an understatement.
Just then he noticed her hand shake as she lifted the water-pitcher.
He had a feeling it was too heavy and in a flash, he was in the room and catching the water-pitcher before it fell and woke someone up.
Though Hinata did not know, he was well aware that there were people sleeping near her room this night. Usually there was no one nearby but perhaps it was because she was ill and they wanted to be more careful.
He held onto the water-pitcher and watched her with a blank face. She obviously was waiting for the sound of a crash.
He waited and soon she opened her eyes, slowly again, one eye and then the other. Everything was in slow motion this night, as least for her.
She even blinked slowly before looking up slowly.
Itachi knew that she was special to him but he was still surprised at this somewhat… pleasant feeling, when she smiled, slowly of course, at him and called his name, also slowly.
He got the mug from her hand and poured the water into it. Without a word, he held it to her lips for her to drink. It was quicker that way.
She sipped slowly and sighed with relief when she was finished. Itachi put the mug back on the dresser. She only drank very little but that was not his concern.
He was interested though, in her being ill. He did not think that his brother had ever been ill or maybe he had and he did not remember.
He sat down on the side of the bed and put his hand on Hinata's forehead. It was definitely much warmer than her normal temperature.
He thought that he should cool her down. Being a self-sufficient shinobi, he looked around her rather bare room and did not see anything that might be useful.
Then he turned his head and realized he missed something. The water-pitcher.
However, the water in the pitcher was not cold enough, he thought. He picked it up and without a word disappeared out her window silently.
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Hinata blinked in surprise. She remembered that Itachi was just here.
She was awake… was she not? He appeared again and she blinked again.
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Itachi had actually gone to the pond he remembered seeing in the Hyuga compound and he poured the water into the pond carefully so as not to make a splash.
Then he dipped his hand into the pond. It was just as he had thought, it was chilling cold because of the night air.
He dipped the pitcher into the pond and filled it with water. He went back to Hinata's room.
It did not take him more than a few minutes. If he had not been so careful, it would have taken him even less time.
He set the pitcher down on the dresser and sat down on the bedside again.
He quirked a smile at Hinata who was looking more like a little animal than ever with her luminous eyes that were a bit watery because of her being ill. Her face was flushed and she looked clueless.
She would make a terrible shinobi if she carried that expression with her all the time. Still, Itachi did not dwell on that tonight.
He leaned close to her and whispered softly, "Lie down, Hinata."
She blinked, "Ah. Hai." Hinata obediently scooted back onto the middle of the bed.
She lay down and looked at him, feeling better now that he was here.
Itachi smiled an unusually gentle smile, "Good girl."
He got a piece of cloth from one of his pockets and dipped it into the pitcher of ice-cold pond water.
He was careful not to make any noise when he wrung the excess water from it because he had no wish to leave the compound in a hurry.
He then wiped Hinata's face gently. She closed her eyes when the cold cloth touched her fevered skin. It was so comfortable.
Itachi did it several more times, wiping her neck and arms and legs which were visible from her nightclothes.
Then he went and changed the pond water which had gotten warmer then he was wanted. With the fresh pond water, he wet the cloth again and placed it on Hinata's forehead.
He remembered that it was dangerous for a person's brain to get too hot. She was weak already; it would not do for her to become stupid as well.
He could at least talk to a weak shinobi; he had no wish to talk to a stupid one.
Then he caught himself, if he had his way, soon he would not be talking to her anyway. Not for a very long time.
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That night, they did not talk.
Itachi did not want to take unnecessary risks and Hinata was too tired.
Under Itachi's amateur but watchful care, she soon fell asleep.
She felt safe with him there and in her sleep, she caught hold of something warm and held onto it until it disappeared in the morning when she woke up, tired but recovered.
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Itachi was pleased to see her fall asleep easily. He brushed her hot cheeks gently with the back of one hand.
Her hand was half-open, like a little fist and on a whim, he touched it. She unconsciously caught hold of his fingers and he let her.
He could wet the cloth and place it back on her head one-handed anyway.
That night, he watched over her silently and only left when dawn broke together with her fever.
He did not leave any trace of himself, taking the cloth with him.
He did pour the pond water away though, not wanting her to drink it by mistake.
It would be rather stupid if she recovered from her fever only to fall sick because of drinking dirty water.
All in all, it was an interesting night. Being a shinobi, he usually took more lives than he saved but that night, though it could not be called saving a life, he still nursed someone.
Yes, he nursed his little Hinata and she would probably be the first and only person he would ever watch over like that.
He smiled coldly at the thought and headed in the way of the place he called home… for now.