My gratitude to these people for reviewing: dumdeedum, zisaidwut, busi sibeko1, a guest, Julee Andrei DelaRosa Piedad, and Nowveiden25.
Thanks for reading!
oOo
Chapter Seventeen: Does It Lessen Your Affection
To say Itachi was stressed would be a profound understatement. He still sat regally in his chair, his face impassive, without a single hair out of place. However, Hinata now knew him well enough to see the way he pressed his lips together tightly and the bitter expression in his eyes.
She walked up to his desk and set down a cup of tea. This batch lacked a dose of poison. In fact, this group of herbs was simply to soothe his body, even if his mind could not calm.
The burdens he carried were too heavy to let go. Hinata knew that feeling. She only needed to worry about her clan. Itachi worried about the whole village.
The cup clinked, just slightly, on the table. She internally winced, remembering how her tutors would scold her for the sound.
Itachi opened his mouth to say something, paused, then delicately grasped the cup. His hand dwarfed it. He brought it to his lips, and Hinata watched his eyelashes flutter closed as he took a breath.
"This one is different," he said.
"Hm." Hinata hummed an agreement.
She noticed, suddenly, that they always seemed to whisper around each other. Both naturally quiet people, they tended to gravitate towards keeping the volume low. It reminded her of the hushed Hyuga compound. Yet, this quiet did not feel oppressive. It felt calm, thoughtful.
Safe.
And yet, Itachi would not be safe. Not here. Not with her.
Her hands trembled softly. She pretended at calmness as she laced her fingers together in front of her. Of course, he caught the movement, tracking it with his eyes.
She pasted on a tiny smile and spoke, drawing his attention to her face. "It's a different brew. I thought lavender would help you more right now. Would you like some honey?"
He took an exploratory sip, then shook his head. "It's good, thank you."
"Of course." She paused for a second. "Do you want to talk about it?"
His expression turned rueful. "You know what is happening."
She nodded because she did not want to lie to him more than she had to. Not even to be polite. "I can still listen. It might help."
Itachi sighed and it scared her more than anything else. Like the Hyuga, this man held his emotions close to his vest. While most Uchihas expressed their emotions in obvious ways, Itachi kept himself restrained. Hinata wondered often if it caused a rift in his family. Did the other Uchiha trust a leader who appeared so aloof?
Or did it calm them, knowing their captain kept a level head?
Hinata felt more like an Uchiha. She tried to hide her emotions, but it proved too difficult sometimes. It made her a terrible candidate for Clan Head.
But the Branch followed her. Even towards death. Or, more accurately, they followed her to escape from death.
Hinata was not a very good Hyuga. And that might be enough to save her people.
Itachi spoke, jerking her out of her spiral of thoughts. "We're not going to have enough food to last us through the winter without forcing people to start rationing. That's the last thing I want to do. Between the loss to our crops and the attacks on the livestock farmers, we're looking at a very lean year. I'm going to have to ask the Daimyo for help."
He took a sip of tea and the movement looked both elegant and exhausted. "He's obligated to help us since we're his protection force. However, I do not doubt he'll hold it against me."
"He won't want to?"
"He'll only want to send aid under very strict conditions. Even though he's supposed to be on our side, he is a politician. And he hates how much autonomy we have."
That surprised her. She thought the Daimyo would want to do everything possible to help his armed forces. Of course, she should have expected strange politics. Nothing ever turned out to be simple.
"Do you have any other choices?" she asked.
Noticing the water level in the cup, she walked back to her desk to grab the tea kettle. He obligingly let her give him a refill while he answered.
"No."
"Then you're making the best choice you can," she murmured simply and set the kettle down before returning.
Wry amusement twitched in the corner of his lips. "I don't think I have any other options."
She made it a point to meet Itachi's eyes. "You could choose between letting people starve or humbling yourself before a potential enemy. You've decided to prioritize your people's survival over walking yourself into any political traps. I think you chose the best option."
For a long, almost uncomfortable moment, Itachi kept her gaze.
"Thank you for trying to make me feel better," he said.
"I'm telling you the truth, Hokage-sama. Just because you're faced with an impossible choice, does not mean you're helpless."
"How did you get so wise?" he asked, finally looking away.
Hinata thought about her own impossible decisions. About choices that were not really choices. She told herself the same things every day. If only to give her hope to continue.
"I'm not saying anything special," she finally replied. "If you can find a deeper meaning in my words, then I am happy."
And then. Then. The expression he turned on her felt so incredibly gentle, it caused her breath to get caught in her throat. Suddenly his lashes looked too long. His dark eyes brightened and became deeper and more magnetic than before. The soft husk of his voice fell to a register that vibrated through the deepest parts of her.
"I am happy you're here. I want you to be happy as well."
Feeling sucker punched, Hinata did not know how to respond. She only nodded. That seemed to inadequate. So instead, she said: "Thank you."
She fled back to her desk.
oOo
Coming up: A meeting with the village's leaders, and the plot starts picking up.
