It is easy to look at people and make quick judgements about them, their present and their past. But, you'd be amazed at the pain a single tear or smile hides. What a person shows to the world is one tiny facet of the iceberg hidden from sight. And more often than not, it is lined with scars and cracks that go all the way to the foundation to their soul.
-Sherrilyn Kenyon
"Wait, so you're telling me that he let you go?"
Turning to where she thought the sound was coming from, Hinata nodded timidly.
"Why?"
The same voice asked. She only shrugged in response.
She stiffened when a sudden jolt of pain shot up her head. It might've shown on her face, because she heard Sakura step forward.
"That's enough, Sensei. She's injured enough as it is. You can continue the rest of the Interrogation later."
The Copy Nin rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"You're right. Sorry Hinata."
The girl just shook her head, waving her hands dismissively.
"N-No, it's ok."
"Right. Well, I should probably get going."
And with that, his presence disappeared. Hinata heard Sakura muttering as her footsteps came closer.
"So, how are you feeling right now?"
In response, Hinata raised an arm so Sakura could start changing her bandages.
"A little tired. And my head still hurts."
The pinkette hummed in response.
"It is to be expected. Not only did you exhaust your Chakra, you also overused your Byakugan. It will take a few more days for you to heal completely."
Hinata grimaced at the thought. She didn't think she could last in the hospital, doing nothing. Fingering the bandages around her eyes, she sighed softly.
To make it all worse, she couldn't see.
It was temporary, of course; The blindness, that is. But, it still had the ability to drive her crazy.
"And Kiba?"
She could imagine Sakura frowning.
"He's one of the lucky ones. Not only had he lost a lot of blood, but that hole in his stomach tore through many of his organs."
Sakura grimaced at the mental image.
"The fact that he survived this long is a miracle in itself. He's healing, but it would take some time."
Turning to where she thought Sakura's face was, Hinata grinned slightly.
"I see."
A second later, both of them cracked up.
The solemn atmosphere now gone, Sakura smiled, getting up.
"All done!"
Her peppiness was soon replaced with concern, when Hinata tensed, her jaw locking. Sakura felt her heart clench for her friend.
She must be in a lot of pain.
"You should rest now; try to sleep off the pain. When you wake up, you'll feel much better. I promise!"
The blunette only nodded in response, as Sakura helped her lay down.
"Get well soon!"
And with that, the young medic was gone.
Hinata couldn't help but sigh in relief, feeling immensely better when her friend left.
For a few minutes, she laid there, as still as a statue, contemplating what to do. As seconds passed, her unease only increased.
Her throat suddenly felt dry, and she gulped, trying to ease the lump within it. The silence was loud, deafening even.
Finally, not being able to take it any longer, she broke it.
"I know you're there."
Her voice was barely a whisper, but echoed all around the room. She heard a rustle.
"And yet, you haven't called for help."
Turning to where the smooth voice was coming from, Hinata swallowed.
"Would you have given me the chance to do so?"
"Hn."
His presence now discovered, Itachi stepped out of the shadows where he'd been hiding; cloaking his Chakra Signature.
Truth to be told, he hadn't expected the woman to sense him. But she had, and the first thing she'd done was get her friend out of harm's way.
Out of his way.
He silently thanked her for it. He was in no mood to make a scene with his presence.
He had enough Konoha blood on his hands.
Mentally shaking his head, he reminded himself of the reason he was there.
Trailing his eyes over the petite form of the Hyuga, he pressed his lips in a tight line.
He'd underestimated her again.
He really should've killed her, but he hadn't. And now, their mission was at risk because Konoha knew their whereabouts. It was on high security, which made it difficult for them to travel. Not that they could. The Hyuga really did a number on Kisame, who was still healing and in no condition to travel. In short, they were in quite a mess.
And the cause of it all is this Hyuga.
Right now, the said woman was strapped to a hospital bed.
Killing her wouldn't solve his problems. But, it would make him feel better. That, although, she had outsmarted him once, he was still in a whole different league.
Uchiha Itachi was not used to losing.
Slowly, he pulled out a kunai. Then, he took a step forward.
He watched her stiffen more and more, the closer he came. Beside her, the heart monitor beeped, showing her increased heart rate.
Reaching her bedside, he heard her take a deep breath, making the heart monitor slow considerably.
He watched fascinated; Gone was the girl who had almost killed Kisame, reduced to nothing but a trembling mess in his presence.
It would be so easy to kill her. Right here, right now.
Pathetic, He thought. It made him wonder just what about her had caught his attention in the first place.
And then, he remembered.
Cocking his head slightly, he glanced at her unmarked forehead. The image of a little girl came to him; hiding behind her father, clutching at his robes.
"How?" He revelled in the way she jumped at his voice. It reminded them both, of just how much control he had.
"How did you see through that Genjutsu?"
It was what had been plaguing his mind for some time. Admittedly not his strongest one, the genjutsu was still difficult to break.
Finally trusting herself to speak, Hinata answered.
"M-My Byakugan can see through many genjutsu; it is one of the reason the Hyuga eyes cannot be deceived."
And my Jounin sensei was the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha.
But she didn't say it out loud. Best not to involve others in this mess. If the Uchiha went after her sensei, Hinata would never be able to forgive herself.
The said Uchiha silently regarded her. He'd once heard that the Byakugan and Sharingan were rival doujutsu.
Fascinating, He thought.
He remembered her, but her name...
He closed his eyes, racking his brain. He recalled Fugaku introducing him to her.
What had he called her?
Finally, it clicked.
"Hinata."
Once again she jumped.
"Hyuga Hinata." He repeated, "Heiress to the Hyuga Clan."
He faintly noted her clenching her fists. He saw her swallow.
"Just Hinata." She said, after a while, "I am neither a Hyuga, nor the Heiress."
He raised an eyebrow at that. He'd lost his title when he was thirteen; the moment he'd raised his sword against his Clan mates.
He wondered what she'd done to lose hers. It reminded him of all the rumors he'd often heard about the weak Heiress of the Hyuga. But, the woman he'd seen fight Kisame was nowhere near weak.
He glanced at her again.
"Any particular reason for that?"
Really, his curiosity would get him killed one day.
But still, the Hyuga wouldn't disown their heiress for no reason at all, would they?
"No." Her answer was said through clenched teeth, as if she had to force the words out.
"No?" He repeated, pleasantly surprised at her change in character.
Interesting.
He looked up when she began talking, her voice shaking and knuckles clenched.
"There are some who like to prey upon the innocent."
Slowly, her face turned to him.
"Surely, you, of all people, would agree."
He narrowed his eyes, the mere action filling the room with Killer intent. The room suddenly went cold, as Hinata shuddered.
He would kill her, and she wouldn't be able to stop him.
Even after all that training, all that blood, sweat and tears she'd shed--both, her own, and others--she was still weak.
A Disgrace, her father's words came back to her, echoing in her head.
Unconsciously, she bit her lip, hard. She tasted blood.
Unbeknownst to her, Uchiha Itachi was watching her closely. It was clear that he had triggered something. It wasn't his business, so he didn't pry. Frankly speaking, he didn't care either.
After all, he had secrets of his own too.
"There is a difference,"
Hinata was surprised to hear his voice. He spoke slowly, as if hesitant of revealing what he was about to say.
"Between preying because you want to, and preying because you have to."
This woman didn't know him at all. What right did she have to claim that he enjoyed what he did?
Foolish.
"A moment in one's presence will hardly tell which category they belong to."
Once again, she turned to him, taking in his words.
"But, rumors and unkind talk can definitely make the choice for you."
Itachi blinked. Then, slowly, his lips twitched into a smirk.
"I am inclined to agree with that point." He conceded.
"Having heard what your Clan has to say about you, I was quite surprised at seeing you efficiently handle the situation with Kisame."
He inclined his head slightly.
"I applaud you for it."
Beneath her bandages, Hinata's eyes widened.
Was he complimenting her?
The thought sounded absurd, even in her head.
"It was quite a contrast from the fights against your younger sister, that you've been rumoured to be losing."
Hinata choked on her breath, face burning in embarrassment. It was clear that the Uchiha had done some digging to gain an advantage over her, if they were to fight. She pressed her trembling lips together.
How humiliating.
He sneaked a glance at her.
"Unless, of course, you were losing those fights on purpose."
There was silence. It was true, Hinata knew. Everytime they fought, she hesitated. Her thoughts practically echoed in the silent room.
I didn't want to hurt her.
In response to the Uchiha, she pursed her lips.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Hinata, Itachi suddenly realized, was kind to a fault. As a human, that was an amazing trait. But as a shinobi, it was a huge weakness.
"Ah, you didn't have the heart to hurt her, did you?"
His words were taunting as he said them, as they should be, coming from someone who had killed his kin.
However, he grimaced slightly. He was one to talk; killing his whole family except his brother, because he couldn't bear the thought of staining his hands with Sasuke's blood.
Hypocrite, A voice whispered to him, just as mocking as his own had been, What a liar.
He gritted his teeth at his thoughts.
She graced him with no reply, instead choosing to look at the opposite wall.
"Weak." He stated coldly, "Your are weak, to not have it in you to hurt your opponent."
To not have it in me to hurt my brother. He is a weakness. My biggest weakness.
He saw her clench her fists.
"Preserving life is not weakness." She began, quietly, "And disposing of it like it's nothing, is not strength."
Itachi's eyes widened, because--yes, Sasuke was his biggest weakness-
-But, he was also his biggest strength.
All the things that he had done, all that he was able to do, was because of Sasuke.
He released a controlled breath.
Hinata couldn't see it, but at that moment, Itachi smiled. He straightened himself from the wall he had been leaning against, beside her bed.
"Hn. Very well then. I will leave."
That caught Hinata off guard.
"Wait." She blurted out, "Wait. Aren't you going to kill me?"
Itachi blinked, sighing internally.
That's right.
He'd come to kill her. Regarding her silently, he made up his mind.
"I take no pride in mindless bloodshed."
It took a second for him to realize just how ridiculous that might sound to the Hyuga. He mentally facepalmed.
True to his expectations, the woman gaped.
He, of all people, hadn't said that, had he?
He, who had brutally slaughtered his whole clan just to see the extent of his prowess.
Before, she could stop herself, the words tumbled out.
"That's rich coming from you."
She clamped her mouth shut, but by then it was too late.
The atmosphere shifted once again, turning ice cold. She froze, when she felt warm breath tickle her face. She hadn't even heard him move.
Fisting her hands in her blanket, she exhaled shakily. She gulped, finally feeling the coolness of steel press against her throat.
Above the pounding of her own heart, she heard him warn her, his tone threatening.
"Careful. I might decide to change my mind."
She only shivered in response.
Once again, she felt his eyes, burning holes where her eyes should be, silently daring her to move, reminding her that he could still kill her anytime he wanted.
She felt goosebumps rise on her skin, when his breath trailed from her face to her neck. She dared not to move, fearing it would move the kunai. Then, it would really be over for her.
She stiffened when she felt his nose brush against her neck, his black strands against her cheek. His lips rested directly above her ear.
"A word about my presence to anyone and I'll make sure that precious teammate of your will never open his eyes again."
He watched her open and close her mouth a few times, failing to manage even a gasp.
At last, she took a deep breath.
"Yes." She choked out, voice nothing but a whisper.
For a moment, he stayed still, assuring himself that she wasn't lying. If she was, then he would just kill her the next time.
"Hn."
She felt him step back, as she calmed down, finally able to breathe again, when she felt his presence disappear just as unnoticed as it had arrived.
She gulped.
Just what have I gotten myself into?
THERE YOU LOSERS GO!!
How was it? Pretty in character, do you think? Or not?
Either way, be sure to tell me what you think!!
ENJOY!!
-Your philosophical author.
