It is with the heart that's one can see clearly. What is essential, is invisible to the eyes.

-The Little Prince.


Waking up, Hinata laid in her bed, her thoughts clearing up and immediately going to the elder Uchiha.

She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to think of the remnants of the plan she'd thought of last night, half-asleep. It was an elaborate plan; one that would not only predict Itachi's every move, but also factor in his reaction to every one of hers.

Quickly getting up and doing her morning routine, she practically inhaled her breakfast. Then, gathering everything she would need, Hinata set out, deep into the forest, hoping to prepare everything before evening.

She still had plenty of time until then, but she wanted to start early, so that she would later have time to double check everything.

Taking a deep breath, Hinata clenched her fists in determination.

This time. This time for sure. I will catch you.


Later that night, making sure Kurenai was asleep, Hinata sneaked out of her room. She topped her now usual attire with a grey chakra-cloaking cloak for camouflage.

She activated her Byakugan, looking for the position around the village where sneaking out would be the easiest.

To be more sure, she sent her Dove to scout ahead, as she followed closely behind.

She sighed inaudibly in relief, when she left behind the boundary of Konoha, and entered the forest. Bounding deeper, she stood at the edge of the portion, where she had prepared everything for his arrival.

Raising her elbow, Hinata provided a spot for her Dove to perch on. Running a hand through it's snowy-white feathers, Hinata met its eyes.

"Bring him to me."

The Dove didn't need to be told twice. Soundlessly, it shot into the sky and into the direction of his Chakra.


Itachi couldn't sleep. He'd been restless for quite a while and sitting in one place was out of the question. So, he'd decided to take a walk.

He'd been staying at the outskirts of the village, so the forest seemed to be the perfect place to calm down.

The night was cool, and there was a full moon.

Leaning his head against the cool tree bark, he sighed softly, inhaling the fresh breeze as it caressed his face. His closed eyes opened when he heard the fluttering of wings.

It was his Crow.

Itachi pulled up his knee, and it perched itself on it. He'd sent it to do a sweep of the area. Looks like he was safe.

Taking out a small pouch he kept with himself, he opened it. It was filled with fruit seeds. Shaking some out of the bag and into his hand, Itachi extended his hand towards the Crow.

His other hand scratched its neck, as it pecked it's food off his hand.

His summon was one companion he had, one that hadn't left him ever since childhood. It was there when he was witnessing the atrocities of war, when Sasuke was born, when Shisui died, when he massacred his clan.

And now, it was here to witness his wonderful time with Hinata.

Itachi smiled fondly.

"Keep looking after me, will you?" He muttered softly.

Looking at the moon, he sighed again. Kisame had almost healed completely, which meant that they would be leaving soon.

In other words, he wouldn't be seeing Hinata again.

He had known from the beginning that he would have to leave one day. And yet, something within him died all the same.

Perhaps it is for the best. My foolishness has gone on for long enough.

Itachi was broken out of his thoughts when he heard the fluttering of another pair of wings.

Turning to where the sound came from, he raised his eyebrows, spotting the white Dove on a nearby branch.

It seemed to hesitate for a moment, as it stared at him, cocking it head to one side. It took a small step forward.

Then, as if making up its mind, it flew on the branch he was sitting, walking forward and immediately perching on his other leg.

Itachi only blinked in surprise.

"Bold one, aren't you?" He murmured, moving his hand towards the Dove, inviting it to feast upon the seeds.

It was beautiful, and its fur was as soft as silk, completely opposite to the rough feathers of his Crow.

Itachi exhaled softly.

"What are you doing so late in the night?"

The Dove, which had been craning its neck as he ran a hand over its head, suddenly perked up.

Quickly climbing to his chest and then his shoulder, it took the collar of his cloak in its beak and started tugging.

Turning his head towards it, Itachi raised his eyebrows, pleasantly surprised.

Only then, he noticed the Byakugan in its eyes.

He shot up, startling the Crow as it jumped away from him. Seeing the Byakugan, the first thing that came into his mind was-

"Hinata?"

At the mention of that name, the Dove began tugging harder at his collar, spreading its wings in the effort.

His mind immediately jumped to the worst.

What if she was in trouble?

He was in his feet, worry etched on his face. Meeting the Dove's eyes, he clenched his fists.

"Take me to her."

And just like that, they both shot through the forest. The closer he got, the more his heart pounded, anticipating, making up scenarios of what he might see.

And whoever hurt her...

Itachi's eyes darkened, traces of killer intent outlining his form.

I'm going to burn them alive, He vowed, And they're going to die screaming.

He was led into a clearing in the forest. Landing gracefully, he sensed her Chakra.

Turning his head towards the right, he sighed in relief when he spotted her sitting on a branch. Then, he cursed himself for jumping to conclusions.

But, if she isn't in trouble, them why did she call for me?

He regarded her carefully as she jumped off the branch and landed a few feet away from him.

For a few seconds, they stared at eachother. There was something heavy in the air, something unspoken and warm.

She's beautiful, His mind cut through all the questions.

Her lips parted, her voice barely a whisper when she spoke.

"Follow me."

He took a step closer to her, his eyes darkening.

"I really shouldn't be listening to the words of an enemy." He said, throwing her words back at her.

His voice was low, as he allowed himself to drown in the calmness and magic of the trance they'd fallen in.

Immediately, she closed the distance between them, her fingers sliding against his.

"Are you sure?" Her voice was breathy, an edge of wonder to it, as if she knew something he didn't. She leaned closer to him.

"It will be fun."

Then, without a warning, she tugged him forward, taking him with her as their forms entered and disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

No sooner had he stepped into the darkness, he felt her hands leave his.

He could already feel the adrenaline pumping in his blood, his excitement increasing with each step he took.

His hands were still warm and tingling, the urge to have her in his arms only increasing.

He exhaled slowly, his eyes darting all over the place, searching for his enchantress.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement on the right. Without thinking twice, he jumped towards it.

For a moment, he felt it. The scent of Lavenders and cinnamon, and the warmth her presence brought along with it. Then, suddenly, it disappeared, as she leaped away.

Not a second later, he heard a click.

Once again, Itachi jumped away, narrowly missing the ropes that fell from the tree. No sooner had he landed on another branch, he heard another click.

His eyes widened as the realization dawned upon him.

This place was rigged with traps.

He suddenly understood why she had chosen this place and time to make her move.

Her Byakugan could see perfectly in the forest, even in the night. And since she was using traps, which had no Chakra, it was hard for him to spot an incoming attack. The night only made it difficult, as he couldn't see the traps clearly. In addition, the tall trees provided shade against the moonlight, blocking away his lone source of sight.

In short, his Sharingan was pretty much useless if he couldn't see her eyes.

In contrast all the odds were in her favour. She could see perfectly, and knew what his options were.

Using any kind of Ninjutsu would attract unwanted attention, and Genjutsu would, again, only work if he could see her eyes. He could only use Taijutsu.

She obviously couldn't beat him at his level, so she had simply brought him down to hers.

He breathed out a laugh, coming in terms with just how bad his situation was.

But, that didn't mean he was going to give up. He was an Uchiha. His kind was stubborn; they always saw things through, no matter the odds.

With that thought in mind, Itachi bound deeper into the forest, his mere presence activating a few other traps. He barely dodged the Kunai and Shuriken as they whizzed past him.

He concentrated on finding her Chakra Signature, so that he could pinpoint her location.

Deep down, a part of him begged him to turn away. Told him that it was a bad idea to look for her.

And yet, he ignored it, choosing to listen to his foolish, selfish side as it told him to enjoy this time with her while it lasted.

As if on cue, his mind came up with images he'd so fondly conjured.

He envisioned her face, eyes bright with determination and lips parted, as her cheeks flushed pink.

His heart rate sped up.

Once he found her, he was going to encase her in his arms and bury his face in her soft locks.

Then, he was going to breath her in, let her scent wash over him, as he trailed feathery kisses up her neck.

He imagined her nails digging into his shoulder as her hold on him tightened, her clenched shut, lips parted as she softly sighed out his-

Itachi stopped there.

If he finished that thought, he might just lost his mind completely.

Shaking his head free of his thoughts, he forced himself to focus on the situation at hand.

Wherever he stepped, a trap activated. Back-flipping in the air, Itachi dodged yet another set of Shuriken. His biggest disadvantage here was the darkness.

Up until now, he had been relying on his hearing to dodge the traps. But, the forest was becoming denser. Hence, the noise caused by his movements was covering up the sounds of the traps being activated and the sharp slicing of weapons through the air.

The thing he needed the most right now, was light.

With that thought in mind, Itachi shot up up the tree and closer to the moonlight.

At the same time, he felt Hinata's Chakra close in on him.

Landing on a branch with enough light seeping through the leaves and-- thankfully--no traps, he faced the direction of Hinata's approach.

A moment later, she emerged from the darkness. Kunai in hand and her face blank, she went in for an attack.

A shadow clone, he thought, as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.

Slamming her into the tree trunk, he took ahold of the back of her neck, his other hand twisting one of hers behind her.

Without waiting for her to poof out of existence, Itachi turned around just as another Hinata--undoubtly, the real one--came to attack him.

Grabbing her wrist, he used the same move on her, and pinned her to the tree.

He panted, slightly out of breath from all the dodging he'd done.

He took a deep breath, a half-smile forming in his face.

"That was go-"

But, before he could finish, the Hinata in front of him, poofed out of existence.

His eyes widened.

The Hinata from before-!

Had she been the real one, then?!

The hair on his neck stood. Quickly, Itachi turned around, only to be slammed back into the tree bark. He froze, feeling the cool press of steel against his neck.

He exhaled slowly.

This was his chance. All he had to do was look into her eyes. She might not fall for the genjutsu, but it was going to take time for her to break out of it.

That time would be precious to him.

With that thought in mind, he activated his Sharingan and turned towards her-

-only to be met by a blindfolded face.

She could, of course, see him. But, he couldn't look into her eyes.

He stared, eyes wide, dumbfounded, for a moment. Then, slowly, he smiled, pride filling him as he realized just how much she had changed.

Hinata exhaled softly, a feeling of accomplishment filling her.

She'd caught him. Finally.

So, what now? Was she supposed to take him to the Hokage?

No, Her thoughts surprised her, Not after all those times he has saved me.

Instead, she stepped closer to him, until they were chest to chest. Under her Kunai, she felt him shiver.

"A life for a life." She whispered against his throat. Then, she lowered her kunai from his neck.

"My debt has been repaid."

But, before she could step away, she felt arms around her waist. She gasped, as the ground fell from beneath her feet. However, as soon as it had disappeared, it reappeared.

Through the blindfold, with her Byakugan, she saw that he had simply gotten the both of them to higher ground.

The tree they were standing on was one of the highest in the forest. It seemed as if it had been cut from the top recently, as there were no branches around them. Just the flat, but wide trunk, upon which they were standing.

Being the tallest tree around, it gave them the perfect view of the full moon.

It also gave Itachi the perfect view of his captor.

Hinata deactivated her Byakugan. Then, she felt something warm rest against her cheek. She shivered, feeling the warmth trail up her jaw.

Instinctively, she stepped closer to the source. She stood still as Itachi's fingers threaded through her hair, making way to the knot of the blindfold.

It came lose.

Slowing opening her eyes, Hinata inhaled sharply, realizing just how close he was.

But, for some reason, it wasn't enough.

His eyes were bright, features illuminated by the moonlight as he placed a hand at the dip of her waist and pulled her closer. In response, she placed her hands on his chest, feeling his heart pound behind it.

Quite without her permission, a hand went to trail up the exposed skin of his neck, her thumb sliding up to his jaw, then, to the creases on his face.

She watched in fascination as he shivered, pulling her even closer and leaning into her touch.

He leaned closer, one of his hand resting on her waist, the other going to cup her cheek.

She breathed out shakily, the fire behind his crimson eyes sending butterflies erupting in her stomach.

Just what was going on between them?

She'd been feeling this tug toward the Uchiha everytime she thought of him. She did not know what it was, but something...something told her that if she stayed, she would find out.

She licked her lips nervously.

Unbeknownst to her, her eyes followed the action closely.

"You're close." She whispered out, even as he moved closer.

Their foreheads touched.

His thumb slid across her cheek, now resting at the corner of her mouth.

"Does it effect you?" He asked softly, his eyes half-closed as their noses bumped together.

She bit her lip in thought.

Before he could still himself, his thumb slid between her plump lips, slightly parting them. They were as soft as rose petals. He pressed his thumb against them, relishing that way they felt on his skin.

Her hands previously resting against his chest, now wrapped around his neck, her other hand sliding from his neck to to raven-black tresses. She clenched a fist against his bangs, unknowingly pulling him closer.

His hold on her waist tightened, his shaky breath fanning her face.

"Does it matter?" She asked instead pressing herself flush against him.

In response, he tilted his face to the side, giving her perfect access to her lips.

Looking deep into her eyes, it all clicked into place. Suddenly, everything made sense.

Why won't you kill me?

Attraction was an emotion she'd expected to feel when she was older, more mature. It was only natural for her to not understand something she'd never felt before.

She was attracted to Itachi. And he, to her.

Finally understanding what she felt, Hinata now looked at the situation with new eyes.

And suddenly she would feel the warmth of his hand as it delicately rested against her waist, how his fingers trembled slightly as they wistfully traced her lips, the unnamed intensity in his eyes which she now deciphered as desire.

But, most of all, she only now realized just how much she'd wanted his warmth.

She hadn't even realized just how badly she'd wanted to be this close to him, how badly she'd wanted him to hold her this intimately.

She sighed softly, looking up at him with a gentleness she didn't ever think she would associate with him.

A cool breeze blew. Unconsciously, she shivered, tucking herself more firmly against him.

She closed his eyes completely, her long, thick lashes almost brushing against his cheek. Itachi's heard pounded, his Sharingan activating.

He wanted to memorize this. Her cheeks flushing, eyes closed, lips--as pink as candy--parted expectantly. For him.

This was bad. And possibly the most amazing thing that could happen to him.

He knew that he should push her away, tell her how stupid she was being. But, he was so god damn tired of being alone, that he had no will power left in him to push away this light.

Everything he had ever had, had been taken away from him. Surely, it was fine, right? For him to be this selfish?

He closed his eyes, leaning in.

Just as he was about to close the distance between them, and claim her as his, a loud caw broke through the silence.

Immediately, the pair jumped away from eachother, breaking out of the trance they were in.

Hinata blinked slowly, coming into terms with what was about to happen. It brought her back to her sense, as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown on her face.

She paled, suddenly realizing what she was about to do. What she was about to let him do.

It suddenly reminded her of who he was.

Uchiha Itachi.

An S-Rank Criminal.

A murderer.

An enemy.

They'd called each other that many times. Yet, only now she truly understood what it meant.

She was supposed to be telling the Hokage about everything. Not kissing him.

She took a step back, her breathing getting heavier with every second.

She was committing Treason. Willing associating with an enemy.

She took another step back.

A traitor. She was a traitor.

Just as she was about to bolt, a hand clasped her wrist.

"Hinata, wai-"

She recoiled away from his touch, heart clenching when she saw the hurt flash through his eyes.

Itachi's blood ran cold.

He could already feel it. The coolness of the breeze entering his body, filling up the emptiness that had began to form, melting away the warmth that had only recently taken house in him.

Hinata lowered her eyes, taking a shuddering breath.

"Y-You saved my life, I s-spared yours." She didn't look up to register his expression, "We're even now."

Itachi watched helplessly as she bowed before him.

"Thank you for spending your time on me." Hinata didn't know why saying those words hurt, "I hope to never see you again."

Itachi swallowed thickly, feeling his heart drop into his stomach.

This was not the first time something he'd wanted desperately had been stolen away from him. And yet, the pain was all the same. But, he would get through this.

He always did.

He looked away, bitter.

"Farewell then, Hinata."

She looked up at him, feeling her heart sting when he refused to look at her. For a second, she felt longing, wondering if she should move closer. If she should touch him, or comfort him.

She decided against it.

Instead, her lips parted.

"Farewell, Uchiha Itachi."

With that, she bound off, her Chakra completely disappearing.

Itachi dumbly stared where she'd once stood, fighting the instinct to go after her, and beg her to come back to him.

Don't abandon me, He would say, I would be miserable without you.

However, he didn't.

Instead he sighed tiredly, letting himself fall back on the trunk of the tree, an arm over his eyes.

Then, he shivered, recalling the way her lips had formed around his name.

This was the first time she'd said it.


Stumbling into her room, Hinata crashed into her bed, burying her face in her pillow, horrified at how willingly she was ready to kiss Itachi.

All this time, she had been focusing on his and his actions, that she hadn't even realized how she herself was feeling.

It made her wonder just when she'd forgotten that he was an enemy. And just when he'd stopped acting like one.

The realization that she liked him that way was so sudden to her, that it left her feeling burdened as she only now came into terms with what this truly meant.

She gritted her teeth, mentally warning herself off the Uchiha.

Nothing, She told herself, This means nothing.

And yet, as she stared at the darkness of her room, she traced her lips, a part of her wondering what else would have happened, had they not been interrupted.


There it is!! Today's update!!

This was undoubtedly the longest chapter until now.

Either way, how was it?? Hinata finally realized how she felt. However, she rejected Itachi.

Do you think that would be the case for long?? Are their paths going to cross again?? If so, then in what circumstances are they going to meet??

You gotta wait to find out!!

Until then, ENJOY!!

-Your angst-loving author.