The longer you hide your feelings for someone, the harder you fall for that person.

-Unknown


Shouldering open the door to the cabin, Itachi shot through the entrance, his frantic footsteps echoing throughout the house.

Taking great care not to jostle the bundle in his arms, he made way to the small living room. Carefully laying Hinata in the low table, he rushed to the bathroom, where he kept the first aid kit.

Entering the living room again, he placed the kit by his side, and gathered some Chakra in his palm.

He knew enough medical Ninjutsu to heal her wounds. He decided to heal her major wounds using Ninjutsu, and treat the minor ones normally.

With a deep breath and a prayer, he got to work.


He worked throughout the day, not taking a rest of more than five minutes every once in a while. He kept on healing, sewing and mending away the woman who was hanging into life by barely thread.

And if that thread were to break...

Itachi shook his head.

No, He thought savagely.

She would not die. He would drag her back from hell if he had to, to make sure she didn't.

When he had patched her up to the best of his abilities, he slowly gathered her in his arms again.

He doubted the table was a comfortable place. With that thought in mind, he laid her on the couch, before covering her up with a blanket.

Then he settled down on the floor, resting his head against the edge of the couch.

He sighed, tired, feeling the exhaustion prickle at him. But, he refused to give in to it.

At least, not until he had made sure that Hinata survived the day.

It brought his thoughts back to her condition.

She had lost a moderate amount of blood and had various wounds on her body, along with many other cuts, bruises and burns.

The most prominent had been her fractured rib, followed by a dark bruise on her upper back, between her shoulder blades.

He winced, grimacing just thinking about it.

He had healed the internal damage the best he could, and had wrapped bandages around her chest. He was suddenly glad that there was no internal bleeding. He didn't know what he would have done if there had.

In addition, she also had a sprained ankle, and a particularly deep and nasty gash on her thigh. He had stitched up the wound and secured it with a gauze.

Other then that, her hands had also been burnt. He had taken some of the slave the Uchiha Clan had used to cure burns(since they dealt with fire) and had applied a generous amount before securing them with bandages.

Other injuries had included some cuts on her arms, a bruise in her forehead, and a busted lip.

Thinking of her condition, he thought of the one who had done this to her.

He narrowed his eyes, remembering the bodies he had found.

Had they been the victims of her attacker too?

He furrowed his eyebrows, thinking of the holes in their chests.

Had that been some sort of Jutsu? It seemed as if the attacker had been someone with enough strength to cause such damage.

But, the person necessarily does have to be strong, He placed a hand on his chin, contemplating, If someone were to enhance their attacks with an overload of Chakra, even a potentially harmless attack could-

His mind flashed, thinking of the holes again. And suddenly, he could remember the scrolls he had read when still in the academy.

"Chakra when used in excess amounts, can harm its user too."

His head pounded, thinking of the terrified faces of the bodies.

"Injuries include numbness, burns and bleeding. If prolonged, user may pass out, leading to Chakra exhaustion, and eventual death."

He felt sick, thinking of the burnt hands he had patched up just a few moments ago.

Hinata's hands.

He froze, his head spinning because-

There is no way. No fucking way-

He glanced at Hinata.

Did she kill them?

Almost immediately, he shook his head.

No. Hinata wouldn't. She couldn't.

He leaned his head back, sighing.

Who else would it be then? Any why did they spare her?

He didn't know what you think of that.

So, he pushed his thoughts out of his mind, before relaxing slightly.

Just as he had began dozing off, he heard a strangled groan. He was up in an instant, turning to face the woman on the couch.

He watched as she shifted, face crinkling ever so slightly. Her lips parted, a sigh escaping her.


Hinata felt as tired as ever. Though she had woken up, she found she could not move, every limb being weighed down.

She cracked an eyelid open slightly, as she tried to shift. The only thing she could see was white.

As she blinked tiredly, a form emerged, a blur of black. Distantly, as if underwater, she heard a voice.

"Hinata?"

She paid no mind to it, instead choosing to close her tired eyes.

For a second, she felt something warm against her neck. She sighed, content, as the warmth engulfed her completely. She snuggled into it all the more, sighing again.

Feels so nice...

That was the last thought she had, before she went back to sleep.


Itachi exhaled a ragged breath, face still buried in the crook on Hinata's neck, as he tightened his arm around her shoulders.

He inhaled deeply, relief flooding into him, as he slumped completely.

Thank god. Thank god. Thank god.


The second time Hinata woke up, she was feeling much better.

She groaned slightly, shifting as she tried to discern her surroundings.

Where am I?

She was surrounded by warmth in all sides, a fact that brought her great comfort.

She opened her eyes blearily, letting them adjust until the blurriness disappeared.

She blinked rapidly, turning her head to take in her surroundings.

This-This isn't my room!

She shot up at the thought, panic filling her.

However, she immediately regretted her movements when pain radiated from her chest and leg.

Gasping, Hinata pressed a hand to her chest, before straightening up, much slowly this time.

Panting in effort, Hinata properly sat up, and looked around.

The room was small, bare of furniture save for a long, low table in the middle and a couch she was on. On the opposite side of the room, was another small couch on top of which were s few things.

It took a moment for her to realize that those were her things.

Her kunai pouch and backpack.

What-?

Then, she analyzed herself, taking in the bandages along with the faint scent or herbal medicine. It was also at this moment she realized that she was not wearing her own clothes.

Beneath the shirt that was two sizes too big on her, she was wearing nothing but her undergarments.

Hinata felt her face burn, as she buried it in her hands.

She was thoroughly embarrassed.

The shirt was a simply black button up, it's sleeves rolled up too her elbow, ending mid-thigh.

Hinata felt her face burn even more.

It was a man's shirt.

As she inhaled, the familiar scent of sweet pine and sandalwood entered her nose. It was a comforting scent, after everything that had happened.

Hinata paused.

Everything...that...happened?

Her memories came to her like a punch to the gut.

She gasped, a small whimper soon following when the pain in her chest increased.

Itachi had saved her.

Which meant...

She glanced down.

I am wearing his shirt.

She blinked slowly.

I am wearing Itachi's shirt.

The thought took a moment to settle in.

When it did, she squeaked, clasping both her hands on her burning cheeks, shaking her head.

Don't think about it!

She buried her face in her hands, thinking back to the clearing.

Her shoulders slumped, as every detail came back to her, sick with clarity.

I told him to leave him. I told him to go away.

Once again, she felt tears burn behind her eyes.

But he didn't. Why didn't he just leave?

She sniffed, removing her hands from her face.

She strained her ears, trying to sense his presence. He was still in the house.

She needed to get away from here. From him.

She looked around, feeling her heart twist violently at the thought.

But, I don't want to. I really don't.

Once again caught between her loyalty to the village, and her feelings for a man she could never be with, Hinata felt herself being torn into two.

And though she had already warned herself away from Itachi, she did it again anyway, just to remind herself of her goal.

She never went back on her word.

For the second time in her life, Hinata felt her heart die, and despite her all-seeing eyes, she found she could not differentiate between black and white.


There you go with today's update!!

So, how was it?? What do you think Hinata is going to do? Any guesses on what is going to happen next??

Be sure to tell me what you think!!

Until next Monday, ENJOY!!!

-Your short author.