Vista
"I want you to see this," Itachi had said, and then blindfolded him. They had just left dinner at another nice restaurant; their conversation had been easy, friendly even. But their relationship—if you could call it that, hadn't yet progressed to the trusting-enough-to-lead-blindfolded stage. So it was with understandable trepidation that Neji let the Uchiha prodigy lead him along some unknown path in the darkness. And the path was growing steeper.
At least the ground under his feet leveled out; he felt springy grass under his shoes and smelled a clean breeze. "Stop, Neji," the man leading him said. "I'm going to take off the blindfold now."
He felt the knot being undone, and blinked his eyes open when the cloth slipped away. Awed by the sight suddenly revealed before him, Neji blinked again. "Amazing…where—"
"On top of the Hokage monument," Itachi replied. "I come here often, to get away from the politics of ANBU and of the family." A sour look crossed his face, and Neji felt sympathy for the older nin. The Hyuuga clan had its own intrigue. Apparently unafraid of staining his clothes, the Uchiha sat on the ground. "It's especially beautiful at night."
Neji crouched, looking out over the village. Warm glows lit the storefronts and the ground in front; all through the streets, lanterns had been lit and marched in neat rows through the houses and other buildings. His sharp eye could detect the clusters of light denoting the Hyuuga compound, close to the Hokage tower and Academy complex. Farther away he could see the Uchiha compound, dark and brooding where it wasn't lit up. On the village walls, patrols carried torches to light the night-fires.
Itachi's hand grabbed the back of Neji's shirt and yanked him to sit on the ground as well. "You're making my senses wary," he explained. "Looking like you'll shoot off in all directions at once."
"My clothes—"
"They can be washed. Sit and…enjoy yourself."
Scowling, Neji sat crosslegged on the ground. He would have grass stains all over his legs, but after some grouching about, the jounin finally began to relax. He could see why a genius like Itachi would enjoy it up here—it was quiet, calm, unhurried. He wasn't constantly on call up here, and could take the time to simply enjoy his surroundings without worrying if the sound in the brush was an enemy shinobi ready to attack, or if some hunter-nin would rise up out of the shadows and stab him in the spine. Sounds drifted up to him; laughter, conversations, the strains of some unknown song.
He glanced over at his date (Neji stubbornly refused to say 'boyfriend') and was surprised to see that Itachi looked almost…relaxed. The usual haughtiness of the Uchiha was gone from his face; the straight nose unwrinkled with disgust or distaste. His eyes were full of some strange emotion that the Hyuuga couldn't read.
They sat like that for some time, enjoying the view as one by one the shop lights began to go out. Soon, there were only scattered glows aside from the street lights. Itachi stood, brushed himself off, and offered a hand to Neji. "We should get back."
Somewhat reluctant, Neji took the hand and stood. For a moment it seemed like Itachi would hold on to his hand—but the Uchiha released it and led the way back down the path. They wandered back through the streets, unwilling to really let the night be over, but when the front gates of the Hyuuga compound came back into sight Neji knew it was through.
"I thank you, Itachi-san," he said quietly. "I…enjoyed myself tonight."
"The pleasure is all mine," Itachi replied. There was an awkward silence. Then—"Sleep well, Neji-san. Good night."
"Good night," Neji called, and slipped back inside. His dreams that night were not nightmares.