Hello, cheerios!

I am in an extremely good mood, which is why I have decided that old plans are going to hell, and that you guys are getting a treat.

Yes, this chapter is a milestone in the whole story, and something a lot of you have been waiting for a VERY long time. I have officially damned my plans and given this to you. Aren't I nice?

Haha, just kidding. Truth is, it was eating me alive, too.

Also, this in no way changes the current state of the story. The pairing is still itahinasasu, not telling which one will go up.

Haha, made you curious, right? Yes, the fandom of one of the brothers is going to be disappointed today. However, do not worry! This cements nothing! Our lovely Hina-chan still has a chance with the other.

I am SO curious to hear your responses that I'm jumping of my seat right now. I am not going to delay you any longer. Ladies and gentlemen (and diehard narutards), without further ado, I give you, the latest chapter of MoC!

Disclaimer: The day I own Naruto, will be the day when Sasori finally realises that I'm his ideal girl and comes to be with me (*squeal!*)

~conorlover~

Chapter 14

Letter

Hinata stared vacantly into space – or, rather more accurately, into the flower-patterned wall paper that adorned her ceiling.

The past week had been completely hectic for her, and yet strangely lethargic. It was filled with polar opposites. Ever since the Incident, her family had been a mixture of supporting and scornful, and that, mixed with the odd reactions of the rest of the village, had combined to make it the most stressful week ever.

After the… Incident (she did not know what to call it, and she preferred never to think of it ever again), she had woken up in a hospital room with Hanabi and Neji sitting at her bedside. After the immediate questions of whether she was fine, Hanabi had asked her what had happened. She didn't think she would ever want to talk about it.

After reaching home, the reactions from her family and friends had been mixed. While some of the more sympathetic elders and cousins had supported her, Hinata had heard a lot of snide whispers that she had done it on purpose in order to incite him, and then blamed the entire incident on him. Not only were these untrue, but they were also actually very hurtful. To hear that your own family, who were supposed to support you through thick or thin, themselves doubted your integrity – the blow fell extra hard. Her own teammates somewhat helped in that subject, making up for the betrayal by her own family. Kurenai was pregnant, and needed extreme rest, but every night, either Shino or Kiba insisted on sleeping outside her room, resisting Hiashi's furious attempts to expel them from the building. Hiashi had been so enraged by their refusal to leave that he had forbidden anyone to give them any form of comfort, but that had not prevented Kiba and Shino. They had slept on the bare ground, with no sheet to cover themselves whatsoever.

Her sister had been an unimaginable comfort. Using the attack as an excuse, Hanabi had insisted on spending more time with her sister than she would have been allowed to earlier. Echoing the spirit of her teammates, Hanabi had insisted on sleeping with her sister in her room, to comfort her through all her nightmares, and to bond with her older sister. Being deprived of her presence so long had left Hinata with a strange, hollow part inside, almost as if she was missing something. The role of an elder sister, never fully granted, was still, in a way, out of her reach. It was fundamentally Hanabi, with her strong, sure words of comfort, and her safe arms, who was playing the role and performing the duties that had been hers. The sheer relief of having someone there for you, along with the gratitude towards her sister for undertaking this task, and the thankfulness towards whatever God there was for finally allowing herself and her younger sister to interact, greatly helped Hinata through her ordeal. Even the whispers seemed to fade into a buzz when she was with her shield of safety. The three pinnacles that held her to the ground – namely Kiba, Shino, and Hanabi – were, however, helpless during the horrors of the night.

It was only natural to expect that she would have nightmares after that Incident. Funnily enough, none of her nightly torments were actually related to the embarrassment she had suffered during that fateful day. Instead, the torment had seemed to revive some painful memories, most of them related to the embarrassment she had felt as a child. Her younger, more vulnerable self had been firmly convinced that she was a failure to the house of Hyuuga, that her presence as the heiress was seen as nothing but a tragedy, that she should have been born a boy. The elders had insisted time and again that she should be faster like her cousin Neji, smarter like her cousin Neji, stronger like her cousin Neji, more perceptive like her cousin Neji, better like her cousin Neji, and male, like her cousin Neji. Things had deteriorated so badly that often, Hinata used to sneak to the graveyard at night, short legs quaking in fear of awakening any ghosts, wandering through the spooky place, just to have the comfort of being near her mother's grave. The elders were dismissive and disappointed, her sister was barred from seeing her, her cousin was resentful, and the rest of the clan whispered things that should surely have gotten them punished but for the fact that many of the elders thought them too. The superstitious clansmen had taken the birth of Hinata, a female in the Main House, and Neji, a male in the Branch House, extremely suspiciously. Rumours had flown as to how Hizashi Hyuuga was really the firstborn, how the Healers had mistaken him for his younger brother, Hiashi. They spoke of how Hizashi had been deprived all his life, and how the Gods were taking their revenge by blessing Hizashi with a boy and Hiashi with a girl. After all, the male must surely inherit the clan. It would not do to have a female take the rightful position.

All these rumours and ill will had been a very bad environment for a child to grow in, and innocent Hinata had not been spared. She had several debilitating memories from that time, and the corresponding loss of faith in herself after the Incident had awoken several of them, undermining her self-confidence once again. This, apart from damaging her already shaky belief in herself, also hampered her recovery from the fears caused because of the Incident, and made her much more vulnerable to the veiled insults by her family.

The village was no better. All of Itachi's fangirls, who had earlier expressed their shock and dislike for the engagement by simultaneously protesting in front of the Hyuuga compound for days on end until Hiashi had finally lost his temper because of lack of sleep and unleashed Neji on them, lost no time in declaring the Hinata had framed their admired idol. This scorn had started many other rumors which had spread through the Village like wildfire, further damaging her reputation. This was countered in part by the sympathy among the Villagers for the attack, but nevertheless, it managed to portray her as a wily, moral- valueless temptress in the minds of many others.

Hinata did not have to face up against these words, though. Ever since being released from the hospital, she had voluntarily confined herself to the Hyuuga compound. Distrusting though they may be, the Hyuugas were family, and even if they do not believe or support each other, they would never throw things or physically abuse a member of the Main House. The punishment was far too great for such a brief moment of satisfaction. The only time anybody had done it was when Neji had attempted to kill her during the preliminaries of the chuunin exam, and that too only because he had a valid excuse. If he had succeeded in his attempted murder, however, excuse or no excuse, he would undoubtedly have been executed, his tremendous talent notwithstanding. Assault on a Main House member was unforgivable. The elders would probably have come up with some paltry explanation as to how Neji was her Protector, and how he should have given up and surrendered instead of attacking the Hyuuga heiress.

Anyway, being confined to her rooms everyday had left Hinata somewhat in the dark about how things were outside. Her teammates, too, took extreme care not to divulge any information that may hurt her, and Hanabi needed no reminder as to what to do. Neji had been on missions for a long time, but in the short break that he got between them, he had come to see how she was doing, but refused to talk about anything else. Hinata was perfectly content with this arrangement until one fateful day.

It started with her being woken from her afternoon nap because of the sounds of a scuffle. Her previous night's horrors had left her sleepless and exhausted, and Hanabi had suggested taking a nap to relieve some of the stress on her body. Somehow, in the brightness of the warm afternoon sun outside, and the warmth of Hanabi's favorite cat curled up, breathing snoozily at her feet, she could manage to get a decent sleep, without dreams of any kind. It was only night, with its dark, poisonous claws and mysterious depths, which frightened her, and brought out the hidden fears in her mind. She had, after all, always been a child of the sun.

Eyes drooping sleepily, she had traipsed outside to find both Shino and Kiba missing from their post in front of their door, a rare occurrence during these days. They were almost permanent fixtures. Curious at this lapse in commitment, which was extremely rare for them, she wandered towards the front gate, where the main sounds of the scuffle were coming from. Sleepy as she was, her mind automatically ignored all the sounds of conversation, until the utterance of her own name caused her to finally take notice.

"…beg of you, please! I have to talk to Hinata-san!"

"Haven't I refused you already, molester? You're not getting anywhere near my sister ever again!"

"Hanabi-san, I can completely understand your animosity towards me. However, I merely want to have the honour of conversing with her for a few minutes…"

"No way, mister. Look, I don't know who you think you are, but get this damn straight. You're not entering Hyuuga property after what you did. Not a chance in Tsunade's sake bottle. In fact, tell you what? You're not meeting my sister, ever. Not even when she's out in town. I'll get a restraining order against you."

"Hanabi-san, surely, for the sake of the relations between our two clans -"

"There are no relations between our clans, punk! The engagement's over!"

"Hanabi, hold your tongue! Do not disgrace us like this! Uchiha-san, of course the engagement is still present."

"But Father, how can you, after what he's done -"

"Hanabi, hold your tongue or I will personally ensure that your master takes the whip to you. Behaving so crassly! Do not shame the house of Hyuuga. Uchiha-san, I apologize for the inconvenience. Please, come right inside."

"Not while I'm alive. Uchiha, get your smarmy ass outta here or Shino and I will be forced to take matters into our own hands."

"Inuzuka, who gives you the authority to dictate what goes on in my own house? I have allowed you to befoul the pristine walls of the Hyuuga compound for long enough – you leave now. I will not tolerate your presence here. I have tolerated enough as it is, now you tell me how to run my own house?"

"Well, somebody had to look out for Hinata's interests, and since it's not gonna be daddy dearest…"

"What's going on over here?" Hinata sleepily interrupted.

Her father, Hanabi, Kiba, and Shino were all standing near the door that allowed people inside her part of the Main House. Her friends and sister were glaring at the door and her father with expressions of animosity, while her father looked exasperated and disapproving. They were obviously arguing with the person who was standing on the other side of the door, for it was open slightly, and she could see something dark from where she standing.

Immediately, everybody turned around to look at her, and, in a flash of speed that she envied, Shino was beside her, his gentle arm silently guiding her back towards her room. She looked up at him, frowning, but seeing the concern in his unreadable face, decided to obey him and go back to her room. He only wanted what was best for her, after all.

Suddenly, another scuffle broke out. Whirling fast, she was able to catch sight of a dark arm trying to break free as Kiba forcibly restrained its owner before Shino covered her eyes with his sleeve. More curious than ever, she however curbed her curiosity and meekly followed him back to her room. After all they had done for her, it would have seemed like ingratitude to go against their wishes, even if they were contradictory to her own.

She tried to go back to sleep, but it was impossible. She could not help but try to deduce who the black-sleeved arm belonged to. That person had asked for her, and Kiba and Hanabi had refused to let him – for the voice was undoubtedly male – see her. She recognized that voice as having heard it before, but was frustrated when she couldn't pinpoint exactly whom it belonged to.

Despite her questions, she eventually managed to drift off, exhausted by her excessive sleepless nights. When she woke up, it was already twilight, and the servants were lighting the dim oil lamps that lit the corridors. The sun had already set, but its rays still shone out from behind the horizon, illuminating the sky, and turning it into an artist's palette. Shades of every colour – blue, pink, rose, lemon, chrome, teal, mahogany – could be found in it. It was breathtaking, and she found herself enchanted by the perfect blending. It truly was a magical evening.

She was alone again, but that didn't scare her now. Night was still to come. She could hear Kiba's heavy, slow, even breaths outside the door. He was probably curled up and fast asleep, resembling a dog more than ever. Her father had absolutely forbidden Akamaru from the Hyuuga compound, which is why the faithful dog had to be left at the Inuzuka Estate. Needless to say, neither dog nor master was happy about this arrangement. But they bore it for her sake.

The scent was heavy with the smell of jasmines. It was a scent she had loved as a child, and that feeling was revived in her now. The intoxicating but subtle scent, coupled with the masterpiece in the sky, and the sound of Kiba's reassuring, comforting breaths outside, combined to make her more comfortable than she had been in ages.

She noticed something near the door. It was a letter with a note on top, which looked as though it had been slid underneath the screen door. Picking it up, she recognized Shino's distinctive, slightly abstract handwriting on the note. Settling herself near the doors that led to the verandah, because the dying rays still held sufficient light, she unfolded it.

In a neat, nondescript handwriting, Shino had written

Hinata,

This letter came from the person at the door. I know you were curious, so I took the liberty of delivering his message to you. I hope you will forgive me if you find it offending.

Shino.

And that was it. Shino wasn't a man for big words, but his quiet, expressionless face held all the truth that Hinata needed to know. In this case, the slightly awkward handwriting in her hand disguised Shino's true concern and feeling. Almost like the way he hid behind his sunglasses. Truly Shino.

She opened the letter and started to read it. After the first sentence, she froze.

Hinata-san,

I beg you if I have offended you. I would have found another way to contact you, but the Hyuugas do not seem to be keen to let Uchiha Itachi enter their grounds.

The letter was undoubtedly from Itachi. His handwriting, although never seen by her before, was so exactly like him. Kurenai had once told her that a person's personality was reflected by their handwriting. This sentiment, while true for Shino, was also correct for Itachi. It had a mysterious flair to it, and yet, it was humblingly simple and elegant. Almost like a person hiding behind shadows and yet yearning to be in the sunlight.

She gulped. She did not want any memories of the Incident to resurface, but the words in Shino's note were still fresh in her mind. Itachi-san had written to her. Shino had trusted him enough to deliver the note. Hinata trusted Shino enough to know that he would have never done it if it would hurt her in any way. Itachi-san must have had a very convincing reply.

If Shino trusted the letter, then she trusted it.

She opened the letter once more, bravely this time. She would not be a coward.

Hinata-san,

I beg you if I have offended you. I would have found another way to contact you, but the Hyuugas do not seem to be keen to let Uchiha Itachi enter their grounds.

I would have preferred to do this face to face, to express my sentiments in a way that you would not doubt them at all. However, I am forced to resort to this. I hope you will listen to me and not throw down this letter in disgust, although you are fully entitled to.

I want to apologize, Hinata-san. I want to apologize for my abominable behavior. I have no excuse for it. If I had been another man, perhaps a smarter one (or a dumber one, depending how you look at it), then I would have perhaps constructed an excuse. One is legible for my case, but I will not use it. The fault is mine and mine alone.

You cannot believe how deeply mortified I was when I learnt the truth of what happened that fateful day. You must believe that those were not my intentions at all. My intentions, as you will see later in this letter, were quite different, and supposed to be conducted in a much more sober fashion than I was at that moment.

You see, Hinata-san, ever since our engagement day, I have been trying to understand you. You are, after all, my fiancée. My own mother lived without understanding or even knowing my father, and I am not lying when I say that her life was not a happy one. I wished to prevent you the same fate, to not become an exact replica of my father. However, in the process, I have become something worse.

The idea of our meetings was quite novel to me. However, it was not unwelcome. I thought I could finally become acquainted with you, and perhaps I would move somewhat closer to the goal of understanding and accommodating you, but the plan backfired. Our chaperone, Miyanami-san, I am afraid, was partially the cause of that.

Miyanami-san is not my most adoring great-aunt. She, quite frankly, is repulsed by me. This arises from an old inter-family feud that took place before I was born. However, the sentiments from that linger today in her heart. I am not sure what the elders were thinking when they appointed her to be our chaperone, but I am not quite approving of their decision. She had, in the commonest words, been quite a 'pain in the ass' for me.

Keeping with the sentiment, she promptly proceeded to make our meetings quite difficult. I am afraid that her attitude towards you was also unacceptable, and I apologize for that. It made my initial objective impossible, and reduced me to a stuttering idiot. You would have thought me an imbecile. I apologize for any discomfort I may have caused you during those pathetic interactions.

Frustrated, I tried to reach out to anybody who could help. I am not close to many people, so the variety in options was not extraordinary. My father was naturally out of the question. I remembered his cold attitude towards his own wife, my mother, and immediately disqualified him. My closest friend, Shisui, is, to say the least, very immature. My other friend, Mitarashi Anko, apart from being female, was also on a mission to Sunagakure.

Stymied, I searched high and low for someone who could help, but came up with naught. It was only recently, while on a highly classified mission, that I came across somebody who could help. My partner was the talented shinobi, Hatake Kakashi. He is also known as the Copycat ninja, due to his somehow possessing a sharingan, and is currently working under the direct wishes of the Hokage after the graduation of his genin team, which includes my brother Sasuke. I was reminded of the many times that Sasuke had gone to Kakashi-san for solutions to his problems, and I thought that perhaps he could help me as well.

After reaching back to Konoha, I explained the problem to Kakashi-san, and he kindly offered to guide me in establishing more cordial relations with you. He offered me a drink, and, although I am not very fond of alcohol, I agreed to go with him in order to appease him.

I am not a drinker, Hinata-san. I have barely consumed two glasses of alcohol in my life. However, on that particular day, I consumed much more than was normal, even for a seasoned drinker like the Hokage. I do not know why – perhaps it was because of the location that Kakashi-san took me to. I would describe it for you, but it is very vulgar and not suitable for your ears. Having consumed a higher share of alcohol than usual, I found myself completely and utterly insensible, and, in the common word, 'drunk'. My dislike towards alcohol and my low consumption of the beverage had led me to be, in another slang word, a 'lightweight'. I am (slightly) ashamed to say that I am not able to handle my alcohol. I become inebriated in a very short span of time. This factor worked against me on that day, as my above-average consumption led me to become completely and utterly insensible, so much so that I do not remember what happened later that day.

Leaving Kakashi-san, I proceeded to stumble back into my rooms. There was some vague memory in my mind that reminded me that we were supposed to meet today, and thus instinct led me there. If my instinct had been in sober conditions, then perhaps I would have known better than to go there at that very moment, but sadly it too was highly inebriated and only knew enough to take me to my rooms. Entering… well, you, of all people, know very well what happened then.

I have no excuses for the whole incident, only my sincere and heartfelt apologies. My traitorous mind sometimes whispers that perhaps if we had been able to communicate freely, this incident may not have taken place at all, but I know that is not true. It is entirely my fault.

I forward my sincere apologies to you. The more rational part of me says that you will probably not even read this letter, that you will most likely burn it before you opened it, but if by some miracle, you do, then I would like you to know that I am profoundly ashamed of my actions. I hope that your kind nature will find it in some depth the capacity to forgive me, even though I am not worthy of it if I labored for a thousand years.

I hope you will consider these words.

Thank you for granting me this much of your time.

Yours faithfully,

Uchiha Itachi

Hinata stared dumbstruck at the letter after reading it.

It was so humble, so very apologetic in tone, and so very different from what she had anticipated. The words written in it, accepting full responsibility for whatever she had suffered. It was straight and down to earth, and had no pretenses about it. Moreover, his earnest, but not arrogant explanation had combined to make her viewpoint very different from what it had been previously.

He wanted to get to know her better. He wanted to spare her the suffering that both their mothers had been through. He wanted to be on familiar terms with her, to make this transition as easy for her as was possible.

She felt tears well up in her eyes as she thought of all the less-than-complimentary things she had thought of Itachi during the past few months. Cold, stand-offish, incapable of human emotion – she could not have been more mistaken. Itachi had a warm, but confused personality, and he genuinely cared about her. He was caring, humble, and earnest. He wasn't cold at all – the tainted portrait she had been viewing all these months had finally been cleared to reveal something she had not been expecting. This sensitive person, who cared about her feelings, made her feel ashamed about her thoughts and feelings. She had been so impeccably selfish, creating and embellishing a false image, cultivating tainted thoughts. She had been forced into this sham of an engagement, but she had completely forgotten that he too had to be pushed into it. He didn't want this any more than she did. He was trapped, just like she was.

The realization that came with these thoughts was stunning. All these times, she had both consciously and subconsciously been blaming him for her predicament, sullying and badmouthing him because she felt trapped in an endless paradox. But she had forgotten that he too was trapped, that his career and expectations for the future were also stunted. She was only leaving her clan title and freedom behind, but perhaps he had to leave more than that. She had heard the contract – she knew that he could be stripped of his title. And while she too was heiress, there wasn't a man alive who wouldn't say that Hanabi was better than her at combat. That was a given fact. Hinata's skills lay in another direction. She was a master at negotiations and diplomatic deals, as well as medical ninjutsu, but her physical strength and genjutsu were nonexistent compared to her sister. This didn't mean that Hanabi was fit for the position – mentally weak and easily trapped by all that she could see, she would make the perfect puppet for the elders to manipulate. If anybody was worthy of the position, it was Neji, but his position as Branch House member made it impossible for him to lead. Besides, even if the elders somehow (miraculously) agreed, it was still too dangerous – any Main House member could control him by simply saying an incantation and activating the seal on his forehead. The seal, the dreaded Caged Bird, could never be removed. It was a permanent mark that you were a Branch House Hyuuga, and that you were considered 'inferior'.

Itachi, however, completely filled the role of leader. He was calm and collected, as well as an extraordinary shinobi, and he had great mental strength. He would make a great leader for the Uchihas. However, by marrying her, he risked losing that position. He was in danger of losing much more than she.

Besides, he was twenty-one. Perhaps he had someone he loved, someone he was discarding by marrying her. He wouldn't cheat on her, that much was obvious by his extremely honest letter, but in the process of easing her heart, he was breaking his own. His position was definitely disadvantageous.

He was an honourable, admirable man, one who she would love to get to know better. It would be an honour to be associated with him.

She felt a strange warmth, one she had never felt before, flow through her whole body, and instantly knew that everything had changed. She would never feel the same again. The world would forever be somehow subtly different. There would be hidden hues in it, colours that laughed at her and hid, frustrating her, but somehow enrichening and enlivening her pale, lifeless existence.

She searched in vain for the source of this feeling, but her inexperienced heart could not understand itself enough to determine the source.

The last rays in the sky shone on her face as Hinata clutched the letter to her heart, and forgave Itachi.

And she unconsciously raised the letter to her mouth, pressing it just barely to her lips, as she fell in love with him.

You have no idea how evilly I am cackling right now.

I REALLY can't wait for your responses. Please, please review. Any and all questions will be answered, except, of course, for the one in the summary.

Lots of love (and hopes for reviews)

~conorlover~