Major OOC-ness ahead! Consider yourselves warned! Yeah, this didn't turn out as planned. ')0('

The Uchiha clan still lives because Itachi hasn't defected yet. And somehow things are the same.

+04/14/10 Minor editing+

Disclaimer: All characters mentioned here belong to someone else.

She took great care in not being seen as she swiftly made her way to the same spot. Not that she needed to since dawn was still a few hours away. Many stars still shone in the dark sky. Only the smallest hint of color touched the edge of the sky, announcing the approaching morning. Hinata's feet had barely touched the ground when cool long fingers gently touched the side of her face.

Leaning into the touch, she closed her eyes. A smile and blush adorned her face as a single word, or more accurately, a name, left her mouth with a content sigh.

The addressed man dropped his hand and instead intertwined his fingers with hers. He gave her hand a light squeeze before uttering her name in return. A small smile curled the corners of his lips. The sadness it carried was carefully hidden away and went successfully without notice.

Her heart galloped in her chest, the blood rushing to her face. A small grin, not even a full smile, and Hinata felt her legs would give out from under her any second.

Itachi's sad smile grew as his eyes crinkled shut with a short chuckle. A heady warm feeling rushed through her body at this. "Relax, I'm not going to bite you." If his intention was to slow the rapid beating of her heart, he was successful. Her heart sputtered and faltered, too twittery to follow a decently paced pattern.

Hinata took a deep breath trying to calm her fluttering heart but Itachi's hand in hers made it difficult to focus on anything else, let alone something as insignificant and pointless as breathing. The tall lean man with the dark eyes was all she needed. The way he walked, the way he ran, even the way he fought - his every move seemed elegant and effortless. How she loved hearing his voice. Itachi could recite the first 1000 digits of pi forwards and backwards all day long and she wouldn't tire of listening.

Unexpectedly he stopped and held her face between his hands, a concerned look on his face as he stared deeply into her eyes. Any control she had regained vanished instantly. Hinata had been too focused on Itachi himself that she had failed to pay attention to what he had been saying. Her cheeks immediately flushed with color that was easily seen even in the dark before the dawn, and the only sound that left her lips was an embarrassed "E-eh?"

He brought his face closer to hers, the worry obvious in his eyes, "I asked if you were feeling well. Your face was bright red and you weren't saying anything." "Oh, s-sorry. I'm fine." Itachi remained unconvinced. He bent down until they were nearly nose-to-nose, "Is it your heart again? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?"

"No, r-really, I'm f-fine. There's n-no need for the h-hospital. S-see?" Hinata didn't know where she got the courage but there was no time to reflect since she had already removed Itachi's right hand and placed it over her heart. The Uchiha prodigy looked down at his hand, Hinata's hands holding it in place above her heart, and then back at her now more worried than before.

"Your heart is working too hard, I'm taking you to see Lady Tsunade." Itachi removed his hands and lifted Hinata, jumping into a nearby tree with ease. "It's just because of you." Though he swiftly and silently jumped from branch to branch, it was a little difficult for him to hear but her whisper reached him nonetheless.

He froze mid-jump but recovered and easily landed on the branch next to the one he had intended to land on in the first place. They were just at the edge, only a few rows of trees hid them from the village. Already, the noise of a few busy shops getting ready for the coming day could be heard.

Itachi released a short sigh before slowly putting Hinata down. "I-is something wrong?" He remained silent, his eyes not meeting hers, seeming to be debating something. Finally, he turned away from her muttering something to himself, and slowly shook his head. He jumped down heading back they way they had come from without hesitation. Hinata quickly followed him. She easily caught up and matched his unhurried pace.

They had walked back the distance to their usual meeting place and still Itachi said not a word. Hinata's confusion increased when he walked a little farther and retrieved a pale greenish-brown backpack from between the roots of a tall aged tree. "I just wanted to see you one more time before I left." "O-oh, you have another mission to complete?"

His back was facing the Hyuuga heiress as he began to remove some items from the backpack. "Not really." First, a few scrolls dropped carelessly to the ground . Some rolled a short distance, unfurling and displaying the neat penmanship that was Itachi's cursive.

Hinata began to fidget as she noticed a couple of unsealed mission reports were among the discarded scrolls. Not knowing what else to do, and unsure if Itachi was going to say anything else, Hinata bent down and carefully rolled up the wayward scrolls. "Um, Lady Tsu-tsunade might want t-to see some of these."

Itachi continued to rummage around in his backpack.

All the scrolls were gathered and placed in a pile next to the silent Uchiha when a weapons pouch knocked the carefully constructed pyramid down. Now kneeling beside him, Hinata started to ask the reason for his disposure of one of a ninja's most basic tools, but the question never had a chance to leave her mouth. Instead, a porcelain ANBU mask fell onto her lap.

The nervous, warm ache that Itachi always caused her was replaced with an unsettling worry. A few more things quickly joined the jumbled pile before the backpack was finally placed back on the ground. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she managed to stutter out her previously unasked question.

Itachi finally turned halfway towards her, his expression black. His eyes remained fixed on a point to the left of her face. "I messed up." He slowly undid the knot of his Konoha forehead protector and removed it, staring at it a second longer before letting it drop.

Hinata immediately scrambled up and caught the metal plate before it touched the ground. Holding it and the ANBU mask carefully in both hands, she tried to hand them back to Itachi but he made no move to accept them.

Had he killed someone he wasn't supposed to? Maybe he was unable to complete his latest mission? Perhaps a teammate had been badly hurt or killed because of some error on his part? Before she could ask anything, Itachi lifted the mostly empty backpack and placed it on his shoulders.

Anxiety welled up inside her as he started walking in a direction away from Konoha. Her tongue, steadied by fear, forced out half formed suggestions in rapid succession. Itachi continued to walk on without so much as a glimpse in her direction or giving any other indication that he was listening. It was only when the trembling Hyuuga heiress stood in his way, his forehead protector and mask held tightly against her chest, that he stopped.

Hinata's vision was becoming blurry as she fought back the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I'm s-sure Lady Tsunade w-would unders-stand if you j-just explained...P-please don't g-go." Itachi's blank mask finally broke away replaced by a pained expression. Cool long fingers reached out to touch the side of her face and hope shone in her pale orbs for an instant but was soon crushed.

"I'm sorry." Itachi pulled her close, tightly wrapping his arms around the younger woman. "I made a mistake falling in love with you and allowing you to fall in love with me." he whispered. Slender fingers gripped his vest tightly, almost painfully. He could hear her shaky breath even as he continued. "I messed up. I should have seen it earlier but I was too eager. Too power-hungry." his voice rose above a whisper, the angry undertone clear.

"I don't know if I'll be able to stop him but he's already left…and I won't come back until I kill him with my own two hands." He pulled away and carefully removed the fingers clenched in his vest. Hinata's head was bowed. The silent tears running down her cheeks caught the morning's pale light making them shine like crystals. "C-can't you take me with you? I promise I won't be in your w-way."

Itachi slowly shook his head. "But I want you, at least, to be safe. Even if that means…" He didn't finish his sentence and instead placed a soft kiss at the crown of her head. Putting his hands on either side of her head, he gently twisted Hinata's face up towards his. Her arms tightened around the mask and forehead protector but there was no resistance on her part.

"Hinata…"

"…Hinata…"

"…Hinata."

"Hinata!"

The darkness finally vanished, thanks in great part to the shaking of her shoulders, and Hinata slowly opened her eyes. Blinking her blurry vision away, the first thing that came into focus was the face of her cousin, Neji, inches from her face staring with concern. As she unhurriedly sat up, a forehead protector and ANBU mask tumbled out of her grasp and onto her lap. In the space now vacated beside her were a few scrolls and an old worn weapons pouch.

"What is this?" Neji picked up the closest scroll and unrolled it. Milky eyes swiftly read the contents before widening in surprise. "Where did you get this?" Hinata remained silent, staring blankly at Neji. Her cousin quickly scanned over the rest and put them on the ground near the bench. "These are mission reports. ANBU mission reports."

Hinata slowly tilted her head to one side. For some strange reason she was having trouble understanding. Her every though seemed sluggish and murky as if she was walking around looking through the wrong side of binoculars. "What?" Neji kneeled in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He appeared agitated and perhaps a bit frightened as well. "Did you see him? Did he give you these?"

Pale eyes blinked owlishly back at him, "W-who?" "Itachi. The Weasel. ANBU captain." He stuck the mask in her face. The second her eyes focused on the mask, an image hit her with such force it almost physically hurt.

Dark eyes turning blood red and a voice whispering goodbye.

She hunched over as an unbearable pain swept over her chest nearly butting her cousin in the chest in the process. A sudden choked sob escaped her lips. She gripped the front of her shirt tightly as her chest throbbed painfully. Silent tears fell rapidly from her clenched eyes.

"Hinata!? What's wrong? Did he do something to you?" For a moment she couldn't speak, her whole body trembling with the weight of repressed sobs.

When she was finally able to speak she could only utter out "I-I don-Nngh! know. My chest. Ah ah! It hurts." It felt like something was trying to tear her apart from the inside. She wouldn't be able to stand it much longer.

Regret immediately filled her cousin's pale orbs but Hinata was too busy fighting the pressure in her chest to notice. Neji stood and held out his hand, his voice devoid of emotion, "C'mon. You need to go to the hospital." She remained hunched over on the bench the words coming out in a strained breathy voice. "P-please make it stop. Make it stop. Ma-" Unexpectedly, she slipped forward and would've fallen face first if Neji hadn't been standing in front of her. As it was, Hinata simply slumped against her cousin.

Neji gently wrapped his arms around Hinata and laid the unconscious young woman on the bench once more. Her breathing seemed normal now and the tears had slowed greatly. His top priority now was to get her to the hospital but he couldn't just leave the mask and scrolls here where anyone could take a look at their classified information.

He activated his byakugan while stuffing as many of the unsealed scrolls into his pockets. With last night's incident many ninja were currently patrolling the streets but who could he trust with the rest of the items and was close enough for him to call on.

"Fate…"

Neji smirked and deactivated his bloodline trait. Seconds later, three figures landed beside him. "Neji, what the hell happened to her?!" The first person completely disregarded the scrolls, weapons pouch and ANBU mask resting against the bench's leg as he quickly strode to Hinata's side. He breathed a sigh of relief when closer inspection revealed that she was still very much alive. The salty tears that slowly leaked out her closed eyes backed what the rest of his senses had already confirmed. He touched her cheek with the back of his hand wiping the tears away.

"And if I fail to deliver these to Lady Tsunade in exactly five point two seconds then I shall do three thousand laps around Konoha on my hands, and if I fail to do that I shall do five thousand-" Kiba finally tuned back in to what the others were saying.

"There's no need for that Lee, just get this to Lady Tsunade as quickly as possible." Neji was saying. It was then that Kiba noticed the surrounding items.

He turned questioning eyes to the Hyuuga prodigy. Neji ignored him and carefully lifted Hinata. "I need to take her to the hospital. You should inform the others." He motioned towards the ANBU mask that was still on the floor. Kiba reluctantly stepped aside to allowed Neji passage. Rock Lee gave a military-like salute and was gone. Neji was the next to leave, running silently on the rooftops with his cousin carefully in arms. Kiba let out a short growl before picking up the porcelain mask and jumping away with his faithful companion, Akamaru, following loyally after him.

"Its not a relapse. There's nothing physically wrong with her. The pain she felt might be the after affect of a genjutsu…if it was Itachi who left her in such a state. I know what you're thinking - how can I doubt that it was anyone else when she was found with his belongings?" The fifth hokage turned to look at the subject of their conversation.

She was sleeping soundly now, the tears having stopped hours before. In her grasp was none other but Itachi Uchiha's forehead protector. Even in sleep she had yet to relinquish it.

"Don't give me that look boy." And they said he had eyes in the back of his head. Neji bowed his head apologetically nonetheless, "Forgive me, Lady Tsunade, but I fail to understand your hesitance."

The elder woman finally turned back to him. The stress of the past few days was taking a notable toll on her. Even with her youth jutsu, the bags under her eyes and the tired way she held herself was evident. Her sun kissed blond hair was growing dull. Had she also lost some weight? Maybe it was her position as hokage in general that made her appear so used up.

"Last night Itachi Uchiha slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan. His younger brother is alive only because he was on a mission when the attack occurred." She brought a tired hand up to rub her temples with a sigh and added as an after thought, "I don't look forward to Sasuke's reaction when he is informed. I'm going to need a lot of sake before I tell the whiny brat."

Perhaps it was the inhuman amounts of sake she downed every day that gave her this tired look Neji mused but remained silent to listen to the rest of her explanation.

"So he kills them all. Not a sign of hesitance or mercy even for his parents. Then for some reason or another he comes across Hinata who's up before dawn for god knows what." Tsunade eyed Neji as if expecting an answer but he shook his head.

After a brief shrug she continued, "Why spare her only with a genjutsu and risk leaving a witness? Why not kill her and assure himself that his tracks are covered? Because she's the same age as Sasuke? If that bothered him then many of the Uchiha children would still be alive. So the way I see it there are 2 possibilities. Either it wasn't Itachi but someone else who came across your cousin and did that to her, but if so, who and why? Or it was Itachi and were missing something."

"Her reaction to the mask leads me strongly to believe Itachi was involved in Hinata's current state." "Ah, yes. The mask. Tell me, boy, do you know how it came into her possession? There's no damage to suggest it was taken by force so it had to be given willingly. Do you know if Hinata and Itachi had some kind of connection?"

Neji grit his teeth, "No, Lady Tsunade. As far as I know they only met a few times when it was being decided to merge the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans. Itachi, however, claimed he was renouncing the tile of head, er, future head of the Uchiha so Hinata became fated to marry Sasuke."

... ... ... ....

It was a while before Hinata could complete any missions or even go a day with out shedding a tear. In time she rose above the inexplicable pain and began living a relatively normal life. But the pain was always there, like a vexing splinter she couldn't find. A constant dull throb she was all too aware of.

Fearing that his oldest daughter's heart condition had worsened and as a result wouldn't live a normal lifespan, Hiashi and the council elders made Hanabi heiress of the Hyuuga. Hinata stepped down with dignity and truthfully wished her sister the best. She moved out soon after and immersed herself in becoming a shinobi, gaining the title of ANBU a few years later.

He had no business being there. And perhaps it had been a mistake to return but he saw no harm in remaining a minute longer amongst the trees. Hidden safely from view yet close enough to see the controlled rhythm of her breathing and grace. It was no coincidence that he was there.

Her long indigo hair was in a lose braid that swung gently with every move. Laying a short distance from her was a boxed lunch and a porcelain ANBU mask. Part of the lunch was missing, having been eaten earlier.

Blue chakra was visible with every precise strike. She was in the middle of cooling down when she suddenly fell to her knees. Part of Itachi wanted to rush to her and make certain that she was alright but the rational part of his mind held him back. He couldn't help but take a short step forward, though. Even from that distance her soft voice reached him. "Y-you?"

How could he have been so brainless. Letting his guard down around someone who possessed the byakugan was nothing short of stupid. She hadn't moved since uttering that single word question. Itachi turned away confident that he could escape before anyone else could be alerted.

"W-wait!" Her desperate voice stopped him. He disappeared a moment and the pain immediately increased for the first time in years, threatening to overtake her but he reappeared in front of her a second later.

Supposed to be a short one-shot but it came out a bit longer than I wanted to. There might be (might, aha ha more like there are) some mistakes because I wanted to post this before valentine's and still didn't make it on time.