Author's Notes: Thank you to my reviewers! Your comments and excitement for this story make me happy that I am writing! It may be somewhat late to say this, but Happy New Year! I hope everyone has a great 2010 year! Enjoy!

Chapter 2:

Eyes on me.

He stood three feet away from her shivering body. His arms crossed in front of his chest and onyx eyes transfixed on her small frame.

How long has she been out here? He wondered curiously, observing the girl and infant in her arms. He glanced at the red lantern hanging to his left on the post of the entrance leading into the home he shared with his parents. Seeing as the light remained flickering amongst the chilling cold, he uncrossed his arms and retracted the candle in his hand to place it in his back pocket.

Hinata's arms tightened securely around Hanabi in fear of what the boy may do. Her baby sister continued to sleep soundly despite the stabbing cold; however, a slight blue hue colored Hanabi's lips. Hinata had no idea the repercussions the cold could do to a baby's health. Hinata shut her eyes tightly, prepared for the young boy's wrath as she brought Hanabi closer to her face.

"What are you doing out here?" He wanted to at least get some words from her before taking her in. Her face was ashen white and lips pink. She looked like a lost, shivering puppy in that pitiable state.

Hinata stepped back to cower from his stare. For some odd reason his eyes on her caused more shivers to run down her back than the prickly air.

"I-I…don't know." Hinata answered him tensely, unaware that the white envelope resting in her arm had suddenly dropped to the ground.

The young boy raised an eyebrow at the fallen object. He walked towards it and observed the assumed envelope more closely in his hand. There's no name.

"I'm opening this," he said with curiosity. He ripped the top, slid out the white paper, and started reading.

Hinata remained silent with her eyes shut. The neighborhood that had whispered words about her and Hanabi disappeared once the air became more stifling. Both had been waiting outside in the quiet night for a long time before the boy had encountered them.

"Come in." He looked at Hinata suspiciously.

His voice surprised Hinata out of the silent reverie she was slowly praising. With the silence, she didn't have to think about what to do or how to approach this strange boy. Yet, Hinata's legs wouldn't follow his orders. Hanabi began to squirm uneasily.

"Come in." The boy sounded slightly irritated.

Hinata lowered her head.

"Stupid girl." This time Hinata stiffened after his cursing. Guilt began to form inside her as she tried to retain her tears from spilling.

The boy grabbed her shoulders from behind and pushed her into the entrance. Father did not often take her around Konohagakure; he always felt that traveling was not in her best interest. These countless disappointments she felt over the years had made the world outside of home look like a dangerous environment. As long as Father decided where she could go, she would be safe from harm. But Father was no longer with her. The reality that a new life awaited her caused tremors within Hinata that she had never experienced before so fervently. Therefore, she feared what the boy was going to do. She wasn't sure if it was safe to be pushed so easily inside a stranger's home, even though the Hyuuga maid had brought her here.

This could be another trick; another way to defame her father's name by tarnishing her in the "act of being criminal" once again by intruding upon another family's home. Since her mother's funeral and her father's trial, she increasingly enclosed her feelings rather than express them to the clan members. Many times she wanted to believe life could return to its previous form. Difficult as it was for her to return as an heiress, there was the sense of security found in her father's words and mother's gentle tone. With their support, she could continue as the Hyuuga heiress. But the past could never be changed. She would never be able to stop the deep sin she had allowed her unknowing father to commit. She, Hanabi, and their father had lost their place in the Hyuuga clan. Was this boy going to hurt her also?

Her riled thoughts were immediately dispelled the moment she opened her eyes to be pleasantly surprised by the contents in the front yard.

Plants decorated the edges of the walls and the land was flat dirt under her black flats she walked with small steps. Her eyes gazed at the lush greenery that reminded her so much of Mother's work in the Hyuuga garden. The nostalgia of Mother brought the grave memory of her dead expression. Hinata's smile slowly faded. No matter how she wanted to forget Mother's face in that form, it haunted her. Hinata changed her attention to the grand home. It was a two-story pearl-colored house with a vast porch and blue curtain windows. A brown roof rested on top that curved inward at the corners.

The boy's hands continued to be stationed on her shoulder until she stepped onto the porch of the house by the front door. Hinata stared at the metal door blankly. Hanabi's squirming increased with each second they remained in the cold. Unease swept through Hinata as she awkwardly stayed silent, afraid to speak again to the boy.

"Don't be afraid." He whispered close to her ear. Another shiver traveled down Hinata's spine to her distress.

At the time, she had no idea of his soft voice or concerned tone. All Hinata could feel was his eyes on her that left her barely able to speak.

---

Hyuugas were discouraged from crying. At the very most, funerals were the only exception. One could also account childhood as a natural tendency to release more than necessary tears. However, Neji had been raised differently. Neji's tears were seen to Hizashi as a weak trait for a future leader, a position he was expected to fulfill someday after Hizashi's death.

Therefore, Neji released tears at night when he detected absolute silence around him. Too many times his father had yelled at him in his youth for bawling. At six years of age it was unfathomable for a child to be trained so strictly in a manner fit for older boys. Neji was not surprised that his father ignored such remarks by other Hyuuga clansmen.

Therefore, Neji wondered countless times if Father had cried during Mother's death. Neji spent much of his life hearing words from others how generous Mother had been. The kind words associated with Mother made Neji jealous over the years that his younger cousins had a loving mother. Now Aunt Hotaru was also dead. His cousins would suffer the same fate as him, but worse beacause they were practically considered orphans. Since the night he discovered Aunt Hotaru dead in Uncle Hiashi's arms, Neji had not visited his uncle. He had heard his father say that Uncle Hiashi was suffering from an unrecoverable blow.

Tears sprawled down Neji's eyes as he lay in his bed. He had hidden them for so long that it was difficult to hold back the painful constriction in his chest. During Uncle Hiashi's trial, it had already been decided that Hizashi would become the leader. His father had been able to convince the Elders that it was a mistake to have given the chief position to Hiashi, evident by the murder of Hotaru. The Elders, overcome with guilt and desire for reconciliation, voted upon establishing Hizashi as the new leader in order to atone for their mistake.

Uncle Hiashi's home was to be untouched. No one dared to enter the house. Branch maids whom Neji had never expected to serve him and his father were now doing so under the new proclamation that Hizashi and Neji were now Main House members and carriers of a new generation of Hyuuga.

A new burden Neji would be forced to honor. He should be overjoyed that opportunities would no longer be hindered to him when he was a Branch member. Yet, there continued to be an unsettling feeling resonant. Father had only become more ambitious. Neji's responsibilities had only increased. Yet, there was no fulfillment he felt for bearing the honor of running the Hyuuga clan someday. Only the voice of his young cousin entered his mind when he thought of the only joy he had been given today.

"Happy Early Birthday, Neji-niisan."

The wrapping paper was in the trash bin by the corner of his room. On the table across from his bed, laid the musical box Hinata had given him hastily after being pulled away by a Branch maid this evening. The square mahogany box housed a figure of a blue bird spreading its wings. Its yellow beak partly opened gave the impression of it singing the musical box's tune.

Hinata still handed him a birthday present after all that she had endured. Tonight, Neji was alone while his Father attended a business trip out of the village. With Father gone, Neji felt slightly more freedom. A Branch maid slept in the guest room downstairs in order to serve Neji at any time. She wouldn't dare stop the musical box from playing in his room all night.

He hoped the musical notes drowned out his tearful noise.

---

Fugaku-sama,

My traitorous nieces are now in your care. Do what you will is best to separate them from the Hyuuga clan. If you remember long ago, there was a debt you owed me. Think of this offer as the absolution to the sins you have committed against me.

-Hizashi

Uchiha Fugaku raised his eyes to look at his oldest son Itachi. Fugaku found it discouraging that Itachi had given him an opened envelope, most likely having read the contents already.

"Itachi, I do not expect you to understand me. But this is a matter between grown men. Do not inquire about the letter, understand?" His oldest son was a genius. Intelligence was just one of Itachi's amazing talents. Hizashi's son Neji could not even compare to him. Itachi was the pride of the Uchiha because he was the best. The last thing Fugaku needed was to have his son carry doubts about his own father.

Itachi's eyes focused on the hardwood floor beneath his feet. He nodded and answered politely," Yes, Father." The contents of that letter were a curious matter to him, but nothing which involved the Uchiha clan's safety. "If I may ask, Father, what are Hyuuga Hiashi's daughters doing here?"

"Her uncle, the new leader of the Hyuuga clan, has requested that I take care of them." Fugaku grunted," Pitiful kids. Their father will be in jail for twenty years."

"Will they be staying with us for that long?"

"Yes, until their father is out of jail. It is the only proper way to handle this delicate mess for now."

"Father, do not give her Sasuke's room."

Fugaku stared curiously at Itachi. A crooked eyebrow raised in observation of his normally quiet son.

"Itachi, there is no other room I have for her. Her younger sister has already taken up the guest room."

He understood why Itachi was upset at the thought of a stranger taking up his deceased brother's room. But Fugaku had no other choice. Someone had to fill the void of that empty room. Three years ago Sasuke's disappearance had sparked a large search party. After years of unsuccessful searching, Fugaku was forced to announce Sasuke as dead to the Uchiha clan. The Land of Fire was a capable country and the Uchiha clan needed a leader who was not overly distracted by personal matters. Though the clan wept for his family's loss, Fugaku knew the harsh system of politics. His authority would be threatened if he did not return to his post as leader of the clan.

"But Father-" Itachi argued.

"No more, Itachi," interrupted Fugaku more sternly. He was tired of being reminded of the child he had lost long ago. He wanted to drive out these tormented thoughts from his family. Pictures of Sasuke still hung on the walls. It was enough to look at his image every day, but to base decisions incessantly about his disappearance was just an added pain his family did not need to make. "Hinata and Hanabi will keep their Hyuuga surname. They will not be inducted into the Uchiha clan."

"I do not see the point in having them stay here with us-" Itachi persisted, biting his lip tentatively.

"Dammit, Itachi! Do not question your father!" By now Fugaku had become angered and desperate for Itachi to shut up. No words could describe a father's pain over the loss of a child. No words could imitate his love for his family. His actions may be cruel now, but Fugaku was determined to erase the sadness from his home.

"They are not family!" snapped Itachi angrily, nostrils flaring. His eyes red from the pressure he glared at Fugaku menacingly before running out of the room and slamming the door shut.

---

That night Itachi laid awake on his bed, hearing Mother's soft voice and the faint voice of the small girl across the hall from his room. It was 11:00 pm. and the house was silent save for those two voices. Father was already asleep. The infant Hanabi had been attended to by a doctor Father had called. She was well, but would retain a small cold for the time being. For a baby she slept peacefully well. The other Hyuuga child, on the other hand, was a silent mess. She did not speak much and was awkward around strangers. It was a natural reaction, Itachi imagined, for a child who had been sheltered immensely. He had heard about the weak and fragile Hyuuga heiress. He was amazed how accurate those words he had heard rang true now that he had met her. And to further his dislike for her, she was taking over Sasuke's bedroom.

After another minute, Sasuke's door closed and Itachi turned to his side. He closed his eyes to feign sleep.

"Itachi. I'm coming in." His mother's voice rang melodically at his bedroom door. He could hear her footsteps on the hardwood floor as she entered. She sat by his side with his back faced towards her. She gently ran her hand down his warm back. "Are you okay?"

"…" A slight snore.

"You can't fool me, Itachi." Mikoto chuckled softly. Her hand continued to massage his back. "Don't be angry with your father. You don't have to consider them as your sisters, you know. Think of them like tenants living with us. You don't have to feel pressured to befriend them."

"…"

Mikoto sighed. At first, it seemed like a bad idea to have Hinata stay in Sasuke's room. Even she found it hard to accept another person sleeping in her youngest son's bed. But interacting with the fragile Hyuuga child tonight had made Mikoto see an image of what Sasuke must have gone through when he had disappeared. She's lonely, scared, and lost. I would want my baby to feel safe if he were found. She restrained her tears as she continued to stare at Itachi's sleeping face.

"No one can replace Sasuke. I'm not asking you to love them, Itachi. But please, be nice to them. If anyone had found Sasuke…I'm sure…we would want him to be treated well also." With one last smile on her lips, she lowered her face to kiss Itachi on the cheek, leaving her tear on his cheek. "Good night, Itachi."

Mikoto rose from the bed and headed toward the door. Just as her hand was about to turn the knob, a sigh escaped her lips.

Itachi was not alone in noticing the discovered noise. Mother, along with him, could also hear the older Hyuuga's crying across the hall from his room.

A few lingering seconds passed before Mikoto exited the room. Her footsteps traveled the opposite direction of Hinata's crying and into the bedroom she shared with Fugaku. Their door finally closed, leaving Hinata's crying as the only noise left in the house.

Itachi turned to his other side and opened his eyes. He wanted to rest.

"I'm not asking you to love them, Itachi. But please, be nice to them."

Yet, Itachi couldn't stand the noise in Sasuke's room. He would have to lay awake until her crying died down.

---

"Is Uchiha Itachi your older brother?" She asked interestingly, pointing to a thirteen year old boy dressed in a navy blue and gold embroidered school uniform that could only belong to the Konoha Intermediate Academy. A bunch of girls had gathered by the window of classroom 3-A to stare down at the handsome boy looking up at them with a closed umbrella in his hand.

"Hyuuga, we're talking to you!" Another female classmate had her head turned back from the window to glare at Hinata.

Hinata sat in her desk, staring at the failed math test in front of her. Sighing she turned to address Yamanaka Ino. "I'm sorry."

"Gosh, he's dreamy!" exclaimed Haruno Sakura, the one who had inquired first about the stranger outside.

The squeals were no match for Hinata's shudder as they grabbed her arms to pull her towards the window to inspect the handsome boy.

"Um…I don't have an older-"

"Just look!" snapped Ino impatiently. Her finger positioned at him. "We've seen you with him a couple of times already!"

"Yes, and I believe you should at least introduce us!" pouted Sakura, turning to Hinata and placing her hands on her hips. "Or you're not going to be invited to my birthday party this weekend."

"Eh?" Hinata replied. Haruno Sakura had never invited her in the first place. Hinata felt a bit confused by the apparent threat. "I…guess…I'll look." She glanced down the window.

Hinata's face immediately blushed at the sight of onyx eyes staring up at her. Itachi-san.

"Oh…you mean him?" Hinata murmured. Her eyes lowered and broke their eye contact. She felt embarrassed for having looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Of course! Is he a model or something?" asked Sakura, noting his perfect skin and bone structure. "I want to invite him to my birthday party!"

Hinata was not surprised at Sakura's excitement. She was the top female student in the class, pretty, athletic, and vocal about her opinions. No wonder she was perfect; all her classmates and sensei had discussed one day during math lesson how her parents were well-known doctors. She far exceeded in areas Hinata struggled to obtain. Once, Hinata even wished she had pink hair just to have the feeling of being unique like Sakura from all the other girls.

"N-no. He's not my brother." Hinata said the words with conviction and shook her head boldly.

"He isn't? Then why do we sometimes see you with him?" asked Ino.

"W-we are neighbors," answered Hinata. Her gaze rose to scan the umbrella in Itachi's hand. The sky had darkened considerably throughout the day. Itachi never visited her at the school unless it was to attain her progress at school. Otherwise, Hinata walked home alone. The Uchiha home was a few miles away, but Hinata never minded. She didn't want to request a car in fear of burdening Mikoto and Fugaku. They were not sending her to the Konoha Elementary Academy for nothing; but for her to excel and succeed in the best education given to any child in Konohagakure. Fugaku did not want anyone from his home sullying the Uchiha's reputation and Itachi was to help enforce this upon her. Hinata couldn't be more thankful for their generosity that she was able to attend such an illustrious school.

She would do her best not to shame the Uchiha name. Even if it meant she was choosing to hide the fact that she was living with them. Maybe the adults knew who she was living with, but her classmates were oblivious.

Riiiiinng! The school bell rang through the intercom.

"Let's get out of here!" exclaimed Sakura and the rest of the girls agreed excitedly. They did not bother to question Hinata any further, leaving her with the male students in the class. Grabbing their backpacks, the girls whizzed by the teacher who absentmindedly allowed them to leave. The richest parents brought their children to these schools; the teachers did their best to keep the children happy and the environment worthy of the parents' pocketbooks.

The male students' snickering sent a rush down Hinata's cheek and she eagerly packed up her things to leave. With Itachi to greet her in this dreary weather, she shouldn't be late. Running to the front entrance, she joined the large crowd of boys and girls eager to escape the coming rain. With her bag gripped by her fingers tightly, Hinata sighted Itachi by the campus tree. She could see her peers approaching him shyly with Sakura at the forefront.

Hinata was barely three feet away from the crowd of girls when she heard their conversation.

"Are you Haruno Sakura?" Itachi questioned with a finger pointed correctly at the pink-haired school girl.

"Yes, that's me!" She shyly said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Your parents told me to take you home. My name is-"

"Uchiha Itachi. In fact, I know a lot about you. My parents praise you a lot, actually." Sakura turned around and whispered to the girls frantically. A blush colored her cheeks brightly. Hinata stopped to watch the surprising scene before her.

"Well, we should go. The weather looks like it is going to rain." Itachi turned his attention to Hinata, as though he had already expected her, and smirked. "But first, I must give this to Hinata-san." He walked around the crowd of bustling girls and handed Hinata the blue umbrella.

"Itachi-san." Hinata could only reply to him in small words. His onyx eyes remained like weights on her shoulder as he continued to stare at her. She felt so small in his presence, literally and figuratively.

"For the rain," he replied quietly. He placed the umbrella into her dainty hand, knowing she was such a clueless child. He quickly turned away from her and walked toward Sakura. The crowd of girls made room for him as he entered through the bustling school girls to chat with Sakura. The two walked away together and entered a black vehicle with the Uchiha fan symbol engraved on both sides of the car.

Hinata watched the vehicle drive off. Her female classmates had also dispersed into their own directions. Hinata began her daily trip home with the blue umbrella in her hand. The clouds roared thunderously as rain coincidentally appeared. Hinata quickly opened the umbrella and held it above her.

Three years have passed since her stay at the Uchiha home. Hanabi was nearing three years old, being cared for by Mikoto, a woman Hinata felt resembled parts of Mother. Fugaku was a quiet man, but he had never yelled at her like Father. His words were serious, but never angry enough to scold her harshly. Hinata was thankful for his patience with her. However, for Itachi, Hinata could say otherwise about Fugaku's tone with him.

Hinata had learned many things about the Uchiha Clan. The role Itachi played was exactly like her former role. He was an heir to the clan and most of his time he spent studying the history of the Uchiha and engaging in conversation with older Uchiha clansmen.

However, Hinata could never decipher Itachi. At times he was kind to her, and other times he looked at her like she was a base creature.

Perhaps it were his eyes that confused her—the object of her greatest curiosity amongst Itachi's other mysterious charms—that never failed to leave her with hardly any words to say.

Author's Notes: Thank you for reading! Reviews would be awesome! There is not much SasuHina interaction right now, but I assure you it will happen in the coming chapters! Stay tuned!