There was a pause that honestly made her quite uncomfortable.
She tensed slightly, biting her lower lip and staring at the crowd; her hands clasped in front of her itching to wring each other.
Then, she felt her whole world shift. Applause. Real applause. It began slowly, gradually increasing and soon the sound of hands clapping filled the entire place. Her face was blank, still unable to take it all in. A smile slowly crept up her face, tears of joy collecting. Her eyes flickered to her father, standing with his eyes closed, hands... clapping for his daughter.
She bowed one last time before scurrying off stage, million thoughts coming to mind but one thing she was sure of; she needed to see Itachi.
She needed to see him, she wanted to see him. For now, as of this moment he was the only one she could think of.
He was the one who helped her; he was the one who made her who she is. He worked hard for her.
She searched through the crowds, ignoring bright colours and focusing on the dark.
She will find him, she had to. She had to... will, thank him.

"Hiashi."
"Fugaku."
Oh boy, Sasuke sighed and tried his best not to roll his eyes. Here it comes, the awkward stare.
The two stood there for awhile, Sasuke at Fugaku's back, arms folded, face expressionless but his eyes couldn't hide his annoyance.
Onyx met cool silver. It was a battle for superior, the one less intimidating, (or the one who gets an eyelash stuck in his eye) will be the loser. They had weird competitions like these.
They've never shouted at each other and they've only sparred when they were young. This was their... mature way of settling things.
"Dad, I'll just – "
He heard his father's low growl and sighed inwardly. This was the last place he wanted to be.
I want to spend time with you she says, then she leaves me here. Idiot.
Technically it wasn't her fault but, details, details.

"Hinata-Chan!" Hinata reluctantly turned, and she felt extremely guilty for actually thinking of ignoring the call.
"Shisui-Chan!" She smiled and waited for him to approach her. Her breathing was faster than usual, she was sweating slightly, but he really didn't seem to notice that she was in a rush. All he could think of was,
"You look really beautiful, Hinata-Chan." He shook his head slightly and blinked a few times as though to confirm that it was Hinata he was seeing.
"Thank you, Shisui-Chan."
Hinata smiled, she was too preoccupied to react the way she normally does.
She didn't understand why; why she really wanted to see Itachi. It made her heart clench each time she'd turn to look and see that he wasn't there. Instead she had run in to one of her team mates or her friends; and she felt so guilty for just wanting to run off.
"Shisui-Chan, have you seen Itachi-kun?" The slight frown on his face went unnoticed.
"I... I don't know I haven't seen him. Why?" He felt slightly disappointed; but of course, Hinata being the naive and currently preoccupied Hyuuga that she is, didn't notice this.
She sighed slightly and nodded,
"Um, I'll tell you later, promise!" She raised her pinkie finger, her smile still plastered on her face.
Then slowly backing away and waving before turning, disappearing within the crowds leaving Shisui in a slight blur.
He felt... hurt.

"Itachi-kun." Itachi sighed inwardly, disappointed that it wasn't Hinata but... he knew that voice.
He turned, and there she was. He smiled slightly at the familiar sight.
"Amane-san." A rare sight to see a fellow Uchiha in a Hyuuga festival.
But judging by Amane's father's status as a Konoha shinobi, it's no wonder if they were invited personally. The brunette blushed slightly at his captivating smile before stepping forward.
"What are you doing here all by yourself?"
He isolated himself from the crowds, something Itachi normally does.
He had never liked crowds, ever since he was a kid. He can only imagine how his little brother is coping with his father, all the poor boy wanted to do was spend time with a girl he liked.
"I don't like crowds." He said truthfully. For some reason, that made her giggle. Amane was always a different person around him. He never knew why though.
Until today that is.

"Oh, I see." She smiled.
"What about you?" She froze for awhile, swallowing inaudibly.
"If its private I – "
"Actually," Amane interrupted.
"I was looking for you." The girl blushed slightly, seemingly nervous but her smile never faltered.
Itachi raised a brow in curiosity.
"Is there... something wrong, Amane-san?"
"N-No." Amane was usually a very calm and collected person, like most of the Uchihas'. To see her nervous is just weird, really.
"I... I want to tell you something."

How long has it been since he first stood here?
It was the best place to be alone, away from the crowds. He didn't expect something like that to happen.

"I... It's weird, and sort of ironic to say it here in a Hyuuga festival," she laughed nervously.
"But I can't just... I... I love you, Itachi-kun. I have... for a very long time."

That was just weird...

It was kind of sad for him too. Amane was a great friend. She was skilled and she was one of the few people he let in to his circle. He remembered meeting her sometimes during functions in the Uchiha compound. Her father being one of the Shinobi legends in Konoha and his father being the clan leader he had met her several times in his life.
She was nice to be around, it was rare to find a girl who didn't want to cling to him and try to seduce him all the time. But he had never expected her to... have feelings for him. Honestly he didn't know what to say at first, and it kind of hurt him to actually turn her down; because he saw himself in her.
What if her feelings were as strong as his to Hinata? How much would it hurt to be turned down?
He simply told her as nicely as possible that he wasn't interested in relationships for the moment and that he wishes to stay friends for the time being.
Somehow, he felt like Amane still had hope that someday he might accept her.
And he felt terrible that all he could think of at the time was...

"Hinata?" He said, with slight confusion in his voice. He heard the sound from her wooden shoes, 'clicking' and 'clocking' as she walked. She bent down rubbing her ankles gently, wincing slightly at the pain. She never liked those shoes.
"Hinata." He called out. She paused. Slowly she rose, staring at him as though she just couldn't believe it was him.

"Hinata are you – "
He was cut off by a sudden embrace.
A really sudden embrace; she practically ran into him.
His arms raised, staying still; shocked by the sudden hug. They said nothing for awhile.
"I'm tall." She giggled a little.
With those wooden shoes, it was no wonder.
"Hn."
Slowly his body relaxed, enjoying the feel of her arms around him, and her body against his. Was it his heart that was pounding like that or was it hers?
Slowly, strong arms wrapped around her, and her lips curved into a warm smile.
"W-Was I good?"
"Hn. Incredible"
"Thank you." Her voice sounded shaky.
"Thank you, so, so much."
"Hn."
"Without you I ... Thank you."
They stood there in each other's arms both content with the way things are
Her hands were incredibly brave today. Her hand on his back clutched on to his yukata tightly while
her hand on his neck slowly moved up, delving in to his silky black hair.
She has never done that before. But he liked it, a lot.
He sighed as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, resisting the urge to inhale her scent.
This is good enough he thought.
The fact that Hinata didn't pull away was more than good enough.
He would have never have imagined that Hinata, would do this. But oh, how long he has waited to feel her this close to him. How long does he have to wait to finally be with her?
He could feel her fingers moving up and down his scalp; they felt so soft, so delicate. Would it be wrong to go further?
He wanted her. He wanted her so badly it ached.
He reluctantly, pulled away wanting to look at her.
She furrowed her eyebrows with a look that said 'Why?'
Why do you do this to me? He thought.
She changed him. Whenever she was around, he was never like himself.
He smiled slightly, giving him that gentle yet boy-ish look that Hinata loved to see.
She felt his large hand cup her cheek, but instead of pulling away like Itachi expected her to she leaned in to the warmth; of course her cheeks reddened in the process. He loved that look. He loved her blush. He loved her touch. He just loved her.
He took it all in, her face, her touch as her hand reached to touch his.
This was perfect, he thought.
"Hinata," he whispered and it came out hoarser than expected, earning him an intense blush from the girl before him.
Was he really going to do it? Would she let him?

Before he could find out, reality came crashing down on him.
He furrowed his eyebrows slightly as Hinata's eyes widened. Was she afraid of what he was about to do? He could feel a sharp pain in his chest as she pulled away from his touch. Backing away from him, he watched slightly hurt by the way her face paled.
He can't believe it took him that long to notice that she wasn't looking at him, but behind him.

Shit.

He didn't even have to turn, he knew who it was, but he did anyway.

"Itachi." Fugaku eyes were piercing. But it wasn't exactly Fugaku he was worried about, it was the one behind him; his little brother.
There was a long, painful silence. Itachi was receiving a dangerous stare from his father and oddly, his brother seemed to be staring at the petrified Hyuuga behind him.
They were class mates as he recalled.
"We are leaving." Fugaku said, without a hint of emotion.
Sasuke's eyes remained locked on Hinata the whole time as if he wanted her to catch on fire.
With a nod, Itachi turned to face Hinata; seeing the worry in her eyes just made it that much more hard to leave. He could just grab her and run away... of course that shouldn't even be considered as an option.
"Hinata-san." The girl nodded. She was feeling a mixture of emotions right now; worried that Itachi might get in to trouble, scared that Sasuke might hate her and hurt that he was going to leave.. and might not come back.
And just like that, he left along with the other intimidating men one in particular glared at her the entire time.
He definitely hates me...

The walk home was terrible. He was anxious, irritated, annoyed and he was losing patience.
Mikoto was the only one who had paid attention to him, looking back at him from time to time, making sure he was Ok. The other two males were a step ahead of him, obviously pissed after seeing him and Hinata together. Though it wouldn't be that much of a problem if he could explain why he was... about to kiss her.
Hm.

Finally, they were back home. The tension in the air seemed to decrease a great deal, but he knew that a storm was about to arrive pretty soon.
"Itachi," Fugaku gave him a look.
It was the look he used to give him when he needed to talk to him privately; sometimes about personal matters, sometimes to ask his opinions on certain affairs. Never once was it about some girl he was seen with.
Itachi nodded and followed his father up the stairs.

Mikoto sighed, she really wanted to fix it but there was nothing she could do. Her husband was too much of an airhead to actually look at the big picture. Now her son is suffering for some stupid rivalry that he isn't a part of. Sasuke was on the couch, arms folded and eyes closed.
What the hell was happening?

The two sat on opposite sides of the room, facing each other. For few minutes the room was in complete silence, father and son were just staring at each other. Finally Fugaku broke the silence and sighed, sounding exhausted.
"Itachi..." He began.
"What were you doing with the Hyuuga heiress?"
"She is my friend." Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
"Friend?"
"Hn."
"Don't give me bullshit, boy."
"It is the truth." Technically, it is. Nothing serious had happened. Nothing had changed within the four years.
"Since when did friends get all touchy with each other? And last time I checked, you were never the touchy type."
"I was trying to comfort her."
"Why?"
"She was... tensed."
"Why?" Oh god...
"I didn't get the chance to ask her."
"Tch, I need a drink..." Fugaku exhaled.
"How long has this 'friendship' of yours been going on? And why didn't you tell me?"
"Four years." Fugaku's eyes widened.
"I didn't tell you because I knew how you'd react."
"Four years?" He dug his ears, shook his head and gave Itachi a certain look.
Itachi nodded in confirmation and a sigh escaped his lips.
"How?"
"We'd meet up in secret, far away from everybody else." He replied truthfully.
"You seriously expect me to believe that she is just a friend? Really?" Fugaku raised his eyebrows.
"Father, I am telling you the truth. There is nothing more between us."
"Why is it I find it so hard to believe you?" Fugaku leaned forward slightly.
Itachi sighed inwardly.
"Itachi, tell me the truth."
"It is the truth that she is my friend."
Fugaku sighed in frustration and leaned back facing the ceiling.
"However,"
Fugaku tilted his head slightly, to observe his son.
"However?"
"It is true that she is a special friend."
Fugaku sat up straight, slightly afraid of what his son might say. Itachi inhaled, it might explain things, but it might just make him more furious. He decided to just go for it.
"Four years ago," He began, catching his father's attention.
"I went on a mission to save the Hyuuga heiress."
"Oh no –" Fugaku interrupted as the memory struck.
"Don't tell me this is some romantic crap where you spent a few days with the little shit and you fall in love with her?"
Not exactly true.
Itachi shook his head. His father needed to stop watching those romantic soaps on television. It's getting dangerous.
"No. After the mission I felt compelled to... protect her."
Oh god this is so embarrassing.
He had never talked to his father about girls. He didn't want to know what his father would say if he did. But he had to admit, the look on his father's face was priceless; eyes like saucers, mouth gaping open and both eyebrows raised. Funny, he thought. But it wouldn't seem so amusing once he started lecturing.
"Itachi..."
Oh no.
"I understand."
What?!
Itachi was shocked by his father's reply, but other than the slight widening of his eyes his face showed nothing.
"I understand how it feels to want to protect something. It was the same for me a few years back. I was a genin and my first mission was to find this weird animal. A chipmunk or something like that."

A few years back?
Itachi raised a brow at that statement.
"I remember finding it and taking care of it for awhile. After the mission was over, I still wanted to take care of that chipmunk. I was attached. It sucks that you got that from me."

He is... comparing Hinata to a chipmunk.

"But this girl is different! She is not a helpless animal and it's not like she is too weak to take care of herself."
Itachi's head was bowed slightly as he listened to his father's words. He knew that. He knew that and yet... He couldn't leave her.
"What do you think will happen if you go on with this 'friendship'? She is a Hyuuga for that matter. It just wouldn't go right."
"Hinata-san is my friend, father."
"Oh god. Don't bring sentimental shit in to this."
"She is a very good friend."
"Itachi... Honestly, I am fine with it. Sure whatever, as long as Hiashi is not your best friend I am cool."
Itachi raised a brow inwardly. What is he talking about?
"I can see her again?"
"I won't stop you. You know what you are doing Itachi. I just never liked the thought of any of you being close to Hyuugas' since it will indirectly involve... Hiashi. And this girl his daughter no less."
He chuckled a little at the irony of it all, he remembered Mikoto being friends with his wife once upon a time.
"Just, keep in mind people are going to start to look at you differently."
Itachi thought it actually... went pretty well. He thought that his dad would probably never let him see Hinata again.
He never expected him to understand. He'd have to thank that chipmunk. His father never did want them to interact with Hyuugas unless it was on missions or where the situation needed it.

His father was dealt with but Sasuke? He seemed upset about the whole situation as well.
Probably the thought of his brother being involved with his classmate was disturbing.
It is... actually.
This is very difficult.

"Hinata-Chan!"
The pale girl snapped out of her thoughts, but didn't do much other than flinch. She felt so tired, too tired to even look up.
What had she done? Itachi was going to get into trouble thanks to her! It was her fault! And why did she feel so guilty for being near him?
"Hinata-Chan," She felt his hand on her shoulder, nudging her slightly.
"I was looking all over for you! I saw Itachi but – "
"It's fine Shisui-Chan." Shisui looked her for awhile, her sullen expression and the sound of her voice. She was upset.
"What happened?" He sat next to her, his expression laced with worry.
"Did something happen?"
"They saw us." Shisui furrowed his eyebrows.
"Sasuke-san and Itachi-kun's father, they saw us."

Ah, so that's why.

He was wondering why they had ignored him when he called out to them. He was slightly hurt at the time, thinking that they did it because they were being mean.
But that's not the case.
"Hinata-Chan..." He could see her eyes glistening, tears just waiting to be shed.
He put an arm around her, and slid closer to her in attempt to comfort her.
"What if he gets in trouble because of me?" Her voice sounded watery, and as expected; she cried.
She covered her face with her hands, uncaring towards the makeup on her face.
He he gave her a pat on her shoulder and sighed.
"I am sure uncle Fugaku is not that strict, Hinata. I am sure he'll let him see you eventually." He lied. He was pretty sure that Itachi would probably have to lie his way around if he wanted to see Hinata again. He knew how strong Fugaku's feelings were towards the Hyuuga. Mostly towards the head.
She didn't want to lose him. She didn't want to lose another precious person in her life anymore.
If she had to she would fight for him. No matter what.
But for now, she just had enough of tonight. She wanted to go far away, away from the crowds away from everyone.
"Shisui-Chan."
"Hm?"
"C-Can you take me away from here?"

"So what, are you guys dating or something?"
"No, Sasuke. We're just friends." Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Ugh, for all I know, the Hyuuga must have come on to you."

Well...

"Sasuke, really. It wasn't what it looked like." Sasuke kept silent for about a moment, and sighed. He shrugged and shook his head before pushing himself off the wall.
"Whatever. Not like I care."
Itachi watched his little brother walk away. He knew he was upset despite his expressionless mask.
Today was a mistake, but now he didn't have to hide around with Hinata anymore.
He didn't have to stay in the dark anymore. But what will that do to Sasuke? What will he do if he sees his older brother out with a girl his age?
Would he feel annoyed? Irritated? Disturbed? Probably all three.
Most likely his anger wasn't all directed to him. He was angry at Hinata, and there were two possible reasons for it.
One, he assumes that his annoying classmate went after his older brother despite the age gap and relations.
Two, this mystery girl Sasuke was talking about was Hinata.
Though it is highly unlikely that his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke would like someone like Hinata;
Was what he thought.

Chapter 14 is done! Hope you guys liked it! Don't forget to leave a review! Chao~