Sometimes unexpected thoughts come to mind.
When she had talked to Neji about losing a precious friend, the only person she could think of was Itachi. After, she had thought about the conversation with Shisui and inevitably her mind wandered to memories of Ken; the boy she loved, but may never see again; slight depression.
Then, the weirdest thing happened.

She had left her room to get some fresh air and clear her head in the garden when she came across her father who was heading to training area. She greeted him and it was replied with a flat nod, but something was different. An image came to mind.
Dark hair, dark eyes and bangs; Uchiha Sasuke.
Then, immediate uneasiness followed by an urge to see the boy. He would be the easier one to track down and the one who she could apologise to first if he was –which he obviously was- angry.
She still couldn't shake off that icy cold glare she was given by him.
Never in her life had she been so afraid of an Uchiha.
He was frightening, but he was her friend. She promised she would fight for her friends; for her precious people. That's what she is going to do.

"Fancy running into you eh I-ta-chi-kun."
The man he really didn't need to bump into came out of nowhere.
"Kakashi-san." He inwardly sighed. Hopefully he is here about a mission that will get his mind off things. But he really wanted to see Hinata...
Though he wasn't even sure if she'd show up this evening, after what happened yesterday and all.
"So, how was the last issue? Pretty good huh? I heard a new issue is out on sale."
That explains why he is here.
"Ah," Itachi replied trying to sound uninterested.
"Care to join me for a little go see?" Kakashi pointed to the bookstore and winked, flashing him a rather disturbing smile from underneath that mask of his.
"No, it's alright." Itachi swallowed inaudibly. God knows what Jiraiya's research has resulted in. He didn't want to risk finding out and having even more inappropriate fantasies about his young friend.
"Hm, suit yourself." Kakashi shrugged.
He watched as Kakashi headed to the bookstore, this time sighing out loud.
Though he really is wondering what the lead would do once he finds out the girl had been -

No! He must not succumb to his weird hormones! As a shinobi he has been through so much. He became ANBU captain at thirteen and he has done many in the dark secret mission since then; assassinations, espionage, the worst.
If he lived through that he can live through -

Kakashi's out, plastic bag in hand. Just look away Itachi, look away. The Uchihas' were probably the most rock faced people in the world. Itachi was one of the best at that.
His impassive look was perfect, totally unreadable. Kakashi passed by the Uchiha staring at the various items out on display.
"Itachi-kun," The man turned lazily only to be attacked by a flying book; nothing his reflexes couldn't handle.
'Icha-Icha Make Out Tactics Vol: 6'
This is not good.
"Kakashi-san!" Itachi furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
Kakashi raised a hand with his back still facing Itachi, another hand busy holding up the newly bought book.
"Forty coins, thank me later." He grunted as he stared at the cover of the book.
He can't actually give Kakashi the book back, the guy did buy it. But he bought it without asking him! He could always return it, but the guy at the book shop might think he bought it.
He could just burn it but... it's such a waste...
Jiraiya-sama must have worked hard... It's not good to throw other people's hard work.
With a deep breath, he kept the book in his pocket; making him look pretty weird with a rectangular bulge on the side of his pants.
Maybe it's time he got back home for lunch and maybe a little reading time... You know just because there's nothing much to do anymore.

"Just get lost."
Not even a rustle. Yet, he didn't doubt she was there. He was an Uchiha jonin for god's sake! Of course he could sense her chakra.
"Hinata." He snapped.
Finally, a loud thump was heard.
Clumsy idiot.
He was really irritated now. The patch of green had been reduced considerably thanks to his
chidori-ing. If she gives him more bullshit, god knows what he'll do next.
He turned as he heard rustling noises, the girl was trying to get up. How she became a chunin was beyond him. He rolled his eyes and stood there arms folded, with no intentions of helping her out. Then a figure emerged; face flushed eyes wide and filled with a hint of fear. His piercing glare did not help calm her nerves.
"Get lost, Hyuuga." She flinched.
Why is she so irritating?
"S-Sasuke, I – "
"Save it." He hissed.
She furrowed her eyebrows with a hurt expression. Instead of heeding his words she approached him, getting closer. Soon she was out of the bushes and was just a few steps away from him.
"What do you think you are doing?"
He narrowed his eyes, the grip on his arm tightening to the point where his fingernails were actually digging into his skin.
"I came to apologize." She stated looking away.
"Apologize?" She gulped.
"For what?"
She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.
"For ditching me in some bullshit festival or for trying to seduce my brother?"
Her eyes widened beyond humanly possible. She shook her head slightly, obviously confused and quite pained.
"I didn't try to do anything! Itachi-kun and I are just friends! I-I didn't mean to hurt you – "
"Hurt me? How could you ever think of hurting me? You're weak, pathetic and useless. And you are a waste of my time." He scowled uncaring of the tears swimming in her eyes.
"Sasuke, please... I really am sorry!"
He didn't like it. He didn't like her saying sorry, he didn't like seeing her stupid hurt expression and he sure as hell didn't like her.
"I just wanted to be friends..." Sasuke snorted.
"Well you sure have a great way of expressing your friendship."
"Please Sasuke, I really am sorry."
Why is it every time she said it like that... he just felt like giving in? Why did she have this irritating effect on him? God she is so infuriating!
He couldn't forgive her just like that and let her get away for irritating him so. He admitted maybe he might have crossed the line a bit, thinking back on his brother's words also confirming that they were just friends.
He grunted, then inhaled sharply.
"I am not a forgiving person." She nodded, still unable to meet his gaze.
"If you want to be my 'friend'," He scowled.
"Then you'll have to work for it."
He almost wanted to roll his eyes as she shot up and flashed him a bright smile. Her face was practically shinning. She clasped her hands in front of her.
"I am willing to do so for our friendship Sasuke."
"Yeah, whatever."
Sasuke waved it off, acting like he didn't care. He was going to make full use of this. He's going to make sure she regrets coming to see him.
He held back an evil smirk and stared at her with full force.
"First, you will meet me here every week on this day and to train. Hard."
The pale eyed girl listened and forced a serious face.
"After, you will treat me to a nice meal and then do as I say until the evening ends. No exceptions."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, Sasuke-sama." Sasuke's eyebrows twitched as she giggled to herself.
That is not cute. He convinced himself.
"I don't care if you didn't bring your weapons pouch, you are going to fight me right here right now. I am not patient enough to wait for you."
He glared and for awhile Hinata made a 'whaaat?' face that was utterly amusing.
"R-Right now?" She gulped and he nodded in reply.
"You can use your Byaakugan."
"I-I – " Before she knew it she was cut off by a speeding Sasuke and she knew he wasn't kidding; though it was highly unlikely that Sasuke would kid about anything.

Oh my.
Itachi flicked through the pages of his newly bought book. Whenever he read these kinds of books, in private areas of course, his face would sport a very slight tint on his cheeks; unseen by all the inhabitants of Konoha; never once has Itachi blushed in public. The only times his cheeks were red outside, were if it was really hot outside, or he'd just been through rigorous training or he had a fever.
No matter who or what he saw, he never, EVER blushed in public before. There were a few times his face had turned warm mostly thanks to Hinata, but that was as close as it got.
He didn't snicker like Kakashi, he didn't drool like Shisui and he didn't make a constipated face like his father. He was just, blushing slightly.
How absurd.
He flicked the page.
He felt tingly and really, really hot. His stupid imagination ran wild as he read through, his Hinata fantasies were getting seriously out of hand.
"Itachi-Chan~"
Mother!
Swiftly, he closed the book and hid it inside one of the pockets of his clothes.
Not a very intelligent hiding place, but good enough for now. He'd add it to the stash later.
"Yes, mother?"
"Amane-Chan is here to see you!"

Amane?

He furrowed his eyebrows a little as the memory of her confession came to mind.
Amane was one of his treasured friends, and she wasn't the type of person who fussed over things. She probably had something important to say or she just wanted to talk with a friend.
Whatever it is, he has to do what he does best; pretend like nothing had happened.
"Coming."
He opened his room door and headed downstairs.

"Amane," Itachi came down to see his friend in a white t-shirt and black track pants with her bangs clipped backwards; an invitation to jog perhaps?
"Itachi-kun," The brunette smiled.
"Want to go for a walk?" She raised her eye brows and pointed out the door with her thumb, smiling hopefully. Itachi turned to his mother who was grinning from ear to ear, hugging a tray in her hands. She nodded in approval.
"Hn."

She has improved considerably; but she was still outmatched.
Even so, WOW. He could easily say without much thought that Sakura and Hinata are probably the only two kunoichi that he knows possesses potential.
She had learned new moves and her swiftness and flexibility have increased greatly; so much so that when she fought with him, she looked like she was dancing.
It was in a way, mesmerizing though he would never admit it out loud. Hyuuga Hinata was a worthy sparring partner. Looks like this turned out to be quite a good deal.
Even so, now she looked quite pathetic. She spread out on the ground like a starfish and was breathing heavily. He sighed and walked towards the beat Hyuuga who was sweating and practically gasping for air.
He shook his head at the sight of her.
He kneeled down and looked at her tired face.
"Oi." He resisted the urge to 'gently' slap her cheeks. She was sweating quite a lot and he assumed it was because of the jacket she was wearing.
"Next time take off the jacket so you won't sweat so much." The girl blushed profusely even though the Uchiha said it so flatly. He noticed her obvious blush and smirked; it was so easy to tease her.
Oh, this is going to be really fun. He's starting to have a liking for Wednesdays.
"Come on, wake up." He said sounding irritated as he downed the water from his bottle.
Hinata turned and looked at his water bottle, swallowing obviously. Sasuke bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from smirking and continued drinking the water, pretending to be oblivious to Hinata's obvious need for water.
Yes, he loves Wednesdays.
Hinata held out her hand and rasped, "Water..."
Surprised by her bravery and in the mood for a little torturing, Sasuke leaned in holding the bottle close to his mouth and licked his lips.
"What was that?" he asked her, sounding impassive as always.
"W-Water..."
He continued drinking and he could see her expression from the corner of his eyes; priceless.
He let out a sigh of relief as and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
He shook the bottle, and Hinata's eyes widened as she heard the splashing of water.
"Hm? What was it you wanted?"
Immediately he froze as delicate slender hands were on his, trying to grab the bottle.
"Please, S-Sasuke..."
A shiver ran down his spine as his name escaped her lips; and in that hoarse voice.
Damn, she was annoying.
He grunted and slid his hands off hers, allowing her access to his water bottle.
There was a tug on the corners of his lips as she held the bottle up, smiling as if she were worshipping it before sitting up and to drink.
That is DEFINITELY not cute.
She drank it down greedily and some water escaped through the corners of her mouth.
She smiled and sighed out loud. She turned to the Uchiha next to her and flashed him a bright smile.
He remained impassive and her smile wavered.
Why is it so hard just to make him smile? She never really saw the boy smile before, and no smirking doesn't count.
They stared at each other for awhile, Hinata blinking from time to time but Sasuke's gaze was intense. Like he was observing her; it was intimidating.
It reminded her a lot of how Itachi would look at her. Colour tinted her cheeks once again and she looked away unable to keep her eyes locked on to him. He still scared her a little.
Sasuke on the other hand couldn't stop staring. He was intrigued by her. She was a girl and yet she was nothing like the females he knew. She was weird, and she just cared for people.
As for her appearance, well, her eyes were white but not exactly white; they were tinted with some kind of weird colour that he was sure the other Hyuugas didn't have. She was pretty. Extremely. Even in this state. He must be having heat stroke or something.
His eyes moved from examining her face to the curve of her neck then slow they trailed down her collar bone, but not further than that. He had to convince himself, he wasn't interested in all of that.
He didn't care.

"I am hungry." He said flatly.
The statement startled the girl and slowly she turned back to face him, only to see the boy staring at up at the sky with his usual unreadable expression.
"I didn't bring a bento..."
Kill her. Somebody kill her.
"I told you to treat me to a meal, idiot." She furrowed her eyebrows, still not used to his harsh words.
"Mm." He felt guilty, but decided to ignore it. It was her fault that they're in this situation anyways.
"But where do you want to go?"
She shuddered as another smirk crept up his lips.

"Sorry for dragging you out of the house, Itachi-kun."
"I came out willingly. Besides its good to get out of the house sometimes and just take a walk."
"I guess so..." Amane blushed. She wasn't like any of the other girls who liked him. She didn't go out of her way just to get his attention, she didn't dress up and wear tons of make up.
Amane was a nice girl.
"So where is uncle Fugaku? I didn't see him around."
"He had some business to attend to at the station."
"I see. So how are the ANBU missions going? From what I see you've been pretty free." Amane smiled.
"Hn. Right now is what you call the calm before the storm. Tsunade-sama is saving her best men for – "
"Ohh, you're one of the best men huh?" Amane patted his back.
"Hm, it's pretty amazing being friends with someone like Uchiha Itachi." She nodded to herself.
"Shisui was also one of the few ANBU captains on reserve." Itachi smirked.
He remembered there was a history between the two once upon a time.
"Mm, but he is nothing like you." She said silently but audibly.
Then awkward silence. Itachi didn't mind it much, but the tension between them was building; looks like it's not such a good idea to be around Amane for the time being.
"Itachi-kun." She stopped and put her hands on her chest, as she did Itachi turned and came to a stop as well.
"I know... you didn't accept me before but, please know that I will be waiting for you!"
"Amane, I- "
"Please, just don't interrupt me." She looked down.
"I don't want to force you into a relationship, and I don't want you to be with me out of pity. I just... want you to know that. And, if you ever find somebody else I want you to promise me that you'd come to first! I want to be the first one to know."

Because it'll hurt more to hear it from someone else...

What is he going to do now? He never knew how to handle these kinds of situations.
Just, do your usual thing Itachi.
"Maybe we should get back home. It's getting late. Shall I walk you home?" The girl pursed her lips.
For a few moments it was back to silence, then the girl finally spoke.
"Is it okay if... I come over for awhile? I am feeling pretty bored at home." She flashed a weak smile.
"Just for awhile, Itachi-kun; I promise in a jiffy." The girl crossed her heart.
Hopefully, a jiffy is before Hinata gets to the training ground.

Hinata regretted bringing her wallet along today.
Sasuke was a monster morphed into a human. He had no mercy. He took a girl out to the most expensive restaurant in Konoha that allows underage customers, only to drain her of all her savings.
How many missions will she need to complete in order to earn the money back?
In the hopes that Sasuke might share the ample amount of food he ordered, Hinata stuck with water. She could feel her tears brimming at the sight of Sasuke gorging down the food without so much as a glance in her direction.

That... that... meanie!

She made the most puppy dog face she could conjure up when she had to pay the bill, Sasuke said he had to take a leak.

Great.
So now here they are, walking through the streets to see if Sasuke 'needs' anything else; well Sasuke was walking, Hinata was staggering while mentally mourning the loss of her hard earned money.
"Oi," Sasuke turned back.
"Walk faster. You're too slow."
"Sorry, S-Sasuke," She exhaled as she jogged to catch up.
Then she realized, it was almost sun set.
"Sasuke,"
"Hm?" He said roughly.
"It's getting late, maybe we should call it a day." She wrung her hands. Surely Sasuke is bored of her by now. Sasuke stopped and turned to look at the sky before looking back at the petite girl.
She flinched and put on her best friendly face.
"No."
Whyyyyy?
She was afraid to go to the training ground, yes. But what if Itachi was there?! What if his father allowed him to see her?
"S-Sasuke,"
"What?" He hissed.
"I-I need to meet Itachi-kun."
Slowly he turned, eyes filled with a strong dark emotion that made her shudder.
"What did you say?"
"I-"
"You want to meet Itachi?"
The girl gulped and nodded.
"I always meet him at this... time. Around evening." She looked down and played with the hem of her jacket.
She became more and more nervous as he said nothing but she could feel his eyes on her, staring intensely.
"Go." She almost smiled at him,
"But if you ever come before me after that for any reason, I'll kick you."
Why did he say that? So what if she wants to meet Itachi? Go ahead. Not like he cares.
So... why is he so angry?
Immediately Hinata's face went blank and she shook her head once she realized Sasuke was pacing away.
"S-Sasuke!" She called pleadingly.
"Wait!"
She jogged to catch up with him. Today it was like she had to take care of a really irritated child.
He walked faster, turning here and there just so he can shake her off. But she followed, soon she found herself running in to dark corners away from the streets.
He let out an irritated 'tch' as he glanced back and saw the girl still running after him.
With a frustrated sigh, he stopped and turned to look at her; she was still running but slowed down once she realized he had stopped.
He waited for her to stand before him and folded his arms.
"What are you doing?"
"C-" She inhaled.
"Catching up to you! I can't walk as fast as you Sasuke!" She put her hand on her chest for awhile.
"Aren't you supposed to go see Itachi?" He scowled.
"B-But you said if I come before you again, you'd kick me!" She said sounding rather hurt.
"Then don't come before me again." He shrugged and turned away.
"B-But – " She sighed and he thought she had finally given up on her weird friendship crave. He smirked and realized how fast she gave up on him.
He knew all of what she said was bullshit.
He furrowed his eyebrows as he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down at the girl, who looked like she was near tears.
"What if he is there and waiting for me? I don't want to make him wait."
"Fine then, go.."
"B-But – "
"Hinata," He leaned down for effect, just to be at eye level with her and make her look into his eyes.
"Are you really serious about what you say?"
He smirked at her instant blush at the close proximity.
Hinata wasn't sure if Sasuke wanted to spend time with her, or if he didn't like the idea of her being with his older brother or if he just wanted a slave to boss around.
She didn't know why and at that moment she really felt like she was crazy, but she felt like his friendship was worth it. Besides he might warm up to the idea of Itachi and her being friends if she became friends with him. Or better yet, he might even support it!
She nodded in response and calmed down the minute he rose and was no longer an inch away from her face.
"Don't worry," he said reassuringly.
"I am sure Itachi won't be there today. He is a practical person. The type who would wait for my father to cool down before continuing his secret meetings with you. Even if by some weird miracle that he waited, I'll tell him why once I get home."
She blushed and felt really bad that she was the cause of his misfortune.
"Mm." Was her reply.
The boy sighed and grabbed her wrist, earning a high pitched 'EEP' and an intense blush.
"Come," he said as he dragged her out of the alley.
"I need more entertainment."
"H-Hai, Sasuke-sama." She giggled, a little tensely as he grunted.
He wondered why he was still holding on to her wrist. It's not like she is blind or anything.
He felt her fingers brush against his hand a little as he pulled her with him and it felt... nice.
He decided to push the thought away and just enjoy the feel of her hand before letting go once they got to the streets.
Was this what Itachi was talking about?
Does he 'like' Hyuuga Hinata? Nah, he just liked holding onto soft stuff.

Sorry about the whole Sasuhina thing. I assure you it is quite important for the story advancement.
Not to worry ItaHina fans! ItaHina will be coming soon :)
Don't forget to review~