And this is the start of a new arc. This arc focuses on the relationship between Hinata and Itachi, while they are partners in Akatsuki. I'm not sure how long it's going to take- but a good couple of chapters, for sure. Thank you Airyo-CHAN. :D :D. Oh, and all others that review.

Partners

Itachi could hardly believe his eyes. Was that really... was that really the Hyuuga girl that he had met a couple of years ago? The one that helped him? Why was she in Akatsuki? Why not in Konoha? The questions tormented him, but outwardly, he showed indifference. Konan had just told him that they were to be partners.

Which made sense. After all, he was the only one from Konoha, and he was the most level headed of them all. He would be able to deal with a young girl, unlike most of the others. But, why was there a girl here in the first place? They were powerful criminals, not baby sitters...

Itachi saw Hinata's eye flash, as if reading his thoughts. He took another good look at her. Her eyes seemed haunted, and had rings under them, as if she couldn't sleep properly. Her chalky complexion gave her an ill appearance. Her expression was cold and detached, but also slightly crazed. Itachi immediately averted his eyes elsewhere, not wanting to stare at her disturbing outward appearance.

"Why?" He asked Konan coolly, refusing to give Hinata another glance. Especially know that the locket stood out, more than ever...

"What do you mean, why?" Konan retorted, her eyebrow twitching, ruining her stoic façade. "Hinata is a very famous criminal, and is quite similar to you..." Itachi raised an eyebrow, daring her to further her statement. And further her statement, she did.

"Well, Hinata here, managed to kill all but one Hyuuga. She is a famous criminal, and is able to hold out against me. She would make a good addition to Akatsuki." Konan explained, her words mocking him. Hinata killed the Hyuugas'? Why? Why did another person have to follow his own, horrific path?

Of course he had heard of another Massacre happening. He did pay attention to the news in Konoha, after all. But he had not bothered to learn the name of clan, having deemed it not worth his time. He sorely regretted that, now...

A sense of betrayal rooted within Itachi. It didn't make sense... because in what way had Hinata betrayed him? Was it because that the day he had met her, he had confided her with a small piece of his trust? It was strange... he shouldn't have felt betrayed... but he did. And betrayal, he knew, was the worst kind of pain.

"You shall leave on your first mission. Since Hinata is new, for now, you will not do the main assignment. Instead, you will do the side jobs that keep Akatsuki going. Your first mission is to assassinate the heir of the Daimyo for the Country of the Tea. You have two weeks, and you will leave tomorrow." Konan told them. It was quite sudden, but then again, so was this. Itachi had just been given a mission... with his new partner. But, then, what happened to his old one?

"And what of Kisame?" Itachi queried, raising an elegant eyebrow at Konan. She didn't even blink an eye before she replied in her blunt, and frankly, irritating way. And, Itachi had just placed her in a new category: degrading.

"You mean your boyfriend? Don't worry, he'll get along fine with Zetsu." Hinata, to her credit, didn't even smirk. Itachi glowered at the stoic Konan. At times like these, some of her old, cheerful personality shined through. And it was moments like these that Itachi dreaded, and disliked Konan the most.

Itachi, to Konan's annoyance, didn't even twitch, but only gestured for Hinata to follow him. "Come," He ordered, already leaving the room, "Let us see if you are to be my partner." What Itachi really meant, was that he wanted to test Hinata's strength. They were heading for one of the large vacant rooms, that could be used for training and sparring.

Hinata followed without question. Although, before Itachi went into the room, he decided to test Hinata, and see her capabilities. He would show her not to blindly trust a person, not in the way she did. He disappeared behind her, and was about to hit her, but she had blocked. But how could that be? There was no way she could have seen that... unless... Itachi glanced at her face, then saw her veins protruding out of her head. No wonder. She had activated the Byakugan.

"If you wish to spar, let us spar somewhere more becoming. I'd rather not fight you in a cramped and dark space, for that works to my advantage, and I would prefer if we fought a fair fight." Hinata murmured, turning around again, but waiting for Itachi to lead her. Obviously, since she didn't know where Itachi was taking her. Itachi then led her to one of the many large rooms in the Akatsuki Base.

The moment Hinata crossed the 'threshold', he immediately attacked, with the Sharingan. To his frustration, Hinata had an ultimate defence towards genjutsu- Byakugan. No genjutsu would work on her, and it was much to his disadvantage. So that meant, the Sharingan could only be used for copying techniques. That was, if he could copy the techniques. What Hinata did next baffled him.

She subsituted water; it pooled in rivers around him. Activating his sharingan, however, he could see how the water steamed and sizzled, something invisible to the naked eye. What did this mean? He watched in fascination as the water vaporized all things solid around it. It was strange... the water had a certain chakra to it, and he wasn't able to copy it. What would fire do to this kind of water?

He immediately breathed out his own jutsu, a large blazing fire ball, straight at the water. What was even stranger was... that his ultimate fireball jutsu, was cancelled out by this strange water. Cancelled out wasn't the right phrase... the moment the two jutsus met, they created this dark purple substance... that bubbled. It reminded Itachi of purple lava. He had never seen anything like it.

That was when Hinata started bringing in Taijutsu into this 'casual' spar. Her needles were very deadly; he observed as they pierced through everything. The problem was, that his Sharingan slowed everything down, giving him an ample opportunity to dodge. Even so, Hinata was fast. Slower than him, but fast enough to be able to hold out by herself.

It was then he understood how such a person could kill their clan. She had enough skill, with her dangerous water jutsu and such... but, he couldn't understand how she could have such a mentality. How wanted to shake her... was it worth it? Was it worth it to kill your clan? For him, it sure wasn't.

Itachi was uncertain of how they were going to 'get along', not with his very strong prejudice against her. Not only that, but she was also a traitor and potential danger to Konoha, just like Orochimaru. Itachi would not make the same mistake twice, would not let her run free. Who knows what sort of revenge she has planned in Konoha... Itachi held in a shudder. No, it would not get that far.

They sparred for about an hour before Itachi decided that it was enough. If he sparred any more, he'd be forced to activate the Mangekyo, which was lethal towards his health. Hinata understood, and stopped, not protesting, or cheering, or showing any signs of emotion. It annoyed Itachi. This was the first time that he was having troubles deciphering a person's emotions- especially when he wanted to. Hinata reminded him of himself. Which brought about the idea of her being exactly like him, the same situation.

The idea was immediately ruled out for numerous reasons. First of all, Hinata, last time he checked, was only a Genin. A powerful Genin, but a Genin at that. The Hokage wouldn't trust her with such missions. Second of all, the Hyuuga didn't have such a bloody history with Konoha, not like the Uchihas. The elders would trust them, and would be less wary of them. And finally, was that Hinata was a Hyuuga. For some reason, the Hyuugas were never ANBUs. Itachi had wondered why, but was never interested enough to delve deep into that story. His own problems (the Uchiha ones) were enough, already.

Yes, this idea is ruled out, which means that Hinata killed her own family of her own free will. Itachi wished he had such a choice. If he did, he would have never done what he did, and would still be in Konoha right now. But no, they are both here, and are preparing for a mission. They needed to get some things straight.

"Listen to me." Itachi said coldly, eyeing Hinata with suspicion. Hinata only stared back, unresponsive. "Just because we are partners, does not mean that we shall get along. Our only goal is to complete the mission. Any further contact is unnecessary." Itachi explained, some of his mistrust of females shining through.

"Understood." Hinata spoke in a high and clear voice, for the first time, and Itachi was chilled at how cold and detached it was. Her presence was palpable, yet at the same time... it wasn't. Her mind was in a different dimension. It was a curious feeling, this was. It was the first time that someone didn't want to talk to him, or have anything to do with him.

All his life, adults have chased after him, hoping to acquire his genius. All his life, girls have chased him, hoping to have him as a trophy, to show off (especially with his good looks). All his life, his family has been chasing him, vying for his attention. Never once had someone actively tried to get away from him. Even in Akatsuki, his presence was appreciated. So why was she so different? Why didn't she care? Wasn't he her partner, after all?

"Care to show me my room?" Itachi was yet again shocked at her voice. Domineering and icy, she almost stuck him speechless. But no one could do that to Uchiha Itachi. The last time that happened... was, well, when he learned his bees and birds. That was a topic that he'd never have the desire to revisit.

All Akatsuki got rooms. Well, not their own rooms, specifically, but there were guest rooms at the Base. While you were here, you were allowed to use one of the rooms as your own. He might as well show Hinata which ones you were allowed to use. He gestured for her to follow him, as he started walking down the corridor, towards one of the chambers.

Once they got there, he sharply turned his head, indicating that those would be her dwellings, and left her on her own. If she couldn't do a simple task as making herself comfortable in a room, she didn't deserve to be in Akatsuki. You had to be the best; and to be the best, you had to have common sense (which, admittedly, Deidara and Hidan didn't seem to possess, but that was beside the point). As it turned out, you needed common sense more than anything else in life.

He, himself, turned to find his own room, that he had used a couple of times prior to today. He was lost in thought; thinking about Hinata, and comparing his memories of her compared to the real life version he saw today. The more he thought about it, the more he realised that they weren't so different...

For example, both of the versions were equally cold. As Itachi had seen, neither were judgemental. Their attitudes were the same. Except, this Hinata was more weary, more alert. And it showed, especially on the outside; the dark rings under her eyes, the fact that her eyes flickered to his every movement, her pale skin. A couple of years ago, Hinata was a healthy, calm individual. Maybe it was the guilt that came with killing a clan? He had experienced it, as well. And then he thought of something, that he didn't think of before.

Weren't all the other members supposed to come? What had happened to them? And then he noticed: that he was the only Akatsuki member (other than Konan and Pein) there. Which meant that he was probably called early, to meet Hinata first, as he was her partner. That lead on to the fact that Hinata would be meeting all of the Akatsuki members tomorrow. If he had been more emotional, he would probably pity her. Good thing he wasn't.

He went to his own room, then engaged with sleep. He would meet all the Akatsuki, yet again, tomorrow... something that he was really not looking forward to.

Itachi's eyes automatically opened at the crack of dawn. Yes, sadly enough, Uchiha Itachi was a morning person, and that has been haunting him his whole life. He had never wanted to be a morning person; it just happened. And Itachi would forever curse the universe for it.

Once he was dressed, he immediately went to Hinata's room. It was time to prepare her for the Akatsuki; he was not that heartless. Or was he? Nevertheless, he knocked on Hinata's door, expecting to wake her up. To his surprise, there was a instant response, a reply of "Come in."

He opened the door, not knowing what to expect. Would she still be in bed? Would she be awake, by the window? Would she be dressed? What he wasn't expecting, however, was to find her on the floor meditating. She cracked her eyes open, her white eyes staring at him blankly. Meanwhile, he was lost in thoughts. Why was she meditating? Yes, he did it occasionally... but only to clear his thoughts. And she was doing it now?

That was when Pein decided to contact him. A hologram appeared in front of Itachi, visibly startling Hinata. She watched in fascination as Pein started to talk. "We have a meeting in two hours. All the Akatsuki have gathered. I expect you to be punctual, and bring your partner with you." And with that, the hologram disappeared, leaving a disgruntled Itachi and a wide-eyed Hinata it its wake.

"What was that?" Hinata asked, her eyes trained on him. Itachi would have shrugged the question off, only he knew that if he didn't answer, she'd just ask Pein... and he might as well save her the pain.

"A way of communicating via rings." Came Itachi's short reply, to which Hinata nodded, then closed her eyes. She then continued meditating, totally ignoring Itachi's presence. Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose, in frustration. But, he might as well join Hinata... in meditating, at least. He sat himself down, cross legged, and closed his eyes, copying Hinata. He tried clearing his mind, but there was a problem: he was hungry.

Luckily, fifteen minutes later, Hinata's stomach growled in an undignified manner. "Hungry?" Itachi asked monotonously, his eyebrow raised. Hinata, to his disbelief, didn't blush. She only nodded hurriedly, jumping to her feet. Then she pointedly stared at him, as if it was his obligation to lead the way. Well, it wasn't. But he might as well, since you know, he was hungry as well. Not because she was any of his business. Pfft. She wasn't.

But that was when he remembered something: there wasn't a kitchen in Akatsuki. Bitch, please! They were a band of crazy-ass criminals, why would they need a kitchen? As Itachi's stomach also grumbled, he was reminded of why they needed a kitchen. Because when they were hungry... there was nothing to eat... but each other. So he stopped in his tracks, and looked over at Hinata.

"The nearest town is around half an hour away. We will not have time, since we have to be on time for the meeting." Itachi informed, dismissing Hinata's incredulous look. Their stomachs grumbled. He sighed. She sighed. Then their stomachs grumbled again. Hinata seemed to get fed up, as she went over to her backpack, and opened it. Itachi's nose was hit by the smell of meat, and nuts.

"I come prepared." Hinata muttered under her breath, taking out the food, a delicious aroma wafting around the room. She then tossed Itachi half, and started delicately eating her own part. Itachi stared at the food in his hands, regarding it with mistrust. What if she poisoned it? But, he was a trained ANBU, and knew how to detect poison. And plus, he was too hungry to care. He too, started to eat neatly, as he was trained to eat courteously since he was young.

After eating, the both sat down to meditate, again. Except, Itachi had a new mindset: he knew exactly what was to be requested at the meeting. A kitchen, yes, a kitchen, would be in order. Itachi closed his eyes, compelled to dream of a beautiful, seamless kitchen, with its tiles shining and its cupboards full, but somehow, he knew that it would not be so.

An hour later, both of them were up on their feet, making their way to the 'meeting' room (the room with the giant statue to be used for world domination). Itachi wanted to make sure that they would be the first ones there, so Itachi wouldn't be the centre of attention. He had always hated that. It was not like he had a phobia of it, or something, it was just- he would prefer to stay in the shadows, observing and invisible, rather than being out in the light, the brightness blinding his eyes. And Hinata, he suspected, was very similar to him.

They entered the room, and the first thing they saw was Pein, his orange head bobbing up and down in greeting. Konan was at her place. Pein then gestured for both of them to go to their places. It was then that Itachi was obliged to show Hinata her place. He took one look at her sky ring, on her pinky finger, and she seemed to understand. She stood on her place on the giant hands, as Itachi took his.

One by one, the Akatsuki started to arrive. Sasori, who was always on time, came first, his hunched over figure blending with the darkness. He made no comment as he ascended to his place. Deidara, who was always with Sasori, entered after him, complaining. He failed to notice Hinata.

"Why do we have to always come on time, un! You are so annoying, Sasori-danna, yeah!" He then went on his own figure, sulking when Sasori failed to reply. Sasori was not perturbed.

Zetsu melted into his own place, making no noise, which was unusual. Normally, he was caught up in arguing with himself. He must have known what was going, to stay so silent. Next to him appeared Kisame, Itachi's ex-partner, who was quieter than usual. He ignored him, thinking that Itachi wanted to babysit the newest Akatsuki.

Finally, the last pair came in. Kakuzu, followed in by an annoying-as-ever Hidan. "I haven't done my ritual yet! Jashin-sama is disappointed with me! Oi, Kakuzu, answer!" But Kakuzu chose to ignore him, as a way of aggravation, and instead went to his own place. Hidan also reluctantly stood on his own finger.

All fell silent, as Pein started to talk. "We have a new member of Akatsuki. She will be partners with Itachi."

Itachi sometimes wished that Pein didn't have to stay so true to his name. But... this was a golden opportunity to mention their lack of kitchen...

this was a boring chapter. I know, I know. But I still have to concentrate on Hinata and Itachi for the next couple of chapters. Yes, be mad. But anyway, they officially met! Next, Hinata will come to learn the crazies of Akatsuki. Stay tuned!

Oh- AND THERE WILL BE A PRIZE FOR THE 100TH REVIEWER! A SCENE OF THEIR CHOICE!

Review, Review, Review,

Sincerely, Aurora-chan!