It's been a long time. Edited by Tamani sometime in 2015.
His Disciple
"Are you ready?" Itachi asked, staring at her both with determination and amusement. He was very aware that genjutsu was not in the realm of Hinata's talents - she too was aware of it and it irritated her more than anything. After training so hard to be good at everything, it suddenly came as a shock when she wasn't good at something.
"If I say no," she muttered slowly, "would you still attack?"
He smiled faintly and she activated her Byakugan in response, preparing herself for his genjutsu attack - but it was already too late. She found herself in a world that was black and red. The nerve of his smug face: just yesterday he was behaving like a small child far younger than her! Even after emotional instability, his skills would always show her who was older - and better - she thought, a slight scowl on her face. It hadn't effected her before, but the closer she got to Itachi, the more competitive they became; it was a friendly sort of competition, but it was competition, nevertheless.
Damn it! She'd worked so hard to be strong (and she knew that he had, too), but he seemed to achieve everything effortlessly! It was so frustrating - it was like he was Hanabi a hundred plus times improved. She actually felt pity for Sasuke - whatever inferiority complexes he must have faced would have been harsh.
"I find it amusing," he stated, smiling at her through a thick red mist, "how you still manage to lose yourself in thought under these circumstances. My first impression of you when you joined Akatsuki is very different from the one I have of you now."
"I find comfort in the assurance that you would never harm me to the point of severe injury," she smirked a bit, inwardly knowing that to be the case. However, she couldn't afford to be distracted; Sasuke's team could come to kill Itachi at any point in time. She had to know how to do a genjutsu convincing enough to fool Zetsu and the rest of Sasuke's team - and maybe even Sasuke himself. Although Hinata hoped that it wouldn't have to come down to that because she didn't have the confidence that she would be able to pull that off. She had a very realistic view of her abilities, and she didn't think that that was one of them.
"How would I dispel this genjutsu attack, Itachi?" Hinata asked, trying and failing to activate her Byakugan. Her Byakugan would be able to see through the chakra and she wouldn't have been caught in the genjutsu in the first place - but she had been too slow in activating it, and now she was trapped in Itachi's world. Although she did admit that she was somewhat curious to see what it looked like.
"Consider yourself lucky that I do not consider you an enemy, Hinata," Itachi warned, his dark eyes looking eerily serious. "If I was, I would torture you now in multiple ways, multiple times, and you would still feel the same amount of pain each and every time. It is not your body that is being affected - it is your brain; more precisely, the nerves in your brain. They can generate the pain regardless of whether you have physical wounds or not, which is one of the reasons why the Sharingan is viewed as dangerous, and one of the reasons why you should consider yourself very lucky that the Byakugan can see through most genjutsu." Itachi paused, but remained austere in appearance. "With that assurance, you become careless Hinata, and you can afford to let yourself slip - like now - but because of having no preparation, and not staying vigilant you become an easy prey to your enemy."
"Have you considered a career as an Academy teacher?" Hinata asked drily, taking note of his detailed explanations.
"I would have, had the circumstances allowed it," he answered back, his tone even more sarcastic. "But to answer your previous question - there is no way to dispel this genjutsu. To be more precise, no one that I have casted this genjutsu on has managed to escape it by themselves."
Hinata sent him an incredulous glance. "Is this one of the things that makes you so…" she was about to say cocky, but knew better, "confident?"
"In my battle techniques," he clarified, "yes."
"And now, let's head back to the real world." Just like that, Hinata found herself back in her previous position, staring into Itachi's spinning eyes. Not even a second passed before she activated her Byakugan, ensuring that no more genjutsu would be able to 'capture' her.
Itachi looked amused, and Hinata couldn't help but scowl further - she didn't even realise that she had been scowling. "Now, Hinata, observe me as I try to pull you in a normal genjutsu, without the use of my Sharingan."
"Yes, sir," she muttered under her breath. Looking even more amused, Itachi started slowly going through a couple of signs. Hinata concentrated on his chakra pattern; he seemed to focus the chakra on the hands, and slowly from the hands, the particles seemed to swallow up the room, creating something that looked like a faint blue barrier. She could see how that chakra would fog up any normal person's eyes, and create the image that the user wanted to create. It was an interesting technique, and she could also see why she had never tried doing it herself - something like this required a teacher. And for today, Itachi would be hers.
"Now, try repeating what I just did. While the Byakugan cannot copy techniques like the Sharingan, it can see how they work and if your memory is good enough, you can repeat it without needing the hand signs completely." Hinata already knew this, so she tried focusing on recreating her charka like she had just seen Itachi do.
The first attempt, to say the least, was a total disaster. The chakra didn't leave from her hands directly, but ended up exiting from other chakra pores in her body - and instead of being created into the pattern she had seen Itachi create, it ended up clumping together and forming something akin to a hurricane. Focusing on it with her normal sight, she could tell that it looked like pink water (for some reason); her water techniques were back with a vengeance, proving to her that she had focused so much on them she had forgotten other ares of jutsu. Like genjutsu.
"So, you did mention that genjutsu wasn't your strong suit, didn't you?" The Uchiha had a teasing lilt in his voice.
"Please refrain from speaking, Mr. Uchiha," Hinata bit back sarcastically. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate again on recreating the image that she had seen Itachi make. This time she was a lot closer to creating it - she could feel it - but she still remained unsuccessful. It kept on falling apart as she tried to construct it. "What am I doing wrong, Itachi?" Her question betrayed her growing frustration.
"You are trying to focus too much on what the chakra is supposed to look like. This genjutsu that I'm teaching you will allow you to show the person in front of you whatever you want them to see. So think about the picture you're trying to paint… What is it?" It didn't have to be something horrible, Hinata realised. If she wanted, she could show him a field of sunflowers - those used to be her favourite plants. She didn't know when, but she had started to prefer the poppies; the red of their petals reminded her of the red in Itachi's Sharingan. Focusing on that image, she tried to clear her mind of everything else.
Hinata opened her eyes once more with a slight feeling of triumph. Finally. She had finally succeeded in completing the technique that Itachi showed her - she never thought that genjutsu would be so difficult to master. Not that she had mastered it - far from it - but she had to at least get good enough to somehow convince a bunch of criminals that they had witnessed her death. It wouldn't be easy but she knew that she'd succeed somehow. After all, her and Itachi's futures both depended on this. On her. And him - but she knew already that his success was inevitable. He always succeeded in whatever he wanted to succeed - Hinata guessed that that was part of being a genius.
"Good job, Hinata," Itachi murmured, his voice suddenly near her ear. His hand had circled around her waist and he slowly buried his face in her shoulder. He had sounded genuinely pleased, and Hinata didn't doubt he was. But the intimacy distracted her; she wasn't used to it. Trying to reciprocate, she slowly stroked his hair with her right hand. He was seeking comfort, and she daresay she knew the reason.
She searched for words that would make him understand that this situation wasn't as fatal as it seemed. There were none; that just made her put her left hand on the hand that was around her waist. There was no need to comfort him further: this was enough. This was enough, until he decided to verbally state what was bothering him.
They stayed like this for awhile, motionless, silent. Finally, Itachi brought his forehead to hers, staring at her with his red eyes, his tomoes spinning. He pressed himself closer to her, pushing her body against his - but it wasn't an action that signalled attraction, she noticed. Hinata was certain that he was still seeking comfort in a way that she knew that only she could provide.
"I haven't seen my brother in years," he began, his breath fanning her face. "And this is most likely the last time I'll ever see him." His voice and stance indicated his melancholia, and Hinata could relate all too well. "He was… he is… the last reminder of my past. I am letting him go, Hinata. I am trying to let him go and accept you as my present and future, but I do not know if I can." Did he mean that he wanted to let go of his past? He would do that? She hadn't asked him to, but if he could… it would be better for both of them in the long run.
"You can do anything, Itachi," and she wasn't being too soft with her words, either. He could achieve the impossible - he had already achieved the impossible. Why did he have so many insecurities? Hadn't he already proven himself to everyone so many times already? And yet, he was still so modest, still so humble. How could he stay this way after all that had happened to him?
Itachi didn't reply to her reassurance, and instead closed the gap between her mouth and his. The kiss was soft and feathery unlike their previous ones which had been rough and harsh. He caressed her cheek softly before he pulled away.
"Sorry," he apologised when he saw her confused expression, "It's best not to get carried away while we are still in the process of training. Maybe later." He tried to wink, but that resulted in an odd spasm of his eyelid which made Hinata giggle quietly.
"Sure," agreeing easily, she activated her Byakugan and tried hitting one of his chakra points. Quickly moving away, Itachi succeeded in dodging her surprise attack.
"I'm sure that you are fully aware that this wasn't the type of training I had in mind, Hinata," Itachi responded verbally instead of attacking himself.
"Oh?" Hinata pretended to be oblivious to what he was saying.
Itachi restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "I know that genjutsu isn't your preferred type of jutsu, but we do have to practice it… unless you are willing to take back your words?"
Hinata's mood soured. She hated it when Itachi tried to manipulate her… because he was so damn good at it. "You know that I am only joking."
"As was I," he responded without missing a beat. "Now, try once more. What will you show me?"
Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine the crimson red of the poppy petals. They were a resilient flower that thrived even in the worst of conditions - and also a flower that has anaesthetic properties. Those properties that make it… addictive. Just like Itachi. Concentrating, she tried to link poppies to Itachi and somehow, the chakra went into the correct form on its own.
"A field of poppies again, Hinata? Are they your favourite flowers?" Opening her eyes, she managed to detect the pleased look on Itachi's face that would be hard to spot if she hadn't known him so well. Inwardly, she felt a bit embarrassed - there was no way that she would ever tell him that they were favourite flowers because they reminded her of him. And that because of that reminder, she had somehow managed to complete the jutsu that he had showed her.
"Yes," she answered, somehow managing to keep a straight face.
"I thought you liked sunflowers," he mentioned, looking a little thoughtful.
"I did," she responded, wondering how on earth he knew that.
Itachi now looked a little curious. "What changed?" It wasn't like it was important, but it wasn't unimportant either - Itachi liked knowing all he could about Hinata.
Hinata stayed silent and bit her lip. What had changed? She used to admire the way the sunflowers always faced the sun; how they were so large and so prettily golden. She still did… but now she found the mystery of the poppy and its brilliant colour much more enchanting. Some people would laugh at the way she put so much thought into flowers, but the truth was that pressing flowers had always been one of her favoured hobbies as a young child, one that her mother taught her before she died. As she grew older she abandoned the hobby choosing to spend time on more practical things like training, but she'd always been invested in flowers…
What had changed? She was almost disturbed by the thought. Hinata didn't know, but it wasn't like she was going to tell Itachi this. "Tastes change, Itachi," she said assuredly. Itachi eyed her sceptically but decided that pursuing the topic on flowers was too ridiculous a notion.
"Are you sure that you will be able to recreate the image on the battlefield, or would you like to practise more?" He asked instead, already knowing the answer. She had only successfully created an image twice, and it was only convincing once. For her to be confident, she had to create a convincing image at least ten more times.
Instead of replying, Hinata tried to once more create an image. This time, she imagined something different: a large tree with its leaves swaying in the wind. While that may not seem like a big leap from the other image she had chosen, it was much harder to create because of the movement of the leaves. The field of flowers had been static; she had only had to arrange the charka pattern a certain way and hold it there. Now, she had to arrange the chakra pattern and keep it flowing in order to recreate what she wanted to show to Itachi.
The scenes she showed got bloodier and bloodier with each new one. It was only logical, as she was preparing to convince an audience of her death; that wouldn't be done with a specialty of showing flowers and other plants. But finally, after enough practiced, she deemed herself prepared enough to do it in real battle and Itachi agreed with her decision.
But there was still something else that she wanted to do, that she wanted to try… And this seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring the topic up.
"Itachi, could I please sign the summoning contract for ravens?" While it was posed like a question, her tone screamed that it was a command. The Hyuuga had thought themselves to be above summoning animals; but Hinata thought that they were convenient, and ravens seemed like suitable (for her) birds to have at hand. It was also another thing that she'd have in common with Itachi.
Her Akatsuki partner regarded her with a suspicious look. "Why would you want ravens as your summoning animal?" He wasn't as willing to comply to her request as she expected. She was rather confused as to why. Whatever the case, she needed to put her desire into words that would convince Itachi to allow her to sign the summoning contract.
"It would be easier for us to contact each other if we're larger distances apart. Now that we're planning to leave the Akatsuki, we cannot use the rings to keep in contact anymore. Besides, ravens could also help me in battle tremendously…" She trailed off, carefully observing Itachi's face to see whether he agreed with her reasoning or not. Thankfully, it seemed like she was successful in her mission.
Kneeling, he bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood and drew a sign on the ground next to his right leg. Black seals traveled from his hand and when he removed it, in its place was a large raven with feathers blacker than night and beady eyes that stared at her.
"So this is the new Uchiha bride," it said, eyeing her up and down. Neither Hinata nor Itachi graced the raven with a reply.
"Yami, I would like the scroll, please," Itachi directed, his tone slightly scolding.
"Fine, fine… Both of you are no fun. You suit each other." Yami grumbled, his wings flapping slightly. In the next moment, he opened his beak as wide as it would go, and it seemed like his body expanded. A scroll slowly appeared from its beak, which Itachi took nimbly with his dexterous fingers.
"Here, Hinata," Itachi gestured, opening the scroll and laying it out in front of her. She saw his name signed in blood next to the empty space where she was supposed to sign hers. His handwriting was so elegant and beautiful… Like everything about him.
Taking a deep breath, she bit into her thumb and brought her hand to the top of the column. Hinata Hyuuga was written just as neatly next to Itachi Uchiha, and as soon as she had finished writing it, the scroll disappeared without a trace. A bit startled, she looked at Itachi.
He shrugged. "Yami has a thing for dramatics," he explained, "He did the same when I signed it: disappeared without a trace along with the scroll."
They both fell into a comfortable silence. Itachi looked like he was about to say something before his expression changed; hardened.
"It's time," he murmured quietly. "I can feel it."
Hinata nodded, not asking how he knew that. Instead, she activated her Byakugan, crouching in a stance that indicated that she was ready to leave.
"We're going to an old, abandoned Uchiha monument," he stated, and they were there and a second later they were gone like leaves in the wind.
This chapter is a bit like the calm before the storm. I've been gone for 4 months, and I guess it's because this chapter was hard to write. No, in general it's been getting hard to write for me. I hope the quality hasn't gone down.