Itachi stared at the little girl who had fallen onto the ground before him. She couldn't have been more than six-years-old, and she was already running from people? Who in their right minds would - Oh, she's a Hyuga. Itachi looked behind him, his family had decided to go grocery shopping together. He had to make sure his family was not watching him help the little Hyuga girl, his mother would tease him endlessly if he was caught.
"Hey, there, Hyuga-san," Itachi picked her up gently and placed her on her feet. She stuttered a thank you, and immediately, he recognized her. "Hinata-san, what are you doing running away from people?" Was she in danger? The Hyuga's leader, this girl's father, would have his head if Itachi let her be.
"I stumbled into s-some b-boys, and, and," Hinata's eyes welled up with tears, and she began to sob softly. Itachi couldn't help but be moved by her soft cries. While a ninja by blood, he is a soft older brother by instinct. So, like the gentle older brother he is, asked for the whole story. Apparently, Hinata had stumbled into some boys and accidentally knocked over one's ice-cream at the nearby ice-cream parlor. She had apologized, but obviously it wasn't enough, and the boys demanded she 'pay for it'. After realizing that they meant trouble, Hinata ran. She told Itachi that one of the boys' dad worked there, as he was wearing the uniform of an employee. No doubt the father was mad as well, Itachi almost rolled his eyes at the stupidity of some adults.
"Well, Hinata-san, we are going to visit those boys," Itachi said firmly. Though being only ten, he had a very black-and-white sense of justice. You are either bad or good. There cannot be a gray, or silver-lining, and Itachi's eyes could confirm it. He knelt down and whispered his master plan into the ear of the small girl. "Hinata-san, where is your guardian?" Itachi wondered where exactly her guardian had been during this 'run-in' with those boys.
The little Hyuga heiress shifted uncomfortably. "U-Uh, Itachi-san, Neji-nii said he was going to walk me to the market, and t-then he said he was g-going to p-play with his f-friends." Itachi nearly cringed at the thought. Wasn't Neji only a couple of years older than her? That was the Hyuga's guard? An eight-year-old boy? The Hyuga did place a large order on the youngsters : learn to swim or drown. However, it seemed like Hinata was drowning.
Mikoto Uchiha, who had been watching the whole time, smiled at her eldest son. Though she told herself she loved both her sons dearly and equally, her heart knew that somehow, Itachi was pulling ahead by a lot. Sasuke had yet to show any signs of balance. Even though Mikoto knew Sasuke would be able to live up to his namesake, and surpass his elder brother. She watched as Itachi knelt down and whispered into her ear, her eyes widening considerably. Was her son interested in this girl? The Hyuga Heiress? Well, Hiashi should know. A smirk formed on the Uchiha Matriarch's face, and she held Sasuke's hand as he gazed over all the tomatoes.
"B-But, Itachi-san," her face flushed. How were they going to execute such a plan? "Ah, I-I-Itachi-san, I have a few Ryo left that Father gave me, we c-can buy the ice-cream now." She smiled innocently, and Itachi knew he was sold. He had to help this girl.
"Hinata-san, I insist you let me buy. Also, I will have to look comfortable with you," Itachi began slowly, so as not to frighten her. "May I just call you Hinata-chan? And may I hold your hand?" Hinata's face turned beet red, and she nodded quickly. Staring at the oh-so-interesting ground, Hinata began poking her index fingers together. Itachi laughed, and quickly scooped her smaller hand in his. "First, I must ask my Mother if we can leave her presence in order to carry out this plan."
Walking hand-in-hand to the Uchiha Matriarch, Itachi let loose a comfortable smile. He hadn't been on a mission for a while, and decided practicing jutsus outside of home wouldn't hurt.
"Mother I -"
"Go, it is fine with me." Itachi and Hinata bowed simultaneously. Suddenly, Itachi saw a blur of red, and Hinata flinched as a squishy red tomato made contact with her equally red face. "Sasuke." Oh yes, Sasuke lacked every balance his brother found.
"Whore." Sasuke swore under his breath, and glared at the little girl that dared to hold his older brother's hand. Sasuke wasn't stupid, he knew fangirls existed, and they were evil. Suddenly, his face hurt, and his mother and his older brother were glaring down at him. "What?" He asked innocently.
"Sasuke, you are going to be punished later, consider that pinch the beginning," Mikoto Uchiha was not a woman you wanted to screw with. She had the Sharingan, and she knew how to use it. Itachi cringed a little, as the girl beside him squeezed his hand in discomfort.
As the pair of Uchihas began to walk away, a shadow clone Itachi appeared before them. Mikoto was taken aback, but quickly regained posture. She needed to let Itachi know that while she may not be of his prowess, as his mother, she still held the upper hand.
"Sasuke, foolish little brother, apologize to the heiress," Itachi's eyes made no room for excuses. Sasuke still found himself fumbling through words as convenient excuses. "I heard what you called her earlier. That is not the way to treat Hinata-chan," shadow-clone Itachi's face darkened at his unmoving little brother. Mikoto stifled her giggles. She had never known Itachi was so fond of Hinata that he used familiar honorifics. The clone disappeared once Sasuke began moving in Hinata and Itachi's general direction.
Sasuke sighed, and removed his hand from his mother. Looking down, he made his way back to Itachi, who knelt down and tried wiping Hinata's face with his sleeve. Looking at them, Sasuke remembered his anger, and knew in his heart that the girl was trying to steal Itachi away because she was a stupid fangirl. His face contorted with an expression too dark for a six-year-old boy. He needed leverage over this overly-attached fangirl.
"I apologize, Hinata-san," Sasuke sarcastically offered. She looked at him with eyes filled with tears and self-doubt. Sasuke just found his leverage.
"I-It's okay, I don't b-blame y-you, Sasuke-san," her shaky voice annoyed him to no end. She was just pretending. "I-I don't t-think a-a lot of p-people like me." Her eyes stared again at the once more interesting dirt pathway.
"You aren't wrong," Sasuke whispered to himself. He rolled his eyes, and saw Itachi give him a look. Well, looks like Mikoto isn't the only one dishing out punishments today.
"Well, we must be on our way then," Itachi explained plainly. Taking Hinata's hand once more, the little girl noticed the tomato smudges, and gasped. Making eye contact, Itachi smiled and shook his head. He didn't care. He didn't care! Hinata was so elated that someone cared enough not to care! She laughed to herself at not making sense, but at the same time making sense! She kept giggling, and Itachi took that as a 'thank you'.
Itachi, leading the way like a gentleman he is, walked into the nearby ice-cream parlor. To be truthful, Itachi hadn't known that this parlor existed, but Hinata claimed it was her favorite and the one the boys were in. Funny, Itachi mused, as he was sure that this was the only ice-cream parlor in existence in Konoha. Checking his pockets with his free hand, he swiftly reminded himself of how much Ryo he had left. After all, before stumbling upon Hinata, he had bought his mother flowers for her glass vase from the Yamanaka shop.
Stepping into the establishment, Itachi welcomed the well ventilated ice-cream parlor. However, he needed to get down to business.
"There's the brat!" Hinata physically flinched, and clung to Itachi's hand as the insult hurled her way. To the six-year-old, being called a brat was nothing new, but hearing it with such passion was too much. "She's the spoiled little Hyuga who thinks she can bully my son and his friends because she walk where ever she pleases!" The rising angry prattling came from a man sitting in a booth with three boys. Itachi glared at them, and while the boys gulped, the adult obviously did not care.
Stepping up to the counter, Itachi still held onto Hinata's hand. She heard several whispers from mostly women, and many snarky comments, but Itachi refused to flinch. Hinata decided she could be like that! Hinata could be strong!
"Hinata-chan, darling, are you fond of mint chocolate-chip?" Itachi offered politely, ignoring the rude gesture given by the man still sitting at the booth. Blushing, she nodded, and Itachi promtly asked for a mint chocolate milkshake - two straws. Hinata knew this was it.
'You can do this, Hinata, be strong like father!' Hinata thought to herself, the Hyuga eyes displaying centuries old pride.
Taking the milkshake with his free hand, Itachi walked them over to the booth directly behind the presumptuous idiots.
"Hey, isn't that-" the boy in the middle let out a gasp of fear, fully realizing who it was they were dealing with. Itachi was staring the poor boy straight in the eyes.
"Look, buddy, your scarin' my kid, don't be pulling this bull. Aren't you like 8? Pick on boys your own size." The adult was simply a civilian, as far as Itachi could tell. Oh man, this was too easy.
Itachi ignored the man, and placed the two straws into the shake. He gestured for Hinata to take the first sip, and as soon as she did, he took the other straw into his mouth. Now, there was definitely going to be rumors. The Hyuga Heiress and the Uchiha Heir? Who knew! The women began whispering heatedly, as the blush grew on Hinata's face, and Itachi played the role of a love-struck ten-year-old. Needless to say, the rumors began working. A woman walked over to the group of idiots, and Itachi assumed it was the wife of the man. Afterall, they shared the same ring, one that glinted from a distance, a sign that they were of a wealthy family. The woman's concerned eyes never left Itachi, who pretended not to notice the growing panic in the adults.
"So, don't screw with them, got it? We'll be toast if Uchiha-sama hears or Hyuga-sama!" She finished. Itachi was satisfied. The man knew who they were, and that should be enough to instill fea -
"So what if they're from some prestigious clan? They don't got any right to be beating on our son or his friends! If anything, that little Hyuga brat should apologize, and the Uchiha-dobe better do so, too!" The man began a string of curses, and Itachi slide to the other side of the booth, and covered Hinata's ears. After rolling his eyes, Itachi was surprised that the man didn't care. He should be at least a little intimidated. This is Uchiha Itachi, a Chunin by age ten! The woman hissed more into his ear, only pissing off the man more. After removing his hands from Hinata's ears, Itachi was confronted by said man. "You," he said pointing to Hinata, "are going to apologize to my son and his friends!"
"Excuse, me, mister," Itachi paused for him to fill in.
"Inuzuka," he gruffed out.
"Mister Inuzuka, my fiancé has already apologized to your son, and his friends. Please do not make more of a scene. She ran away because she was frightened." Itachi explained with a level head. This Inuzuka was not taking any of it.
"No, listen here, son, I will make this an official manner and file this out to the Konoha Police Force Head himself!" The angry red triangles on his face began to match the shade he was turning.
Everyone sat still for a moment. No whispering. No 'my dad is gonna win' snickers. Just shock.
Itachi sat there, and looked at Hinata who was equally as shocked, but for different reasons.
"Why is everyone so still? This is now going to be a filed complaint of misconduct of minors!" The man began smirking, and stood tall.
Itachi began to laugh. And soon enough, Hinata joined him. The two were in a hysterical giggling fit.
"Inuzuka-sama, y-you're going t-to complain to I-Itachi-kun's father about Itachi-kun?" Hinata began giggling again after she realized how stupid the idea was. It was then that it settled into the man's mind that he wasn't dealing with just some clan members, this was the heiress and heirs of the clans that were going to invest future relations with his son, his son's friends, and eventually, the Hokage. The man bowed, at his outburst, fully realizing he was dealing with child-genius, Hokage candidate, and future Head of Police, Itachi.
The door to the parlor suddenly bust open, and two very anxious looking Clan Heads peered around the parlor.
"Young man! You have some explaining to do! Your mother says -" both men were cut off by Hinata holding Itachi's hand, the shared milkshake, and the bowing man.
"Hyuga! Your daughter's hand is undeniable proof - the wedding will be in winter!"
"Uchiha! You better tame your son! Summer is a better time!"