He was having a bad dream. One he couldn't get out of. He didn't normally have bad dreams, he didn't even know if he had dreams to begin with. But what he was going through right now bordered on the lines of a nightmare. The only reason he didn't define it as such was because of his pride. Nothing scared him or chased him away; he was the one doing the chasing in the nightmares. He was the one causing the fear and trepidation into the hearts of others. It's not that he got off on it, he even felt sorry for doing it sometimes but he couldn't help it. People were naturally afraid of him, and he didn't blame them. With all the shit he'd done in his life he was surprised he wasn't placed on the death penalty. But then again, one had to be caught to be put on the death penalty.

All Itachi could see in the distance was utter darkness. His sharingan didn't work and he felt naked despite his clothing. It was his lack of chakra that made him feel like he was stripped bare; naked to the bone. Where had it all gone? Itachi pondered the reason for being afraid at this very moment. Yes, he was without chakra and his natural power, but that didn't scare him. There was something deeper, a reason for his wanting, needing to run from whatever was chasing him. He tried to turn his head and catch of glimpse of what it could be but his head wouldn't turn. He had no control over his body and it struck him then. Maybe that was what he was afraid of. Not being in control. Itachi Uchiha was always in control, even when given orders he remained in control. Because it was how you handled the orders that made you in control. The way you do the things you're set out to do put you in the driver's seat. And he had always been the driver, that's the way it always was and the way it will be.

Despite that, Itachi was not in control at this very moment. He felt something coming, an onslaught of something huge and foreign. His heart rate quickened, his legs pumped faster. It was coming down on him, a huge pressure descending from the darkness. He closed his eyes as he felt the thing right behind him…

~W~

He woke up to a bright light and something touching his ribs, which was rather annoying seeing as it made him flinch in pain. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the harsh sunlight before he took in his surroundings. The dream he just experienced lingered in his mind, like mist in an empty forest. He recalled the empty, sagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had felt in his dream and wondered what could cause such fear. Especially in him. It was so strange for him to have such a vivid dream that caused such confusion. It was worse that he would never know what the dream was about or know what happened.

"How are you feeling?"

Itachi made his eyes follow the sound of the voice until they landed on a dark blue haired woman staring at him. She held a wet washcloth, now stained with blood. He looked down at his stomach where he had gotten injured and was surprised by how clean it looked. This woman did a good job and Itachi wondered if she was a medic. What a coincidence that would be, eh?

"You healed my wound?" He inquired, meeting her gaze once again.

She nodded and dabbed at the wound gingerly so as not to hurt him. He watched her closely. She was very gentle with how she touched him, about how she did all things actually. The way she brushed the hair back out of her eyes, how she moved; he had yet to hear her voice.

"What is your name?"

She looked at him, something lurking beneath her lavender eyes. "Hyuga, Hinata."

Though he did not ask for her entire name, he was glad she gave it. "You are from the Hyuga clan." The Hyuga clan was the second strongest clan in the village, next to the Uchiha clan. Now, Itachi guessed, they were the strongest clan in the village. This woman was strong, he could sense that. She held herself with confidence and moved as such. But he also could feel how fragile she was with the way she touched things. As if they were going to break. Itachi would have to be careful otherwise there might be problems.

"Yes, I am. And you are from the Uchiha clan, Itachi." Her eyes leveled with his. She did not seem angered or upset, maybe cautious. How it was she knew his name was unimportant, he was not a hard one to forget.

"What are you doing here, Itachi?"

Itachi pondered how best to answer that question. What was he doing here? He did not come here of his own accord, that was for sure. But he could not tell this woman what she wanted to know, and that was the truth. Because the truth was he had no idea what he was doing here, and that scared him. It was rare for him to be scared and something as menial as being lost in the woods shouldn't scare him, but it did. If you didn't know what the hell you were doing in life, wouldn't you be scared? Finding yourself bleeding to death in the woods with no ounce of power in you to change fate is terrifying as hell, Itachi admitted. Things were changing, hell they already have changed. Itachi didn't like change, never did. When it did happen, though, he coped with it and made the best of it. That's just what you had to do because that's how life worked. And now, Itachi assumed, swallowing past a dry throat, he would have to make the best of this change as well.

He looked up at Hinata, her gentle expression like an angel in the sunlight. Her beauty was clear and she had as much grace as a feline. If things were different he would probably look at her in a certain way, a certain light. She was kind hearted and open minded, that much he already knew from their encounter. If he wasn't careful, things might just get to a level of complicated before he knew it. Sitting up, which hurt like a mother, he took Hinata's hand that was holding the washcloth. She did not jerk, or flinch or try to flee from him and Itachi had to admit: it was nice. He didn't have much contact with others, women specifically, and those he did touch they weren't exactly on the willing side. That's not to say he raped women, he would never treat women with such ferocity and disrespect. But there were times when orders required certain amounts of force in order to get things done, and Itachi did what he had to do. How many people had he killed? Well that was a question for another day.

Looking into the gentle eyes of the woman who saved him he said, "Thank you, Hinata. Without you I would not be alive right now. I know you taking me in is a risk for you and I am deeply, deeply grateful."

~W~

Hinata was confused at the actions of Itachi. He was an S-class criminal who killed his own family, yet here he was thanking her for saving his life. Not to mention the fact that he was holding her hand and looking at her in a way that made her feel too conspicuous for her own good. Maybe nearly dying has given him a change of heart. Hinata knew her eyes would be opened if she was on the brink of death.

Smiling, Hinata withdrew her hand from his hold, "You're welcome."

She looked down at his stomach, checking his injury. Her hair fell forward and touched the skin of his stomach. She pushed it back behind her ear. "I don't have much medical training but I did the best I could with healing your wound. It's not completely healed so don't make any sudden movements or you might start the bleeding again. It should be fully healed in a day or two, so you can stay here and rest until you're better."

"I'm putting you in danger here. If anyone finds me in your home I will be taken and you will be punished. I can't have that."

Hinata knew that. They could both get in serious trouble if someone were to come by or sense his chakra. It would only be a matter of minutes until they were at the mercy of Lady Tsunade. But still, Hinata didn't feel right just letting him leave. He could barely manage to sit up. Her conscience told her he could take care of himself, seeing as he left and joined the Akatsuki at such a young age. But Hinata felt it would be wrong, something in her gut told her to make him stay until he was better.

"If you mask your chakra while you're here nobody will find out. Nobody comes here so you don't have to worry about that." Hinata's eyes dropped when she said that and Itachi caught it. She was lonely, he realized.

"I don't want to intrude. You've done enough already and I can't thank you enough."

"You can thank me by getting your rest and staying here until you've healed."

Itachi smirked, she was a smart one. He exhaled, settling back in his pillows. "Do you have anything to eat? I'm famished."