Many thanks to these people for reviewing: dumdeedum, zisaidwut, busi sibeko1, Guest from b4, and Athena.
Thanks for reading.
oOo
Chapter Fifteen: The Sound Resounds
Hinata listened to the sound of their sandals crunch rhythmically on the gravel. The cool morning breeze caused Itachi's robes to occasionally brush lightly against her legs. Already the sun cast strong rays, warming her face and ears.
Itachi stopped in front of the towering rice silo. It sat at the back of a complex of other similar buildings.
"This is it, correct?"
"Aa," the woman civilian representative confirmed.
Itachi hummed thoughtfully and peered at the balcony at the top. He smiled the tiniest bit mischievously at the woman. "Would you like a lift?"
The woman opened her fan and held it in front of her face to keep her frown and green complexion from him. "I'll just take the elevator."
He chuckled. "Fair enough."
Then, he raised his eyebrow at Hinata, wordlessly offering her the same. She appreciated the fact that he was keeping her low chakra levels a secret.
She gave her own weak smile. "I'll take the elevator as well. "
Itachi gave a curt nod. "See you both up there."
The women backed up. With a short, strong jump, Itachi launched himself onto the balcony. He waited as his two companions walked to the outdoor lift. The representative tucked her fan away into her obi and deftly pressed the controls.
Like they could not help it, as one, they looked at Itachi as he gazed out over the village. The sun illuminated his face, casting a halo of light over his hair. Both women exchanged a slightly stricken glance.
The representative clicked her teeth. "Does he work to look that nice or is it natural?"
It surprised a chuckle out of Hinata. She tried to bite back a smile, but did not succeed. "I think for some people, beauty is effortless."
The other woman scoffed and pulled her fan back out. She opened it and agitatedly fanned her face. "It's always men. Women work for beauty and yet we can't even compare to men who just roll out of bed."
Hinata covered her mouth with a hand and giggled.
The older woman's eyes sharpened. She lowered her voice to a whisper as she used the fan to hide her lips from Itachi. The squeal of the elevator's hydraulics and pulleys covered their voices but she took care just in case. Hinata straightened.
"He's good to you, yes, Hyuga-san? You're alone with him a lot. He is always professional, yes?"
Hinata's shoulders relaxed. She reached out and cupped the ball of her companion's shoulder, once, in thanks.
"Yes," she said, glancing up to Itachi's face. "He's good to me."
"Hmm," the other woman's tightly pressed lips relaxed. Her face softened. "You have any problems, you tell me. I can't kill like you, but we women have to make sure we protect each other, yes?"
Hinata beamed at her companion. "Yes. I'm honored by your concern."
The representative blushed and scoffed. "Look at that, you're young and effortlessly beautiful, too. The two of you must have everyone half in love with you."
This time, Hinata blushed as well.
oOo
Hinata's words kept ringing through her mind the rest of the day.
He's good to me.
Itachi offered a hand to the representative so she could step onto the metal grating of the balcony. Once she settled, he did the same for Hinata, even though she did not need it. Her fingers tucked into his larger ones, and his calloused skin was warm against hers.
He opened the door leading into the silo for them, letting them through first. They stepped onto the catwalk and looked over the massive store of rice.
It was only half full. Hinata sucked in a breath. The ventilation fans hid the sound.
Itachi's lips pressed together tightly. Hinata only noticed then, how plush they were. She turned her gaze from him so fast she thought she might strain her eyes.
"You were correct." Itachi spoke quietly, but his voice was so deep, the sound echoed around the open space and vibrated through Hinata.
The representative's expression fell. She covered her face quickly, but the despair was visible in the way her eyebrows drew up and together.
"We're at a crisis point, Hokage-sama. This is fine for now, but come winter, with the loss of this year's crop, we might be looking at running out of rice. Our vegetable yield has also been impacted. We also have to use what we have left to feed our livestock as well as our people." The representative's breath hitched. "It's never been like this in my thirty years of service. Our other silo is full, but we need two and a half full ones to get through the winter."
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention," Itachi said solemnly. "And also, for bringing me to see it."
They left the silo soon after. Nothing more could be said. The representative then took them to see the stockpile of vegetables, and then to visit a couple of farmers who raised beef cattle. Itachi treated everyone with a grave seriousness that made every individual feel appreciated.
He made an appointment to visit the other ranchers who lived outside the city limits. After that, both he and Hinata slowly walked back to the Hokage Tower. He kept his hands clasped behind his back but nodded politely and smiled when villagers hailed him.
Hinata recognized that he was deep in thought. He only held his hands like that when he puzzled over something. She kept pace with him, just a step behind him and to his left. She clutched his appointment book close.
Her vantage point gave her a glimpse of the side of his face, unobscured by his hat. She could look at the slope of his nose and the curve of his full lips. She thought about the representative's words, and it made her realize that yes, Itachi really was handsome. Very handsome.
Most of Hinata's friends thought she either did not care about appearances or was too focused on Naruto to care about anyone else. Hinata thought that idea a little funny but did nothing to disabuse her friends of their assumptions.
Hinata was not blind or dead. She noticed handsome men and beautiful women. Even with her friends. Kiba's rugged good looks caught her eye sometimes. Or Shino's strong jawline combined with his sweet and dimpled smile.
But it did not really matter to her. She only added these features to the list of things she adored about her friends.
And Naruto… Naruto's best feature had to be his eyes. Not only because of their electric blue color. But because they communicated so much. His joy, his fear, his determination. His eyes reflected his personality. Hinata loved his determination before she even understood attraction.
But she did know what attraction was. She also knew that she fell for personality first.
He's good to me.
Itachi, it seemed, was an extremely attractive man.
Hinata wanted to whack herself in the forehead with the appointment book. What a horrible, terrible time to realize this.
She understood herself enough to realize what this meant. The last man she felt this much attraction towards was Naruto. If she did not stop herself, she would fall in love with her Hokage. Her boss.
The man who she had to poison. The man whose life she was trying to save.
Itachi slowed a bit so he could pull even with her. "Are you alright, Hyuga-san?" he asked quietly, leaning a bit closer so he could peer at her face.
Her cheeks felt hot which meant they were red. "I-I, um, sorry, Hokage-sama. The sun was a little stronger than I anticipated today." She could not meet his eyes.
Out of the corner of her vision, she could spot him frowning.
"I'm sorry you had to be outside all day," he responded with concern lacing his tone. "Will you be able to make it to the Tower, or would you like to stop somewhere?"
She laughed nervously and waved it off with her free hand. "I'll be okay, Hokage-sama. It's just one of the perils of having fair skin."
Itachi chuckled. "If I knew the council would not throw a fit the moment they knew, I would give you my hat. I apologize for not keeping you in the shade."
He's good to me.
Other than her closest friends and family, what men were truly good to Hinata without harboring ulterior motives or doing it to be polite? In that moment, Hinata could not think of anyone else. Just Itachi.
The revelation caused both butterflies to dance in her stomach, and dread to creep up her throat.
She could not afford to fall in love with Uchiha Itachi. She couldn't.
oOo
Coming up: Hiashi gives Hinata a listening device.