Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. It's all Kishimoto's brilliance.
A/N: A quick oneshot that came to me while I was listening to music. Inspired by the song "Gates of Dawn" by Secret Garden. Not a song fic, but it made me write this. =P
"The wheels of life keep turning.
Spinning without control;
The wheels of the heart keep yearning.
For the sound of the singing soul."
Gates of Dawn – Secret Garden
She always looked at him from the corner of her eye. He was every girls dream, but that wasn't why she fell for him. When she first met him at a meeting between the Hyuga and the Uchiha she was scared. He was always so stoic, never showing emotion towards anyone. A nod and the shake of the head were his answers to most questions. She didn't like him then. They were just acquaintances never to meet more than once or twice more. When she heard that she would be wed to him once she was older, she cried. He would never love her, he was too cold.
How she fell for him was a story that many would not believe. It was a chance meeting that became a normal routine. Since that night, bonds between the two grew. They would always meet in secret. No one else new about their nights together under the moonlight.
The moon shone brightly, coating everything in it's' brilliance while the stars glittered about. The cicadas flaring noises were replaced by small chirping sounds from the crickets that were littered about in the night. She walked along a small path that extended from the back of the compound, the moonlight showing her way. The path was long and winded here and there, but no matter how long it took, she'd always go there. It was her sanctuary, a place where she could be free from all the ties to politics and rules. She was young then, turning ten in a few months.
Her short navy blue hair flapped in the wind gracefully as a breeze blew about. The scent of lilacs reached her nose. She knew she was close. Picking up her pace she reached the small clearing she was so familiar with.
She could imagine the spot with every little detail. Bright lavender colored lilacs covered the area. With the wind blowing softly, sending a few petals here and there. In the middle of the clearing there would be one spot that was cleared to allow her not to crush the flowers. She would just sit and stare at the moon, sometimes laying back and other times standing to watch the fireflies. They always came to her when she went; their little lights glowing softly in the dark. And he would be there, he was always there.
As she reached the clearing, she stopped in her tracks. A figure stood in the middle.
Silently making her way towards the figure, she softly called out his name.
The figure turned around. Black hair, grey eyes and a smile greeted her.
Then he would take her hand and lead her to the little spot covered with a blanket. They would sit and talk. Whether or not they would tell stories to each other or talk about their day, either one enjoyed the others company. She loved the feeling of relaxation he gave her. They would be together the whole night. Once beams of light rose above the horizon, they would part ways only to come together once again the next night.
Their nightly routines went on for years with one meeting the other only when the sun set. When the sun rose, they went on with their business acting like they barely knew each other. It was the happiest years of Hinata's life.
But one night, he didn't show.
The next morning Hinata woke up to hear something unbelievable. There were rumors about Shisui's death. They pinned it on Itachi. She didn't believe it, and she never did, but this was worse. This rumor was horrifying. How could they blame this on him?
Quickly making her way to the Uchiha compound she found a crowd of people surrounding the entrance. Making a futile effort, she tried to push her way through. There were too many people. Making her way back she looked around the outside of the manor. Finding a sturdy tree that hung out into the compound, Hinata jumped up and on to the rooftops.
The sight that greeted her made her vomit. There was blood. Everywhere. The efforts to clean up the mess did nothing more but make smudges of brown and pools of dried blood. Hinata couldn't stand it any longer when the smell reached her nose. Pushing herself off the ground, she ran. She ran away and cried stifled sobs.
Hours later Hinata was a mess. She locked herself up in her room. As she sat on her bed, holding herself, a million thoughts ran through her mind. 'Why?' she thought to herself over and over. Why did Itachi kill them all? Why did he run? Did that mean he really did kill them all?
The tears dried up as anger welled up in her small frame. 'Why?!' she screamed in her mind. Why did he kill them? Why did he leave her? Why did he do this? Why did he leave her? Why did he run away? Why did he leave her?
'Why did you leave me?...' was the last thought she had as exhaustion took over and she drifted off to sleep.
Years passed by quickly. Only rumors and hushed tones were taken about the subject of the Uchiha massacre. Many left those memories behind. Hinata was one of them. She grew strong over the years and trained herself to forget. It hurt too much to remember. She would be turning sixteen soon. It would be six years since the massacre. Six long years since she saw him. Six years of hurt.
"Oi! Hinata! Happy Birthday!" shouted a blonde dashing towards her.
"Come on! You're going to be late to your own party!" The blond eagerly shouted, taking her hand and dragging her along.
"G-gomenasai, Naruto-kun…" She said quietly.
They made their way to a park that Shino, Kiba and Akumaru loved to go to, Akumaru especially. Everyone she invited stood around talking to each other. Lee and Tenten were in some sort of argument about youth. Neji was standing next to Sakura as she and Ino chatted with each other earnestly, pulling him into it once in awhile. Kiba and Akumaru were playing ball and seemed to accidentally knock over Choji's bag of chips that spilled onto Shikamaru's hair. Everyone was yelling at each other soon enough until a quiet voice somehow stopped it. They turned around to see the blushing Hyuga. Forgetting about everything they were just doing, they swarmed Hinata.
"Kyaa! You're sixteen!"
Many smiles and hugs were shared among the group as they settled down to watch her open presents. Naruto gave her a limited edition ramen set; it had the ramen, chopsticks and everything else you could want for, well, ramen. Sakura gave her a bright blue sundress and a matching hat. Shino gave her a book about exotic bugs. Kiba gave her bracelets with indigo hued pearls. Naruto made fun of him for that. The list of gifts went on and on until there were no more. They continued with the party, playing games, chatting and eating cake. The happiness was broken when an explosion was heard.
Everyone turned their heads to see the Hokage Tower on fire and two great white birds locked in battle with each other. As soon as they got up and started running to the tower, another explosion was heard to the right. It was in the direction of the Hyuga compound. Hinata and Neji split off from the group and made their way there to see nothing wrong with the manor. They must have missed. Neji left Hinata to get find her father and Hanabi, while Hinata went to check where the explosion hit.
Her face paled as she reached the back of the manor. Her eyes followed the path she always used to travel up into the forest grove. Smoking was coming from that direction. They tried to bomb the Hyuga compound only to miss and hit her sanctuary. Hoping that somehow they horribly missed it like they missed the compound, Hinata ran down the familiar path.
Memories assaulted her as she ran. Black hair, grey eyes, that lovely smile. Laughter, stories, histories that they shared with each other. Tears ran down her cheeks as the most important memory hit her like a brick wall. That one small kiss. She could remember it like if it was yesterday, how his soft lips caressed her own. It was a short and quick kiss, but it was her favorite memory. She locked it up a long time ago.
Quickly wiping away her tears as she neared the field of lilacs, she stopped and gave a sigh of relief. It was still intact, the smell of lilacs greeted her and no smell of pungent smoke. When she got closer to the field, she froze. In the fields one figure stood tall. A black cloak with red clouds billowing in the wind.
The figure turned around slowly and red eyes met with white ones. Panic spread through her body. What was he doing here? The Uchiha slowly made his way to her. The Hyuga stood as frozen as a rock. He slowly reached out to her and a scream choked in her throat. She snapped her eyes shut when a warm hand cupped her cheek.
"Don't be afraid."
"I-I'm n-not." she squeaked.
A 'hmph' and a small chuckle was heard as she opened her eyes. Staring at his face, she took in his features. They were stronger than ever. When they last met here in her sanctuary he still had a good amount of baby fat stuck on his face, now it was gone, replaced by chiseled and handsome features. Everything else was about the same. Stoic features gracing his face, only a small smirk replaced his everlasting frown.
But he was a killer. No matter what times they shared before, he was different now. He was a murderer. She slapped his hand away and jumped back. Her fear was replaced by anger.
"Y-you! You killed them all! You've betrayed Konoha! You've betrayed your own clan! How could you?!"
Hinata fumed at his silent answer. "Answer me!" she screamed.
"Why? Why won't you answer me?! … I-I heard you killed them all for fun; you killed them because you could. I didn't believe them! I never believed what I heard that day… But, when I went to see if it was true… There was blood everywhere! You did kill them all! You slaughtered them like pigs! It-it was true wasn't it? That's why you ran. That's why you left Konoha. That's why you left me."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she choked down her sobs.
"A-and now y-you think t-that y-you could j-just walk in h-here and t-take me back? Y-you're n-naïve Itachi. I-I can't b-be with you anymore. N-not after what y-you did."
She didn't care anymore; she broke down and cried in front of the killer. It seemed like hours, Hinata crying and Itachi staring. It seemed like such a long stretch of time. Hinata kept crying, Itachi probably left by now. Who would want a crybaby?
Her crying stopped when strong arms wrapped around her. He was behind her, his chest pressed on her back. She let him hug her, she needed it.
"I'm sorry, Hinata. I… didn't want to hurt you. I didn't mean to. But I had to do what I had to do."
She stayed in that position trying to analyze those words. He didn't want to… He didn't mean to… He was sorry... Minutes crawled by with him holding her. All she did was think. Was it okay to forgive him? Was it okay that he left her all these years? Hinata turned around in his grasp to see him face to face. He looked so tired, worn out. She gave him a little smile.
"It's… not okay. You killed them, you're deemed a murderer... I can forgive you for leaving me, but… we can't be together."
Watching his eyebrows crinkle slightly and a small frown reach his lips, Hinata has the sudden urge to kiss him. She wanted to feel his lips, just one last time.
"Maybe... just one last..." she mumbled.
Cupping his face tenderly, Hinata placed a finger on his lips, slowly tracing it. Then she replaced her finger with her lips. Softly moving her lips against his, a fire burned in Hinata. Itachi responded passionately and nipped the bottom of her lip. She gasped at the notion which allowed him to slip his tongue between the folds of her mouth. Hesitating at first, Hinata touched her tongue against his, making him groan. Slowly pushing her down into the field of lilacs, Itachi gripped her back to ease her down. Placing butterfly kisses down her jaw and on her neck, Hinata moaned and her eyes fluttered shut. As he placed kisses lower while unzipping her large jacket, Hinata's eyes snapped open.
"N-no Itachi. We can't." She said while pushing against him lightly.
"And it was just getting good." He pouted.
Ignoring his comment, Hinata wrapped her arms around his torso and placed her against his chest. She relished the feeling of his strong chest against her cheek and her body on his. She sighed pleasantly only to inhale his scent when she breathed in. It was wonderful, something along the lines of pine and musk, but with something sweet as well. They laid there holding each other, enjoying each other's presence.
Another explosion sounded as they both looked towards Konoha. Itachi stood and broke away from her hold. A look of sadness graced both faces.
"Before I leave, close your eyes Hinata."
Looking a little confused, she did what she was told. A warm hand took her hand and placed a cold object in it. Opening her eyes she saw a small, white ivory comb adorned with lavender lily gems on the ends. The comb was made to perfection, it was smooth to the touch and the gems sparkled in the light. It was the sweetest gift she received all day.
"Happy 16th Birthday."
Smiling, she threw her arms around him. Itachi held her for a few seconds before breaking away again.
"I must go."
Hinata gave him a nod and he turned around.
Glancing back he gave her a questioning look.
"T-thank you, Itachi. Ano… maybe someday… we can be together."
He gave her a smile.
"Maybe someday, Hinata." And he disappeared from sight.
A/N: And that's it! Thank god I didn't make it a lemon, I totally can't write those without turning red. I was turning pink with just that so… maybe one day I'll write a lemon… One day. lol
Was the comb a good gift? I was thinking a ring, but then that might've been too cliche, so I just went with the comb...
Anyways, please click that little button down there and review! Even one word works ya know! =)