Sequel: Kingdom by the Sea ›
Status: Complete!
Nevermore
Dark days, darker nights.
“Blackbird fly, blackbird fly. Into the light of the dark, black night.”
--------------------
The small girl was cradling herself, falling deeper into a black void that threatened to consume her at any moment. She lifted her head, balanced on the delicate curve of her neck, and blinked. The darkness was nearly overwhelming, the only bit of color sprang forth from her dusty locks of hair as they coiled in front of her face, suspended in mid air. When she opened her mouth to speak not a noise came out and the sudden rush of movement made her throat narrow in fear. Small fingers clutched at her throat, noiseless as they clawed and cried out for a breath of fresh air.
Nothing came and a pain developed deep in the bit of her stomach. Her lithe body thrashed around, clawing at the seamless space around her. There had to be more than this. More to death than a smothering black hole, it all seemed so unfair.
“Hinamei!”
Her blackened eyes shot open and she looked around frantically, but there wasn’t another soul for miles. A deep pressure shot into her shoulder and she was shaken awake, face to face with a boy who had seemingly lost all color there could have been in his face.
“Hinamei, breath dammit!” He cried out, shaking the girl again by the shoulder until her spine hit against the walls. The girl shuddered and a spasm of air reached her lungs, but it was too late. Her eyes rolled back and she fell into the prying grip of Shisui Uchiha.
--------------------
“Have you any idea where Tsukiyo-san might be?” A stern voice asked far above her head. Her eyes were much too heavy and unwilling to catch a glimpse of who it could possibly be. A shuffle of feet moved towards the left and stalled, waiting for an answer.
“Well, almost…you see, she was spotted wandering out of the village gates less than three hours ago. Maybe thirty minutes before her daughter was brought in. No one thought anything of it but now that I think about it, someone mentioned she was talking to herself. You don’t think-”
“She stopped taking her medication. That’s exactly what I think.” A fist was brought down upon a table and the startling sound of glass breaking filled the silent room. “Dammit! Why wasn’t a nurse assigned to that household like I had ordered?” Fuzzy lines of vision seeped in through her closed lids and involuntarily, she widened the gap of light.
“Despite your orders sir, the Uchiha men on the council saw it fit to dismiss the claim that she was unstable. It was never investigated any further.-
“Of course it wasn’t, those ignorant Uchiha haven’t one unselfish thought in their heads.” The child’s dark eyes were staring holes into the ceiling, the words the doctor spoke sunk deep into her head. Was this how her beloved clan was beheld? Had she known better she would have felt angered by his words but deep in the pit of her stomach she knew the truth. They were stubborn and quite often ignorant. It wasn’t a secret to anyone. Cold fingers wrapped around her thin wrist and felt for her pulse, instinctively her eyes flashed to the elder man that stood above her. If she wasn’t mistaken, he looked almost embarrassed by his words. Behind him stood a younger woman with hair the color of autumn leaves, it was tied behind her back in a long rope spared of a few wisps that framed her face. Her eyes held the unmistakable glow of pity, soft and yet still undeniably sad. “How are you feeling?”
Hinamei met his eyes once more and frowned, recalling the spare words he had mentioned in regards to her mother. She asked the only thing she could, “What happened to Kaa-san?”
The man struggled on his words before he let his hand fall limp to his side, sparing her an apologetic smile before he spoke. “We don’t know yet, but she’ll be home before you know it. Now, how are you feeling?” Her eyes drifted closed and she moved her head to the side of her pillow. A small whine left her lips before she reopened her glossy orbs and stared out the window.
The sky was a black lake, dotted with smears of light. How long had she been here, unaware?
The man stepped around the room and sighed, he left with a small good night until it was just Hinamei and the nurse in the room. The bed shifted as she sat down besides the girls legs and her fingertips drifted atop her shaking hand. “Your name is Hinamei?” She nodded in response and the nurse smiled. “That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” The girl spared the nurse a small sympathetic smile, at least she was trying. Her eyes continued to drift out of focus, trying her hardest to block out the droning sound of the nurse. Useless questions that would have beheld even more useless answers. The nurse finally stood, smoothing out the folds in her dress. “Well, it’s late now, you should get your sleep. If you need anything there’s a button to the left of your bed.” She left with a click of the light, dousing Hinamei in darkness.
Empty machines glowed under the light less ceiling, her eyes drifted from corner to corner until her eyelids tugged over her glossy orbs. She fell back into that void, drowning under a lonely shroud.
--------------------
“You’ve come a long way, darling.”
A soft brush of fingertips touched the sharp line of her jaw, trailing down until two fingers gripped the tip of her chin. Slowly, she tilted open her eyes, blinking at the never ending darkness that refused to let her go. She wasn’t fully awake until she locked onto a pair of dark eyes she thought she’d never see again. “Tou-san?!” Hinamei snapped alive, moving her hands behind her and supporting herself against the emptiness. A soft smiled adored his thin lips and he removed his hand from her chin.
“Are you alright?” His black hair brushed against his face messily, even if he hadn’t always been a perfect father, he had none the less been there.
“I’m alone Tou-san, Kaa-san isn’t well anymore.” He quirked a brow and Hinamei continued, “The doctor said she left today.” Her eyes closed shut, blinking away the pricks of tears that threatened at the corners. Two arms embraced her and she breathed in the soft scent of her father’s cotton shirt. “What am I supposed to do by myself?” She managed to whine through. Her father pulled back and brushed her hair back, keeping her at arm’s length.
“You’re brave Hinamei, and strong. You have all the tools you need to make it on your own. And even still, are you really alone?” She pictured two young Uchiha boys, the very people who had made her into what she stood to be this very day and a smile adorned her pink lips.
“I guess not.” A ruffle of the hair and a kiss on the forehead and her father stood up, crossing his arms and looking down on his daughter with a glimmer of pride in his eye.
“That’s my girl. Stay sweet and never let those boys get the best of you, we love you.” Her father’s skin got more and more translucent and even though she knew he wasn’t really there to begin with it still hurt in the depths of her stomach to watch him fade away.
“Tou-san…”
--------------------
She stood with her feet on the edge of the sidewalk, wiggling her toes through her shoes as if she hung from the edge of a plummet. Her eyes were glued to the broken concrete beneath her, almost ashamed to be standing outside the Konoha hospital. To her left stood a new nurse, her hair was coiled in dark blue ringlets, framing a face that held absolutely no interest in her current situation. They stood together, waiting for Mikoto who had agreed to take the child back home. Just in case she was still feeling weaker then she led on.
“She’s here.” The nurse said, dragging her dull hazel eyes to the hospital entrance. Their hands separated, leaving Hinamei’s palm damp with uneasiness, wondering what the village thought of her family now that they had lowered themselves even more. A weak smile adorned Mikoto’s face, one of pity and Hinamei forced herself to look away. It was a wordless exchange between the two, Mikoto grasped onto Hinamei’s limp hand and turned back around quietly. It wasn’t until they reached the edge of the block did Mikoto speak.
“Hinamei, you’re welcome to stay at our house if you wanted to.” Mikoto kept her head up straight, walking slowly so her steps wouldn’t overpower Hinamei’s dragging.
“Thank you, but Kaa-san will come back. I know she will.” It wasn’t right to keep her hopes up, she knew this. But something in the back of her mind refused to let go. It was just the person she was, inevitably, she wouldn’t ever accept her mother’s abandonment. Mikoto’s slender fingers tightened around Hinamei’s hand and sympathetic eyes matched the young girl’s.
“Will you stay tonight at least? Another storm is coming.” Hinamei looked up, watching the slate gray sky shift with the subtle breeze that ran through the streets. “It would make Itachi happy, you know.” She smiled and Hinamei blushed pink, looking away with a tight smile. Would he?
“I guess one night won’t hurt.”
When Itachi came home from the academy, he found Hinamei sitting outside his house. Barefoot with a frown on her face he hadn’t seen since her father had passed. Shaking his head to himself, he wondered if it would be best to just wander around the backside of the house, not wanting to interrupt her thoughts. Or better yet, trouble his own with hers. But it was too late, the doe eyed girl had already spotted him and he closed his eyes to await impact. But nothing came. He reopened his eyes and blinked, Hinamei had turned away from him and resumed her day dreaming. Itachi took a few cautionary steps towards her, unamused as she continued to ignore his presence. “Hinamei?” She turned towards him halfway and nodded in response. “Why are you acting like that?”
She answered with a sigh and put her chin back on her knee, reverting her eyes to the road. It was almost as if she was waiting for something. His mind immediately switched to Shisui, wondering if he had backed out on his word to spend the day with her. Itachi snorted and mumbled a ‘fine, be that way’ before walking up the stairs into his house. “Itachi? Is that you?” He heard his mother’s voice call from the kitchen. Slipping out of his shoes, he walked towards the kitchen. Meeting his mother’s soft eyes with a scowl.
“What’s wrong with Hinamei?” Mikoto stole her bottom lip between her teeth and looked away, leaving Itachi to wonder wordlessly what was wrong with just about everyone today. His mother bent down on one knee with a sigh and placed a hand on her son’s shoulder.
“Let’s talk.”
--------------------
The night had been awkward. Hinamei had hardly touched her dinner and when she excused herself to bed nobody said a word. She slipped down the hallway and leaned against the wall once out of sight of the rest of the family, a tremble on her lip. She just wanted to go home, she would have rather been alone on a stormy night than stuck in a house that just bled pity for her. Mikoto had told her she would be sleeping in Itachi’s room while Itachi slept in Sasuke’s room. Itachi hadn’t said much, more or less leaving a nod in place of his words. She couldn’t step into a room without feeling the tension breaking her back. She pried herself up off the wall and made her way into Itachi’s room, sitting on his bed in the dark alone. His sheets were cold as she slid under the bed, inhaling the soft smell of his pillow she settled down and closed her eyes.
But sleep wasn’t coming, not then nor an hour later.
The storm had gotten fierce, slamming against the window like an angry, invisible creature. The trees moaned under the howling wind while the light of the moon blared in through the window directly into her face and she turned over. Her mother was somewhere out there, alone and lost in the cold far from home. “Kaa-san…” she murmured into her pillow, tears sinking through her eyelashes and bleeding onto the gray pillowcase. It was now or never. The girl threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, wobbling as the shock of the two degree wooden floor riveted through her. She grabbed her only jacket and opened the bedroom door as quietly as she could.
She couldn’t just stand by and let her mother die out there alone.
As quietly as she could she pulled on her boots, pausing to listen to the quiet creaking of the house. Nothing stirred and she took that opportunity to pull open the front door. The howling of the wind rushed in and panicked, she rushed out the door and shut it swiftly behind her. Outside, the air screeched with wind, leaves and dirt flew up into the air and another step off of the porch and her hair was whipping around like the branches on the trees. The small girl held her jacket to her body, whining as the wind forced her to the left and then back to the right. But determined, she opened her dewy eyes and pressed forward, running against the wind towards the gate of the compound.
“Hinamei!” A voice in the air reached her and she whipped around and focused on the figure in front of her.
It was none other than Itachi, standing on the edge of the porch in nothing but a blue shirt and gray shorts. His stomach was exposed as the wind throttled him around. He was yelling something at her, hands around his mouth to amplify the sound but it was lost to the wind. Now or never. She turned back around and without another second spared she stole off through the wind towards the gate. She refused to sit by, could anyone else honestly say they would have acted differently?
She pushed and pushed until she heard the unmistakable sound of running feet behind her. She didn’t even have to look to find that Itachi was running after her, fury in his small face. Forcing her legs to move harder against the wind, the worst would happen if Itachi managed to catch up to her. But she forgot one minor detail.
Where as Itachi was a shinobi, she wasn’t.
A hand wrapped around the fabric of her shirt, pulling hard until her legs slipped from under her and she tumbled to the ground with a scream, her arm folding underneath her weight. Underneath her whipping hair she stared upwards in fright, slinking away as Itachi stood over her with a tight scowl on his face. She hadn’t ever seen him this angry. His hair slashed around his face, unblinking he clenched his fists together until his rage broke through the cracks. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” He screamed at her over the painfully loud wind. At first her words were lost in her throat, unmoving she blinked away the tears and looked away. Rolling over to force herself upwards. But she wasn’t moving at all for Itachi took his foot and pushed her back to the ground painfully. “Answer me!” He bent down and grabbed her by the front of the shirt, bringing her face towards his.
She felt the stinging of tears and she finally let loose, “She’s missing Itachi! She’s lost and she needs my help!” Itachi’s fingers slid from the fabric and he let her go, looking away spitefully towards the gate.
“She’s not coming back Hinamei.” He said loud enough for her to hear. She paused and he turned back towards her, locking eyes. “She left you, abandoned you. And you know this.” Hinamei’s eyes widened, his words stinging through her built up barrier. Is that why she had been crying earlier? Knowing the whole time that her mother had left with the intentions of never coming back. The boy slunk to his knees in front of her, letting his eyes drop in understanding. It hurt, he knew, and that’s why he pulled her close to his chest under the windy skies that night.
That’s why he told her everything would be okay.
And that’s why he promised her she would never be alone again.
--------------------
The small girl was cradling herself, falling deeper into a black void that threatened to consume her at any moment. She lifted her head, balanced on the delicate curve of her neck, and blinked. The darkness was nearly overwhelming, the only bit of color sprang forth from her dusty locks of hair as they coiled in front of her face, suspended in mid air. When she opened her mouth to speak not a noise came out and the sudden rush of movement made her throat narrow in fear. Small fingers clutched at her throat, noiseless as they clawed and cried out for a breath of fresh air.
Nothing came and a pain developed deep in the bit of her stomach. Her lithe body thrashed around, clawing at the seamless space around her. There had to be more than this. More to death than a smothering black hole, it all seemed so unfair.
“Hinamei!”
Her blackened eyes shot open and she looked around frantically, but there wasn’t another soul for miles. A deep pressure shot into her shoulder and she was shaken awake, face to face with a boy who had seemingly lost all color there could have been in his face.
“Hinamei, breath dammit!” He cried out, shaking the girl again by the shoulder until her spine hit against the walls. The girl shuddered and a spasm of air reached her lungs, but it was too late. Her eyes rolled back and she fell into the prying grip of Shisui Uchiha.
--------------------
“Have you any idea where Tsukiyo-san might be?” A stern voice asked far above her head. Her eyes were much too heavy and unwilling to catch a glimpse of who it could possibly be. A shuffle of feet moved towards the left and stalled, waiting for an answer.
“Well, almost…you see, she was spotted wandering out of the village gates less than three hours ago. Maybe thirty minutes before her daughter was brought in. No one thought anything of it but now that I think about it, someone mentioned she was talking to herself. You don’t think-”
“She stopped taking her medication. That’s exactly what I think.” A fist was brought down upon a table and the startling sound of glass breaking filled the silent room. “Dammit! Why wasn’t a nurse assigned to that household like I had ordered?” Fuzzy lines of vision seeped in through her closed lids and involuntarily, she widened the gap of light.
“Despite your orders sir, the Uchiha men on the council saw it fit to dismiss the claim that she was unstable. It was never investigated any further.-
“Of course it wasn’t, those ignorant Uchiha haven’t one unselfish thought in their heads.” The child’s dark eyes were staring holes into the ceiling, the words the doctor spoke sunk deep into her head. Was this how her beloved clan was beheld? Had she known better she would have felt angered by his words but deep in the pit of her stomach she knew the truth. They were stubborn and quite often ignorant. It wasn’t a secret to anyone. Cold fingers wrapped around her thin wrist and felt for her pulse, instinctively her eyes flashed to the elder man that stood above her. If she wasn’t mistaken, he looked almost embarrassed by his words. Behind him stood a younger woman with hair the color of autumn leaves, it was tied behind her back in a long rope spared of a few wisps that framed her face. Her eyes held the unmistakable glow of pity, soft and yet still undeniably sad. “How are you feeling?”
Hinamei met his eyes once more and frowned, recalling the spare words he had mentioned in regards to her mother. She asked the only thing she could, “What happened to Kaa-san?”
The man struggled on his words before he let his hand fall limp to his side, sparing her an apologetic smile before he spoke. “We don’t know yet, but she’ll be home before you know it. Now, how are you feeling?” Her eyes drifted closed and she moved her head to the side of her pillow. A small whine left her lips before she reopened her glossy orbs and stared out the window.
The sky was a black lake, dotted with smears of light. How long had she been here, unaware?
The man stepped around the room and sighed, he left with a small good night until it was just Hinamei and the nurse in the room. The bed shifted as she sat down besides the girls legs and her fingertips drifted atop her shaking hand. “Your name is Hinamei?” She nodded in response and the nurse smiled. “That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” The girl spared the nurse a small sympathetic smile, at least she was trying. Her eyes continued to drift out of focus, trying her hardest to block out the droning sound of the nurse. Useless questions that would have beheld even more useless answers. The nurse finally stood, smoothing out the folds in her dress. “Well, it’s late now, you should get your sleep. If you need anything there’s a button to the left of your bed.” She left with a click of the light, dousing Hinamei in darkness.
Empty machines glowed under the light less ceiling, her eyes drifted from corner to corner until her eyelids tugged over her glossy orbs. She fell back into that void, drowning under a lonely shroud.
--------------------
“You’ve come a long way, darling.”
A soft brush of fingertips touched the sharp line of her jaw, trailing down until two fingers gripped the tip of her chin. Slowly, she tilted open her eyes, blinking at the never ending darkness that refused to let her go. She wasn’t fully awake until she locked onto a pair of dark eyes she thought she’d never see again. “Tou-san?!” Hinamei snapped alive, moving her hands behind her and supporting herself against the emptiness. A soft smiled adored his thin lips and he removed his hand from her chin.
“Are you alright?” His black hair brushed against his face messily, even if he hadn’t always been a perfect father, he had none the less been there.
“I’m alone Tou-san, Kaa-san isn’t well anymore.” He quirked a brow and Hinamei continued, “The doctor said she left today.” Her eyes closed shut, blinking away the pricks of tears that threatened at the corners. Two arms embraced her and she breathed in the soft scent of her father’s cotton shirt. “What am I supposed to do by myself?” She managed to whine through. Her father pulled back and brushed her hair back, keeping her at arm’s length.
“You’re brave Hinamei, and strong. You have all the tools you need to make it on your own. And even still, are you really alone?” She pictured two young Uchiha boys, the very people who had made her into what she stood to be this very day and a smile adorned her pink lips.
“I guess not.” A ruffle of the hair and a kiss on the forehead and her father stood up, crossing his arms and looking down on his daughter with a glimmer of pride in his eye.
“That’s my girl. Stay sweet and never let those boys get the best of you, we love you.” Her father’s skin got more and more translucent and even though she knew he wasn’t really there to begin with it still hurt in the depths of her stomach to watch him fade away.
“Tou-san…”
--------------------
She stood with her feet on the edge of the sidewalk, wiggling her toes through her shoes as if she hung from the edge of a plummet. Her eyes were glued to the broken concrete beneath her, almost ashamed to be standing outside the Konoha hospital. To her left stood a new nurse, her hair was coiled in dark blue ringlets, framing a face that held absolutely no interest in her current situation. They stood together, waiting for Mikoto who had agreed to take the child back home. Just in case she was still feeling weaker then she led on.
“She’s here.” The nurse said, dragging her dull hazel eyes to the hospital entrance. Their hands separated, leaving Hinamei’s palm damp with uneasiness, wondering what the village thought of her family now that they had lowered themselves even more. A weak smile adorned Mikoto’s face, one of pity and Hinamei forced herself to look away. It was a wordless exchange between the two, Mikoto grasped onto Hinamei’s limp hand and turned back around quietly. It wasn’t until they reached the edge of the block did Mikoto speak.
“Hinamei, you’re welcome to stay at our house if you wanted to.” Mikoto kept her head up straight, walking slowly so her steps wouldn’t overpower Hinamei’s dragging.
“Thank you, but Kaa-san will come back. I know she will.” It wasn’t right to keep her hopes up, she knew this. But something in the back of her mind refused to let go. It was just the person she was, inevitably, she wouldn’t ever accept her mother’s abandonment. Mikoto’s slender fingers tightened around Hinamei’s hand and sympathetic eyes matched the young girl’s.
“Will you stay tonight at least? Another storm is coming.” Hinamei looked up, watching the slate gray sky shift with the subtle breeze that ran through the streets. “It would make Itachi happy, you know.” She smiled and Hinamei blushed pink, looking away with a tight smile. Would he?
“I guess one night won’t hurt.”
When Itachi came home from the academy, he found Hinamei sitting outside his house. Barefoot with a frown on her face he hadn’t seen since her father had passed. Shaking his head to himself, he wondered if it would be best to just wander around the backside of the house, not wanting to interrupt her thoughts. Or better yet, trouble his own with hers. But it was too late, the doe eyed girl had already spotted him and he closed his eyes to await impact. But nothing came. He reopened his eyes and blinked, Hinamei had turned away from him and resumed her day dreaming. Itachi took a few cautionary steps towards her, unamused as she continued to ignore his presence. “Hinamei?” She turned towards him halfway and nodded in response. “Why are you acting like that?”
She answered with a sigh and put her chin back on her knee, reverting her eyes to the road. It was almost as if she was waiting for something. His mind immediately switched to Shisui, wondering if he had backed out on his word to spend the day with her. Itachi snorted and mumbled a ‘fine, be that way’ before walking up the stairs into his house. “Itachi? Is that you?” He heard his mother’s voice call from the kitchen. Slipping out of his shoes, he walked towards the kitchen. Meeting his mother’s soft eyes with a scowl.
“What’s wrong with Hinamei?” Mikoto stole her bottom lip between her teeth and looked away, leaving Itachi to wonder wordlessly what was wrong with just about everyone today. His mother bent down on one knee with a sigh and placed a hand on her son’s shoulder.
“Let’s talk.”
--------------------
The night had been awkward. Hinamei had hardly touched her dinner and when she excused herself to bed nobody said a word. She slipped down the hallway and leaned against the wall once out of sight of the rest of the family, a tremble on her lip. She just wanted to go home, she would have rather been alone on a stormy night than stuck in a house that just bled pity for her. Mikoto had told her she would be sleeping in Itachi’s room while Itachi slept in Sasuke’s room. Itachi hadn’t said much, more or less leaving a nod in place of his words. She couldn’t step into a room without feeling the tension breaking her back. She pried herself up off the wall and made her way into Itachi’s room, sitting on his bed in the dark alone. His sheets were cold as she slid under the bed, inhaling the soft smell of his pillow she settled down and closed her eyes.
But sleep wasn’t coming, not then nor an hour later.
The storm had gotten fierce, slamming against the window like an angry, invisible creature. The trees moaned under the howling wind while the light of the moon blared in through the window directly into her face and she turned over. Her mother was somewhere out there, alone and lost in the cold far from home. “Kaa-san…” she murmured into her pillow, tears sinking through her eyelashes and bleeding onto the gray pillowcase. It was now or never. The girl threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, wobbling as the shock of the two degree wooden floor riveted through her. She grabbed her only jacket and opened the bedroom door as quietly as she could.
She couldn’t just stand by and let her mother die out there alone.
As quietly as she could she pulled on her boots, pausing to listen to the quiet creaking of the house. Nothing stirred and she took that opportunity to pull open the front door. The howling of the wind rushed in and panicked, she rushed out the door and shut it swiftly behind her. Outside, the air screeched with wind, leaves and dirt flew up into the air and another step off of the porch and her hair was whipping around like the branches on the trees. The small girl held her jacket to her body, whining as the wind forced her to the left and then back to the right. But determined, she opened her dewy eyes and pressed forward, running against the wind towards the gate of the compound.
“Hinamei!” A voice in the air reached her and she whipped around and focused on the figure in front of her.
It was none other than Itachi, standing on the edge of the porch in nothing but a blue shirt and gray shorts. His stomach was exposed as the wind throttled him around. He was yelling something at her, hands around his mouth to amplify the sound but it was lost to the wind. Now or never. She turned back around and without another second spared she stole off through the wind towards the gate. She refused to sit by, could anyone else honestly say they would have acted differently?
She pushed and pushed until she heard the unmistakable sound of running feet behind her. She didn’t even have to look to find that Itachi was running after her, fury in his small face. Forcing her legs to move harder against the wind, the worst would happen if Itachi managed to catch up to her. But she forgot one minor detail.
Where as Itachi was a shinobi, she wasn’t.
A hand wrapped around the fabric of her shirt, pulling hard until her legs slipped from under her and she tumbled to the ground with a scream, her arm folding underneath her weight. Underneath her whipping hair she stared upwards in fright, slinking away as Itachi stood over her with a tight scowl on his face. She hadn’t ever seen him this angry. His hair slashed around his face, unblinking he clenched his fists together until his rage broke through the cracks. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” He screamed at her over the painfully loud wind. At first her words were lost in her throat, unmoving she blinked away the tears and looked away. Rolling over to force herself upwards. But she wasn’t moving at all for Itachi took his foot and pushed her back to the ground painfully. “Answer me!” He bent down and grabbed her by the front of the shirt, bringing her face towards his.
She felt the stinging of tears and she finally let loose, “She’s missing Itachi! She’s lost and she needs my help!” Itachi’s fingers slid from the fabric and he let her go, looking away spitefully towards the gate.
“She’s not coming back Hinamei.” He said loud enough for her to hear. She paused and he turned back towards her, locking eyes. “She left you, abandoned you. And you know this.” Hinamei’s eyes widened, his words stinging through her built up barrier. Is that why she had been crying earlier? Knowing the whole time that her mother had left with the intentions of never coming back. The boy slunk to his knees in front of her, letting his eyes drop in understanding. It hurt, he knew, and that’s why he pulled her close to his chest under the windy skies that night.
That’s why he told her everything would be okay.
And that’s why he promised her she would never be alone again.