Nevermore

Itachi stood unblinking under the shelter of the thick forest branches, hands twitching against the cool treated metal of his shuriken. In the past three years his hair had grown considerably longer, he pushed the long threads behind his ear with his free hand and let his eyes flicker across the four spirals that were carved into the center of separate oak trees. He let his eyelids brush closed, swiveling to his left and releasing the four shuriken from his slim fingers with a powerful sway of grace. Listening, a soft smirk adorned his pink lips as the sound of splintering wood reached his ears. As he had thought, the ten year old Uchiha prodigy stood up tall and surveyed the area, he hadn’t missed a single target.

A small sound filtered in between his thoughts and stole his attention from his training, he couldn’t help but grate his teeth in instant agitation. Ten feet behind him sat a smaller girl with chocolate colored tresses, they flowed around her shoulders like water. But despite her outwardly classical appearance, a very bored and childish look was scrawled across her delicate features as she clapped her hands slowly in mock appreciation. “You did a good job Itachi-chan. Like always.” She blew of wisp of hair upwards with an upright sigh and sat back on her small hands. “Are you almost finished?” Itachi dug his fingernails into the soft flesh of his palms and cast an icy glare over his shoulder.

“You are free to leave anytime you want, please, don’t be shy.” A scarlet tint flickered across his eyes and she snorted at his unsaid threat, none the less she bit back any smart retort that came to mind. Happy with his newly found silence he stepped towards the trees to retrieve his weapons when a soft sigh again intruded his silence. It was as much as he could take in a single hour. He spun on his heel and bared his teeth at the girl, whose irritating response remained nothing but a blink and another audible sigh. “Didn’t you have plans? Why are you still here?” Itachi’s temper began to way in and Hinamei frowned finally understanding the line she had crossed. Which, in all honesty, wasn’t a hard place to stumble into lately. Group missions had been working him to the bone and with as much training he crammed into his day and nights, she wasn’t surprised at his ill temper.

“I did but as you can clearly see, Shisui isn’t here yet.” Itachi responded with a snort and brushed his hair backwards once more as he smugly looked onwards at the pale girl. Hinamei cast a sullen look to the edge of the tree line, it was true Shisui wasn’t ever one to completely rely on. Plans with him, well, they changed frequently. And often times without warning. “I bet he’s forgotten again,” she sighed and placed her chin on her hand, breaking her sights away to focus once more on the taller boy in front of her. “But you don’t mind spending time with me, do you?” Itachi’s dusty eyes locked with hers and he fought away the upcoming frown, with a shake of his head he turned around quietly.

“Not at the moment, keep interrupting me however and that could quickly change.” She watched on in silence as he plucked each weapon from the wedge of the bark, eyes following every elegant movement he made. She didn’t notice she was smiling till he turned back towards her and quirked a brow in confusion. “What is it?” A blush crept up into her cheeks and she turned away with a pout.

“Nothing, now stop interrupting my thoughts.” Playfully she stuck her tongue out at him, only to receive a rather unamused glare in return. He slipped the shuriken back between his fingers and examined the area. Finally, the air had grown silent and his concentration was at its peak. His slender arm whipped backwards and he focused on the target-until another intruding sound slipped in through his serenity.

“Itachi! Hinamei! Where are you guys!?” A light voice carried in through the sound of the trees and with a fierce scowl on his face Itachi realized he had been off target by four inches on all spirals. Out of the corner of his eye he watched as Hinamei rushed to her feet, perking up as the sound of Shisui’s voice got closer.

“Over here!” She yelled out, cupping her hands around her mouth. Her hands flew upwards and waved erratically as Shisui crept in from between the tangled brush. He smirked playfully and ruffled his already tousled black hair as advanced.

“Couldn’t have picked a more secluded area, could you?” His eyes flashed towards Itachi and a grin shuddered onto his face. It was impossible, Itachi couldn’t help but smirk back and lose his growing temper when Shisui was around. Before Itachi could look away his eyes settled on a slim object dangling from Shisui’s belt. It nearly glowed in the radiating sunlight that spilled in from the open foliage, drawing his attention towards it like a moth to candlelight. “Pretty, isn’t it?” Itachi blinked and locked eyes, moving away with a shrug of his shoulders. It’s not like he hadn’t ever seen a katana before. Hinamei smiled happily before breaking out into a bubble of laughter and throwing herself at the ready Uchiha. Shisui hugged her close and pulled her out at arm’s length, “you better take care of it.” Itachi stopped dead in his tracks before slowly turning towards the couple, his mouth was a stiff line on uneasiness.

“You’re giving that…to her?” He asked slowly, unsure of the situation at hand. It was obvious they had been making plans behind his back, which on most accounts wouldn’t have bothered him. It was only as of lately had the two concocted such terrible and stupid ideas that had him slapping his own forehead in disbelief. They were almost like a set of inseparable siblings. Both undeniably idiotic and reckless, a bad combination in Itachi’s opinion.

“She wanted one, besides, she’s terrible at those short swords she’s been handling for awhile now. All she needs is a few more inches height wise and it should pose no problem.” Shisui’s hand patted that sword and he shot a quick smile at Hinamei. He had learned fast that siding with the girl was always less of a problem than agreeing with Itachi. On several accounts. Hinamei’s hands flew across her chest in annoyance, flashing another indignant pout at her senior.

“Itachi-chan, I’m not as useless as you think I am. Just because I’m not as good as you doesn’t mean I’m not good at all!” He snorted in response, Hinamei frowned. “You don’t believe me?”

As bluntly as he could manage he retorted, “no, I don’t.” Her smaller hands clenched up and she reared forward on one foot. Shisui managed to suppress a shot of laughter, no one took Hinamei as seriously as she took herself. Itachi watched her blankly, staring at her with a neutral and daunting expression on his pale features until a wave of amusement washed over him.

“Well fine! Let me fight you then, tomorrow! Maybe then you’ll learn to keep that big mouth of yours shut!” The boy answered with a nonchalant shrug, knowing full well he was getting that rise out of Hinamei that he always manage to find. Before she could impose once more, he responded with his back rudely towards her.

“Alright, let’s. But let me tell you now, you won’t be able to touch a single hair on my head.”

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Her warm eyes watched as the blade shimmered in the soft light of the setting sun. Rolling the weapon in her hands and dangerously letting her fingertips stray over the small exposed blade out the top. Itachi had seemed all too willing to fight her, his lack of hesitation was enough to make her instantly wonder if she had made a brash and stupid decision. Not to mention, she knew full well Itachi was exponentially stronger than she. It didn’t take a prodigy like him and Shisui to figure that one out. She sighed and up righted the blade, letting it slide back into it’s sheath with a soft clink. Holding it close to her chest, she rolled over until she faced the shimmering glass of her window.

It was oddly quiet in her house. More so than usual considering she was the only one to occupy it now a days. Each night however she stayed awake until she couldn’t resist, waiting for her mother to come back home. But it was useless, she knew. It had been nearly three years now since that day. Her mother was either living elsewhere or dead to this world. As hard as it was for her to admit it, she knew it was most likely the latter. A flock of black birds stormed past her window, the sun began setting more and more until only a drizzle of pink shimmered on the horizon. Things had changed so much in the past three years, it was almost as if all three of them were forced into an early maturity. Hinamei, forced to survive on her own (disregarding Mikoto’s constant flusters and invitations) she had learned what it meant to defend for yourself. Even Shisui had sharpened his skills, it was everything the clan spoke of when the word prodigy or genius was mentioned. But by far the most changed had been Itachi. As where he was still himself, he was changing ever so slightly. Things were more serious to him, like he had his entire life hanging by a single thread. All he could do to protect it was to get stronger. Knowing that one day he would be forced to protect it with every bit of strength in his body. It was almost respectable, if it didn’t seem so worrying to the young girl. She couldn’t move the lingering feeling that Itachi would turn, for the worse. Every day his mind seemed to grow darker, more and more lethal as he took in more information and more of the clan’s pressure. It didn’t help that his father settled such responsibility on his frail shoulders.

She shook the troubling thoughts from her head. Thing would be fine, Itachi was who he was, even if it meant dealing with it for the rest of her life. She gladly would, over and over again.

Hinamei settled into a light sleep, still clutching the katana close to her chest.

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“This is by far your stupidest idea yet.” Hinamei shot a silencing glare to Shisui, who guilty laughed and sat back on his ankles, ready to watch. Itachi had yet to arrive for their gathering and Hinamei stood by awkwardly with her sword dangling between her hands. It was heavy, more so than she would have thought and it by far outstretched her height. Clumsily she whipped it downwards, stumbling as it pulled her along with it. Shisui made a delighted sound and she brought her bright eyes upwards, Itachi was walking along the road, carrying a short object in his hand. Judging by the way he swung it back and forth, it couldn’t have weighed more than a feather. Through narrow eyes she watched him advance, her calm demeanor quickly sliding away. Shisui broke the silence with a loud laugh as he clambered forward. In Itachi’s hand was a stick. Nothing bigger than the width of his thumb, he smirked at her unhappy features.

“Is this a joke to you?” She hissed coldly, it was unlike her but the fact that she was being made a spectacle of was enough to bring the darkness out of her core. Itachi swung the stick upwards and brandished it upwards like one would a sword. That mocking smile never leaving his thin lips.

“Only slightly, you never mentioned there were conditions. But it doesn’t matter,” he eyed the girl teasingly and flicked his stick in her direction. “You will lose regardless of your weapon.”

“You’re sure of this?” She asked, tweaking her mouth in a mock interpretation of his own proud expression.

“Without a doubt.”

Hinamei didn’t wait for an invitation, instead charging at him at full force with her katana held upright. She swung it downwards until it grazed the dirt and flung it back up, leaving a trail of dust in her wake. Itachi moved to the side, dodging her crude swings with ease. His carefree manner brought her teeth together and she cried out angrily as her blade slashed downwards. Shisui watched on silently, losing all smart remarks he had gathered in the beginning of their duel.

She wasn’t as bad as he had thought she would be. Clumsy? Without a doubt. But useless? That term had been eliminated from her description entirely. Itachi’s face hardened as the blade caught on the edge of his shirt, slicing through half an inch of the dark blue fabric. He winced and flashed his eyes up to hers in amusement. “That doesn’t count you know.” Her mouth tightened and she clenched onto the handle tighter, pausing in her assault while she waited for him to make a move. With a twitch of her eyes she saw his fingers tighten around his stick. A dangerous smirk caught the edges of his lips and he whipped his weapon upwards. He was faster than she gave him credit for. Despite its small size, she could feel her skin redden and welt as the stick slapped against her bare flesh. A small cry emitted from her closed mouth and she stumbled backwards, taken aback. Her dark eyes narrowed and she brought the blade down again. Her hands were more willing to cling to the blade then they had been, each movement became increasingly more natural to her until she was able to hold it upright without it wobbling in every direction. Itachi nodded in approval before reaching down to strike her again.

He hit her on the leg. Her exposed calf instantly reddened at the whip, bruising under it’s stealthy touch. Her only reaction was to drop the blade and stumble backwards with wide eyes. Itachi merely watched on wordlessly, she dropped to one knee and her small hands wrapped around her welted leg. Unwillingly, tears prickled at the edges of her vision and she quickly blinked them away. Not wanting Shisui nor Itachi to see how bad it was getting to her. With as much strength as she could muster, she stood back up, flexing her hands into a flat shape.

If her sword couldn’t hit him maybe her hands could.

His eyes grew wide as he realized her plan, stumbling backwards to avoid her crass attacks, he dropped his own weapon and placed his hands upwards in defense. It was easier than before, her attacks were slow and poorly thought out. Watching a scowl appear on her face was almost endearing. Not that he would admit it to anyone. She brought her fist down with a fury, shock swelling over her as her thin wrists was caught in the grasp of Itachi’s quick fingers. They paused and momentarily forget the reason they came out in the first place. “You’re getting better Hinamei, but you’re far away from drawing blood.” Her mouth opened and closed in lost words, the action made his mouth tilt upwards. Itachi‘s eyes were drawn downward and momentarily he forgot he was in the presence of another person. Lightly, he laid a chaste kiss onto her rosy lips. Smiling broadly as her arm went limp in his grasp, he retorted smartly, “let’s do this more often.”