Nevermore

In the heart of the Uchiha compound stood a small for her size, thirteen year old girl. Her chest rapidly rose and fell and in the clutch of her hands was a katana still a little too big for her. Her dark eyes were stationary, boring holes into the splintered tree that stood in her backyard. She had been at this for over three hours now and still she had no intentions of quitting anytime soon. It was the only way her mind would stay busy, if she sat idly around her mind would only run for miles like it often did. Her speed was getting better, even in the small time she had trained, she felt her legs move through the air as if they weighed no more than a feather did. All she could do was hope Shisui would come back and help her again, after all, it was only thanks to him that she had managed to get as far as she had.

And oddly, she had suddenly found herself desperate for his company. Despite telling herself it had nothing to do with his appealing arrogance and flattering actions, she couldn't shake him from her head. Over the course of the eight years she had been what some would call 'friends', never once had he treated her with same kind of cruelty Itachi often found amusing. And in moments like these, she needed that kind of comfort. Even if it pained her to consider the consequences that would befall the both of them if such actions were to be taken. With an aggitated yell she cut the blade through the air and stuck it firmly into the trunk of the tree. So firmly in fact that when she made to pull it out the stubborn tool refused to budge. "Come on," she said to herself as she gave a large tug and only managed to wobble backwards on her own unsure two feet. She spent the next five minutes bracing herself against the tree as she pulled, but the instrument was firmly planted and showed no signs of giving in to either her efforts or her futile jabbering. Finally, she slapped her hands to her side and stalked off, mumbling words that her mother would have surely slapped her for if she had been present.

A subtle breeze swept in and cooled her sweat tinged forehead, rustling her tangled locks as it ran through her. Days like these, they shouldn't ever turn out as badly as they usually did. Once the breeze died down she shuddered at how dirty she suddenly felt. Sweaty and dusted with the amount of dirt she had kicked up during her training, never had a bath sounded so appealing. The slender girl stepped in through her house, not bothering to kick off her dirty shoes until she entered the bathroom. She stripped of her damp clothes and threw them in a corner, and within three minutes was submerging herself in the shallow depths of water two times too hot. She shot back up and with a sigh of relief, rung out her hair. It had been quite a day, and now that the chaos of it all was washing away she had a chance to truly think over what exactly had happened.

To her dismay her thoughts automatically tuned in to the one sullen Uchiha she tried hardest not to consider.

Itachi hadn't been home for well over two weeks now, and despite her mental scolding, she couldn't help but wonder if all had gone well on his mission. But wondering something like that was like most times unneccesary. Being the pride and glory of the Uchiha clan somewhat made clear failure was not an option, and he never failed to meet their expectations.

Unless it was like Shisui had said and they had really given up on him. Even so, she found it diffucult to imagine. What kind of clan would they be if something so small as a pubescent change in attitude spurned them into thurning their backs? No, not her clan. Shisui was often times known to exagerate, and this time she was sure he was being just as usually himself. The small girl shrunk into herself and pinned her legs close to her chest by way of her arms. Her damp fringes clutched onto her milky skin and swam around her shoulders like sea weed. She hated feeling so alone, and at times like these it almost threatened to consume her. Almost grudgingly, she reached over and grabbed the soap. And as she washed herself she had to remind herself that she couldn't dwell on her pain, nor could she scrub it away like she had been trying to do for some time now. She left the bath once the water lost its warmth and dully she pulled herself under the cover of her thin blankets.

Maybe all she really needed was a good nap and if things didn't make more sense come morning than there was no hope left. She fell asleep with her fingers crossed.

----------------------------------------------------

Hinamei had never prided herself for her cooking abilities. Dinner for herself often involved some sort of bread and cheese and whatever else she could find pushed into the depths of the cabinets, but it was times like these she couldn't help but feel like she was making progress.

For the past four hours of her morning (which technically wasn't morning, as she woke around ten thirty) she had spent her time slaving over the stove. Shisui had a sweet tooth, it was blaringly obvious as he didn't consider any meal actual nourishment if something coated in sugar wasn't involved. And like she had hoped, come morning she realized that the best way of fixing the situation was to go on and pretend like nothing had happened. Which was precisely what she planned to do. As she carefully placed each sweet into the small box, she made sure to arrange them like she was told to arrange flowers. The prettiest ones in front and the smaller ones to the side to accentuate how nice the first ones looked. It looked as appealing to the eye as she was sure it would taste to the mouth, and he had better been grateful too. She had never tried so harp to impress a single person. Well, except maybe Itachi, but that was null and void by this point.

She struggled to tie the pink bow on top until she was happy enough to take it how it was. Besides, he wouldn't be looking at the packaging.

After she had cleaned and prepared everything to go, she hustled into the backroom to get ready. It was a pleasent day out for Konoha, with the sun beaming and children playing in the middle of the roads like it was summer. She hadn't felt this engaged for months now and as she pulled herself into a perriwinkle blue dress she felt the desire for once to actually look put together. It was unlike her to stand at the vanity and touch up her face and hair, especially since she had quite working, it wasn't as much fun anymore to look fresh. When she was finished and content with her appearance, she slipped into a new pair of geta's and made her way out of the front door with her pretty package in hand. It was late into the afternoon by now, but she still set out with her head held high and her mind set on only one thing.

Finding Shisui and setting things straight.

The compound seemed unusually empty, spare for a few children who were enjoying their day away from the academy. She watched happily on as they laughed and she was reminded of herself, a pang in her chest warily forced her to think of something different. With her breath held she glared up the road, in order to get to Shisui's house, or at least from the shortest route, she was going to have to pass by Itachi's house. She squeezed the box in her hand and stepped confidently onwards. Until a group of three members of the police force came storming up from the road ahead of her and stopped her in her tracks. Their faces were masked with rage and dark suspiscion, and as they throttled up to Itachi's front door Hinamei took a stealhy dive behind the closest wall. She took a sharp inhale of breath as one nin knocked loudly on the front door. His voice was cold as he called out, "Is Itachi here? Come out now, we need to talk!" Her dark eyes looked at the ground in disbelief, had he finally done what Shisui had been so cautious of? Clutching the box close to her chest she wheeled around and peeked over the edge of the wall. The three men had advanced into the standing doorway and slowly, she crept out until she was shielded by the wall of Itachi's house. No doubt they knew she was there, but with her chakra bearing so much resemblance to that of an average house cat, they clearly couldn't care less. Itachi's stoic voice reached her eyes and she pressed herself tighter against the wall.

"What is it?"

"We had two men missing at last night's meeting. Why did you not come?" The accusation was clear in the man's voice, he had distrusted Itachi for a long time now and frankly was glad to see something come of it. Hinamei waited anxiously for an answer, but to her surprise Itachi remained quiet. His silence was met with more cold tones. "I understand that you've been occupied with various missions since you've joined the ANBU, your father also told us that, and he's looking over you. However, we have no intent on treating you any differently."

Hinamei's eyebrows pinched together and her eyes dipped towards the ground. It seemed awfully low for the police force to be grating on him for missing a meeting, maybe she should have given Itachi more credit. It was obvious they didn't work him easy. Itachi spoke once more, so low she had to lean over the side just to catch his words. "I understand, I'll be more careful from now on. Please, leave now."

"Yeah, but before we do, there's one more thing you need to answer." Her heart stilled and she unnoticably crushed the box of sweets into her chest. "It's regarding the suicide drowning in the Nakano river last night of Uchiha Shisui." Her bright grey eyes widened slowly, breathing in every word they had spoke. There had to be a mistake, she had just seen Shisui! The box slipped from her grip and tumbled clumsily to the ground, spilling her hard work onto the dusted road. "The other man that did not arrive last night was Shisui. I thought you considered Shisui as an older brother sort of figure." Her hand braced up against the wall and she refused to blink, to breathe.

"I see...I haven't met with him recently. But that is no doubt, sad to hear." Itachi replied cooly, a tint of grief touched his words. But no one aside from the eavesdropping Sasuke really noticed.

"So we, the police force, have decided to investigate this incident fully-"

"-An investigation?" The young Uchiha cut in hastily, much to Hinamei's surprise. Itachi had never sounded so hostile speaking to someone with such a high caliber. She crawled towards the edge of the wall and shook, her fingers digging into the wooden etchings of the wall.

"This is Shisui's suicide note. We already finished the handwriting analysis, it's no doubt his writing."

"If it's a suicide, what's left to investigate?"

"For those of us that can use the Sharingan, it's quite easy to forge one's handwriting." A slight rustle of paper followed, "It's written on this small scrap of paper, his suicide note. He was feared as Shisui of the Body Flicker, and one of the most talented Uchiha. He was someone who'd do any mission called upon him by the clan. I doubt someone like him would leave something like this behind." Itachi remained silent, unmoving until his words had properly placed him.

"It's not wise to judge others by your preconceptions and their appearances." At this point, Hinamei had unnoticably inched to the ground, her knees scraped with dirt and tiny pebbles. In her head she went over every small detail of what they had spoken of. Just yesterday she had seen him, kissed him. But now he was being declared dead, in less than twenty four hours-and they made it clear they thought it a homicide. But of course, who wouldn't? She knew better than any of them Shisui wouldn't have chosen that, he was so clearly ready to prove himself to everyone. But who-

"Itachi..." Her eyes were wide and shot upwards, it wasn't until the three men made their way back into the street did she crawl backwards to hide herself once more.

"I'm going to leave that will to you. Take it to the ANBU and request that they investigate as well." A tall man with greying hair tossed a patronizing look over his shoulder before continuing. "I certainly hope there will be more evidence. The police force have other connections to the ANBU as well, if you try to hide anything Itachi, we'll know instantly." And evidently, she wasn't the only one housing black thoughts. A small streak of silence was interrupted with a voice so void of feeling she had to question if it had been Itachi even speaking.

"Why don't you just say it?" The three men turned their heads back to look at the still hidden Itachi and he raised his voice angrily. "You suspect me of killing Shisui."

"Itachi, if you've betrayed the clan, it won't go unpunished." In the next instance, Hinamei was forced to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from shrieking. All three men flew towards the ground, with a speed she had yet to see, Itachi had struck them all.

"As I've just said," Itachi's head hung low and with eyes ablaze he detached himself completely of humanity. "It's foolish to judge others simply by your preconceptions and judgments of their appearances. You assumed that I have patience." He brought his burning eyes back up and gave a small smile, revealing the burning insanity that tainted his young mind. "The clan, the clan...you all fail to measure your own capacity and to see the depth of my capacity. And as a result you lie beaten here." Not once had she seen Itachi act like this, like he thought every ounce of him was superior and ultimately untouchable. What is he thinking? At this point she didn't even need to look, just the tone in his voice had frightened her pale. She had her back kept firmly against the wall and her knees were pulled in close to her chin. None of this seemed real anymore.

"Shisui was told to keep an eye on you...within that little time of your entrance into the ANBU, your actions and speech were getting stranger than ever. What exactly are you thinking?" Itachi responded as if he hadn't even heard what the man had said, instead he continued on with his patronizing speech of the clan.

"You hold onto your organization, your clan, your name. Don't you understand? These things limit us and our capabilities and these things deserve to be shunned. It is foolish to fear what we've yet to see and know!"

"-Itachi, stop!" Fugaku's stern voice rang out on the late afternoon air, like an order it swept around them and all was silenced. "What in the world is wrong with you? You've been acting strange lately."

"Nothing's strange Tou-san. I'm just carrying out my duty." Itachi responded, emotionless.

"Then why didn't you come last night?"

"In order to reach the height..." Itachi reached into his pocket and pulled from it a sharpened kunai. He held it up in front of his face and at first Fugaku stepped back, fearing his son would attack him. But Itachi swiped it to the left and it splintered the brick wall like it was nothing but a frail tree. Hinamei cringed as she watched the Uchiha fan take the brunt of his assualt, chipping away to the ground carelessly. "...of my capacity. I've lost all hope for this pathetic clan." His cold biting words were spat out with disgust. "You forget what is most important to you because you cling to something so small and meaningless like your clan. True change cannot be made if it is bound by laws and limitations, predictions and imagination."

"What arrogance!" Fugaku stumbled over to his subordinates to help them stand again. "If you contine this nonsense, we will be forced to take you into custody!"

Itachi please, stop already! She couldn't bare to see him steep so low, to change anymore than he already had. Her hands clapped around her head and she muffled a small yell of aggravation. One man lashed forward, pointing an accusing finger towards the young Uchiha. His eyes challenging, sharingan to sharingan. "I can't take anymore of this! Captain, please order an arrest!" Hinamei's eyes shot open and she snapped her head towards the five of them. She had to stop this, at any cost! But before she could move to say anything a shrill voice cut her off completely.

"Nii-san! Stop it!" Sasuke yelled from inside the shelter of the house, his voice shook with the brink of tears. Itachi's eyes widened and he slowly looked back to lock eyes with his brother.

To everyone's blatant shock, Itachi fell to his knees, head bowed in apology. Hinamei blinked from her spot on the floor, face wet with tears she hadn't realized she had shed. Her eyes were locked onto Itachi's shaking form, not realizing she had crept farther away from her hiding spot. "It is not me who has killed Shisui. But for the words I have spoken, I am deeply sorry." His voice was so quiet she had to brace herself to catch a single word. The air stilled uncomfortably until the stern voice of Fugaku raised once more.

"Lately, he has been busy with missions from the ANBU, it's been wearing him thin."

"-Captain!" One man interjected but he was quickly silenced with Fugaku's raised hand.

"The ANBU is a battalion under the Hokage's direct authority. Even we cannot arrest them without official order. Besides, I will look over my son with full responsibility." His dark eyes closed and he lowered his head in what almost appeared to be shame. "Please..." The man to his left subsided with a curt nod and they turned away from both Itachi and his father. "Itachi, let's go back inside." Footsteps receded and Hinamei was left shell shocked, she took a step back until her back bumped against the shaded wood of the house. It wasn't until a voice as sharp as a knife reached her ears did she truly start to feel dizzy though.

"Hinamei, go home." She snapped her head in his direction and momentarily locked eyes with him. He gave a vague inclination of a nod and turned away but not before a chill unlike any other fingered at her spine. As his footsteps scuffled along the dirt road she found herself unable to move from her spot, finger's outstretched towards nothing and eyes shaking like a leaf in the breeze. A door slid shut and finally Hinamei found herself free. But much too soon, she lurched forward, unable to hold back the bitter bile that had risen in her throat any longer.

-------------------------------------------------------

Shisui was dead. Gone. Dead and gone. And now that she had repeated this to herself so many times her words were starting to mesh together, the panic began to sink in.

If Itachi had gone out of his way to murder Shisui, he had truly lost it this time. There was no turning back for Itachi, his soul was black now, dirtied with the fingerprints of apathy and ill thoughts. And not even the innocence of Hinamei herself could fix him. Her logic had pointed her in one direction this time, to leave and not come back. For Itachi and Shisui were the last things binding her to this village, after all, it had been thanks to Itachi she had not left in search of her mother that one winded night. Hinamei was currently in her room, fingers clutching at every small memory she had and trying not to numb herself with tears. Her mouth was mumbling incoherent words that she didn't even realize she was making, until her legs gave way and she collapsed in a pathetic pile on her floor.

Who was she kidding, leaving the village would possibly be the single most idiotic thing she could have done. And even Itachi would have agreed to that.

Hinamei, whose skills were leveled down to hardly being able to run her own bath, had no chance of survival out there alone. She picked her head up off the ground and rolled over onto her back, splayed out on the cool wood floor, she closed her burning eyes. She had no doubt Itachi would soon leave too, after his little show he displayed not on ounce of longing for this village, unlike what he used to feel. And someone like him never sat still for too long. What worried her most though is what actions he would take after that. Shisui had been his best friend, and she could no longer tell herself that Itachi hadn't been the one to kill him. But to sink so low as to lash out like that, well, it seemed unimaginable. What could he do next to show up this? It made her sick to even imagine the possibilities. She rolled back onto her side and cradled her head in her hands, the soft beat of a headache was blooming in her skull and her eyes were reluctantly folding shut.

What choice did she have now? She had run out of options months ago and yet, she still felt the need to try. Shisui wouldn't have been happy if she kept acting like some kind of wounded rabbit her entire life. Her mouth was sour and she crawled upwards towards the bathroom desperately. She needed to rinse her mouth again.

Anything to get that awful flavor out.

When night finally came, Hinamei found herself still unable to think of anything else but them. The pale moonlight drifted over her equally ashen limbs as she bounced her dark eyes back and forth between the window and the ceiling. Her fingers clenched at the sheets and she sat up slowly, rubbing the dizziness from her eyes. Sleep wasn't going to come anytime soon, not with as many thoughts crawling in her brain as she had then. Quietly, she slid her lithe frame out of the bed and made her way into the hallway where the door to the courtyard sat unlatched. The only sound in the night was the soft patter of her bare feet as she crept out. Soft dirt squirmed between her toes as she picked up her pace into a run and with her hands outstretched in front of her she made an a-line towards the katana. Determination marred her wide doe eyes and she caught the handle of her blade as she ran past it, and with one hard push the blade tore from its gash and wobbled in her hand. She came to an immediate halt and turned to face the tree with a triumphiant smirk.

Nothing got the best of her anymore.

Hinamei tore at the tree with the sword retreating over her shoulder like a thread, and she brought it down with unimaginable force. Before the blade could stick again, she reeled back and pulled the weapon out after her. Despite what the clan said about her and her family, she was an Uchiha. She bore the strength and the will to fight like they did, and like them, she wouldn't be made a fool of so easily. With every rise and fall of her chest, she swore Itachi wouldn't leave without a fight. With every strike she delivered, she promised she would see it through till the end, even if it killed her.

For Shisui, she promised to stay strong.