Kingdom by the Sea

When Hinamei slept, it often didn't take long for the dream cycle to start reeling within the confines of her mind. There was little she could do to stop it, especially when it had already started. But somewhere in the real world, fingers were prying at her arm. Gently, she could feel herself being rocked back alive. A soft voice was muttering in close to her neck and even through the haze of sleep, she could feel a gentle breath on her collarbone. She struggled, pulling away from whatever it was that held her until a soft echo reached her spinning head. "Hinamei, wake up." It was just the breeze of a sentence but there was no mistaking that voice. Once soft and sweet, now was under laid with arrogance and cruel intent. Even when half asleep, those tones didn't escape her.

"Itachi, what do you want?" Hinamei mumbled back, clumsily asleep. The girl blinked upwards and slowly turned towards the looming shadow above her. She squinted and pressed her mouth together, wondering if Itachi even ever slept.

"Come with me," he said simply. He stood up and grabbed something from the small desk in the corner and once he stood by the door, he looked back expectantly. The girl nuzzled into her arm before another clear warning reached her. "Hinamei..." With an aggravated sigh the girl sat up, still dizzy from being woken up in such an unpleasant manner. She threw her feet over the bed and slowly stepped onto the wooden tiles. Her skin gently stuck to the icy cold floor and with a shudder on her shoulders, she opened her eyes fully. The window shades were open and to her dismay, it was still dark outside. She couldn't have been asleep for more than three hours. Under Itachi's watchful eyes, she crossed her arms, eyes scattering to find her clothes strewn across the floor. It wasn't like he hadn't seen it before anyways. After slipping into her clothes she gingerly stepped into her shoes and stood tall next to Itachi's shoulders. He glanced down and even in the dark, she could have sworn he was smirking at her. "Stay quiet." He whispered, opening the door and sliding out of the doorway like a shadow. She followed wordlessly. Itachi was significantly taller than she was and as he stalked in front of her she watched him in full. He had pulled his hair back and had slipped into his billowing cloak once more, his face remained impassive though he did glance back every now and then to make sure she was still following. When they advanced the front doors of the hotel, he pulled it back and stepped aside, Hinamei walked past him with a glower firmly stuck on her face. When he pulled the door shut, she opened her mouth to speak but was quickly silenced when he held up his hand.

The cold air bristled on her arms, wrapping around her stiff limbs almost unbearably. Itachi might have had the sense of mind to bring his cloak but she stalked by trembling like a leaf, glancing at the other Uchiha like he should do something about it. But he never did and that really didn't surprise her. They walked until the reached the edge of the small town and were faced with the snaking dirt road that led them here. Itachi pointed a finger frontwards and with a pitfall in her stomach she realized he was taking her to the forest. Where he might have her killed just to get it over with, she knew she should have kept her mouth shut. "What are you doing with me?" She asked quietly, fingers digging into the numbly cold flesh of her arms. Itachi only looked back, not satisfying her with an answer. And instantly she stopped walking. "Answer me, dammit!"

Itachi stopped short and sighed, turning towards her with a worn expression on his face. "Stop being so paranoid." He answered shortly. "I want to see how far you've come, well, since our last fight got interrupted."

"You-you want to spar with me?" She asked, turning her head in confusion. "At this hour?"

"We can't possibly be interrupted this time, not when everyone is sleeping." He replied almost obviously. She furrowed her brow and pinched her mouth shut. "Now, hurry up." And he briskly moved off across the road, she followed bitterly. When they reached the edge of the trees it seemed the air retreated nearly ten degrees colder. Her fingers were going numb and her teeth were chattering together, and every movement only seemed to make it worse. Itachi let out a low irritated growl and turned towards her, she replied with a sour look despite the fact that her lips were now turning a pale blue color. Itachi said nothing as his hands flitted up to unbutton the collar of his cloak, in one sleek movement he shook it off his shoulders and whipped it behind Hinamei. It rested on her narrow shoulders like a blanket and wordlessly, he numbly re-buttoned it at her neck. She only stared up at him curiously. "You should have brought a jacket." He replied lowly, glancing up at her as he fumbled with the last button.

"Well I'm sorry, I didn't think we were going hiking this late at night." Ignoring her jab, he turned away and for a slight second she felt almost guilty for having such a sharp tongue. After all, from where she stood, it almost looked like he was trying to help her. The girl averted her eyes and she wrapped her arms around the fabric of his cloak, nuzzling it close to her face. It smelled like him, inviting and warm. Before she could start walking again, Itachi held a finger up to stop her.

"Stay here, just for a second." She didn't reply and she crouched down towards the ground as he walked away. Watching the silver tint of her katana on his hip as he moved, she closed her heavy eyes. They were in a small opening of trees, it all looked similar to what she had been seeing since they left her village. It was wide enough for them to spar with each other without being blocked by the forest. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ground, conflicting feelings running through her head. She just couldn't wrap her mind around Itachi, not yet anyway. Even though a part of her doubted she ever would. Did he care? Was he building her up only to be disappointed? Hinamei looked away and pushed her eyebrows together, he sure used to like doing that. Well, she wouldn't put it past him. Twigs cracked beneath someone's tread and her attention shot up, meeting Itachi's dark eyes instantly. He was smirking, a sign that didn't seem all that inviting. He reached a slender hand to his hip and unlatched her katana and he threw it to the ground right in front of her. Hinamei reached a hand out but stalled and glanced back up.

"If I'm using the sword, what will you be using?" She asked, finally gripping the smooth handle of the blade. It fit snugly in her hand and she couldn't have been happier to have it back in her grip, right where it belonged.

"Just this." From his left hand he whipped out a thin branch, it was stripped of it's leaves and not much bigger than the width of his thumb. And it all seemed much too familiar for her.

"You're kidding me, right?" Hinamei asked, pulling out her blade as her blood got hotter. Itachi always was arrogant and she had always hated it. Now was no different so it seemed. Itachi only shrugged and he let the ghost of a smile touch at his pale lips. With heavy eyelids he followed her footsteps, knowing full well what he was doing.

"It's all I'll need." The smaller girl smirked, her eyes wide and bright. She wasn't going to let him strike first, no, not with his branch. She'd be damned if he got the best of her again. She went left, dragging the tip of her blade in the soft dirt as she strode. Itachi blinked and his face went serious, all except for that sweet curve to his lips that told her he still wasn't taking this seriously. With a sharp turn, Hinamei brought the blade up and swiped sharply where Itachi's shoulder had been. But he was more prepared than she could have given him credit for and at the last second he crouched to the ground. Hinamei's eyes stalled to his shadow but it was too late, his hand flew out and the small willowy branch lashed out against her ankle. If it hadn't been so cold the branch wouldn't have hurt so bad, but it was cold and her welting leg felt like it had been seared with a piece of hot metal. "Come on Hinamei, you wouldn't want to disappoint me now, would you?" Itachi asked tauntingly as he slid back into position and righted himself. Hinamei's head snapped up and she growled, hating that proud look that washed over his face. Despite the throbbing in her ankle she went forward, lashing out at him as fast as he could. His sleeve caught on the edge of her blade and nicked a small hole. Itachi scowled but said nothing as he was being forced to dodge her swift attacks.

She wanted to see blood.

The Uchiha girl snarled, picking up her pace until she might as well have been dancing on the ground. Every fluid strike, every tree that splintered underneath her sword, it was all but inches away from her target. But he was fast and somewhere deep inside her mind she knew she didn't stand a chance. But her chance came through when Itachi's foot slipped on the damp ground and without hesitation she jabbed forward.

The air fell quiet and all she could hear was the sound of skin tearing as it was pierced by metal.

Her eyes went wide as the blade sunk deep into Itachi's chest, followed by a large bloom of crimson blood. Skin frayed and tucked around the edges of her katana and she looked up at Itachi's pale face, panic fleeting on her own shocked features. He looked just as startled as she was. "I-Ita..." She began, fingers drifting above the blade. "I didn't mean..."

"Turn around." A voice whispered coldly from over her shoulder and she took in a sharp inhale of breath. Spinning on her heel, Hinamei turned around only to be struck with the branch clear across her face as hard as he could manage. It cut into her numbly cold cheek like steel and with a loud cry she fell to the ground. Her hands dug deep into the wet soil and tears prickled at her eyes. Hastily, she slapped a dirty hand to her cheek and cut her teeth together. Through bleary vision she glanced at the tree where Itachi's body had been but moments before. It was pivoted deep into the tree but it pinned nothing down. A small line of blood crossed her face and she glared up at Itachi as he stood above her. "Hn. I expected better." Itachi threw the stick down next to Hinamei's knees and walked over to the tree where easily, he dislodged the blade from the tree and placed it back into it's holster. "Get up Hinamei, we're finished here."

Her black eyes glowered up and she growled before forcing herself upright, stumbling as she did so. With the back of her hand she wiped the small stream of blood off of her face, eyes never leaving Itachi's waiting grace. "You've lost your mind Itachi." She closed her eyes and then, to Itachi's surprise, she activated her sharingan and stared straight through him. "Make up your mind already!" Her arms threw back and with teeth bared she wasted no time in darting towards him. Itachi was as always fully prepared. He whipped up her blade and cut through the air just as she was coming at him, but three years ago she learned how to evade such an obvious attack. She spun quickly, bringing her knee upwards until the moment where she kicked outwards, striking the blade straight out of Itachi's grip. The katana rattled to the floor and just as Itachi's dark eyes flew towards it Hinamei wasted no time in bringing her fist straight to Itachi's jaw.

His eyes went wide as the force of her attack sent him reeling back. His back hit a firm tree, shaking it's branches till tendrils of leaves fluttered down around them. Hinamei stood in front of him, breathing heavily with her fisted hand still shaking from impact. From the force of her strike, he wouldn't have been surprised if she had split her knuckles. His fingers drifted to his jaw and tenderly he touched the area she had bruised. To his surprise, it still hurt. "Why won't you..." Hinamei began, she let her head fall and a small laugh left her lips. When she snapped her head back up her sharingan was cleared and it was suddenly very obvious the pain that fleeted behind her eyes. "Just admit you still love me..." Itachi stared at her, wordlessly. His eyes remained impassive, clear and that frustrated her more than anything. "Do I need to say it!" She cried out and Itachi didn't move as Hinamei burst forward, wrapping her hands around his collar until their chests were pressed together. "No matter how many times you hurt me, betray me, Itachi I will always love you." His eyes flashed towards hers and he watched on as she shut her eyes, unable to look at him any longer. "I want to hate you," she brought her fist weakly down upon his chest and he closed his eyes. "I should hate you, but I-I can't...and it kills me everyday." With another frail hit the girl collapsed onto Itachi's chest, shuddering into his shirt. Despite all the warning signs in his body he held a hand up and gently pressed it to her back, forcing her body closer to his. After a moment of silence Hinamei pulled away, looking up at him expectantly. "Aren't you going to say something?"

Itachi looked down at her, her bruised eyes brimming with pain, her pale mouth quivering and wet. She was still wearing his cloak, it was almost endearing the way it hung off her shoulders and enveloped her hands completely. His dark eyes fell to a lock of hair spun close to her cheek, his fingers flexed upwards to tuck it behind her ear but then, he stopped. "You could never understand." He said shortly, his hand fell back to his side and his eyes trespassed her face to instead stare behind her. "I won't let them hurt you Hinamei, but, you have to trust me." Her eyes sped back and forth, trying to keep up with his slightly changing expressions. He looked hurt, like every word that left this mouth left him aching. "Just play along, you've done well already. But you can't let anyone know I'm helping you."

"I-" Hinamei looked away, torn between thoughts until her eyebrows tilted upwards and she closed her eyes, a sigh drifting. "I promise, I won't." And she pressed forward once more and nuzzled into his chest, pressing her palms flat against his collarbone. "All I can do is trust you at this point," she muttered. "After all, you're all I have left."

And then, the heart he forgot he had broke in two.

*****

"Trust him," she muttered into his shoulder. Yukio glared over at her and sparing a quick glance at their captors, he hissed back angrily.

"Have you gone mad? Don't tell me I need to remind you what he did to you." Hinamei rolled her eyes and straightened back up, locking her sights with the sky she smiled broadly upwards.

"No, I've got a good feeling about this." She rolled her head back down towards the shorter boy and winked. "Trust me a little bit, will you?" The boy only responded with a snort before he turned away. "Anyways, how was your night?"

"Don't even get me started," Yukio said sadly. "That man is a walking nightmare, I swear. Even when he's sleeping." Hinamei smirked and threw an arm around Yukio's narrow shoulders, shaking him a bit.

"Well don't worry kid, we'll be out of this soon. He won't let anything hurt us." Her eyes flitted back to Itachi and a small smile touched the edges of her lips. Things were looking up after all.

They had left early that morning and to her surprise Itachi was acting a little less cold and a lot less threatening. But of course, when in the presence of Kisame he acted downright awful, but that was to be expected. And she didn't hold any of it against him. She had always known there was more to him, he had secrets. Of course, who didn't? But his were darker and in a way defined him as a person. It wasn't his fault and then she was glad she always tried to see the good in him. At least he was trying, right? Yukio might have thought she had lost her mind but he just didn't know. Soon enough he would, surely Itachi had something hidden up his sleeve and this wouldn't end in heartbreak, like things in her life often times did. The dirt road winded far above them but she didn't mind walking now. The air was clear and the sun gently prickled the skin on her shoulders. She had managed to slip in a shower that morning and was happy with how much better she felt after removing many layers of dirt. Not much could ruin her day.

Itachi shot her a warning glance and she stiffened. She was acting too at ease and she knew it. With a sour look she looked away, trying hard to hide the overwhelming relief that flooded her system. Maybe they wouldn't have to run away after all. The day was uneventful, they stopped once to eat and Yukio and Hinamei kept to themselves. They whispered secret conversations to each other and neither rogue ninja seemed to notice, nor care.

Every now and then Yukio would stare at Itachi, his eyebrows pushed together and his mouth a thin line. He was hiding something, the boy was sure of it. Blue eyes fell to his hands and he flexed his slender fingers from beneath the shelter of his gloves. He was going to find out. Hinamei was easily manipulated. It didn't take an expert to figure that one out. And if she was going to be careless then it was going to be his job to keep them alive. She would thank him later for it.

As the day wore thin and the sun began to set, Kisame and Itachi settled on a small rocky place to take shelter for the night. They weren't far from the border of the leaf village, maybe an hour or two off. But neither wanted to risk settling down too close to the border and risk getting scouted out. Hinamei and Yukio sat at one end and Itachi and Kisame sat on the other. Kisame kept mainly to himself, they could all tell the trip was wearing him thin. And Itachi kept his eyes to the sky, his arms inside the safety of his cloak and his legs pulled up to his chest, thinking about things neither of them wanted to know about. "So, we're staying with them?" Yukio asked quietly as he rested his head against Hinamei's thin shoulders. She looked down at his mess of blonde hair and softly drummed her fingers against her outstretched legs.

"For now," she raised one hand and ruffled his wispy blonde hair, to which he replied to with a groan. "You shouldn't worry so much about this." The boy snorted at her and sat up, shaking his hair back out.

"Easy said than done, they might spare your life but I'm obviously expendable. You never did have many friends did you?" He smirked and she delivered a soft punch to his shoulder.

"I had plenty of friends, thank you."

"Oh right," his blue eyes flashed to Itachi and his smiled faded, "because you keep the best company, don't you?" A pained look flashed against Hinamei's eyes but she made quick to cover it up by turning away and making a scoffing sound.

"If you don't shut up I'll break your other arm."

*****

Everyone was asleep.

Well, mostly everyone. Yukio had his eyes closed and his breath fell in even breaks, but he was far from feeling tired. He had a plan he had to carry out, for his and Hinamei's sake. The girl mumbled something in her sleep to his left and slightly, he turned towards her.

She was saying his name. A notion that made Yukio feel almost sick, Itachi truly didn't deserve it.

He had to get them out of here. Even if it killed them trying, because worse things were sure to happen later. Yukio opened his eyes fully and stared ahead as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Kisame was fast asleep, and he knew because the man slept with his mouth open and in that time, not much could wake him. The blonde boy snorted, some shinobi he was. Underestimating your foe was something that even Yukio himself knew not to do. His eyes trailed over until they rested on Itachi's form. Ever graceful, the man kept his knees to his chest and his head rested against the tree he leaned on. Yukio had been watching him for hours, only recently had his breath evened out and his face finally relaxed. He had to be sleeping, the boy thought with a smirk. Quietly, Yukio put his hand to his mouth and with his teeth, he pulled the glove from his hand.

This was risky, far riskier than anything he had ever done. He glanced over at Hinamei and nodded to himself. At least it was worth it this time. He took a deep breath and then finally, moved forward till he fell on his hands and knees. Hinamei stirred but aside from that, everything remained still. The clearing was small and Itachi was closer to them than Kisame was, it shouldn't be hard. All he needed to know was the truth. He moved slowly, hand stretched out, followed by his still bruised knees. A single tail of the cloak was spread out on the ground in front of him, and if they wore them all the time, he would have no problem getting a reading from it. It was just within reach when a soft sound had him stilled. He snapped his head back and locked eyes with a very confused looking Hinamei. She opened her mouth to speak but when she caught sight of the panicked look on Yukio's face, she shut it. He turned back around and focused, and when that familiar feeling rushed through his fingertips, he placed his unbroken hand on the coat tail.

Bright eyes grew wide and his mouth fell open.

But it was a single memory that had him worried. A memory involving orders from a masked man to go retrieve Hinamei and bring her back alive, only to be killed by this stranger. And Itachi had agreed. He pulled his hand back and moved back, his movement sloppy and sharp. Itachi stirred but still, he didn't wake. When he fell back against the tree, Hinamei turned on him with her mouth cut into a firm line. But he wasn't going to let her lecture him first, "We have to get out of here now." He hissed out, her eyes widened and she slunk back.

"Wh-what did you see?" She asked quietly, almost afraid to know. She knew that reaction, something was wrong.

"Hinamei, he's been lying to you! He took orders, orders to have you killed. If we don't get out now-we're going to die!" Slowly, she turned towards Itachi and she frowned. He had manipulated her, one time to many. She felt like a fool and inside, the pain was nearly unbearable. Her hands coiled into fists and Yukio thought she was going to try to fight now, until she turned towards Yukio and nodded.

"Can you run?" She asked, voice strong and unwavering. She wasn't going to let it get to her this time, she was stronger than that. And Itachi didn't deserve anymore from her. Yukio stiffly nodded and Hinamei surveyed forward and nodded. "Alright, move fast and don't look back. If they start to trail us, lose them at all costs. I will find you if we get separated." He made to shift upwards but her hand stopped him and he looked back curiously. "And...thank you Yukio. I'm so sorry." His heart swelled but he merely answered with a shrug.

"Save it, you can buy me something nice when we get out of here." A small smile touched at her lips and she nodded.

Hinamei closed her eyes and let the chakra flow to her legs, she had to move fast even if she was exhausted. This was no time for inaccuracies. All her training, it had to be for something. She pulled herself into a crouching position, eyes flashing towards the two sleeping men in front of her and she smirked. With a single nod towards Yukio, they broke apart and took off into the trees at break neck speed. Itachi opened his eyes and glanced over where just a moment before the two had been sitting.

He would give her some time while she thought she was getting somewhere, he didn't want her to hate him anymore than she already did. He nestled back into the tree and closed his eyes.

Stupid Hinamei, she really hadn't changed much.