Kingdom by the Sea

The placement was, Kisame and Yukio at one end of the small circle barren of trees. The man with his eyes shut but still aware of everything around him and the boy, drifting quietly into the small peace he got when he closed his eyes at night. At the opposite end of the space sat two similar people, a man whose heavy eyes had finally fallen shut. But he was not asleep, no, he hardly ever slept. He listened now to the things around him, he could time every quick breath that left Hinamei's rosy lips, every twitch of her fingers. He could hear it all and he knew, she wasn't sleeping either. The girl's eyes were wide open, tracing every small shadow that fleeted by their small space. The rise and fall of Yukio's chest as dark dreams filled his head and troubled his sleeping. She hadn't known him long but no sane person slept like he did. Afraid and ready and willing for attack. And then there was Itachi. Her dark eyes slowly traced to her right, his mouth was a sharp line. Not angry but passive. He was void, completely empty as he sat still in the darkness. Maybe, in these small moments at night, he felt peace.

Not that he deserved it, she thought sharply. No, he deserved to be plagued by nightmares all the time. She hoped he never slept, for she didn't. Not much anyways. And she missed those moments where sleep was her one safe escape. Now it was only a passage back to the past, and it was all his fault. Above her, two insects were chirping wildly at each other. And that was really the only sound she tried to concentrate on.

Otherwise, her mind would slip backwards into an endless cycle of pain and foul memories. And she had been down that lane enough within the past two days to never want to do it again.

"Why don't you sleep?" She was throttled back into the present and she blinked. Her eyes stung, but she was more used to it than she would have liked to be. With her fist to her eyes, she rubbed away the burning sensation and gave a small laugh. Itachi never really asked a straight forward question, as in, he wasn't concerned with why she wasn't sleeping now. But in fact, why didn't she ever sleep? Because he knew, really he just got off on knowing other people had more problems than he had. Even if he was the source of it all.

"I think you know why, Itachi." Hinamei whispered, her eyes now shut. Sometimes, when things were as quiet as they were now, she liked to pretend she was somewhere else. With green trees and mountain air that had clouds clinging to it like they were afraid to let go. A place where the rain could touch your skin, no, not touch. Caress. And there was no murder. No rogue shinobi out for her head. Better yet, no Itachi. Hell, she'd trade everything in just to live knowing Itachi didn't exist in the world. But some things were just plain impossible. And as real as the air she breathed in, her number one insult was sitting but inches away from her.

"Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?"

"When everything ended." It was funny, the way he spoke. Like it was all some fictious play write. Like it never happened. But what he didn't know was that pain was so blindingly real, it haunted her day and night. Hence the reasoning to his question earlier. She doesn't sleep because the pain is so easily overwhelming. She'd go mad if she slept. Because then, she gave it a chance to consume her. But Hinamei knew better, why feed him the answers he so obviously wanted to hear?

"No, it didn't." She leaned her head against the sharp bark of the tree and took a deep breath. But Itachi wasn't stupid. He knew how much it hurt because deep down, he felt it too. But it was too late for him, the pain had already eaten him alive. "Why are you asking?" The girl turned to look at him but his face only appeared as a slightly lighter smear of color on the otherwise darker background. Despite the ache in her chest, even his slightly lighter smear of color was attractive. She laughed and even though she couldn't see, Itachi smirked too.

"Because I want to know." A flare of thought arose and she felt almost guilty. She hadn't had this close to a conversation with Itachi since she was ten. Almost eight years ago. She didn't want to say it was nice, but damned if she didn't miss it. It was almost like she could lean her head onto his shoulder and like old times, he would lean his head onto hers. And then he would say they would stay like this forever, and repeat. Well, it was a thought better left unconsidered. Hinamei blinked upwards, at the millions of pin pricks of light that shone through the silhouette of leaves. She missed the stars. Somewhere, she felt bad that she hadn't appreciated them more.

"Will you be honest with me?" She asked suddenly, still so quiet it was merely a whisper. Itachi inclined his head closer with his eyes still shut.

"That depends."

"Why are you taking me to...wherever this place is?" Then, Itachi opened his eyes.

She almost thought he wasn't going to respond, the way his breathing had fallen back into a normal pace. But then, after a long drawn out silence, he spoke. "He wants you. He knows you're an Uchiha and he wants to utilize that. When we take you back you'll be used like the rest of us. Maybe you'll have it better. I wasn't told everything." Even after everything that had happened, she felt inclined to believe him. He had spared her life once, he couldn't have become so callous as to throw her away so easily now, right? She put her head back down and looked over at him in the dark. A faint smile on her lips. But still, even a slight inclination wasn't enough to make her let her guard down. He was still a monster. With a wide yawn she stretched her legs out and slowly, made her way to stand up. Which in turn made Itachi tense up nervously.

"Where are you going?" He asked sharply, his voice still quiet but deadly all the same.

"You know, normal human needs." She replied in a blunt whisper. Hinamei looked around, of course they had to pick the one place where going to the bathroom had to be a terrifying experience. And that's saying something considering who she was camping around with right now. To her disdain, Itachi stood up stiffly and awkwardly before she could even start moving. "Where are you going?" Hinamei's hand flew to her side and she quirked an eyebrow.

"I'm not stupid enough to let you wander off by yourself." He snapped, narrowing his eyes regardless if she could see or not.

"You're not going to the bathroom with me!" She snapped back, glancing over at Yukio as he stirred. It was bad enough Kisame could hear every word that was being exchanged, she didn't need Yukio to hear how awkward this was becoming. The girl made to stalk off but instantly halted when Itachi's ghost of a footstep followed. "Itachi-"

"Don't act so childish." Just like the old days, Itachi always had to be such a know it all. Hinamei growled and her shoulders drooped. Now not only did going to the bathroom have to be terrifying, it had to be completely embarrassing as well. And with anyone else she would have been able to brush it off. But with him, not a chance. She could hardly fathom having a conversation with him, but this? No, it was something that even thinking about it made her blush. "Move." He instructed from over her shoulder.

"Don't be so demanding, you're starting to sound excited." She mockingly replied, earning what seemed like a well deserved shove in the back. She frowned but nonetheless kept moving. Twigs snapped beneath her light stride. Leaves rummaged and dirt was kicked around. But at this point, she made no effort to keep quiet. If Itachi was going to be paying attention, why shouldn't everyone else. And really, all she was hoping for was some time alone. If she could have just found a quiet place in the woods to sit and think, all would have been well. She could have gotten her bearings straight. She never would have thought that Itachi would still be so controlling to want to follow her.

The trees thickened around her and gently, her hands trailed the towering trunks. She couldn't see the opening they were resting in at all and if she turned away, it was almost like Itachi wasn't there at all. But of course, he trailed her like a shadow. Hinamei slowed, her eyes adjusted and she glared at the trees. They weren't on any sort of path so now the plants had gotten so thick and tangled it would have been a struggle going anywhere at all. With an aggravated sigh she turned around and made to move, until Itachi's strong grip fell firmly onto her arms. Things were so dark she hadn't realized just how close he was to her until she felt the soft heat drifting from his touch. "We're not going any further. Now hurry." Her mind was too busy reeling though to get her legs working so quickly. As she took in a deep breath her chest gently brushed up against Itachi's. His grip tightened and she was wide eyed looking into his thin face. His expression though was unreadable.

"You're close." She whispered, glancing down at his lips as she spoke. Waiting for him to move away, she tensed. And at this point, she would have rather been wrapped back up at the camp. Not here, alone with the one person she didn't want to be alone with. Something caught the light of the sky and she tore her eyes down, instinctively, her hand twitched towards the glow.

"Don't even think about it." Itachi murmured quietly, close to her own mouth. His eyes were penetrating her stare and she pulled her hand back. It would have been a foolish move anyway, she wasn't getting her katana back anytime soon. With a firm push, Itachi released his grip on her and Hinamei stumbled back into the thorny bushes. Painfully, she tucked her arms in to avoid further tearing. "Are you going to go?" He asked darkly, eyeing her suspiciously. Hinamei weighed her options and finally decided as a deep pout marred her face.

"No, I guess not." And firmly she stepped past Itachi, ignoring the snide look he was giving her. Maybe people don't change. And in Itachi's case, maybe they just get worse. She stumbled her way back into the campsite and looked around. Yukio's head was drooping but Kisame's dark beady eyes were taking her in full. Itachi stepped in close behind her and locked his sights. Without saying a word, the girl angrily kicked her way back to her spot where she sat down and crossed her arms. None of this was going according to plan. It was age eight all over again, where Itachi is all knowing and untouchable and she was just there. Taking up room and being too loud. Her pout deepened. Hinamei was too caught up in her head to watch the unsaid conversation unfolding in front of her between the two cloaked men though. Kisame's eyes darted to the girl and then back at Itachi.

He knew, something was amiss and damned if he wasn't going to figure it out. Itachi was, well he was like a stone statue. Unreadable and monotone. But something had changed and if he wasn't mistaken it almost looked like concern. Itachi was being pushed around by this girl and as well as Kisame knew the Uchiha, he understood fully that everyone feared Itachi. But this girl didn't, in fact, she acted like she knew him. Kisame lowered his gaze and let Itachi stalk off, looking angrier than ever. Kisame decided he was going to figure this out, now that he felt almost betrayed by his partner. Were they all playing the same field? He liked to think they were but a coiling feeling in his gut seemed to tell him otherwise. No one got to the Uchiha, but it was evident now, this girl was getting under Itachi's skin and the worst part is that Itachi seemed to be letting her. But as far as Kisame knew, Itachi felt nothing but hate and blood lust. He didn't have a temper, the machine like man only seemed to have one setting.

It was all too weird. As Kisame closed his eyes he reassured himself that this was all another mission. Tedious and tiring. And maybe that was the problem, he just hadn't had enough sleep lately. But regardless, Kisame would talk about it later.

*****

"Ita-chan, let me out!" The small girl cried out helplessly, her fists beating at the door that separated her from Itachi. From the other side of the door she could feel the pressure from Itachi as he leaned against it.

"You wanted to know how to be brave didn't you? Well, we're starting here!" He yelled back, pushing his back up firmly against the door. It rattled again though and the young boy couldn't help but sigh and deepen the already deep frown on his face. Only two weeks ago Hinamei had asked Itachi to teach her to be brave like he was. After the incident with the thunderstorm, she found herself determined to be like Itachi. Plus, he was almost willing to do anything so he didn't have to face that situation again. He really hated pretending to be nice to her, she was too old to still be acting like a baby. Hinamei let out another loud cry and he heard her slump to the ground. A smirk quickly found its way to his lips. The best solution to the problem came easily. He took one of her biggest fears and made it a reality. Because he couldn't even count on his fingers how many times he had been forced to coddle her when things were dark. Like every little girl, she was terrified of it. Not being able to see anything, the way it always seemed to consume you. Girls like her hated that, so he did what anyone else would have done in his situation.

He locked her in the dark closet and plainly told her that she couldn't come out until she was no longer scared. It seemed like it would have been easier when he first thought about it. Quietly, a small murmur came from inside the door. "Ita-chan, please. It's really scary in here." She sounded on the verge of tears. Another thing Itachi hated about her. The boy rolled his eyes upwards. He could have easily brushed her off again, with the final stage of the chuunin exams drawing closer, he really needed to. But instead he chose to occupy his time with Hinamei. And there she sat, like always, complaining. "...please." He should have known, Hinamei never pulled through with anything. Almost reluctantly, the boy stepped away from the door and unlatched it. The small girl quickly came tumbling out. As ever, dramatic.

"I'm not helping you again." He said hastily, eyeing her as she looked around with a tear streaked face. She met his impatient look with a glare.

"Well you didn't have to lock me in a closet!" She yelled, making Itachi cringe. Did he even have to say how much he hated that too?

"I'm done anyways, I'm going home." But before he could even make to walk away Hinamei reached out and tugged on the hem of his pants. "What now?" He asked coldly. Hinamei pulled herself up to a full standing position and looked Itachi in the eyes. He was still taller than her but she was getting closer.

"I'm sorry I wasted your time." And there she went again, Itachi tried hard to push away that guilty feeling but it rose up anyways and he found himself looking away awkwardly.

"I never said you wasted my time," he mumbled while looking away. He tried hard not to notice Hinamei's face brighten as he said it, but her beaming was hard to ignore. "I mean, you did waste my time. But at least you didn't start crying till ten minutes in." He crossed his arms and started to walk away again. "I've got to start training. I can't afford to fail this next test Hinamei." The girl tucked her hands together in front of her and watched on brightly.

"Can I at least watch?"

Itachi considered it momentarily before he answered with a shrug. "As long as you don't get in the way, I guess." But he wasn't going to wait on her. He immediately strode forward and ignored her as she tried hard to fall in line with him. They left her empty house and quickly made their way down the long dirt road. Both quiet until Hinamei spoke up again.

"Ita-chan?"

"What?" He shot her a hard glance and she looked away sheepishly.

"Thanks anyway."

And even with the smirk edging on his lips, he still only managed to answer with a short 'hn'...

She hadn't meant to fall asleep.

When she woke it was sudden, painful almost as she shook away the blackened memories that often came back to haunt her when she fell asleep. "Stupid dreams," she mumbled, musing her bleary eyes with her hands. They always came back like this, the good memories. Except they hit her like a boulder, every time. Even if she was getting more and more used to it. She stretched but the pain was almost suffocating. Her body felt stiff from falling asleep in the crouched position she was in and she forced herself to next time at least try to lie down when she felt tired. The girl sat up and finally looked around, to her surprise, she was awake before anyone else. Everyone was still, even Kisame was taking deep, heavy breaths that told her he wasn't as aware as he liked to think. But when she snapped her head to her right she was startled to find Itachi was more alert than ever. His cold eyes were staring at her, like he had been staring for some time and she was only just now feeling the effects. "Don't do that." She snapped hastily, looking away and slumping back against the tree. Itachi looked away and stared off into the distance instead.

"You mumble in your sleep," Itachi said absentmindedly then. Hinamei stilled and shifted a little away from him. "It's interesting." Despite the warning signs, she couldn't help but give into her curiosity.

"About what?"

"About me." He answered simply, sending a shudder down her aching spine. Next time, she reminded herself, don't ask. She stretched her legs out and rubbed the tension out of her muscles. And even though the thought was now gnawing at her, she didn't bother asking what she had said. Especially after the dream she had roused from, she'd hate to imagine she was mumbling anything regarding Itachi so affectionately. That was something she definitely didn't want to know. Hinamei glanced back over at Itachi and for a slight moment she felt bad. He looked terrible. The deep creases under his eyes were more apparent than ever and he looked pale. More than usual that is. His movements seemed lacking its usual grace, it was obvious he hadn't slept much, if at all that night. There was that underlying pressure on his shoulders that she always remembered seeing. Back in the day when his biggest obstacle was passing a test and grading higher than everyone else. It was hard to imagine he was even the same person, but she knew his ten year old self was still in there somewhere. Locked away and crying out.

Times like these she really missed Shisui. He always had a way about him. No matter how stressed and angry Itachi ever was, Shisui could take it away instantly. Just his presence used to ease Itachi's frustrations. In ways Hinamei could only ever dream of doing. Who knows, maybe if Itachi hadn't completely lost his mind Shisui might have actually made him into a tolerable person. Hinamei snorted, no, not even that was possible.

Like a switch, Kisame's breathing changed and both Uchiha's looked over. The man roused lightly from his sleep and looked around, obviously confused for a slight second. Once he got his mind worked out he grunted and looked away. "I thought we were leaving early." Itachi closed his eyes at the words.

"We are. I figured you needed the sleep. We aren't so off schedule." But Kisame wasted no time. He stood up tall and dusted himself off, stretching as he fully righted himself.

"Next time I say we rent a hotel." Itachi didn't answer but even Hinamei found herself yearning for the feel of a real bed. Sleeping on the ground was much too animalistic for her standards anyways. She pulled her head out of her fantasy just as Kisame was roughly nudging Yukio awake. She cringed at the thought of his tender bruises getting worse but she knew she wouldn't be able to do much on her own. She wasn't there yet. But there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she soon would be. "Get up, kid." He said gruffly. Evidently, Kisame was even in a fouler mood first thing in the morning. Really, she didn't have the slightest clue how him and Itachi got along so well. Maybe it was the whole murder thing they had in common, either way, it seemed out there. Yukio winced but pulled his eyes open. Hinamei beamed at him the best she could before she too was getting hassled to stand up. And again, she couldn't help but notice there was something off with Itachi.

He was stiffer than usual and his eyes seemed almost unsure. Small details, but if one knew Itachi well enough, they were blaringly obvious.

"We should get to the leaf's border within the week if we hurry." Itachi said softly, looking over at Kisame somewhat business like. The other man only nodded and re-secured the sword to his back.

"Nice to know it won't take long to get back to the base," Kisame grunted. "If we get back fast enough maybe this time we'll get some damn rest in." Yukio listened in carefully but Hinamei's head was now swimming with anxious thoughts. Why would they be passing through the leaf village? Surely Itachi wouldn't be welcome back after what he had done, one would think he would want to actually stay as far away from it as possible. But the thought had already seeded itself into her mind and she was formulating a plan that surely would leave their chance of escape open. Maybe, this wasn't such a bad idea.

Her dark eyes flashed to Yukio and he met hers with a cool blue. Tired and wary but still, he saw the troublesome glimmer in her eyes. The girl grinned and later she promised herself to inform him that they would be escaping sooner than either thought. To the very place she was forced to flee from so long ago.

She might actually have to start thanking Itachi for becoming so careless.

*****

The placement was, Kisame and Yukio at one end of the small circle barren of trees, and then directly across sat Hinamei and himself. Everybody but Itachi was caught up sleep. But his attention was only on one person and she was currently whimpering at images he couldn't see. His dark eyes ran the length of her body and the girl shifted, her hair falling more into her face. Itachi outstretched his thin fingers and stopped but inches away from her pale features. Should he give in? Instinctively, his eyes flashed towards Kisame. The man was still just as numbly asleep as before, he should have been more alert. But Itachi wasn't complaining and he stole his eager sights back towards the girl. Slowly, his fingers drifted behind a large lock of dark hair and he lifted it until he could see her face. She looked even more troubled than he thought. He quickly tucked the lock behind her ear and his hand came back to rest on his leg.

He shouldn't have done that.

With a small sigh he leaned back, eyes rolling up towards the sky. What he wouldn't give to be able to sleep again...

Suddenly, a small noise caught his attention. It was slight but the words caught his ear like it had been screamed inches from his face. "Ita-chan...please..." He didn't need to look at her, it would only ruin the illusion. If he did look all he would see is her pale face contorted in pain. But with his eyes closed and head tilted back, he could still pretend things were okay. He could still see her, age ten. Wild and free, with budding sunflowers tangled in her hair. "...please." And as quietly as the words left her full lips, he murmured something back for only the night to hear.

"Please, forgive me Hinamei."