The weight of the world...

He had come to settle scores with Sasuke. Finally let his brother exact revenge upon him. He was tired of living. Tired of breathing. Tired of watching his muscles move, of the power running through his veins, of the fear in everyone's eyes-

He didn't know when these feelings had arose. He had a suspicion they had been there forever, when he was first declared a genius and expectations bore down on his shoulders as if he was carrying the weight of the world.

Or the reputation of the Uchiha clan.

He was a sick murderer. He knew it too. A sick, sick murderer. But he had his reasons. Everyone had their reasons. Sadly, no one knew his reasons. And he didn't intend for anyone to find out.

For still, the weight of the world bore down on his shoulders. The reputation of the Uchiha clan.

---------

The weight of the world...

She had come to escape reality. She did this so often, she wondered if she was real. If all of that was a dream and all of this was genuine. She didn't know anymore. The line between her dreams and her reality was horridly blurred.

And often her nightmares were just retellings of her life.

Her life came to nothing. Her accomplishments didn't exist. She hadn't made a mark in the world. She hadn't made a mark in anyone's life. She wasn't Naruto. She wasn't Sasuke or Neji or Hanabi.

She wanted to be however.

She wanted what they had. Courage, respect, power, determination, goals-
She had no goals. Except to one day, escape reality. Permanently.

For the weight of the world was on her shoulders. The weight of the Hyuuga clan.

No matter if they didn't want her anymore. No matter if they wished she wasn't first born. She was part of them and always will be. And she will always be the one who held all the secrets and who was under constant attack, constant scrutiny, constant disproval, constant hatred, disgust, shame-

For still, the weight of the world bore down on her shoulders. The reputation of the Hyuuga clan.

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" Who's there?"

She jerked, her eyes flying open, instantly her fingers forming seals and her byakuugan flaring out, scooping the woods.

Her heart beat rapidly and she tried to catch her breath.

A twig snapped and her head snapped with it. She whirled around and stared at her intruder.

And gasped, feeling as if she would faint.

The older brother of Sasuke stood there. The murderer who killed his whole family.

She was frozen. She couldn't move.

" Where is Sasuke?" He said, so softly, she could barely hear. His hair fell into his eyes and his dark eyes were dark and endless. He was indeed handsome as the Uchiha sons were always meant to be.

But the fact that his hands were stained with blood from years and years of torture and murders still remained imminent and she could not move.

She could just be an addition to another murder.

She could hardly talk. Sadly, she wasn't much of a talker as it was, but now under such circumstances, she couldn't string a sentence together. Her brain was as frozen as her body was and she could only stare at him in shock and fear.

His fingers rose and she flinched, scrambling back, inwardly amazed at the fact that she could move.

" D-d-d-don't kill me, please!" She breathed out. Then she halted.

She didn't want to die? Amazement coursed through her and she, for only a few seconds forgot that Itachi Uchiha stood in front of her and instead, wondered at her own decision. She didn't want to die. She had always thought that the day she would be killed would be the day of eternal happiness. Finally, she would be released from her pain and maybe move onto a world where she would be....accepted? Appreciated? Wanted? Noticed..

" You're the daughter of the Hyuuga clan. Firstborn, I presume?" He asked, his voice still soft as a cloud.

She nodded, her attention focusing back on the situation at hand. her byakuugan had melted away long ago and she was as vulnerable as a rabbit in front of a hunter. " Y-yes....y-your...Uchiha....Uchiha..."

" Itachi," He provided and she trembled. He took a step towards her and in a second, Hinata knew that he would kill her if he got near to her.

I don't want to die, she thought.

I want to show them all that I can-no I will be appreciated...

Acknowledged...

Finally..

" D-don't come any c-closer!" She stammered out, leaping to her feet and forming the seal again as her bayakuugan arose once more. " I-I swear-you-you'll reg-regret it!"

Inwardly, she wondered why that didn't sound as dangerous as when Naruto said it..

He stared at her. An eyebrow rose and she felt anger course through her. He didn't think she could do win!! Well, she didn't think she could win...but she would go down fighting....

She wouldn't be known as the girl who cowered in fear...

Not anymore..

" You're weak," He spoke. " Weak, yet the firstborn. Are you the heir?"

Hinata gaped at him. " I-I don't th-think so...n-not anymore...he h-hasn't changed it yet....but I-I think it mi-might not be me...I-I'm not strong enough."

" You're not," Itachi murmured. " You're very weak."

" S-stop!" Hinata cried. " Stop s-saying that. I a-already know. B-But you c-cannot kill me so eas-easily. I will f-fight."

Itachi stared at her. " I'm not going to kill you. I want to see Sasuke."

" W-why? So y-you can f-finish a-all of them off?" Hinata said, inwardly shocked at her own boldness.

He looked at her and then said, " No. I want to die. And what better to die from my brother's hands, the boy whose been training to kill me ever since that day?"

Hinata stared. " You want to d-die?"

" Yes."

" Why?"

" Because I'm tired."

" Tired of what?"

" Life."

" B-But....y-you can always change....life allows you to change-"

Itachi looked at her and a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. " Do you, Hyuuga, think that anyone would let me change?"

Hinata stared at him and then he slowly began to walk towards her. She felt herself back away and then her arms rose in defence and she felt her head lower in as she prepared herself for his blow.

And for her death...

" You're a coward," She heard him whisper. " Never. Be. A. Coward."

Then she heard his steps walking away. And then she looked up and watched his back retreat into the woods. And then she felt herself throw up all over the ground, retch and retch until she could not anymore. Then she collapsed and cried.

She was a coward.

And her shoulders lowered even more. As the weight of the world pressed down on her and she was ever reminded that she couldn't raise her shoulders in pride.

A coward. Yet the firstborn in the Hyuuga clan.

Expectations. And she had ruined their hopes. All of them.

a/n: first chapter. i think two or three more. im usually a one shot person. but tell me how the heck am i gonna keep itachi in character and somehow get him to hook up with HINATA? woot.

lol, see ya later,

sinceritea