xxx MOONLESS NIGHTS xxx

An Itahina Fanfic

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Hinata liked the forest.

It was quiet and peaceful, especially at night. Oh, how she loved the forest at night!

But what she loved most were moonless nights.

When the moon wasn't out, the stars shined brightly with nothing to eclipse their radiance. Hinata loved looking up at the stars scattered across the heavens like dust. Sometimes, she'd reach out and pretend to gather them all in her pale hands. Other times, she'd connect them and form all sorts of images. There was Kiba playing with Akamaru, Shino lounging in the shade of a tree, Kurenai-sensei scolding them for something they did wrong… Naruto saying goodbye as he left off to retrieve Sasuke.

But tonight, the moon was out. Its crescent form grinned down at her, and Hinata smiled back.

She sat herself on a patch of grass beside one of the tallest trees in the forest. It was her favorite spot.

She was breathing in the crisp evening air when a rustling sound alerted her. She shot up.

Before she could even activate her Byakugan, a hand clamped over her mouth as a steely arm braced itself around her torso, pinning her to a hard, warm body behind her.

"Listen," her captor whispered, "I don't want to harm you. I just need you to do something for me. Do not make any sound that will alert anyone. If you disobey my orders, I will not hesitate to kill you, is that clear?"

The voice was cold and flat, and Hinata suppressed a shudder.

Fearfully, she nodded.

"I'm going to release you and you are not going to make any attempt at escaping, understood?"

Once again, Hinata nodded.

Slowly, she was released.

Hinata knew she should probably bolt right then, but something told her that it really would mean death for her, so she stood stock-still.

Her captor moved forward.

"Follow me," he ordered.

As he stepped before her, Hinata gasped.

"U-uchiha, Itachi!"

Indeed, it was the missing-nin standing before her. He was wearing the traditional Akatsuki robe, but it was stained with blood.

Itachi walked on without even bothering to look back if she was following. He knew she wouldn't try to escape. And she really didn't.

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Itachi led her to a small clearing which had a little bonfire at the center. Beside it was a makeshift bed made out of leaves. Itachi sat himself on it and removed his robe, revealing a nasty chest wound. Hinata gasped at the sight (of both his unclothed torso and the wound), and rushed to his side.

"I need you to heal it. After it has healed, I will let you go, unharmed," he stated.

"B-but I will need to g-gather supplies. I w-will return."

Itachi didn't try to stop her when she left. He knew she would be back. It was not so much that she feared him, as it was that she didn't have the heart to leave an injured person to fend off for himself.

He smirked.

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Hinata returned after a short while. She wasted no time in tending to his wound. It was a deep laceration, and she was surprised he was still able to walk around and move stealthily. The wound was fatal.

In such close proximity, Itachi's nostrils were assailed with Hinata's gentle scent. It was sweet, but not cloying, something that reminded him of lavender. Her long hair brushed against his skin every so often, and he felt the sudden impulse to run his fingers through the deep violet strands. Her touch was light and soothing. It has been such a long time since anyone touched him like that, that he forgot how pleasant the sensation was.

Once she was done bandaging the wound, Hinata stood up to leave.

"Stay."

Hinata stopped short at the command.

"Eh?"

"I said you could leave once the wound has healed. It has not healed yet," the Uchiha explained.

"B-but that would take w-weeks, Uchiha-san…" Hinata said.

"Then that would be the duration of your stay with me."

Hinata bowed her head, then softly reasoned with him, "If I were t-to be gone for a w-week, my family would be w-worried and would s-search for me. If it is okay with you, I would l-like to go home at sunrise and r-return at nightfall."

Itachi hesitated before answering, "Fine. You may leave." Somehow, he was reluctant to let the Hyuuga go.

Hinata stood up.

"Tonight, I w-will be back."

With that, she left, leaving the subtle scent of lavender lingering in the air.

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The following night, she returned.

She came to check on Itachi's wound and found that it was making a surprising amount of progress.

"You're a v-very fast healer, Uchiha-san. At the rate th-this is going, your wound would be c-completely healed in a few days," she remarked.

"Hn."

Suddenly, Itachi wished he wasn't such a fast healer so he could have the Hyuuga by his side for much longer. Where such a foolish notion came from, he didn't know. It wasn't going to do him any good, but at that moment, he found that he didn't really mind.

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On the third night, she came bearing food.

"Th-this will help you replenish your st-strength, Uchiha-san."

She laid out the assortment of sushi, yakimono, and nimono, along with a bottle of amazake.

"P-please eat," she requested.

Vaguely, Itachi registered that he was starting to find the Hyuuga's stutter endearing.

As he helped himself to some of the tonkatsu, he found himself saying, "Please, call me Itachi."

Hinata blushed.

"I'm afraid I c-can't. Not without an h-honorific. W-would Itachi-kun be okay?"

"Okay. May I call you Hinata, then?" he asked.

Hinata nodded, blush deepening.

"Hinata," Itachi tested. Her name rolled smoothly of his tongue.

Her head shot up, and white met black. Quickly, she dropped her gaze. Her blush turned even deeper, had that been possible.

Itachi chuckled.

He registered that, in addition to her stutter, he was also starting to find her blush utterly adorable. There was something captivating about the way the scarlet hue suffused her ivory skin.

Itachi knew this irrational fascination was going to be a problem, but for the time being, he chose not to care.

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The night after was rather disturbing for Hinata.

She noticed that she was starting to feel especially awkward around Itachi. It wasn't the captor-captive kind of awkward. It was the 'Naruto-awkward': the one she used to feel around Naruto when she was still in love with him.

And now, Hinata caught herself staring at Itachi as he slept. She was admiring the way his midnight locks spilled across his skin, how his coal-black lashes formed crescent shadows over his cheeks, the rhythmic way his chest rose and fell along with his breath. She was memorizing every plane and feature of his face, knowing that soon, he would have to leave, and she would probably never get to see his beautiful features again.

Suddenly, Itachi cracked one dark eye open.

Hinata jolted, then blushed, embarrassed at being caught.

"Why were you staring?" the Uchiha asked.

Hinata shook her head, careful to keep her gaze fixed on her feet.

"Keh."

She heard some rustling, and when she finally looked up, Itachi had already turned over on his side with his back to her.

Hinata sighed, and went on with memorizing every plane and feature of the Uchiha's fascinating back.

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The fifth night came with news.

"Your wound has h-healed, Itachi-kun," Hinata exclaimed.

Itachi looked down at his chest and noted that it has, indeed.

"That's… w-wonderful…" Hinata stated weakly, trying hard to keep a radiant smile plastered to her face, but failing miserably.

A tense silence hung in the air. The forest was deathly silent, and not an animal dared to make the slightest sound.

"Hinata," Itachi called, breaking the still.

Hinata kept her head resolutely bowed, afraid that if she looked up, he would see the unreasonable tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Hinata."

His hand reached out to tilt her face up.

A tear made its way down her cheek, and he wiped it away with a gentleness he thought he had lost.

"Goodbye," he whispered.

Standing up, he shook on his robe. With one last glance back, he left, leaving Hinata slumped down on the grass, silent tears rolling down her face.

As she looked up at the sky, she noted that it was a moonless night.

Maybe… moonless nights weren't so great after all.

xxx OWARI xxx

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This is a fanfic dedication for my Onii-sama, my Wonderwall, my Master, my Hei-kun. I asked him who he wanted Hinata to end up with. After much debate, he finally chose Itachi, so here it is: an Itahina fic just for him.

I hope you enjoy!

Some terms you might want to know about:

Sushi –comes from Japan and is a vinegared rice topped or mixed with various fresh ingredients, usually fish or seafood

Yakimono –Japanese grilled and pan-fried dishes

Nimono –Japanese stewed dishes

Amazake –a traditional sweet, low-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice

Tonkatsu –a deep-fried breaded cutlet of pork