Adoration

The perpetually smiling woman he knew was gone. In her place was a furious tempest with unbound hair and a thin robe that slid loosely over her shoulders. Her eyes were daggers and her mouth was drawn into a thin, stubborn line that was heavy with disapproval.

There was still a shadow of loveliness over her, but it was promptly destroyed when her eyes hardened and the Byakugan appeared. Her eyes gleamed as white as bone. They were limned by the fragile light of the sun that peeked in from their open window. The appearance of her bloodline limit was more out of habit than out of a desire to harm him, Itachi knew, but he couldn't help but activate his Sharingan in response.

"Hinata," Itachi said. He didn't raise his voice, but he might as well have. His voice was rougher than usual, as if he'd been screaming. "Why must you continue doing this simply because your clan says—"

"I plan to change the Hyuga," she surprisingly cut in, "but that doesn't mean I need to trample on every tradition and order just because they're difficult."

"This order is killing you. They want to teach you an ancient technique, they say? This is not the way to do it. You come home with pulled muscles and fractured bones every single night. Do you expect me not to worry?"

"I never said you shouldn't worry, but this is something that I need to do."

Itachi didn't ask about the technique. He knew she wouldn't divulge that kind of information to him, regardless if they were betrothed or not. But he had fought alongside many members of the Hyuga's Main House throughout his life, and he'd never seen them utilize anything so deadly. And in his opinion, there was no technique in the world that required her to get hurt up to this point.

"How are you so sure that the Main House isn't using this as an excuse to beat you, Hinata?" he challenged. That seemed to set her off even more.

Itachi and Hinata were similar at their base. Right where it mattered most. And so, they both possessed extreme amounts of patience. On more than one occasion, Shisui joked that their combined tolerance was practically eternal. He wasn't wrong. It was hard for it to run dry. Raw anger didn't suit either of them, and few had ever claimed the full extent of their fury. But she was being so stubborn, and he couldn't help but lose his cool.

Couldn't she realize that if she carried on like this, then she'd disappear from him completely? Every day, she jumped right out of his grasp and into a place he wasn't able to save her from. And all because of the desires of the uppers in her clan. He felt both pride and hate for that godforsaken word.

"Neji-niisan would never allow it!" she finally managed to shout back at him.

"Neji?" he repeated. His mind did a quick spiel of don't say it, but his mouth was already forming the words. "He tried to kill you! Don't tell me he, of all people—"

"Don't insult him!" She yelled. "I won't forgive you, Itachi."

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"Nothing! This is something all heirs of the Hyuga must go through. It is resilience training. I won't quit because of your prejudices against internal clan affairs."

"This isn't about my personal prejudices, it's about you coming home in this," he gestured to her bandaged form, "sorry state every night for what? The past two weeks? How long do you expect me to sit back and say nothing as you return to me all battered like this?"

"It can't be helped! This… This…" There were tears prickling her eyes, he realized. "Is my weakness."

"Like hell it is!" he finally roared.

"I am learning, Itachi. Can't you see that?"

"Do you plan to change the Hyuga training method as well? Because that, frankly, is where you should be starting. The cursed seal can wait as far as I'm concerned."

"How could you say that? That seal is… do you know what it's done to my clan? All of the hate and," she cut herself off with a sudden shake of her head. "Enough. I am not going to listen to you, Itachi. I don't tell you how you should handle matters concerning the Uchiha."

"Because they don't beat me, Hinata," he shot back. "Why must you put yourself through this?"

"I need to get stronger."

"You can lean on me! I have all of this power. Just say the word and—"

"I can't depend on you for everything, Itachi. As heirs, you and I both know that the clan always comes first. No. More than that, our siblings will always come first. I can't rely on you to protect those precious to me forever."

"Your strength lies in areas outside of violence. Why can't you see that?"

"I do! But that type of strength is also necessary, and I need to harden myself."

He never wanted to see the day when she steeled herself the same way he had. No. He'd die first. "If you aren't at least willing to try relying on me for important matters like this, then why are we getting married?"

She looked stricken at the words. He knew instantly that she'd taken it the wrong way. It was meant as a rhetorical question, but Hinata's self-esteem had been minuscule since she was a child. So, Itachi knew where her mind went. When she spoke again, his thoughts were proven right.

"Do you regret asking me then?" she asked, quieter now, but no less furious. "We both know this hangs mostly on you, Itachi. If you say you want to back out, no one will question it."

"That's not what I meant," he said, but the words were nothing more than ghosts of themselves.

Hinata raised her chin at him. All stark white eyes and righteousness. Itachi expected defiance, but what surprised him was the look in her eyes. It was black and boiling in a way he'd never witnessed before. There was power in being able to enrage her to that point, but there was shame, too. Still, he wouldn't give in. This wasn't up for debate. He wouldn't stand idly by, while she continued to train with members of the Main House to the point of ruin.

"I know," she finally said.

It was so low it seemed almost like a whisper from a dream. If she had said anything else, he would've dismissed it as another argument; if she had said anything less understanding, he would've crushed it as ruthlessly with his words as he did his enemies—but she hadn't. And the answer was so Hinata that he couldn't help the swell of warmth in his chest at how ridiculously sympathetic she could be, despite her own fury.

Itachi didn't speak. Though it wasn't as if Hinata waited for him to. She simply turned on her heel and left him there. The door slammed shut with her departure. Its dying echo bounced along the walls. A noisy ending that brought a peaceful stillness around him.

"Shit," Itachi muttered, as he ran his hands through his hair in irritation. The floor seemed to pitch under his feet. He needed to cool off, before he spoke to her again. He knew that, but…

Why are you still standing there? He heard in Shisui's voice. His cousin, no, his brother, and one of the few men in the Uchiha Clan that made his life there more bearable—just as Neji was for her. The man was overprotective to an annoying degree. He definitely wouldn't let anything happen to her unless it was absolutely necessary. But Itachi still couldn't help but question whether or not it really was training for a new technique. Because if nothing else, he knew the Hyuga, and he knew how a good number of them treated her both as a child and as an adult.

Though it wasn't as if that mattered now. He'd go to her regardless. And if it just so happened that it really wasn't a technique, but a twisted excuse they used to take advantage of her willingness to please, then he swore to beat every single one of those power-hungry members of her clan until they feared even the thought of summoning their chakra. Itachi swore they'd see what it was like when he only saw red.

But for now…

Itachi rolled his shoulders and followed her.