Dreamcatcher
By Airyo
3
"Carrots, get yer carrots!"
"Freshest beef this side of the country! Get it now before it runs out!"
"Yer haven't tried tomatoes until you've tried these!"
Hinata let the noise wash over her. Unlike the other Hyuuga, she actually enjoyed the rambunctiousness of the market. Many, many years ago, when she was still on track to become a ninja, there had been a loud boy in her Academy class with sun-bright hair and a sun-bright smile, also named Naruto. Others had laughed at him, but Hinata had admired him for his irrepressible spirit. Sometimes, she still wondered how he'd turned out...
"Good morning, Hinata-san!"
"Good morning, Ryusuke-san. I hope your back has healed. We've missed you here at the markets," Hinata replied with a polite bow and soft smile. Ryusuke smiled widely and assured her that he was as spritely as he'd been thirty years ago. She giggled slightly when he bemoaned the age gap between them.
The Hyuuga was a favorite among the vendors, for despite her lofty clan name, Hinata treated them with genuine friendliness. She did not see them as lesser simply because of their career, and the vendors were eager to reward her for it. She never haggled, yet always managed to get the best prices out of all the other Hyuuga who went to the market.
"Good morning, Hana-san," she greeted. "How is your son's cold?"
The radish vendor waved her concern away. "Hinata-san, yer medicine and my daikon radish soup took care of everything! He's already back to being the annoying bundle of energy I remember."
Hinata laughed slightly, pleasure making her cheeks warm. It was good to help people out in any way she can, especially since she was so useless to her clan. It had taken her a long while to gain their trust, as her pale eyes marked her as a member of clan famous for their snooty attitudes.
"That's wonderful! I hope-"
Screams erupted. The mass of people convulsed, and then parted to reveal two ninja caught in battle. Hinata had never had training beyond that of an Academy student, and could barely followed the movements lost in the blur of blades and fists.
The cacophony of the fight surrounded her, terrified her.
It happened too quickly.
There was one final flash of a katana. Warm, slick blood splattered her, burning and cooling simultaneously when it touched her skin. She barely heard the thud of the body hitting the ground. The metallic smell of the blood was suffocating her, choking her.
Hinata stared forward with wide, blank eyes.
She couldn't move...why couldn't she move?
The world dimmed to crimson.
AN: If the chapters seem short...they're supposed to be. I'm aiming for 500 words or less, in an attempt to par down my writing a bit. Thus the "Drabble-esque" in the summary.
