Dreamcatcher
By Airyo
An Unexpected Reaction - 5
The sun roused her.
Hinata squinted against the rays, fighting the residual lightheadedness and weak muscles of her fitful sleep. She rarely remembered her dreams anymore, thankfully, but she always felt the aftereffects of struggling through them. Carefully, she turned so her feet were firmly on the ground, anchoring her to the world. She breathed deeply through her nose, then reached up and pulled her hair from the moist skin of her neck.
She efficiently readied herself for her duties. Wash face, clean teeth, braid hair back, and put on clothes. Hinata did all this with the fluid grace of practice. She grabbed her ubiquitous scroll and slipped out the door. Save for a few other Branch members, she encountered no one else in the long halls of the Hyuuga house. She reached the door, and stepped into her shoes. The guard waved at her and then covered up a yawn. The night shift was almost over, and he would be replaced by the next rotation.
Hinata breathed in the morning air deeply, relishing the crisp notes of autumn in the fading summer scents. It was comfortable to sink back into a familiar routine. Routine grounded her back to reality, tethered her down against the buffeting winds of change. That strange incident with Itachi had been a fluke.
Breakfast was always simple. Today's consisted rice, miso soup, grilled fish and pickled vegetables. The rice, miso and pickled vegetables they had in storage, but the fish and tofu needed to be ordered fresh.
Hinata mentally estimated the numbers as she walked the familiar path to the markets. There were approximately 150 ninja, and 50 branch members today, as there was lull in missions that took them outside the walls. Each person had about half a fish, though there were quite a few Hyuuga boys who'd just hit puberty who'll probably take in three or four each, totalling about 250 fish. That would mean-
Hinata's thoughts faded and she slowed to a halt. Itachi nodded slightly at her as he approached the paved crosswalk from the direction of the Uchiha estates. He was off duty, signaled only by the absence of his jounin vest and any visible weapons.
Apparently, he didn't get the hint yesterday in the meeting room: There was no need for an apology.
Stiffly, she nodded back. Though it was only the two of them in this back-path, hidden from prying eyes by smooth walls of stone, Hinata was still trained to be polite.
"Good morning, Hinata-sama."
Hinata swallowed. "Good morning, Itachi-sama." That would more than fulfill the requirements of common courtesy, and Hinata continued on her way. The overly-formal suffix he kept using embarrassed her, and it reminded her just enough of her previous status to feel like mockery.
She didn't expect Itachi to fall in step with her. Hinata glanced at him from the corner of her eye, intensely aware of the presence Itachi allowed her to feel. He was leaving just enough space between them to politely declare that they were nothing more than acquaintances, but also walking close enough to signify that they were indeed acquaintances. Manners dictated that two acquaintances from noble ninja clans could not walk in any sort of silence - awkward nor comfortable.
Small talk was a dreaded certainty.
AN: I'm glad you guys seem to be enjoying the short (but quick) updates! I am sacrificing a little planning/proofreading so I can push ahead, so please let me know if there's any mistakes/inconsistencies. I write this as a coffee break, and therefore I don't like using my brain very much. :)