Dreamcatcher
By Airyo
An Absurd Proposal - 1
The next day, Hinata wondered if she was still dreaming, teetering at the precipice of another nightmare.
Itachi was there, again, standing at the place where the road that led to the Hyuuga complex intersected with the one that led to the Uchiha estates. He looked the same - plain black top, loose black pants, standard issue canvas sandals, his long hair pulled back in a simple ponytail and the forehead protector glinting from between his bangs. Even his relaxed position that belied the calculated set of his feet was reminiscent of yesterday.
But perfect manners were in her blood, and Hinata nodded at him with a cursory smile frozen on her lips as she passed him. He fell in step beside her, yet again leaving the precise amount of space between them that rendered them neither close nor distant. The small hope inside her withered away like the leaves on the ground.
Nothing about Uchiha Itachi, she realized uncomfortably, was ever by accident.
It was all exactly the same as yesterday morning. But this was not a normality that Hinata wanted. She had made it very clear that she did not him sniffing around for Hyuuga weaknesses. Yet Itachi was still putting a horrific (and deliberate) kink in her beloved routine and Hinata did not appreciate his rudeness.
"I will not insult you with petty pleasantries," he began. Hinata stole a glance at Itachi. He was carefully looking forward, and the Hyuuga felt a reluctant twinge of gratitude warm her chest. "I had few options, and your help created the lowest possibility of failure. The physical safety of the civilians is priority, especially inside Konoha's walls."
"I know," she agreed softly. Of the many things she heard about him, none mentioned his verbosity. In fact, it seemed downright out-of-character in context of everything else. Why was he trying to explain such basic things to her? While she never passed the genin test, Hinata had graduated from the Academy. The shinobi laws of the village were among the first things they memorized. "And I accepted your apology. There is no need to justify."
"Considering your unusual vulnerability to genjutsu, there is," he countered. Hinata stopped walking as she winced at how bluntly he spoke. "I admit that I used it to my advantage despite being well aware of the repercussions."
They both looked down at Hinata's clenched fists. The tiny, healing scratches stood out in stark white. She quickly tucked her hands into her sleeves, suddenly feeling small and repulsive.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asked after a moment. At this point, most tried to convince her how they help her/Hyuuga, instead of blatantly stating their own wrongs.
If this was another tactic, it was a very odd one.
"I need your help. For training."
Hinata blinked. Absurdity also seemed highly uncharacteristic for someone like Itachi, yet every time she'd conversed with him, he'd proven exactly that.
Was she really so poor a judge of character? Was Itachi actually one of those people - a cracked genius like the infamous Hatake Kakashi? Tsuru had warned her of such ninja who were so far off their rocker they weren't even touching the ground anymore. She'd heard the stories.
Hinata studied his pockets, wondering if any of them contained a garish orange book, lying in wait for the opportune moment to burst out.
It was then that, belatedly, Hinata realized she was staring intently at Itachi's pelvic region.
Face flaming, she quickly averted her gaze.
If Itachi thought anything of her strange actions, he made no show of it as he continued. "Ideally, you will allow me to cast genjutsu on you a few times a week. Only subtle jutsu that will not trigger anything, as I hope to use your sensitivity to amplify the aspects of interest in my jutsu."
Hinata was so mortified she barely heard him, or barely cared. After a long moment, Itachi shifted to leave. "Please at least consider it. Have a good day, Hinata-sama."
This time, she was the one who was left watching Itachi's retreating back.