Dreamcatcher
By Airyo
A Missing Piece - 7
He had his moment of weakness, but he was still a soldier of Konoha. Itachi efficiently finished his rotation on time despite the delay. And now that he was aware of that Hinata's nightmares could affect him too, the Uchiha was careful to purge the darkness from his mind before he slept.
In the long moments between the burst of action, crouching in the shadows or counting the bodies, he pinpointed the reason for his unease regarding Hinata.
"Your chakra is actually very potent," he informed Hinata at their very next meeting two months later. She was wearing a lavender kimono with deep violet and green designs, the very visage of spring. Itachi found himself distracted by the contrast of her hair against the pale color, like a stroke of ink on paper.
She gave him a confused look, and he could almost hear her thinking, "why would that matter if I can't use it?".
"There is something that doesn't add up," Itachi explained. "Your Academy class rank was at the top. You move with the grace of someone who is highly capable, and your weakness for genjutsu is not worse than many who have passed. Your abilities are like more than sufficient for genin, even chuunin if you continued." He didn't need to voice the real question.
Why did she not pass the genin exam?
Hinata bowed her head. Itachi wondered if he had stepped too far, said too much. But then she looked up with a determined set to her shoulders.
"I was the one who asked Kurenai-san to fail me."
He opened his mouth to ask 'Why', but he realized he already understood. He couldn't organize her reasons in words, but he understood the fierce gleam in her eyes. Dropping out of the ninja track had been her choice, all along. She was protecting something, in her own way. Maybe it was her family's reputation, maybe it was her teacher's safety, maybe it was the village...
Maybe it was her own sanity.
The silence pulled between them like gossamer threads of spider silk, impossibly strong in potential yet still so fragile. He couldn't fathom the kind of steely resolve to make such a decision in their world, where a clan heir was only worth the expectations they exceeded.
Finally, Itachi said: "You are stronger than you realize."
She flinched as if he'd struck her. These were familiar words to her, and at one point, she had believed them. Only then could such a simple phrase hurt her so.
Itachi began to wonder.
It was not the first time he'd offered such a truth, and memories of that time resurfaced.
AN: Who's a sucker for forgotten past encounters that actually have deep meaning for the current relationship? *Raises both hands*