Dreamcatcher
By Airyo
The Guardian - 3
When Itachi found himself wrestling his own genjutsu, he had been forced to eject Hinata from the illusion. But even then, he felt her lingering at the edges of his awareness, still tangled in his chakra.
It took more effort than he'd liked to bring them back to the present. And when she fought for her air, his own stilled in his chest, chilling his heart.
"The Mangekyou is so effective because it forms such a strong connection between the caster and the target. I'm essentially inside your mind - actually very similar to the Yamanaka mind walking. However, with you doing little beyond imagining a scenario, you took my illusion and twisted it into your own world. With some training, it's likely that you are capable of using the connection to turn it back on the attacker."
He was blabbering. Trying to stuff words and space between...whatever that had been moments earlier. Between having his own jutsu turn on him and having to watch her struggle...whatever his excuses, he was overstepping courtesy, toeing the boundary between forwardness and outright insult. Especially since he knew Hinata held manners in importance above everything else.
Itachi was a master of manners, of jutsu, of powerful ideas. But all three failed him with Hinata.
"What was your original illusion?"
Itachi checked for eavesdroppers furtively before replying.
"Kittens."
A shocked little giggle escaped her lips. He felt himself relax.
"My diabolical plan had been to trap you with endless kittens for 72 hours," he added in a dangerous monotone. He saw the shy smile at the corners at her lips. "The missing-nin of the world tremble." Then she was grinning, though she hid it behind a delicate hand.
"What a truly terrible technique," she murmured. A flash of realization darkened her eyes when she remembered that it will come back to haunt her tonight. Itachi's good humor escaped him.
"I'm sorry," he said, looking away. "I lost control of the genjutsu." He will need to train more. He was arrogant, and Hinata will suffer for it.
She shook her head, making her hair fan out around her face, so easily absolving him of his mistakes.
"But I do have a request," Itachi said softly. " When the nightmares come, rather than run away from them, try to fight, to conquer it. My genjutsu became the weakest when you rejected what you imagined to be your attacker. I can't help you, but you are more capable than you think."
She was silent, staring at him, with a hint of red still on her cheeks and pink lips parted in surprise. Itachi wondered if anyone had ever asked her to fight, rather than simply try to fix her.