Dreamcatcher

By Airyo

The Guardian - 5

"It's him. At the side gate."

Hinata looked up. Her little sister peered at her over the sill of her window, sweat glistening at her forehead from her early morning training. The 'him' that Hanabi referred to was clearly not someone the younger Hyuuga liked, given the tone of voice and sneer that tugged at her lips.

"I'd hurry before everyone knows," Hanabi advised sulkily. Hinata nodded and hurried outside after tossing on a coat. She got the distinct sense that her younger sister was trying to cover for her, and she didn't not want to waste the younger's efforts.

Hinata opened the gate and peered out, suspecting but not daring to presume.

She gasped softly. Quickly remembering her manners, she bowed in greeting. Itachi pushed away from the brick wall he'd been leaning against, politely remaining just outside the Hyuuga walls. He gave her a wan smile and returned the bow with a nod. Dark eyes perused her.

"How was your rest?" A small frown wrinkled the skin between his eyebrows, and the furrows around his nose seemed deeper. He looked like how she usually felt after a nightmare.

It took Hinata a moment to understand: Itachi was concerned. And he'd come to check on her.

"Ano...it was…I mean..."

He'd broken the routine and she was scrambling to match his pace. She wondered if the heat of her blush had melted her brain, because it was impossible to speak coherently. All Hinata could think of was of how close he'd been and the set of his lips that indicated that he was uncertain and she'd so carelessly forgotten the suffix for his name and she was only Branch so she should stop but maybe this was another dream so she should enjoy it but that was still wrong of her and...She struggled for a single, coherent thought for a few moments before giving up and nodding mutely. That only seemed to upset the Uchiha more.

"That bad?" he muttered. Hinata gripped the gate handle, feeling weak from lack of blood in the rest of her body. Vaguely, she noticed that this was the face version of an erection, with all the blood going to the wrong places. But then the thought of erections broken something in her head and her thoughts fizzled to nothing.

Itachi tilted his head slightly to the side, frown deepening. Hinata recognized it as a rare gesture of frustration, maybe even helplessness, if the term could be applied.

"I should not have agreed to utilize the Mangekyou. What can I do to rectify your discomfort?" He looked lost and she hated the idea that she did this to him unjustifiably.

This was nothing. She'd was beginning to defeat the nightmares that plagued her, and so she can defeat her own wayward thoughts. Itachi deserved a proper explanation and it was discourteous of her to mislead him this way.

"You've already done enough," she admitted. She licked her chapped lips, gathering her thoughts. "I fought this time. I won. And you helped me do that." She took a breath.

"So thank you, Itachi," she said softly.

She caught a spark of genuine pleasure in Itachi's expression, and it lit something in the faint embers of her self-esteem. "Well done, Hinata." She shared a proud, radiant smile with him.

At that moment, a breeze tugged at his hair, sending dancing wisps to frame the warmth in his expression, and she found herself peering up at him shyly. He was moving even closer, so slowly Hinata thought time had stopped...

She could count his eyelashes. Could feel his bangs tickling her forehead. Rough pad of his thumb on her cheek. Fingers curving along her jaw.

Breaths across her skin.

And lips. Caressing hers.

Sparks.

Uuwueh….?!

Hinata gave up trying to find coherency.

She closed her eyes and kissed him back.