Dreamcatcher
By Airyo
This Lonely Fortress - 6
Later, in the privacy of her own home, Hinata unfurled the scroll to read further. it really was as Sasuke had said - Itachi meticulously, religiously documented his experiments. His observations, his methods, and the endless connections that only a genius could discover. Feeling like a voyeur, Hinata skimmed enough to pick out sections of her name before reading.
...mindscape incredibly flexible, perhaps similar to Sakura's unusual compartmentalization…natural defense against any attempt to steal information from the mind directly...unfortunate side effects render this method an inefficient technique...
...level of integration with the chakra is beyond words...essentially, the perfect genjutsu victim if Hinata-san remains passive. If not, her ability could be trained into the perfect trap, though currently it would be of little use to a Branch member…
His observations were blunt, yet Hinata found herself flattered. He did not seek to emphasize or minimize any weaknesses or strengths. It was the perfect truth, and it was far more stomachable than Hinata had thought.
It took her moment to realize that she'd reached the end of his musings on his experiments with her. The last entry mentioning such was a clear, concise summary of all the tests he wanted to perform in the future. Except the date meant that he'd stopped chronicling their progress weeks ago. Later entries only centered around his own self-diagnosis for various mental disorders. Which all were coincidentally right after he'd kissed her.
Faint hope, like spring's first bud, bloomed in her chest. His experiments were an excuse to see her, even if he'd been avoiding her (and her him). And he was more affected that she'd thought. Hinata had to smile.
Then her gaze drifted down the empty page to a cluster of absent scribbles that she'd originally dismissed.
Hizashi. Hiashi. Hanabi.
Tsuru. Neji. Hikaru - late mother
Why Hizashi?
The scroll fell from her numb fingers, landing on the floor with a dull thunk.
It was an obvious pattern, once someone thought about it. Those meant for the Main Family were named after the sun. Those meant for the Branch Family were not.
But the rules were meant to be broken. It was a secret that only those with access to the most secret hospital records would know - Hikaru had been born out of wedlock, between a Branch Hyuuga father had been Branch Hyuuga and a mother that hadn't understood the workings of the Hyuuga. Hikaru's father had found about his daughter only when she appeared years later on the Hyuuga doorstep.
And of course, there was Hinata. Everyone knew of the fallen clan heir, relegated to Branch in order to make way for her younger sister.
And finally, there was her late uncle. Younger by mere minutes, and yet doomed to a life of servitude for it. The smart ones learned to ignore it, to simply accept that twins needed matching names, and Hizashi's parentage was enough to win him an out-of-place name.
But with Itachi's background in Uchiha politics and persistence in chasing answers, it was inevitable that he would unearth the dirt under that manure as well. That family only took root within the fenced boundaries of between the Main and Branch families.
That Hyuuga Hizashi wasn't supposed to be in the Branch Family.
Even as one of her clan's secrets was so close to being brought to light by an outsider, Hinata's mind couldn't break away from her own spiraling despair, thoughts spinning around themselves until she felt dizzy.
Nothing about Itachi was by accident.
She was just another piece of a larger puzzle.
AN: Did you really think Team 7 intervention was actually going to help? Now back to our usual programming of ItaHina drama and angst.