Dreamcatcher

By Airyo

Storm - 4

Hinata politely poured the tea for Hiashi and Hiyoshi, who were seated across the table from her. Her hands trembled, but neither commented when a few stray drops splashed the table. She set the teapot down and demurely folded her hands in her lap.

"This morning, young Uchiha Sasuke was found on our premises," Hiashi said bluntly. She was glad she had neglected her tea, for she would have surely dropped her cup. "Would this hold any relevance to your meetings with his elder brother?"

Hinata winced. "Ano...no," she stuttered. "I don't know why he was here." She made the mistake of glancing up, and met the clan head's unreadable gaze. Hinata quickly ducked her head, hating how looking at her father made her feel like an awkward child again. It was a disconcerting feeling of not-quite-right, compounded by her string of sleepless nights. "We ended our agreement over a week ago."

"Oh?" Hiyoshi frowned at her with disapproval. "And you did not see fit to inform anyone of this? Just what was the reason for this termination?"

Hinata bit her lip, choosing her words carefully. Ninja were trained to see a lie before it was even spoken, and for the Hyuuga...they could see a lie before it was even thought. "I was bewildered, Hiyoshi-sama," she admitted. "I feared the discovery of Hyuuga secrets, and our continued fraternization would have...sped up the process."

"Fugaku's eldest is a bright one, isn't he?" Hiashi mused.

"Annoyingly so," groused the council elder. But he did not allow Hiashi's admiration deter him from his questioning, and he pinned Hinata with a narrow-eyed glare. "Which secret?"

Hinata hesitated. "The timing of the execution of Hyuuga Yami and my uncle's sealing." Hiashi's lips thinned into a white line.

"Unfortunately, even though it is old history, anyone with access to hospital and ANBU records can eventually make the connection, provided they are reasonably intelligent," Hiyoshi said grudgingly. "How long have you known?" He eyed Hinata with a canny expression. "And just how much?"

"It was when I was taught the history of our clan." Back when she was still a member of the Main family. A small voice in the back of her mind berated her for standing out, for drawing their attention. Her tutors had taken care to present the events in a benign manner that made them seem unrelated, but it was obvious to Hinata.

Hyuuga Yami, a member of the Branch family, had attempted to stage an uprising. Even more embarrassing for the Hyuuga was that it had almost succeeded. ANBU had to intervene, but fortunately the worst of the mess was kept from the Council and the rest of the village.

In the end, Branch was appeased with, amongst other things, a hostage of trust and goodwill. Hyuuga Hizashi, second born son of the Main family head, had been that hostage.

There was a long silence after she explained what she'd inferred. Even on command, sharing her conclusions made the small voice in Hinata's head scream - can't let the Bad Man find her and squeeze out her secrets, must hide, must hide, mustn't tell. She was spewing the secrets, the weaknesses, that she was supposed to protect. The mere act of telling, even to people who already knew, made her feel sick.

"I fear...that I have misjudged you," Hiashi murmured. He stood abruptly and headed for the door. "I need to talk to Fugaku," he said as he paused to wait for Hiyoshi. "And Hinata." She looked up. Her father's eyes studied her, and then softened slightly. "You did right to tell us your fears. This is no longer your worry, so try to get some rest."

AN: Remember when I said I wanted to write something not "overwrought with drama and angst"? Big fat liar, right here. I am incapable of not working some drama/angst/bigdamnsecret into my fics. At least it's not overwrought. Right guys?

Right?

Guys?

Anyone?