Dreamcatcher

By Airyo

The Breakthrough - 1

"Hinata."

She opened her eyes and squinted against the overwhelming whiteness of her room. Hospital room, she concluded moments later. Her lips still held the tingle of Itachi's kiss, but she filed it away to relive in private when she noticed that she wasn't alone. A man with long hair stood by the window, the edges of his outline burned by the sunlight.

The fact that she was in the hospital should be worrisome, but she felt safe.

"Father…?" she murmured. The haze of waking cleared moments later as Hizashi shook his head. Her vision adjusted and she could focus on his features. Hinata wasn't as disappointed she thought she would be, not when the expression on her uncle's face was just as human.

"You father was very ill," he said softly. "No one knew but his closest confidants."

"I remember Father's cough," she whispered. Hizashi's stared at her in shock, and then he smiled even though his eyes squeezed with pain.

"Even though he took such care to hide it - you really are Kyokki's daughter." Hinata looked away, her throat uncomfortably full of tears and yearning. "But yes, the Cloud demanded Hiashi's body after he killed one of their head ninja. It was that, or war. The Hokage was at a loss, because it was a senseless death, but the council ordered me to take Hiashi's place. I agreed, not as a Branch member, but as his brother." He chuckled. "We ended up in a fistfight - my brother was always stronger."

Hinata looked at him, unable to choke out the question. But then why are you here and not my father?

"But I woke up to Kyokki crying by my bedside and everyone calling me 'Hiashi-sama'. I hadn't fought hard enough and I failed your father, Hinata. I thought I was protecting your father's legacy, but in reality, it was you protecting all of us. " Hinata stiffened as Hizashi kneeled on the ground and pressed his forehead to the ground. The ultimate gesture of remorse seemed so wrong when performed by one so powerful. "If you never forgive me, please at least believe me."

Tears warmed her cheeks. Because even though she now understood why Hizashi acted so coldly to her, it still hurt. For years, she had thought it was because she wasn't good enough. In the end, the person she was trying to make proud didn't even exist.

"Did you tell Neji?" she whispered. She wasn't able to keep her voice from wavering. Hizashi sat up, but remained kneeling on the cold tile floor like a large child being scolded for stealing sweets from the kitchen. The sheer absurdity of this role reversal made Hinata want to laugh and cry with the same breath.

"No, I haven't."

Hinata relaxed.

And hated herself a little for testing her uncle like that. If he had told Neji, his conviction to protecting her father's legacy wasn't as strong as he had claimed. She would have never forgiven him for it.

"I won't forgive you," she hissed. Hizashi looked to the floor in resignation. "Not until you tell Neji who you really are." His gaze snapped up to hers. Her smile was mostly genuine. "Please get off the floor, Father. It's not proper for someone of your stature."

Hizashi didn't miss the deliberate slip in how she addressed him. A visible weight lifted from his shoulders as he stood. The lines in his face eased. Even if she couldn't pinpoint the reason, she had regarded him with a nervous wariness. But for the first time, she felt that pressure ease.

She smiled again, and it warmed her pale eyes.

AN: Shoutout to Swallowinthetwilight, who filled my inbox with many lovely reviews. I'll write a proper thank you to everyone at the end. This last arc is just to tie up some loose ends, so let me know if there are any that you see. Your reviews are the steering rudder to this ship. ;)