Naruto 1. Arrangements

**Karma**

Summary: Two powerful clans clash as the fiery Uchihas and the prideful Hyuugas plan to unite. Unfortunately, trouble bumps in and the Hyuuga female heir is left confused and slapped in the face with self-destructive greed, disaster, and politics all around her. She tries to comfort her would-be fiance while a certain dangerous, onyx eyed Uchiha watches her from afar.**  
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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to Naruto, I am only a very little girl trying to live her fantasies through it by writing this fiction. Yay for pitiful me.

Timeline: The Uchiha massacre is put off. No flames! You'll see why, it's vital to the story.

* * *

Arrangements

* * *

"Silence," the head of the Uchiha clan ordered. Both his sons became quiet in an instant.

The Uchiha heir looked at his father. Confusion and anger burned in his eyes, his younger brother, still new to the nasty world of politics, tried to comprehend the basics of what had just been said.

The younger boy looked to his mother, she looked troubled, but held her tongue in the presence of her husband. She loved her children, but her duty as a wife and her respect for her husband were first in all aspects. The boys were used to such a scenario, but the eldest couldn't help but narrow his eyes at his mother.

The pregnant silence in the air made the younger Uchiha boy skittish, he tried to look around for something interesting while his older brother and his father had a silent war. The uncomfortable feelings were tangible in the air, and Sasuke nervously glanced around.

"Dismissed," Fugaku Uchiha finally said.

Itachi let his younger brother follow behind him as he left. He seemed to take his time, but Sasuke was eager to get out of the room.

Once safely out, Sasuke pulled on his brother's shirt timidly.

"What did father mean when he said that I have a duty to my clan?" he tried not to sound scared, but everything had happened so fast in the room that the little Uchiha did not know what to think at that point.

The Uchiha heir turned back around to face Sasuke. His face was hard to read, but his lips were in a thin line.

"Sasuke, listen to me," he grabbed the little boy's shoulders firmly. "The clan wants to join-no, merge with the Hyuuga clan," he explained.

Sasuke's eyes widened at the mentioning of the Hyuugas. His little ears could pick up a lot of gossip around the Uchiha compound, and nobody ever spoke in their favor. From what he could grasp, they were somewhat of a rival to his clan.

"Oh," Sasuke said nonchalantly. He tried to make a face to show his displeasure. Itachi did not look amused.

"I don't know what you heard from others, but they are incorrect. The main point is, you are engaged to their heir," he began to slow down at that point once he saw the bewildered look he was given.

"Wh-!" Sasuke began, but his brother clamped a hand on his mouth and jumped into the adjacent room.

Sasuke tried to struggle, but his brother had him in a choke-hold.

Two Uchiha men strolled by quietly in the place the two brothers were moments ago before Itachi continued.

"I know you have a lot of questions, but most will be answered in time, all I need to say is that soon something big is going to happen, and you need to be strong enough to handle it," he said with finality. Spinning on his heel, he left the room and did not look back once at his little brother. Sasuke was left speechless with what had just happened.

* * *

The animosity in the room was unsettling. Only two adults and a very small girl occupied it, but it was louder than any square in the entire Hyuuga mansion.

"B-but father-"

"How dare you talk back to me!" the head of the Hyuuga clan roared. His first born quivered in his fury. The gentle woman to his side looked back and forth between the two and bit her lip.

"Hyuuga-sama," the woman who was his daugher's nurse pleaded timidly. Hiashi Hyuuga shot a infuriated glare at her before raising his arm to strike the servant for trying to interrupt him. His daughter shrieked out in protest.

"No! Father I will marry Uchiha-san!" she cried. Her tiny, sweaty hands were balled up as she yelled at her father for the first time in her life.

Silence.

"Of course you will, that was not your choice at any point in time," he remained angry, but quit being verbally loud. The nurse relaxed her tense shoulders and Hinata just accepted her father's demands, as she always had. He turned away from the two women to let what had just been announced settle in.

Hinata held herself tenderly in her own arms.

She now had a betrothed, but all the little Hyuuga could think about was when she would have a strong husband to stand up to her father and save her nurse. The nurse did not dare to say a word to her mistress as Hinata left the room in tears.

Respectfully, she slid the doors shut and walked over to the thin part of the wall. She plastered herself to it, holding her breath.

The adults talked in whispers.

"Hyuuga-sama, I believe Hinata-sama will do exactly as you say if you present your ideas to her differently," her sweet nurse Amako said.

"I do not believe in modifying words for the sake of censorship to children, they are capable of understanding what we do," he refuted firmly.

"Yes Hyuuga-sama, but she is fragile, like a rare and sweet poppy, and she does not understand why or how the situation came about," she continued uncertainly.

"She is useless to me," his harsh words were like daggers in Hinata's young heart. "She cannot perform satsifactory Jyuuken, she cannot exert as much force in her palms as every capable Hyuuga can, she cannot perfect her Byakugan to the extent I could when I was her age, and she does not hold a candle to her mere branch house cousin Neji," he listed off her bad qualities with ease. Hinata choked back sobs in her throat.

The little girl felt like throwing up. It was an unhealthy habit she began to take on whenever she was near her father.

"Her duty is to the clan, and if she cannot lead it herself then she needs to marry to a strong man. It is the least she can do, and even if I do not approve of this alliance with the Uchihas, no one can deny that they are powerful in Konoha. You know as well as I that we currently have no allies outside of Konohagakure," he seemed to be bored with the conversation, as the rustling of his yukata gave away that he was moving to get up.

"Yes Hyuuga-sama," Amako obediently said. Hinata widened her eyes and bolted down the hall as the door to the room began to open. She covered her mouth to muffle the sound of her crying and blinked harshly to make the tears go away.

She couldn't wait to meet her husband, so that she could get out of the place she called home.

* * *

"Posture," Setsuko snapped at the blossoming Hyuuga heir.

Hinata straightened her back as she sipped her tea with grace, patience, and refined movements like she had been relentlessly taught by the new maid who took care of her.

Amako was gone, history. She went out of her place as a servant to criticize the way the head Hyuuga raised his daughter, and she was disposed of the next day. In a blink. In a flash.

The young Hinata did not even know what had happened until Setsuko arrived and her father introduced the older lady as her _new_ nurse. The simple-minded girl asked where Amako was and she had been answered by silence.

That night she cried so much that her cousin Neji was woken up to sleep with her and calm her down.

The bitter taste in her mouth from the tea lingered as she smiled at Setsuko. She had learned to smile at everything. Not only during the rare moments when she was happy, but when she felt offended, mistreated, and even furious. If she just smiled, she could get through it, and nobody could say a word against her.

"Wrinkles," Setsuko's spidery hands pointed accusingly at Hinata's kimono. Hinata quickly smoothed the surfaces on her silky lavender formal wear. She looked around the traditional tea room. Her heart burned with anger because she knew things were going on outside Hyuuga doors, and she was ordered to quietly drink tea while the men took care of business.

She was still a student at the academy, but she had grown out of her childhood years. She was shy and innocent, but the world was thrown at her earlier than normal simply because she was an heir, and to a powerful clan at that. Hinata was spared no mercy as she was placed in the powerful world of shinobi. She stood out from her clan like a sore thumb. She did not live up to anyone's expectations, and she was constantly berated by her father with words of discouragement and belittling.

Her mind went to Neji, who had suddenly stopped talking to her. They were never particularly close, but Hinata loved her cousin. He was her only relative of the similar age, and he was not like the other Hyuuga members. He did not look at her with those condescending eyes. But time had pulled the two apart, and Hinata tried to mend their relationship to no avail.

"Good," Setsuko approved. Her face was old, but her wrinkles were fine. Too fine. Amako was no doubt the same age, but her happy crow's feet made her kindly and beautiful. Hinata was appalled by Setsuko's lack of facial expression in everything she did. The young Hyuuga thought to herself that being wrinkle-less was rather ugly.

"Excuse me," someone interrupted the ceremony. Setsuko shot a look at the man. He peeked in through the half opened door. "Hinata-sama is required at this immediate moment," he eyed the two women, mainly Setsuko. The maid harrumphed.

Hinata turned to Setsuko in surprise. Setsuko's face changed, but she remained stoic. The old maid stood up carefully and began to clear the tea, she nodded her approval to Hinata and the young heir got ready to leave.

"Coming," Hinata squeaked, she was frightened to know what awaited her when she went to visit her father, but those sort of feelings were not unusual. The man escorted her to the front of the compound and let her walk out to meet her father on her own.

A breeze flew up her kimono in a very uncomfortable way, and she walked stiffly towards her father. There were a few people gathered around, but Hinata's eyes only went to her father, who watched her with hypercritical eyes.

"Hinata, come here," he motioned for her to fasten her pace.

She obeyed and tried to look as graceful as she could while she took ridiculously small steps in her tight kimono.

"Father," she said in an inquiring voice. But when she looked to the men facing her, she knew what was going on.

She wasn't quite sure how she knew they were Uchihas, but their faces, demeanor, and how they stared at her were probably huge parts of it. In Hyuuga clan gossip, she heard many times that their eyes were bloodshot red, but Hinata knew that was only when they activated their bloodlines. Their uncanny black eyes seemed to look right through hers. Suddenly, she was quite self-conscious about her pale eyes. Would her husband think her not pretty because of them? Her eyes were very different from theirs after all.

"This is my daughter, Hinata Hyuuga," Hiashi announced. He had both of his hands on her petite shoulders.

Hinata refrained from making an unladylike noise, but she couldn't stop herself from shaking a bit. All eyes were on her, and she looked up at the unsmiling faces of several Uchiha men.

"P-pleased to meet you," she almost whispered. One Uchiha narrowed his eyes.

"Are you sure she will be fit to bear the Uchiha children?" he asked, scrutinizing Hinata's small form. "The heirs must be strong and powerful, the first generation of the greatly anticipated Hyuuga and Uchiha hybrid," he said. The way he talked about his future grandchildren made Hinata shiver. Not only because she now knew she was nothing to them expect a carrier for their clan dreams, but also because he talked about children like someone would about breeding dogs. Only the best and most purebred will mix to create a stronger, more durable dog. She realized she fit into the picture as the female bitch.

Hinata frowned, as did her father.

"Of course. She is the descendant of generations and generations of Hyuuga men and women. You cannot believe that she is not born to carry on that name, she is a true heiress," he boasted. But Hinata could not have felt more degraded. She lowered her gaze, but did not dare speak her mind at this point.

"Very well," the Uchiha man said. He looked down at Hinata once more. "My name is Fugaku Uchiha, I look... forward to seeing you again," he said. It looked like he was having trouble saying those words. No doubt he was feeling idiotic for introducing himself to such a child. Hinata smiled at his insulting attitude.

"I already consider you my father Uchiha-sama," she bowed politely. Her pretty smile was still on her face as she was shooed away, back into the house. She continued smiling until she was safe in her room before her face contorted and she began to cry. Her father-in-law did not even like her, and she was expected to play daughter to him?

The bleak future for herself made Hinata weep in horror. She hoped she never met her husband, because if all Uchihas were like that, then she most definitely did not want to marry one. A certain blond haired boy in her class came to her mind, and she cried even more at the thought that her small crush would never amount to anything because she was already sold to the highest bidder, the Uchihas. This auction reaped power, and Hinata was sick to her stomach.

Even her future as a ninja was greatly diminished now that she knew the Uchihas expected an heir so early. What if she never even passed the chuunin exams before she is forced to have her child and stay home and watch it?

Tears drenched her pillow as she dreaded meeting any Uchiha ever again.

* * *

A/N Note: Yes, yes, shame on me for subliminally directing you towards the golden state of California. Kudos and a shout out to those who caught it. Do you like it? Hate it? Want to eat it? Lol tell meeeeeeeee. BTW any OOC-ness must be pointed out immediately because I literally despise the word. I plan to go pretty far with this fic, and I'm taking a different approach to this. I am writing as I go instead of writing a fic until the very end and then procrastinating publishing it. So if the story is broken up or sounds funny, then you know why! R&R.


	2. Last Chance

**Karma**

Disclaimer: What? I don't own Naruto? Wow, who would have freaking known.

Important Notes: I forgot to put the summary in the first chapter! (facepalm) I corrected my mistake. HINATA IS IN THE ACADEMY STILL. I made a huge mistake and accidentally made her a genin, but I changed that quickly. I skipped the years a bit too far haha.

P.S. The reference to California was the descriptioin of Hinata, saying she is like a poppy.

I officially love **MayMai**and **sugarnspiders. **Muah! Thx for reviewing!

* * *

Last Chance

* * *

The next morning was eventful to say the least.

Hinata had woken up, her eyes slightly swollen from her salty tears, and for a few moments in the morning, she was completely serene.

Yesterday's issues were past tense, and she felt glad when the warm rays of sunlight crept in through the windows and tickled her nose.

All of a sudden, the morning peace was shattered when two bustling maids stampeded into her room and badgered her to wake up.

"Oh Hinata-sama, wake up!" the maid with her hair up shouted. She tucked back a strand of Hinata's bangs. "Hinata-sama, today is an important day,"

"Yes! Oh quite," the shorter and pudgier maid added. She giggled before continuing. "You do want to meet-" she leaned in on the little girl's sleeping form. "-a special man, do you not?"

Hinata's ears perked, but she remained stubborn and kept her eyes closed.

The two maids snapped her blanket right off her warm body. The Hyuuga girl twitched. One pulled her pillow out from under her head and the other tickled her toes. Hinata just dug her face into her bed sheets and pretended not to be amused at their efforts.

"Katsumi-san, does she look different?"

"She looks bloated, no more night meals for you Hinata-sama," the chubby one named Katsumi said. Hinata thought to herself that Katsumi was being very hypocritical.

"Agreed, now wake up and smell the roses Hinata-sama, it is time to meet your husband-" the maid stopped and screamed.

Hinata had gotten up right away. She sat straight up, her eyes wide open. Katsumi held a hand to her round bosom.

"Oh- you gave me a fright," Katsumi said, fanning herself. "Now come," she beckoned for her mistress to follow. Hinata had a sinking feeling in her stomach. After all she had been through, she truly did not think herself ready for such stress. It was so early in the morning.

They brought her into the dressing room Setsuko had insisted on making for Hinata. Of course, Hinata had protested, but Setsuko was a force to be reckoned with.

They pulled at her and tweaked her and spun her around multiple times, fussing over what to do with the tiny girl.

The Hyuuga heir's eyes remained expressionless the entire time. She was worrying. She did not know when or where or why she was going to meet her fiance, but she knew that horrid man Fugaku would be there. As would her father and several other clan leaders no doubt. The Hyuugas and Uchihas did not gather for nothing.

At first she thought it was her engagement party or something, but she quickly realized that she would have been on an intensive diet regime for at least a week prior by Setsuko if that had been the case.

Many thoughts ran through her mind, and she hardly realized they had finished until they stopped talking and gave her a mirror. Surprised at how fast they had finished, Hinata looked at herself in the mirror and did a double take.

Her hair was pinned into beautiful, lavender hair ornaments, and she looked lavish in the off-white kimono they dressed her in. Her oversized obi was decorated with floral designs and lapped off her tiny waist and into a rather large bow they had tied. In other words, she was prepared for whatever that day had in store for her.

"Your husband will think you a goddess," Katsumi smiled.

Hinata tried not to gulp.

* * *

_One Day Prior_

Several village council members were gathered around a small, private room. They were quiet, patiently awaiting the arrival of an essential member to their party.

Said man slipped through the back door silently, moments later. All eyes were on him.

The Anbu captain slipped his mask off and excused himself for his tardiness. The head of the meeting nodded and dismissed the small mishap.

"Why was I not informed of this... new ordeal," the head elder named Isao asked. He stood at the middle of the room and commanded everyone's attention. His eyes were cloudy, he had not been able to see for fifteen years. The man at his direct right was fittingly his right-hand man.

"I am sorry, I did not want to be too anxious to tell all," Itachi Uchiha apologized. His face was firm, as always.

"Do not joke," the right-hand man gritted his teeth. How dare the teenager back talk to the Konohagakure council!

"I did not mean to be sarcastic. At first I did not know if the clan knew of my intentions or not, and although the recent events seem to point to an obvious direction, I did not want to voice my opinion until I was sure things were as they seemed," the Uchiha boy explained. Isao narrowed his misty eyes.

"They chose Sasuke to marry to the Hyuuga heir, does this not mean they plan to disown you as their heir?" Isao asked. He already knew the answer.

"It seems so," Itachi sighed. "They must have caught on to the fact that I was aware of their plans against Konoha," he ran a hand through his hair. His smiling brother Sasuke came to his mind, and he couldn't help but push against the Konoha council's wishes. "Maybe if I try to reach a compromise-"

"Uchiha-san, we have prolonged this date for too long, we all know the Uchiha clan is not going to back out from their coup d'etat," the right-hand man raised his voice. "How long are we going to wait? Until they gather more forces against the village? Until they kill the Hokage? Until-"

"I believe they deserve one more chance," Itachi interjected. "Perhaps a meeting, played off as a village annual meeting or a party," ideas were running through his head.

"Ridiculous, no one will-"

"Stop Kurou-san," Isao snapped. The man named Kurou stopped talking immediately. Isao looked straight at the young Uchiha as if he could actually see the boy. Itachi kept a sober face. The Konoha council elder was known for his quick wit. He seemed to know good intentions from bad, he sensed the uncertainty in people's voices, and he was known for his accurate assessments. "I agree with your idea Uchiha-san," Isao finally said. Kurou looked bewildered. The council members began to burst into harsh whispers as they discussed the situation.

Itachi was relieved, but he tried not to show it externally.

"Thank you, I am glad the Konoha council is considerate enough to allow my clan one more chance. If nothing changes, then I will carry on my duty to this village," Itachi bowed deeply to Isao, who looked at the Uchiha prodigy with amusement in his opaque eyes.

"Last time," Kurou grumbled, red in the ears. He said some incoherent words to himself in his annoyance.

"Until then," Itachi slipped back on his Anbu mask and abruptly left. The council members were dismissed. They retired for the night, but everyone was on the edge of their seats.

No one was going to miss that party.

* * *

**A/N: **I know! I know! A very short chapter, but I was trying to update fast, and it is incredibly late right now. I did not want to postpone my update until tomorrow, so make do with what you have! Sorry, next chappie will be twice as long, scout's honor!

If all the extra names confused you. Here's an overview.

Amako = Hinata's old maid

Setsuko = Hinata's new, bitchier maid

Katsumi = A fat, Hyuuga maid

Yuriko = The other Hyuuga maid (Her name wasn't mentioned yet lol)

Isao = Konoha Council's elder/head

Kurou = Isao's right-hand man and also part of the Konoha Council

Thanks for sticking with me! And remember the Golden Cycle! More reviews= Quicker Updates. R&R


	3. Lavender Farewell

**Karma**

Disclaimer: All rights to Naruto goes to Kishimarumototayuyayoto. I just realized Japanese names are the worst for dyslexic people.

Special thanks to **MayMai** again. You are a darling!

* * *

Lavender Farewell

* * *

"Fall into step _behind_ me," Hinata's father growled.

The small girl jumped behind her father. She hadn't realized she had walked so far. A lot of things were on her mind. Many other Hyuuga main house men trailed her, they were all going to a very important village affair. It was late notice, but no clan would ever refuse the Konoha Council Elders.

They entered a colossal building with silence, but as they neared the reception, a cacophony of voices could be heard. Hinata widened her eyes at the sight of all the people that were gathered there.

"Hyuuga-san," a reserved looking man acknowledged the arrival of the Hyuugas at the main entrance. Hiashi nodded his head, but quickly pulled Hinata away with him. He was on a mission. The Hyuuga men were quiet, but swift as they followed their leader's every move.

Hinata looked around and saw the faces of many men and women she had met before. They were all prominent clan leaders her father had talked to at one point in time. Everyone was raising their glasses of rice wine and laughing and debating about issues.

She marveled at the sight of so many flowers. Someone had taken time to really decorate the building, and Hinata found that even the black tablecloths were adorned with brittle lavender petals. What a fantastic idea. She really did love flowers.

Her father's white eyes scoured the entire room. Hinata thought he would have activated his byakugan if he had not found what he had been looking for.

Silently, he beckoned Hinata to follow him, and she did. The other men stayed behind. Her mind wandered elsewhere, when would she meet her fiance? Would he be just as bad as she anticipated? She felt a small wad of unexpected guilt in her heart for putting him down before she even got a chance to meet him. In her mind, she resolved to think nothing at all of him until she got to know him herself.

"My future son-in-law," Hiashi said warmly. He had his arms uncrossed and he even managed a small chuckle.

Hinata froze. She was afraid to look up.

"Hyuuga-sama," a foreign voice responded. Hinata swallowed hard and tried to calm herself down.

_Okay, okay_, she thought to herself. _Just, start at his feet._

Her eyes began low, and she saw his large feet. _He must be tall,_ she surmised. People with a lot of centimeters to boast usually had equally large feet. Slowly, she moved upwards and caught his cuffed pants. He was wearing training clothes? At a formal village occasion? Everything else seemed normal other than that, and she made it up to his broad chest before stopping. She couldn't help but blush a bit.

Hinata was surprised at herself. She quickly forced her eyes to finish her overlook and she found herself paralyzed with feelings she had never felt before.

He was literally a whole new world. Nothing about him was familiar. He had gorgeous eyes, of shape and color. Immediately she realized he took nothing after his father. Fugaku was rather stern and hard, from war and other unimaginable things. Itachi had the same, suppressed look in his eyes, those that came with maturity and a perspective of life boys his age usually do not have. But he lacked the negative aura and his feminine features contrasted sharply with his no-nonsense attitude.

"U-Uchiha-san," she greeted, looking in a different direction. She would have remained silent if it weren't for the holes her father was staring into the back of her head. "I am Hinata Hyuuga, pleased to- meet your acquaintance," she bowed slowly.

They were answered by silence.

"Is something the matter?" Hiashi looked like he was growing impatient. Hinata could see Itachi was occupied with something else.

"Now is not the most appropriate time," he said stiffly. Now Hinata was feeling very uncomfortable. She was caught in between two different men, each pushing her onto the other.

"Nonsense, today is your first meeting, let us try not to rush things, there is plenty of time tonight for other matters," Hiashi gave Hinata a little tap on her back. "Go on, mingle," he was giving a forced smile.

"Hyuuga-sama," Itachi tried to interject.

"I insist!" Hiashi raised his voice. "You cannot run away from your future wife forever,".

The Uchiha looked at the litte girl, his face suddenly unreadable. He let out a sigh that only Hinata caught.

"The clan has put forth Sasuke as your daughter's fiance," he confessed. Hinata widened her eyes. This man was not her husband? She looked to her father for guidance, but she found him to be completely silent. "I must excuse myself, I am sorry," Itachi bowed to the two and promptly left.

There were many things Hinata knew to look out for after years of living with her father. There were certain signs he gave before he blew his top off. Hinata found herself horrified to see the first sign.

His pale eyes grew hard.

"F-father," Hinata stuttered.

Then, his chest began to swell. Things were not going well over with him. Hinata tried to think. She looked around for somebody to save her, but everyone was chatting happily, paying no attention to her.

"I t-think-"

"Follow me," Hiashi's voice was strained, and he turned to walk away from the party. A feeling of dread overcame the girl. She had never seen her father trying so hard to quell his anger.

This was a hundred times more frightening than when he was upfront, Hinata thought to herself. Her theory was that when he contained his feelings, it would boil, threatening to explode at any given second, and she was going to be the victim.

They reached a corner room that Hinata followed her father into. She slid the door shut as slowly as she could, her arms shaking.

Afraid to turn to look at him, she remained facing the door.

"I cannot believe what just happened," her father's voice was like an electric current. Fatal but wildy stifled. The sound of his fists clenching was yet another sign.

"Father, I do not mind this sudden change," Hinata spoke softly in a vain attempt to calm him down. She heard him slam his hand to the ground and she jumped in fright.

When she turned around Hinata saw the final sign.

He was walking towards her menacingly, his teeth clenched.

"This is _not_ about you," he began to raise his voice. Hinata shrunk back into the wall. Hiashi looked even more aggravated at this sign of weakness. "All of this is your fault you imbecile!" he made a noise of exasperation and turned to pace in the middle of the room.

Hinata straightened her back.

"M-my fault?" she said. In her mind, she was burning with denial, but her voice came out uncertain and apologetic.

"Yes, your pitiful excuse for a first impression made them second think this arrangement," Hiashi was deep in thought, running things through his mind, and trying to figure out what to make out of the stressful situation. "Because of you they saved their heir for bigger fish and left the Hyuugas to rot with their measly second child!"

Suddenly he turned to her, a new look in his eye that Hinata did not like.

"Yes, this is all your doing," Hiashi said to himself. "This is all your fault," he repeated, louder. "You have proven yourself unworthy once again!" he was directly in front of her in no time at all and Hinata could only catch a glimpse of his raised hand before she shut her eyes to brace herself.

Hinata clenched her teeth and waited, – and waited. The hit never came, and Hinata shot her eyes open to find someone in a large hood stopping her father's hand in mid-air.

Her mouth fell open.

"Who-?" Hiashi hollered and rose his other arm to strike, his chakra already at the tips of his fingers.

The hooded man took hold of Hinata's wrist, and she saw a glimpse of white skin peek out from under the black cloak he wore.

All she could do was hastily throw her arms around his neck as he flung her into his arms and departed through a high window. The cold air of the early evening hit her rosy cheeks, and he was jumping from wall to wall with ease, regardless of the fact that he was carrying fifty extra pounds.

Many things ran through her head at once. The man -and she was sure of his gender somehow- was still somewhat of a threat even if he had saved her. He had a questionable motive.

His muscles rippled under her back and Hinata found herself feeling drowsy by the sound of his body moving and the consequent thudding of where his feet made contact with solid objects.

Suddenly his body movement stopped, and Hinata found herself looking down at a full bird's eye view of Konoha.

They were on a tall balcony. The pale girl lifted up a hand and grasped the stiff fabric the man wore in her palm. She got ready to pull the hood down, but he moved. Her eyes widened as the moonlight illuminated her vision, and she saw into the shadows of his hood for a split second. The dim moonlight cast a bluish white glow that crept into his hood, and Hinata caught sight of those familiar black eyes. They noticed her gaze and looked away, indifferent.

Hinata restrained any noises she had wanted to make. She thought she should have been waking up by now. Everything seemed so surreal. She had gone from expecting to dreading seeing her future husband, then unexpectedly meeting him at a random party, only to realize he is not actually her fiance, and consequently been saved by him.

Her hands hesitated to pull his hood. Where had he gotten the large cloth? She took a closer look at the fabric he was wearing. Her eyes widened. It was the tablecloth used at the village party.

A long silence had passed while he remained still. He did not acknowledge her or even utter a word, or gesture of reassurance, but Hinata felt foolishly safe in his arms. It was impossible to feel any other way as she inhaled the scent of lavender.

He began to move again, and he slipped into the balcony door, back into the building, and Hinata felt the atmosphere change immediately. Suddenly he was holding her fractionably tighter, and the shadows his hood cast were darker.

His face turned towards the Hyuuga girl, and he did not say a word, but she knew he was telling her to keep quiet. She obeyed.

They made their way across the halls and corridors of the facility until they reached the corner of a wall in the party room. They were hidden by a décor bouquet of carnations, but Hinata could see just fine past them. They were directly above the ongoing party. She looked back at the black figure holding her and wondered why he was going through such trouble when he could have just dropped her off near the other Hyuuga men. Her eyes searched desperately for a glimpse of his face once more, just to confirm his identity, but she never got the chance.

He was so feline in his movement. Silent but swift. He set her down so gently she thought she had floated down. Her arms felt cold after they left his neck.

"I apologize for breaking ill news at such a time," his voice finally assured her of his identity. Once again he addressed the issue of time. Hinata wondered what he could possibly have on his schedule that was making him so anxious.

"Uchiha-san," she said firmly. He pulled the tablecloth off his head and discarded it to the side. She could finally see his face, and it surprised her that he did not look tired or even a little bit out of breath. Not even slightly disturbed at the fact that he had technically just kidnapped her.

"I also apologize for leaving you to bear with the consequences of my own mistake," he continued, ignoring her words.

"No, you-" Hinata began to speak, but he cut her off.

"Stop," he ordered, looking elsewhere now.

She ceased her talking and stared at his face for a long time, waiting for him to say something, but he was not paying attention to her. She followed his gaze into the crowd and found him to be staring at the Uchihas. They were situated right in their line of sight, and their voices could be heard since they were merely feet away from the two.

A puzzled look crossed Hinata Hyuuga's face. What was an Uchiha doing spying on other Uchihas?

Finally, she listened in on the conversation the men below her were carrying. They seemed to be arguing, but it took Hinata a while to figure even that out. They made no hand or body movements, and instead spoke with their eyes. Their words were urgent but they made no facial expressions to show it.

"...Itachi has—the council—unforgivable, they—know and Konoha—plans," were a few words Hinata could pick up.

Just as she was beginning to eavesdrop, her savior took her and bolted into a nearby room.

He set her down gently on the tatami mat, a strange look on his face. Hinata could not stop staring at him.

"W-what were they talking about?" Hinata asked. She was puzzled, dizzy, and in need of reassurance.

"I do not owe you an explanation," he said coldly. Apparently he could not even spare that.

She was snapped back to her senses. Whatever feelings she had been experiencing from all that had happened had been stored away for good. She glared at him.

"If it concerns my family," she began. She was talking quickly because she was afraid she would loose confidence if she didn't. "-a-and more importantly, if it concerns Konoha, then I have a right to know,"

He looked at her with a new kind of acknowledgement. He crossed his arms and took a step torward Hinata. She leaned away a bit at his sudden movements. A noise came out of his mouth. Hinata realized it was laughter. And it was out of spiteful amusement.

"No," he said. "I have bigger concerns than you and your ridiculous Hyuuga pride,"

Hinata's eyes widened. Her heart was seared to the core. How dare he?

A very unexpected woman came into her head. Setsuko. Who had taught her that one thing a woman could do in a situation she saw was not going her way, was to make a bloodcurdling-

"If you don't see things in the li-light that I do, then I will make you," Hinata sucked in a large breath, and her scream had almost made it out of her throat before something had knocked the air out of her.

She was thrown to the ground, and when she struggled, thrust to the wall. A hand covering her mouth and the other pinning both her small wrists above her head. His eyes were impassive.

"Hinata Hyuuga," he said. Hinata shivered. Her name did not sound the same as usual when _he _said it. "It would not be hard for me to dispose of you temporarily, I would be free of the inconveniences you bring," he released her mouth and gripped her neck in such a way that he teased the deadly pressure points on her neck with the tips of his fingers.

Itachi's ears perked, and he loosened his hands as he turned towards a sound he heard outside the doors. He was listening in closely on something Hinata could not even hear. She slid out of his hold and made for the door, but a cold hand yanked her back into his hard chest.

"Wh-!" Hinata cried, but Itachi crushed her against him. It was painful, and she could not even move to get comfortable. She tried to tell him to let go, but her voice was completely muffled.

He opened the door calmly and Hinata heard someone approaching them. It was a Hyuuga man, and he looked urgent. When he saw the Hyuuga heiress he made his way over quickly.

"Hinata-sama! Your father informed us of what had happened -we were sent to search for you," he looked at Itachi with suspicion. Hinata tried to respond but was hushed.

"Please, she is extremely apprehensive at the moment, I had to fend off the man who tried to kidnap her, it would be best if I brought her to her father myself," Itachi lied with ease, still squeezing her against him.

"Yes, that seems best," the Hyuuga man immediately said, he even stepped aside. Hinata tried to squirm, but much to her dismay, Itachi was much stronger than she.

He weaved through the party with ease, but it may have helped that they all seemed to make way for him. Everybody was doing this, and Hinata wondered if it was because of his uncanny charisma. Hinata could only see directly above Itachi's head for a while, but when he began to slow down, he did not hold her as tightly as he had before. She could see the Konoha Elders and a stern looking Fugaku in a circle.

"Does Konoha forsake us?" one Uchiha asked. Fugaku silenced him with a hand, but looked to the Konoha Elders with eyes that seemed to dare them to answer correctly.

"No, Fugaku-san, you have forsaken Konoha," Hinata recognized the blind man who spoke with such sorrow in his voice that Hinata was immediately sober.

"How dare you accuse the Uchihas!" another Uchiha cried. Fugaku was quiet the entire time, but he was the leading force of the argument. Some people gasped. More people began to watch the event playing out. Everyone was quiet, the dull chattering had stopped.

"Out of the way," Hinata's father was approaching. He reached the clearing and looked to Fugaku.

"Hiashi-san," the blind Konoha elder said with amusement.

"You! Belittling the Hyuugas, denying us respect. We have never been more offended. This is the last you will hear from us," Hiashi's rage was evident. Fugaku looked shocked at the turn of events.

"Uchiha-san, it looks as if Konoha is not the only alliance you have burned," the Konoha elder said seriously. Fugaku was ready to refute, but Itachi walked into the brawl.

"Pardon, but the lady has suffered from tonight's events. I suggest we call off the rest of the evening," Itachi said. Hinata was mortified, but she remained silent. Hiashi looked to Fugaku, and the two looked at the Council members, who nodded their heads in approval.

The crowd remained for a few more seconds before dispersing. The building burst with talk about the recent scandal almost instantly.

Itachi let Hinata down, and Hiashi walked over straight away. He grabbed his daughter's wrist.

"What. Happened." Hiashi asked. He also looked tired from all that had just played. Hinata found that she did not know how to answer his question. She looked to Itachi for help.

"Hyuuga-sama, I did not see the face of the man who tried to kidnap your daughter," Itachi said.

Hinata was appalled at how natural he was at playing his own facade.

"Very well," Hiashi sighed, not too concerned about that at all. He shooed the boy away. The Hyuuga head began walking away, and he beckoned his men to follow. Hinata allowed him to pull her along. "I'm sick of Uchihas," he growled.

Hinata turned and took a look back at a particular Uchiha one more time. She was surprised by how easily she had found him in the crowd. He was facing away from her, and he seemed to be talking to the Council elders. They exchanged a few words before the Council members dismissed themselves. Itachi turned and Hinata could finally see his face.

She was sure she saw it, and it unnerved her. Itachi Uchiha had a _worried_ look on his face. Something had been resolved, and he had a new, determined but forlorn emotion swirling in his dark eyes.

Before he completely disappeared from her line of view, she thought he had caught her gaze for a split second.

The Hyuugas exited the building, and everything should have been behind her, but Hinata had an odd feeling in her stomach. Something was off. She could not stop thinking about it.

Her father was gone in his own world. He did not say a word to her, and didn't shoot so much as a glance at her. Normally, she would have been close to tears after what he had almost done to her, but she was too distracted.

When she arrived home, she did not even greet her pregnant mother, and instead went straight to her room. There Hinata laid in her bed, searching for some kind of peace in all the rush she was experiencing. Thoughts were running wild in her head. She kept replaying the same scenes over and over again to herself. She was completely absorbed with thoughts of Itachi, of the Uchihas, the Council elders, and their argument. What could they have been arguing about?

The night grew darker and still she could not sleep. The look in Itachi's eyes were haunting Hinata. Something about them made her want to shiver and cry at the same time. He was disturbed. He was reluctant. But at the same time, he was set in stone. Whatever he was thinking of was absolute.

Finally, the lack of sleep was driving her mad. She got up from her bed, exasperated.

She found herself pacing for the first time in her life. Hinata peered out her small window and looked to the moon for comfort. It was eerily radiant that night. A full moon. It mocked her with it's dull glow. It knew what she longed to know, but it would never tell her.

After what seemed like hours had passed, something in the night changed, and Hinata slipped into her bed once again. She closed her eyes, promising not to open them again until it was morning.

An owl screamed in the thick night, and Hinata shuddered before giving herself in to sleep.

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A/N: Yay, more ItaHina finally! I know, I am a bad person! I waited too long to post this, but I made a promise to make this chapter twice as long, and I used word count the entire time to make sure I upheld that oath, lol. Wow, I even delayed Hanabi's birth. I am just a delay fish, that's what I am. Hiashi was seriously a bit OOC. Don't you think? So I tried to make it seem like he is only outrageously outrageous when he's alone with Hinata, not in public. I know I left a lot to be said with the Council members, the coup d'etat, etc. but I guess we are limited mostly to what Hinata knows for now. Thx for reading. R&R.

P.S. Did you realize there were no line breaks in the entire story for this chapter? I just realized that! Hehe


	4. Running

**Karma**

Disclaimer: I wonder if anybody really cares about these. Naruto? Not mine.

Note: I'm trying to go canon, but I'm finding it increasingly difficult due to all the delays I made, and I'm lazy. Gomen

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Running

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Hinata woke up ridiculously early.

On normal days, Hinata would go to sleep a few hours after the sunset, and the night would be spent having dreamless dreams. Then she would wake to the sound of the droll, deep crow of a nameless bird. She would get up, stretch, and go to the kitchen for a small meal.

But that day was not a normal day. She woke up much earlier than the sunrise, while it was still dark, and she would have gone back to sleep, but she felt so queasy that she got up to go to the bathroom.

The halls were so silent it was deafening. Hinata sped up her walking and took comfort in the sound of her bare feet on the polished wood.

Everything was different. There was no low murmuring in the background, and Hinata was felt strangely out of place. She thought it was probably because she had never been about the house when it was so dark before. With nobody to see and nobody to hear, the house seemed bigger.

The walls were getting further, and the ceilings were getting higher, and she felt lost, and tremendously small. She longed for the cozy classrooms of the academy, that was where she truly felt at home.

From across the hall, she heard a voice. She jumped to the wall in fright. Who was there? She tiptoed further down the way and heard the voice get louder. As she got closer, more voices could be heard, and Hinata activated her byakugan.

To the right, a room was filled with a large group of people. Hinata jumped back in surprise. What were they doing so early in the morning?

_Or so late at night_, Hinata thought to herself.

She walked up to the doors, and now she could hear all the talking just fine. They were all men, discussing the past night's events. They spoke of many things, but the most notable subject was the Uchihas.

Slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible, Hinata took a step away from the door.

_Creak._ Was the sound of failure.

"You there," the voice of her father said. "Come in,"

Hinata fixed up her shirt, only to realize she was wearing pajamas. She thought of running back or trying to get away, but the room inside was too quiet for a getaway. To her dismay, they were all waiting for her.

She sighed and slid the doors open to walk in as if nothing was wrong. There were many men sitting around a large wooden table that stretched as far as the opposite wall, and none seemed too bothered with her clothing. Fidgeting with her appearance, Hinata felt the burning of her cheeks while everyone's eyes were on her.

"It's you Hinata," Hiashi said. "It's early," he commented. His daughter just nodded her head, not knowing what else she could do in such a situation.

"Sorry father, I was just going to the restroom," Hinata explained quickly. She turned her body around, making for the door. "I'll just leave now,"

"Stay, come sit beside me," he ordered. She had no choice in the matter, and quickly sat beside him.

The talking recommenced, and Hinata found herself ignored once again.

"Do we cast a vote?" one Hyuuga man asked. He looked from left to right at his peers.

"I vote to nullify the contract,"

"I second,"

"Shouldn't we wait and discuss this with the Uchihas themselves?"

"We can make the decision ourselves,"

"Those for calling off our allegiance with the Uchihas," Hiashi finally said. Hinata thought that was the smart thing about her father. That was what made him a leader. He gave ultimatums to those who were lost. But that was exactly what made him a bad father. Things like politics did not work with seven year olds.

A good three quarters of the men nodded their agreement. The rest were undecided or confused.

"This settles our decision as a clan- _before_ I inform you of the recent terrible news," Hiashi continued on. He did not look the least bit solemn at the bad news he spoke of.

Something in his voice was a bit bothered though, and Hinata turned to look at him. He still had a stoic front, but she could tell he was about to say something important.

At that exact moment, Hinata did not know how, but she had caught sight of a beautiful jade vase behind her father, resting on a wooden stand. Her eyes widened, and the nausea she had felt increased.

"The Uchiha clan is nonexistent," Hiashi said. He was completely still as everyone in the room began to look flabbergasted.

The air in the room was pushing down on the Hyuuga girl. She could not breathe, she clutched her heart. The words her father had said seemed to echo in everyone's minds, it was so shocking that nobody moved for a while.

"We have been... noble, we have not taken into account this recent, misfortune-" Hiashi was interrupted.

"What do you mean 'they are nonexistent'?" a dazed man asked.

The head Hyuuga growled. "Exactly what I said. They are gone, extinct. Murdered!" he spelled out.

A collective gasp was heard, some eyes widened like saucers. Hinata was paralyzed.

"How are you sure?"

"Fools, do you think I am lieing?" Hiashi roared.

"No. It is just hard to believe they are truly gone," the men looked to each other and nodded, kind of uncomfortable at the thought of such a disaster.

"Who committed such an atrocity?" a man who was quiet up until then asked.

Hinata shut her eyes tightly. Maybe if she just tried hard enough, she would be out of this nightmare. This was not real, it couldn't be. Everything was too irreversible that it had to be fake. She did not want to believe what she knew. She did _not_ want to believe it.

"No one knows yet, I am only sure of the fact that there was a mass murder of Uchihas last night," Hiashi said. The talking in the room subsided and no one spoke a word. They all looked to Hiahsi for guidance. "Hinata," he addressed.

"Yes father!" she jumped. She was feeling faint from all the dizzying events.

"You are no longer engaged to the Uchiha heir," he confirmed. The clan men all nodded. "Forget your relationship to them, whatever kind of situation that bound us to them is now false, do you understand?"

Hinata nodded blankly, not looking at anybody or listening to anything at that point. She kept looking past her father, right behind him.

"Good," a Hyuuga man said.

"Dismissed," Hiashi said. He stood up and Hinata got up and followed him, he caught her when she almost fell over. "What's wrong with you?" he hissed.

She straightened herself and looked back into the room. She saw the wilting lavender flowers and she felt something cold and wet hit her arm. She looked down and saw that it was a tear.

_I know who the killer is._

"Father, I have to go," she managed to say, her emotions choking her.

He eyed her for a few seconds, "Yes, the restroom, go ahead,". He went ahead and left without another word.

The lavenders were like an unwanted memory. _Please don't remember. Please go away. Please just forget. _

She decided to go back to her room and change.

On her way, she passed by the kitchen, and heard the clattering of pots and shuffling footsteps. The workers were up and making breakfast.

"Hinata-sama?" a woman asked, her voice was loud and surprised. The mentioned girl turned to the sound. It was coming from the kitchen. She had the door in her hand and was opening it when another voice was heard.

"Shh!" a person Hinata recognized as Katsumi said. "Someone will hear you!" the maid cried, looking behind her just to make sure.

Hinata closed the door as far as she could and crouched lower. They were talking about her.

"You're telling me you think it was one of us who did it?" the other maid asked, her eyes wide.

"No you idiot! We don't favor them, but we are not stupid," Katsumi shouted, waving her arms around. She quickly lowered her voice when some kitchen workers gave her dirty looks. "If we killed the Uchihas, what would we gain? Self satisfaction? Don't kid around Yuriko,"

"Sorry," Yuriko said, annoyed.

"I think it was someone in the clan," Katsumi guessed. Hinata's grip on the door tightened.

"No!" Yuriko gasped. "Then what happens to poor Hinata-sama?"

"The marriage is off, definitely," Kastumi said, her hands on her hips. She was clearly enjoying the gossip. "but don't worry, we will all probably make it easier on her,"

Yuriko and Katsumi both looked around, checking to see nobody was listening in. Hinata closed the door further, leaving only a crack. She had never intentionally listened in on maid gossip before.

"You mean we will-"

"Yeah, we'll probably be ordered never to speak of the Uchihas again, almost like they never existed," Katsumi added with a misty voice.

"Oh, I hate lying to her, what will happen if she is persistent?"

Hinata was shocked, she looked around her as if everything suddenly morphed into things she did not understand at all. Was she so gullible that she would believe people who told her something was wrong when it was not? Could she be convinced that something real did not even exist?

What made her extremely apprehensive was the fact that she did not know for sure.

She clenched her fists, an emotion running through her that she could not place. It may have been anger, or confusion, or betrayal. Or maybe all three.

_I will not forget._ Hinata thought to herself firmly. She engraved into her mind the cold look about Fugaku, and his son that was so alike him yet so different. The son that saved her. The look in his eyes.

"That's too bad for the Uchihas," Yuriko joked. Katsumi's expression got dark.

"Who?" Katsumi asked, looking serious. Yuriko gave her a frown before her chubbier friend laughed. "Just kidding, but we have to practice!" she said.

"Oh, you are so full of bogus Katsumi!" Yuriko rolled her eyes.

Hinata backed away from the door as if she had been slapped. She didn't understand. Why would they lie to her? Why would they go to such lengths?

She ran down the halls. A horrific feeling was settling in her stomach, not only from what she heard from the maids, but everything that happened in the past few days. The morning was taking it's toll on her, and the day hadn't even started yet.

Breathing hard, she leaned against a door and opened it quickly, as if desperate for air, and she clamored out into the clearing. It was the training area, and much to her relief, it was empty.

A crazy thought entered her head. She looked around her to make sure nobody was in the area. Her eyes went to the wall, fencing in a small part of the training area. Beyond the wall an immediate field that would go straight into the forest.

She made for it, biting her lip. Gathering strength in her legs, she crouched and made for the jump. While she was half over, she was suddenly gripped with fear. She had never run off before, and even though she had full intentions of coming back, she did not know if she had enough courage to do such an outrageous thing.

The bird who crowed in the morning cawed, somehow urgent. Hinata pulled herself over the wall and gulped. The air flew past her face, making her feel alive and raw. It scared her, but she couldn't stop. She ran out into the field and did not hesitate to go into the forest.

She ran past the large trees, all quiet and solemn. There were no sounds in the forest, everything was still. She slowed down her pace until she came to a walk.

The bird kept crowing, as if calling, or warning. Hinata shivered and began to run again. It occurred to her that she was yearning for someone.

A crow flew overhead and she thought of _him._

She kept running, to get rid of all her emotions. Suddenly she reached the end of the forest, and she was out in an opening. The ground became paved and she followed the trail aimlessly, her mind elsewhere.

The air began to get thicker. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Something was not right.

Her eyes followed the end of the trail and came across a large group of buildings. They were all connected, forming a sort of compound, where many people could live. Hinata plugged her nose, there was a murky stench around.

The building was silent. But it was a new kind of silent. Not like the silence of the morning, and not even like the silence of the dark. It was the silence of, death.

It was evident that Hinata was frightened. Her whole body was shivering, but she found her feet moving of their own accord. They pulled her inside the large wooden doors, and she immediately felt like vomiting.

Immediately upon entering the doorway, she thought she was going to have convulsions.

On the walls, on the ground, on the ceiling, in the cracks, on the furniture, there was blood. Everywhere, an ocean of red.

An yet... there were no bodies. No faces to claim the scene. They were all truly dead. The fact seemed to literally weigh her down. She fell and hit the cold floor.

She tried to keep herself composed, she ran out into the halls and began sprinting through every nook and cranny of the place, opening every door. Some rooms were bloody, some were not, but they were all empty. A weird sort of panic began to set in.

Where were all the bodies? Surely the murderer wouldn't have done something unforgivable with them. Just the thought made Hinata cringe.

No. He was not like that. Hinata checked the last door in the corridor. It was empty.

She kept her hands trailing the walls as she ran down and left the main building. The door opened into what looked like a garden, it was small, and only had vegetables. The sun began to rise, peeking over the shortest building in the Uchiha compound.

The grass made way to gravel, and Hinata scuffed along it until something out of the corner of her eyes moved. She jumped and almost screamed, but she covered her own mouth.

There was a body. Laying face down. It was not moving, and Hinata was afraid to do anything. After a few minutes had passed, she ran over, and knelt down beside him. She laid a tentative hand on the boy's back. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She didn't know what to feel. At least he did not look like he died in a bad way. In fact, he looked fine.

Faster than she could see, the hand she had laid on the boy was touching the ground, and somebody had constricted both her arms behind her back.

"Who are you," a strained voice asked. Hinata stopped breathing, the dead boy got back up!

He had a crazed way of moving his hands, and his eyes were beautiful but hard.

"I-I-I-I-I-" she couldn't formulate words or even think coherent thoughts.

Suddenly, the grip loosened on her arms, and something heavy pushed her onto the ground. Hinata moaned in pain, her knees dug into the hard rocks and she stopped herself from falling over with her hands. The boy had collapsed, and Hinata struggled to get out from under him as gently as she could. She tried not to hurt him as she pushed his shoulders off her waist, and when she finally got comfortable, he ended up laying his head awkwardly on her lap.

His face was visible, and Hinata found herself staring at him. He had to be Itachi's younger brother. He looked just like him, only less like Fugaku, and much younger in the face than his older brother. She thought to herself that he may have been around her age.

Hinata sighed and calmed herself down from her initial shock. She sat there and her eyes caught the horizon in the distance. It was breathtaking. It was inspiring, and it made her forget where she was for a few seconds.

And so she watched the dawn break, with a boy who was supposed to be dead laying on her lap, both sitting in a bloody mansion covered in death.

The sun climbed the sky, and the young girl resolved that the boy should be reported first.

She pulled him up, but he was unexpectedly heavy. Her small arms were strained with the weight of his entire body. Grunting a little, she slipped him over her, and she made for the door.

The village was still not quite awake, and she was glad. She wasn't exactly in a good looking position.

First she made for the Hokage's office, until she stopped in her tracks. The boy was unconscious. He just blacked out in front of her eyes. She was going the wrong way. The hospital should have been her destination.

He was slipping, and she didn't think she could hold him much longer, so she made for the Konoha hospital as quickly as she could. She entered the hospital building with urgency, but tried not to draw attention to herself. A woman immediately came to her side and took the boy from her back. Hinata stretched up and pulled the hair out of her face.

"H-he fainted. I found him face down, I-I don't know how-what could be wrong with him," Hinata said. The woman, who was wearing a white uniform, looked the girl up and down. The Hyuuga girl blushed, she was still wearing her darn pajamas.

"Okay, we'll take him to emergency care," the woman called another nurse out and handed his limp body to her. "What about you? Are you okay?" she led Hinata to a seat in the waiting room and tried to look her in the eyes. "What happened? Where did you bring him from?" she eyed the scraped on Hinata's leg and forced herself onto the girl.

Hinata became flustered. "I, he-in," she stopped herself. Something told her not to tell anything to this woman. "I don't know," she lied. Hinata slid off the seat and pushed past the woman. "I'm sorry," the little girl backed away. The woman kept staring at her, bewildered. "I'm sorry!" Hinata bolted out the door and ran. She ran down the streets and pushed past the early rising citizens. They looked at her passing by nonchalantly. She finally made it back to where the Uchiha compound was, and she tried not to look at it.

She looked at the sky, she looked in the opposite direction, and she did anything she could not to remind herself of the place. She made her way down the paved trail and jumped into the forest again. She didn't know how she knew where to go, but her memory served better than she thought. The familiar trees flew by her as she ran back home in a frenzy, scared and tired. Above her, there was a rustle. Her feet locked to the ground instantly.

It did not sound like a squirrel. White eyes narrowed, and she searched for the source of the disturbance. Nothing around her betrayed anything, and she was about to continue on when she caught sight of something scarlet red in the collage of green. Her first thought was that it was blood.

Her pulse quickened and she paled. Upon closer inspection, Hinata saw that it was an eye. Realization hit her. It was him! Up in the thick foliage, she saw his red eye glaring right at her. It did not waver, and it did not even blink. He stared her down. Hinata was frozen. All of a sudden, he was gone.

Hinata activated her byakugan quickly, and she looked around, but there was no trace of him, not even a slight chakra trail. He was gone, and he wasn't coming back.

More tired than ever, Hinata ran back to her side of the village and saw the Hyuuga mansion in the distance. She ran through the field and made a big jump over the wall. The fear of getting caught settled in her stomach, and she tried to be as quiet and stealthy as she could. There was a soft thud when she landed in the mansion successfully.

The door opposite Hinata slid open accusingly, and her cousin Neji stood there, staring her down.

Hinata gave a small yelp and looked away. He kept his gaze, and Hinata walked over to where he was and timidly pushed past him to get inside the house.

She looked at him uncertainly, he shut the door and kept his gaze locked on her. Hinata softly cleared her throat.

"C-could you, not tell fath-"

Neji looked impassive, but he surprised her. "I can ignore anything for a total of ten seconds," he said with a serious face. Hinata blushed and made for her room. She could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile on her cousin's face when she left.

She passed by some maids and stayed as far away from them as possible. Finally she reached her destination.

Her room invited her in, swallowing her like a comforting hug. Hinata laid down on her bed and closed her eyes, she couldn't believe what had happened in a day. The morning was not even over yet. For the second time, Hinata fell asleep thinking about those eyes.

But there was a twist, this time there were two pairs.

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A/N: Alright, time to take a vote. I don't know if I want to do this or not. It is up to you guys!

**Should I do SasuHina or not? **I wasn't planning on doing it, and if I did, it would be mostly one-sided, but I was rereading this chapter and could see this pairing in this story's future. But this is ItaHina, so I decided to ask you guys. So tell me in your review. The pros is that we won't be bored, because I may go into filler since Itachi is going to be away for a while. The cons is that you may not like Sasuke? Lol, but you can also vote for a Sasuke and Hinata friendship. Either way I need an answer haha. What should I do?


	5. Triste

**Karma**

Disclaimer: None of these beautiful characters belong to me, I'm just borrowing! Haha

I forgot to thank my reviewers last chapter. Sorry!

So anyways, thanks very much to **dumdeedum**, **JamKa**, **MayMai**, and** aegisZero**. I'm giving you all virtual apology cookies, lol.

Triste

Hinata found herself in the Konoha hospital for the second time, and just like the first impromptu visit, all eyes were on her.

She tried to act normal even though she was sweating profusely, and made her way over to the reception desk. The familiar nurse rose from her chair at the sight of the little, pale-eyed girl she recognized.

"I'm s-sorry, but I have things to... discuss," Hinata stuttered. She couldn't believe she was back here, but she had her reasons.

The other day she had slept until the evening because of her morning fiasco. Her father had questioned her unusual behavior, but she made an excuse about stomach aches and he let it go. She eyed Neji the whole day, but he was acting just the same as any other day. He didn't say much and didn't look at her at all, and he was mostly silent.

Hinata was puzzled. The reason why he didn't rat her out to her father yet was still a mystery.

Then Neji did yet _another_ peculiar thing. He came up to her early the next morning and told her to consider who had seen her the other day and to "properly take care of them". Hinata nodded her head blankly, but as she got over the initial shock and actually thought about what he had said, she realized he was right.

The hospital was the only place that raised a red flag in Hinata's mind, and she made another special trip to sort things out. It took so much courage to do. Yesterday had been different, she was full of conflicting emotions and she was lost in the urgency of the moment. Today was like a whole different ball game.

White walls, white ceiling, she was back.

The nurse stared at her expectantly, waiting for Hinata to elaborate.

Hinata tucked her chin in shyly. "About yesterday..."

"How could I forget?" the nurse laughed. Hinata looked up at her and gulped.

"!" the little girl cried, rushing through her memorized speech. She looked anywhere but the eyes of the nurse. The nurse didn't say a word, and Hinata was quickly loosing her confidence.

The nurse smiled. "Of course, there are good samaritan laws after all, your identity is as important to us as anything else," she said reassuringly. Hinata breathed a sigh of relief to herself. Finally, a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

"W-well, thank you," Hinata said quickly, and turned to leave.

The nurse grabbed her hand and stopped her.

Hinata gasped and turned back around. Hinata looked at where the lady was holding on to her.

"Y-yes?" she brought her free hand to her chest defensively.

"Sorry!" the nurse cried. She let go right away, but walked around the counter so she was beside Hinata. "I just have one favor to ask, if I might be so bold."

Pale eyes widened, Hinata gulped. Money? How would she get around telling her Father she owed the hospital money when she was supposedly at home the entire week? "You can talk to my f-father about-"

"Just see him once," the nurse blurted. Hinata was taken aback. The nurse's eyes were wide, as if she couldn't believe she was saying it either. "I'm sorry, I know this isn't professional, and I'm actually not supposed to do this either, but as a person, not as a nurse, I'm asking you to see him," she pleaded. Her cool hands grasped Hinata's again. This time more begging rather than assertive.

"I-I," Hinata was dumbfounded. She had no idea what to say. "My identity, I can't-"

The nurse bit her lip and pulled the small girl along with her into the large white doors. Hinata squealed and tried to resist, but the nurse was a lot stronger than she appeared. They passed by other medics in colorful scrubs and busy, open doors.

They finally came across a door marked _693._

Hinata squeaked as she was thrown into the room. She immediately headed back for the door, but the nurse blocked the way.

"Please see him," she said seriously. Hinata looked up at the nurse, the lady's expression had changed. The nurse bit her lip worriedly. "He hasn't had a single visitor," she shook her head in pity. "He recovers fast, but he refuses psychological treatment. Our doctor diagnosed him with shock and some possible mental reactions to some experience he had prior to his hospitilization, but he refuses help from the psychologist and even our physical therapist,"

The innocent girl clenched her fists. Mental trauma, psychological damage. It was all too real and all too frightening.

"He's asleep right now," the nurse hurriedly said, trying to seal the deal. She grabbed Hinata's shoulders and turned her so she could see him clearly. He was laying quietly, fast asleep. "He's under deep sedatives, we put him under because every time he wakes up he tries to leave,"

Hesitantly, Hinata agreed, and the nurse looked like she was about to cry for joy.

"Thank you," she sighed in relief. She was about to close the door when she paused and said, "You're allowed to touch him too, he's knocked out pretty hard,"

Hinata blushed and watched a coy smile widen on the nurse's face. The door shut and Hinata stared at the door, rooted to the spot for a while before she turned around, completely embarrassed. She could make out his small body under the thin sheets.

He was still, except for his rising and falling chest. She gazed for what seemed like an eternity at this proof that he was alive. His face was serene, quiet, and Hinata almost thought he wasn't the same dirt-covered, traumatized boy she saw in the Uchiha manor.

Peace had settled so gratefully on his face that tears began to spring to her pale eyes. When she thought about all he had lost, all that had permanently changed for him, she wanted to be in his place to suffer it for him.

Hinata surprised herself. She had never felt so strongly about a boy before.

Suddenly, she remembered those red eyes and changed her mind.

She shivered at the thought of _him._ The evidence, all pointed at him. She was sure he was capable of it, but somehow she was ambiguous at the thought. Maybe she questioned his reasons. How much would somebody have to hate someone else to kill them? He wiped out his entire clan. That made her scared and awed at the same time. The amount of power and hatred one would need to do that was remarkable. And yet, he left the one weakest person in the clan survive. This idea completely escaped Hinata.

If he was so adept at killing that he could assassinate every skilled ninja in his clan, then the boy alive in the hospital right now should have been dead.

The boy breathed in deeply in his sleep as if trying to tell her something.

That man must have hated his brother more than anyone else in the clan. To leave someone alive after witnessing such atrocities must be an even worse punishment compared to dying. But why would he do it?

His dark hair contrasted sharply with his pale, tired face. He looked weary, from the pain, from the crying. Hinata felt her hand moving towards his face. Almost like an invisible rope was tugging her hand towards him, and she traced her thumb from his temple to his chin along his jawline.

He mumbled in his sleep. Hinata seized her hand back immediately. Her mother used to do that to her too. Especially when Hinata was sick, or crying, her mother would trace her slender fingers across Hinata's face and everything would feel better. Her mother never did that anymore, and Hinata was always resentful of that. The fact that she shared this part of her with this boy surprised her.

Something cold and wet fell onto Hinata's chest, and she was surprised again to find she was crying.

There was something about the sleeping boy, his innocence, and his life ahead that would strip him of it, and everything that had occurred up to that point. Hinata's head was spinning, and she slumped forward onto the bed.

From inside her pocket, she heard crackling sounds. Hinata reached in and found brittle, dead lavenders she had taken from the vase at the Hyuuga mansion. They looked pitiful and broken, and Hinata placed them inside the tiny glass flower vase beside his bed. A clipboard was beside the flower vase, and she read the name.

Uchiha Sasuke.

How... fitting. Younger, defiant.

Hinata sighed and tried to blink back her tears, she pushed past the curtains and walked out the door and commanded herself not to look back.

Because if she did, she was afraid she could never leave him.

A/N: Hey guys, I redid this chapter because I thought it was necessary. Lately my writing has been slacking, so I'm sorry, but school has been tough. (Btw reviews would make them come a lot quicker lol)

So, I know I cast a vote and everything, but I really need Sasuke in part of the triangle to make this work, so guys, just bare with it, according to the majority of the vote, everybody in fanfiction land hates SasuHina so LOL sorry but you will have to deal with it. Thanks for sticking with me guys, much love and kisses from yours truly, Sugar.


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Naruto, Drama, Romance