The Daughter of Murderers

No one could explain what happened or how. How did no one hear the screams? How did Hinata manage to kill so many and so quickly? Why did any of this happen? All anyone was sure of when a seventeen year old Hanabi eventually stumbled into the hospital, looking like a porcelain doll splattered in red and brown paint, was that Hyuuga Hinata was long gone.

The Hokage came first. Tsunade gave condolences and apologies and made promises neither of them believed.

Sakura was her nurse and would check up on her every hour, even when she wasn't on shift.

She got lots of flowers from Kiba and Shino but they never came. So one day, Hanabi asked Ino - who would deliver them - why that was, and it turned out they had gone after Hinata as soon as they had heard.

Tenten and Rock Lee came and cried a lot because yes, Neji was gone too.

Naruto came and sat with her and would speak about things happening in the village and not cover her in tears or drown her in apologies. He'd bring her ramen because 'hospital food is bad and they should feel bad for feeding you that swill'. He would get quiet when she asked about Hinata but would answer best as he could. And one day when Hanabi wondered aloud why he didn't go after her sister as well, he frowned, held her hand and said it was because it would mean leaving her alone.

And after about two weeks, when the hospital had discharged her and Naruto and Sakura were off making sure her stuff made it to her new apartment, Sasuke Uchiha was waiting for her.

The look he had on his face was one Hanabi had grown accustomed to. It was sadness and pity and regret they couldn't help. She had grown tired of that look. Sympathy annoyed her. No one knew what she was going through. How could anyone -

And then Hanabi remembered… He knew exactly what she was going through. He went through it so many years ago.

And suddenly, it all fell away. The wall she had built to not grieve or cry came crashing down. She grabbed at his waist and cried into his chest. And he hugged her tight before lifting her and carrying her to her new home.

Hinata stared off into the distance. She knew there was someone watching her. A small part of her wondered if they were waiting for the right moment to kill her, wary that she'd put up a fight. They were probably on their utmost guard. After all, she had killed the entirety of her clan.

The thought no longer sent her into the violent vomiting and sobbing fits it once had. After two months of blindly running as far from the Leaf as she could, Hinata was tired. She was tired of running. She was tired of crying. She was tired of trying to figure out what happened.

Technically, she knew. She remembered everything that happened that night. Remembered the blood and the death. The looks of shock and fear and hate on everyone's faces as she somehow killed one after another. She remembered feeling trapped in her own body but knowing that she had to do this. She just couldn't remember why.

She was beginning to think she never knew why. She remembered as she approached the room Hanabi locked herself in, that her feeling of certainty in her task turned to doubt. Then to fear as her sister stood before her, wide-eyed and trembling, almost covered in as much blood as Hinata was. Hanabi lunged at her with such a viciousness that Hinata leaped out the window to dodge but then... she just kept running.

She knew if she went back to the Leaf, she would be given just enough time to explain, convey that something was wrong with her. Her friends, her teammates, Naruto would figure out what was wrong. They would figure out what happened. And once they did, all would be well. She could go home and be there for Hanabi. She would be forgiven.

Hinata didn't want to be forgiven.

So she kept running. Through rivers and lakes and tunnels and in trees. Used each and every trick she had ever learned for not getting tracked. It helped that she wasn't going anywhere in particular. Her movements stayed unpredictable. She's sure the only way she lost Shino and Kiba was because they knew her well enough to know where she would usually hide and checked there first.

But she wasn't hiding.

She reminded herself of that as her hairs stood on edge as the person watching her approach. Were they here to capture her or kill her? She didn't know which one she preferred more.

She barely registered the red clouds before a pair of black eyes were staring curiously into her white ones.

After Itachi heard about what Hinata did, he went looking for her. He found her outside the Rain, looking for all the world like a puppy who had done something wrong but didn't know how to fix it.

He simply walked over to her and looked her in the eyes. She looked empty. Hollow. The look was familiar to him. He'd worn it for years. The only difference was that he had a purpose. Hinata looked like she'd been robbed of hers.

He didn't know why she did what she did but he did know, anyone who did it because they wanted to, wouldn't be looking like that.

He just stared just looked her in the eyes. She stared back with eyes that didn't seem to know... anything. They stayed like that for some time and when he was finally ready to leave, he turned and walked away. She followed.

They never did figure out what happened that night. They tried every resource Itachi had. Nothing. It never happened again and that scared Hinata more than if it had. She no longer slept at night. The paranoia of it happening again, losing control so completely, would keep her up - eyes locked on the moon - till sunrise. He stayed with her, watched her, promised to keep her safe.

Eventually, after a few years of each other's companionship, they fell in love. Traded headbands - now both bearing scratches - an accepted and honored symbol of marriage among Shinobi, who so rarely had the luxury of time for a ceremony.

Itachi walked over to Hinata and the small child in her arms. Her name was Hitacha, a combination of their names Hinata had thought of. At first, Itachi wasn't too sure about the name but he hadn't any better suggestions. He never expected to have children. Hinata's entire pregnancy was surreal to him - a dream he was convinced he'd awake from till he first heard his daughter's voice. In time, the name had grown on him. Hitacha. It suited her. She had half of them both already, why not half their names too?

The toddler looked up at him with her strange eyes, one white, one black, and smiled at him. "Dada." She cooed with a surety that Itachi was sure no child that small was supposed to have. He eyes softened as Hinata looked up and smiled at him too.

"No more worrying about whether or not Hitacha will inherit your brains. She already knows who her dad is." She told him.

"Was there any ever doubt?" He asked.

"No,"His wife giggled, "But that didn't stop you from worrying anyway."

Chapter End