A/N: Karin and Hinata have a serious talk.


The crackling of the campfire filled the comfortable silence between the two women, flickering tongues of fire rising to the sky. Every so often glittering embers would jump from the pit, all but burning out only moments later.

The young heiress knelt before the firepit, her delicate hands raised to catch the warmth. Her pearlescent eyes were ever-so-slightly narrowed in contemplation, gazing at the ground before her.

The redhead sat with her legs crossed, her palms planted behind her so that she could lean back and stare at the sky, amaranth eyes half-lidded in their content.

Nighttime was beautiful in rural areas such as this; without the hustle and bustle of the crowded cities, one could see oceans of sparkling stars, all twinkling silently in their orbit. Glittering rainbows of color winked down at the earth below, only minutely outdone by the radiance of the moon.

"I do hope they got my letters," Hinata mused. "Jiraiya-san should be at their camp by now, right?"

"If he managed to get in unimpeded, then yes," Karin replied, just as quietly.

The noirette hummed absently, closing her eyes and folding her hands, settling them in her lap.

The warm summer breeze rustled through their hair and breathed coolly against their faces, and Hinata smiled at the sensation. With it came a woody, pine scent, something calming.

When Hinata opened her eyes, she glanced over at her companion and noticed the pensive stare towards the skies.

"What's on your mind?" She inquired softly.

Karin closed her eyes, and her slight frown deepened. "It's… just… it's nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing," the younger woman commented. "Are you unwell?"

"Physically, no. Emotionally?" She gave a grimacing shrug. "Eh. I've been through worse."

"What's causing you so much emotional distress?" The noirette gently pried, scooting closer to her friend.

Karin sighed heavily. She opened her eyes and gave her friend a deadpan stare. "It's that traitor," she said flatly.

Hinata's eyebrows dipped low. She frowned, looking down. "Ah."

"I just don't understand how they got accepted so damn quick," she continued with a bitter tone to her voice. "I mean, if they hadn't hitched a ride with us, we wouldn't have had to go through a thinning like that. If they hadn't been a snitch, then maybe our comrades would still be alive. The people we swore to protect would still be alive."

She turned her searing eyes to the fire, the light flickering across her face and casting shadows.

"To be honest, I really don't want them here." Her voice dipped in volume. "Ever since they got here with the others, the mood has gotten darker. You've felt it too, haven't you? Everyone's on edge. Nobody wants to say it, but nobody's happy that they brought them here."

"I… don't blame you for being so angry," the Hyuuga slowly replied.

" Angry ?" Karin balked. Her laugh was bitter and sharp. "I'm fucking livid , Hinata! I can't believe Tsunade would just welcome a murderer into our ranks!"

The younger woman let out a sigh.

"I know I should trust her, because she's never done something that doesn't work out in the end, but this is stretching it!" The redhead continued, throwing her arms into the air. "Because of that traitor, we've ended up with a helluva lot more traumatized kids to take care of, more orphans that need love and care because they're fucking hurting, they're hurting so badly because they've watched their parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings die in front of their eyes, we have sick elders that have to be watched around the clock so that they don't have complications and die, elders who don't have any loved ones left to watch them wither, and most of all the village leader is just a teenager! A teenager who's been orphaned and traumatized enough having to watch her family die, a teenager who shouldn't have to deal with bloody politics and the elders' scorn and the civil ramifications of allowing a fucking murderer into the very village they let be pillaged!"

As her rant ended, her face burning red from anger, Karin paused to catch her breath.

Hinata gazed her way sadly. Nothing she could say could presently relieve her anger, nor could she say nothing.

"So no, Hinata, I'm not just angry." She continued, slapping a palm over her heart. "I'm absolutely livid. Hurt for these people, angry for these people, and I won't just sit and make nice when the one responsible still hasn't done anything to assuage us that they have no intentions of doing it again."

Hinata took a shaking breath. "To be fair to them, not much time has passed for them to do much of anything besides help out around the village to fix what they broke."

As Karin opened her mouth to start again, she held up a finger to silence her. "I know how angry you are, how hurt everyone is at this. I myself am frustrated and distrustful because of their past allegiances. But I've also had a lot to think upon, things that have greatly lessened the toxic hate I've felt in my heart for that person, and at the end of the day I trust Lady Tsunade's judgement on them."

"Yeah, it's obvious we all do, but it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt," the redhead spat.

Hinata let out a breath through her nose and tried to smile. "It can still hurt, Karin. But it doesn't have to fester. I trust her because for one, Lady Tsunade has both Ino and Shikamaru with her. Ino can tell when just about anyone is lying, I know from just knowing her for my entire life. She would definitely know if Igurashi was lying about their intentions. Second, I doubt Tsunade-sama would let them go if she wasn't absolutely sure that they won't betray us again."

Karin scowled, but said nothing in rebuttal.

"And lastly… Aika-chan," Hinata's eyes grew solemn at the mention of the older lady. "I trust her to do what she can to keep them at bay. She is one of the most hurt by them out of all of us, not counting the countless traumatized children. I trust that she could hold her own against them in the event that something happens, and you know she would not let any wrong movement slide."

Taking a deep breath in and out to try and stabilize her anger, Karin slowly nodded. "Yeah… I guess. She'd probably go straight to Akiyama-san the second she even heard them breathe wrong."

"Not to say she isn't willing to rebuild broken trust," she reminded her. "But she's strong. I have faith that she would be the first one to tell us if Igurashi didn't deserve asylum."

Karin let out another deep sigh. "Yeah… it's just… so hard, y'know? After everything we've worked for, it was almost destroyed completely. And all by one person." She gripped her long hair and gave it a harsh tug. "I should've known something was wrong. I should have looked at them and noticed the signs. I should have questioned more. Questioning now isn't giving me anything to ease my paranoia."

Hinata was quiet for a moment, before piping up, "Have I read you some of my letters from the capital?"

Taken-aback for a moment, Karin blinked at her in confusion and adjusted her glasses. "... Yes, you have. I remember how happy you were to get them."

Smiling knowingly, the Hyuuga continued, "Have you noticed the lack of urgency in them? The lack of danger? Have you noticed how… happy she seems?"

"Yes," Karin repeated, a touch irritated. "What are you getting at?"

"If they still weren't to be trusted, wouldn't one of the group at Konohagakure have alerted us to it by now? Wouldn't Sakura have notified us that they knew for sure that I was alive and hiding with you?"

Karin stared at her, yet said nothing, her lips parted.

"That means my identity wasn't leaked to the capital," she softly explained. "Igurashi had been in regular contact with me between leaving Konoha and the raid, and they would know for sure what I looked like, even if my hair had been cut short. If they are still untrustworthy, surely I would have been told by now that the king and queen knew of where I was hiding."

The redhead bowed her head to look at the ground. Her face was hidden, but judging by the crease in her forehead, the woman was pointing a searing stare at the dirt.

For several long seconds, neither of them spoke a word.

Hinata waited, hands primly folded in her lap just so, looking at her friend. Karin was quite stubborn when she wanted to be, and she knew that it would take a lot of patience to get her to change her mind. She could sense that somehow, she'd gotten to her, if not just a little.

Finally, just as the younger predicted, the older of the two gave a weary sigh and looked back up at her, smiling weakly.

"Damn it, Hinata. You know I can't argue against your logic," she replied quietly. "Fine, you've swayed me. I suppose I can be a little more civil."

Then her eyes narrowed in warning. "But I swear to you, if that person does anything to hurt us-"

"Then I would not hold anything against you if you acted in defense," Hinata interrupted, her own gaze growing cold for a split-second. "There are many things I despise, and oily turncoats are chief among them."

She grew quiet and thoughtful for a moment, before adding, "Besides, you know that if Sakura were here, she would punch them all the way to the border before making the trek herself just to bring them back and formally forgive them."

This incited a bark of laughter from the redhead, and she shook her head fondly, musing, "I hate how much joy that mental image brings me."


A/N: I love it when Hinata drops her sweet facade. It just feels natural after being emotionally starved by her own dad, y'know?

Chapter aside, I hope my American readers have a wonderful Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for this year?

Please tell me what you thought.