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

Running

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.

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?