Hinata was just celebrating her birthday at the graveyard when summoned to the Hokage's tower. Her mission: to figure out what was causing a severe chakra mutation disease in Suna. Warnings: character death and possible spoiler. GaaHina.

01:

A soft breeze whisked through Konoha, sending shivers down her spine. On her rooftop she could see the sun setting in the west. It was an eerie sight, she decided. It looked like the most serene thing in the world, yet moments after dusk crept across the skies, a ghostly sigh would whisper through the night. Hinata thought it was the creepiest sound ever, even though somehow it seemed a tad bit romantic…

If she had her way, the ebony haired young woman would have lain eagle-sprawled on top of Mount Hokage. But no, being the heiress of one of the most respected clans in the village granted only a bit more freedom than a fish in a fishbowl. Which is, in fact, not by much.

Hyuuga Hinata, eldest daughter of Clan Head Hyuuga Hiashi, closed her eyes, surrendering her consciousness to the gust of wind that blew past her. It was nice to relax for once. It was nice to not have a care in the world.

She felt stronger and especially bolder after her confession to Naruto. Somehow, Hinata knew it didn't make a difference whether or not she told him (it was obvious he cared for Sakura), but the heiress felt the need to express herself before it was too late. Before Pain crushed her into a pulp with a deadly blow. Fascinatingly, Hinata was still alive, even though a part of her wanted to hide away in some hole and never come out. She sang her heart's song for a boy who would never hum the melody back, and what's even more embarrassing was when she woke up in the hospital with a bouquet of flowers by her bedside, a hand scrawled note attached at the front. From Naruto, your friend it read. Friend. Not lover, not even close friend.

Just friend.

Well, that certainly was a wake up call. Even thought it hurt a little that he didn't consider her as anything remotely romantic (okay fine, she was crestfallen), it finally lifted that weight off of her chest. Hinata no longer felt the urge to faint whenever he was around. She even managed not to blush red whenever faced with a conversation. And, the end of her stuttering was a plus.

The Hyuuga heiress stifled a yawn before returning to her bedroom. She was greeted by a branch member with a towel in her hands. "Hinata-sama, your bath is drawn."

"Thank you." She replied.

The branch member bowed, before leading the heiress to the bathroom.

As she lain in the tub full of bubbles and steam her mind drifted off to somewhere far away. It was just a 24 hours until her birthday, until she was seventeen. The weather was getting increasingly cold, though not wintry enough for snow to start descending from the skies.

It'll just be another day, nothing special, she thought. Her teammates Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino would probably accompany her to some nearby eatery, but besides that nothing out of the ordinary would happen. Though, Hinata certainly did not mind this arrangement at all. She nearly died of embarrassment last year when Ino arranged a surprise birthday party at Itchiraku with her actually not knowing anything about it. She was shocked at the sight, to say so the least; Hinata had never seen so many underage drinkers at one spot before.

She shrank deeper into the lukewarm water.

Her shoulders were barely above the waterline and her face was covered in bubbles. A curt knock on the bathroom door woke her from her trance.

"Hinata-sama?" It was Neji. She could just picture his stern face on the opposite side of the door, good posture among other things present in his stance.

"Yes? What is it?" She heard a clearing of throat from the hallway.

"Your father wants a word with you. I think it has something to do with what's coming up tomorrow." A hint of a smile hid in his voice. Hinata quickly wiped her face dry with a nearby towel, spreading the soap into her eyes and burning them red.

"Try not to keep him waiting." The indigo haired young woman heard his retreating footsteps and immediately stood up in the tub. Her fingers, like skinny shrunken prunes, disturbed Hinata considerably.

"Definitely time to get out." She whispered to herself.

After she had finished drying and dressing herself, the Hyuuga heiress left promptly for her father's room. She came to a stop at the foot of his bed, pale, pale hands grasping at the folds of her shirt.

"Father?" A raspy cough left Hyuuga Hiashi's mouth. Hinata helped him up to sit on his bed.

"Hinata my daughter." His clear, colorless eyes twinkled and he reached forward to pluck a stray strand of obsidian from her head before tucking it in between her ear.

"You've grown to be a beautiful young lady." Hinata felt the corners of her eyes grow damp. Her tongue turned cold and useless in her mouth as she grasped for the right words to say.

"T-thank you father." Curse my stuttering! She mentally screamed.

The head of clan signaled for her to help him up. Leaning on his daughter for support, Hiashi walked over to a small cabinet in the corner of the room. He pulled open the doors and took out a small floret barrette glittering like the stars above.

"It's gorgeous," she whispered. Hiashi held her wrist and spread her palm out. He placed the ornament on to the open hand and pressed the sides of her fingers together.

"It was your mother's." His lip twitched, before a sad smile graced the two folds of chapped skin.

"But, it's yours now." She eyed the clasp with refrained sorrow before clutching it to her chest.

"She wanted you to have it," he continued. "She told me after your birth you were the most charming thing." A deafening cough escaped from the elder Hyuuga. Cold lips pursed together before making a sound.

"Happy birthday Hinata."

"But…it's not my birthday yet."

"I know." Hiashi said regretfully. "I'm just not sure I'd be there when it comes." Realization struck Hinata like a lightning bolt. "No…" she breathed.

"You – you can't!" Weary pallid eyes bore right into Hinata's soul. He brought a hand up to silence her.

"People die, Hinata. That's just the way life is." She opened her mouth to interrupt but his sudden embrace caught her off guard. Her moistening eyes pressed against his chest while his trembling arms encircled her petite waist. It was a while before he gently pushed her away.

"Go tell Neji to come. I have a few words for him." Hinata nodded before turning to leave. As she stood before the doorway her face turned slightly to look at the dieing man.

"I love you, father." She heard a shrill cough from within the room before a rustling of blankets.

"Believe me dear, I know."

And she closed the door.

Hyuuga Hiashi died the next day in his sleep. Medics claimed it was a respiratory virus that got out of hand but some speculate it to be something else. Something like death of a broken heart. His wife's demise made him spiral into a period of despair and Hinata's near death encounter with the proclaimed Akatsuki leader reawakened those desolate feelings. In his eyes, his beloved wife had died again.

The Hyuuga heiress placed incense atop her father's grave. The burial had been during the twilight hours. When Hanabi shook her awake she knew something very wrong was amidst. Hinata woke from a dream full of melancholy aspects; in her dream her mother was before her smiling.

Hinata placed both of her hands on the rocky earth and bowed. Her forehead touched the ground and her dark long hair cascaded down with it. She fought back the wetness at the corners of her eyes but to no avail. The fragile dam had broke and little beads of tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Father…" she croaked. Suddenly, a hand was placed on her shoulder. The heiress looked up to see her cousin gazing down at her with a steely expression etched on his features.

She sniffed and brought a hand up to quickly wipe away her tears when Neji smiled. It was a poignant smile, full of misery and regret. Hinata understood the message. For now, it was okay to cry.

She broke into a sob, snot and other liquids flowing out of her nostrils. It wasn't an especially attractive sob like Hinata used to imagine, but a cry full of all the frustration in the world. It was a cry of love; it was a cry of sorrow. But most of all, it was a cry of loneliness.

She felt like she lost a friend. The person she wanted most to acknowledge her was gone and she felt as empty as a jar full of air.

Neji's hand was still on her shoulder and his grip only grew stronger. It didn't hurt just surprised her significantly. Hinata didn't know her father and her cousin had gotten this close.

"We should leave Hiashi-sama in peace." His fingers left her shoulder and Hinata felt a sudden pang of lost quake through her body. The Hyuuga prodigy helped the heiress up and the two began to walk back to their estate. When they reached the Hyuuga complex a young girl rushed out of the front doors.

"Hanabi?" Neji's brow furrowed.

The girl was panting and a slight hue of pink was present on her face.

"Hokage-sama…you…"

"Take a deep breath." Hanabi shook her head and sucked in a ridiculous amount of air.

"Tsunade-samawantsthetwoofyoutoreporttotheHokagetowerimmediately!"

"What?"

"Tsunade-sama! She wants you and Hinata to go to the Hokage tower right now!" She was left catching her breath when Neji and Hinata instantly left for that location.

Horrible timing. He internally growled. He glanced over at his cousin. Her eyes seemed to have lost the glazed look he noticed earlier at the graveyard. Instead, a steely determination was apparent in two ivory orbs. She caught him looking at her and nodded firmly. He nodded back and the two ascended towards the Hokage tower.

Unknown to both, the death of Hyuuga Hiashi was only the beginning of a new turn of events.

My first GaaHina fic and probably not my last :B Anyways, always did like this pairing, no matter how crack it might be. No, that's no sign of incest, they're just sad geez! Comments are appreciated and feedback is desired.

Next chapter: Tsunade's decision and Hinata's resolve. The mission is explained.