Ok, everybody wants me to finish the story! It makes me happy that you like it so much and thankies to those who believe I can finish it. You're probably wrong, but I'm going to try. MY NEW YEAR RESOLUTION: finish In the Land of Twilight, Under the Moon. Oh, and the chapters should start to get longer in the next chapter. Ha…that part ahead…new years Day, this part, Feb. 23, 2008! Yeah, I'm just glad I got motivated again. HA! It's now April the 9th! Oh well,lol. SORRY FOR THE WAIT! OMG! I am going to kill this stupid line thingie!

Disclaimer: I know I put one up somewhere.

Chapter 4: Let me Die in peace

Gaara didn't know why he saved the girl; she was of no consequence to him. If she died, it wasn't his fault and no one would dare blame him, yet he found himself holding her limp body above the freezing water. Making sure to stay on the back roads, he took her body to the Hokage's office and set her down in the middle of the room. She was shivering although she showed no signs of awakening. Her pale neck dawned red bruises from where the rope tightened as she convulsed and her lips that were normally a light rose were tinted with blue. It would have been fine by him if he just left her there, but something made him wait for the Hokage.

After 3 minutes, Tsunade came bursting through the door in a panic. There was word that Hinata had left the festival earlier and went missing. There were few places that she is known to go, but the very last Tsunade would have thought to look was in her very own office. "Ga-Gaara-sama. Is Hinata alive?" she asked, still in her earlier panic.

"I wouldn't bring a corpse into your office Hokage," he said turning towards the door to leave. Normally he would disappear into his sand, but it was a waste of Chakra, especially when he was going to be tailed all throughout the village. Right when his hand touched the doorknob, he heard a small gasp and a hurried apology. Straining not to let curiosity get the better of him, Gaara walked out and headed towards the inn where he was assigned to stay.

"Gomen nasai Hokage-sama!" Hinata said louder as she realized she was on the floor of Tsunade's office. She couldn't remember how she got there; the last thing she could remember was getting ready to hang herself from a walk bridge. Did Tsunade-sama find me? She wondered to herself in horror. No, she wouldn't be this calm if she knew I had tried to commit suicide. Hinata didn't realize the Hokage was talking to her and looked up suddenly smiling. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama. I was trying to figure out what happened and didn't catch anything you said. Were you trying to tell me what happened?"

Tsunade sighed; it was just like Hinata to block herself to the back of her mind whenever there was something wrong. "No, no Ms. Hyuuga. I was just saying how a rumor was spread that you left the festivities early, but no one could find you. Then, thirty-eight minutes later, the Kazekage has you lying in the middle of my office unconscious. Are you sure you cant remember anything, Hinata?" Tsunade asked, hoping that telling her those events would jog her memory somehow.

Hinata almost fainted at the mention of the Kazekage. It was odd that he didn't tell Tsunade what happened, Hinata was sure he had been watching her before she blacked out. "I'm very sorry," she said looking at the ground, "but I can't remember anything past hanging out with Kiba-kun and the others." Hinata never had to lie before, but oddly enough, that wasn't what made her ashamed. She was ashamed that the Kazekage had witnessed her feeble attempts to take her own life. How was I ever supposed to run a clan when I can't even kill myself effectively? She sulked.

"Well, Ms. Hyuuga," Tsunade began after a short sigh, "I don't think your father will be too pleased about the bruises around your neck. You are legally an adult now, but you have yet to become the leader of your clan. Until then, I must get Hiashi's permission to run any tests and heal anything that might be out of order." Tsunade stood and walked behind her desk, looking for the sake bottle she knew she had hidden before the festival even started.

Hinata stared at her blue-tinted fingertips. How close she had been to ending it all. How close she had been to relieving the constant pain. It was obvious that someone would save her; she was meant to suffer, always. "Hokage-sama, I know it is too much to ask, but I would like you to consider it. I would appreciate if you could provide a flat for me to reside in. For a month or so, until I can figure out how to get things right." Her already tiny voice diminished at the end of the sentence.

Tsunade stopped her searching and stared, stunned by the heiress' request. It was not something that was often asked of her. It was not anything a shinobi had ever asked of her. Instantly she knew there was something Gaara and Hinata were hiding from her. Girls in her village did not disappear for any reason, but now her curiosity was peaked and she was determined to figure out what happened. "Hinata, I know you must be extremely stressed, but I can not go against your father so easily. However, I will supply the flat. You are a woman now, and as a woman you can't be living with an overprotective male until you're married." Tsunade winked and grabbed the elusive sake bottle.

"Hai Tsunade-sama." Hinata bowed and left the room with strained patience. She still couldn't figure out how she could be so careless as to be stooped. The Kazekage could have left her to die; things would have been much simpler that way.

She made her way back to the Main Building, but not before seeing her father's furious glare. Thankfully, Hanabi was already asleep and hadn't heard any of the heated discussion that had followed. More than anything Hinata wanted her little sister to stay happy and the yelling wouldn't have helped anything.

She ran off from her father and tried to sneak around Neji's room to get to her own, but he somehow knew exactly when she was in front of his door.

"Hinata-sama. Would you please join me?"

Hinata nervously opened the screen and sat in front of him, careful not to look in his eyes. Instead, she saw the letters that she had written just that afternoon.

"Would you like to explain to me why there are a multitude of farewell letters that seems to be centered around the even of your untimely 'death'?" Neji asked in a cool monotonus voice.

"Neji-kun...I-I wrote them this morning. I meant everything I said also. I do not feel I am s-strong enough to carry out the wishes of this family," she sobbed. Hinata seroiusly did not enjoy talking about her feelings. She hated the fact that she was so emotional. Even then, to cry so much in front of Neji embarrassed her and made her wish she was dead even more.

Neji stared at his cousin in amazement. He knew she was unhappy, but had no idea that she thought suicide was the only way out. As far as strength went, she had tolerance that no one other than her deceased mother possessed. "Hinata-sama," Neji said as he pulled his cousin into his chest, "Strength is the beginning and end of all ruins. What you have is more valuable and I will never let you hurt yourself in such a way again. I was born to protect you." He pulled her away and gently wiped her tears. "You are all I have and I do not wish for you to perish in such a hateful way." He rose from the straw mat after kissing her forehead then walked towards his bed. "Good-night Hinata-sama."

Hinata stared in wonder at what had just happened; Neji never showed so much compassion to anyone. She had expected him to be angry with her, not comfort her. Suddenly, the night's events began to weigh in on her and she become increasingly tired. Hinata made it to her bedroom without crashing into anything and fell on her bed. The very last thing she thought of before she blacked out was the chilling face of the Kazekage.

Star: Ooh! What do you think?

Gaara: Took you long enough.

Star: I WASN'T ASKING YOU!!