Hinata was exhausted both physically and mentally. She wiped her eyes of tears a sweat as she continued to rush to keep Sasori alive. She couldn't keep up with the failing veins of chakra. For everyone she connected three more failed, she tried to keep the main veins alive. If he couldn't move until after she rested at least he would be alive.

He faded between being able to move his head to look at her and his eyes going dark. It terrified her how close she was so many times to losing him.

She couldn't lose him, she needed him. She needed all of them. She was finally finding a normal, she finally had a weird little family that accepted her. She worked for hours until she was out of chakra and her fingers were bleeding from ramming them into the hard body. The heart was in one piece and he was barely stable, but she could barely move. She was sore and tired, but if he made it thru the night she could try to have him moving in the morning. The movement would strengthen the chakra connection and he could become fully stable. He turned his head up to her and started moving his mouth, nothing came out. She moved a bloody finger over his jaw to connect the chakra that allowed him to speak.

"Don't kill yourself saving me." His voice sounded clear, and un raspy. She sometimes forgot how little of him was still human. He didn't seem to feel pain of the chips in his body, she wondered if he could feel her bloody fingers or was he numb to that too. Did he still feel warmth of other people or was he cold to the world? She choked out a sob and cleaned her hand and his body of her blood.

"I-I'm so sorry I-I can't… I-I can't do more right now." She let her sweat filled bangs over her eyes as she lowered her face in shame.

"I'm surprised you tried." She raised her eyes in a heart-wrenching stab of shock. Why wouldn't she?

"O-Of course I tried! I-I can't just let you die!" She choked out.

"Why not, your deal is to not go into battle. Saving me goes against that. You went on your own into a dangerous situation, and now your village will know what you are doing." He was prodding where it hurt the most. She didn't understand why he thought now was the right time for this, he could possibly be on his deathbed because she couldn't do better and he thought now was the time to be telling her she shouldn't have bothered.

"I DON'T CARE!" Hinata coughed, yelling wasn't something her body wanted to do right now. "I-I can't care about th-that.' She whimper lowering her head again. "Th-they won't be the ones who come home after my missions and have tea in the middle of the night. Th-they won't argue about art in my living room. They w-won't train me, tell me stories, or trust me with secrets. Th-they won't whine to me about each other's cooking or w-welcome me home with warm shark man hugs. Th-they certainly won't forgive me..." She raised her head only a fraction and gave him a rather direct look thru her sobs, he knew what she meant. "Y-you don't understand wh-what leaving you to die is. I-It's selfish of me, but I can't lose any of you like that. N-Not when I could have done s-something to prevent it."

"We are a band of criminals that in no way get along and by no means a happy little family, Hinata." She gave a weak tired smile.

"N-no, but you my f-family and I won't give up another one, n-not one that wants me." She wiped her eyes a choked down the sobs as she tried to stop her crying.

A sigh came from the limp puppet. "You are far too emotional for a missing nin." It was a gentle tease she knew that it meant he accepted when she said. Not that he could do anything about it, she had made up her mind. Yes, she would fall into a weakening mess. Yes, she would run into danger at the idea of losing one of her boys she came to love.

Yes, she would fight her entire village and the family that never wanted her to her death for the family that did.

***TheUnstableLiz***

I appreciate CONSTRUCTIVE comments and reviews.

I can not answer questions of guests. I don't want this section a mile long and bloating the word count too much.

If you have a question please log in and PM me. I will answer any and all questions!

I will point out I am not sure of and will not be following the timeline of the show anything that seems out of place is a result of that.

I will also point out that anyone who is out of character by a lot is the fault of me not knowing the character well enough and I apologize for that.

I apologize for spelling and grammar, I am a computer scientist, not a writer.