Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warnings, pairings, etc.

Special Thanks: goes out to Melodi Moon, rao hyuga 18, QueenP19, McKazekage, Narutoluver0002, xforeverherex, sailorangelmoon1, shyprincess82, ssspooky, Guest, and Uchiha Miyoki-chan for all your wonderful reviews! Every time I start getting discouraged because a scene isn't turning out quite right, I come back and reread your encouraging words. I am so grateful to every single one of you! And, also, huge thanks goes out to those who have put, and continue to put, this story on their favorite and follow lists - thank you!

Author's Note: One of the very first scenes to come into my head for this story is in this chapter at the end, so I'm really excited to be able to post this part, finally! Also, I'm thinking about posting the oneshot prequel to this, taking place during Gaara and Hinata's childhood meeting, sometime around Christmas, but I'll try to give you an exact date in the next update for Shadows. In the meantime, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

*~Chapter XV~*

~Funeral~

The next morning, a group of grumpy and grieving people departed the Hyuuga estate for Konoha's graveyard.

As they wound their way through the village, with Hinata, Gaara, Neji, Tenten, and Hanabi at the very heart of the mourners, other people joined the solemn procession. Hinata managed small smiles for the familiar faces of her friends, all of whom slipped quietly into the group and got as close as possible to the knot of people surrounding her.

Heavy grey clouds hung low in the sky, bearing solemn witness to the sizeable group which passed under the stone arch and entered the graveyard. An unseasonably cool wind whistled among the tombstones, an eerie song to greet the otherwise silent crowd.

Lady Tsunade was already there, standing next to the unadorned wooden barrel-shaped coffin in which her father's body rested. Hinata had not been allowed to see Hiashi, since his body had already been in the midst of being prepared for burial when she arrived, but ultimately she decided this was a good thing. She would rather remember him the way he was when he was still alive.

The village leader's golden eyes drifted from face to face, settling on Hinata's as she finally spoke in a hoarse, very tired voice. "As you all know, we are here to lay Hyuuga Hiashi to rest. He has been an integral part of Konoha for many years, a leader in both his clan and the village itself as a member of the High Council. He was a good man, a strong leader. He will be missed."

Though remarkably short, Tsunade's speech had the desired effect on those gathered. Several of the women burst into tears, though their sobs were quickly muffled, and though most of the men remained stoic, more than one pair of silver eyes belonging to Hyuuga males were shinier than usual.

Hinata briefly wondered how the rest of her clansmen and -women had viewed her father. From their reactions, it had been in a much more favorable light than she, his own daughter.

"Lady Hinata?"

She startled out of her musings to find Tsunade standing before her, eyes sympathetic as she motioned toward the coffin. "Is there anything you would like to say?"

Immediately, Hinata's palms went cold and clammy. She felt sweat break out beneath her hairline, and her breath shortened in her chest, strangled by the jolt of fear sending little electric shocks down her spine. "I-I d-don't know if I-I-I c-can-" She stuttered to a halt, feeling a hot blush creeping up her cheeks despite her sudden chill.

Gaara's arm went around her shoulders, and he leaned his head close to hers so none of the people around them could hear his whispered words. "You don't have to, Hinata." His fingers tightened reassuringly on her shoulder, and she felt some of the tension ease out of her at his touch. "No one will force you."

As if an invisible needle had pierced her skin, Hinata felt the courage Gaara had injected into her flow through her veins, strengthening her resolve. "I know," she replied. "B-But he was my father. I must say something." Nodding thankfully to Tsunade, Hinata reached up to squeeze Gaara's hand in a quick, thankful movement before she glided forward to take Konoha's leader's place next to Hiashi's coffin.

"I d-did n-not know my father well," Hinata started. Her voice was so quiet, so hesitant, she knew it didn't carry beyond the first couple of rows, and cleared her throat. She would have to do better than that. "I c-cannot pretend I d-did. However, d-despite that, I learned q-quite a b-bit from him."

Among the crowd, she saw the sympathetic yet somehow still encouraging faces of her friends and family. There were Neji and Tenten, standing between Hanabi and Gaara; Naruto standing next to Lady Tsunade, a confident smile on his face, flashing her a thumbs up hidden from everyone but her by a fold of his kimono; Sakura, on Tsunade's other side, a smaller but no less encouraging smile on her face; Kiba, with Akamaru, hanging back from the majority of the crowd; Shino, standing with his family, his hood masking his face but not his encouragement; and finally Shikamaru and Ino, standing quietly to the side together, as supportive of her now as they had been while still serving her.

And, at the center of them all stood Gaara, who looked so confident in her she felt tears rush to her eyes at the sight.

Lifting her head a little higher, Hinata continued on in a stronger, louder voice. "There is no d-doubt in my mind Hyuuga Hiashi d-did everything he c-could to ensure the safety of his village, his people, and most of all, his family." She smoothed her trembling hands down the front of her kimono, forcing herself to lock eyes with each person for a heartbeat before she moved on. "I will not try to d-deny my father's mistakes, nor c-cover them up. We all make mistakes, and my father had his fair share. B-But, in the end, I am proud of my father, and thankful for all his d-done for K-Konoha, and for me." Turning, she bowed to her father's coffin. "Thank you, Father," she whispered. Straightening, she ran her fingers gently over the wood separating her from Hiashi before she walked back to join the crowd.

As soon as she settled next to him, Hinata felt Gaara reach out and secure her hand in his. He gave it a tight squeeze, and a quick glance out of the corner of his eye proved he was smiling, very slightly, at her. Pride glinted in his green eyes.

Hinata's comprehension of the rest of the funeral was fuzzy at best. She remembered Hanabi saying something, then Neji doing the same, but only a scant few of their words really registered. When she blinked back into reality, pulled out of her thoughts by a harsh scraping sound, she realized the coffin was being lowered into the ground by four of Hiashi's most trusted advisors and guardsmen.

She blinked dully at the sight. A strange numbness spread through her chest, making her wonder at her own apathy. Her father was being lowered into the ground, dead, gone from her earthly reach forever. Shouldn't she feel something?

A strong arm circled her shoulders, and Gaara's raspy voice quietly urged her to come along. Unable to muster the energy to argue, and not really wanting to remain anyway, she allowed him to guide her away.

As they made their way back toward where they had entered the graveyard, Hinata realized she must have been lost in her own musings longer than she'd thought. Only Neji, Tenten, and Temari remained, standing by the arch, watching her approach with patient, understanding expressions on their faces.

"Lady Tsunade is having a small get-together," Tenten said, gently gathering Hinata's hand in her own. Her hand was warm, making the younger woman realize her own was icy cold. "But you don't have to go, if you don't want to."

"No. I'll c-come." It was expected of her. Hinata was, if nothing else, someone who did what was expected of her. Even though Hiashi was gone now, she still felt a strange burning need to do things which would draw his appreciation of her. She understood him now better in death than she ever had while he was still alive, and it made her certain she needed to keep walking the path he'd set her on. She would make him proud of her, even if he wasn't around to see it.

Tenten's eyes were full of sympathy, but Neji's sparked with something frighteningly close to discernment. Hinata looked away, suddenly hating the fact her cousin knew her so well. They had spent their childhood together, playing and learning and growing up, and she knew her every expression was an open book to him. Don't look at me like that, Neji. Can't you see how hard I'm trying to do what's right? It might all fall apart if you keep looking at me like you know - and disapprove of - what I'm doing.

The group left the graveyard, once more winding their way through the village toward Tsunade's home at the very center of Konoha. The dome housing her office rose above all the other buildings, easily recognizable as the center of village politics thanks to the giant kanji for Fire painted on its side. After her own name, it had been the first kanji Hinata recognized when she was small, and it was still such an integral part of her life. Konoha is my home. No matter how much I want to remain by Gaara's side now, a part of me still wants to stay here.

"Hinata?"

Once again, she forced herself to blink out of the fog clouding her mind. "What?"

Gaara watched her through narrow eyes, looking mildly concerned. "Are you all right?" He looked up somewhere past her shoulder.

Hinata turned to follow his gaze, somehow unsurprised to realize she'd stopped next to the gates leading into the Hyuuga estate. "Oh. I'm s-sorry."

"Do you need to go inside and lie down for a while?" Gaara reached out, pressing his hand gently against her forehead as if to feel for a fever. "I'm sure everyone would understand."

She shook her head. "N-No. Let's g-go on. I'm fine - just lost in my thoughts." She smiled tiredly. "I just feel like I'm in such a fog. There's so much g-going on. It's hard to k-keep up sometimes."

To her surprise, another arm slipped around her shoulders. Hinata glanced around in surprise to find it was Temari, back to looking like her usual determined self. "You go on, Gaara," she said. "I'm going to take Hinata inside, help her get freshened up, and we'll meet you there."

Gaara's eyes narrowed again. "Temari-"

Temari's lips drew back in something that was not quite a smile. "She will be perfectly fine with me, Gaara."

Something silent passed between the siblings, and then Gaara turned back to Hinata. "Are you sure?" he asked.

At Hinata's side, Temari let out a soft growl, but did not speak.

Sensing Temari had something very important to say - something she didn't want anyone else to hear - Hinata nodded and smiled reassuringly. "It's all right. G-Go on ahead. Temari and I will c-catch up later."

Reluctantly, it seemed, Gaara nodded. He let go of Hinata's hand, sent his sister an unreadable look, then took off after Neji and Tenten, who were almost to the end of the long fence lining the Hyuuga estate, two small specks in the distance.

As soon as Gaara was a few dozen steps away, the two women turned and entered the gates into the estate. A few Hyuuga had come back home after the funeral, but most had chosen to go on to the wake Lady Tsunade was holding in honor of Hyuuga Hiashi. Feeling unsettled by the unnatural quiet which had settled over her childhood home, Hinata scurried after Temari.

The blonde did not speak until the two were safely sequestered in Temari's room with the doors shut firmly behind them. Drawing in a deep breath, Temari turned toward Hinata and spoke without preamble. "Hinata, you've got to stop."

Hinata blinked. "I'm sorry - stop what?"

Stepping forward, Temari grasped Hinata's shoulders with a force fueled by urgency. "Stop trying to be so strong," she said through gritted teeth. "I can see it on your face. You're like a doll, going through the motions, but I can see it in your eyes. You're falling apart inside, but you're too afraid to let anyone see."

Shocked at how easily the other woman had read her, Hinata fell back a step. Temari let go, seeming content now she'd said her piece. "Temari, I d-don't..." She trailed off, unsure what else to say. How could she defend herself against such an honest assessment?

Whirling away, Temari paced a few steps across the room, then paused. She drew in a deep breath, one hand lifting to her mouth, then stood like that for a few long seconds. When she finally turned back around, dropping her hand and letting out her breath at the same time, her hollow eyes flickered with an echo of the same pain festering in Hinata's chest. "I am the eldest child of the Sabaku family," she said tonelessly. A mirthless smile curled her lips. "Do you know what that means, Hinata?"

She was surprised to realize she really did. Slowly, wordlessly, Hinata nodded. She remained quiet, afraid of silencing her sister-in-law. She had the distinct feeling Temari needed to face whatever she had to say as much as Hinata did.

"For most of my life, I have been the person my brothers looked to for just about everything. I've been so many things for them - older sister, caretaker, surrogate mother, teacher..." Temari shook her head. "I forced myself to lock away all my emotions in a little box, not daring to touch it for fear of letting them all out. I couldn't afford to do that, you see. Not since I was the only person my brothers had left."

Hinata felt her stomach clench slightly. The part of her who had become all those things for Hanabi reached out in empathy, knowing exactly whereof Temari spoke. But still, she held her tongue, knowing there was more to what the other woman wanted to say.

Temari's eyes took on a suspicious sheen. "I have lost so many opportunities, Hinata, and come very close to losing so many others." She swiped a hand under her eyes swiftly, even though no tears had fallen. "When I finally opened the box in which I'd stuffed away my emotions for so many years, I nearly went insane. It's unhealthy to lock away all those things, Hinata."

Her hands closed into fists at her sides, and she looked away quickly. "Because of what I'd done, I came so close to losing Itachi. Even once I finally accepted what I felt for him and tried to embrace it, at the same time I kept pushing him away in fear of those same emotions. It was a vicious cycle, one which kept repeating, until I realized I needed to change. I needed to confide in someone, let out my emotions, even if I only ever showed them to one person. If you keep locking away your emotions, eventually you're going to start pushing away those who mean the most to you." She looked back, a single tear streaking down her cheek. "Please, Hinata, don't do what I've done. Don't turn into me. My brother needs you, now more than he ever has before, and you need to open up and let him in. If you keep pushing each other away..." She shook her head.

Hinata's fingers nervously tangled together in front of her. "B-But will he let me in?"

"You won't know until you try, will you?" Curling her arms around herself protectively, Temari spun away and went to open one of the shouji leading out to the garden. Staring out into the gentle curtain of rain which had begun falling during their conversation, she said, "You need to put on another kimono more suited to the weather. Come back when you're ready to leave."

Biting her tongue against the things Hinata wanted to say - and the even more numerous questions she wanted to ask - she turned away and quietly slipped out of the room. As she slid the door closed behind her, she heard what might have been a muffled sob, but forced herself to leave.

Temari struck Hinata as the kind of person who would rather cry in private.

Matsuri lifted her head from the cushion on which she'd been lying when Hinata entered her own suite. "Milady!" Her voice came out in a hoarse croak, and when she scrambled to her feet, her face paled as she swayed.

Hinata hurried across the room to steady her maid. "Matsuri! What's wrong?"

Turning her head away, the smaller woman placed her hand over her mouth. "I don't think Konoha is agreeing with me, milady," she whispered. "I'm - I'm sick." Without warning, Matsuri pushed her mistress away and ran for the en suite facilities.

Feeling her own stomach clench in sympathy at the sound of Matsuri retching, Hinata hurried to her washroom to get a cloth and soak it in cool water. After wringing it out in the sink, she carried it over to the facilities, where Matsuri sat slumped over the toilet, one hand braced against the bowl, the other holding back her short brown hair.

When she spotted Hinata standing in the doorway, Matsuri unsteadily leaped to her feet once more. "Milady!" she rasped. "Please, you mustn't come closer. I would never forgive myself if you caught this."

Ignoring her maid's plea, Hinata took a few steps closer and extended the washcloth. "Here," she said. "It will help."

Obviously too miserable to argue, Matsuri thankfully reached out and took the cloth, pressing it against her extremely pale face. "Thank you, Lady Hinata," she whispered, voice muffled.

"Is there anything else you n-need?" Hinata reluctantly returned to stand in the doorway, knowing she'd just make things worse if she stayed close. "I just c-came in long enough to change my k-kimono. Lady Tsunade is holding a small wake at her home."

"I'll be fine, milady." Matsuri peered over the top of the washcloth. "I had a feeling you would be coming back to do just that, so it's why I was in your quarters-" She stopped abruptly and whirled back toward the toilet.

Hinata cringed in sympathy. "As soon as you c-can, I want you to g-go to your room and lie down," she said when Matsuri's second round of retching was through. "I'll talk to Lady Tsunade and have her send someone over to look at you and leave some medicine."

"Thank you," Matsuri whispered hoarsely. Her brown eyes rolled unsteadily in Hinata's direction, lit with equal parts fever and gratitude. "Thank you so much, milady."

Leaving Matsuri in the toilet room, Hinata hurried out of her room to find a servant. As soon as she located one, she enlisted the woman's help to get Matsuri settled into the bed in her room in the servant's quarters. After making sure the servant would stay with the ill lady's maid, Hinata tracked down another and quickly dispatched him to go to the hospital and get a Healer.

By the time Hinata changed her kimono and then went to scratch on the door to Temari's room, the other woman had sufficiently recomposed herself. Showing no signs of the emotion she'd displayed earlier, Temari raised her eyebrows at Hinata. "That took a while," she remarked.

Hinata sighed. "Matsuri is sick," she replied softly. "I wanted to make sure she was settled into her bed and that a servant would go fetch a Healer as quickly as possible."

Temari looked worried. "Is she all right?"

"I b-believe it's a stomach ailment," Hinata stated as delicately as possible. "She will b-be miserable for a c-couple of d-days, b-but she should b-be fine." She wished there was something more she could do, but Matsuri wanted to keep her mistress at arm's length to make sure Hinata didn't catch it, as well. With that restriction, she'd done all she could to ensure her maid's care and well-being.

The two women once again exited the Hyuuga estate's elaborate gates and turned their steps toward Lady Tsunade's mansion. The rain was soft but steady, and both held large waterproof parasols to shield themselves from the water.

Hinata found the miserable weather fitting. What better than a rainstorm to oversee the funeral and wake of a man such as Hyuuga Hiashi?

"We're almost there," Temari remarked suddenly, hastening her steps. She, too, had changed her kimono while the two women were at the house. Hinata bit her lip when she realized the beautiful black fabric had a large Uchiha clan crest embroidered on the back. With her blonde hair pulled up in her usual four spiky ponytails, there was nothing to hide the design from the openly curious - and undoubtedly upset - eyes of Konoha.

She wished she'd noticed earlier so she could have advised her sister-in-law to change. Too late now.

The heavy doors leading into the mansion opened just before Hinata and Temari reached them. The two women hurried into the dry cover the building offered, briskly shaking the worst of the moisture off their parasols before handing them over to servants waiting to take them.

"Follow me," Hinata advised Temari. She had attended a few functions at Lady Tsunade's mansion, her presence having been mandatory as not only the eldest daughter of the head of the Hyuuga clan, but also as the highest ranking lady of the house. Once she had reached the age of thirteen, her presence had been expected at nearly every social function held in Konoha. Thus, she knew very well Lady Tsunade would have had her ballroom converted into a place suited to a funeral wake.

Right as the low, distant hum of voices reached the two women's ears, a much closer, much louder voice said, "Don't you know that's dangerous?"

Hinata startled and spun, but not before Temari. She'd just barely begun her turn by the time Temari was already facing the owner of the voice, her feet apart in a steady fighting stance, a bladed fan clutched in either hand.

A deep shadow in one of the wall alcoves clucked disapprovingly, then detached itself and stepped into the light. Eyes as black as the figure's hair, as his clothing, shifted lazily from Hinata to Temari. "Funny," Uchiha Sasuke remarked blithely, "I don't recall ever seeing you at family functions." Despite his cool facial expression and the casual tone of his voice, Hinata saw the tension in his jaw and the fire in his eyes.

Hinata couldn't help herself. She cringed. I was so hoping Sasuke and Temari wouldn't encounter each other while we're in Konoha...

Relaxing her stance, Temari snapped one of her fans closed and returned it to her obi, but continued to hold the other. Shifting, she casually waved it back in front of her face, not blinking even as the wickedly sharp spikes came (at least what seemed to Hinata) dangerously close to her skin. "So you're Sasuke." She looked utterly unsurprised and unimpressed. "I can see the family resemblence, though I must say Itachi is much better looking."

The Uchiha boy scowled, his black eyes wary now as he slowly gave Temari a once-over. "You seem to know me, but I don't know you." One dark eyebrow arched slowly, almost dangerously. Though his posture was still loose, uncaring, Hinata had encountered Sasuke enough to see the tension in his fingers, which lingered close to the pouch at his waist. Even at a funeral wake, these people were carrying weapons.

It seemed her paranoia was catching.

Temari noticed Sasuke's reaction, and a slow smirk transformed her coldly beautiful features. "I'm sorry, how horribly rude of me. I'm Hinata's sister-in-law, Temari: elder sister of Sabaku Gaara, head of my family and my village, and wife of Uchiha Itachi, your older brother. Which makes you my brother-in-law." Her scornful turquoise eyes made it clear she didn't put much stock in the relation.

Hinata wished she could crawl into a hole and die. Didn't any of the other people in the room just around the corner sense the hostility in the hall? Why didn't someone, anyone, come help before something really bad happened, as she sensed was about to occur?

Sasuke's jaw tightened as his eyes narrowed, hand fisting so tightly veins stood out clearly against his pale skin. "I never thought I'd meet someone stupid enough to fall for my murdering older brother. Congratulations, I suppose, but I'd watch my back if I were you. Itachi will probably plunge a sword into it if you're not careful."

This time Temari's eyes were the ones to narrow, her triumphant smirk vanishing. "Listen, you snot-nosed, bratty little jerk, you have no idea what Itachi has done for you." Reaching once more into her obi, Temari withdrew a heavy, folded sheet of paper and thrust it against Sasuke's chest so hard she knocked him backwards a step. "He entrusted me to pass that letter on to you. Now my job is done, and I must say I'm glad, if for no other reason than so I can wipe my hands of you." She stepped back, arms crossed, lip curled in distaste, eyes full of scorn and hatred. "Ungrateful brat," she muttered.

Hinata's forefingers began tapping together, rapidly, of their own accord. "I d-don't think-" she began uncertainly.

Ignoring Hinata's rather pathetic attempt to get their attention, Sasuke held up the paper between his hands, making sure Temari got a good long look at it. Then, in one long, slow movement, he ripped it down the middle and dropped it to the ground. "The best thing that traitor ever did for me is leave. Konoha - and I - am far better off without him." Making sure he trod heavily upon the torn papers, Sasuke pushed past Temari, striking her shoulder sharply as he did so. A few moments later, the front doors of the mansion shut behind him.

Temari hissed venomously, but Hinata quickly grasped her arm before she could take off after Sasuke. "P-Please let him g-go," she begged. "Maybe you c-can try talking to him again later, when he's had time to c-cool d-down." And you've had time to do the same. And when you're not wearing the Uchiha clan crest like you're trying to rile him up.

Letting out a derisive snort, Temari spun away, yanking her arm from Hinata's grip. "Come on," she muttered. "Gaara will be wondering where we are."

Hinata meekly followed her sister-in-law, suddenly wishing their visit in Konoha would come to an end as quickly as possible.

She'd known returning home would be difficult. She had no idea it would have the potential to spark an inter-family war.

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: The last part of the scene in this chapter, with Temari, Hinata, and Sasuke, was one of the first to develop when this story was coming into being in my mind. So, as you can imagine, I've been pretty excited for quite a while to be able to post it! I promise you will eventually find out what was written inside the letter Temari gave Sasuke, though it will still be a little while. Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope to see you again for the next update!