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

Special Thanks: goes out to rao hyuga 18, McKazekage, ssspooky, shyprincess82, I like angst, BookFan22 a.k.a GwenFan22, and paigebrumby for all your lovely, supportive reviews! Also thanks to everyone who has added and keeps adding this story to their favorites and follows, you all make me so excited every time I see a new alert in my ebox!

Author's Note: Another day-early update! I wanted to be sure and get this out to you all, though, especially since I wasn't sure I'd be able to. I've been fighting a mutant cold since Christmas Eve, but I'm finally feeling a bit better and was able to get this chapter finished up for you all. Apologies for any mistakes I might have missed during the editing process since I'm still not one-hundred percent yet. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and have a happy New Year!

*~Chapter XVIII~*

~Understanding~

After breakfast the next morning - at which Tenten was once more in attendance, but Temari was conspicuously absent - Hinata went to check on her sister-in-law.

The shades were still drawn and the shouji doors leading outside closed. Hinata shut the bedroom door behind her to keep out the light from the main room, but advanced no further. "Temari?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

"Hmm." The half-moan came from the direction of the bed, and Hinata saw the lump under the blankets stir slightly in the dim glow of the single bedside lamp. "What time is it?" Temari sounded hoarse and exhausted.

"We just finished b-breakfast." Hinata winced, wishing she hadn't mentioned food. After the incident at breakfast yesterday, she was pretty sure food was the last thing about which Temari wanted to hear. "I c-came to check on you."

"Oh. Thanks, I suppose." Temari stirred slightly again, reaching over pick up a cup from her bedside table and take a cautious sip of its contents. "The Healer left me some herbs, and one of the servants brewed it into a tea. I wasn't able to drink much of it yesterday, but I managed to get and keep some down overnight."

"Is it helping?" Hinata asked.

Temari sank back down onto her pillows, face set in a grimace. "The stuff tastes so nasty it almost makes me sick all over again. But yes, I suppose it is helping. Some." She tossed her arm over her eyes and moaned softly. "No offense, Hinata, but I'm really starting to wish I hadn't come to Konoha with you."

"N-None taken." Hinata could understand not wanting to be away from home while sick. She had once fallen ill while spending the night with Sakura, and she felt so completely miserable until finally her mother and Neji came to pick her up. Being home, in her own bed, had made her feel slightly better.

Sakura lived in the same village, albeit nearly halfway across from Hinata. She couldn't imagine being away from Konoha and being ill, but she supposed she'd have to experience it eventually.

"Speaking of not taking offense..." Temari dropped her arm and rolled her head on her pillow to look at her sister-in-law. "I didn't mean to snap at you yesterday morning when you followed to check on me. I'm genuinely sorry for that."

Shuffling a step closer, Hinata smiled. "It's all right," she said. "You d-didn't feel well, and I was b-bothering you." She clasped her hands in front of her and tilted her head slightly. "P-Plus, I know from p-personal experience it's quite embarrassing to b-be so sick in front of someone."

"True," Temari agreed. "But that's not the only reason I'm apologizing." She sighed and settled her hand, palm flat and fingered splayed, over her middle. "Gaara came in and talked to me earlier, and he said some things that made me get to thinking."

Hinata inched back toward the door. "If you d-don't feel like d-discussing things now..." she hedged.

"No, I need to say this." Temari squirmed around until she sat with her head and shoulders settled against the pillows she propped against her headboard. With a flick of her wrist, she indicated the chair sitting next to the door. "You'd better sit down."

Considering some of the other conversations she'd had recently with her sister-in-law, Hinata wasn't entirely sure she wanted to carry through on this one. But Temari seemed determined, so she perched on the edge of the chair and tried to look expectant and understanding.

Temari plucked at a loose thread on her top blanket, very carefully not looking in her direction. "To be honest - well, I had some selfish reasons for wanting you and Gaara to consummate your marriage. The sooner you do, the sooner there'll be a chance of a child."

It was a good thing the light in the room was dim, because Hinata felt her face go bright red. This is definitely not the conversation I want to be having with Temari right now. Or with anyone. At any time.

"In this one thing, the Suna High Council and I are in agreement, but for completely different reasons." Temari blew out her breath and shook her head. "Sorry. If it helps, I don't want to talk about this any more than you do."

That really didn't help, but Hinata didn't have the heart to tell Temari. "N-Not to b-be rude - b-but why are we having this c-conversation, then?"

"So you'll understand." Temari pushed her hair away from her pale, sweaty face, finally looking up at Hinata. "As you know, Suna has a very violent past. Our village was founded on principles some might call harsh at best, and downright bloody at worst. This has bled - if you'll pardon the pun - over into our politics, and while there have been several reforms in recent years, one seemingly unimportant 'rule' was overlooked - until recently."

Hinata nodded to show she was following, though she didn't understand where this was going. What did Suna politics, both past and present, have to do with her and Gaara consummating their marriage? And what did that, of all things, have to do with Temari's behavior and sudden confession?

"I don't know if you remember or not, but I met Itachi originally when I visited Konoha with my family. I was twelve." A wry smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she cautiously shook her head. "Long story short, I had halfway forgotten about him and our encounter until Gaara told me Suna would be accepting a new citizen - and ninja - into her ranks."

"Itachi," Hinata guessed.

"Itachi," Temari agreed. "I knew the second I saw him he looked familiar, but I just couldn't place him - until I heard his name." She shook her head, letting out a short, coughing laugh. "Let me tell you, he drove me nuts when we were in Konoha, and it didn't get much better when he moved to Suna. But there was just something about him. He kept getting under my skin, making me think about him even when we weren't around each other."

"You were falling for him," Hinata breathed. How romantic.

"Yeah," Temari said dryly. "I was, albeit extremely reluctantly. We had a rocky courtship, to say the least. I wanted to hate him, but I just couldn't. He seemed so cold and distant, but that just made him all the more of a challenge. I had to break through, to get him to show some sort of emotion." She shook her head. "Let me tell you this: when we finally admitted what we felt for each other, I honestly wasn't sure if he was going to kiss me or throttle me. Admittedly, I felt quite the same way about him, so I suppose we really did suit each other well."

Suddenly Temari sat up a little straighter and snatched up her tea again. She took a sip, then drew in and let out several deep breaths before setting the cup aside. "I'm sorry, where was I again?"

"You and Itachi had just found out you suited each other well." Even though Hinata was still confused, she found herself drawn into Temari's story. It seemed a lot nicer than the last one she'd told, anyway. Though she did have a horrible feeling it wasn't going to keep going on the same vein...

"Right." Temari nodded and slumped a little lower on her pillow, hands moving to clench together over her stomach. "To make an even longer story even shorter, obviously we wound up together. Naturally, ours was a love match, so we had no trouble - ah, well, doing what husbands and wives do." She smiled apologetically at Hinata's blush. "Of course, one thing led to another, and, well, what you would naturally expect would happen, happened."

"A b-baby," Hinata breathed.

"And now we've gotten to the part of the story that involves Suna politics and you." Temari studied her hands, an unbelievably sad expression suddenly spreading over her wan features. "I was nervous, of course, since problems with pregnancy run in my family."

"Your mother had trouble c-carrying you and your b-brothers," Hinata said, remembering what Temari had told her back in Suna.

"Yes. But Itachi was esctatic, and like he told me, I'm not my mother. I was a strong, healthy young woman, and according to the Healer we saw, I was around two months into my pregnancy and things were going wonderfully. I had minimal morning sickness, I was still maintaining a relatively normal appetite, and my weight gain was the expected for someone only two months or so along."

Hinata tried to picture this in her mind: Itachi and Temari smiling over the blonde's still-flat stomach, discussing names and genders and other baby-related things. The image made her own lips quirk upwards slightly in response.

Temari's next words, however, quickly made Hinata's smile vanish. "Everything was still going normally at the three-month mark. I was so excited, I imagined I could feel my belly expanding, though I knew I wouldn't get a visible baby bump for a while yet. I was so happy, I couldn't stop smiling. It didn't take long for word to spread I was pregnant, though Itachi and I had hoped to keep the news just in the family for a little while longer." She drew in another deep, shaky breath. "Unfortunately, the news got out, with unforseen consequences."

The former Hyuuga felt her breath catch and hang in her throat, nearly choking her. Oh no.

"The day had been like any other, really. I had little bit of morning sickness right after I got up, but nothing too terrible. Gaara had arranged for a small get-together that night - him, Kankuro, Itachi, and me, some friends, and of course the Council - to celebrate my pregnancy. There was a lot of mingling, naturally, and everybody kept coming up to congratulate me. I started feeling a little sick, but I didn't think much about it. The room was hot, I had eaten quite a bit, and I was, above all, nervous." Temari smiled thinly. "I don't like having all the attention on me, as you've probably noticed, and considering the reason for the party, basically all the attention was on me."

To be expected. She hoped such a party would not be thrown when she and Gaara announced their pregnancy. Perhaps she could just hide away for nine months. If a party had to be thrown, it could be done after the child was born, when he (or she!) would the center of attention.

Temari, unaware of her sister-in-law's brief distraction, continued. "As the evening wore on, I kept feeling sicker, and I started to have stomach cramps. By the time the party broke up, I felt like someone had stabbed me through with a hot iron." She shook her head. "Itachi rushed me straight to the nearest Healer, but by then it was too late."

"Misc-carriage?" Hinata felt her eyes fill with tears.

"In a manner." Temari smoothed her hand across her already-straight blankets once more, her eyes bright in the dim glow of the bedside lamp. "But that wasn't the whole story. Three of the members of Suna's High Council had bypassed my brother - knowing what his reaction would have been had they gone to him - and slipped a certain herb into my tea earlier in the evening. It didn't hurt me, but it still had the desired effect."

"Why would they d-do something like that?" Hinata gasped out, shocked and revolted. She had seen the members of the Council at her wedding reception, and thought the group looked harsh and unyielding. But she never would have thought any of them capable of something as awful as this.

"As I said, Suna was built on a set of bloody rules meant to make us the most powerful village in the world," Temari said. "Some of them have been changed, others have slipped by the wayside simply because they are out of date and no longer feasible, and others still exist, yet were easily overlooked." She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, loud and long. "I don't blame Gaara at all. I know if he had known about it, he would have put a stop to it. Even now, he's trying to fight it, though the Council still keep fighting him..."

Hinata was beginning to suspect what this suspicious rule was, and she didn't like it.

"You see, Hinata, back when our village was first formed, mistrust ran rampantly. Suna was built by one of two brothers who hated the other, and always suspected him of trying to usurp power. It was he who made the rule: only the leader of Suna could have children first, to make sure their bloodline was secure. After Suna's original leader, this wasn't a problem. For some leaders, they had multiple children, but only one survived - through one means or another - to rule. For others, only one child was born to the family. So the rule was mainly forgotten, though it was still written down, thus still in effect."

Temari drew in another deep, shaky breath before she continued. "We were unaware of this rule when Itachi and I conceived. In this one case, some of the Council was against the other three's plan, but they agreed to keep quiet. The three who acted out did not go to my brother first, knowing Gaara would forbid them from what they set out to do." She looked up at Hinata again, her eyes swimming with tears. "Gaara has been working to try to get that law struck, but the Council keeps blocking him. A majority vote from them is required, and they usually either land in a tie or wind up with the wrong side in majority. So, you see, Itachi and I cannot have children of our own until you and Gaara do."

Just when Hinata thought she was getting used to the differences in Suna, she discovered something new which sent her reeling. Why didn't Gaara tell (warn?) her about this? And if members of the Council went out on their own and did something like that, what was to stop them from doing something else on their own?

"Were the three C-Council members p-punished?" Hinata finally asked.

Once again looking down at her hands, folded in her lap, Temari shook her head. "We all wanted to, so badly. But, as horrible as it was, they did have the law on their side. We can't touch them for what they did for that very reason." She squirmed a bit until she was lying flatter on her pillows, her teal eyes drooping slightly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I think I'd like to rest again now."

Hinata nodded and stood. "I understand," she replied. "Thank you for telling me that. I understand more n-now." And she really did. Temari's reactions to certain things which had happened over the past couple of weeks made sense now in light of what she'd just shared. Though it must have been hard for the blonde to share her story, Hinata was grateful she did. "I'll leave you alone n-now."

Closing the door behind her, Hinata made her way across the sitting room and then slipped out into the hall. Leaving one hand resting against the door, she bowed her head and let out her breath in a long, tired sigh.

"There you are!"

Hinata turned at the sound of Tenten's voice behind her. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better." Tenten smiled ruefully and patted her still-flat stomach. "Early mornings are the worst, but once we get closer to afternoon, things start improving." She glanced at the door to Temari's suite, but didn't ask any questions. Instead, she said, "We just got a message from the hospital. Hanabi is finally awake, coherent, and calmed down. Neji's got another meeting with the Council, so would you like to come with me to see her?"

She didn't have to think about it very long at all. "Yes," she agreed immediately. "Let me find G-Gaara and tell him what's g-going on, and then we c-can leave."

"I'm right here," Gaara said, rounding the corner. "Where are you going?"

"Hanabi is awake," Hinata told him. "I'm g-going to the hospital to see her."

Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly. After glancing at the door into his sister's rooms, he reached out and secured Hinata's hand with his own. "I'm coming with you," he said. He didn't say more, but she understood what was unspoken. Where you go, I go. We are in this together, no matter what happens.

Hinata felt her stomach twist the moment she stepped into the hospital. Sudden anxiety seized her, and she allowed Tenten and Gaara to take the lead. Konoha's hospital was relatively large, and the spacious white halls formed a kind of maze which made Hinata dizzy as they traversed them. Swallowing back the nausea swelling into her throat, she tightened her hand on Gaara's arm and followed Tenten through the doorway leading in the the psych ward.

It broke her heart to think of her little sister in this part of the hospital. From her toddler years on, Hanabi had always been a cheerful child, always ready with a smile or a laugh whenever her older sister was feeling depressed. Their closeness was something Hinata had always treasured, and the way it had been so badly tested recently left her feeling uncertain and shaken.

"Room four-fifteen, four-fifteen..." Tenten halted abruptly in front of a door with the same numbers painted in black on a white plaque hanging on the wall. "Four-fifteen." Taking a step back, she looked at Hinata and smiled bracingly. "I'll stay out here," she said softly. "You and Lord Gaara go on in. I'll be right here whenever you're ready to leave."

Grateful for the older woman's understanding, Hinata reached out with one trembling hand and pushed open the door. Gaara's hand slid to her lower back, and the warm, reassuring solidness of its presence gave her the confidence she needed to take the few steps needed to carry her through the door and past the small entryway into the room proper.

Hanabi sat curled up on a chair in the corner, her head turned toward the window. She wore the expected white hospital scrubs and robe, her feet bare, hair pulled back in a low ponytail secured at the base of her neck. She looked calm, almost peaceful, quite the opposite of how she had the last time the two sisters had seen each other.

"Hanabi?" She spoke her sister's name softly, quietly, afraid of startling her - or bringing the screaming creature of two days before back to the forefront.

For a moment the younger Hyuuga sister did not respond. She kept staring out the window, the only sign of her having heard lying in the tightening of her fists around the fabric of her robe. At last she drew in a deep breath, turned, and met Hinata's eyes squarely.

"Hello, sister." She spoke calmly and in a monotone, no inflection in her voice or eyes. "I've been expecting you to come visit me."

Letting go of Gaara's arm, Hinata forced herself to walk slowly across the room until she stood in front of her sister. She could feel Gaara follow her and pause only a couple of steps away, ready to intervene if necessary, but she hoped it wouldn't be. Very carefully, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around Hanabi, enfolding her in a loose but no less heartfelt hug. Please, Hanabi, please...

Stiffening, Hanabi twitched as if she were getting ready to push her older sibling away. But Hinata did not let go, neither loosening nor tightening her embrace until she felt two arms latch onto her and cling.

Hanabi... Lowering her head, Hinata rested it against the top of her sister's as Hanabi began to cry. Oh, my little sister. I am so, so sorry.

"I'm sorry!" Hanabi sobbed. "Hinata, I am so sorry!"

Startled by Hanabi's sudden apology, Hinata lifted her head and looked down at the younger girl's tear-streaked face. "For what?" she asked.

"Everything." Letting go of Hinata, Hanabi reached up and wiped the tears off her face. She took two deep, gasping breaths before speaking again. "I was so mean to you at the wake. I was so mad, but that was no excuse. I shouldn't have yelled at you. Or tried to attack you. Or-" she sniffed and drew in another long, shaky breath "-or called you such horrible names."

"Oh, Hanabi." Crouching in front of her sister's chair, Hinata gathered Hanabi's hands in hers and squeezed. "I forgive you. It's all right. You were a lot c-closer to Father than I was, and your g-grief just made you-"

Hanabi shook her head. "No!" she protested. "That's not it."

Hinata drew back slightly. "What d-do you mean?" she asked.

Shaking her head, Hanabi wiped away more tears. "I've been jealous of you, Hinata."

"Jealous? Of me?" Hinata fought against her jaw's urge to drop. "Why m-me?"

Her sister's pale eyes slid from Hinata to Gaara and back. "You keep saying I was closer to Father. All right, maybe that's true. I did spend more time with him than you. But, he did far more for you than he ever did for me. He loved you more." Her hands curled into fists in her lap. "Even when we were spending time together, just the two of us, he was always comparing me to you. He would advise me to work harder in my studies, so my grades would be as good as yours. He would urge me to get out more, so I could find friends for myself as good as yours. Yes, he loved me, cared for me, but not the same way he did you, Hinata."

Even after reading her father's letter, a part of Hinata had questioned her father's love for her. After seventeen years of life with very little contact with the mystery that was Hyuuga Hiashi, she really did wonder if her father did love her, or only said he did. But after Hanabi's words, she found she had to rethink her assumptions. Perhaps Father really did love me as much as he said he did in that letter. But still... "Hanabi, I-"

She lifted her hand quickly. "Don't say it," Hanabi warned. "I don't want to hear it. I can't hear it right now."

Reluctantly, Hinata nodded. "All right." For a moment the two sisters sat in silence, each seeing the other in a completely new light.

"Hanabi."

Both of women looked at Gaara, who had come a few steps closer. He looked back and forth between them, obviously uncomfortable at being the center of their attention. But finally he smiled at Hinata and then turned to Hanabi. "Would you like to come to Suna with us when Hinata and I return in a couple of days?" he asked.

Hinata felt the knot in her stomach ease a little even as the love developing in her heart swelled. Oh, Gaara. The thought had crossed her own mind, but she hadn't been sure what Gaara would think about it, so she hadn't said anything. But his bringing it up himself meant he had thought the same thing, and thus approved.

Visibly brightening, Hanabi looked back and forth between Gaara and Hinata. "Really?" she said. "Are you sure? I-I won't be in the way?"

"Not at all," Hinata said reassuringly.

"We'll need to talk to Lady Tsunade and your cousin first, of course," Gaara added. "But I think a change of scenery will help you." He smiled again, his gaze drifting back and forth between his wife and sister-in-law. "Besides, I know Hinata has been missing you, and wanting you to come visit her. This is the perfect time."

They stayed a few minutes more, then left with promises to come again later with news about whether or not the trip to Suna would happen. When they shared the idea with Tenten as the trio left the hospital, the new mistress of the Hyuuga estate nodded thoughtfully.

"It's a good idea," she agreed. "Neji and I were planning to take you up on your invitation to come to Suna's Founder's Day festival, so Hanabi can come back to Konoha with us after it's over."

That would give Hanabi a little less than a month in Suna. Hinata hoped it would be enough time for her sister to come to terms with what had happened recently, and to get her far down the path of the healing process.

And, Hinata thought grimly as they entered the gates into the Hyuuga estate, that would also give her plenty of time to find out how Hanabi discovered the existence of her and Neji's letters.

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: Again, this chapter was posted a day early! But next week I plan to get back to the regular posting schedule of Mondays. I was kind of concerned for a while I wasn't going to be able to get this chapter posted, since I've been fighting a mutant cold since Christmas Eve, but fortunately I'm finally feeling a bit better and was able to get this chapter edited so I could post it today. Please forgive me for any mistakes I might have missed since I'm not quite feeling one-hundred percent better yet. I hope you all have a very happy New Year! Thanks for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed, and I hope to see you again for the next update!