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

Special Thanks: goes out to McKazekage, xforeverherex, shyprincess82, Ria, AnnaUmulie97, ssspooky, rao hyuga 18, Melodi Moon, AngelicXI, sailorangelmoon1, Jigokun, QueenP19, I like angst, and lidianm for all your encouraging words, and your good wishes for my health! Also thanks to everyone who has added this story to their favorites and alerts lists.

Author's Note: Another early update to make up for my unexpected hiatus earlier in the week due to illness... Thanks again to everyone who offered me well-wishes for my health - I'm happy to report I'm feeling much improved now! I'm also happy to say that some really exciting things - some of which have been coming since this story idea first appeared in my head - are coming within the next few chapters, so I'm really excited about that. Also, the question about how Hanabi found out about the letters will also be answered within the next five chapters, so keep a lookout for that! In the meantime, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

*~Chapter XX~*

~Festivities~

The two weeks between the time Hinata returned to Suna and the beginning of the Founder's Festival passed in a blur of activity. She enlisted the help of Gaara, Temari, Matsuri, and even Itachi so she could learn how to use her new weapons, taking turns with each of them whenever one was available. Though the kunai had been crafted to be lighter than the "standard regulation" ones, Hinata still found them difficult to throw in a straight line. Her senbon launcher, on the other end, was a little easier to use, so she practiced with it far more than the knives.

A day before the opening ceremonies, the expected company from Konoha arrived - with a couple of pleasant surprises. Along with Neji, Tenten, and Hanabi came Naruto and Sakura, grinning at the obvious surprise on Hinata's face when she saw them.

As soon as the group dismounted, Neji ushered Tenten off to rest. Hinata smothered her grin at the look of concerned affection on her cousin's face; she hadn't had much time in Konoha to find out how he felt about his wife's pregnancy, but from the look on his face now, it was clear he couldn't be more excited.

And, perhaps, a little more overprotective than usual. But Tenten's indulgent smile made it clear she didn't mind too much. She had enough time for a cheerful wave and a "sorry, see you all later!" before she and Neji vanished up the staircase with a maid to guide them. While Tenten (and, by extension, Neji) rested, Hinata took Hanabi, Naruto, and Sakura on a tour of Suna. Temari and Itachi came along, though they often had to stop to talk to people helping organize booths and decorations for the festival.

The group returned to the manor at sunset - just in time for the evening meal. Conversation over the food flowed much more smoothly than it had in times past between those from Suna and those from Konoha, and Hinata found herself smiling contentedly more than once. She didn't speak much, happy just to sit there and listen to the conversations going on around her. By the time the meal ended and everyone retired to their respective rooms for the night, it was clear relations between the two villages were well on their way toward being better than ever before.

Since everyone from Suna was busy with last-minute preperations for the festival, the next day Hinata was able to train with the person who had hand-crafted her weapons. Tenten, being a weapons mistress herself, was able to give her cousin-in-law several useful pointers. The specially-made kunai, fashioned more like stiletto knives rather than actual kunai so they were lighter and easier to handle by someone unaccustomed to regular weapons, landed far nearer the target after several hours of practice with Tenten. Hinata left the session feeling oddly pleased, knowing all her hard work was beginning to pay off.

As sunset approached, crowds began to throng the streets of the village. The servants rushed about the house in a bigger hurry than Hinata had ever seen them, anxious to get their work done so they, too, could go to the festivities.

Naruto and Sakura left early, wanting to be part of the initial crowd to visit the street vendors. Neji, Tenten, and Hanabi, however, stayed with Gaara, Hinata, and the others, content to wait until closer time to the horse race and the official beginning of the festival to venture outside.

"You all are more than welcome to watch the race from the streets," Gaara mentioned as the group shared a light meal around an hour before sunset. "But I must say the best view of the race is atop the round tower housing my office. I took the liberty of having some chairs set up there for all of you - plus Naruto and Sakura - so you could watch from there if you wished."

Hinata's breath eased out of her on a relieved sigh. While she was genuinely excited about the festival, and the race itself, she hadn't been looking forward to trying to find a place in the crowd to watch the race. From the tower, as Gaara had said, she wouldn't just have a view of one part of the track, but a panoramic view of the whole thing. She could watch the whole race without ever having to leave her home.

Neji and Tenten shared a telling look, then both nodded in unison. "That sounds wonderful," the latter remarked. "Thank you, Lord Gaara." She set down her chopsticks and picked up her teacup, the contents of her plate only half-gone. Hinata wondered if her cousin-in-law's morning sickness was getting worse, or if she was just excited about the race and other festivities.

Hanabi brightened. "I'll go find Naruto and Sakura and tell them," she said. Though Hinata noticed her sister had been acting more like her old self ever since arriving in Suna, she also knew Hanabi wanted to go see more of the festival before the group outing planned for the next day. Naruto and Sakura had invited her along, but she had declined, instead choosing of her own accord to spend more time with her sister.

After Hanabi left, escorted by two bodyguards dressed as servants, Hinata turned to her husband. "What time d-do you have to leave to g-get ready for the race?" she asked.

Gaara discreetly swallowed and wiped his mouth with his napkin before replying. "Right after we finish eating," he said. Though he had finished all the food on his plate, Hinata noticed he'd not eaten much. Nor had Kankuro, Itachi, and Temari - undoubtedly in preparation for the upcoming race.

Taking Suna's leader's cue, the others quickly finished their own meals and stood. The servants barely waited for the diners to vacate the room before rushing out to clean up, and Hinata paused while Gaara stopped in the doorway and turned back to say, "Leave the dishes to wash later. Everyone is released from their duties early so you can all go get good seats for the race."

After a gusty cheer and a round of fervant words of thanks, the servants hurried about clearing the table so they could spread the word. Hinata offered her husband a smile as he rejoined her in the foyer, and he narrowed his eyes at her look. "What?"

"That was v-very nice of you," she replied.

Gaara glanced away, looking uncomfortable at her praise. "It's not fair of them to have to miss the race," he said. "It's one of the most looked-forward to events of the year here." Tilting his head toward Neji and Tenten, who were conversing with the newly returned Naruto, Sakura, and Hanabi, he said, "People are even coming from other villages to attend the festival. It grows by the year, and I think everyone should have an opportunity to enjoy it."

"You are a g-good man, Sabaku G-Gaara," Hinata said solemnly. He kept proving that to her over and over again, and with each new piece of evidence she felt herself falling for him more and more. The fondness which had sprouted during their time in Konoha for her father's funeral was beginning to bloom, and her excitement was growing steadily in response.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Gaara mumbled an obviously embarrassed, "Thank you." He tried to hide it, but Hinata saw the hint of red peeking out from beneath the high neck of his tunic and lightly touching the edges of his ears.

"Hey, Gaara!" Temari's call from across the room broke the mood, and the two turned toward her as she stepped closer to the massive doors leading outside. "Are you going to ride in the race this year, or do you just want to wait until next year?" Her wide grin made it clear she was teasing.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Gaara turned back to Hinata and smiled, excitement brightening his eyes and flushing his otherwise pale cheeks. "I'll see you after the race?" he asked.

Hinata stepped forward and, boldly ignoring the others gathered in the entry, pressed a kiss to his cheek. "G-Good luck, my husband. I'll be the one cheering the loudest for you."

A genuine smile turned up the corner's of Gaara's mouth. "I'll be listening," he said. He moved to step past her, then seemed to think of something and turned back. "Here," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two items. "This is a flag with the Sabaku crest. There are a number of them available throughout the village with the crests of the clans represented in the race, and I thought you might like to have this one."

She gladly accepted the flag, gently smoothing it across her palm as she smiled down at the twin blades fronted by a hourglass which was rapidly becoming familiar as her own new clan crest. "Thank you," she murmured. Remembering Gaara had withdrawn something else from his pocket, she looked up again.

"Do you remember this?" Gaara extended his hand, showing off the faded and slightly frayed lavender ribbon dangling from his fingers.

A little spark of familiarity flared at the back of Hinata's mind, but to her frustration she couldn't fully place it. "It seems familiar, but I d-don't remember it," she said apologetically.

Gaara smiled. "I didn't think you would," he said. "You gave this to me the last day we spent together in Konoha. I've kept it all these years." His eyes softened as they drifted back to the piece of frippery. "It's been a sort of talisman, I guess, against all the bad things trying to batter down my defenses. It reminds me of better days, and for a long time, it was the only thing I had of yours."

Reaching out, Hinata gently pulled the ribbon from his grasp. She held it in her hand for a moment, recalling a fuzzy image of her smiling mother tying the ribbon in her hair when she was small. She didn't remember giving it to Gaara - just as she didn't remember a lot of things which had happened during her husband's first, brief, visit to Konoha - but she was pleased Gaara had had something of hers all these years. "I remember this ribbon," she said. "B-But sadly, I d-don't remember g-giving it to you."

"It'll come back to you eventually," Gaara said reassuringly. "Now, if you don't mind, I want to ask you to do something very special. When you first gave this to me, you tied it in a bow around my wrist. If you would please do the same thing now...?"

A frisson of pleasure shot through her chest at the thought of him wanting something of hers with him during the race. Without hesitating, she reached out and did as he asked, securing it with a double knot to make sure it didn't come loose. Before she released it, though, she impulsively leaned forward and pressed her lips against the ribbon, feeling oddly pleased when she felt her husband's pulse racing under his skin beneath the piece of fabric as she did so. "An extra charm," she whispered as she withdrew, blushing. "To ensure your safety and success."

Taking one swift look around the entry hall - now empty, since Kankuro, Itachi, and Temari had already left, and the others had started out toward the tower - Gaara wrapped his arm around Hinata's shoulders, drew her firmly to his chest, and planted a quick, sure kiss on her lips. "I need nothing more than your confidence and love," he said, then released her and vanished out the door.

Hinata stood frozen in the entryway, her cheeks flushed hotly, fingers pressed tightly over her still-tingling lips. Did he mean that? she wondered fuzzily. Or was he just caught up in the moment?

Turning, she stumbled away from the entry and headed toward the tower and her prime seat for the opening ceremony. The race hadn't even been run yet, but she already knew Gaara would win. His confidence and and courage left no other option.

And, as promised, Hinata would cheer him on every step of the way.

As the sun made its final plunge toward the horizon, those people who had wished to avoid the heat earlier in the afternoon poured out of their homes to join the festivities, nearly tripling the number of people crowding the already nearly-packed streets.

Hinata was used to festivals in Konoha, but she had to admit Suna knew how to hold one in style, too. Even though they had to wait for the sun to go down and the temperature to drop to begin officially, they more than made up for it with their decorations.

Paper lanterns and strings of lights softened the sandy streets and stone buildings, making them seem more welcoming than imposing. Cart vendors advertised their wares as people happily shouted and laughed and celebrated, moving about in a tightly packed throng which looked like a strangely colored river from Hinata's vantage point.

Hinata leaned against the balcony railing, content to watch the goings-on far below her. She inhaled the smell of wonderful food, mixed with incense and spices from various places. Tomorrow she'd go down with the group and look around, but for now, she felt safest and most comfortable where she was.

"Are festivals in Konoha anything like this, milady?" Matsuri questioned from her place at Hinata's left elbow. As the bodyguard of the village leader's wife, she had also been allowed a seat atop the tower along with Hinata and those from Konoha.

"Not really," Hinata replied, distracted. "The streets are b-broader there, as are the spaces between buildings. Our festivals b-begin in the d-daytime and go into nighttime, not the other way around. And we d-don't have the races."

At her own reminder, Hinata felt her stomach twist slightly. She'd heard stories from Gaara and the others about the annual races held on the first night of the festival. She knew how dangerous it was, racing such fast, spirited animals around the track just inside the wall of the village. The rest of the year, the track was used for patrols, but on the first night of the festival, men and women on horseback took three laps around the village in the most "exhilerating" sport imaginable. Or so Kankuro had told her, anyway.

He, of course, had been one of the first to enter. His siblings hadn't been too far behind.

"It will be all right, milady," Matsuri said, as if reading Hinata's mind. "Lord Gaara has been racing horses since he was very young. As have his brother and sister."

"That's what he told me," Hinata said. "B-But I know how d-dangerous this is. The track is so n-narrow, and there are so many people..."

Along the walls, floodlights suddenly came on. The river of people below started flooding toward the edges of the city, desperate to get good seats for the race to come. Those who owned houses or businesses along the outskirts invited friends and family to watch from their coveted perches.

Hinata, standing on the highest balcony of the tallest building in the city, had the best perch of them all.

"This is going to be awesome!" Naruto exclaimed, leaning against the railing a little further down from Hinata and straining to look toward the start/finish line. "Maybe we can start having horse races at Konoha's Founders' Day festivals, too."

"I'd sure love to do it," Tenten said wistfully. If she noticed her husband's alarmed glance in her direction - darting quickly from her face to her stomach and back - she didn't acknowledge it.

"That's a great idea!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically. "It's so fast! So cool!"

"You're all crazy," Sakura growled.

Hinata silently agreed. Her hands tightened around the stone railing in front of her as she scanned the growing group of horses at the starting line, trying to catch even a glimpse of Kaen and Gaara.

It didn't take her long. Her husband's head of red hair was easy to spot, as was the color of his horse's coat. They were placed prominently at the head of the group, remarkably calm in the face of the excitement. Hinata watched him for a few moments, then shifted her gaze to look for Temari, Itachi, and Kankuro. They, too, were fairly easy to find among the group making a slow introductory lap around the village as giant flags emblazoned with the crest of each clan was displayed from the side of the tower upon which Hinata and the others stood.

Matsuri, the only one on the roof to have attended the races before, stepped closer to the railing to get a better view. Hinata shuffled to the side to give her a little more room, wondering if her quiet, shy maid would offer any tidbits about the race while it was going on. Though the group had made use of the chairs behind them for the first few minutes of their time on the roof, they'd soon stood and moved to the railings. They'd have to stand to circle the tower to watch the progress of the race, after all, and those originally from Konoha were curious about what was going on below, anyway.

After all the entries had finished their introductory lap, they lined up at the widest point of the track, by the gates. There were twenty in all, seventeen men and three women, including Temari. They were all focused and determined to win.

A gong sounded somewhere beneath Hinata's feet, and the horses exploded away from the starting line. They formed a tight pack of horseflesh and people, making it difficult for Hinata to discern individuals. It looked like one huge, rippling mass of color until they were almost to the first turn.

When Hinata first spotted the head of red hair, she nearly jumped and cheered. But then she noticed the color of the horse, a dull brown instead of shining red, and managed to restrain herself in time.

"Is that Gaara?" Naruto called over to her, squinting as he leaned forward over the railing to try to get a better view.

"N-No," Hinata replied. "I d-do not know that rider."

"Akasuna Sasori," Matsuri replied. "He is a drifter, and returns to Suna just long enough to enter the races. His grandmother still lives in the village, and as long as she draws breath and provides a place for him to call home, he is allowed enter the race."

Hinata couldn't see Sasori's face well, but she saw the way he was leaning over his mount's neck. His left hand briefly flashed back, and she bit her lower lip to hold in a cry when she realized he was whipping his horse to try to coax more speed out of him. How cruel! "Is it legal to use whips in the race?" she asked Matsuri.

"Yes," her maid replied. "It is something that has endured since the first race over a hundred years ago. New rules have been made since, and old ones dropped, and there has been some discussion about the use of whips. But the rule still stands, so some riders do use whips."

"Thankfully G-Gaara and the others d-don't use them," Hinata murmured. Finally tearing her eyes away from the leader, she looked back towards the pack.

Temari's blonde ponytails were the first thing Hinata was able to spot. Like Sasori, she crouched low over Sanraizu's neck, but she was urging her small gold mare on with encouraging words instead of a lashing whip. She was towards the back of the pack, stuck behind a woman on a stocky red roan and Baki on his rangy chestnut.

"Looks like Lady Temari plans to make a comeback," Matsuri commented. When Hinata and several others looked to her questioningly, she turned toward them and explained. "Milady has tried several methods to win the race. She has attempted bolting straight to the front, coming from the middle of the pack, and advancing from the rear of the pack. She has won once from the middle, and twice from the back. It looks like she is planning to stay in the rear and conserve Sanraizu's energy until the last lap, where she will head toward the front and make her move for the win."

It was the longest speech Hinata had ever heard her maid make, but she couldn't dwell on it. Her eyes went back to the race, desperate to see how things were going.

Sasori was almost to the fourth turn, which would lead him back towards the start/finish line. Kankuro, however, was gaining, his cocoa-colored gelding eating up the distance between them with remarkable speed. The leader glanced under his left arm, then jerked his head up and lashed at his horse again.

Hinata winced and turned away, unable to watch. She scanned the pack, which had scattered out a bit now, and quickly spotted Gaara. By her reckoning, he was in eleventh place, running neck-and-neck with his brother-in-law. Her husband looked neither right nor left, concentrating instead on the streaming tail of the horse in front of him as he murmured into Kaen's mane.

Sasori flashed past the line to begin the second lap, Kankuro only two lengths behind him and still gaining. Sand churned up beneath flashing hooves as the horses thundered toward the first turn again, obeying their riders' words and whips, straining against their bits.

"Watch closely," Matsuri said. She didn't have to speak very loudly, since the roar of the crowd was far below them, but her voice was louder than usual with tense excitement. "Lord Gaara will begin to make his move soon. And there goes Lord Kankuro!"

Sure enough, Kankuro had edged up on Sasori. As the two men headed into the second turn, Kankuro urged a fresh burst of speed out of his horse and took the lead. Another great cheer rose from the crowd as the huge bell beneath Hinata's feet tolled twice, the signal the middle child of the Sabaku had taken the lead. It was unnecessary for her and those along the edges of the crowd, but she was sure those stuck in the middle and back were glad for the sound so they knew what was going on.

"C-Come on, G-Gaara," Hinata murmured. She pressed against the railing, fingers tightening as she kept her eyes glued to her husband's form.

As Matsuri had predicted, he made his move as the pack went into the third turn. Huddling down tighter into his saddle to make himself smaller, he urged Kaen on as they caught up and passed the horse in front of them with blurring speed. Even at this distance, Hinata could see the grin on his face. He looked so free, and it made her heart lurch at his tenfold attractiveness with that one simple emotion.

The final lap began with Kankuro in the lead, Sasori falling back as his horse tired. Gaara had reached fourth place, Itachi right behind him on Mayonaka. Temari was also starting to tear through the pack, up to seventh place now and still gaining.

Hinata finally allowed herself to give a couple of small hops in excitement. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she shouted: "G-Go G-Gaara and K-Kaen!" even though she knew he couldn't hear her.

Beside her, her friends joined in, some with more enthusiasm than others, cheering and shouting with excitement as Gaara moved into third place. Kaen was tearing along, a red arrow aimed directly for the finish line. Hinata could see him straining at the bit, begging his master for even more speed.

Temari and Sanraizu caught up with Itachi and Mayonaka. The two horses ran exactly in step with each other, seeming just as in tune as their riders as the couple split to try to pass Gaara on either side. Hinata's husband did not look back, nor to the left or right, instead keeping his gaze focused on the haunches of Sasori's horse, less than a length in front of him now.

"C-Come on, Gaara!" Hinata shouted again, jumping and waving the small flag with the Sabaku crest Gaara had given her earlier. She knew he could neither see nor hear her, but she threw her heart and soul into her cheering, as she had promised him what felt like only a few minutes ago.

Sasori, Gaara, Itachi, and Temari charged into the third turn. Kankuro's horse was beginning to tire now, slowing down as Gaara, Itachi, and Temari only seemed to pick up speed.

A shout and loud whinny from the back of the crowd jerked Hinata's gaze away from the front. Two horses had apparently collided, causing both go off-balance with each other. Both riders had fallen off and were expertly rolling away from the churning hooves still coming toward them. Another horse got tangled up in the accident and fell, unseating his own rider, but swiftly scrambled to its feet and took off, running wild and alone as it followed the other two riderless horses and the bulk of the pack.

No one seemed injured. Hinata breathed a quick prayer for the riders and the horses, then jerked her attention back to the front.

In such a short time as Hinata's attention had been diverted, Kankuro's horse had slowed so much it had been no problem for Itachi to pass him. Now he and Mayonaka were in the lead, almost to the fourth and final turn in the race.

Hinata bit her lip. As much as she wanted her husband to win, she had to admit it would be nice to see someone else who had once lived in Konoha manage to pull out the victory... She wavered, wondering if she should let out a shout for Itachi or keep her mouth shut.

Her eyes flashed back to Gaara. He and Temari had split much in the same way Temari and Itachi had earlier, each drawing along opposite sides of Sasori's mount. Hinata saw the other red-haired man's head turn to look at Temari, then Gaara...

Kaen suddenly startled, his head jerking back and to the side as he shied away from Sasori's mount. Gaara moved quickly, working to regain control of his stallion - and his seat - but the brief loss of control caused the two to fall back several lengths. The duo began to advance once more with the amazing speed Hinata had noted before, but she knew there was no way they could regain enough distance to win.

Temari ducked her head to look back towards her brother, seeming surprised at his suddenly falling behind. Turning forward and crouching that impossible degree more over Sanraizu's neck, she loosened the reins and allowed her golden mare to shoot forward past Sasori's mount. The two females charged after Itachi and Mayonaka, who were only a few dozen lengths from the finish line now.

A hush fell over the crowd as they watched, everyone leaning forward as one entity as they waited for the outcome.

Hinata felt her breath catch somewhere in her chest, lost in the excitement just as much as everyone else despite her fear over what had happened with Gaara, Kaen, and Sasori. Come on, come on, you're almost there...!

Itachi glanced to the side, then looked forward again quickly. Sanraizu's golden nose drew alongside Mayonaka's dark flanks, then Itachi's stirrup, then the black horse's shoulder...

The two horses, the huge black stallion and the tiny golden mare, rocketed toward the finish line, only a handful of lengths away now, nose-to-nose.

The world shifted into slow motion, the drumbeat of the horse's hooves matching the pounding of Hinata's heart as she grasped the railing, watching, afraid to look away, yet also scared to watch...

Time resumed its normal pace as the crowd exploded into cheers as the two horses charged across the finish line too close for Hinata to call who had crossed first. She jumped and screamed loudly as Gaara and Kaen finished third, then Sasori in fourth, another horse and rider she didn't recognize in fifth, and then Kankuro in sixth. Baki and his mount wound up finishing in twelfth place - quite an admirable finish, to Hinata's way of thinking.

As the riders reined in their horses and began a cooldown lap, the crowd turned toward the tallest building in Suna, waiting to see if the bell would toll once to indicate Temari's winning, or four times for Itachi.

Hinata leaned over the railing, looking down toward the bell's home. She could see the giant flags with the emblems of other Suna clans, which would have been unfurled should somone other than the head family have won. But they all remained tightly rolled, and she waited for the bell...

Dong! The sound rolled across the village, echoed off the walls, and then faded into silence.

Temari had won!

The cheering began anew as Temari stood up in her stirrups and waved, a huge grin on her dirt-smeared face. Her ponytails had come loose during the race, and her blonde hair hung loose around her face and shoulders, shining like her mare's coat in the glare of the floodlights. She lowered herself back down in the saddle as Itachi, Gaara, and Kankuro all rode up next to her, speaking over each other to congratulate her. Others rode by as well, offering what seemed to be amiable words to the eldest Sabaku.

However, Hinata noticed one rider who did not approach the group. Sasori kept his horse far away from the others, his whip still clutched tightly in his hand as he glared.

The sight chased the excitement from Hinata's mind, making her remember Kaen's startling toward the end of the race. She wasn't completely certain about what she saw, but she did know for sure Gaara and Kaen had been racing alongside Sasori on the left - the same side the other redhead held his whip. There was little doubt in Hinata's mind Sasori had whipped Kaen during the race, causing the stallion to startle and jerk away instinctively.

Now there was only one question in Hinata's mind, though she was reasonably certain she already knew the answer: Had Sasori whipped Kaen accidentally, meaning to urge on his own gelding instead, or had it been a deliberate act of malice, meant to keep Gaara from winning the race?

Hinata had the distinct feeling the answer, whatever it may be, would not be a pleasant one.

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: I have been so excited to get to this chapter! The race is one of the first things I came up with when I started plotting out Shadows fully when I decided it was a story idea worth pursuing, and it's been a long twenty chapters waiting to get here! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I can promise some more really exciting things to come in the next couple. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you again for the next update!