Hey peoples!

I'm gonna be taking a brief break after this chapter.

But never fear, I'll be back before you know it.

I'm very pleased that so many of you enjoy it, makes me feel like I'm doing a good job.

So please read and don't forget to review!

Now onwards my dears!


All she could hear was the sounds of her sister's screams as she raced full speed through the forest. Hinata was in a bit of a rush to get to Konoha, she knew that Hanabi would be heading there and she was determined to catch her before things went from bad to worse. It hadn't even been one day, and there was still a ways to go before they entered the borders of the Land of Fire. Under normal circumstances, it usually took three day to travel to Konoha from Suna; but three days was much too long of a journey for Hinata at the moment and she would prefer to get there much sooner. This was her sister who was on the line; and she'd never be able to forgive herself if something were to happen to her. Complaining wouldn't make the trip any faster so all she could do was push down her inner channel of thoughts and focus ahead.

Naruto had already left prior to hearing of the escape. A kage absent from their village always meant bad news. He would be there waiting for their arrival. Promising to have some kind of word about Hanabi should she be in the village.

The bluenette clicked her tongue in annoyance as she picked up the pace with Kankuro and Baki alongside her. She was grateful that her husband had even let her go at all. It had taken quite a bit of convincing before Gaara finally let his wife track down her sister. And she was lucky that Kankuro had been there to support her volunteering to go with her for extra security.

*Flashback*

"Hinata I'm not going to approve of this".

She was standing in their bedroom having just changed out of her kimono now wearing the standard Sunakagure ninja attire, with her headband tied around her neck. It had only been a few hours after the gathering and she had already made up her mind that she would go and bring back her sister if it was the last thing that she did. She had to, Hiashi would show no mercy should Hanabi make one wrong move. As expect the Kazekage didn't support the idea at all, and was know trying to convince her to allow someone else to go instead.

"Gaara please, she's my sister I have to stop her".

The red head gave a warning glare he really didn't want to start an argument with her. "I will not have my wife travel to Konoha exposed like this. Do you know what kinds of dangers are out there. I refuse to lose you".

She gave a frustrated groan as she shook her head. Gaara could be quite stubborn at times. But she had to keep trying time was very precious at the moment and every second she delayed Hanabi was getting farther away.

"Gaara I'm not a child, may I remind you that I'm a ninja of jounin level I'm more then capable of handling myself".

Her husband made a weird sound in the back of his throat as he ran a hand through his hair. He was going to try and stop her for her own good.

"I get it Hanabi is in danger but you can't just leave like this. Don't forget that we're parents to Hena. You can't abandon her-".

"Who said I was abandoning her?! It's not like I'm purposely packing my bags and going out the door. Hanabi will only listen to me!"

She was getting angry now and this was the first time that Hinata had actually raised her voice to Gaara. Course it didn't help that he was steadily getting angry also. He loved Hinata more than anything, if he were to lose her; he wouldn't know what he'd do. The only reason that he was trying to prevent her from going was because he feared for her safety. That's what a husband was supposed to do after all.

Kankuro who had been observing from the distance finally decided that he had to step in. Normally he wouldn't interfere with his brother's business but he did care for his sister-in-law and he figured that she was on to something with matters concerning Hanabi.

"Gaara before you blow your top, might I say a word".

He could only glare at his older brother. "What is it?!" he snapped.

Kankuro remained calm even under Gaara's intense gaze.

"I'll go with Hinata to Konoha, chances are that Hanabi's goal is to return there and deal with Hiashi. If necessary I'll ask Baki to come also; though I know Hinata can handle herself I'll go with her if it helps to put your mind at ease".

Gaara opened his mouth to protest but promptly shut up when his wife embraced him. "Please I have to do this. If I don't go now Hanabi could very well be killed". Teal eyes met with soft lavender and one look said it all, he knew that Hinata was right but that still wouldn't stop him from worrying about her. Gaara really wanted to say something more, but he couldn't find the words to do so. His wife was right, Hanabi would only listen to her and it wouldn't do him any good in getting in the way. Defeated he kissed her briefly.

"Don't be gone for too long".

"I'll come back I promise I will".

When Kankuro suggested they rest for a bit Hinata had no choice but to give in. They had been traveling all night and well into the next day. It was important that they didn't push their bodies too far, a ninja always had to be prepared for the unexpected and should fatigue have a hold on them it could potentially be fatal. Hinata slowly leaned against a tree limb before going down gently till she was sitting down. It had been a while since she was able to demonstrate her skill as a jounin, but her easy life in Suna had slightly taken a toll on her. Her body wasn't used to going to the limits like it once was and she made a mental note to change that as she rested her aching muscles.

Hanabi couldn't have gotten far. Even she would have to rest too; if luck was on her side she would be able to track her down before she reached Konoha. She huffed in irritation to herself, this was her fault and she knew it. Had she just told her the truth ahead of time perhaps none of this wouldn't have happened.

Hinata closed her eyes for a moment as she let her thoughts wander. She didn't let her guard down completely, from her early years she had been taught to always remain vigilant no matter what. She was trying to think of what to say when she eventually did find her sister when a thought suddenly hit her. Suppose that Hiashi had never decided to marry her off would life had been better?

Hinata didn't know what caused her to have such a silly thought. But it was one that definitely made her think. Had she never been forced into marriage she would've never met Gaara nor would she have had Hena. She might very well still be living in Konoha messing around with her old teammates and friends, still trying to move on and find another path. She frowned a bit, how boring that would be. Hinata loved Gaara, and she was very thankful that she married him and that he was the father of her child. Despite everything that had happened so far she regretted nothing from the time that she was wed to Gaara. After mentally scolding herself for having such a ridiculous thought she closed her eyes once more.

"Hinata time to wake up".

She felt someone shake her and she slowly opened her eyes. Till she saw the face of her brother-in-law looking at her. She rubbed her eyes getting rid of the heaviness that held them.

"Oh? Kankuro-san?"

She must've fallen asleep, the light coming down from the leaves would indicate that it was early morning. They must've stayed here all night. "We've gotta go". She straightened herself up "R-right". And with that she lead the way through the forest.

Gaara was having a hard time focusing on his work. It had been nearly two days since his wife left to try and bring back Hanabi and he was very worried about her. If he could help it, he would've gone with her. But as Kazekage he was bound to his village, despite that Gaara was a man in love, he still had to do what was best for his village.

The sound of Hena crying brought him back to the present.

His daughter resided next to his desk in her bassinet. Since Hinata left, Gaara couldn't bring himself to leave Hena alone. His older sister could've taken care of her but he would prefer that she stay with him. She had been very fussy since her mother had gone and it was as if she knew that one parent who she relied on had somehow vanished. Well Hinata was the one that was always around to take care of her, so naturally it made sense that Hena could sense that something wasn't right. Gaara lifted her out of the bassinet and into his warm arms. Her fussing died down a little but it was clear that she was still upset. He tried rocking her, but that didn't do any good. She continued to fuss till eventfully he stood up and walked back and forth trying to get her to calm down. Finally Gaara started to talk softly trying to reassure Hena that her mother would come back. He did this for a good ten minutes till his efforts paid off and his daughter was fast asleep in her father's loving embrace. With Hena now asleep that should've meant he could go back to his work. But all he could think about was Hinata, it was going to be a long wait.

The trip to Konoha would've been smooth had they not run into some nasty bandits. That delayed them quite a bit, something that Hinata wasn't pleased about. Thankfully she had Kankuro and Baki to help her. She could've taken them all out on her own; but that only would've cost her more time. Much to her dismay Kankuro had decided to end their lives with his excuse being so they don't run into each other again. Hinata knew that having to kill was part of being a shinobi. Even she had her own faults but she was never one to think that killing others was a good idea. One might say that she was too kind for her own good.

She was thankful when they at last reached the gates of Konoha. Hanabi had not been found in her search through the forest so she assumed that she was inside.

"Sand ninja! What is your purpose being here?!"

There were two guards at the entrance giving them rather dirty looks. Clearly these were young ninja, in their early twenties probably would've just completed their jounin training. And as a result were quite bold and cocky, trying to look tough to boost their confidence. They didn't look to pleased to see them.

"You better have a good explanation for entering our village!"

Since the last great war, the five nations had been much more welcoming of each other. But naturally there were still a few that would be wary of one another. She didn't have time to deal with this trivial matter, she needed to get to her old home as soon as possible. The last thing she wanted was trouble.

Hinata opened her mouth to speak but Baki beat her too it.

"I would watch what you say younglings! This is Sabaku no Hinata the wife of Sabaku no Gaara, Sunakagure's Kazekage and I am his advisor. We are not here to ruffle any feathers, we are here to negotiate with the Hyuga clan. Lady Hinata is a former member of the Hyuga so I suggest you let us pass".

Under Baki's intimidating gaze, the guards quickly let them pass murmuring apologizes. Hinata made a mental note to thank him later.

Konoha was no small place. The village itself was massive, and it would take a while to locate Hanabi. She didn't even know if Hanabi was in the village to begin with. Her sister may have very well gone somewhere else. But since they were here, they might as well at least try to find her. Hinata was at a mix of emotions as she walked quickly by herself to the Hyuga mansion. She was praying that Neji would at least know if Hanabi was in the village or not.

Baki and Kankuro headed to the Hokage's quarters to speak with Naruto while she continued on her way. She didn't waste any time as she quietly suck though the walls that once held her.

"We'll take care of things with the Hokage, you go on ahead and see if you can find anything". That was all Kankuro had said to her before wishing her luck in trying to find her sister.

She first wanted to find Neji; he was her best source if she wanted answers. Luckily for her she knew all the places where he would be and she found him out in the courtyard.

"Neji-niisan have you seen Hanabi?!"

He jumped about a mile in the air before turning around sharply only to stare dumbfounded at his cousin who was looking quite concerned. For a moment he felt a little embarrassed that he was startled by her. But he pushed it down quickly.

"Hinata-sama!? What are you-"

"There's no time to explain, Hanabi has escaped I need to know where she is".

The Hyuga male was completely surprised to hear that. Hanabi had escaped? But why? And he most certainly hadn't expected to see Hinata here. But he would question her later.

"No I haven't seen her. There's been no talk of either of you for a while".

Hinata's face fell when she heard that. She thought for sure that her cousin would've spotted her. "Dammit!" Neji was shocked when he heard his cousin cuss for the first time. Hinata never used such foal language. She must've been really upset for that to have happened. He watched as she turned around and walked down one of the hallways.

"Where are you going?"

"To confront my father".

"Hinata-sama, please don't do that! You'll only be making things worse for yourself!". She ignored him as she picked up the pace. "I know what I'm doing Nii-san please do not interfere".

"Don't be a fool. What you think will happen? Hiashi could hurt you".

"I'll be ready for him".

To be honest Hinata didn't really know what she was supposed to be doing. She highly doubted that Hiashi would know anything, but she did have a few things that she wanted to say to him. And by gods she was going to say whatever the hell she wanted to his face before she departed. Neji followed her all the way to Hiashi's office where she knew he would be. He had tried to convince his cousin to leave, but Hinata was proven to be remarkably stubborn this moment and he had no idea what she was trying to do. He could only stand aside and watch as she entered the room not bothering to knock. Hiashi looked up from his desk surprised to see his eldest daughter glaring daggers at him. Something didn't add up and Hiashi was curious to know why Hinata had suddenly come back.

"Father" she said bitterly "We need to talk".

Hanabi was panting heavily as she rested on a large dune. She was still within the country of the Land of Wind hiding out on the borders.

Slipping out from the village had been a piece of cake. She waited until security was loosened due to the gathering and then headed out into the desert. She felt very badly that she was putting a strain on her older sister but she knew that she, had to get back to Konoha and deal with her father once and for all.

It had been a few days since escaping and she had originally planned to go to Konoha straight away. But then decided to stay under cover for a while. She knew that Hinata would follow her and she needed to get her off her trail. Her assumptions had been correct when Hinata decided to go to Konoha. And now that she was alone she had been fending for herself for a bit. She would wait a few more days till leaving the desert for good. Hanabi was taking no chances when it came to her sister finding her.

Life in the desert was no picnic. Hanabi was surprised that she made it this far. Having no experience to the harsh climate she had been living on the edge. Relying on anything that she could find.

Her thoughts were put on hold when she thought she saw the outline of a person in the distance. How strange? Nobody should be out here. Hanabi was now on full guard when she noticed said figure getting closer to her. Definitely not a hallucination that was for sure. Her hand was ready to reach for a kunai as she called out to the figure.

"Who's there?!"

She didn't get a response.

"Who are you?!"

She waited a beat before she heard the sound of laughter. Was she losing her mind?! Hanabi pinched herself briefly, no she wasn't and the laughter only got louder when she cautiously made her way over. She was still at a respectful distance and she could now identify where the laughter was coming from. It was a woman, she was quite thin and covered with dust. She had short brown hair and dark eyes that looked like the life had been taken from them. Hanabi tilted her head a little to the side in confusion. Who was this strange woman and why did she seem familiar?

Getting a firm grip on a kunai she pointed the blade towards the woman.

Hanabi had heard from a while ago that a mysterious stranger had been appearing off and on somewhere in Sunakagure. But she had no idea if this was the person everyone kept talking about.

"I'll ask one more time who are you?!".

The dirty woman only stared at her, she seemed to be completely focused on her eyes.

She gave her a good long stare till finally a scowl appeared on her face.

"Just like the other one...I should've been her. I should've been the one, but I wasn't and it was her fault. It was all her fault that I never got what I wanted".

Hanabi raised an eyebrow what the hell was this female talking about. It was getting a little creepy. She kept mumbling stuff she couldn't catch until she heard her sister's name and that's when Hanabi took an interest. What did this insane female want with Hinata, but more importantly how did she even know Hinata?!

"What is your name?!" her voice sounded a bit rough as she kept the kunai raised.

There was a loud laugh coming from the other female before she smiled.

"My name is Matsuri".


Left it on a good cliffhanger didn't I?

You'll have to wait for the next chapter to see what happens.

I'll have it up in at least two weeks, maybe even sooner if I get some good reviews.

But until then goodbye!

Don't forget to review!