Hey everyone!

Newest chapter is now up and running.

How the bloody hell have I gotten this far? I'm nearly sixty chapters into this story. It's a miracle that I've made it to where I am now. That doesn't mean I'm done, as I've mentioned before there's still more to be covered.

I'm really hoping that I got the plot in motion with this chapter. I've been trying to make sure that things are moving ahead. It's going to take some time, but I'm pretty sure it will be worth it in the end.

Please leave reviews if you can. I really like knowing what others think.

As usual, onwards my dears!


Hinata had been on rather shaky terms with Hanabi for the past few days. Neither of them was willing to talk to the other unless it was something worth saying. Sticking to her word, Hinata didn't apologize to her sister for striking her; Hanabi had made no attempt at trying to win over her favor. Hinata couldn't help but wonder what was going through Hanabi's head. Did she think of her like their bastard father? Or was she still not ready to admit that she was in the wrong. As much as Hinata wanted to talk, she knew that for the moment there was nothing that could be said without triggering an angry response; so that left her stuck in a kind of anticipation that she didn't like whatsoever. Gaara had noticed the uneasy tension between them and had offered to talk to Hanabi but was turned down by his wife. She knew that he was trying to help, but she didn't want him to break his end of their promise.

The one good thing about Hanabi's withdraw was that she hadn't tried anything suspicious. She had kept to herself mostly, not bothering to make conversation with anyone. Hinata was partly convinced this was because Hanabi knew what she could easily do to her if she should cross the line again. Hinata was the type of person that never liked having to use violence unless it was an absolute last resort. So the fact that Hanabi had managed to bring out that side of her meant that it would be hard to know when Hinata would snap again, since Hanabi had awoken that ugly side of her she didn't know she had.

"Hinata you can't keep waiting for something to happen".

She hadn't noticed her husband playing with Hena as her mind had once again wandered off. This was becoming a common occurrence that others had taken notice of.

"Yes, I know. But I don't want her to think of me as cruel…although she probably already does".

Gaara was aware of his wife's recent actions towards her younger sister. Truth to be told, he didn't think that Hinata could act so harshly even if it was Hanabi that completely deserved it. That was kind of a scary thought; knowing that his wife who was so kind and patient would lose her temper in a sudden burst of violence.

"I doubt that Hanabi will approach you".

"I'm not expecting her too. But I don't feel as though I should be the one making amends".

"One of you needs to try at least".

"I know, I have this feeling it will be me".

"You think it won't be Hanabi?"

"Knowing her, she'd probably keep to herself for as long as she can until I can't wait anymore".

The read head couldn't help but stare at his wife curiously. There were times when he simply couldn't figure her out no matter how much he thought he knew her.

"So then what will you do?"

Hinata closed her tired eyes "I have to try to think of something. I can't afford to wait any longer then I am. I learned the hard way what happens when that plays out".

Lifting Hena with one arm, Gaara used his other arm to wrap around Hinata's waist. While he couldn't exactly stick his nose into Hinata's problem with her sister; at the very least he could offer some kind of comfort no matter how small it was.

"I'm here if you need me for something".

The bluenette nodded in gratitude. "Thank you".

It was a few days later that Hinata forced herself to confront her sister. No way was she ready to talk to Hanabi but she knew that she needed to at the very least try. How was she supposed to get ahead if she didn't suck it up and get it over with? Whatever she said or did, it was anyone's guess about how Hanabi was going to respond. If Hanabi chose to hate her that strangely enough Hinata found herself unable to give a damn. She was too tired to even care at this point.

Her hand was shaking as she knocked on the door to Hanabi's room. Well, there was no turning back now. She thought that Hanabi wouldn't answer but oddly enough she did. The door opened, and pearl eyes met with her lavender ones. Hinata tried to find any sort of negativity in Hanabi's eyes but she couldn't find anything. The two sisters stared at each other for a few minutes till it was Hanabi that broke the silence.

"Nee-chan what do you want?"

"Ano…I came to talk".

Hanabi didn't even blink "Oh? About what?"

Hinata resisted the urge to look away in embracement. This was no not what she pictured when she had to speak with her sister. It very much felt like the calm before the storm; it was only a matter of time until the bombs were dropped and all hell broke loose.

"May I come in?"

Hanabi stepped to the side allowing Hinata access to her room. That was almost too easy. Just what was her sister thinking?

Once inside Hinata settled herself on a chair while Hanabi sat down on her bed. The two sisters faced another wave of silence. The bluenette was mentally punching herself over and over for acting so nonchalant. She had went over what she was wanted to say at least a dozen times before coming to find Hanabi only to instantly forget what it was that was so important to her.

"Hanabi I-"

"Nee-chan I want to say I'm sorry".

Hinata looked surprised "W-what?"

Hanabi had a very calm expression on her face "I know why you're here. I've known for a while now that you wouldn't consider coming near me unless I made the first move right? Well I'm going to say it now, I am sorry for talking to you the way I did. You may think that I hate you but I do not. I know that you are not our father; you will never be like him. It's my own fault that I pushed you so hard".

If there was ever a time Hinata wanted someone to slap her into reality now was the time. This was way more then she expected from her sister. More than anything she wanted to believe that what Hanabi was saying was actually sincere. But more often than not, as the saying went if something sounded too good to be true then most likely it probably was. Hinata knew Hanabi well enough to tell the difference if she was lying or not. But this time she found that she couldn't detect the usual lies. Was Hanabi honestly telling her the truth? Or had she somehow stepped up her game of deception? With so little to go on, Hinata was not able to come to a solid conclusion. She'd need more data before she would make a decision on Hanabi's behavior.

"Hanabi what's really going on?"

Her sister still remained calm "I can't say for sure what's happening with me. I know that I keep making bad choices and I know that I'm not exactly in your favor Nee-chan. But I can't seem to let go of this hatred inside of me".

The bluenette nodded slowly; if she was ever going to know what Hanabi was doing she'd have to play along. She couldn't afford to make the wrong call.

"Nee-chan there's something I have to tell you".

Hinata clenched her fists. She could feel her anger rising; for her sake as well as Hanabi's she needed to appear like she was in a listening mood. Secretly hoping that she could control herself this time Hinata allowed her sister to speak.

"Nee-chan…I know why Kankuro-san went to Konoha. I know that Shikamaru-kun is there right now and that he's working with Naruto. I knew that I shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself from spying on Gaara-sama. I was just so upset that I wasn't able to do anything about father that I let myself fall down the well".

The first thought that entered her mind was that she would definitely kill Hanabi this time. Hinata couldn't begin to describe the anger that she was feeling at the moment. All this time, her damn sister had known and she hadn't bothered to make her intensions known. No doubt that Hanabi would've used that knowledge to take advantage of the situation and act on her own. Face red from fury, Hinata stood up and immediately smacked Hanabi hard across the face. A trickle of blood dribbled from her lip the force had been so great. Hinata never looked so angry before. She wanted to beat Hanabi within an inch of death, but she knew better than that. Instead she had chosen to smack her; it was nearly as satisfying but that was all she could do.

"Hanabi you-you damn brat!"

Hinata smacked her again on her other cheek. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her anger was rising even more, she knew that even if she struck Hanabi as many times as she wanted it still wouldn't do anything to calm her down. Hinata felt more than a little pissed, she was absolutely livid right now.

"Why must you always do this to me! You act without thinking about the consequences of your actions and then you expect me to fix all your troubles". Hinata smacked her cheek again. "It's always me, who has to solve what you started, I'm so sick of it. I'm sick of your inexcusable behavior; I'm fed up with your bullshit ideas. When are you ever going to learn your lesson Hanabi?!" Hinata smacked her cheeks three more times before she couldn't find the strength to do so anymore. Hot tears ran down her face as her arms hung at her side.

"You're going to die Hanabi, you're playing with fire and everyone knows that if you play with fire you're going to be burned. Why do you always gamble your life and mine like this?! Is it some sort of sick joke that you get off of? Why must you always do this not only to me but to yourself as well?!"

Hinata felt her tears come down harder. Her fists were clenched tightly; through watery eyes she saw Hanabi's tears as well. She didn't know if it was from her face looking like a bloody mess or if it was something else. Whatever it was she didn't care whatsoever; it wasn't worth it anymore. One could almost say that Hinata was giving up on Hanabi. If she was then she was long overdue.

"Nee-chan I'm sorry".

"Shut up!" She shouted, taking a few steps back "Shut up, shut up, shut up! I don't want to hear anymore lies!".

Hanabi tried to move closer to her sister, but Hinata only backed away with an angered look on her face. It wasn't like that Hanabi could blame her for doing so.

"Nee-chan please will you hear me out".

"No! I've had enough of this. I don't care what happens anymore. If you want to kill yourself then be my guest, go on then do it. Go and make a fool out of yourself once more and then wait and see what happens. No one is going to be there to save you from death. You'll rot away in a hollow shell of what used to be Hyuga Hanabi".

"Please just let me explain-".

"Don't touch me!" Hinata shrieked as Hanabi extended her hand towards her, she smacked it away instantly like the very thought of Hanabi touching her was like poison. Not wanting to back down so easily Hanabi tried to reach out for her again and Hinata's eyes filled with fear the image of her sister looking at her with hollow eyes terrified her to no end.

"Keep away from me!".

She knocked her down before making a mad dash for the door. Hanabi of course was right on her heels and she hugged her elder sister from behind. That of course caused Hinata to scream and what felt like the blink of an eye Hanabi found herself pinned against the wall by sand; free from her sister's grasp Hinata ran towards Gaara burring her face into his chest sobbing like crazy. The red head wasn't sure what had happened, when he heard his wife scream from down the hall. Panic had filled him and he acted immediately coming to her rescue; he hadn't expected to Hinata shaking in terror but he knew that he needed details quickly. He looked up to Hanabi, a cold expression on his face.

"What happened?! What did you do to her?!".

Hinata only cried harder "She's to blame for everything. She caused all this pain; she's going to get killed! Don't do it Hanabi, don't make me see that image of your dead body".

Gaara didn't know what Hinata was talking about. But he doubted that Hanabi would fill him in, not when she looked like she had been beaten. He'd figure out that out later, right now he needed to calm down his crying wife. The sand released Hanabi and he quickly escorted Hinata to a private location where he attempted to calm her down. At first Hinata wouldn't cooperate since she was still in tears; realizing that he couldn't ask her anything in the state she was in. Gaara allowed his wife to hold onto him as he rubbed her back with trying to sooth her. He had known that Hinata was going to try and talk to Hanabi but he didn't think that this would be the outcome.

After much time had passed, and a lot of comforting words Hinata had finally calmed down enough to look into her husband's worried eyes. She felt all nub inside, where it had once been anger. She hadn't liked how vulnerable she had been in that break down. It had come so unexpectedly and she became frightened of it all. Hinata was grateful that Gaara had arrived when he did; she wasn't sure what would happen if he hadn't.

"Hinata are you alright? What did Hanabi do to you?"

The bluenette wiped her sore eyes with the back of her hand. Resting her head against Gaara's shoulder she sighed in pain. "She told me that she knows everything".

"What? Can you explain".

Hinata swallowed hard as she told Gaara about the exchange that had happened between them. More than once the tears threatened to come back again. Luckily she managed to keep her cool; but that did not mean her husband would. Hinata felt Gaara tense from the same kind of anger that she had been feeling. She wrapped her arms around his neck; she really needed him to keep her from going over the edge. Hinata didn't want to lose her sense of reality, the recent encounter made her feel like she was getting closer and closer to completely being disconnected from her sanity.

"Hinata? I know that I said I wouldn't, but this time I have to step in".

She nodded "I know that you said you would handle it. But I can't watch you suffer before my eyes I only wants what's best for you".

The bluenette nodded again huddling closer to Gaara. He resumed stroking her back again. Giving her a few necessary minutes to make sure she was completely at ease.

"I have to go and speak with Hanabi".

He felt her grip on him tighten "No please, I don't want you to go".

The red head had a sympathetic look "Hinata I have to know her side as well. I'll be back in a few minutes I just want to talk. I promise I won't do anything else".

Hinata didn't seem convinced as she tightens her grip again. Gaara resisted the urge to sigh; he knew that he should probably stay with Hinata but he needed to get answers from Hanabi. Only then could he decide what the next course of action should be. It took a little coaxing but eventually Gaara did manage to have Hinata let go of him long enough for him to speak with Hanabi promising that he'd be back as soon as he could.

When he walked back to Hanabi's room he found her crying against the wall. The moment he stepped in Hanabi looked petrified getting on her hands and knees her forehead touching the ground. "Please do not kill me. I beg of you my Lord".

Gaara's expression wasn't the cold look as before but his eyes had a firmness to them that would make anyone feel uncomfortable. What nonsense Hanabi was sputtering, as if he'd do such a thing.

"Raise your head Hanabi; I have no intension of doing something so pitiful".

Hanabi slowly lifted her body from the ground, leaning against the wall for support as the tears continued to fall. "I'm not going to hurt you. I came to talk; I want to hear your side of the incident with Hinata".

"I'm sorry it's all my fault. I didn't mean to make Nee-chan so terrified of me I only wanted-".

"Hanabi". Gaara took one step closer "Please just tell me what happened".

The red head didn't miss a beat as he patiently waited out Hanabi's explanation. It was exactly like Hinata had described it and he found himself stuck in the same sort of spot she had been in. It was not easy to know if it was all a lie or if Hanabi was meaning what she said. The whole time Hanabi hadn't stopped crying, it almost had him convinced that his sister-in-law was regretting her past decisions. Why else would Hanabi still be sobbing about the wrongs she made if there wasn't some kind of guilt in her words?

"I am sorry Lord Kazekage. I've been such an ungrateful fool".

Gaara closed his eyes for a minute "Do not think that all is forgiven. It is not me that you have to prove your worth too".

He wasn't going to automatically assume that Hanabi's action were noble. After all this was not his battle, sure he was kind enough to listen to both sides but that didn't mean Gaara was going to be playing the peace maker. He was only going to get involved as much as he needed too. If Hanabi wanted to eventually make amends with her elder sister it wasn't his place to tell her what was needed. She would have to figure that out for herself.

"Lord Kazekage what should I do?"

"You're asking the wrong person. I said that I wanted to talk, not give advice".

"But-".

"No Hanabi". His voice was slightly hard to show that he was serious "Whatever happens between you and Hinata is not my place to decide. I will admit that I have anger for you since you refuse to listen to the voices of reason. But as Kazekage I cannot let myself be involved with this matter. You must make the choice about what you will do for the future".

He walked towards her and Hanabi's body shook from fear "I told you, I'm not going to hurt you". He placed a hand on her arm "Think about what I said, the rest is up to you". With that he removed his hand and walked out of the room heading back to his wife.

He found her in the same spot he left her. Hinata looked relived when she noticed him and he opened his hand extending it towards her as an indicator to come to him. She took his offer and he wrapped his arms around her. Hinata seemed content to be back in his embrace and he took not of how her body relaxed.

"I spoke with Hanabi".

"What did she say?"

Gaara rested his chin on top of her head "It's alright, she basically told me what you said before. Nothing to worry about". Hinata sighed gently in relief; she felt a lot better then she had a few moments ago. She had been worried about what her husband would do to her sister. Knowing that he stuck to what he said made her pleased; she wouldn't have known what to do if it had been the opposite.

"Hinata…I can't say for sure what Hanabi will do next, but please be careful".

"Gaara-dana what do you mean?"

"Think about what would've happened if I hadn't gotten there. I don't want to see you lose yourself".

The couple held each other silently after that. Hinata knew that Gaara was making a point, that wasn't a guarantee that all was well. After today she knew that anything could go and no one would be able to predict the outcome. Gaara always did have a way of somehow knowing what to expect.

"I have a question?"

"What is it?"

Hinata titled her head a bit so she could stare at him "The next time I confront Hanabi, will you be next to me?"

Gaara raised an eyebrow "But Hinata-".

"Please, I don't want to lose my sanity. We both know that it's so close to happening".

The red head leaned down to kiss her forehead. That was true, he couldn't ignore those supposedly little things anymore even if they did sound insignificant. If it meant that much to his wife, he did not really have that much of a choice. Despite the fact that Hinata was a strong woman; even she could only handle so much. Being the caring husband he was he would respect her choice. Perhaps it would do them both some good.

"Would that make you feel better?"

"Yes. Just until I'm assured that I'm not too far gone over the edge".

"I don't think you are".

Hinata shrugged a little "Maybe, maybe not. But it's better to be safe than sorry. We wouldn't want to do something fatal".

Gaara kissed her forehead once again. "Very well Hinata".


Sheesh that was a lot of writing. But at least I finished.

I made sure to try and make this chapter longer since my previous ones had been on the short side, but it always comes back to how much time I have on my hands.

What shall happen next? That is to be decided; now I must do some thinking for the future.

Review, review, review.

Much love! Till next time.