Hi everyone!

I'm back with a new chapter. Thanks for waiting, I've had so much going on and it's been rough. Goodness, I'm one chapter away from sixty…that's crazy. Never thought that I'd make it this far, I feel really proud.

So as usual, reviews are always a welcomed thing.

Spelling mistakes I apologize for.

Now onwards my dears!


Not too long after Imari's birth, the Kazekage had gotten some rather startling news from his older brother.

Kankuro had stopped by the asylum to take tabs and check on the overall health on the inmates, all of them had been accounted for except for one.

No one was sure how it happened, but the prisoner had been found lying dead in a pool of blood. The veins around the neck had been sliced open; they had bled to death in a matter of moments. It wasn't so much the death of one of the prisoners as it was the mystery surrounding how it had happened. There were always guards stationed around the clock, all precautions had been assured so that potential casualties were minimum. Apparently there must've been a slip-up. What was even more bizarre was that no one was sure who did it.

"You're positive that this is correct?!" he asked pointing to the file in his hand.

"Gaara, I've told you three times it's the truth. I even did a test".

"Doesn't look convincing".

"Look man, what more proof do you need?! I have Baki doing an investigation right now".

"I don't know what the intensions were, but I won't be convinced until I see it for myself".

"Are you planning on going yourself? Hinata isn't going to like that".

"She doesn't have to know".

The puppet master made a wired sound in the back of his throat, as he leaned back against the wall in his brother's office. Sometimes Gaara couldn't be as stubborn as a mule.

"Gaara I get what you're feeling. But trust me on this one. I know what I'm doing; this is not the first time I've had to do something like this".

The red head pinched the bridge of his nose "Kankuro I trust your judgment and everything, but how can I not feel the slightest bit worrisome for my wife and daughters".

Kankuro rolled his eyes "If you did go and check it out would it help but that over-tired mind at ease?"

Gaara could only stare blankly at his brother.

"Pff! Whatever, I'm coming too least you do something stupid".

So that was how the two brothers ended up having to visit the asylum. Gaara's body had been tense when he asked to see the body of the dead prisoner. Kankuro wasn't sure why his little brother felt the need to do so but he knew that Gaara was currently not listening to him since his mind was in full defense mode. Briefly there was a sense of déjà vu as they were lead to an examination room and the sheet was pulled back. Kankuro immediately noticed how Gaara's body went rigid, teal eyes darkened with a look that only described as fury.

"Gaara?"

There was no response; well what the hell was Kankuro supposed to do to calm his enraged brother when the woman that had cursed his existence was before him.

"Gaara…Matsuri is dead. This time it's not a hoax".

If possible the red head only tensed even more. A vein had made itself visible on his forehead as his right brow twitched.

The poor medical staff in the corner looked quite scared as the Kazekage growled dangerously under his breath. The atmosphere had become unsettling; it felt like being in a room with a wild beast just waiting to pounce.

"Dispose of this corpse at once, I don't care how you destroy any evidence I want all of it gone".

Kankuro nearly jumped a mile in the air from the tone in Gaara's voice. It was so deadly; anyone would cower from listening to it.

As quickly as he had entered the room, Gaara had left just as fast with his brother hot on his heels. He was trying very much to resist the urge to kill something or someone. Gaara absolutely hated to be taking for a fool; yet somehow he felt as though he was being played. He could barely hear Kankuro's annoying babbling he was too focused on his thoughts.

The red head was seriously wondering if this was all another scheme. He had stupidly fallen for it in the past; no way in hell was he going to be tricked again.

"Gaara!".

He was brought back to the present when his older brother shook him to get him out of his thoughts. "About time man, I've been trying to five minutes to get you too snap out of it".

"Kankuro let us take our leave".

"Are you serious? You're the moron that wanted to come here in the first place. I expected better from you".

"I've already seen what I needed too. I'm leaving to rest to Baki".

Kankuro really wanted to slap some sense into Gaara right now. His brother was acting like a bratty child that didn't want to take responsibility.

It was true that Kankuro was surprised by the fact that Matsuri was dead, this time for real. But he couldn't understand how it had happened. Was it a suicide? Or had it been planned? That was why he needed Gaara to get a grip and do his part as Kazekage. How was anything supposed to get done when no one was willing to contribute?

"Gaara, please you know that I can't solely rely on Baki. I need your help as well".

A scoff "Oh spare me, I want nothing to do with this".

The puppet master had reached his limit with Gaara's attitude that was how the Kazekage got his collar grabbed and his older brother in his face.

"Enough with acting like a little bitch! You're the damn Kazekage for God's sake! I need you to cut the shit and do your job. The time for being angry ends here, you've gotta be a man Gaara, do what's expected of you or are you still going to be a fucking coward and keep running away when life throws a problem in your fucking face!".

Kankuro's words stunned him. Had he really been acting like a coward? He didn't think that he had, but now that he thought about it Kankuro did have a point.

His brother had also been right about doing what he needed to do. He wouldn't have been Kazekage for this long if he wasn't willing to take action when he was supposed to.

Well alright then, he might as well roll up his sleeves and help out. Doesn't mean he still didn't want to do it. Sometimes it was best to just do and not complain.

An annoyed sigh and teal eyes soften a little bit. "Very well, I'll do my bit".

XXX

Inevitably despite Gaara's wishes Hinata had ended up finding out about Matsuri. That of course terrified her since she hadn't been expecting such grave news for a long time. Hinata had known that sooner or later death would meet Matsuri but she hadn't expected it to come so soon. At first she was a bit skeptical like her husband but Kankuro had been kind enough to explain everything to her.

"Don't worry Hina-chan. Gaara and I are looking into it".

The bluenette knew that they were more than capable. But she wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to feel. Why did she feel so numb? She had that feeling before in the past and Hinata wasn't sure if she liked it. Even now she was being too kind for her own good. Damn her good natured spirit but nothing was ever going to change that. Hinata however was smart enough to keep her inner feelings to herself; she didn't want to be lectured about her emotional distresses by anyone. Goodness knows what her husband would say if he knew about what she was thinking. Speaking of which she knew that he was working hard despite the feelings of hatred that he felt; Hinata was even sure where the hatred was directed did Gaara simply hate Matsuri for the hell of it? Or did he hate on the potential murder that had caused her death since he wanted nature to take its course with her? That was a question she probably would never have an answer too.

Well whatever the reason was, she could see it in his eyes plain as day. At first she had tried to ignore it, but being the tender soul she was couldn't turn away for long. So against her better judgment Hinata had decided to try and sooth her husband.

She had found him in his office looking over papers when she nervously entered.

"Gaara-dana are you alright? You haven't said anything in a while".

He briefly looked up to her. For the time being all he wanted was to be alone but he knew that his wife would come again if he asked to leave. Looks as though he was trapped, he really didn't want to speak to anyone right now.

"Gaara-dana? Did you want to talk about something? I'm here to listen".

Lavender eyes were filled with such concern that it made his heart skip a beat. He knew that Hinata would always look for him even when he didn't want her too. How was it that she could be so pure like a light sometimes?

"Hinata…".

She moved a little closer to him. "What is it? Are you still in pain?"

How did she know that? Since when had she gotten so good at reading him? It was almost scary to know that a man like him could be read like an open book by this caring woman.

"Hinata I'm so tired".

His voice didn't lie. He almost wanted to push her away as she wrapped her arms around him. Half of him was thankful for the embrace the other half protested and wanted to tell her to back off.

"Gaara-dana I think I can somewhat understand what you're going through".

"Then can you explain this emotion of pain? I don't know where it's coming from and I don't like it at all. Why am I suddenly in so much pain?"

Hinata gave a sad smile "This pain your feeling is something that one would call regret".

"What? Why would I feel that?".

"I cannot answer that for you. But normally when people have regrets it means that they did something that they feel as though they should've done before; it can also be described as feelings of sorrow or even remorse".

Hinata felt his body tense; he was getting angry because he was having a hard time figuring out what he was regretting. Gaara was not like most people and he never would be; she'd have to try and give him a push in the right direction if he wanted to know the reason.

"Gaara-dana this may sound a bit odd…but I have to ask this…do you regret not forgiving Matsuri?".

His body tensed even more "What?".

That confirmed her suspicion now she would have to elaborate "I know that Matsuri did horrible things, I know that she tried to kill me and she hurt you but was it really worth keeping those feelings of hate?".

Hinata was well aware that she was treading on thin ice now. Whether or not Gaara would lash out at her was anyone's guess. But she wasn't going to back down so easily not when she was so close to hitting the nail on the head. All that was needed was one more strike.

"I know that you've been hurt before and yet you found it in your heart to forgive them even after everything they did. I know that it probably wasn't an easy decision and yet against all the odds you did".

She was referring to his late-father. As a child he had suffered the most unimaginable pain and for years he had harbored a hatred to all those that wronged him. But then one day he had decided to forgive; he forgave everyone that caused his so much misery. With the comforts of forgiveness he had managed to carve a path for himself; he had put his life back on track and made a future. By no means had it been easy it had taken a while to even consider the idea of forgiving. But in the end he had taken that risk and the rewards had been worth it. Was that the true reason that Gaara was feeling this way? Had he been so caught up in his hatred that he forgot that it was also important to forgive?

Hinata ever so carefully tightened her embrace "Some of us cannot always escape our prejudices. But for those of us who can there's always that tiny seed of doubt and it's important to realize if it's worth it or not; but if even the smallest ray of hope is present then sometimes it's better to release all of those fears".

Gaara was in a state of awe. Such wise words, he didn't think that they'd be so true. He felt his heart skip a beat again. As if on cue he felt moisture run down his cheeks; whether or not he should be crying suddenly didn't seem all that important, the fact that Hinata had touched him so much was remarkable. This woman had talent she always knew how to sooth him.

"Is that what it is".

"Mmm, what do you need? I think that it's best to let you decide for yourself".

"But what if it's too late?".

"It's not. There's still time, I suggest you do what you feel as though is best".

That had been Hinata's way of saying that he needed to come to terms with what he felt before he even considered the possibility of forgiveness. As usual Hinata had been right about everything, maybe she wasn't a mind reader but she could easily see into his heart. With tears still in his eyes the red head couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"You'll be the death of me".

She smiled "I'm right here".

An arm wrapped around her "Thank you".

XXX

"Did you kill her?"

"I haven't got a clue to what you're saying".

"Don't play dumb. Did you kill her, the woman called Matsuri".

A smirk "That ain't any of my business, but even if it was I wouldn't be tell you anything".

Hanabi clicked her tongue in irritation as she folded her arms. This had started to become a routine of hers. Every chance she got, Hanabi would come and speak with Kazu she was trying to obtain as much information as possible even if it was in small proportions. She had heard through Kankuro about Matsuri's death and how an investigation was taking place. Of course Hanabi wasn't going to sit still about it. Soon as the coast was clear she had once again sought out Kazu asking if he was behind it.

"It just seems so strange. How can she be dead?".

"Don't be asking me sweetie. I'm just a prisoner remember".

"Oh shut up. I just want an answer".

"I told you. I don't know".

"But-".

"Now don't you go pointing fingers when you don't have any evidence to back you up. Use your head girly. How could it have been me?! I've been trapped in this shithole for too long".

Hanabi exhaled through her nose loudly as she brushed some of her hair behind her ear. She was getting nowhere with this. It was probably a mistake coming here.

"Fine, you win. I'm sorry that I accused you".

She was about to leave when Kazu suddenly spoke up. "But it doesn't mean that someone else might have influenced it".

Hanabi raised an eyebrow "What? Are you saying that someone has been manipulating this".

Kazu shrugged "Perhaps, but the now the question remains who. It's not like I can give my fair share but at the least I can at least give you a warning. Whether or not you choose to listen to my advice is your own choice".

Pearl eyes narrowed slightly "And how do I know that this isn't a trap. You could very well be plotting my death and I wouldn't know it".

A laugh "That would be a bit of a stretch, but I admit that I like you little girl, I can almost call you a friend. But I'm not that nice".

"So what should I do?".

"I wouldn't be asking that. But maybe you should leave it to someone that can".

Not wanting to hear any more Hanabi was quick to leave. She still did not know what that meant, she couldn't tell if he was simply messing with her or if he actually meant what he said. Either way it didn't matter. Hanabi wasn't smart enough to keep her nose out of this, so she decided that for the good of her sister she would do her own little search. She knew that what she was doing was already foolish but in her case she wasn't going to learn from her own mistakes unless she repeated it.

Hanabi couldn't help but sigh to herself "What have I gotten myself into".

All that was left to do was wait.

Okay that enough for now.

Yes, Matsuri really is dead. She is not going to be coming back (your welcome Matsuri haters).

Next chapter may come in roughly two or three weeks. I want to plan ahead for later chapters. So until then please leave reviews.

Bye!