I've finished. Omg. I've finished it. - does Teh Happy Dance -

Though I -may - add an epilogue.

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Rebirth: a phoenix's gift...or curse.

Lying on the thin mattress of the hospital bed, Hanabi stared up at the white-washed ceiling, fingers curled feebly into the thin cotton blankets. The spotless, clinical room and the pervading, sharp scent of chlorine was grating on her already raw nerves; the bone white that surrounded her was a blank canvas on which her thoughts roamed painfully and memories played out, again and again, a painful mess of vividly recalled colours, scenes and sounds.

Hanabi decided that she hated hospitals.

The searing pain in her legs had subsided into a dull, throbbing ache; broken bones had been mended splinter by splinter, and most of the raw cuts and bruises that marked her skin had been healed. There would be scars, pale veins threading across her skin like ripped seams on a rag doll. She found that she didn't – couldn't – care as she lay motionless, lips slightly parted, barely breathing.

"Hanabi...would you like something to eat?"

She glanced to the left, eyes tracing over the soft contours of her sister's face as she entered the room. She shook her head. Hinata bit her lip worriedly but sat down on the side of the bed, wordlessly adjusting the blankets around Hanabi's thin frame. The room lasped once more into a brittle, fragile sort of silence; Hinata didn't really know what to say to Hanabi but she stayed by her side anyway, listening to her quiet, shallow breathing. She glanced down at her sister as she continued to stare blankly upwards, eyes wide and frighteningly empty.

"You know...Tsunade-sama said you were very lucky." Hinata began a little awkwardly, trying to get her sister to respond. "If you didn't have the Feng-Huan sealed inside you, you would have died from your injuries."

Hanabi remained silent, unmoved. Hinata swallowed and continued. "You're...you're like Naruto-kun, now. You have a near limitless supply of chakra...that's why you've healed so quickly. But you don't have to worry about the phoenix escaping and taking over anytime soon - Tsunade-sama placed further seals over the original defective one. You'll be alright, Hanabi..." The last statement was more like a question but Hanabi did not reply or even nod her head in assent. Hinata sighed and stared at a spot on the wall in front of her, a little hurt, unable to reach her sister.

"How is he now?" Hanabi spoke up suddenly, voice quiet and surprisingly firm.

Hinata tensed, biting her lip. She had expected and dreaded this question and she paused briefly before placing a gentle hand on Hanabi's shoulder. "He's still in critical condition... Tsunade-sama says she's trying her best, but..." she licked her lips nervously and Hanabi tilted her head to face her properly.

"...but?"

Hinata thought her heart could break again at the unmistakable traces of terror present in the quiet, harsh intonation of that one word.

"But...she's not sure if he'll make it past tonight."

Hanabi stared up at her for a long moment, whole body rigid. Hinata tightened her grip on her shoulder. "There's still hope-"

But her own voice sounded unconvincing even to herself and she stopped herself short as Hanabi abruptly turned away from her, eyes squeezed tightly shut. She felt warm tears prickling at the back of her eyes but she blinked them back because she knew Hanabi wasn't crying. Hinata gazed at the young woman before her, mouth open, trying to say something – anything­ – and then she realized that sometimes, grief cannot be put into words.

But neither can sisterhood.

Hanabi turned around again when she felt Hinata slip into the bed besides her, pulling the blankets across both of them. Dry white eyes met slighty red-rimmed ones as they stared at each other, Hinata reaching out to hug her tightly. A few moments passed; then shaking arms wrapped themselves slowly around her shoulders and returned the gesture, their hair merging into each others' in a mass of black waves across the white pillow as they sank back, holding onto each other tightly.

Hanabi closed her eyes.

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When she was sure her sister was asleep Hinata slid herself out of the bed, padding silently across the room. She opened the door quietly and slipped out, turning to face the Aburame man leaning against the wall.

"Are there any news about Kiba-kun?" She looked up at him hopefully.

"No." His answer was brusque and factual but his stiff demeanor told of his own worry concerning their friend. Hinata lowered her gaze and Shino sighed, lifting a hand to tug gently at her sleeve. "They got what they wanted out of Yumiko."

"Really?" Hinata didn't lift her eyes from the ground. She paused for a while before speaking up again, quietly. "You know...I don't really care. About why they took us...why they wanted to destroy Konoha. I really don't care anymore. Kiba's dying and he's going to take Hanabi with him... " she trailed off, clearly upset. Shino watched her quietly, giving her time to collect herself before she continued. "...knowing why they did those things to us would not make it all justified; everything is still going to be wrong. Shino-kun...I really don't know what to do..."

Again, Shino said nothing but this time he leaned forwards and pressed Hinata to his chest, feeling his thin coat stain wet with the tears Hinata had forced back for Hanabi's sake. "I'm sorry." Hinata's voice was muffled, her face pressed against his shoulder.

"...Don't be." Shino shook his head and stroked her hair gently. "I understand."

After they had recovered from their initial shock at seeing the transformations, Hinata and Shino had dragged Kiba, Akamaru and Hanabi out to the courtyard, where they had found Yumiko still unconscious near what remained of Keito. Together they had managed to tow all four bodies down the tunnels, through seemingly endless stretches of the pitch black, claustrophobic underground, resting only occasionally to tend to their injuries. Thankfully, neither was severely incapacitated from the previous fight; after a few hours they had glimpsed the heavenly sight of a few meager rays of morning sunlight seeping into the tunnel from the entrance.

Upon climbing out and drinking in the painfully missed sight of the forest, the two had collapsed amongst the other bodies, completely exhausted. Later in the day a group of academy students came across the unconscious heap of injured shinobi and ran shrieking to alert a stunned Iruka-sensei; all six were immediately retrieved and dispatched to the hospital.

"I ...I hope they didn't hurt Yumiko too much." Hinata mumbled, still pressed against Shino's chest. Surprisingly, their injuries had mostly healed by themselves over the years; Shino's body had recovered remarkably well after the extraction of his bugs, and Keito had always made sure Yumiko patched up Hinata's more serious injuries in the light of her being the intended Feng-Huan carrier. There was irreversible scarring across both their ravaged bodies (in Hinata's case the worst was a thick, almost silver streak running between her breasts - a constant reminder of when she was practically impaled through with a knife) but the newer injuries were relatively harmless and the medic-nins had easily nursed them back to health. Compared to Kiba and Hanabi, they had been extremely well-off.

"...you're too kind, Hinata." Despite his words Shino smiled, tightening his hold on the woman. "Apparently they couldn't get her to speak at first; she was crying and asking for Keito. She gave up though, when she found out he was dead."

"She really loved him, I think." Hinata lifted her head to look Shino full in the eye. "...the poor woman. She never did realize that he was only using her."

Shino nodded. "From what Yumiko told Ibiko...Keito was part of one of the ruling families of Rock country. The heir of a Feudal Warlord, actually. His family were tyrants and their people asked Yondaime to free them from their oppression. Yondaime sent a team of jounins to dispatch Keito's family from the ruling seat, and he had been seeking revenge ever since in an attempt to regain power for himself and his family."

"What about Yumiko?" Her brows drew together as she frowned slightly in confusion. "...And why did they target the Hyuugas?"

"I'm not entirely clear on that...but I suspect it is because there were two Hyuuga's in the team that destroyed the Iimura reign. Keito and his family's lives were spared, but all their former friends and alliances, their soldiers, all turned their backs on them. After a while, even his own family left him. Except for a very few – Yumiko, who apparently was a childhood friend of Keito's...and the few other men who were part of our kidnapping."

Hinata drew back, surprised and a little worried. "What about those men, then? They might still be out there!"

Shino shook his head again. "They abandoned Keito after a few years had passed and Yumiko still failed to seal the Feng-huan into you." He looked at her, a faintly proud expression on his face. "...you were incredibly strong, Hinata. I hope you realize that."

Hinata smiled back at him unabashedly; after so many years and all that she had gone through with Shino, she was completely at ease around him, without a trace of her former shyness. Unexpectedly, Shino blushed. Hinata frowned, a little confused. "Shino-kun? Are you alright? You're a little flushed...you should be careful, Tsunade-sama had warned us that we might an allergic reaction to the medication she used on us – Shino-kun?"

To her surprise and concern Shino only flushed a deeper shade of red. She pulled away and was about to call for a medic-nin when Shino suddenly grasped her hand, tugging her gently back next to him. "I'm alright, Hinata."

Hinata looked up at him curiously.

"I was thinking...we've gone through so much together...so, w-well, I was thinking that...Hi-Hinata...would you by any chance l-like to..." Shino was stammering. Hinata blinked. Shino looked down at her, gripped her fingers tightly, and swallowed. "Hinata...will you marry me?"

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The next morning Hinata went back to check on Hanabi. One look at the younger woman and she could tell that Hanabi had barely slept the whole night. Dark circles around her eyes only served to emphasize her sharper features; her eyes were wide and unblinking when she sat up, turning to Hinata the second she stepped into the room.

"Is he dead?" Her voice rang clearly through the quiet morning air.

Hinata had barely slept either and her smile was tired but triumphant. Hanabi stared at her sister's expression, breath coming out in short, ragged gasps before she fell back heavily onto the bed.

"Oh God. I was so fucking terrified he was going to leave me and-" Hanabi spoke quickly, rushing through the words like she was expelling all the pent up emotions that had ravaged her mind the whole night. She paused when Hinata came forwards, sitting by her side. "How is he now? Is he still in critical condition?"

Hinata's smile faded a little. "I'm afraid so. Tsunade-sama said the fact that he survived last night is already a good indication he may survive...but right now Kiba-kun is still in danger of losing his life anytime."

Hanabi was silent for a while. When she looked up at Hinata again she had regained some of her composure and she spoke quietly. "Can I see him?"

"I'm sorry... Tsunade-sama said the intensive care medic team is working on him constantly...so we're not allowed to see him at all." Hinata patted her hand encouragingly, trying to cheer her sister up. "Neh, Hanabi. Keep believing in him...he'll pull through this, I'm sure."

Hanabi nodded.

Hinata stayed for a while longer in her room, neither of them speaking a word. Neither of them had to. In a way, the silence was comforting and they basked in each other's company, so precious after such a long separation. When Hanabi stood up to leave, she ruffled Hanabi's hair affectionately before turning to the door.

"Hinata...?"

Hinata paused, turning back to face her sister.

"Hinata...do you think Kiba-kun will forgive me?" Hanabi asked softly.

"Forgive you?" Hinata leaned back against the door, a little perplexed.

"I...I let the Feng-Huan take control of me. I attacked him. I would have attacked both you and Shino if he hadn't gotten in the way and saved us all." Hanabi's expression was numb as she almost viciously listed off her 'crimes'.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Maybe it was."

"...There is nothing to forgive, Hanabi."

A pause, and then Hanabi nodded mechanically and when Hinata left she turned to face the window, face expressionless, one hand fisting the blankets together tightly.

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Nearly two weeks later Hanabi went to visit Shino and Hinata's empty graves one last time. She had obtained permission from Tsunade to leave the hospital and recuperate back in the privacy of the Hyuuga residence. Hiashi had received her and Hinata without much commotion in front of the other Hyuugas; in private, he had hugged his daughters tightly to himself for a long moment, the three of them saying little but feeling too much.

As far as she knew, Kiba had still been barely hanging on even after five days of continual intensive medical attention. Hanabi had not been able to see him once; for the first few days she had asked after him continually, desperately grasping at any little piece of news Tsunade-sama could spare her. She lived in a constant state of fear – hoping against hope that he wouldn't die, but also secretly terrified that he would hate her if he survived.

She was brutally tearing herself - her heart, her sanity - into shreds in her anxiety and guilt. Eventually, she stopped asking after him completely, choosing to re-immerse herself in training in order to find a relative peace of mind.

Today was the eleventh day – six days of deliberately not knowing how Kiba was doing. She stood, studying the engraved lettering on both tombstones. It was late in the evening; the sky was darkening already, the forest around the cemetery casting long, twisted shadows across the graves. Winter was coming and the wind was bitter, bitingly cold, the few remaining dead leaves swept along like dead butterfly wings, rustling faintly. Hanabi shivered, bending down to sweep off the wilted flowers placed before the graves, the countless bouquets and daisies that had been brought to commemorate the deaths of her sister and her teammate.

Only, they were not dead and Hanabi was determined to destroy any traces that suggested otherwise.

In a few, smooth motions, both tombstones had been knocked down, crumbling into meaningless rubble at her feet. Seeing the graves had hit too close to home for comfort; they had constantly reminded her of what she had nearly lost – may still lose –

Kiba-kun, she thought, and she sat down heavily on the ground, head in her hands.

Please, please don't die. It was useless. Even if she tried to not think about him he seemed to have taken up permanent residence in a corner of her mind; he haunted her – she found herself recalling how his eyes gleamed when they sparred together, the feral grin. The way he had leapt between Keito and herself near this very spot, begging her not to go.

Fuck it, Kiba-kun. I hate this. I hate you. Hanabi felt her face crumpling up and bit down her lip furiously, drawing blood. In fact, I hate you so much that I...I'm probably... in love with you.

...Oh.

Abruptly Hanabi sat up straighter, lips parting in surprise.

...I'm in love with Kiba-kun.

Suddenly she laughed, a short, harsh bark that startled a few nearby birds into flying away in a flurry of grey wings.

I'm in love with Kiba.

After afew shocked moments she smiled wryly, lips twisting bitterly at the corners. ...neh, I guess I should have known this was coming. I really shouldn't be so surprised...

And then the fact that she was in love with Inuzuka Kiba, who was probably currently dying somewhere in the hospital, finally, truly hit home, and she doubled over. Suddenly trying not to cry became a thousand times more difficult and she brought her hand up to her mouth, biting down on the back of her palm in an attempt to stifle the sobs that threatened to rip out from her throat.

God, Kiba-kun...if only you knew what you do to me.

Suddenly there was a small, scraping noise; Hanabi immediately forced herself back into a neutral expression at the sound of coming footsteps, pretending to be oblivious to whoever was coming up behind her. She wanted to be left alone. She needed to collect herself, calm the storm of emotions that was currently tearing her apart from the inside.

Then the person spoke, and his voice was tired, weary, but threaded through with an intense, fierce kind of joy.

"...What's a pretty girl like you doing alone tonight, hey?"

And Hanabi cried.