Author's Notes: It's been a while since I updated this story. So I want to give my special "thank you"s to those who e-mailed me to update; I'm very happy to feel such warm support.

Chapter 3:

Break apart of what makes you complete,

And see if you can put the pieces back again,

I'll stand and watch you fix

Your aching sins.

"You are not like us, older sister," spoke Hanabi softly, as she stared across the table at Hinata.

As Hanabi watched from across the table, staring at Hinata pour the tea, she couldn't help but notice the differences in their nature. Hinata was sweet and serene, but dull and gullible to a very high degree. Even after Hinata lost her memory, Hanabi wasn't surprised to find any differences in Hinata's character. Her older sister was still the aloof type of girl who had always been seen as a weakling. Hanabi hated to be harsh when she judged her sister, but it couldn't be helped. This was why they were so different, why in Hanabi's growing up she had forgotten at times that she had an elder sister. Hinata was considered an outcast.

Hanabi construed herself to be strong and sophisticated, but cold and unemotional to a high degree. She didn't consider herself cute or bubbly like many of the girls at the Konoha Academy. Hanabi was the tough girl who would rather fight than care about tea leaves. During evenings when she would come home, Hanabi would be reminded of the fate sealed to her sister, a betrayer of the Hyuuga family.

"With your memory partially gone, father does not want you to study Byakugan ever again," said Hanabi softly once again. She thanked Hinata for the tea and sipped it. She allowed herself to release an exhalation of amazement at the high quality. Even if Hanabi didn't care for tea leaves, she did enjoy a delicious cup of tea made by her sister.

Hinata held her tea cup in her hands," I don't u-understand why Father would-"

"Don't question Father, Hinata," spoke Hanabi, her voice stern. She was dressed in her shinobi uniform and after visiting her sister, would be preparing to leave for practice with her team. The caution in her voice grew as she looked at Hinata's curious expression," Sometimes, its better that you never know what happened."

"Hanabi," spoke Hinata calmly, reaching a hand out to touch her sister's.

"Don't," spoke Hanabi, her voice now cold with no sentiment.

Hinata stopped, her eyes wide," Hanabi…what's wrong?"

Hanabi shook her head and both sisters now sat in a moment of silence. It was hard enough for Hanabi already. Everyone in the Hyuuga main house knew who the father was. With their skill, they could see perfectly through Hinata that a baby was slowly forming inside her body. They could tell that it was a mixture of Main House blood and Branch House blood. Yet, Hinata could never again possess the gift that every Hyuuga member had: Seeing through objects and persons. She would never have that gift.

Hanabi feared that her fate would be sealed like Hinata's. She feared any closer relationship with her elder sister would disrespect the Main house Elders.

Their father Hiashi had decreed that should Hinata be secretly taught the Byakugan again, life imprisonment was imminent for the person. For the sake of Hinata's future, Hanabi realized that her father was going at all costs to make sure that her sister was protected.

And Hanabi had been forced to comply with her father's wishes.

If she could, she would teach Hinata the Byakugan. She would make her elder sister see the man who had fathered her child. She would do everything in her power to make Hinata encounter the pain that had left both Hinata and Neji scarred and separated forever.

If I could, older sister, I would make you see why I hate you, thought Hanabi as she continued to look at Hinata stare at her with worry. I would make you see why I can no longer stand the fact that you are weak. You are pathetic and worthless to this clan.

"Gaara…"

Hanabi's eyes slightly widened and Hinata noticed. Hanabi gave a small cough and shifted in her seat slightly.

Hinata looked uneasy, staring at her cup of tea in her hands, as she bit her lip before continuing," I…I can't s-seem to get him o-off my back."

Hanabi remained calm, elusive to the boiling emotions raging within at this very moment," I see." Her eyes narrowed," Well, it isn't my problem if the Kazekage has affections for you."

Hinata shook her head quickly, noticing the hard-edged tone her sister was emitting," N-no, Hanabi! I-it's not what you t-think! I-I don't like him like that!"

"Than why are you telling me this?" asked Hanabi, with a hint of cynicism in her voice," I've already told you before that I don't care if you marry him even though you're carrying another man's child. I don't care if you don't love him. I don't care if you can't get him off your back. I don't care about your relationships with men. There is nothing I can do."

Hinata was taken aback and it showed in the slight widening of her eyes and the hurt expression in her facial expression. But she felt herself speak with a bit of rage in her tone. Even if Hanabi seemed to have a dislike for her, Hinata wasn't going to be misinterpreted by her sister. "Hanabi," Hinata said warningly," I-I don't want to see you in pain. I know you l-love him. Don't think that I'm going to marry him."

Hanabi drank her tea in one gulp, feeling the burning tea in her throat. She stood up from the tatami floor and bowed. "Good bye, sister."

Hinata sighed as she watched her sister leave. There was nothing, nothing she could do to convince Hanabi that Hinata would never plan to love another man again. The baby was going to be her focus of attention from now on. She was going to raise her child with all the best care in the world and one day, for sure there would be a day when she would be able to remember the face of her baby's father and tell him in person how much their child has grown.

"You truly are a fool, brother," spoke Temari, rolling her eyes, as she took a seat across from her youngest brother. In front of her was a tray of food she had brought into the room. As her brother's protector in the Konoha Village, she was forced to answer all of his commands. Not that she minded, his younger brother was twenty-three and could handle himself, but he was the Kazekage and she had a duty to safeguard him at all costs, even at her life.

She pushed the tray of food to him. "I've tasted them. It's safe to eat." Her blue eyes looked up at him questioningly.

Gaara had a knee drawn up to his chest with one arm resting on it that was touching his chin. His fiery hair was wet from a shower and his cerulean eyes were not staring at Temari, but at the ground. He seemed to be in deep thought.

Sighing, Temari looked away and poured for her brother a cup of tea that was rested on the table. She than pushed the cup of tea to him. "Drink."

He was still unresponsive.

Temari lightly shook her head.

"Why don't you go visit Shikamaru?"

"What-" replied Temari, flustered. She immediately pounded the table at the name and she gave Gaara a scrupulous stare. "What does Shikamaru have to do with me?"

Gaara smirked, took the cup of tea into his hand and drank it all down in one shot. "I notice that you visit him a lot since our arrival here ten days ago."

"Ugh, he's a nuisance, really. The only good thing about him is that he's relatively intelligent," remarked Temari, trying to hide her face with a hand over her left facial cheek. Looking away, she muttered in an uninterested tone," How about you? You're meeting with the Fifth Hokage has also left people wondering if your unusual prolonged stay here in the village is to win Hinata's heart."

Gaara bit his lip at his sister's mentioning. "She's nothing to me." His words were cold and unfeeling. But why…did inside, his insides were burning just at the thought of her.

"Tch, sure."

"I mean it," said Gaara, his voice low. "Her past, her life, nothing about her seems worth my interest as the Kazekage. I only pity the poor woman."

It was true. She was a pitiable creature—considered the damned Hyuuga; An heir who falls in love with her protector, who is also her cousin. What kind of a sick joke was this? Yet, even though he couldn't understand Neji and Hinata's actions, there was an unmistakeable magnet pulling him close to her. She was different than most women he knew. She was a silent, precarious girl with little accomplishment. However, she was mellow and gentle. Gaara realized Hyuuga Hinata wasn't just the average woman, impressed by how she cared relatively little about him.

He was after all, the feared sand killer.

He had known her since she was thirteen and had seen her battered body at the Chuunin Exams. She was a dainty little person and he didn't find much threat in her. Years later, as he took up the role as Kazekage, he met her more and more. Her name was the only good thing that attracted people to her. Being a Hyuuga was the only reason why he had even looked at her in the first place.

So when did he started to…look at her more and more?

Perhaps, when he saw her smiling as she stared at her pregnant belly. It had been a normal day just like any of his other meetings he often attended with men of power. He had come out of a meeting with Hyuuga Hiashi and as he passed the garden that he had been told, was immensely beautiful and well-kept by the deceased wife of Hyuuga Hiashi, he had turned to look.

And there Hinata was seated, alone as usual, and rubbing her fabric-covered belly lovingly.

Very quickly, Gaara had been reminded of an image of his mother. His mother who hated his father so much, the last Kazekage who died under the hands of Orochimaru, that he would indefinitely live without his mother's caress or care. He had only seen pictures of the woman who gave birth to him. And his mother's image at that very moment had appeared over Hinata's as he watched her care for the baby growing inside of her.

It baffled him after he left the Hyuuga compound that he felt a certain awe for the elder Hyuuga daughter. Even under her circumstances of being ousted, hated, and forgetting the man who had given her a child, she still loved the baby so gently and so adoringly.

As much as Gaara couldn't help it, he had been touched by Hinata's innocence to the pain that would later come with the birth of the baby. He knew the baby would be an outcast, looked down upon as a child of incest, and would not have the honor of Hyuuga stamped on him/her. Gaara knew too well the feeling of being left out and looked upon as a thing than a person. His whole childhood had been filled with anger and hatred for his parents.

But as the days flew by...

Gaara saw her care for herself and the baby. He started to approach her, talk to her, and even though he knew she was scared of him, he couldn't help but be a bit too compromising to her. For these past ten days, he knew he had seen her more than often on his personal time, bringing gifts for the baby and her. When did he become so…different than usual?

Temari wondered, with growing curiosity," And the younger sister doesn't mind that her potential fiancé is spending time with her older sister? I notice the younger one stares at you a lot in the meetings. And she even blushes when you talk to her. It's quite adorable to see her so attached to you. After all, I hear from people that she's very reserved. Just to even have her talk to you is a blessing in itself." Temari couldn't help but give a grin at the end. She could see the surprise in Gaara's eyes. She wondered how he felt for the youngest Hyuuga daughter of Hiashi.

Attached? Thought Gaara. Even though, he had spoken with Hyuuga Hiashi about the potential marriage that could come about with his frequent meetings with the Hyuugas, Gaara was not an expert when it came to women. He never considered dating women as an option for a mate. He always knew that an arranged marriage to a powerful family was what he wanted—to ensure that there was an alliance. But besides that he never cared for marrying in the sake of so-called 'love.' Even the mark on his forehead made him laugh when he stared at himself in the mirror because he had grown up with little of it and found it little use when he conducted trade agreements, alliances, and entered into battle.

He guessed that with such little experience with women, having the youngest Hyuuga daughter of Hiashi talk to him and blush when around him was a compliment. However, it didn't make him want to marry her any more than the potential alliance he could make with one of the most powerful clans in Konoha.

"She rarely catches my attention," said Gaara. Hyuuga Hanabi was just like the other women he had encountered in his life. "However, I can't ignore the potential significance a marriage with her would make."

Temari couldn't help but guffaw at his comment. She stared at him with disbelief. "So you really don't care that you're treading dangerous water by not responding to the Hyuuga heir Hanabi?"

Gaara picked up a pair of chopsticks and dig into the plate of fried vegetables with beef, seafood salad, and barbecued pork. He chewed on a piece of meat and started to eat.

He ate rather than answer such a stupid question.

Drip.

Drip.

She sat alone on her bed, wrapped in a white towel to cover her wet body from the shower she just took two minutes ago. Sakura stared at the ground, her mind reverting back to the night she shared the bed with Naruto. Turning her head, she stared at her sheets. These sheets…

smelled like Naruto…

and it made Sakura's stomach feel sick.

She couldn't imagine that she had slept with Naruto, when in reality; she was in love with Neji. When had she debased herself like this that she would use the feelings of her good friend for her own ploy?

Fighting back tears, Sakura looked away from the sheets. She couldn't sleep on these sheets, more so, on this bed. When she had become so hurt because of Sasuke, Naruto had comforted her. As Sakura scanned the walls and her eyes came across items Naruto had given her like clothes and jewelry, a tear flowed freely down her cheek. With one hand holding her towel, the other hand wiped her eyes.

Sakura had been played before by Naruto and Sasuke. She had become a broken woman because of these two men.

But with Neji, she could start things over. She could live a life of meaning with a man who respected her, a man filled with such deep honor and respect for his elders, and caused her to yearn like never before.

But why was she doing this to herself? And suffering alone?

Why did she love Neji even in such agony he was causing her?

Learn your lesson, you fool, she told herself while in tears.

Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!

Sakura looked up from her bed. The doorbell? Why is it ringing? It was already dark at night and the rain had still not stop raining. Wiping her eyes real well, Sakura placed on a blue robe, leaving her white towel on the bed. Walking out of her room, passed the kitchen, and into the living room, Sakura opened the door.

Sakura gasped as she was faced to a tired-looking Neji, leaning on her doorway. Sakura was quiet as she stared in shock at Neji's shape.

"Sakura… it's me…" he said in a slow, but gentle tone. He had not seen her since the day he left the apartment, giving her a kiss on the lips. He saw her red eyes, but made no reaction.

Sakura remained quiet but flabbergasted at his arrival to her apartment at such a late hour. Her hand was holding onto tightly to the doorknob. Her body had stiffened also.

"I saw Naruto today. He's back from his mission."

Sakura's eyes widened.

"We need to talk."

Sakura didn't have to let him in, Neji had already allowed himself to enter. Sakura closed the door and turned her head to stare at his back.

"What do you have to tell me?" asked Sakura softly. Does he know?

"He says that he cares for you."

Sakura looked down at the floor. "Oh."

"Oh? Is that all you can say?"

Sakura sighed," Hinata is pregnant and you're the father. Should I not be surprised?"

"Oh."

Sakura smirked, shaking her head a bit," Look at us." She was feeling angry, angry that he brought up Naruto. Angry that she brougth up Hinata.

"I don't expect you to stay with me anymore. I only wanted you to know that we don't have to be together anymore and that Naruto still cares for you."

"So what about you?" questioned Sakura, her eyes staring at Neji again. "You can't even look at me in the face as you're telling me this. Have you not even felt an ounce of love for me? Am I just some silly fall-back girl for you?"

"No. You're not, Sakura."

"Than what am I to you?" I need to know.

"You're my partner. You're my girlfriend."

"If that's true, Neji, than forget her. Forget Hinata and forget your child," spoke Sakura boldly, under a hiss of anger. "If you really love me, you would forget both of them."

"That's why I came here. I want to forget. Everything. I've made my peace with the Hyuugas."

Neji turned to Sakura, his white eyes gleaming powerfully into Sakura's," I want to be able to love you right, Sakura. This is best for everyone. For me, especially." He approached her now. His long wisp of ebony hair wasn't tied back and he was wearing black pajamas and a white t-shirt. He touched a strand of Sakura's pink hair and lowered his face to hers.

"Neji..." whispered Sakura as she looked at him. Her heart was beating fast. She wanted to hold him and slowly her hands came up to grab onto his white t-shirt. "Really?"

Neji pressed his lips to Sakura's cheek and whispered softly," If you'll forgive me."

"I do..." said Sakura immediately. She quickly pulled him into a kiss, her hands now wrapping over his neck. Through this kiss, she showed him all the love she had for him melting onto his lips. She moaned as his hands reached for her waist, untying the robe string. "Wait...I want to know why you've decided this." Breathing quickly, she stopped their kiss and stared up at him.

Neji looked at Sakura. He looked into her vulnerable eyes and he felt a new sense of raw emotion he had never felt before. He was letting go of his guard. He was letting her see him--the man he had become after losing Hinata. He was weak. He wasn't strong.

"Because," he said," I don't want to be in this kind of love-sick pain anymore." He had been in love with Hinata, his cousin. With that recognition itself, there was a sense of wrong in the love Neji and Hinata had in this world's ethics. After all, Neji had always been proud of himself for the moral code he lived by.

One of the rules of his code was that he believed a kin killing a kin was a true act of sin.

By loving Hinata, as a man loved a woman, she, his cousin, would ultimately die by his hands. Nonetheless, his child too would die by his hands as well.

And Neji could never live with himself if this came true. He realized it when he woke up with a bad headache after his drinking binge. Afterward, he noticed he had lost himself in the midst of pain. He wasn't the calm, cool, and collected man who Hinata had respected and felt safe with. After losing her, he had become a coward--afraid of losing the one he loved forever when there were worse things that could happen.

In the life of a shinobi, he was destined to die at any time.

But he had also made a vow to protect his loved ones from harm--even killing another human being.

Neji had forgotten the true meaning of his purpose as a shinobi. As he kissed Sakura deeper and more passionately, he would now protect Hinata and his child at the cost of his life and his wish to be with them.

This was his destiny.