Disclaimer: I like Naruto. I watch it. I read it. I hang it on my wall and sacrifice small, fluffy woodland creatures to it. But unfortunately, I don't own it. Nope, not one bit. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to step out and bag a bunny for today's ritual...

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Note: Everything has purpose...Warning: Severe OOC-ness...Reviews make me Smile...

Part Three: Cling

--FlashBack--

"You accept the consequences of this mission."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"And you understand the sacrifices that must be made if the worst should happen."

Opal eyes narrowed slightly before nodding in acquiesce.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade stared hard at the Hyuuga over the tops of her laced hands. She closed her topaz eyes for a silent moment of contemplation, sighing deeply in resolve. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew this was going to come back and bite her in the ass.

"Meet the rest of the team at the gates, from there you will travel to the border of Rice Country and confront Team Hawk."

The figure standing determined in front of her desk bowed in pardon before turning to the door.

"Hinata. Are you sure you're ready for this?" Tsunade couldn't stop the words from escaping her lips. She hated the queasy feeling of uncertainty, but over the years she had grown a soft spot for the neglected Hyuuga heiress. Her determination was endearing, while at the same time her compassion shown bright in the darkness that plague Konoha.

And she was one hell of a medic-nin.

Hinata drew her shoulder's square before facing Tsunade with a veneer of solid conviction.

"I would not have requested this, had I not been, Tsunade." Said woman looked away guiltily. "Now if you will excuse me, I must stop by the Aburame's before I depart."

"Very well, get out of here...stubborn Hyuuga." They shared a knowing glance. "Oi!" Hinata again paused as she reached for the door. "Make sure that ramen eating moron stays out of trouble!" Hinata shook her head in regalement as she stepped through the threshold, disappearing around the corner.

Tsunade rubbed her face with the palms of her hands. She eyed the paper work sitting ominously in a tall stack at the corner of her desk loathingly. With a hefty sigh, she reached down and pulled open the bottom drawer to her right.

"There you are my lovely." The Hokage grasped the neck of the sake a bottle and popped off the cap, kicking the compartment closed with her foot. "I have a feeling you and I are going to be come very good friends in the next couple of hours."

--End of FlashBack--

Topaz eyes winced at the amount of blood that covered Hinata's jacket as she peeled the garment off of her back. Tsunade suppressed the urge to freeze at the sight of crimson that stained the skin rouge, making it sticky to the touch. Tilting her head to the door, she could faintly hear Naruto and Kiba's restless pacing outside in the hall as she finished closing up the heiress' wound, fixing the hole to make it a little easier for her to breath.

To bad it didn't matter.

No amount of chakra or prayer could pull her back from the brink now. The Hokage tsked as she ran a green glowing hand down the length of Hinata's body. The poison had shut down her lower half completely, the chakra coils in her grey with immobility, as if frozen in time. She gave the blue-haired kunoichi roughly five-six minutes before it reached her heart, subsequently shutting down all functions. Right now the 18 year old slept, trying to gather as much strength as she could to hang on for those last few moments. She turned to the single window of the hospital room, looking out across th-

Tsunade jumped as the door burst open with a solid crack as it slammed into the wall. The Hokage whipped around to see Hanabi Hyuuga standing in the door, her face splotchy, shoulder's shaking with repressed rage, anger molding her adolescent features into creases of burning lividity. Behind her hovered the worried and exhausted faces of Shino, Kiba, Sakura, and Naruto.

"Where is my sister?" Her tone threatening.

Before the aged medic-nin could answer, Hanabi's eyes flickered to the unmoving figure on the bed. Bodies piled into the room behind her, faces that had been forced to mature before their time gazed upon the Hokage with anticipation. Sakura, who had regained consciousness on the way back to Konoha, stepped forward to speak for the group.

"Hokage-sama, is Hinata going to be all right?"

"Of course she's not." Hanabi hissed, her voice filled with spite and venom as she squeezed her sister's hand. She shook her head and chuckled darkly through her tears before standing and facing the group of shell shocked ninja. "You all did this. Everyone is accountable." She violently rubbed incessant drops away from her cheeks. "Especially you!" Hanabi glowered at the Hokage. Tsunada stepped back from the accusation, her eyes narrowing at the young chuunin.

"It's your fault she is like...like.. this!" She choked, waving an arm at the bed. "If you hadn't let her take this stupid mission, she wouldn't be leaving me!" She hit her chest with a clenched fist. Her grip so hard, blood dripped from the white-knuckled fingers. "She wouldn't be giving up everything for that...that...that FILTH!"

The slap resonated loudly through the stuffy hospital room. No one even saw Sakura move from her spot near the wall. The pinkette dropped her red hand and rolled it into a fist at her side, raw outrage pulsating from the jade depths of her eyes. Hanabi placed a cool hand on her throbbing cheek, refusing to look at the older girl who stood before her.

"Don't you dare say that about Naruto." Sakura seethed through her teeth. "Don't. You. Dare. What Hinata did was of her own volition. It is nobodies fault, least of all Naruto's. He didn't ask Hinata to jump in front of him. He didn't throw her into the path of that damned kunai. If you want to blame any one, blame Sasuke." She whispered the Avenger's name, hating the way her heart still fluttered at the thought of him, despite all of the evil he was capable of.

"It's okay, Sakura." Naruto placed a hand on the medic's shoulder. Sakura looked over her shoulder at the blond. His usual goofy grin now replaced with a grim frown. His normally bright, smiling eyes now dull, heavy with weary. Naruto gave her a gracious smile of thanks before looking down at Hanabi's shaking form. He reached for her, only to have his hand slapped away.

"Do not touch me." The Hyuuga stepped back towards the bed, putting a good distance between her and the rest of those in the room. "You don't get it do you." She shook her head. "You have no idea what's goi-"

"H-Hanabi. S-s-stop." All eyes immediately flew to the pale, slitting scrutiny of the kunoichi laying on top of the white sheets of the hospital bed. Hinata reached out and grabbed her sister's hand. "S-Stop it, Hanabi." The blue-haired nin whispered. "You d-don't...need to b-be s-sad."

"But you're going away, somewhere I can't follow." The younger Hyuuga's voice cracked through that rough edge, leaving behind a helpless whimper, one more akin to her age than the harsh tones she was using earlier. "You're leaving me just like she did." Hinata smiled wistfully at her sister, tugging her to sit on the edge of the mattress.

"S-she never left you. Mother is...still with us both. J-Just close your eyes." Hanabi did as her sister told. Hinata, despite the searing pain that tore down her back, reached up and placed her hands on her sister's cheeks, pulling Hanabi inches away from her face. The quickly failing Hyuuga sat up and began whispering in her sister's ear. Sorrow making her voice crack mournfully.

"I-I will see you again, but u-until t-that time I h-have a job for...you."

"What?" Hanabi asked softly, her own opal orbs still closed.

"B-brush your t-teeth." The chestnut-haired girl pulled back just to see a grin turn the corners of her sister's mouth.

"I hate you."

"Hmm..." Hinata closed her eyes.

"W-wait!" Hanabi pled. "What am I supposed to do, Hinata? You won't be there when I need you. What am I-" She was stopped by a cold hand obstructing the movement of her lips. She met Hinata's tired gaze.

"Live."

Hinata's eyes flickered over Hanabi's shoulder and locked with Tsunade's. They shared one more small knowing smile before her lavender hue's rolled back into her head. Hanabi caught her sister and pulled her up into a tight hug.

"Wait! Wait!" She shook Hinata roughly by the shoulders, her dry sobs distorting her words with breathless gasps. "But you...you didn't say...g-goodbye! You promised me! You wouldn't...l-leave until you said...g-goodbye." Hanabi clung to her sister's lifeless body uncaring of the audience that was currently witnessing her break down.

Sakura circled her arms around Naruto's neck and buried her head into his shoulder to muffle her cries. The Kyuubi vessel looked upon the sister's, silent tears sliding down his cheeks as her rubbed comforting circles on his teammate's back. Shino faced the wall he was previously leaning against, and placed his warm forehead against the cold plaster; his trench coat collar and glasses muffling his own reaction. He glanced over at the corner where Kiba had stood with his head bowed. The dog-nin had left.

A forlorn howl erupted from the grounds outside the hospital. Tsunade's eye's turned to the window just in time to see Kiba and Akamaru tear off down the main street of Konoha; chilling bay's of agony and loss in their wake. She returned her gaze to the small chuunin on the bed. Hanabi's face was hidden in the crook of her sister's neck, Hinata's baggy black shirt soaking up the tears that refused to stop falling.

'You accept the consequences of this mission?'

'Yes, Hokage-sama.'

End Part Three:

A/N: It is not over yet! Don't throw things at me! I just hope you guys don't abandon this story after this, because there is so much left that needs to be explained. Different points of view to pull the story together for the ending. Next chapter will probably be either Shino's point of view or Hanabi's (cause I bet you are confused on how she knew her sister was at the hospital!)

I hope that came out believable. Sometimes I wonder if I should just forgo death scene's, they always come out cheesy to me. Maybe that's because I wrote them...Oh well, please review, flames are welcome (especially for this chapter) but as long as they are constructive. Any advice you want to give me to write an adequate death scene would be so wonderfully helpful.