The hospitals were busy with all the people Gaara and the gang brought in. Burnt people scarred people, people with broken limbs and gouged eyes. The cemeteries were filled with more graves than they could count, families crying over the graves of their beloveds who lay deceased under the sand and dirt. New houses were being built by the people of the Suna, including the sand siblings. Gaara was giving orders to the people but also helping too. He stood there viewing the house he was overseeing, a hammer at his side and a look of pride. He felt a warm mass grasp onto him and kiss his cheek.

"Hello Hinata. Oh look at you, fitting into the Suna style are we?"

Hinata twirled around in her new out befitting the hot sandy home she called her own now. Her hair was up a ponytail with the desert rose in it, the Suna headband around her neck and of course her little piece of plastic glinted in the sun on her delicate finger.

"You like it? It's a lot cooler than a huge jacket."

She placed a tender hand on his shoulder, looking up at the people, his people, building up this house.

"It's looking great. Do you need some help?"

"That would be nice. Having help from somebody as beautiful as you, it would sure brighten my day."

He placed a soft kiss to her lips while stroking her chin and neck. In the darkness stood Matsuri, glowering at Hinata.

'Look at her, hamming it up, trying to suck every kiss out of him. It should be me…it has to be me…it will be me!'

Matsuri brushed off some dirt and dust, making herself look presentable before striding up to Hinata. She tapped her shoulder gently making Hinata release Gaara's tender lips and turn toward Matsuri. Matsuri smiled gently and asked in the softest, innocent voice,

"Hinata-sama, can you please help me? Some people back at the hospital need healing and you're the only one with the power to see the exact points, I could really use your help."

"Of course Matsuri. Come on, let's go."

"Hai! Thank you Hinata-san-shii!"

They left, leaping into the sky. Matsuri waved goodbye to Gaara.

"Sayonara Gaara, and good luck!"

Gaara waved goodbye to Matsuri and received the kiss blown to him by Hinata. Matsuri narrowed her eyes at Hinata. 'Disgusting.' They got to the hospital and entered room 825 where an older man lay groaning in pain. Matsuri rushed to his side.

"Elder Mioshin! Where does it hurt?"

She placed her hand on his head, a look of fear and pain in her eyes. All she received was a stressful groan. Hinata's fingers glowed slightly as she approached him; her lavender-tinted eyes became veiny as her Byakugan activated. She saw it, the points of pain, little twisted knots below the skin, in the tissue, muscle, bones, and organs.

"Here they are," she said, moving her hands over the areas, "let's get to work, they aren't serious just some muscle cramps and pulled tendons. Nothing we can't fix, right?"

Matsuri nodded. She had to admit it, this girl knew a lot about the human anatomy and health. She was an expert level Medical Nin while Matsuri herself was just a newbie. As much as she hated Hinata, she held a flicker of respect for her devotion and love toward the medical field. She put her all into her work and Matsuri could respect that if nothing else but hate canceled over anything else. They worked hard to suppress the pain and successfully did their job right. Elder Mioshin sighed in relief, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Oh thank you girls," he said in a shaky, rough voice that held some gentleness.

"You're welcome Elder Mioshin," they said in unison, bowing.

"It's nice to wake up from such a horrible pain to see such lovely young ladies."

Matsuri laughed. "Oh Elder Mioshin, you old pervert. We're far too young for you."

He smiled, scratching the back of his head. "Well you are very pretty girls. Especially you."

He gestured towards Hinata, who lightly blushed. "Me? Oh sir…why I could very well be your granddaughter."

"Haha! You're that young?! You wouldn't mind humoring an old man, would you? I may look haggard but I've still got a few good years on me."

Hinata chuckled. "Oh my! Well I'm already taken, sir."

"Ah, I'm too late then. Always the beautiful ones who slip from my grip. Who's the lucky man?"

Hinata played with her tiny plastic ring. Matsuri eyed this. She didn't know why she wore that rusty old piece of junk but it seemed to have some connection to Gaara…maybe something to do with that strange metal ring?

"The Kazekage, Gaara."

"Oh! Our Kazekage would find a rare desert bloom such as yourself…nay your something softer and sweeter, like a white rose…or a lily."

"Yes…most compare me to a lily. It's my favorite flower."

"Well…Good luck to you both with the other patients, and thank you again. You'll visit me again, Hn?" He winked at the girls. "Especially you miss…um…um..."

"Hinata. Hinata Hy-….just Hinata."

Matsuri caught that. She didn't say her last name, was she ashamed of it? What secrets did this girl hold within that last name?

"Well I'll be seeing you Miss Hinata and good luck with you and our Kazekage. May you live long, prosper and have many, many babies!"

Hinata turned bright red while Matsuri felt her stomach do a sickening flip. She knew her skin turned green and she looked sick. She felt sick…she WAS sick. The thought of Hinata and Gaara…in bed…was sickening. She could only hope that they hadn't done IT with each other and that if they did that it was terrible. Searing jealousy course through the young girl. She had Gaara and his virginity! Not only that but everyone she met fallen in love with her! Like just now the elder had recognized her as the beautiful one, the prettier one. What was it about Hinata that made her so lovable? Her "charming" nature, sweetness, soft voice, kind demeanor, her loving heart? Did it lie within her outward beauty, those doe-like, large, pearly eyes, that soft, lotion-colored, super soft skin, those full, small, rosebud lips, that smile, those rosy cheeks, that silky, long, indigo hair, or her lithe, curvaceous body? These things Matsuri did not and could not possess.

Even if Matsuri was as old as Hinata she would not have those blessed features every woman should have. Her breast would stay small and the rest of her would be skinny, flat and not very bodacious. Her sandy skin, brown hair, and brown eyes came with living here in the Sunagakure and most girls looked this way but even so, some of them were very beautiful. Matsuri had a plainness, a homeliness to her but she was pretty, make no mistake, in fact she was very pretty but she was no great beauty and she didn't come from the leaf village which turned out great beauties every day. With their light skin, long hair and lush features the Konoha girls had an ample supply of beauty. Jealousy gripped the girl's heart. She'd soon remedy her problems and put her aching sorrows at ease. Soon she would gain the beauty she so longed to attain. All she needed was a few words, some dirt, and a hair off that lovely little head of Hinata's.

"Hey I was thinking, after we finish here, do you want to hang out? I mean, I really haven't gotten to know the real Matsuri and I want to be a friend to you."

Matsuri could see it now. Why everyone fell for this girl. She was honey and they were flies. Matsuri smiled a honeyed smile.

"Of course, I'd love it. I've been wanting to ever since you got here."

It was easy to lie to her and it was shocking to see her fall for it. She could see under the skin with those eyes but not see when a person was lying? Matsuri snorted a little. The amazing Hinata was not so amazing after all. It wasn't so…Hinata felt something OFF about Matsuri, she just didn't know what. Later that night Hinata found Matsuri's room in the Kazekage tower. She knocked lightly and Matsuri let her in. Did this girl ever look unappealing? In her light blue night dress she looked like an angel with her hair put into a messy bun.

"Hey Matsuri. Nice room."

"Thanks but I bet yours is better. I bet you sleep in the lap of luxury," she said with a smile. 'Or Gaara's lap.'

"Ahh I'm not much for all that fancy, fru-fru stuff. I like things simple. I really want to let go of all those luxuries and have something more simplistic. My old life was very padded down with riches."

"Must have been nice."

"No…not at all. Trapped within the jewels, glamour, glitz, and beauty of that world…being rich and respected didn't make me happy."

'This is it! I'm getting some good information here. Keep on pushing her Matsuri.'

"So what does?"

Hinata blushed lightly. "Gaara does. Not just him, but his siblings. Everyone here is so kind to me."

'Gee I wonder why…'

"Probably because you're so sweet…and beautiful."

"And you're not?"

Matsuri sighed heavily. "I'm not…"

This wasn't going as planned, she wasn't supposed to jab into her heart like this and pull out HER secrets. What was Hinata trying to get at? She felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Look at yourself Matsuri."

Matsuri looked up into the mirror. A little girl all muddled in brown.

"What do you see?"

Matsuri groaned. She knew what Hinata was doing. Well it wasn't going to work.

"I see me…plain me."

"I see a very, very pretty young girl who will grow into a lovely lady one day. You are going to be the best Medical Nin out there. Just look at you, you are amazing!"

Matsuri studied her face and saw nothing but then she saw a grown woman, the best of her class with a fair amount of loveliness, nothing like Hinata's but she was very attractive. She shook the image away. No, she wouldn't let Hinata's sweet talk corrupt her.

"Thanks Hinata. That really helped." It was partially a lie.

"You're welcome."

"So…don't you miss your life back there? Doesn't you family miss you?"

Hinata chortled. "No."

"Surely you must have a huge family who cares about you. Brothers, sisters, parents, cousins?"

The word cousin struck an already raw nerve. Neji.

"Nobody cares…"

"I think they do. I'm sure they miss you." Matsuri didn't miss it, Hinata flinched. Did her cousin mean something to her? Did he or she do something bad?

"No…let's just say I don't have the nicest family in the world. I'm happier here, with you guys and Gaara."

"Oh. If you say so but I still think that your parents would miss their child."

Hinata's face rippled into a frown. "Parent. My mother died a long time ago."

Matsuri's heart throbbed. 'Just like Gaara-kun and me…'

"I'm sorry…I had no clue. If it helps my mother died too, and my father…essentially, the village raised me."

"You poor girl."

Hinata threw her arms around Matsuri. 'Ugh, get off me! I'm not a poor girl! Don't pity me.' Matsuri pretended she liked it, she laid her head on Hinata's bosom and listened to her heart pound rhythmically in her chest. 'So you do have one…I guess you should…it won't be beating for long.' Hinata ran her fingers through Matsuri's hair. Poor kid was an orphan with no love. She would fix that.

"Hey Hinata, are we friends?"

"You kidding me? Of course we are!"

Matsuri pressed her hand into Hinata's. This girl was warm and she expected her to be so cold.

"Promise to be my best friend forever. Promise."

Hinata heard Gaara's tiny infantile voice echo in her head along with hers. Gaara was all alone, he knew no love, just like Matsuri…yes, Hinata would promise. She wrapped her hands around Matsuri's.

"You bet! Best friends until death!"

Matsuri smiled sweeter than sugar. 'That's a good thing then….for you won't be alive much longer.'

As Matsuri was coming up with a complicated plan to rid herself of Hinata and take her place, somewhere In Konoha Neji was looking for Hinata. She had been gone a longer time then she needed to be. He could still sense her presence. The hotel. That same hotel that Gaara had taken her to the first time. Maybe there were clues there. He asked the manager who looked an awful lot like Ten-Ten, if she had seen the Kazekage with a woman with ivory skin, his eyes, and dark blue hair. The lady nodded, wrote down the room and gave him the key. It was urgent, he had said, and this wasn't the first time that girl went missing. The Ten-Ten look alike smiled, rubbed her temples and watched him go away. 'Here we go again.' She knew this boy, it was her daughter's team mate. That boy her daughter said she had a huge crush on. Wait until she tells her she saw him today, Ten-Ten would flip.

Neji opened the door to the room and automatically felt a surge of heat caress him. Hinata's essence was in this room, something had happened there, on that bed. The covers were warm and smelled of skin, sweat, and Hinata. Hinata, Hinata, Hinata. He knew. She betrayed him. She slept with the Kazekage, who he now knew was Gaara. In their society she would be labeled as a harlot, nothing more than a common street walking prostitute. She would be shunned, hurt, punished, and imprisoned. Her trial wouldn't be fair, it didn't need to be, they already knew her sentence. This, of course, would only happen IF they found out. If. Neji saw something glimmer in the trash. He looked in and saw what was causing the glow. Hinata's wedding ring. He gingerly picked it up and examined it. Was there something swirling inside that diamond or was he just going mad? Neither, his eyes were deceiving him. She had thrown away their relationship, their bond, their marriage, his love. It meant nothing to her, he knew that. He held on to the ring, in anger, frustration, betrayal, and a deep sadness. He looked out to the horizon and made a choice.

He would get some family members to help bring Hinata back, she would pay for her insolence. He shoved the ring into his pocket, not letting his feelings go, never looking back, as he went back to the manor to get Hiashi and Hanabi. After hearing the news, they were appalled to find out Hinata had abandoned her position, her life, everything, for some boy again. This time it was serious, she wasn't captured she really wanted to leave and she had given up her precious lotus to this boy. His position in his village made no difference. Suddenly, it seemed, everyone wanted Hinata dead or alive. Itachi, Matsuri, and Neji. The two villages, supposed to be sisters, were now on the brink of war because of the "insolence" of one little princess. The story of Romeo and Juliet played out, but would it end the same? Would our two star-crossed lovers meet their fate at their own hands or somebody else's?