Happy holidays everyone! I hope that, no matter what you celebrate (or if you don't celebrate anything at all), you all have a wonderful time.

So this is the final chapter of Strength. I can't thank you all enough for your wonderful support of me and my story, it means more than I can say, and I'm honoured to have received it. Thank you so much, and I hope you like the last instalment of Strength. (Hopefully) see you next story!

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.:{~}:.

Chapter 21

.:{~}:.

Hinata insisted that Hinari's body be taken back to Konoha for burial. It seemed like something she would have wanted, and Hinata felt that her father owed it to her. Hanabi left Suna with the body to ensure that Hiashi carried out her wish, and to inform him of everything that had happened. Hiashi had two weeks to get his story straight. Hinata was intent on confronting him the moment she returned home. And he wouldn't get away with evading her.

Hinata's final two weeks passed in a blur of relief and dismay. Relief, because Hinari's reign of terror was finally over. She could sleep at night without fear of another attack. That the mystery had finally been solved, and no one else would be harmed.

Yet, dismay too, over what had been done to Hinari, and what she had done to so many people; so many of Hinata's loved ones. Nise was dead. Ko was dead. Multiple other members of her family had been killed. Multiple innocent people had been caught in the crossfire.

Dismay that she would soon be leaving Gaara. Dismay that she would soon be leaving the hospital. Dismay that she would soon be leaving this city of extremes that she had come to love so much. Hinari had caused so much damage, but in some ways, without her, Hinata wouldn't have been able to see the beauty in what most would see as a dry, arid desert. She would miss the searing heat of the day and the piercing cold of the night; would miss the way that the sunlight would shimmer on the rolling sands while the moonlight would coat them in a silvery sheen. Hinari's terror had forced her to find beauty in the most unlikely of places, and she had fallen in love with Suna as a result.

Nise's body was buried in a small, private ceremony in the Suna graveyard, and once Temari had finished the report detailing what had been done to Hinari and what Hinari herself had done, Gaara released the information to the public.

"Suna deserves closure on this," he had said to Hinata when she asked him about the decision. "If we tried to cover this up, then what's to stop it from happening again, to another young child in the future? Suna deserves an explanation as to why so many people were killed, and Hinari deserves to have her story told. The Monks had shamed themselves. They don't deserve to be martyred, and that's what would happen if we never released this information."

Hinata had to agree with him. Suna deserved to know the truth about why so many of their people had died. Just like Hinata deserved to know the truth about why her father had rejected Hinari.

All too soon, and yet not soon enough, Hinata's time in Suna came to an end. Her class sat their final exam, and eight of her students completed the program, more than Suna was expecting. It would take a significant amount of pressure off of Suna's hospital, and Hinata was full of pride upon leaving her little classroom for the final time. She could see the results of her efforts in her students, ones who had transformed from barely-skilled medic ninjas to fully fledged medics, capable of handling themselves in even the most dire situations.

She was proud of them, and proud of herself.

Gaara was harder. He'd hold her at arm's length during the day, stay distant from her, kept communication to a minimum, in order to distance himself from her. She didn't blame him for it. It would make their eventual, inevitable departure easier for the both of them to bear.

Nights were the hardest. He'd hold her like he was holding on for dear life, face buried in her hair as if to part from it would be to forget her forever. She'd hold him back, fingers threaded through his, back pressed flush against his stomach, like they could sink into oblivion together if she'd only hold him a little tighter.

She knew it would only make leaving him just that much harder, but she couldn't help herself. She'd go to bed every night, intent on sleeping somewhere else, and always find herself outside his door. But this couldn't work. They couldn't work. It was nigh impossible. Their responsibilities were bigger than they were. Hinata's future lay in Konoha, as Heiress and eventual Head of the Hyuuga Clan. Gaara's present and future lay in Suna, as its Kazekage.

He never asked her to stay, and she was glad of that, because she couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't say yes. He knew that their future couldn't exist. They were pawns of fate, destined to fill roles they'd both agreed to, no matter how much that hurt them.

When the morning of her departure came, he didn't come to the gates to see her leave. He'd left his (their) bed before she'd woken, and she hadn't seen him since. She wasn't sure whether him kissing her one final time was reality or a result of wishful dreams.

She travelled to Konoha with Temari. The oldest Sand Sibling had told her that it was about time she came and saw that stupid genius and demand to know where they stood (Hinata envied the fact that Temari could actually leave Suna should she and Shikamaru decide to be together). Hinata was grateful for the company, though she and Temari didn't talk too much.

Then finally, six months after leaving it, Konoha's giant gates swam into view on the distant horizon. And despite how terribly she'd miss Suna, she was glad to be back. To be home. She had missed the leaves as they fell from the giant trees, and how there wasn't enough sand to get into every crevice of her belongings. She was excited to go out at midday without fearing sunstroke, or go out at midnight without needing a dozen layers to keep her warm. (She'd miss those things too, but she wasn't about to admit that to herself).

Hinata left Temari at the gate to report to the Hokage Tower. Kakashi had received constant reports from Suna regarding her progress, and told her that he was incredibly proud of her accomplishments. That she had represented Konoha very well, and he would seriously consider her for any future missions that would require a highly skilled medic, especially if Sakura were unavailable.

Hinata thanked Kakashi profusely, bowing her way out the door.

And then she was walking back to the Hyuuga Compound, towards her father and the truth she would make him reveal to her.

Trepidation tingled in her fingertips. Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest, nerves constricting her lungs so it was hard to breathe. Hanabi was waiting at the gate that led to the Compound, arms crossed, and Hinata could see the scars from Hinari's blade on her skin. She waited until Hinata was next to her, then started to walk beside her, quiet during Hinata's approach.

Once they were inside the Compound, she asked: "Are you going to ask father about Hinari?"

Hinata nodded, feeling a little sick.

"I'm coming with you," Hanabi said, a statement, not a question, no room for argument.

Hinata nodded again, glad for her sister's support.

"He told the Clan that the men he sent to Suna were killed. He hasn't said anything about Hinari, though. I think he's waiting for you."

They were silent after that, and when Hinata reached her father's office she walked straight in, disregarding etiquette that required she knock. Her father had lost that privilege, she felt.

He was sitting at his desk, writing, filling out documents, and didn't look up at her entry.

"You need to tell me about Hinari," Hinata demanded, no greeting, no tremor or stutter in her tone. She wouldn't play around with niceties, she'd come here for the truth and wouldn't leave until she had it.

Hiashi didn't take his eyes off the paper, didn't say a single word. They sat there in silence for a few minutes, his pen scratched away at the document, and when he finished, he folded it carefully, placed it inside an envelope, sealed it, signed it, laid it aside, and then finally looked at his two daughters.

He looked older than she had ever seen him, though she couldn't find it within herself to pity him. As far as she was concerned, the terror that had ensnared Suna was his doing. Hinari had been the one to wield the knife, but she never would have had he brought her into his home and his safety. He was responsible for every single life that had been lost, and now she needed to know what had prompted his carelessness and caused so many people to die.

He said nothing, merely stared at the two of them.

Hinata had to swallow her rage, knowing it would get her nowhere.

"I know you know about her, father. I saw the letter you wrote her. 'You are not mine. You are unnatural. You are not welcome. You are a freak.' What on earth prompted you to write that to her? She was seven years old, begging for your home and love. How could you write that to her? She was your daughter, what -"

"She was not my daughter," Hiashi barked, finally speaking, having lost his cool demeanour. Hinata stayed silent and Hiashi ran a hand through his thinning hair. "She was not my daughter," he repeated, this time his words softer. "She was Hana's though. Hinari was your half-sister. The daughter of your mother and my brother, Hizashi."

Hinata and Hanabi were shocked into silence. Hiashi didn't speak again for a while, his movements were agitated, and though he didn't get out of his chair he couldn't sit still either.

Eventually he spoke again, his words slow and calculated, every one said with a purpose. "Before you can know why I did what I did, you need to know what happened before that. First of all, and something neither of you know, is that your mother and I were not originally supposed to be married. She had had an older sister, Hina, and I was betrothed to her, while Hana had been promised to Hizashi. That had been arranged since before we could remember, and we had accepted that. But two months before Hina and I were due to be married, she was killed on a mission. It was an accident, only a C Rank mission. But she died, and the Hyuuga Elders decided that I would marry Hana and Hizashi would marry another Hyuuga woman.

"Secondly, and something I feel that you doubt, is that I cared for your mother very much. She was a good woman, a wonderful mother, and a talented Kunoichi. Eventually I even came to love her. And while Hana certainly respected me, she had loved Hizashi for years, and he her. She could never love me the way she loved my brother." Those last words were spoken with bitterness, and Hiashi's opalescent eyes swam with memories. He continued, his tone unravelling into something less formal, less factual, more story-like.

"They stayed away from each other for a long time. But when Hizashi's wife died birthing Neji, Hana couldn't stay away from him. At first it was just comforting him, rekindling a friendship, and it stayed that way for a number of years. But, as it was bound to, it developed further, and they began an affair soon after you were born, Hanabi. I knew about it. I knew that when she left me in the middle of the night, thinking I was asleep, it was to see my brother. And Gods I hated it, but I thought that maybe in time she would learn to love me. That if I was good to her, and treated her right, that maybe she would love me. But she hated the way I pushed you, Hinata. And I admit I took a lot of my rage at your mother out on you. You're the spitting image of her, every time I looked at you I saw her and her adultery.

"But as long as no one else in the Clan knew about it, it could be kept under control. No one else need know about it.

"That fell to pieces the night Kumo attempted to kidnap you, Hinata. They were discovered by the Elders, and they demanded that Hizashi and Hana be punished for their crimes. The opportunity for Hizashi came almost immediately, as Kumo demanded my life for that of their ninja who I had killed. Hizashi offered himself, as we were identical, and the Elders accepted his offer. The Clan would be told that he had sacrificed himself for me and the welfare of the Clan, and in taking his own life he would restore his honour after having had an affair with Hana.

"Hana was more difficult. The Elders wanted to banish her, but I fought them. I begged them. I had already lost my brother, I couldn't lose my wife as well. It worked, at first. Until she found out she was pregnant with Hizashi's child. I could handle everything else, but I couldn't handle seeing the result of my wife and brother's affair, every single day. It was the cruellest stroke I'd been dealt. Hana said that we could raise her together, as if she were mine, but I… couldn't. I banished her myself. I sent her to Suna. We weren't enemies, Suna was probably the closest thing Konoha had to an ally at the time, and though I couldn't bear to have her here anymore, I didn't want her to be in danger.

"And then she died birthing the child, and a rage filled me like no other. My brother and wife were both dead because of their horrid affair, and Hinari was the result of that. She should never have been born. She was a freak."

He finished his story, eyes averted from them.

"Do you see now why I couldn't accept her? I didn't ever wish so much harm to befall her, but I couldn't have her come here, calling me her father. It would be like rubbing salt into an open wound. I had to deter her from ever wanting to come here. I couldn't bear the thought of raising my brother and wife's love child. I wasn't strong enough."

He fell silent, and Hinata felt that he wouldn't say anything more on the matter. But that information was all she needed, that final piece of the puzzle slotted into place.

She and Hanabi left her father's study quietly, gently closing the door behind them. "Would you like to see her grave?" Hanabi asked as they walked along the Compound, each lost in their own thoughts. "She's next to mother's grave marker." Without needing an answer, Hanabi led her sister towards the Hyuuga graveyard. Hinata picked a few flowers on their way, though the flowers were little more than weeds. She would come back again later with something more suited.

"I'll be receiving my Curse Seal within the week," Hanabi said quietly, and Hinata could detect a note of fear in her voice. "On your birthday, in fact. When you turn twenty. Apparently you'll be taking your vows soon after and a husband will be chosen for you."

Hinata felt sick, though this time for an entirely different reason.

"I'm sorry," said Hanabi, and looked at Hinata with pity. "I wanted to give you a little warning. I know that this will be really hard for you."

"It's my duty," said Hinata stiffly, her voice rigid. "I will do what I must."

They reached Hinari's grave and Hinata paid her respects, placing the flower-weeds next to the gravestone and promised to bring nicer ones next time.

As she left, she could have sworn that a small tendril of wind wisped through her hair, tangling through the inky strands like fingertips.

The day Hinata turned twenty was not spent celebrating. They tried, but Hinata would have none of it. Instead, she spent the time preparing Hanabi for the ritual that would give her the Curse Seal.

Hinata could see the gargantuan effort it took for Hanabi to remain calm. She knew that the poor girl was terrified, and it took all of her strength to not run to her and hold her tight within her arms.

It was a long, arduous process, one that would begin as the sun rose and end at dusk.

The final part of the ceremony before Hanabi would have the Seal engraved into her forehead required Hanabi to swear fealty to Hiashi, as the Hyuuga's current Head, and Hinata, as the Clan's future Head.

Hinata was dressed in her most formal attire, seated on a dais at her father's right hand side on a chair slightly lower than his. The Hall was crowded with Hyuuga, waiting to welcome their newest Branch Member.

The far doors opened, and Hanabi, who wore only a simple white shift, entered slowly. She looked exhausted, and Hinata wanted nothing more than to call the whole ordeal off.

Somewhat selfishly, she was very much aware that after today, any possible future she could share with Gaara would be impossible.

Hanabi reached the centre of the Hall and dropped to her knees, hands fallen limp at her sides. She started to recite the words that would cement her loyalty and her fate.

"To the great Clan Leader, Hyuuga Hiashi, I do hereby and henceforth swear my fealty to thee. To have our Great Dojutsu, the Byakugan, sealed upon my death so that the secrets and safety of our Clan may not fall into the hands of those who would otherwise manipulate its power. Do you accept my offer of loyalty?"

Hiashi inclined his head. "I do," he said, then watched as Hanabi turned towards Hinata.

"To the great Clan Heiress, Hyuuga Hinata, I do hereby and henceforth swear my fealty to thee. To have our Great Dojutsu, the Byakugan, sealed upon my death so that the secrets and safety of our Clan may not fall into the hands of those who would otherwise manipulate its power. Do you accept my offer of loyalty?"

Hinata broke out in to a sweat, all eyes on her. I do, she thought to herself, two such simple words and ones that had gotten stuck. She could see the fear in Hanabi's eyes, how her hands tremored beside her, the movement so imperceptible as to be invisible.

And Hinata quickly found that she couldn't accept Hanabi's offer. Purely and simply because Hanabi wasn't the one who should be making it. Hinata knew that, in truth, their roles should be reversed. Hanabi wanted to be Head of the Hyuuga Clan more than anything else in the world. It was what she had worked for and dreamed of her entire life, and though she was certainly still immature and had a lot of growing up to do, that would all come in time. Hanabi's future lay in being the Heiress and eventual Head of the Hyuuga Clan. It lay in Konoha.

And Hinata's future? She wasn't quite sure, but it wasn't there.

"I do not accept your offer, Hanabi," said Hinata, loud and clear and confident. "Because you are not the one who should be making it." She stood up and turned to her father and the Hyuuga Elders, all of whom were staring at her, mouths agape. "I am sorry father, but I cannot fill this role that you wish for me. I do not want it, and as I love our Clan, I also know that they deserve a Leader who wants to lead them. Beloved Elders, I humbly request that you rescind my status as Heiress to the Hyuuga Clan and instead bestow that right upon my sister, Hanabi. She wants and deserves this more than I ever could, and honestly, would do a far better job of it than I would."

The Elders turned to each other so as to deliberate, but Hinata didn't hear what they said because before she knew what was happening, Hanabi had tackled her into a hug, tears streaming down her face while Thank you's poured from her mouth like a waterfall. Hinata felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she hadn't felt so free and relieved for as long as she could remember.

The Elders agreed to her request after a week of arguments, and another week later saw Hinata begotten with a Curse Seal, one which her bangs thankfully hid easily.

She wasted little time after that packing a small bag with a few essentials and receiving permission from Kakashi to head back to Suna for an unknown period of time.

And then she was off, running as fast as her legs would carry her, back towards her little city of extremes and the man who resided there who she had come to love.

When she finally arrived she was sweating up a storm and parched beyond belief, though she barely noticed these things. She instead made a beeline straight for the Kazekage Tower, and begged Temari and Kankuro be silent when they saw her.

Divesting herself of her travelling essentials, Hinata slowly climbed her way deep into the Tower where she knew Gaara was sitting in his office, working at his desk, filling out papers and signing forms and overseeing the wellbeing of Suna. She wondered if he had missed her like she had missed him.

The month after Hinata left had been one of the hardest months of Gaara's life. He felt lost, unsure what to do in her absence. She'd filled a hole he didn't know existed, and since she had gone it was as if the hole had re-opened, swallowing everything inside of him until there was nothing left but an empty husk.

Gods, but he missed her.

Though he wouldn't admit that to anyone. He was too proud for that. So instead he locked himself away in his study and poured his very being into ensuring Suna was the greatest city it could be.

A city was a wonderful distraction.

A knock sounded at his door, soft, hesitant, and Gaara ignored it. He didn't want to see anyone. He didn't want anyone to see him like this.

They knocked again, the same soft knock as before.

"I'm busy, come back later," he said, not looking up from the pile of papers on his desk.

He heard a soft thump as the person leaned their forehead against the door, and they knocked again, a final, slightly more insistent knock.

He sighed, and opened the door.

Thank you so much for reading guys. I really hope you enjoyed my story! If you could pretty please leave a little review it would mean so much to me. Thank you again to everyone who has supported me throughout this story, whether it's with beautiful reviews, constructive criticisms to help me improve, or just a general Hurry Up and Update! I am so incredibly appreciative.

All my love to everyone, I hope you're all okay because you're all beautiful and deserve to be happy.

Much love, Alia xoxoxo