The following morning, Sen woke curled against Madara. His arm was draped over her side and she could feel his soft even breaths against the bare skin of her back. She lay there silently, not wanting to wake him and wanting to prolong this moment. After a bit, he yawned and pulled her closer to him before planting a whisper of a kiss onto her shoulder.

"Good morning, love," Sen spoke as she rolled over to face him.

His face looked sleepy as he smiled at her and pushed his wild hair out of the way. He bid her good morning as well and then let his head fall back onto a pillow. Sen watched as he extended his arms, his muscles taut against his solid frame as he yawned again.

She slipped out of bed and went to brew a pot of coffee for them. Madara joined her right after and began preparing breakfast. As they sat for breakfast, Madara said a small prayer that this would never end. He watched her curiously as she sipped her hot coffee carefully and then chuckled whenever she burnt her tongue. She cursed under her breath which brought a smile to his face.

After breakfast, Madara readied himself for work and Sen gave him a long kiss before leaving for the Hyuga compound. She hurried back and noticed the light on in Mina's house, so she decided to stop in for a moment.

The door was unlocked, so Sen let herself in. Upon entering, a strange energy washed over her. She called out Mina's name and was answered with silence. This is weird, she thought. Where could Mina be?

Sen went down the hall to Mina's bedroom and turned the doorknob a bit before feeling it stick. It's locked? But why? The girl was confused and activated her Byakugan to look for signs of chakra. I don't want to walk in on my sister with a man. She'd be mad as hell at me. However, as Sen used the Byakugan to search the bedroom, she saw zero glimpses of chakra.

The entire house was void of chakra, so Sen decided it was time to break into Mina's bedroom. Her heart was pounding as a feeling of dread washed over her. She used a senbon to pick the lock before swinging the door open.

Mina lay in bed; however, her eyes were open, glued to the ceiling. Sen stepped in as she said, "I've been calling your name..."

There was no response from the older girl as her endless stare remained on the ceiling. Sen rushed to Mina's side and in that moment, her heart shattered into a million pieces.

"Mina!" Sen shrieked in a guttural sob. She began shaking her older sister, whose lips had turned blue and skin had become pallid and cold. "Mina! No! No!" Sen continued screaming as she tried to revive the woman with medical ninjutsu.

However, Mina was gone. Sen broke down into tears and clutched her sister's kimono in her hands. Through the blurriness of her tears, she saw a small vial tucked in the sheets beside Mina. Sen grabbed it and wiped her eyes before reading the label.

Poison? Did Mina do this to herself? No... No... Why? Sen's heart raced as she threw the glass vial onto the hardwood floor and watched it shatter. She let out a roaring sob as the pieces of glass bounced around her.

"Mina! Is everything--" Sora's voice called out. He stopped his sentence short whenever he entered the room and saw Sen. His face turned white and he shook his head. "No... Sen... what happened?"

Sen's lips trembled as she told Sora about the poison. He swallowed a hard knot in this throat and blinked away his tears before kneeling beside his older sister. He whispered something Sen couldn't hear and then stood before saying in a desolate voice, "I'll go tell Mother and Mizura."

Tears streamed down the Hyuga girl's face as she grasped onto Mina's lifeless body. She buried her head in the sheets beside Mina and screamed loudly, pressing her face into the mattress to absorb the noise.

Mina, why didn't you tell me you were hurting this badly? Sen thought in agony. She had failed her own blood. How could she not have seen the signs of Mina's pain? Sure, the girl was a professional at masking her emotions, but still... How could Sen have been so blind? She placed a heavy burden of blame on herself as her mind rambled, I should've been there for you, Mina. I'm so sorry. Please, please forgive me.

Sen heard her mother's sobs echo throughout the house as the rest of her family entered. Lady Hyuga rushed to her daughter's side and held her cold face while screams pierced the air, "My baby! Oh, my baby!"

Mizura's face was blank as he watched from the doorway. He looked from Mina and then cast his eyes quickly to Sen and Sora. His siblings' faces were crestfallen at the sight of their dead sister. Sora caught his twin's eyes and a despondent look passed between the two. The clan leader closed his eyes and then turned away, leaving the house without a word.

Sora pulled his mother and Sen into an embrace and led them out of the bedroom. He comforted them and led them to the main house before going to find Mizura. Sen was following Sora out the door whenever he turned to her and whispered in a soft plea, "Stay with Mother. Please, Sen."

The girl nodded and returned to her mother's side. Neither of them said anything, but simply sat in total silence and isolated themselves within their minds. Sen's chest felt numb as realization set in. Her dear sister was gone.

Sen's head was a mess as she processed everything. Memories of Mina replayed, both the good and the bad. Their constant bickering throughout the years, which slowly morphed into silence and was later replaced by an unbreakable bond. The woman thought sadly, We spent our entire lives misunderstanding one another, Mina. Although I probably never truly understood you, I'm thankful we were able to at least attempt to change that before it was too late.

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Hope everyone is staying healthy and safe!

Thank you guys for the reads. I never expected anyone to read this, so it's a pleasant surprise.

xx