A/N: More of the big picture is revealed, and Hinata sees a side of Sasuke she wouldn't have expected. Read and Review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Episode 4

On Monday, August 24th, at 3:00 in the afternoon, the employees at Hidden Leaf Law Consultants witnessed something extraordinary. Naruto left work early. As he gathered up his papers and stuffed them in his briefcase, the office came alive with suspicious whispering. What could have driven him to leave so soon? Naruto was the first to come in every morning, and generally the last to leave. If someone had to work late for a certain case, Naruto had been known to stay and keep them company, just to fetch papers or chat. It was his dream to become the youngest partner the firm had ever had, and in terms of effort there was no question he was suited for it. So what was it, curious employees asked each other as they passed in the halls, by the water-cooler, or in the bathroom; what could be so important that he had to leave early?

Many eyes followed Naruto on his way to the door, but as he walked out into Seoul's busy streets he was alone once again. No one saw him head towards the prosperous, industry-driven district that was home to, among other large businesses, the famous car company Hyuga Motors. With one ten-minute stop for a bowl of ramen on the way, Naruto reached the company's main executive building in twenty minutes. At 3:25 he was in the lobby, bypassing the few employees who tried to waylay him at the entrance. He headed straight for the main desk, where an official-looking woman with a name-tag was waiting patiently.

"How can I help you today, sir?" she asked politely.

Naruto gave her his best smile, which had been known to sway completely hostile juries in the courtroom. Although Sasuke was technically a better lawyer, not even Sasuke had Naruto's talent for making potential enemies into friends.

"I hope so," Naruto replied. "I'm a lawyer for Hidden Leaf Law Consultants, and I was looking for a friend of mine. We've been out of touch since high school days, but I heard from another friend that Neji's working here. I'm thinking about potentially switching to corporate law, so I thought I could reconnect with my old friend while picking his brain about the ins and outs of lawyering for businesses."

"Do you have an appointment?" the woman asked. From her stony, indifferent expression, it was clear that Naruto's charm wasn't having much effect.

"No, but if you call Neji, and tell him that Naruto Uzumaki is here to see him, I'm sure he'll be able to spare me a few minutes."

She picked up the phone on the counter, and dialed an extension number. "Mr. Hyuga?" she said into the phone. "I have a Mr. Uzumaki here to see you. He says he knows you from high school." There was silence for a few seconds, as the secretary listened to whatever Neji was telling her.

"Right, of course. I'll send him up." The secretary put down the phone, and gave Naruto a smile that practically oozed insincerity. "Mr. Hyuga will see you now. He's on the fourth floor, in the corner office."

"Thanks for your help!" Naruto gave her a little wave, and made straight for the stairs. He was on the fourth floor in no time. When he saw Neji's office, he whistled in appreciation. It was bigger than any of the offices at Hidden Leaf, much bigger even than the office belonging to the Senior Partner, Mr. Sarutobi. Transparent glass walls separated the office from the hallway, but allowed passersby to see just how luxurious it was. The windows took up almost the entire outside wall, offering a beautiful view of downtown Seoul.

Neji saw Naruto at the same time that Naruto saw him, so the older lawyer got up to open the door. "Neji," Naruto said, "it's been a long time."

Neji shook his hand, regarding Naruto with a kind of placid curiosity. "Indeed it has. What brings you here?"

"Well, it's been such a long time since high school, I wanted to reconnect. Also, I was hoping I could get your opinion on switching to corporate law. I've recently been debating whether I should change things up."

"I'm touched that you took the time just to visit me," Neji said dryly. He walked over to the revolving chair behind his desk, and motioned for Naruto to sit down in the chair opposite. "Although I don't recall that we were ever on very friendly terms. And the Naruto I remember was dead-set against ever becoming… what did you call it? That's right: a toady in a suit. You were determined to be a lawyer for the common man. Has the job disillusioned you so soon?"

Naruto put his hands up in mock surrender. "All right, you got me. No, I'm happy at Hidden Leaf, and I'm doing the kind of work I love to do. You always were sharp, Neji."

Neji didn't acknowledge the compliment, but only took a sip from the mug of coffee by his right hand. "Well," Neji began, putting the mug back down, "if you're not here for career advice, and you're not – and I'm reasonably confident that you're not – here to rekindle an old relationship that we never had, why are you here?"

Naruto sighed, and his manner changed slightly. He leaned forward a little in his chair, and met Neji's eyes directly. This was the Naruto from the courtroom, who knew he was talking to a potentially uncooperative witness. "I'm here because I ran into your cousins the other day. I'm sure you remember those cousins, right Neji? Hinata and Hanabi?"

Neji's pale eyes, the characteristic of the Hyuga family, became even paler, and Naruto fancied that the older lawyer was radiating waves of cool disdain. "Of course I remember my cousins," said Neji, without inflection. "What of it?"

To anyone who spent much time around Naruto, the depth of sarcasm in his voice would have been shocking. "I was hoping you had forgotten about them. Because then I could remind you. But now, I'm finding it hard to accept that you knew your cousins had been kicked out of their home, and didn't do anything about it. That's not my idea of a good cousin."

When Neji answered, his voice was almost a snarl. Naruto had obviously touched a nerve. "A good cousin? Of course, that's what was always expected of me. Get my law degree and come work in the family business, killing myself for scraps while Hanabi gets everything handed to her. I couldn't even choose a different company to work for, or else Hiashi would have cut me off without a cent, and used his influence to make sure I couldn't get a job anywhere else."

Naruto snorted, unimpressed. "Well, now Hiashi's dead. And here you are in your plushy office," Naruto looked around pointedly at the sleek furnishings and large windows, "and you don't do a damn thing to help your own cousins, who needed you."

Neji smirked cruelly, taking a slow, deliberate sip of his coffee. "I wouldn't expect you, of all people, to know how things are done in the business world. You, with your ideals and love of helping the underdog. I can assure you, Naruto, that the minute I made any move to help my cousins, this office would disappear, and I'd be out on the street before I could blink. Do you think that the new owners of this company would tolerate me, a Hyuga, offering aid to the dispossessed heirs of the old CEO? The only reason they kept me on was because I know how this company works, right down to the last car part on the assembly line. I saved my job because of my own merit, and I'm not going to jeopardize that by helping two women who never did anything for me."

During this speech, Naruto had grown so angry that his face looked like a beetroot. He stood up, his fists balled tightly against his sides. With a deep breath, he visibly gained control of himself. The anger in his voice was wound tightly, like a coiled spring. "I hope you're satisfied with yourself, Neji. Because you decided to save your career, two helpless women are alone out there, without a friend in the world. For all I know they could be dead right now, and if they are, it's on your conscience."

Neji merely steepled his hands, not in the least fazed by Naruto's outburst. "If it is their destiny to survive, then they will. If not, they won't. It's as simple as that."

"Don't give me that bullshit," Naruto growled. "You think I'm naïve, and maybe you're right. But I know enough about the law to realize that what happened to Hanabi and Hinata wasn't destiny, it was the result of calculated wrongdoing. Not only that, I know enough about Hiashi Hyuga to be confident that he would never have entrusted his will to anyone outside the family. Since you're the only Hyuga still working at Hyuga Motors, I don't think I need to look any further to see who is responsible for the fate of Hiashi's daughters. The missing will could only have gone missing because you got rid of it. You'd better hope that there's a higher power, and pray that it likes you, you son of a bitch. Because if not, I'll make you pay for what you've done."

"We're both lawyers, Naruto," Neji replied evenly, his pale eyes locked on Naruto's face. "As such, we know it's no use accusing someone without proof. Good day." He swiveled his chair, and began typing on his computer, dismissing Naruto as completely as if he'd forgotten he was there.

Naruto made a sound almost like a snarl, and turned abruptly around. His outstretched arm almost tipped the chair over, and he stormed out of Neji's office looking like a berserker on a rampage. Neji sipped his coffee slowly, until Naruto's angry footsteps faded into silence. Then he sighed, and slumped over in his chair, as if exhausted. His eyes took on a haunted look, as he stared at his reflection in the shiny surface of his desk. Then he took out his cell phone, and made a call.

"Mr. Hyuga. What is it?" The voice was cold, dispassionate. It was the voice of a man without a soul.

"I just had a visit from a lawyer I went to school with. He was friends with my cousin, and wants to find out what happened to the will."

There was a moment of silence, and then… "Thank you for informing me so promptly. I am impressed by your initiative and loyalty."

Neji grimaced with anger, but regained control without making a sound. "It was nothing. You would have been notified soon, anyway." His voice held a faint trace of bitterness.

The voice chuckled without humor. "Of course. I know everything that goes on, in all of my companies. But if you hadn't called me, I might have been suspicious."

"I should hope that by now I've earned your trust," Neji said stiffly. "I have never done anything against your express commands, and it was only with my help that you acquired the company without trouble."

"On the contrary, Mr. Hyuga," the voice responded. "It seems trouble has indeed found us, in the form of your lawyer friend."

"I can take care of it," Neji declared, his voice taking on a slightly desperate tinge. "Just remember our promise. You leave them alone. We had a deal, and I carried out my end of it."

"Of course, of course," the voice said soothingly. "I promised you, and I never break my promises. As long as the truth remains a secret, I won't touch a hair on your cousins' pretty heads. But Mr. Hyuga," the voice turned cold, and Neji visibly shivered, "make sure the lawyer finds no proof. Otherwise, I'd hate to think about what accidents might befall your cousins. Do we understand each other?"

Neji looked at his phone with revulsion and loathing, as if it were a snake he wanted to crush underfoot. But his voice, when he spoke, was steady, even if his face trembled with repressed emotion. "Perfectly."

"Good." There was a loud click, and then silence. Neji put his phone back in his pocket, and stared at the far wall of his office with eyes full of pain. Crash! Neji's fist slammed down on the table, sending papers and pencils flying. The next moment his expressionless mask was back, his pale eyes hard and cold.

He picked up his desk phone, and pressed 2. "Mica? Please cancel all my appointments for the afternoon. …Yes, all of them. Something has come up."

oOoOo

Hinata stood on tiptoes, balancing on the folding chair while trying to reach to the very top of the bookcase with the dustcloth. She was in Sasuke's office, trying to finish cleaning before he returned. He was normally home at 5pm, which meant she had more than an hour before he got back. Because of that, Hinata had decided to dust the hard-to-reach places, like the tops of the bookcases. It wasn't a tough job, and Hinata amused herself by reading the titles of Sasuke's books while she worked.

His shelves were filled with law tomes; dusty, huge books that looked about as soulless as books could be. But here and there Hinata found titles that intrigued her considerably. Why, for instance, did Sasuke possess a leather-bound copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War? Slightly more understandable was the tattered copy of The Count of Monte Cristo, since it was actually fun to read. And those two were the norm, Hinata found. Most of Sasuke's fiction was either depressingly morbid or bloodthirsty. To each their own, Hinata supposed, but honestly, shouldn't he have at least one book with a happy ending?

Hinata was reaching a little farther out, stretching to get the dust on the far end of the bookshelf, when a familiar voice startled her.

"There is something very disconcerting about coming into one's room, and finding someone already there."

Sasuke's dry voice hit Hinata like a spray of cold water, and she jerked her hand back quickly. Unfortunately, in her haste to turn around she moved too quickly, and lost her balance. Hinata had just time enough to see Sasuke running toward her, a completely unfamiliar expression of dismay on his face, before she hit her head on one of the shelves of the bookcase with a sharp crack. Sasuke caught her before she fell the rest of the way to the floor, but as Hinata had already blacked out, she didn't notice.

When Hinata came to, she was lying on the couch downstairs, her head cushioned by a small, fluffy pillow. There was a cool, damp press on her forehead, which was held there gently, but firmly, by somebody's hand. Hinata tried to turn her head to see whose hand it was, but the hand holding the cold press pushed a little harder, keeping her still.

"None of that," Sasuke's voice warned. "First tell me how many fingers I'm holding up."

He waved two fingers in front of her face with his other hand. "Two," Hinata snapped impatiently. She pushed his hand away with her own, holding the cold pack against her forehead, which ached abominably. "I'm not a child, I can hold it myself."

She turned her head sidewise, and Sasuke came into view. He was sitting next to her in the same folding chair that she had fallen off of. "How long was I out?" she demanded.

"Only a few minutes," Sasuke reassured. Then he smirked, making Hinata want to hit him. "And I disagree with you about not being a child. Who else but a child would have jumped like that, as if I'd caught you with your hand in the cookie jar?"

"It's your fault," Hinata said, in a tone that sounded peevish to her own ears. "You're not supposed to come home for another hour!"

Sasuke looked surprised, then amused. "I had to get some papers for work. I didn't realize there were restrictions on when I'm allowed to visit my home."

Hinata realized she'd better change the subject, because this was one argument in which she definitely didn't have the upper hand. "I'm going to get up," she said, making as if to sit upright."

Sasuke's put his hands on her shoulders, gently but insistently pushing her back down. "Don't even think about it," he warned. "I don't know if you have a concussion."

Hinata's left hand was still holding the ice pack, so only her right hand was free. When she put it over Sasuke's hand, there was a feeling like a spark of electricity through her hand. She pulled it away like she had been burned. Suddenly she realized how close Sasuke was, how he was leaning out of the chair to keep her from sitting up. Her heart started beating a little faster. "Let me go," she warned, though her voice was fainter than she would have liked.

"Only if you promise not to move until Naruto gets back. He's trained in first aid, and if he says you're ok, I believe him. Otherwise, it's the hospital for you."

"Fine," Hinata said sarcastically. "Happy?"

Sasuke eyed her closely, then grunted. "Hn. All right, then." He let go of her shoulders, and leaned back. Hinata closed her eyes, focusing on getting her heartbeat back to normal. It was just that he had been so close, Hinata told herself, and that her body was still in fight-or-flight mode after the fall. That was the only reason she'd reacted the way she did. It had nothing to do with the concerned look in his eyes as he leaned over her, or the way his dark eyes seemed to capture her in their depths… No! Hinata shook her head, trying to drive out the strange thoughts that were coming into her head.

She couldn't help but wince at the surge of pain that accompanied the motion. Sasuke leaned forward instinctively, and his tone was worried when he asked, "are you all right?"

"Yes," Hinata said faintly, "just… headache."

Sasuke seemed to regain control of himself, and smirked as he leaned back in his chair. "As a former student of medicine yourself, I'll bet you've recognized one of the tell-tale signs of a concussion. Now are you convinced you should stay put?" He continued before she could reply. "I'll make you some tea for the headache." He got up and walked to the kitchen, where he put a kettle full of water on the stove.

Hinata closed her eyes, enjoying the relief the darkness brought, and the feel of the cold ice against her forehead. A few minutes later, Sasuke brought a warm mug of tea over to the couch. "Here," he said, holding the mug out.

Hinata made sure that her hand never touched his when she took the mug. "Thanks." She took a careful sip, raising her head just a little so the warm liquid wouldn't spill. The scented steam rising from the mug smelled delicious, and she inhaled deeply.

"That's the proper way to prepare tea," Sasuke commented. "Notice how I didn't add enough sugar to induce cardiac arrest."

Hinata didn't bother taking the trouble to answer, but continued to sip her tea in silence. Sasuke kept talking, sounding a little annoyed about her lack of response. "You know, my time is extremely valuable, and you've wasted a lot of it just now. I may bill you for what you've cost the company."

"Go ahead," Hinata said, unconcerned. "I wouldn't expect anything else from you."

Sasuke's eyes flashed, and he looked like he was going to say something, when Hanabi came in the front door. "Hello, I'm ho-" she cut off when she saw Hinata on the couch. "Hinata, are you ok?" she cried. "Mr. Uchiha, what happened?"

For some reason Hinata couldn't explain, she felt as though Hanabi had interrupted a private moment. She felt obscurely annoyed at her, as odd as that was. Sasuke obviously didn't feel the same way, because he rose to his feet and greeted Hanabi smoothly.

"Your sister was exceedingly clumsy today," he told Hanabi dryly. "Now that you're here, I can get back to work. Please make sure your sister doesn't move until Naruto gets back, and ask him if he thinks she ought to go the hospital."

He left while Hanabi was still gaping like a fish, leaving her alone with Hinata. Hanabi rushed over to her older sister, trying to ask too many questions at once to be understood.

"I'm fine, honestly," Hinata told her sister. "I fell while cleaning, but it's completely all right. The worst I might have is a concussion, but I'm willing to bet I don't have one. I'm thinking completely clearly."

Once Hanabi was convinced that Hinata was functioning completely fine, her mind naturally gravitated to an issue of much greater importance. "And so Sasuke was nursing you? How adorable! Maybe I should pretend to be sick; then he'll stay by my side and take care of me."

Hinata could only shake her head. "Hanabi, the moment you try anything like that I'll injure you for real. Besides, he wouldn't do anything of the kind. He only stayed with me because Naruto wasn't here."

"But he made you tea, didn't he?" Then Hanabi's eyes narrowed in mock seriousness, and she wagged a finger at Hinata. "But don't think he likes you more than me just because he took care of you! He's mine, you got that?"

Hinata shushed her sister violently, and told her to start dinner, since she wouldn't be able to until Naruto got back. As Hanabi began preparing the ingredients, complaining loudly the entire time, Hinata stared at her hand. She thought she could feel a ghost of a sensation, a lingering remnant of the shock she'd felt when her hand had touched Sasuke's.

Damn it, Hinata thought crossly, what's happening to me?