Midsummer Afterglow: Hello my sweet readers! I finally found the time to complete this chapter and update for your enjoyment! I have been working on so many things lately that my internal clock has gone a bit haywire but at least in the end things are getting done yes? hehe Anyway I have just a couple things to touch on before letting you read and I'm sorry to have to go on but it is important that I do.

I recieved a review which said the following:

I like your story, but please. Hinata's sister's name is Hanabi, not Hinabi..
It's very aggravating when authors (both good and bad) get this wrong.

I am embarrassed to admit that all this time I have been spelling Hinata's sister's name incorrectly and I want to apologize to any who have noticed and been bothered by it. I should have checked to make sure all the names were being spelled correctly but laziness does tend to be a bit of a habit of mine and I failed to notice this error. Thanks to the honest reviewer above I have gone back and fixed the chapters where this error occurs in, which is quit a few, but now that it has been taken care of, I feel better and I hope that you will all too! As you can see this is why authors need reviewers because although it may hurt their pride when they realize they have made a mistake, in the end it is well worth the hurt so that they can go back and not only fix that mistake but learn from it as well. :D So yay for happy ending yes? lol

On to the next thing I must attend to.

To my lovely reviewer nina: I recieved your review and hope that this chapter answers most of your questions. As to what Seiichi's plans are, I regret to say that any clues given to that inquiry are not going to appear until later on. Thanks so much for taking the time to review the story!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

I DO OWN MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS: KAZUKO, SEIICHI, AND EMIKO.


The One Misfortune Follows

The council of elders gathered in a dimly lit room situated towards the back of the Elders main compound. The morning sun had soon faded and along with it the dreary remains of the day's heat.

They had been at each other's throats for the last two hours and yet they still had not reached a final solution.

The main elder had a frown adorning his wrinkled face and his pale eyes seemed to be gazing off in a distant direction as if the place he sat was not a simple chair at the head of round table but instead a floating cloud nestled between the sky and the moon.

The council had received an urgent message from the feudal lord of Lightning country and it revealed a set of demands that were hard to come to terms with.

Hiashi was seated between two of the older elders who each had their heads resting atop their hands. Across the table, in Hiashi's line of view, sat Kazuko Hyuga, a thin lipped grimace on her face.

Hiashi wondered who would be the first to break the unnerving silence. It was not surprising when the stubborn woman was the first to fall prey to the ensuing quiet.

"What could Lightning want after all these bloody years? The contract has been dormant ever since my brother took over the council and the debt the clan owed was earnestly repaid in full!"

The main elder turned his cold eyes on his sister as she finished speaking but when he spoke, he addressed the entire council. "We all knew this day would come. Lightning has never been the type to forget a grudge and so far we have been lucky that this is all they have asked of the Hyuga."

Hiashi rhythmically tapped his fingers against the fabric covering his knee and memories of the past began to flash before his pale eyes. The room seemed to grow darker with each passing memory.

Turning to the main elder he addressed the old man reluctantly. "Do they still want the head of the Hyuga clan to appear before them, or have their demands changed?"

The main Elder licked his lips and motioned for the elder sitting next to him to present the scrap of paper with Lightning's demands written on it.

The weary elder passed the document over to Hiashi and the head of the clan accepted it gratefully.

"They have requested a meeting with the new successor of the clan. It seems word of Hinata's title has spread outside the village like wildfire." The main elder pursed his lips and sighed hesitantly.

Hiashi scanned the letter with expressionless eyes. The main Elder had been right. The feudal lord had received news of a new head to the Hyuga clan and seemed to be interested in the identity of untried successor.

Hiashi set the paper onto the table and he folded his hands above it. "It seems strange that all he would want is to talk with the clan's new successor. His true reason for this urgent call has yet to be known."

The circle of elders nodded their assent while Kazuko shifted in her wooden seat.

"Well", she began with an edge in her voice. "They won't be getting their filthy rotten hands on Hinata so easily. Hiashi should go in her stead."

The group of elders turned to face said man and sat silent under Hiashi's unchanged gaze.

"It will be best if Hinata goes along with Hanabi. The feudal lord will be forced to remain less threatening when he realizes that he must deal with a woman. After all, his only major request was that we send him the clan's successor."

The main elder nodded silently in Hiashi's direction, then waited for the objection from his sister to sound.

"You mean to send your daughter to Lightning when the danger is still unknown! What sense is there in that Hiashi?"

Kazuko's demanding voice rang throughout the small room. Hiashi sat impervious to the glares she shot his way.

"What Hiashi says is true. The only way to deal with the feudal lord is to give him exactly what he's asked for. Once Hinata leaves Konoha, the issue will be out of our hands."

Kazuko turned her glare on her older brother and the anger which had seized her, crept into her piercing voice.

"The issue! You're talking about sending a young girl and her sister out beyond the walls of Konoha on a mission that would be better left in the hands of an experienced leader! What if something happens to them on the way there, will it still stand among us that the issue was out of our hands?"

She paused and took a breath before bellowing the final blow. "What then when Hiashi loses his only kin!"

Hiashi immediately stood up and slammed his fist against the wooden table. "Damn you Kazuko! Have you no sense yourself? My brother's son will go with her as he has sworn to protect Hinata with his life!"

One of the closest elders put his hand on Hiashi's arm and the man slowly settled back into his seat.

Kazuko eyed him curiously from across the table. His reaction had proven that even he was uncomfortable with where the solution was aimed.

When she dared to speak again, her voice was calm and collected. "You say that with such ignorant confidence Hiashi. I will not sit by and let this council make another grievous mistake while I still have breath in my body!"

It was then that Kazuko had gained a rise from the main Elder. "Then what do you suppose we do Kazuko? We cannot send Hiashi himself and none of the elders present are permitted to leave the village for any reason!"

A small smile made its way onto Kazuko's thin lips. "If they run into Hunter Nins, things could get ugly. Send my son along with them brother."

The circle of elders each in turn widened their eyes as Kazuko addressed the main Elder so informally.

The main Elder was seething with anger, which he happily turned on his younger sister. "Your son had his chance Kazuko! He failed and now he must fall back into the shadows where his existence has been kept all these damn years!"

Kazuko, voice rising in protest, challenged the Elder's words. "He is the second most able shinobi from the branch house brother. This is not a mere escort we are debating but the escort of the clan's Heiress! Her safety should be handled as efficiently as possible! I will not approve of this rouse unless Seiichi goes with them."

The irritation fleeting from the Elder's eyes signaled that the challenge was over. Hiashi sighed as the old man prepared to give in to his sister's stubbornness.

"For years you have been waiting to get your way Kazuko and I admit that I cannot bring myself to deny you your request, but I warn you now; if anything should happen to the boy, you will be responsible for cleaning up the mess."

The authority in his voice seemed to settle the matter and the group of elders accepted it.

"Bring Seiichi to me before the day is out and I will debrief him. I want Hinata and Hanabi ready to leave in a week's time."

It was then that the main Elder turned to Hiashi and addressed him.

"I will leave Neji's debriefing to you Hiashi and I will have one of the messenger Nins send word to Hokage-Sama before they leave."

Hiashi nodded wordlessly and from across the table he noticed an amused smile playing on Kazuko's closed lips.


It had gone from a heat filled morning to a miraculously cooler afternoon. Hinata was sitting with Seiichi on a small wooden bench made for two, in a more secluded part of the compounds gardens.

They had been talking for a while now and Hinata found herself quit comfortable in the presence of Seiichi where as she always felt like she had to be on her toes when she was around her cousin.

Though the conversation had started almost awkwardly with Seiichi asking questions about her father, it had taken a turn towards a less personal sort of approach, where they were both now conversing about the little things that made them who they were.

Seiichi was now telling Hinata about how the heat reminded him of the summers he would spend with his father training through the warmest part of the afternoons, and how he used to hate the sparring sessions until his father would encourage him to keep going at it.

"You know ever since that time, I've felt like I have a bit of my father's stubbornness inside me now. I've gone from a reckless undetermined boy to a man who finds it hard to give up."

Seiichi paused and the rays of the sun, which shone through the leaves of the trees surrounding them, lit up his features. There was a small smile gracing his thin lips and Hinata felt that it was genuine.

He continued. "Even the tiniest bit of encouragement can go a long way. My father taught me that."

There were so many things that she liked about Seiichi and the more they talked the more she was finding to like about him.

He was honest and not afraid to speak his mind. His eyes, so full of life, would soften as he spoke about his childhood and then harden whenever his line of thought darkened.

When she placed him next to Neji in her mind, the two were so different and yet there was one thing that they seemed to share.

Just like Neji cared nothing for the main house, Seiichi seemed to hold some sort of grudge against them as well.

Hinata wondered why this was but decided she would not press the man for answers so soon. If she thought about it logically then she could admit, though it hurt to do so, that those from the branch house did not exactly feel all that friendly towards the members of the main house.

It was simply how tradition had worked it out. Though the members of the clan could fake their respect for the elders and the members of the main house, the fact was that many of them resented the way the clan operated.

As the wheels in her head began to turn, a certain thought hit her. How was it possible that Seiichi was part of the branch house at all when his mother was one of the elders? Kazuko's position alone contradicted this fact.

Hinata looked up at Seiichi, his eyes were on her and his face was dangerously close to hers. She felt heat rising into her cheeks as his breath tickled her nose and she slid back towards the edge of the small wooden bench.

Seiichi smiled at her amusedly then. "Am I boring you Hinata-San?"

Hinata shook her head nervously. The side of the bench she had retreated to was being hit by direct sunlight and she was already missing her spot under the shade of the trees.

"No, I..I just was wondering something Seiichi."

Seiichi slid closer to her side of the bench and for a moment Hinata was glad for it. Since the man was obviously taller than her, his body blocked a part of the sun from her face.

His voice, tender and controlled filled the remaining space between them. "You seem to wonder a lot Hinata-San. I have to say, it is one of the things I love about you."

Hinata blushed and nervously hoping to increase the gap between them, she slid just a bit further when suddenly she felt herself sliding off the edge of the bench.

She gasped as the suddenness of the fall took her off guard and she quickly squeezed her eyes shut as she waited to hit the ground.

When the ground never came, Hinata slowly opened one eye, then the other.

In one supple movement Seiichi had wrapped his arm around her waist and had pulled her safely back and up onto the shaded portion of the bench.

Hinata looked up at the man sitting next to her. His arm, still around her waist, was holding her securely.

"That was too close for comfort Hinata-San. You should be more careful."

Unsure of what to say Hinata simply nodded. She was still a bit in shock at how the whole scenario had played out. For Seiichi to just say that she should be more careful was a complete understatement.

She realized then that he was saving her the embarrassment of what he was most likely thinking. She had almost fallen on account of wanting to move away from him after all.

Though his words had been kind, she felt foolish nonetheless. After having told off Neji about not needing a watch dog, she sensed that she may have needed one after all.

Neji! Hinata turned her head and looked back towards the compound. All this time she had forgotten to check if her protector was watching her from his room.

As she glanced over, she noted, somewhat to her disappointment, that the sliding door to his room was closed.

"Is there something wrong Hinata-San?"

Hinata turned back and noticed that Seiichi was now also looking in the direction of the compound.

"No. I was just thinking that we should go in and get something to drink. I think the heat may be getting to me."

Seiichi nodded and helped her to her feet. Hinata felt the loss of the warmth on her lower back as his arm was withdrawn from around her waist.

As the two began to walk back towards the house, Hinata thought it was a good time to voice one of her questions.

"Seiichi, I was wondering, how was it that you were part of the candidates last night at the ceremony when your mother is on the council of the elders?"

Seiichi stopped walking after she spoke and Hinata had to stop herself as well.

His tone of voice, which had been so confident before, lost its life. "I am not my mother's first born son Hinata-San. When Kazuko was pregnant, it was two babies she carried within her womb, not one."

Hinata felt her skin go cold and what was left of the day's heat did not help to warm the chill she felt all over her body.

"When it came time for my brother and me to be born, he was taken out into the world before I was which naturally meant that I was born second. My brother would have been the one to inherit a place in the main house but because he died a couple months after birth, the elders decided that I should still take my place in the branch house despite the fact that I was her only remaining son."

Seiichi eyes became more and more distant as he spoke. It was as if he was seeing the past flash before him despite his will to forget the truth which he had confessed so openly to her.

Hinata knew it was wrong to ask any more of him but her curiosity got the better of her.

"Your father; is that why you're closer to him than Kazuko?"

Almost robotically, Seiichi began to walk again and Hinata quickly fell into step beside him. He was silent for a while before responding.

"My father was left with the task of raising me while my mother went on to become a part of the very council which had torn her from her only son. In life, we cannot always get what we want Hinata-San."

Hinata felt as if a sword had pierced her heart. Seiichi, though she was not sure if he had done it purposely, had directed those words straight at her and there was no mistaking their meaning.

The rest of the way back to the compound was silent and unnerving. When they reached the sliding door, Seiichi quickly said his goodbye and turned to leave.

Hinata said nothing but as he began to walk away from her, she suddenly reached out for him but he was already a step too far from her grasp.

Hinata stood at the edge of the sliding door with her arm outstretched before her and the figure of Seiichi's retreating back stuck in her head long after he had disappeared from her view.


Authors Note: The next update for this story may again take some time so please be patient readers. :D My goal is to complete this story before my school starts so despite everything going on, I am still in a race against the clock so as long as I know people want more it will be easier for me to get myself to write! :D

On a second note, I had this dream the other night where I was drawing exactly what Seiichi and Kazuko looked like and I have to say that Seiichi was super good looking hehe too bad I'm not good a drawing otherwise I would definitely provide illustrations for these characters. .

Please Review! :D