Author's notes: Special thanks to Darkamber8828 for making me ragewrite the first half of this chapter over a misunderstanding- and to MarauderGirl777 for smacking me upside the head with inspiration for the second half. If I had an extra set of hands, I'd give them both two thumbs up!

Disclaimer: The way Naruto is going right now, I could never have come up with that stuff. And I didn't, because my input to the series is limited to my pitiful fanfictions.

Kimimaro had been taught a stiff lesson in humility, which he did not appreciate Neji for in the slightest.

While Kimimaro had scored all the clean hits (mainly to Neji's chest and back) he hadn't realised that by blocking all of Neji's apparently precise strikes, he was actually playing right into his hand. His arms throbbed with his heartbeat, the polka dot pattern on his forearms still bright red from where Neji had subtly attacked and closed his Tenketsu. It hurt to make a fist.

Jyuuken was a much more balanced and adaptable style than he had credited it as being, Neji demonstrating this misconception for what it really was. The Hyuuga clan was not a "Noble family" of Konoha without reason.

He was promptly shaken from his brooding stupor by the faint sound of faltering footsteps approaching his room. It had a curious start-stop aspect to its lack of rhythm, which strongly suggested that a very nervous Hinata was paying him a visit. For the second time that day, he guessed correctly.

Hinata was startled when he answered the door before she had composed herself enough to knock and jumped an easy foot backwards in shock. But she must have been spending too much time with him (if her recovery time was anything to go by).

'I...eh, I, um...' she trailed off before trying again. 'Ummm, how are you feeling?'

Kimimaro was hesitant to answer, but caught himself feeling...somehow at ease. He must have grown so used to listening to Hinata test her way through a conversation that it had become positively soothing. Homely, even.

Hinata caught sight of one of his arms. Her eyebrows drooped sadly. In recognition, perhaps?

'Does it hurt?' The directness of the question took him off guard for a moment, thought it was almost definitely a rhetorical one. It was likely that she has seen the same injury several times before- maybe even experienced it herself. What she was really asking was about his mental state. Whether or not he wanted to be left alone. For some reason, that really struck him.

He almost thought she was going to cry when he gave what he hoped was a humble nod of affirmation, but she surprised him again when she produced a small object from somewhere about her person. Just looking at it didn't tell him much, which was slightly problematic since Hinata had chosen this moment to revert back into a state of acute timidity.

It was small, wooden, cylindrical in shape, not much taller than it was wide, seemed to separate into two pieces, and Hinata was fiddling with it and glancing around nervously in a way that indicated she wanted to give it to him. Of course, he could have been wrong about that, but based on the situation-

'P-please use this!' she squeaked, suddenly holding it out to him clutched in both hands like she were offering it to an earth bound spirit.

'...By use, you mean...?'

'Ah- i-it's an ointment tha, that I made!' she seemed to blurt the last part out before being able to stop herself.

'You made it?'

'Ah...yes...'

Now that was something. Thinking back- past what seemed like an age already- to when they had first met, what she had in her hands was probably the same topical ointment she had used on him, having found him (against all odds) in the middle of the forest. He had assumed she just carried some around with her, maybe in case of cuts or scrapes while training, he never would have guessed that she had made it.

'That's...quite impressive, Hinata.'

'Eh? N-not at all!'

'Do you want to become an Iryou-nin?' He wished he hadn't asked almost immediately. Her face darkened, and she made that face that said she was thinking about her family troubles.

'I...I did. When my father decided that Hanabi should be the next head of the family...instead of me.' Kimimaro's stomach tightened in a disquieting manner. He needed to change the subject.

'Umm, say...'

'Huh?' He must have been making a strange face, since she shadow lifted from Hinata's expression in surprise. He cleared his throat and tried to calm down.

'I wanted to ask you about...' he cast around for something to ask her, and for a second he could swear he saw Neji some distance away, looking at him. He was gone when he looked again, but a thought occurred to him. He lowered his voice and leaned a little closer to Hinata so that she could hear. Her face changed colour in relation to his proximity, but that was normal.

'I wanted to ask you something about Jyuuken,' he whispered conspiratorially.

'A-yes! What would you like to know?'

Kimimaro held a finger to his lips to indicate that Hinata should be a little quieter, and ushered her into his room.

What he was most interested in was; would he be able to endure hits to his tenketsu if he used his kekkei genkai to grow bone "masks" under his skin.

Hinata had some trouble explaining how tenketsu worked- possibly because she couldn't see them like Neji could (another fact that earned him some reluctant respect). Plainly speaking, they are like pores in the skin through which chakra can be secreted. Hitting the tenketsu themselves isn't what causes problems in chakra flow, otherwise anyone could do it if they knew exactly where to aim. The real reason that Neji was able to effectively disable Kimimaro's arms was, again, because of Jyuuken.

A style unlike most taijutsu forms- bearing more similarities to elderly people's self-defence arts than to Kimimaro's own style- what made it truly devastating was the fact that every blow struck forces a large amount of foreign chakra into the body. In conjunction with the Hyuuga family's Byakugan doujutsu it is possible to disable limbs, disrupt chakra flow, or kill with a touch.

Neji was unusual in that not only could he see the chakra circulatory system, but also the tenketsu. Knowing where the tenketsu are, in relation to the chakra circulatory system, makes it possible for him to collapse an "artery" carrying chakra without the need for putting his own chakra into the strike.

That certainly explained his confidence.

Kimimaro glanced at his arm. His regeneration ability was limited when it came to his skin and muscles, and all but non-existent for his internal organs. But, since Neji's attacks on his tenketsu had done minimal damage to his skin, he could possibly overcome it. It all depended on how far under the skin lay the chakra circulatory system. If it was in the skin at all, the bone masks would be useless... He would just have to take a chance the next time. And he didn't doubt there would be a next time.

His gaze drifted a little further up his arm, where Hinata was gently applying ointment to an inflamed spot. The ones she had already administered to had faded to a much lighter pink shade, and most of the associated pain was gone. It was quite effective for an ointment.

Hinata really was...a contradiction. Her fighting abilities seemed sloppy, yet she had beaten her elder cousin- widely regarded as her better. Her ancestral fighting style was incredibly lethal, but she seemed loathe hurting others (or even offending them) and made deceptively strong medicine. Maybe he was being a little obtuse about it, but that is how it seemed to him.

He realised that he had been staring at her delicate hands only when she screwed the cap back onto the tiny jar of ointment and set it aside.

'Umm, I've finished.'

'Uh-oh-thank you.'

'I'll leave it here in...case you need it later.'

'Uh, mm.' Something was wrong with his brain. He was making Hinata nervous with his strange behaviour, he could tell. She was slowly edging her way to the door, and he couldn't think of something to say that would make her stay. ...Why did he want her to stay...?

'A-um, well...uhh, g-good night, Kimimaro-kun!' she squeaked uncertainly, and fled from his sight.

Kimimaro gobbled noiselessly after her retreating back through the open door. There was that odd feeling in his gut again, an emotional response- but what kind!

After forcing himself to calm down, he settled into a sleepless night, a thousand noises of the night in his ears and a thousand questions in his head.

Kimimaro sat on the external walkway and stared at the wall directly opposite. The sun was still rising, and the sky over Konoha was stained orange. The occasional Branch-family member drifted in and out of view, failing to break his daze. He was tired. And a bit confused. He must have really been tired to not notice approaching footsteps, how they stopped behind him, or even the presence of another person on the deck beside him.

His discreet companion waited some time before breaking the silence. The Hyuuga clan seemed to like viewing the sky. '...Kaguya-kun,' came the stern voice of Hiashi Hyuuga.

'Hiashi-sama!' Kimimaro's eyes had spasm in their sockets trying to swivel in the direction of the unexpected voice in surprise and he stood quickly, making to bow. Hiashi stopped him with a gesture of his hand, and motioned for him to regain his seat. Kimimaro sat.

'Is everything alright? You don't look well today.'

Kimimaro tried to compose himself. 'I didn't sleep well last night.'

'Because of anything in particular?' There was a hint of curiosity and suspicion in his voice that gave Kimimaro cause for concern, but he decided to take the question on face value.

'For various reasons.'

'I see...' He made it sound like the conversation was over, but he didn't seem like he was about to leave just yet.

'Excuse me...can I...help you with anything, Hiashi-sama?' he asked with trepidation in his voice, despite his attempts to hide it.

'Yes. I would like to ask you something.'

'By all means.' Hiashi considered Kimimaro for a moment before speaking. Kimimaro couldn't work out the reason, even after he heard the question.

'What...' he seemed to struggle with the words. '...Do you think of Hinata?'

'...What do you mean?'

Hiashi crossed his arms. 'As someone from outside of the family, I'd like to hear your thoughts.'

'I...don't think I quite understand. Are you referring to her fighting ability?'

'That would be a good place to start. I would appreciate if you didn't hold back.'

Kimimaro thought about this. "Not holding back" would mean "be honest, even though this is her father you're talking to."

'Well... to be frank, I find it hard to believe that she could have beaten Neji,' he said carefully, hoping that he hadn't somehow overstepped the line.

Hiashi was silent for a few seconds, but returned that he felt the same way. Kimimaro breathed a sigh of relief quietly before tentatively going into details about her shortcomings in Taijutsu. Hiashi cut him off early on, already being well aware of this.

'Then, how about...as a person. What do you think of her?'

A lot of simple describing words zipped through his head immediately, followed by vivid memories of their last encounter. Gentle, kind, timid, unconfident, caring, determination, willpower, stubbornness, grace, warm-hearted, inner strength, strength that surpasses expectations, desire to help people, desire to be acknowledged, desire to be accepted. They were all good words, Kimimaro just couldn't think of how to convey them. He did his best. Hiashi listened to him speak patiently, occasionally smiling grimly or fondly, nodding, chuckling even.

'If you don't mind me asking...'

'Hm? What is it?'

'You must already know all this. You are her father.'

'That's true... But it's because I am her father that I don't notice her grow. And, as her father, that worries me... Sometimes it helps to look at things from another angle.'

'I see...' He wasn't sure he did, but he said it anyway. Hiashi didn't seem too convinced.

'You will when you have children.'

'...'

'Thank you for indulging my curiosity.'

'No, it was no problem.'

'Hm. Now then, I think it's almost time for breakfast. Shall we, Kimimaro-kun?'

'Certainly, Hiashi-sama.' Hiashi chuckled at Kimimaro's formality. Kimimaro didn't realise that Hiashi had used his given name instead of his family name for several hours. He really must have been tired.