Shikamaru's arm dropped from Neji's shoulders and he stood. He turned around and grasped Neji's wrist, pulling him up into a standing position. " Are you sure your ready for this?" asked Shikamaru. Neji nodded. " We won't have time to recover on missions. So we'll just have to grit our teeth and bare it. The quick, inconspicuous way you healed me was perfect. Hiashi couldn't see either one of us doing it. That'll be good because we won't have time to stop." said Neji.
Neji did 75 hand signs and the seals dropped. Shikamaru and Neji walked out of the compound. When they got outside, they saw Gai who must've been the one to hit the ground with a thud, and Hiashi who looked angry. When Gai saw Neji, his eyes widened. " Neji, are you alright?" asked Gai. " Yes, I'm fine. Though, I didn't expect them to go that far." said Neji.
Shikamaru's and Gai's eyes narrowed. " Just how far did they go?" asked Shikamaru. His tone was low, almost snarling. Neji stiffened like a deer in the headlights, realizing he shouldn't have said that in front of his protective brother and father. " Inoichi used the mind transfer jutsu on me for about two hours. Because the Hyuuga clan deals in chakra based attacks, he didn't get any information. Plus, I had a little help." said Neji. The last part was directed at Shikamaru. A small smile lit his face.
" I'm glad. Was he physically there?" asked Shikamaru. " Yes he was. Ibiki tortured me for five hours. He let Asuma handle the last three hours." said Neji. Even as he said it, a shudder went through his frame. He still cringed as he felt the residual ache left behind by Asuma's vendetta against him.
Shikamaru was shaking. He knew Asuma held a grudge, but this was ridiculous. Neji felt chakra seeping out of Shikamaru. Shikamaru started walked off the Hyuuga grounds at a slow, but agitated pace. He was clenching and unclenching his hands.
Neji walked past Hiashi and Gai. Once far enough away, he took off like a bullet. He sent out a chakra burst. Diamond landed at his side. " Where is he?" asked Neji. It was almost hissed. Diamond sent out a chakra burst. Neji fallowed it. Soon, he found Shikamaru. " What was that all about?" asked Neji. Shikamaru looked up from where he was sitting. He was surprised Neji would still come after him." He shouldn't have done that. I knew this would bring you trouble." said Shikamaru. " Wait a minute, are you blaming yourself for this? This is not your fault. Asuma, Ibiki, Kakashi, and Inoichi all hate me. That's not really a surprise. You, on the other hand, have given me someone I can count on." said Neji.
Shikamaru nodded. Neji walked over to Shikamaru and grasped his wrist, pulling him into a standing position. Neji stepped backed and Shikamaru saw his face. He looked tired and weak. Shikamaru offered his arm and Neji grabbed on, shooting him a grateful look. As they walked, Shikamaru's other hand dropped and he felt fur. " So that's how you found me." said Shikamaru. As he scratched Diamond. Neji nodded and a question nagged at the back of his mind. " Where did you go?" asked Neji. " The forest. The deer like to grazed away from the clan members. It's calming being with them." said Shikamaru. Neji mused on how much time Shikamaru spent with the deer. If he knew he could get away with it, he figured Shikamaru would sleep there.
Neji was zoned out on the walk back. He wondered how he was going to protect himself from Asuma. Neji snapped out of his musings when he felt Diamond's nose nudge his hand. When he looked up, he saw they had stopped. Shikamaru was looking at him out of the corner of his eye. He acknowledged it with a almost minute tilt of his head. " We have company coming up." said Shikamaru. Through barely moved lips.
( A.N. Hey, Itachikitsune here, There will be talk of breaking further down the line. It DOES NOT mean breaking an animal's spirit. It just means calming the person down. I will put another A.N on that exact chapter. I hope you like this next one, Itachikisune.)