The crash of the heavy door echoed through the big, empty room, bereft of its normal sound-absorbing crown. Like for Neji's interrogation, there were only six elders seated at a table near the bottom of the dais, including the foreboding face of his grandfather in the center, staring directly at Neji and Hinata. He swallowed and forced his weak knees to carry his weight forward, bringing himself closer to the sentence waiting for him. He'd been getting away with far too much for far too long now, and it long overdue for it to all come crashing down on his head.

Hinata had frozen behind Neji as soon as the doors had boomed shut behind them, but when he began to move forward, she started with an almost imperceptible squeak and ran forward several steps to catch up to her cousin. It was Neji's turn to start when he felt her hand sneak softly into the center of his palm. Even when she was still angry at him, she always came to her Big Brother for protection. Neji gave her hand a quick squeeze in reassurance before dropping it when they reached the center of the room. She whimpered slightly at the loss of contact and Neji ached to take her hand again, but he knew better than to show any kind of weakness in front of the elders.

Together, Neji and HInata came forward until one of the elders held up a hand to stop them.

"That's close enough."

They stopped, not daring to draw even a single inch closer to the table. Hinata, shaking slightly, refused to step out fully from behind Neji, and he forced himself with gritted teeth to move to the side and expose her to the calculating eyes of the elders. She shivered under their cold gazes, and again Neji had to fight the urge to step back in front of her in a protective gesture, but, like before, he knew any show of weakness or affection would only make their situation worse.

To his surprise, Neji heard Hinata take a deep breath, then step forward to stand on his level. Out of the corner of his peripheral vision, he saw that her chin was trembling, but her head was high and her shoulders squared. Despite the situation, Neji had to smile briefly, especially at the mutters from the table of elders; Hinata was stronger than they thought she was.

The quiet swirl of conversation from the elders quickly died out, and their grandfather raised a hand in greeting to them.

"Afternoon, Neji, Hinata. Thank you both for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice."

As if we had a choice, the snide voice in the back of Neji's mind spoke up, but he wisely chose not to repeat the words out loud.

Instead, he bowed his head, and saw Hinata next to him do the same. "It was no trouble, Lord Hyuuga."

"Y-yes, no trouble, L-Lord Hyuuga," Hinata echoed.

"We are certainly glad you feel this way," their grandfather said warmly. "And please, there's no need for such formality, either of you."

Neji bowed his head even lower. "Yes, Grandfather."

After a brief glance to the side, Hinata echoed her cousin again, albeit with a little more hesitation in her words. "Y-yes, G-Grandfather."

So that's how this was going to be.

"We've brought you here to discuss a decision the Council has come to a consensus on recently," their grandfather continued. "We plan to announce the decision shortly - within the week, in fact - but since it impacts both of you, we decided that it would be best to inform the two of you ahead of time, and in a more intimate setting."

Neji felt Hinata stiffen next to him in fear and uncertainty, and he felt a muscle tic in his jaw. Of course they would phrase it like that, knowing it would make her more nervous. He had already guessed the "big decision" they had decided to reveal to them, however, and the knowledge filled him with hopelessness rather than nerves.

The Elder gestured to the woman sitting next to him to continue where he had left off. She was a shorter, slightly pudgy grey-haired old lady, reminding Neji of what he imagined a kindly grandmother to look like, despite never meeting either of his own. Her softly sagging cheeks trembled gently when she spoke, the smile on her lips matching the twinkle in her eye.

"As you may or may not know, I am in charge of the subcommittee tasked with arranging marriages between members of our more prominent branches of the family to ensure maximum success in both forwarding the future generation of our clan and the compatibility of the couple. Despite your close blood ties and some… internal debate…" Here, her gaze flickered towards Neji for a moment, and her eyes lost a little bit of their sparkle, "...we have decided to form a union between the two of you! Congratulations on your engagement, both of you."

The others around the table joined her in murmuring their congratulations, and a few even deigned them with a smattering of light applause, but all Neji could see was the face of his grandfather, the older man's eyes boring steadily into his own. A small smile of congratulations played about his mouth as he inclined his head in Neji's direction, but all Neji could focus on was the smugness behind it, reminding him that he had finally, truly and utterly, lost. He had fought an insurmountable battle for years, and it had all culminated in this one moment of utter failure for him, and complete triumph for the elders. Feeling anything but the happiness he was expected to feel, Neji couldn't even bring himself to force a fake smile onto his face, and his fists clenched at his sides as his vision became tinged with red. A twinge went up his spine as his stance shifted, bring with it the reminder as to exactly why he'd woken up with a slight limp that morning. Sudden memories of dark eyes and barely-warm hands brought a wave of heat to his cheeks, but he wasn't sure whether the implications of what might have been, what he could have had if he hadn't been born into this family and this line, added to his sense of hopelessness or fueled his rage.

Neji was so deafened to the outside world by his inner monologue that he almost missed HInata's grateful gasp.

"Oh, th-thank you!"

Neji glanced at her in shock; there was no way she was okay with this, right? And yet, there she stood, body completely drained of the tension that had plagued her before and hands clasped in reverent thanks.

"I was s-so worried that this was going to be s-something bad, but this is… this is…" She turned to Neji with a sparkle in her eyes. "Isn't it p-perfect, Neji? I was so afraid that they'd s-separate us and I'd never see you again, but n-now we won't have to leave each other and we'll be together forever and…" Her smile faltered when she saw the flat look on Neji's face. "Neji, wh-what's wrong?"

Neji felt the heavy gazes of the elders all resting on him, even though he was no longer looking at them. This, he knew, was the main event, the real reason why they had both been called in at the same time, and in front of the smaller group instead of the whole Elder's Council. He was conflicted- on one hand, Neji wanted to rant, to rage at his fate, but not in front of Hinata. Never in front of Hinata. His sweet little cousin didn't deserve any of this.

It was for this reason that he closed his eyes before addressing her.

"Perfect? You're happy? How can you be so accepting of something as terrible as this?"

"T-terrible?" Hinata gasped, but Neji still couldn't bring himself to look at her; he turned back to the elders' table before opening his eyes.

"This is punishment for what happened in New York, isn't it?"

None of the elders eve blinked at his question. "You're punishment for your transgressions and poor judgement in New York has already been carried out," his grandfather said shortly, but the words sounded suspiciously wooden to Neji's ears. Robotic, as if they'd been practiced one too many times.

"P-punishm-ment?"

Against his better judgement, Neji instinctively looked behind him to see Hinata's shocked and hurt face, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"Its a p-punishment for you t-to have to b-be around m-me? It's a p-punishment for you to… to…?" She whispered, a single tear trickling down her cheek.

Neji's body was already in motion before he had consciously given it the order to move, doing what it had instinctively done for years and extending comfort to his baby cousin. He caught Hinata and crushed her to his chest, his hand automatically smoothing down her hair.

"No, no," he instantly refused, hoping that his physical affection could tell her what his convoluted words could not. "No, being with you is never a punishment. Taking away our autonomy, however, is."

"Preposterous," the grey-haired elder in charge of marriage arrangement snapped, the grandmotherly sense fading from her aura. "This decision did not take away your autonomy; you never had any in this matter to begin with. That is what you gave up when you were born Hyuuga. It is for the good of the clan."

"Even those politicians and lawmakers you love to quote against us when you fought our decision would support us in this regard," another added. "Wasn't a President who said, 'Ask not what your clan can do for you, but what you can do for your clan'?"

Neji felt a muscle jump in his jaw as he stared at the table over the top of Hinata's head. He knew the quote, just like he knew the President who had said it, though it was likely none of the elders before him could name who it was, despite the fact that some of them had been alive when he had been assassinated. But there was, at least to Neji, a vast difference between "clan" and the original "country".

Neji had assumed that Hinata wasn't listening hard enough to the elders' words to pick up on any subtleties, but when she stiffened in his arms he realized that assumption was woefully false.

"You f-fought this, Neji?" She asked, her lower lip trembling.

Neji knew her well enough to hear the question underneath her question, what she actually wanted to know: if he had known about the decision before her.

"Yes," he answered to both her spoken and unspoken squestions, unable to lie to her despite how he knew it would break her heart. "I've known for… a while now. And I've been fighting it since they first told me."

Hinata took a deep breath and stepped backwards, breaking all contact with Neji. "H-how long?"

"Hinata…" Neji reached for her, but she slapped his hand away with surprising vehemence.

"HOW LONG!" She screamed, the words echoing around the empty room like ricocheting shrapnel, solid and sure.

Neji couldn't help it; his mouth dropped open as the last remnants of the perfect words disappeared into the high-vaulted ceiling. All the years she'd suffered, everything they'd tried together, and it was fury that drove her voice to overcome itself? Forgetting for a moment their audience and argument itself, Neji felt a flush of pride creep through his body, and he answered her question without thought as to how she would react.

"Just after my eighteenth birthday, so three years now."

"Three years…?" Hinata asked in quiet shock, then anger radiated from her features again. "You've known about this for three years and you never told me? When you knew how scared I was for the future, when you knew how desperate I was for even the tiniest hint of what the plan was for me? Why didn't you tell me?!"

Against his better judgement, a fist of anger clenched around Neji's heart. "Would you have wanted to know this?" He retorted furiously, throwing a hand out to the side as if to encompass the both of them.

"Yes!"

"Would you really?"

"Of course I would! Anything is better than not knowing!"

"Well, I'd give anything go back to the time before I knew! I hate everything about this!"

The words were out of Neji's mouth before he could consider their ramifications, echoing through the courtroom like a sonic shockwave. For a moment, Neji's breath caught in his throat and he wanted to take the words back, but then he caught sight of the blank looks on the elders' faces and his anger flared once again. He advanced on Hinata, who backed away from him in fear until her back hit the wall. She let out a terrified squeak at the impact and then another one as Neji's arm slammed into the wall over her head, boxing her in as he towered over her with a thunderous expression.

Something he'd been treasureing for the better part of a decade broke inside Neji when he saw Hinata's expression of fear, but the void left behind by its loss was quickly replaced by a viciousness he'd never felt before.

"Don't you dare complain to me about protecting your innocence!" He seethed into her face, ignoring the tears starting to gather in her eyes. "You have no idea of the magnitude of things I've done for you, what I've given up for you! While you were too scared to do anything for yourself, I was the only fighting all your battles for you! You have no idea of the pain I've gone through to keep you safe!"

"B-but why?" Hinata cried, the tears freeing themselves from her eyes to drip down her cheeks, and Neji felt a wave of vicious pride mixed with heartache when he noticed that her stutter had returned.

"Because I thought I could get the decision reversed before you ever had to find out, but obviously that worked out as well as a mute canary in a coal mine full of poisonous gases!"

Hinata let out a choked sob. "Wh-why? Why reverse it-t? Because you h-hated the thought of l-looking after a use- useless ch-child like m-me for the r-rest of your l-life?"

Her heartbroken tone cooled Neji's anger somewhat, though it still burned underneath his skin. "No, Hinata. I loved you like a sister, and I still do; nothing will ever change that. But I cannot love you in the way they're asking me."

Hinata his her face in her hands. Neji didn't try to pull her attention back to him; she would face him again when she was ready, and he wouldn't force her before then. To his surprise, however, when she finally uncovered her face, she glared up at him with a vicious hatred he'd never seen on her face before.

"You don't love me anymore because you don't need me anymore!" She spat vehemently, her eyes flashing darker than he'd ever seen them. "You don't need me because you have him."

The pronoun was spit at Neji containing so much hatred - a tone he'd never heard in Hinata's voice before - that for a second, all he could do was stare back at her, blinking in confusion. The anger visibly sparking in her eyes curled her hands into fists at her sides. Who was the "him" that inspired such emotion in her?

Then it hit him, and he felt like an idiot. Of course it was Shikamaru that was driving a wedge between himself and Hinata; when had it ever not been? A dim coal of smouldering anger ignited in Neji's stomach, somewhere in between his sore backside and traitorous heart, which beat faster at just the thought of the ghost.

From between gritted teeth, Neji growled, "You leave him out of this. He has no business in our family's affairs."

Hinata's eyes were hard as they stared back up at him. "Just like he had no business being in your apartment this morning, is that right?"

Neji heard the seated council behind him shift in interest for the first time since the start of his and Hinata's argument. A slight bloom of panic erupted in Neji's chest; despite the fact that he'd washed his hands of Shikamaru - and for good this time - it didn't mean that he wanted to hand him over to the tender mercies of the Hyuuga family claws.

"Yes," he quickly snapped, and her cold eyes suddenly grew a little confused.

"That's not what it looked like to me."

How ironic, Neji thought, that is was these words that broke his resolve out everything that had been said in that argument. Unable to meet Hinata's gaze any longer, he glanced away from her face, then pulled away completely. She leaned away from the wall as soon as Neji's body was no longer blocking her range of motion. Grimacing, Neji pressed a hand to the center of his forehead. This didn't feel right! What was wrong with him?

"Well, Neji," Hinata whispered, the quiet sounds cutting through the silence of the room as easily as her earlier shout had. "I thought - I thought that - that you were the one thing I would never be af-fraid of."

The bottom dropped out of Neji's stomach when he heard her stutter again, and he swallowed with difficulty. She was looking down at the ground as she spoke, refusing to let anyone else see her face.

"But c-congrat-tulations-s, Neji. You p-prov-ved m-me wrong-g."

Hinata turned on her heel and ran from the room as soon as she finished speaking, and though Neji reached out desperately after her, he knew better than to call out. The heavy door boomed shut behind her, and Neji winced. She'd left the room before being dismissed, a huge breach of etiquette that she was likely to be punished for. If he even allowed her to serve the punishment instead of taking it on himself, as he always did. Even the argument the two had shared wasn't enough to persuade him to abandon his self-appointed post as Hinata's personal champion. It was far too ingrained in his soul to give it up now.

"How rude," he heard someone from the table behind him mutter.

Here we go again. I've gotten rather good at these in the past few weeks, Neji thought disparagingly as he took a deep breath and turned around with a plastic smile and slightly bowed head.

"I apologize for the actions of my cousin-"

"Fiancée," the grey-haired elder in charge of marriages corrected. Neji's teeth snapped together with an audible click.

"Fiancée," he allowed, though the word tasted like ashes in his mouth. "I apologize for her behavior. As her primary tutor, I have been lax in my duty of teaching her discipline. This is my oversight, not hers. I will gladly bear the burden for her mistake in her stead and fix her tutelage accordingly."

"I would think so," the same elder who had grumbled against Hinata's actions earlier muttered again, earning rumbles of appreciation from his peers.

All except for Neji's grandfather, who was still staring at him with a contemplative expression.

"You know, Neji," he said slowly, a small frown gracing his lips, "if you keep allowing her to rely on you like this, she will never learn to protect herself.

I wouldn't have to protect her if you did place such unreasonable demands on her! Neji inwardly seethed, but didn't allow any of his anger to show on his face. Instead, he just replied calmly, "With all due respect, Grandfather, I don't think she's capable at this point in time."

"And if you keep treating her like that, I doubt she will ever be."

Neji bit the inside of his cheek to keep responding in a way that he'd regret later. Stiffly, he bowed his head so he wouldn't have to look his grandfather in the eye.

"No punishment will be served," the Elder continued after a beat of silence. "It was a first-time offense from a child who didn't know any better. I will speak with her myself about it. This meeting is adjourned."

Neji deepened his bow as the elders stood up from the table, shuffling and talking amongst themselves. He only straightened up when they started to trail away from the room in catting pairs or silent individuals, delaying his return to verticality until the last possible second so he wouldn't have to meet their eyes. Only the last few stragglers were still making their way out of the courtroom through a door only accessible to elders when Neji turned on his heel and headed to the door he could exit, hiding his turbulent emotions behind a stony mask until he could find a more private place to let the mask slip. He was almost to the door, his hard reaching for the door handle, when someone called out to him.

"One moment, Neji. I'd like a private word with you; is that alright?"

Was it conceivable that anyone would deny the Lord Hyuuga a request for a private word? Neji let his hand slip from the door handle and turned around. "Of course, Grandfather."

"Excellent." The old man slipped out from behind the table and stiffly made his way across the room to Neji. He probably should have met the Elder halfway, but Neji couldn't bring himself to move and found some measure of vengeful joy watching him struggle across the wide expanse.

"I'm not as young as I used to be," he chuckled, clearly expecting Neji to laugh along at his joke, but he found that he couldn't even force his lips to twitch. With a sigh, the Elder clapped Neji on the shoulder. "Look, Neji, I know you're not very pleased with me right now, but you had to know this was coming."

"You're right. I did."

When no other answer was forthcoming, Neji's grandfather sighed again. "I know this is difficult for you, but you know why we do it. The good of us all is more important than personal happiness."

"Yes, Grandfather, I understand. Is that all you wished to discuss with me?" Perhaps if it was, Neji could finally go and finish drowning the hopeless hopes Shikamaru had cruelly lit in his breast.

But his trials appeared to not yet be over, because his grandfather shook his head. "Actually,, what I really wanted to talk to you about was something I heard Hinata say during your.. Ah… argument. Who is this 'him' you two were referring to?"

Neji froze and his stomach lurched as if he'd just been punched in the gut. Of course the elders had been listening to every word he and Hinata had uttered during their fight, and could now use all of it against them.

Apparently the fear was written plainly on Neji's face, because the Elder chuckled good-naturedly and laid a sure hand on his shoulder. "Don't look so terrified, Neji; it was just a question! You haven't committed any crimes!"

That you know of, the snide voice in the back of Neji's mind chipped in, only adding to the fear freezing him in place like a deer faced with the headlights of an oncoming car.

"I just wanted to verify a suspicion of mine after hearing that," he continued like he had no idea of the mental struggle taking place in Neji's head. "The 'girlfriend' we spoke of earlier… well, they're not exactly a 'girlfriend', are they? They're that mysterious 'him' you were talking about. Am I wrong?"

Neji couldn't breathe. The world swam in his oxygen-deprived brain. Was this the moment he had finally been caught for the last time? Was this, after everything else he had admitted to doing over the past few months the final straw that would break their thin patience in him?

What would that mean for the betrothal?

"I would like an answer to my question, Neji," his grandfather pressed gently, though without room for argument in his tone, breaking Neji out of his deep freeze.

Swallowing with difficulty, Neji considered his options. There weren't many; all he could really do was tell the truth. The only question that remain was how best to do it.

In the end, Neji decided on the simplest way. "You are… not wrong," he said without preamble or further elaboration.

The Elder's eyebrows crept up his forehead, but he made no direct comment. "And is that where your… preferences lie?"

Again, there were any number of different answers could give that were still true, ranging from an easy "yes" to an "I don't know" - more honest, but also more confusing.

"It is… tending that way," Neji finally said, carefully watching his grandfather's eyes as he spoke, though they gave nothing away either good or bad.

"And would you say that this is the reason for your adamance against your betrothal with Hinata?"

Neji almost gasped in relief; this question was one he could easily answer, and much simpler than the one he'd been expecting.

"No. I would never use such a personal excuse for a family matter. The reasons I have given to the Council this far are the ones that form my judgement." He hesitated a second before adding quietly, "Though I would be lying if I said that it had no impact at all on my reluctance."

"I… see."

To Neji's surprise, there was neither pity nor disgust hidden in his grandfather's gaze, just a kind of confused acceptance. Neji could practically see the gears gnashing in his mind.

"I am sorry that we could not align a match with you that agreed with your preferences," he said finally. "But you understand why. The good of our clan, the assurance of the next generation, must come before personal matters."

"Thank you, Grandfather. I understand."

To say that Neji wasn't confused, and maybe a little touched, by the apology would have been a lie. The Council of Elders never liked to telegraph their mistakes and often chose to ignore them rather than apologize, so the fact that he was getting one now, and from the Lord Hyuuga himself, made him feel slightly mollified. However, the damage had already been done, and the Elder's second statement proved that the information wouldn't have changed the outcome anyway, so it was a case of too little, too late.

"I knew you would." The Elder clapped Neji on the shoulder with a smile, but he caught a flicker of something strange in his expression as the hand lingered for a second too long. Was that… relief…?

"Is that all you wished to discuss with me, Grandfather?" Neji ventured, hoping his words didn't sound too stilted.

The words jolted the Elder from someplace far away, and he blinked as he returned to the moment. "Ah- yes, that's all I wanted to ask. I do have a piece of advice for you, though."

Advice- Neji would bet his job that it would include making up with Hinata, some sexist shit about happy wife, happy clan, or something equally as insensitive. He tried not to show his distaste. "Yes?"

Leaning in close as if bequeathing a secret to him, Neji's grandfather said quietly, "Just between you and me, Neji, you're being entirely too selfless about this matter. It wouldn't hurt you to stop thinking about this in terms of what it may cost Hinata, and starting thinking in terms of what it might benefit you. You might be surprised by what you find."

A single steady blink was the only way Neji allowed his face to betray his confusion. What about this benefited him, besides the prospect of an unhappy, unchangeable life? He would lose Hinata in this; there was nothing that he could possibly gain to overcome that.

But he wasn't about to tell his grandfather that. Instead, he just inclined his head at such an angle that the Elder's hand slipped off his shoulder.

"I will keep your words in mind, Grandfather." As much good as they'll do me.

"Good man." He gave a single short nod. "And try to make up with your fiancée before your engagement is announced to the family next week, won't you? We want our line to set a good example for the rest of the clan."

Hadn't he called it? Going along with his theme of the rest of the conversation, however, Neji chose to bite his tongue rather than speak his mind. "Yes, Grandfather."

The Elder gave him a beaming smile. "I knew I could count on you, Neji; I always have."

Neji allowed a wry smile to decorate his lips. "Thank you for your… kind words, Grandfather, but I do have some work I need to catch up on as soon as possible, so unless you have anything else you wished to speak about…"

He left the statement open-ended, hoping his grandfather would realize what he wanted without needing to be rude. He didn't want to risk appearing rebellious so close after his acquittal, but he couldn't stand to stay there in that room a second longer, where his future had been determined by callused voices and his hopes crushed by uncaring hands.

Luckily, the Elder bought Neji's excuse, because he nodded and stepped back. "I'll leave you to your work, then. I know you have quite a bit to catch up on."

This time, Neji couldn't hide the honest grimace that haunted his face. The amount of work he had piled up was almost as bad as the inbox full of emails he'd come back to after the Konoha fiasco. "Thank you, Grandfather. I wish you a productive day."

"And the same to you. Keep up the good work."

WIth that final statement, the Elder departed, leaving Neji in a state of somewhere in between fury and confusion. What had he meant, telling Neji to look at the situation from what he could stand to gain verses what Hinata would lose? Neji shook his head as he watched his grandfather amble out the back side of the courtroom, then turned and left himself. The very idea that the words presented made so sense, he reasoned as he stalked down the hallways of the Hyuuga compound, hoping his stony countenance could ward away any intrepid souls hoping to catch his eyes for a conversation. He simply had nothing to gain from this marriage, and everything to lose, same as HInata.

Still, Neji couldn't put his his grandfather's words out of his mind. What was he missing? Was there something the marriage would take from Hinata and bestow upon him? Unlikely; their standing in the clan, both being grandchildren of the current Lord Hyuuga, were almost identical, and several changes to Hyuuga law had been made in the last century so that discrimination on the basis of gender was as frowned upon in the family as it was in the country they resided in. In terms of birthright, Hinata only stood a little bit higher than him because-

Neji stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk. No, absolutely not! His usually snide inner voice protested, too shocked to think of a witty comeback. There's no way they'd try something that radical!

But is there any other explanation? The logical part of Neji's mind whispered, and he could find no argument with it.

Neji started from his greeze and quickened his pace as compared to before, almost sprinting the few remaining minutes back to his apartment. When he got to his door, he unlocked it with fumbling fingers and darted inside, letting the door slam sut behind him as he ran a course straight to his computer and booted it up.

Drumming his fingers impatiently, Neji waited for the computer to slowly go through its start-up process, then verify his identity and right to access the information contained therein before showing the soothing blue of the home screen. Moving his mouse with more vehemence than the action perhaps called for, Neji clicked on a folder he hardly ever opened because he had most of the contents memorized: The Laws and Guidelines of the Hyuuga Family, as set by the Council of Elders. Scrolling quickly through the list of documents with topics ranging everything from the education curriculum to the policies on spectral execution, Neji found the document he was looking for, labeled Constitution Part IV: The Council. He opened it and began to read.

The Council of the Elders, or The Elder's Council

The governing body and judicial system of the Hyuuga Clan shall be the Council of the Elders. The Elder's Council shall be composed of three parts: the Lay Jury, the subcommittees, and the High Council. The Lay Jury shall be made up of those from less prestigious background or not qualified to work on a subcommittee or be a part of the High Council; their tasks will be to sit in on meetings and vote to ratify the decisions of the subcommittees and High Council when required. The subcommittees are any number of committees created for the carrying out of a single function; they may be permanent, as in the case of the ones who support an individual Position of the High Council, or they may be temporary, as in the case of a committee created for establishing the guilt or innocence of a man on trial. An individual is under no obligation to stay with the same committee his entire career and may switch between subcommittees with permission, or leave a the subcommittee section entirely. The High Council is constructed of six permanent Positions, and their individual descriptions will be explored below.

Any member of the Hyuuga Clan can apply for consideration to sit on the Council of the Elders; however, they must be at least thirty-five years of age, have served at least ten years in service to the Clan, and be of sound mental and physical function to be accepted. Great pains will be taken to ensure that every line of the Hyuuga Clan is included to provide better and more equal representation across the clan.

The Five Permanent Positions of the Council of Elders

Owing to the nature of the subcommittees in the Council of Elders with specific tasks that will not bear change from generation to generation, five permanent position in the Council will be created. These five positions will each lead their own subcommittee and be part of the High Council, which will make decisions when either the full council is not present or is not needed. These positions are as follows: The Liaison Between the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clans, the Marriage Counselor, the Attorney for Outside Law, the Provider for Internal Peace and Wellbeing, and the High Judge of the Council, also known as Lord Hyuuga. (Note: see Amendment 6 for the details of the split of the Provider for Internal Peace and Wellbeing into two Positions, the Head of the Department of Private Safety and the Head of the Department of Internal Medicine and Health Care.)

i. The Liaison Between the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clans

The relationship between the Hyuuga and Uchiha clans must be kept civil to remain mutually beneficial. Therefore, the creation of a subcommittee to maintain the friendship between our sister families is necessary. The Liaison Between the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clans with take on this duty, providing stability between the two clans and the ability to call on one another in times of distress. His chief responsibility will be to keep in constant contact with his counterpart from the Uchiha clan and ensure a mutually symbiotic relationship on both sides. (Note: At the request of the Uchiha Liaison Between Clans in 1968, this position was modified to include arranging partners between the members of the Uchiha and the Hyuuga clans to provide better and more immediate assistance across clan borders.)

ii. The Marriage Counselor

As the Hyuuga clan is a small sovereign nation in and of itself that does not extend citizenship rights to those born Outside of the clan, special consideration must be made to ensure that the next generation of the clan will be born healthy and with pure blood. Therefore, marriages are to be arranged between the distinctive bloodlines of the family in such a way as to prevent inbreeding, as well as maximizing the compatibility of the couple. The duties of the Marriage Counselor include arranging these matches, as well as presiding over every marriage ceremony of two Hyuuga and providing counseling to anyone who wishes it in the areas of marriage and family affairs.

iii. The Attorney for Outside Law

The Hyuuga clan exists as a separate country and entity from the United States in which it currently resides, as in any country it may make its home, and as such is not bound by their Laws and Justice. However, in cases where a member of the Hyuuga family were to get caught by Outside law enforcement and accused of a crime, it will be necessary for a member of the Clan to be well-versed in the Law of the Outside Country. The Attorney for Outside Law will therefore represent any Hyuuga in an Outside court of Law, be present and active in all cases of Outside Contract signing, and otherwise provide legal council to any Hyuuga in need of it. The Attorney for Outside Law may not refuse to give legal services to any Hyuuga on the basis of age, gender, blood status, or personal agenda, or he may be forced to retire from his post in accordance with the Impeachment Policy. (Note: this Position was expanded under Executive Order #24 by Lord Jerin Hyuuga, which incorporated giving preventative advice to avoid entanglements with the Outside legal system.)

iv. The Provider for Internal Peace and Wellbeing

This Position is null and void, and no longer exists in the current Elder's Council. The two aspects of the Position, Internal Peace, or the Hyuuga Clan's law enforcement, and Wellbeing, or the specialized doctoral force to deal with the unique aspects of Hyuuga (Note: and later Uchiha) physique, were too large to be combined into one Position and placed too much power behind the Provider. Therefore, the Position was split in twain to provide better balance of power.

iv. a. The Head of the Department of Private Safety

The purpose of the Department of Private Safety is to provide the best assurance of safety to each and every member of the greater Hyuuga clan. Each individual in the Hyuga Sub-Nation is entitled to the pursuit of happiness without fear of their lives or property, and the Department of Private Safety ensures that those rights are never alienated.

iv. b. The Head of the Department of Internal Medicine and Health Care

As the physical conditions of Hyuuga and Uchiha clan members, in particular their eyes, are unique from the lay population, it is imperative that they neither come into contact with nor are exposed by Outside medicinal practices or personnel. Therefore, the creation of a Department for Internal Medicine and Health Care is necessary to protect the secrets of the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clan eyes and to prevent their powers from being abused by Outside sources.

v. The High Judge of the Council, or, The Lord Hyuuga

The High Judge of the Elders' Council is the Supreme Justice of the Hyuuga courtroom. It is for this reason that he (or she) is to be bestowed the Title of Lord Hyuuga. The High Judge has the ability to propose new Laws and Amendments of the Hyuuga Constitution. However, the High Judge is not a monarch, and each proposition must be seconded by another member of the Hereditary High Council and ratified by a two-thirds majority vote of the entire Council. The High Judge also has the ability to issue Executive Orders, which do not have to be ratified by a two-thirds majority vote and may create a lasting effect on the culture of the Hyuuga Clan and the Council of Elders, but may be overturned by a later Law, Amendment, or two-thirds majority vote. In times of political distress or when a consensus must be reached before the whole Council can be called to court, The High Judge may act as a representative and issue orders without the consent or permission from from the Council, though any permanent changes must be ratified by the propper two-thirds majority vote after the time of crisis has passed.

The Passing of the Permanent Positions from Generation to Generation

The five permanent positions of the Council as mentioned above, being the Liaison Between the Hyuuga and Uchiha Clans, the Marriage Counselor, the Attorney for Outside Law, the Provider for Internal Peace and Wellbeing, and the High Judge of the Council, also known as Lord Hyuuga, are also hereditary positions. (Note: Amendment 6 splits the Provider for Internal Peace and Wellbeing into two Positions, the Head of the Department of Private Safety and the Head of the Department of Internal Medicine and Health Care.)

To generate the smoothest transition between the generations, the five (six) positions will pass from father to eldest son (Note: see Amendment 4 for the details on changing this from "son" to "child" to allow female members of the Council to hold hereditary positions.) The heir to the Position must be identified by the time he (or she) turns twenty-five, and must abide by all other criteria for Council membership at the time of his (or her) induction, namely the age and minimum years of service to the Clan stipulations. Exceptions due to unforeseen circumstances may be granted on an individual basis, but must be ratified by a two-thirds majority vote of the entire Council. Two heirs for every Position must be identified at all times if possible, to ensure a Position is never left empty in times of emergency.

Subsection A: Transfering the Title of Heir to a Position

This subsection details the instructions for transfering the title of Heir to a Hereditary Position in the event that the logical heir to a Position is unfit to hold office by factors including but not limited to the following: disability, personal injury, mixed blood, lost standing or disgrace, abdication, gender (Note: this stipulation removed by Amendment 4), death or general inability to perform the actions required for the Position. In such a case, a new heir must be chosen to take the place of the former Heir, and the former Heir must relinquish all claim to the title of Heir to a Position to avoid future conflict.

Only the current holder of a Position Title can propose that an Heir is unfit for office, and nominate a new Heir to take his (or her) place, though both choices must be ratified by a two-thirds majority vote of the entire Council. Owing to the direct hereditary nature of the Positions, the new Heir must be either a spouse, sibling, or child of the original Heir to preserve the bloodline and prevent any future conflict between competing bloodlines to occur.

Subsection B: Training the Heir

Rigorous training for any Heir to a hereditary Position must be given…

Neji's heart thudded painfully in his breast. He hadn't wanted to believe it, couldn't believe it, and here was the proof to justify his worst suspicions. The real reason his grandfather was pushing the marriage between himself and Hinata was because he wanted Neji to usurp Hinata's birthright and become his second Heir, after Hinata's father. The second Heir to the position of High Judge of the Elder Council.

He could be Lord Neji Hyuuga.

Neji felt guilty shame blocking his throat as soon as the thought had passed through his mind, but only because his initial reaction was one of vicious joy. To hold such a position of power, especially over those who had held so much over him for so long-! The very prospect was heady. Because Ab Ordine Libertas. From order comes Freedom- finally, Neji's freedom.

But at what cost? The guilt clawed harder at Neji's throat, making it difficult to breathe. That position was rightfully Hinata's - could Neji allow himself to steal it from her, especially when he had been the only one to support her and believe in her for all these years?

Neji was afraid of what it meant about himself if the answer to that question turned out to be yes.

His eyes drifted back to the screen. As much as he felt like he should look away, the words drew him back in. He suddenly wished that he had someone to talk this over with, someone much smarter than him and unbiased as to the politics of his family-

But the only person who currently fit that description Neji had informed he no longer had any place in his life.

Gradually, lust for knowledge - if he wasn't willing to admit to a lust for power just yet - overcame his guilt, and Neji started reading again. He should probably know more about this, anyway. Even just for curiosity's sake.

Subsection B: Training the Heir

Rigorous training for any Heir to a hereditary Position must be given to ensure maximum preparedness before assuming duties. However, the training for each individual Position's Heri is to be specifically tailored to that Position, so little can be said of it here. The current holder of the Position must personally oversee the training to judge whether the Heir is fit to take over his (or her) position based on his (or her) performance in their training. If their performance is not satisfactory, they may be stripped of their Title of Heir and a new Heir may be selected according to the process detailed in Subsection A…

"Sir, we've just received an automatic notification about Neji's computer usage."

The Elder looked up from the report he was reading behind his desk at the man standing at his door. Plucking the glasses he only used for see up close from his nose and folding them onto his desk, he steepled his hands and gave the young man his full attention. "Very well. State your report."

"He's reading our Constitution, Sir. Specifically, the section on the Council, and more specifically, the subsection concerning the hereditary positions."

A smug smile parted the Elder's lips. "So he's finally figured it out. Perfect."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't understand," the man who had brought the information said with a frown. He was one of the newest elders, just recently indicted to the council, and worked under the Law Enforcement department. "But how is this a good thing? Don't we usually monitor these kinds of activities as potential flags for rebellion?"

"Neji's case is special," the Elder said dismissively. "It's good if he's curious."

He could tell the man wasn't satisfied with his answer, but he knew better than to question the judgement of his superior. "Yes, Sir. Is there any other information you require from this report?"

"No, that will be all. You are dismissed."

"Thank you, Sir."

The Elder turned his eyes back to the report he was supposed to be reading, perching his glasses back on his nose as the younger elder left his office, but none of the words registered in his brain. His plan had worked. Now that Neji knew what was in store for him, there was no way he'd try to rebel again. A smile split his face that had nothing to do with the paper in his hands.

He had, in effect, won this war.