After returning home.
True to their word, Kurenai comes by after she's spent a night with the Hyuuga doctors, thankfully in her own room. Neji had come barrelling through full of heart-wrenching sobs and had flung himself onto her bed to weep into her lap. Even Lord Hyuuga didn't disturb her until Neji had cried himself to sleep curled up against her chest.
He came in slowly, making sure he didn't wake the young boy.
"Hello Shoko." He said, and she tried a weak smile at him.
"A lot has happened, hasn't it brother?" She asked, hearing him move over, feeling his chakra waver as he approached.
He was sad, they were both sad. He brushed her hair from her face, hesitating for a moment before he leant down to kiss her forehead softly. He didn't mention the fact that her seal was practically gone, only a few faded lines of green the only thing left. He knew this meant her Byakugan was gone, sealed away.
She must have died during her injuries, and for a substantial time. If she hadn't, then the seal would have stayed. It was incredibly rare, but it did happen from time to time. Normally, the seal would be re-done but he was desperately tired of the seal and the troubles it brought. She was blind, her Byakugan was clearly ruined and the scarring over her face and he wasn't interested in listening to people debate it.
He'd lost one sibling to that damned seal, he refused to lose another.
Looking down at the seal haphazardly hid under his own long silky hair, Neji slept with a scowl on his face. He always seemed to scowl now.
"I am so glad you're home." He whispered, because he feared if he spoke any louder his voice would break and the careful façade he had created would crumble away.
"Its okay brother," Shoko whispered back, reaching out and just about finding his hand "I don't know what happened, but I know you loved him."
He let a few stray tears dribble down his face and slip off his chin to the floor. It had been almost too much the last few months, dealing with the news of Shoko's death, and then his brother's death and then finding out Shoko had been alive all the while. There was an empty grave and a headstone with her name on they would have to move, his greatest relief was knowing that his brother had found out Shoko had been alive before his own passing.
"We will figure this all out," She continued softly, letting go of his hand to stroke Neji's head and ease the frown from his face "I don't know how, but we will."
Lord Hyuuga thanked the gods for the small mercy that was Shoko Hyuuga.
In the days coming Shoko spent her time inside the compound, she was visited regularly by her friends even if Kakashi had to slip in secretly. Her brother hadn't forgiven him his lie, or the Hokage, so he was technically banned from the compound but things like rules had never stopped Kakashi.
"The village is looking whole again," He told her from his perch on her windowsill "money from missions is building back up but until the next generation or so takes over we'll be low on numbers."
She hummed, trailing her hands over her desk to help grow accustomed to guessing what objects were without her eyes. She found something spiky and held it up at Kakashi's silvery chakra point.
"Hairbrush?"
"Correct."
She grinned and popped it back where she found it on her desk. She wasn't confined to her bed or her room any more, but she couldn't walk far and she decided she needed to get familiar with the place she was sleeping first.
"It helps that we finally have our peace with the sand," He continued "it's a tumultuous peace but a peace nonetheless."
She reached over a new object, hissing when she cut herself on the edge.
"Kunai." She grumbled.
"Correct." Kakashi had a smile in his voice; she scowled over at his silvery chakra blob.
"When is your next mission?"
"Not for a few days yet." He told her "The Hokage wants me to help with the kid."
She frowned "The kid?"
"Naruto."
She turned to him properly, staring over where she knew he was. She'd forgotten, Kakashi had been anbu before he had taken on team seven (his previous team's failings were all due to a reluctance to leave anbu more than anything) and thus had to involve himself with Naruto.
"Where is he?" She asked.
"Classified."
She shook her head, resting her chin on her hand. Kushina sensei wouldn't have wanted this. Neither of his parents would. Naruto was supposed to be the hero of the leaf, he saved them all and he didn't even know it and everyone else condemned him for it. It wasn't right.
"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, she was scowling angrily down at her desk, unseeing eyes unmoving.
"Did you know I was on Kushina's team before she died?"
Kakashi blinked, as a matter of fact he hadn't known that. Or rather, he hadn't bothered to pay attention to it. He had known Kushina had a team of her own for a period before her pregnancy with Naruto, had even known there was a leftover Hyuuga on the team but he couldn't have said it was her.
The 'leftover Hyuuga' he had been told about was a meek little thing with hardly any confidence and an unrelenting worship of her clan. That description and the Shoko he knew just didn't add up.
"No," He told her "I didn't."
"When she told us she was pregnant, she was so excited." She recalled, thinking back to the day with a smile.
"She told us all the things she couldn't wait to do with him."
Kakashi didn't say anything, Shoko had never spoken about her training before she had met them, before the ninetails attack. Before her sensei, like his, had died.
"And now he's kept hidden away cared for by emotionless, masked people who he will no doubt forget one day."
It wasn't right. He knew it wasn't right. He had always thought that if something like this happened to his sensei that he would step up for the child. But looking at the squalling Naruto had hurt, he looked so much like his father that the idea of even holding him burned. Looking at Shoko, at the darkness that was no doubt looming over her, he could tell that if she had been given the option she would have taken him without hesitation.
She was a better person than he was.
"When he gets older, when he's out of anbu care, I'm going to help him."
"That's not a good idea."
"Fuck good. It's right."
