The week continued to be busy. All members of their group had to deal with the issue in different ways. Neji received several phone calls from family members either reprimanding him for his unsanctioned wedding or asking why they hadn't been invited or even introduced to his wife. He usually hung up quite quickly. Sometimes without even saying anything. That's what he was like when he grew impatient.

Tenten received similar phone calls albeit not from family members since she had none of her own. Instead, she received all of Neji's cast-offs; discarded family members who had no luck with Neji contacted her next. At some point poor Koki got to deal with all of them because Tenten simply refused to take the calls anymore.

Calls were not the only incoming thing. Tenten even received letters from neighboring cities saying they would appreciate the chance to work with her, citing her new status as a Hyūga as a motivating factor. Apparently, she was prestigious now. This was not quite how Tenten wanted to establish business relations though. So, the letters just piled up during the week in a corner of her office.

Those were not the only letters Tenten received though. There were also some letters terminating contracts because they did not want to get involved in the mess and, heaven forbid, antagonize the Hyūga clan. The rejections hurt Tenten more than she would have expected. They felt like punishment for doing something brave, helping her friends. But this was her life now, so Tenten just accepted it as best she could and did what she had always done: tried to do her job as well as she could.

Hinata was not approached because of the wedding that much but more on account of her new feud. Many people contacted her and gave their unsolicited opinion on what they thought about her as a Hyuga and her level of respect towards her father. Since Hiashi had not spoken directly to Hinata since the meeting, that made clan-business quite difficult and Hinata felt very disappointed at what she perceived to be paternal childish behavior. But not everybody agreed with her, especially members of an older generation.

But it couldn't be helped. The result of all these issues was that everyone was looking forward to the city clan meeting. Not because they thought that suddenly things would magically go back to the way they were before, but because it would create more clarity on the present issues for everyone.

Tsunade decided to stay in Konoha until the meeting had been conducted, so Tenten and Neji still had very little privacy. But on the plus side, they also had a buffer. Having Tsunade around was not so bad. She was an entertaining houseguest and Lee, now up to date, came over often and made good on Neji's worries and would not shut up. So, while there was little opportunity for privately working things out between them, there was also less opportunity for a big blow-up between. This dynamic meant that when the big day had come, both the husband and wife at the center of this apparent coup were thoroughly exhausted.

The town hall was filling up with members of the city. Many clans were attending. Naruto and Shizune sat elevated in the town hall meeting. Sakura and other members of government sat in front of them albeit on a lower level. The other attendees received seats in a semi-circle. The most interesting constellation of seats was the allocation of the Hyūga seats. Since Hiashi had refused to speak to Hinata but attendees had to register via their clans, two sets of application forms had been handed in. One form listed prominent Hyūga members mostly over the age of 40 and the other form only listed three. Hinata, Neji and Tenten. When the seating charts had been arranged, confusion had ensued and so there were two separate areas with different amounts of seats but both labelled Hyūga clan. It was the perfect embodiment of the rift that existed in the family.

"I can't believe they did not put us into the same family." Hinata expelled air from her lungs in what almost could be called a huff. Her party had arrived early to an almost empty hall and she was sitting in the forefront seat of her section of the Hyūga chairs with Neji and Tenten just behind her. Tenten mumbled into Hinata's ear from behind:

"Technically, they did not put you in a different family. They just put you in a separate location from the rest of the family."

"Regardless, it's disrespectful." Hinata could not help but stare at the still empty chairs across the hall that had her family name on them. Neji refrained to comment.

The next surprise occurred when the Hyūga clan entered. It happened when the town hall had already decently filled up. As expected the second Hyūga part arrived in a procession consisting of elderly men … and Hanabi. Hinata watched in shock as her younger sister marched alongside her father and took a seat right next to him on the other side of the hall.

Naruto had been going through the agenda from his elevated seat when he caught a glimpse of Hinata's expression. Her lips were parted and her face displayed deep shock. Her obvious efforts to catch her sister's eyes went unanswered. It pained Naruto physically to see her this way. Hinata slumped back into her seat and suddenly looked much more like the girl with low confidence he had grown up with. The sight was enough to rip someone's heart out.

Neji and Tenten on the other hand looked absolutely calm. Neji sat stoically and straight-backed, not noticing any of the stares directed at him. Tenten was doing the same albeit in a much more relaxed pose, having rested her ankle on her thigh and leaning back.

The town hall neared its full capacity when Tsunade, who had not signed up, arrived. She gestured towards Lee, who happened to be the acquaintance closest to the entryway. Obediently, Lee followed her, returning a little later with a lawn chair. Demonstrably, Tsunade pointed at a free bit of space from which she would have a good view of the entire room and Lee sat it down before returning to his spot.

Unfazed by ceremony, Tsunade took her seat and nodded at Naruto. The current hokage smiled back, aware that she should be reprimanded for breaking the rules but he just could not get himself to do it. In any case, it was time to begin the meeting.

Even though the issue was such a hot topic, the meeting actually commenced in a routined, slightly boring way. Paragraphs from the law book were read concerning the changing of city policy, then some people had prepared speeches. Hiashi's speech sounded like any speech he had ever given in his life: It emphasized tradition, time-proven values with a summary of what he considered historical highlights that were due to adherence to aforementioned values and, lastly, an emphatic appeal to everyone's conscience.

As Naruto was watching the large crowd he became acutely aware that most people had been hoping to see some drama. Especially many of the younger ninjas and kunoichis, who had probably begged their clan elders to be included, were looking at each other, bored. For many it must be their first viewing of a political event and they were becoming increasingly aware of the cleft between the political and military sphere of the ninja-life. One was action-packed, the other one… was not.

They only perked up when it was Hinata's turn to speak. She looked stunning in her Hyūga seal crested dark robes, flowing over her long legs and expertly tied by an obi in a masculine style. It was an unusual choice for her as Hinata usually tried to adhere to a more female fashion. But, Naruto supposed, this underlined her stance better. She walked up to the speaking stand with her usual elegance and head held high. When she began to talk, her voice was crystal clear and seemed to reach every last member of the hall:

"I am Hinata of the Hyūga clan and I love my family," she began. "Let me explain what I mean by that." The paradoxical statement seemed to intrigue the crowd because it did not occur to anyone to think the word 'family' to be ambiguous. Naruto suspected, people expected her to exclude certain members from her family but that was not the line of argumentation she was taking. Not at all.

"I see each and everyone of you as my family. When I make decisions as first in line, as head of my house, I do not only think of what is good for me. I think of what is good for my family, for all of us." She took a deep-breath and continued to explain. "Hiruzen, our wise and kind third Hokage believed this as well. He believed we were all family and that it was the Hokage's duty to protect it. Before you interject - I am aware that his rule is associated with several problems and he has been credited with shortcomings such as weakness. Let me set the record straight: It was not his shortcomings that created the problems in our past. They were our own shortcomings. If we fault a leader for being kind, for watching out for all of us, it just means that our own hearts are not big enough. The responsibility for a city cannot rest on the shoulders of just one individual. It rests on each and everyone of us."

Here Hinata paused to take the time to swipe a long gaze throughout the room.

"We all need to do better, be kinder to one another. Regardless of whose clan they come from, whose clan they marry into or whose clan they've lost."

The last few words were accompanied by a soulful look at the two members of her party and then to where Sasuke Uchiha was sitting, all by himself. This time he was not surrounded by three empty chairs but by none. His pit-deep, black eyes held her gaze until she directed it back at the gathered crowd.

"That is my reason for wanting to change the policy towards giving individuals more power. Not clan-politics, no city-politics, just family and civil responsibility... " Her voice grew thick with the next words but she still carried them out with a sensitive conviction.

"It's daunting, I know. But the time-proven values are not time-proven at all. If anything, they are just a manifestation of our own fears. Change is a natural part of life, of development,-..." Her last words were almost whispered but Naruto was certain every single person heard them. "...even a hidden village cannot hide from change."

Then she stepped off the small podium and gracefully returned to her seat. The spell was broken. Naruto could hear conversations breaking out everywhere. He knew what he needed to do. He announced an intermission.

People stood up, walked around, walked out. As expected, conversations raged among the clans. Naruto had never seen such an animated crowd during a city meeting. He exchanged a look with Tsunade, who had a big, fat grin plastered over her face.

"Watch," she mouthed and he did. He watched the hall as the younger generation began not only conversing among themselves but also with their older clan members. Naruto was so fascinated by the general chaos that he lost sight of the goings-on of the clan at the center of it all.

Hinata did not though; she was very much aware of the goings-on of the Hyuga clan. She could not help but stare at her father from across the room. He was carrying on a whispered conversation with some of her uncles that had also been present at their meeting a week earlier. Then Hiashi looked surprised when Hanabi stood up and crossed the room.

Hinata did not know what to say to her sister. She had purposefully left Hanabi out of all this to protect her but now felt betrayed because of her apparent side-choosing. When Hanabi had arrived, she put her hands on her hips, coming to a stop right in front of her sister.

"Why didn't you tell me? My gosh, I had to hear from my friends what was going on in my own family! You've hardly been home in a week, running around doing god knows what. I could not get a hold of you for the life of me!"

Whatever Hinata had been expecting, it was not this. Feebly, the heiress opened her mouth. Nothing came out. She tried again.

"I was protecting you."

Hanabi frowned. "From what?" she asked outraged.

"From the family, the drama, the responsibility of making a choice, taking a stand - Everything." The words were spilling out of her so quickly they were barely comprehensible.

"Responsibility? Taking a stand? What the-?" Hanabi was not very sympathetic to her sister's plight.

"I didn't want you to face what Neji had to. Defying your own family. I wanted you to be able to marry whoever you wanted without any of the backlash of it."

Hanabi just kept on frowning. She was silent for a minute, obviously rethinking some things but it did not make her any softer.

"Hinata…," she began in an unrelenting tone. "Do you think I'm afraid of Father somehow?"

Hinata did not know how to answer, so Hanabi just kept on:

"Do you think I was ever going to let him choose whom I marry?" She said it as if it were the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. Hanabi took her hands off her hips. Instead she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"That was never going to happen," she explained as if she were stating that water always flows downhill.

"It wasn't?" Hinata stuttered.

"Of course not!" Hanabi was loud enough that neighboring groups of people turned their heads. She continued in a more even-tempered tone.

"Who do you think I am? Some feeble-minded little thing with no backbone?"

Hinat still did not know what to answer. Since there was no response in sight from the heiress, Hanabi moved on to Neji.

"Did you know about this?"

He gave her a disapproving look and shook his head. Of course he did not. Looking at her stoic cousin, made Hanabi realize that she must seem just as unkind as him. So Hanabi finally moved closer to her sister and kneeled at her side so they would be eye-to eye.

"What did you think was going to happen? He picks someone out and I say 'sure, daddy, let's do it?'"

Hinata seemed to feel very uncomfortable. She responded with something halfway between a shrug and a nod. Hanabi shook her head.

"No. Just… no."

"But... ," Hinata finally managed. "What would you do if the policy change does not occur and he does pick someone for you?"

Hanabi stopped shaking her head and looked her sister in the eye. Her facial expression hinted that there was a very simple answer that had not occurred to Hinata.

"I'd say no."

"No?"

"Yep. No."

"And then what?"

"And then I would not marry whoever he picked out. Unless, of course, I wanted to. In that case I'd probably ask whoever it was myself."

"Oh." Hinata could not believe she had committed such a blunder. Devastated, she realized she was just like her father. Imposing what she thought was best without discussing it with the parties involved. She lost her breath for a moment, then stuttered:

"I-I'm so sorry."

Hanabi put a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"It's ok," she said. "Being clan heiress sucks. I get it… Sometimes you get very… wrapped up in things."

That had been an understatement. Hinata was close to tears now, so her sister gave her a hug. They stayed like that for some time. Right until Hiashi walked up to them.

He did not look healthy; his skin had paled. With him towering over the two women, he seemed intimidating. It took him a moment to say something. Unfortunately, it could not have been a more unfortunate statement.

"I really wish we could have kept this within the family," he began. But that was as far as he got because Hinata's look stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Did you even listen to my speech?" she asked in a low voice no one had ever heard her use before.

"Yes, very well written but my point is-"

"Your point does not matter." Hinata was released from Hanabi's embrace when she rose, robes rustling.

"You are the most stubborn man I know and what's worse is you've turned me into you. No, that's wrong. I let you turn me into you."

It seemed Hiashi wanted to interject but his daughter was not finished yet and she made this clear with a distinctive gesture.

"Do whatever you want. I don't care anymore. You want to continue this feud. Be my guest. You want to keep pretending as though you've got all the answers. Sure. But I will not be a part of it. Whatever it takes, I won't. Name someone else heiress, expel me, denounce me. Go on. I dare you."

Hiashi did not even twitch a muscle at the challenge. He was certainly not a man used to being challenged but his calm had an eerie feeling to it. Everyone anticipated a sharp retort to his daughter but instead, he turned to the sidelines.

"You see what you've done?" he addressed Tenten. While Hinata gasped in outrage that she was being completely ignored, Tenten went cold, then hot all throughout her body. This was the first time the clan head had addressed her in this mess. He thought she had caused all of this.

Several scenarios of what Hiashi might be thinking sped through Tenten's brain. She had seduced his beloved cousin. She had scheemed with his beloved daughter. She had unrightfully slept her way into the Hyūga family. Taken something that was not hers. Basically, in all scenarios, she had become privy to something she was not entitled to. She was a nobody, a nothing really.

Before Hinata could come to her defense, Tenten stood up, throwing her hands into the air.

"I'm out," was all she said before Tenten extricated herself from the seating area and marched out the hall. Everyone watched her until she had vanished.

"I think that was uncalled for," Hanabi stated in her level-headed, practical voice referring to her father's implied accusation. They all stared at each other with mixed feelings.

Then Naruto ended the intermission and Hiashi was forced to return to his seat. There was no telling how he felt. Did he still feel in control or did he finally concede that he was not master of this situation? No one could tell. He did not even acknowledge the fact that Hanabi stayed behind taking Tenten's abandoned seat.

ttt

The rest of the city clan meeting had gone according to the agenda and Naruto had ruled a motion for a policy review. Change was something that happened slowly but it was the first step. Whether this would actually have radical implications for clan life was still up in the air but one thing was for sure. The marriage between Neji and Tenten was probably not going to be declared illegitimate.

During the entire rest of the meeting, Neji wondered whether he should have pursued his wife. His friend. He felt bound by protocole, so he did not feel entitled to leave the way she had. Instead he thought about other ways to remedy the situation. After the meeting was adjourned and the town hall started clearing out, he asked Naruto whether he could talk to him on a private matter. The Hokage seemed surprised but agreed readily. While Shizune went off to transcribe the meeting minutes, Naruto and Neji found themselves a private little corner to talk.

Afterwards, Neji went home. Tsunade had gone off with Lee, Sakura and a few others to celebrate, so he went alone. He was disappointed when he encountered it empty. Tenten had not come home or if she did she had not remained there. Though not privy to the nuances of human relationships, he was aware that their friendship had been strained recently. Something akin to guilt had accompanied this realization. He was not prone to second-guessing his decisions but he could not help but wonder whether sleeping with Tenten had been such a good idea.

Hours passed and he still found himself home alone. He had attempted to read the last chapter of one of his books but whenever he reached the last sentence - "And so life went on." - he realized he could not remember any of the preceding content and had to start anew. This abnormality in concentration was disturbing to Neji, who relied a great deal on his cognitive functions. A neurological issue was among his worst nightmares.

Neji put the book back on the shelf, feeling restless. There was an uneasiness within him. So he tried meditating. Folding his legs underneath him while sitting on the floor was done swiftly. His body was limber and comfortable in most positions. He closed his eyes, concentrating on his own heaviness. The way his legs touched the floor, how they bore down on it.

He let all the noises of the midnight city come to him. There was laughter, some crying, the rumbling of a few wagons. The city was abuzzing. Nobody wanted to sleep. Instead everyone wanted to stay up, drink and play politician. For many it had been the first time they had attended a political function. Neji's hearing went beyond that of others when he concentrated. Bits and pieces of conversation drifted towards him from the window. Everyone thought themselves an expert on public policy, apparently.

And then he let his mind go blank. There was nothing for a moment and then, as always, his thoughts were filing by. He just let them. Controlling one's thoughts had nothing to do with suppressing them. It had everything to do with staying calm in the presence of them. Over the years, he had seen many disturbing thoughts but just let them drift by, unperturbed. Their long winding stream was particularly busy tonight but he just let himself watch, never chasing them, always staying calm.

Then the disturbing ones filed by. There was Tenten's laugh, her smile. The way her hair fell from her scalp in messy bursts in the morning. There was a memory of his groin tightening at the sight of her. He also saw wishes of his filing by in this constant stream of thoughts. Him wishing to not be alone. Him wishing she were here. Him wishing she would return from a mission - this was an old, familiar one. Him wishing she would place her lips on his again - this one was very new. Then came a tough one, one he almost chased down: Him masturbating to her image in the shower after having made love to her. The feeling of rejection when she had not let him explore her folds. His breathing accelerated but eventually he was able to let it go. He let them all file by, one by one, acknowledging these thoughts without letting them overwhelm him. Then, as always, he tucked them back neat into their little corner, where they existed almost as though independent from him.

When he opened his eyes, he should have felt calm and collected. He was not. The sensation left his mouth dry. His disturbing thoughts had not gone back where they were supposed to. The effect was alarming. He blinked as though his eyelids could wash away the inner torture. He tried to focus on his body again. His heavy feet, pressing into the floor. His massive legs supporting his torso. His hands resting on his thighs. His belly… pressed up against hers... Nope, it was not working. He opened his eyes.

Perhaps he was worried, Neji decided. He clung to this as to a life line. Perhaps he needed to go out and find Tenten. Perhaps he would be able to set aside his thoughts then. Surely he would. Of course he would. Neji stood, put on his shoes and headed down and out into the streets of Konoha-Gakure.

As expected, there were many people on the streets in various stages of being drunk but he was not concerned with this. Because it took him all of two seconds to find Tenten. She was sitting in a pool of foul-smelling liquid leaning against the foundation of his building at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the main entrance. Without a second thought, Neji scooped her up in his arms and carried her up.

Something clattered to the floor. It sounded like thick glass. And it rolled. Neji had no time to look back though. With an elegance that stood out on this particular night, he was able to balance Tenten in a way that he could turn the key in the lock and push open the door. There was even some scattered, drunken applause from the street.

Then the door fell shut behind them and he was alone with her in the staircase, carrying her higher and higher until their apartment had been reached. It was obvious she was drunk out of her mind. The simple fact that she had let him carry her confirmed this. Efficient as ever, Neji let her slip to the floor in his shower and began removing her clothing items until the only thing between her skin and his fingers was her linen undergarment.

Smelling her hair, he realized it had not gone unscathed by the foul-liquid, which he now realized may have been stomach acid. So, he loosened her hair-do and let the water pour over it. He got wet in the process but it hardly mattered. He had to blink more often to keep water from flooding his eyes but that was the extent of its annoyance.

He washed her with quick movements, unwilling to linger on her body uninvited. Finally, he grabbed a towel and, like a difficult cat, wrapped her in it so her limbs were packed tightly against her body. This compact package was carried to his bedroom, where he unwrapped her like a pitiful wet present. Expertly did he roll her onto her side and make sure her airpipe was not blocked. His fingers wanted to linger on her throat and mouth but he did not permit himself to do so. In fact, the notion of want repulsed him.

He contemplated her miserable state for several moments. He should never have exposed her to his family. They were a ruthless bunch. Even Hinata, who had always been so kind and strong in a non-confrontative sort of way, was succumbing to his uncle's influence.

Looking at Tenten's face, petrified in a state of discomfort, he was certain he had done the right thing in talking to Naruto. Hopefully, soon, this nightmare would be over. As he sat, guarding her, he attempted to meditate again. Some new wishes had joined the stream of thoughts. He saw himself walking down a road, Tenten next to him.