I thank my friend LexKixAss for letting me abscond her twins for my story. As always Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

Hizashi leaned over his new desk, a hand shadowing his eyes as he rubbed his temples in a vain attempt to remove the stress building there. He knew that becoming acting clan head wouldn't be easy, and that this overload of laws and training and responsibilities would ebb as soon as he adjusted to his new role, but that didn't take away the current strain he felt building beneath the surface. Half of his day consisted of training with his father to learn the main family techniques (which he was now expected to learn and master before Hinata came of age and skill to learn them from him and Hyobe), and the rest of the day left him learning every law the clan followed in case a judgement was needed by the clan head. Hiashi's previous aids took care of the smaller tasks for the time being, allowing Hizashi the chance to breathe even if only a little bit.

Naomi proved to be just as efficient and commanding as ever, taking control of the entire move and finding her position within the household. As his wife, Naomi gained a great deal of power for a branch member, but because Atsuko was still alive Naomi was not the head of house activities. Not officially at least. In reality Naomi was quickly learning exactly what would be needed of that position and executed those duties with utmost haste. The main house lost more than its head when Hiashi died.

After two weeks, Atsuko was now bedridden most of the day and only left her room for short walks to keep her body moving – at least somewhat. What worried people the most was how strikingly similar this ailment was to the one she suffered while and after she was pregnant with Hinata, and also (as Yumi informed them) an illness Atsuko suffered when she herself was a child. They had thought it was only a coincidence that Hinata had been sick just as her mother had been when Atsuko was born, and that the trouble Atsuko suffered post-partum was merely complications from a difficult birth. Now, they were looking at this illness as possibly a chronic, re-occurring disease, and if the similarities between mother and child were more than coincidence, then it was a dangerous possibility that Hinata suffered from it as well. If that was the truth, then it was imperative to find a cure (or at least control) for the disease or its symptoms. Hinata was the last living heir to the main family bloodline left unsealed. It simply wasn't an option to lose her.

For now the fevers Atsuko developed came and went, but it was the coughing fits and nausea that scared Yumi and the other healers (in and out of clan). It was almost impossible to get Atsuko to keep her food down, and the constant coughing and convulsions left her tired and her throat bloody raw. They began keeping an IV drip in her to stave off dehydration and included nutrients through the same method to keep her strength up. Some days she could walk around and converse with people easily, leaving the only proof of her illness the IV in her arm. On bad days though, Yumi refused even Hizashi to enter and see her daughter's condition, but the sounds of pained coughs and crying left little to the imagination.

And all this, piling on only weeks after Hiashi's death, tolled hardest on the three-year-old girl set in a whirlwind of unwanted and unexplainable change. Even Hizashi couldn't deny that if he had not agreed to take on the position and his family hadn't moved to the main house, Hinata would have suffered far greater than what she did now. The isolation she would have been faced with, her father gone and her mother's state undetermined, what child could face that easily (especially one as reserved and passive as Hinata)?

No, the reason she did well at all was obviously because of Neji's constant presence and attention. Naomi often helped out and engaged the children, but with all the work they had to adapt to, it was always Neji who made sure Hinata didn't isolate herself or hide away in her new room. She confided in him, and only him, and she listened to him when he suggested leaving the house for some playful spars or just time outside and away from the overly tense household. And every night after Naomi put the two to bed, Hinata would sneak out and run to Neji's room. Hizashi could understand her fear and need of comfort, so he didn't stop her nightly visits, but she was the heir to the clan and would have to learn independence early on, so neither did he allow Naomi to simply put her to bed with Neji. She needed him now, but Hizashi wanted to keep it as a temporary necessity.

Hizashi let his head fall back and roll lazily to try and relax the muscles in his neck. If only he had the time for some meditation he was sure those kinks and stresses would fade away for a while – unlike the piles of papers that littered his desk, or the boxes still half-unpacked and lining the shelves. Hizashi had never been partial to change, especially to the degree he'd been forced to deal with. He'd never liked disarray either though. If he wasn't exhausted every night Hizashi would have just sacrificed a night's sleep to put everything in order once and for all.

"Taking a break?" a whimsical voice asked from the doorway. Though the tone of the question was light, the voice had a certain calming effect on Hizashi and that alone told him who it was long before his pale gaze caught sight of the woman. Unlike his brother, Hizashi had the freedom to marry for love, so Hizashi and Naomi's connection was more than the companionship Hiashi and Atsuko had shared (not that the two hadn't come to care for each other deeply).

Taking a slow, deep breath, Hizashi let a gentle smile ease his features as his wife approached. "Just a moment to think, that's all. I seem to have too few of those already, and I've only been clan head for two weeks."

"You'll adapt and find more time for yourself when you do." Once close enough Naomi leaned down and rested her cheek against his for a moment. Hyuugas did not often show physical attraction or affection in public, so Hizashi and Naomi used this as their own way to show affection whenever they pleased while remaining within the limits of decorum.

Hizashi closed his eyes for a second to indulge in the feel of his wife so close by. If he could find some time to spend with her as well it would ease his stress considerably. How he'd missed her these past two weeks. "So what brought you by, my dear, or are you just 'taking a break' as well?"

"Actually," she started, a small smirk playing across her lips that could only warrant trouble, "I came to warn you."

Warn was never a word Hizashi wanted to hear. "Warn me about what, precisely?"

"It appears my cousin's boys have come looking for Neji, and they seem rather determined to find him after so long. So I thought I'd prepare you for –knowing them– anything."

What smile that had been on Hizashi's face vanished immediately at the news. "And here I thought being moved to the main house meant I got rid of the twin terrors."

"Hizashi," Naomi replied with a 'please don't exaggerate' tone in her voice, "the boys aren't that bad. And they mean well . . . most of the time."

The overstressed Hyuuga just sighed and shook his head. How the twins were related to Naomi (or the clan for that matter) was beyond him. They were so . . . unpredictable and not easily controlled. Hyuuga children tended to be better mannered than most, but those two thrived on breaking the rules. To see them was to know they were up to some kind of mischief. If only Neji didn't like to play with them. "Very well, just try and keep the chaos to a minimum. And remind them they're in the main house. I don't mind if the kids want to see them, but I don't want them wandering around with Hinata. If she's there they are to remain within the main house yards."

"Of course, Hizashi. I'll make sure the boys are on their best behavior, and even they know that they don't have the same leeway here as they do at the branch house. They're spirited, not stupid."

"Spirited . . . that's an interesting way to put it," Hizashi said with a knowing smirk.

Naomi smiled back before heading for the doorway. "Well, they are family."

"Ne~ji~chan~!" the two seven-year-old boys called in unison sing-song voices as Neji and Hinata come out to greet them. Everything about them was identical, right down to the tone and inflection of their voices. The only way anyone (besides their parents) could tell them apart was in the direction their hair was parted, and even that could be misleading some days. Neji knew how much the twins prided themselves in being inseparable to even the most trained eyes in the clan, one of the reasons his father seemed annoyed by them all the time.

"Osamu-kun, Isamu-kun!" Neji called back, happy to see some familiar faces. "Why are you here?"

The two boys looked at each other as if insulted, and the one on the right spoke up first. "Really, Aniki, Neji-chan sounds like he doesn't want us here."

The one on the left nodded and crossed his arms trying to look sagely. "Two weeks in the main house and he's already forgotten us lowly branch children. So sad, Otouto. So sad."

"Whatever will we do about it?" the younger brother asked, smirking ever so slightly.

"What else can we do, we must take him back home right away and remind him who he is." The elder nodded slowly as if his reply was profound, but the matching smirk took away quite a bit of the intended effect.

From behind Neji and Hinata, Neji's mother chose that moment to enter the children's conversation. Naomi placed a hand on Hinata's head but addressed the three boys. "You're all free to play together, but Neji, Hinata must stay within the limits of the main house, so she can't come with you if you want to go to the branch house with the twins."

For the first time the twin gazes locked on the half-hidden figure standing behind Neji, curiosity filling their colorless eyes. They had never met the heir to the clan, very few from the branch family had and never a child, save for Neji. So the boys were more than intrigued to see just who this girl was if she was destined to lead their clan.

Behind him, Neji could feel his cousin move further away from their prying eyes and quickly make the run from Neji to the much larger shield of Naomi's legs. Obviously while the twins were curious of her, Hinata had no idea what to make of them. He turned to check on her and seeing the fear on her face made him stall. Neji really wanted to go and play with the twins, since he hadn't really been able to just act like a kid since coming to the main house, but he was supposed to be Hinata's big brother now, so he couldn't very well leave her alone. Especially considering her mother's health.

But he really did want to play with Osamu and Isamu. Neji looked back and forth between the twins and Hinata and his mother. "What if we stayed here, can we play?"

Naomi nodded to her young son before turning her eyes on the two boys still trying to catch a decent glimpse of Hinata. "That is if you two can at least attempt to behave. Your antics won't be tolerated as well in the main house."

Osamu and Isamu straightened up and presented mirror salutes and mischievous smirks. "Understood, Aunt Naomi. We'll behave."

Whether his mother believed the boys or not she was at least letting them stay. Stepping aside, Naomi gently pushed her niece forward to let Neji handle the introductions. She left Hinata with a consoling statement (or perhaps a friendly warning), "It's all right, they're not as bad as they look."

The two boys wanted to protest, but Naomi was already back in the house. With the loss of her shield, Hinata scurried back to Neji, though she was beginning to sneak her head out to watch their new guests.

Well, now it was time to introduce everybody. Neji motioned from the twins to Hinata. "This is Hinata-chan, and Hinata-chan, this is . . ." he paused and took a moment to look between them. If everything was normal then the one on the right should be Osamu and the one on the left should be Isamu. They should be. He pointed to the right boy then the left as he finished the introduction. "This is Osamu-kun and Isamu-kun."

Both boys smiled bright and broadly and a silent conversation passed within their shared glance. "It would be," the one on the left started.

"But it's not," the right one finished. "I'm Isamu."

"And I'm Osamu."

The two flourished their arms before them and gave Hinata two very exaggerated, yet identical bows. "Nice to meet you, Hinata-sama," they called in unison.

Out of the corner of his eye, Neji could see Hinata hesitantly nod to the two boys. All in all that wasn't a bad reaction from his little sister-cousin, especially considering their personalities.

"So," Osamu drew out the word to fill the empty silence surrounding the children. "What is there to do around here? Anything fun?"

"Or anything we can make fun?" Isamu added helpfully with just a hint of mischief in his eyes.

Neji thought as hard as a four-year-old could, but he hadn't been in the main house for that long. Half of his things were still in boxes, so they didn't have too much time to properly explore the area for fun places to play. "I don't know. We've sparred out here before." Neji's little nose wrinkled up as he tried to think of something that would entertain his rambunctious cousins.

"...know...un...be..."

Neji turned around, barely catching any of the tiny wisp of a voice coming from his little sister-cousin. "Hinata-chan?"

"I . . . might know," she whispered louder this time, though even that was still unheard by the twins mere feet away. "I kinda like it."

Neji wasn't sure what Hinata was talking about, but she knew the main house better than he did so he'd trust her. Besides, she was still a kid, it must be fun somehow. Neji smiled warmly, encouraging her to continue. "Where is it, Hinata-chan?"

The small girl stepped back, a little shocked at the sudden attention the rest of the children placed on her. She didn't seem confident enough to try speaking again, but in a rare burst of courage Hinata grabbed Neji's hand and tugged him around the twins and towards the far side of the main house's perimeter. Behind them the twins followed, just as confused and curious as Neji himself.

Hinata lead them around the side of the house and toward the back where the courtyard met with the surrounding forest. It was still technically on the main house land, but Neji knew they were probably pushing safe territory. The twins knew it too and were obviously pleased to be away from the prying (and scolding) eyes of the main family.

They had gone so far that Neji was about to ask Hinata where exactly they were going when a strange patch of land caught his eye. It looked like a garden, but how this was supposed to be fun Neji had no idea. It looked overgrown with weeds and (to be honest) pretty pathetic as far as he could tell. He'd seen smaller gardens at the branch house in far better condition than this plot of land. But surely Hinata had something in mind.

It wasn't Neji who first said anything though, as the twins quickly caught up with them when they stalled near the garden and surrounded the two younger children. "Hinata-sama, are you okay?" they asked in unison.

Sometimes it was creepy they could do that, but Neji's attention was distracted by what they asked and he quickly looked over to Hinata. She gnawed nervously on her bottom lip and tears already clouded her pale eyes. "Hinata-chan? What's wrong, Hinata-chan?"

". . . Mama," Hinata squeaked out, her voice choking in her throat as she tried to speak. ". . .'s Mama's . . . dying." Her tiny hands covered her face as the tears fell fast down now flushed cheeks.

Somehow Neji was helpless beside her again, never certain how best to calm her down when she cried like that. Though, he could understand what she meant a little. If it was her mother's, and her mother's been sick all this time, then no one's been tending the garden. It must be scary to watching everything around her parents disappearing and dying so quickly. Neji put his hand on her elbow, trying to get her to open up and look at him. "Hina—"

"Let's fix it then!" Isamu cheerily interrupted. His bright smile mirrored his brother's, both infectiously happy faces mere inches from the young heir.

Hinata peeked through her fingers, half-scared by the twins and half-curious by the sudden influx of optimism. Everyone in the main house had been so dismal and dreary; it was a strange and out-of-place sight. "Fix?"

"Of course," Osamu agreed, gently patting Hinata on the head. "All it needs is some water and a good weeding. We can do that."

Isamu nodded enthusiastically. "A water bucket and elbow grease will do the trick. Do you know where the yard stuff is kept?"

Neji watched as Hinata slowly dropped her hands and looked up at the twins with a strange expression on her face. It was a mix of bewilderment and something else Neji just couldn't place yet. Finally Hinata nodded to the boy's question, looking towards the compound momentarily.

"Good, then let go and get this fixed!" Isamu held out his hand to Hinata and smiled. "You can do it."

For a moment Neji just stared at his sister-cousin. He'd never, not once since coming to the main house, seen Hinata smile like she did when Isamu said that to her. As Isamu led Hinata back to the house, Osamu tapped Neji on the shoulder to urge him to follow. Neji was glad that someone had gotten Hinata to cheer up, but . . . Neji was her brother now. Shouldn't he be the one to do that?

"Don't look so disappointed, Neji-chan. You'll make her sad again if she catches it," Osamu said quietly as Hinata and Isamu left hearing range.

The adults in the family had mentioned before that the twins were much more advanced in reading people than most their age, making the potential between them much anticipated, but Neji just found it annoying at times. One day he'd make sure to be better than them at that just so he could say the obvious when they didn't want to hear it.

Neji shook his head in a childish attempt to rid his face of any remaining evidence before they met with Hinata again. He was glad Hinata had cheered up, even if it was disappointing he hadn't done it. But Neji had no siblings and he'd never had to take care of anyone before, so nothing he did around her felt certain. Sometimes Hinata's reactions just confused him. "Why'd she smile like that?" Neji asked. Maybe Osamu would know better, being older than Neji and a brother himself.

Osamu looked down at Neji for a moment before focusing on the two children getting further away. "Maybe she's happy to be doing something. Don't know for sure. Why's it matter? She's just happy."

"But . . . we play and she didn't smile." Neji wanted to know why. More than just curiosity's sake, Neji wanted to be able to make her smile like that too. He was her brother. It was his job to take care of her and protect her.

The older boy seemed to think for a moment, his focus more on Neji than anything else. "I don't know how it is here, but Isamu and I have to do everything ourselves if we want things done. And when everything comes off perfectly, it feels good to know you did it. Even when we have to clean up afterwards, it can be fun knowing we were able to get rice stuck to the ceiling of the kitchen.

"Hinata-sama seemed so upset about the garden being messed up, maybe she never knew she can help bring it back to life. Heir or not, being useful is a good feeling." Osamu offered Neji a moment to digest his advice in a silence unusual for the rambunctious twin.

Even at the branch house Neji was expected to do some things on his own or with the other children. It had never occurred to him that Hinata wouldn't think the way he did, the way the branch children did, but Osamu was right. Neji had never actually seen Hinata do anything for herself. The servants stayed away most of the time when he and Hinata played together, but whenever she needed something, or was on her own, there was always a servant nearby to take care of her. Hinata was never truly alone, so why would she think to do anything herself?

The small boy was still deep in thought when they finally caught up with the others, who had already raided a small storage shed of gardening equipment. Hinata's tiny arms firmly held a large bucket against her body as she waddled across the wooden porch toward him. Right behind her, Isamu brandished a number of spades and a basket slung over his shoulder. It felt strange to see Hinata dolled up in her pretty kimono alongside Isamu in his usual training scrubs, especially since she seemed so thrilled to be there.

"Neji-niisan, help, help!" she called happily, offering the bucket to him and nearly tripping into it in the process. "We need water, right?"

Neji smiled back at her and accepted the oversized bucket. "Right, plants need water to get better." The encouragement only brightened the excited expression on his little sister-cousin, more than he even realized she could look. It was as if he was discovering an all new Hinata as she relaxed and played just like any other kid her age.

"I saw a faucet around the corner, Aniki," Isamu informed them as he handed over the basket to Hinata's now empty hands. "Be quick about it too, Hinata-sama and I will be waiting." The younger twin smirked devilishly, enjoying his chance to boss around his older brother. He took Hinata's hand again and led the way back to the garden, sending out one last dismissive wave to the two boys still on the porch.

"Maybe I should get a bucket of water to dump on his head, too," Osamu remarked with just the barest hint of annoyance. Sighing, he tugged Neji off to find the faucet before going to rejoin the other two.

Neji carried a few hand towels they found in the shed to clean up with while Osamu, who was bigger and more able, carried the water bucket. It felt a little strange seeing the twins being constructive in their play, but Neji chalked it up to them being older and so darn perceptive, even they could tell in this short time how much Hinata needed this. That or they knew they weren't going to get to play any other way so long as the clan heir was with them. Back at the garden Neji and Osamu both stopped and stared for a moment, not quite sure what to make of the scene before them.

Isamu sat, perhaps sulking (Neji wasn't sure though Osamu surely knew), in front of Hinata who looked amusingly guilty. Dust covered Hinata's pretty kimono, but as for Isamu . . . Isamu's entire shirt, most of his pants, and a good portion of his face and hair were covered in mud. Beneath them a large section of the garden lay in ruins, with what looked to be fallen branches from the nearby woods scattered around them. Hinata stood in front of Isamu trying, with the opposite results actually, to wipe off the mud from his cheeks.

"Hinata-sama slipped," Isamu said dryly, as if that explained the situation completely.

Finally unable to contain his amusement, Osamu let his laughter out full force. He lifted the water bucket tauntingly to his little brother with a merciless smirk glaring at the mud-covered boy. "Need some water, Otouto?"

Isamu scowled at his brother for a moment, but quickly changed his attitude and grinned. "Not at all, Aniki, now Hinata-sama can tell us apart." He turned back to Hinata and pointed to himself, then to his brother, saying, "Remember now, Isamu, Osamu. Isamu, Osamu."

Seeing Isamu no longer upset by his mud bath, Hinata quickly joined in, repeating, "Isamu, Osamu," right along with him. Neji readily followed Osamu and the others' laughter, none of them really remembering or caring why they'd come all that way as Isamu tried to get at least some of the mud from his hair and clothes.

"Hinata-sama!" a shrieking voice pulled all four children from their muddy efforts and to the two servants rushing toward them, none too pleased at what they saw. "Hinata-sama, Neji-sama, what's going on here?"

He heard Isamu and Osamu snicker at the 'Neji-sama' but the two quickly sobered at the tone the woman used. It was the tone usually heard when all their fun was about to be ruined, or caught depending on what they'd been doing. One of the servants hurried over to kneel in front of Hinata, brushing her kimono off and checking on the amount of mud caked on her hands and feet. "Hinata-sama, what's happened to you? You're filthy. What are you doing out here?"

Neji thought 'filthy' was a bit much. Honestly, compared to Isamu (who both servants avidly ignored) Hinata looked spotless. Okay, maybe her hands were a little dirty, but they were playing, what was wrong with that? Obviously a lot, Neji found out, as the other servant grabbed his hands and started wiping away the mud he'd pulled from Isamu's hair.

"You too, Neji-sama, you shouldn't be playing in the mud like this. Look at what's happened to Hinata-sama. And you two," the older woman scolded, white eyes leveling on the twins, "this is not the branch house. What did you think you were doing?" Neji saw the twins simultaneously stick out their tongues at the women when they turned back to fuss over Neji and Hinata.

"But . . . he helped," Hinata tried to explain to the deaf ears of her servants. "We're playing."

"This is not playing, Hinata-sama," the woman continued reproaching them. With speed best attributed to her skills as a Hyuuga and not her age, the woman scooped Hinata up and glanced a silent message to the other to do the same to Neji as she headed back to the house. "You boys get back to the branch house now, and clean up before your parents see what you've been up to."

Hinata cried and wriggled in the woman's arms, whether from the woman's scolding or from being dragged away or maybe from everything all together Neji didn't know. He didn't understand anything at all, and it took a lot of big brother control not to throw a tantrum of his own, not that he wasn't doing his best to get out of this woman's grip. He'd played with Isamu and Osamu and gotten way dirtier than even what Isamu was right then and never gotten in too much trouble for it. So why were they dragging them off like the twins were bad kids they weren't supposed to play with? It didn't make sense and the more confused he got the more Neji struggled not to cry. It wasn't fair! What made it worse was Isamu and Osamu seemed to have expected this. Both boys watched them be taken away with a sad-ish, almost angry expression on their identical faces.

They were nearing the porch when the servant's grip loosened slightly and Neji struggled doubly hard to get out of her hold. "Atsuko-sama," the woman holding Hinata called out with genuine surprise. "You're feeling well enough to come outside?"

Neji twisted around enough to see Atsuko, Yumi, and his mother all approaching the unusual commotion. Beside her, Atsuko rolled along a small IV that was discretely attached to her right arm beneath the sleeve of her outer coat.

"Mama! Mama!" Hinata called, crying and reaching out for her mother from the restraint of the servant's grip. Atsuko sat down (with some aid from her mother) at the edge of the porch and reached out to bring her daughter into her lap, muddy hands, feet, and all.

"Atsuko-sama, your clothes," the servant remarked, but reluctantly gave over the still fighting child.

"Hinata's upset, my clothes can be washed," she skillfully reprimanded. Wiping Hinata's blotchy face with the end of her sleeve, Atsuko kissed her forehead and smiled lovingly at the little girl. "Now then, what's all the fuss about? It's not like you at all." The servant holding Neji also let go at the silent command of his own mother, whom he quickly ran to. He wasn't hiding from those horrible servants –he was stronger than that, of course– but he didn't want to be anywhere in reaching distance of them again.

Quickly and, to Neji, incoherently, Hinata went on to tell her mother what had happened and kept pointing toward the garden where the twins now made their slow way toward the house and the group waiting there. Despite how broken and crying Hinata's explanation had been to Neji, Atsuko seemed to have understood the whole thing and waved the two boys the rest of the way to house. "Thank you for keeping Hinata from falling, Isamu-kun," she said warmly, thoroughly impressing Neji who hadn't heard Isamu's name in any of Hinata's babbling.

"You're welcome, Atsuko-sama," Isamu replied with a bow of his head.

"Hinata doesn't have any children to play with other than Neji-kun, but Naomi says you've always been good friends with him, so can I ask you to take good care of Hinata as well?" There was no counter by the servants, Atsuko's voice while friendly was firm and defiant. This was her decision to make, not theirs.

The two boys exchanged a very significant look, considering their young age, before turning back to Atsuko with mirror grinning salutes. "You can count on us, Atsuko-sama!"

The three women all smiled back at the two branch boys, none showing the same harshness or regard the servants had even though they were so much more powerful. Instead they shared an understanding that Neji noticed adults would get when kids did certain things around them. Gently pushing Hinata to the ground, Atsuko stood and took her daughter's hand, waiting momentarily for Yumi to corral the IV beside her. "Now that that's settled, Hinata said you were trying to fix up my garden. It's been so long since I've had a chance to see it, why don't we all have a nice picnic out there and see what the damage is. From the looks of it you four were having quite a time before we got here."

"We're helping," Hinata piped up cheerfully. Despite all their efforts, Hinata's mother still brought out the happiest Hinata he'd seen, even if –to Neji– Atsuko still looked very thin and weak compared to the time he'd seen her before they moved.

Atsuko waved the servants off to get food and drinks for everyone before ushering all the children back to the garden, with Yumi and Naomi keeping watch over Atsuko. The three women settled a short way from the garden itself, in a dryer, less muddy area, but she offered all four of them careful direction on tending to her garden. She showed them which plants were weeds to pull, what needed to be trimmed or propped up, and how to best keep the soil fresh and healthy for the plants. Hinata was so excited at the whole event that Atsuko had one of her books brought out, and she taught the children how each plant was used in medicines and teas. By the time the servants returned with food, everyone was tired and ready for a break, while Hinata had settled into her mother's arms and fallen asleep, leaving even the rambunctious twins quieter than normal so as not to wake her.

Atsuko didn't eat much and chose instead to stroke Hinata's hair as she slept against her. "Neji-kun, Osamu-kun, Isamu-kun," she called to them quietly to get their attention. "Hinata is going through a lot of pain right now, and things may only get worse before they get better. But she's going to be the head of the clan one day, so there'll be times when she's expected to face such hard times on her own. She's very shy and she tends to just do whatever those around her want her to, so I don't doubt she'll try her best to please everyone, but when things hurt those are the times when people need others around them the most. To help them and support them.

"The three of you may not know her very well yet, but it's been a while since I've seen her play this happily with others. So I'd like to ask the three of you to watch over her for me, and pay attention to those times when she needs someone to comfort her, support her, or," she paused and smiled at Isamu and Osamu, "just to make her laugh and play. Can you all promise to do that for me?"

Neji didn't quite understand everything Atsuko said, or the serious look that passed between Isamu and Osamu, but he did know what she had asked of them. It was exactly what he'd wanted to do when he said he'd be Hinata's brother. Protect her and be with her, but for Atsuko to suddenly ask the way she did, as if they were adults just like the women behind her, made Neji feel like she'd invited them into her family, or more precisely, made them all very important parts of Hinata's family. A family that had just gotten smaller.

"Yes," Neji answered, trying to force his voice to sound as grown up as he felt the question was. Beside him the twins nodded and repeated his reply, though theirs was a little more hesitant (but no less serious).

"Thank you," Atsuko whispered back, closing her eyes in sudden exhaustion.

"Atsuko, maybe it's time we went inside," Yumi suggested carefully, but Hinata's mother just shook her head.

"I'd like to stay with Hinata a little longer, please." No one asked again, but the glance that passed not only between Yumi and Naomi, but also from Osamu to Isamu, while not understood, did not go unnoticed by Neji.

It was several months before Neji learned what that shared look meant or the real meaning behind Atsuko's sudden request of the boys. When he learned it though, it became frighteningly clear in the crying, screaming form of his sister-cousin as Yumi carried her from her mother's room. Atsuko had died quietly in her sleep, without the ceremony or affairs her husband's death had received.

At the funeral everyone watched Hinata standing in front of Yumi. Not even Hizashi, Naomi, or Neji had been allowed to stand with Hinata this time, not being actual relatives to Atsuko. She cried along with her grandmother, but with each new person looking on her Neji saw Hinata's little hands trembling under their unspoken expectations. She was all alone and had no idea what she was supposed to do. More importantly, she was all alone.

Neji glanced back to the area reserved for the branch family, searching for a moment till he found the two he wanted, their young heads bowed in respect. Feeling his eyes on them, the twins simultaneously raised their heads and offered Neji a subdued smile, their eyes darting over to Hinata momentarily. Neji hadn't learned all the nuances of Hyuuga body language the way they had, but he understood their message clear enough. They hadn't forgotten their promise to Atsuko.

Hinata might be alone, but so long as Neji didn't forget about her she didn't have to stay that way. That was the point of being her brother and that was what Atsuko had wanted to tell them. He closed his eyes and bowed his small head to Atsuko's body, silently praying, I'll always stay with Hinata-chan. I'll be the best brother ever! I promise.