I thank my friend LexKixAss for the use of her twins. As always, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.
It had been several years since Hizashi had to visit the Hokage personally, and he was perturbed to have to break so long without trouble or request. Tsunade had long since proven to be a capable and commanding Hokage, but she never showed the same welcoming demeanor or reserved companionship that Sandaime had possessed. Hizashi always felt like an interruption to her.
It didn't help that most of his interactions with her since coming to the position had been special treatment or requests for someone in the clan, and today was no different. Perhaps she would seem less disturbed since it would not be a removal of talent, but an addition. Hizashi announced himself to the woman sitting outside the Hokage's office, a young chuunin with long brown hair and a hospitable grin. She told him to go inside; the Hokage was aware of the meeting.
Piles of paperwork clouded most of her desk from view, though through the cracks Hizashi noted an open newspaper directly in front of her. She enjoyed paperwork as much as he did, apparently. Tsunade licked her thumb and turned the page, looking up only after finishing whatever she had been reading.
"It's not usually a good sign when you come by."
"That depends on how you take my request." Hizashi had sent word when he scheduled the meeting so that Tsunade would have time to review the twins' records before hearing directly from Hizashi himself.
Closing the newspaper, Tsunade shuffled a couple stacks of papers until she found the two folders she was searching for. She set them out in front of herself, lifting a page here and there. "You want to give me two drop outs," she finally said.
"As I promised Sandaime-sama, I have overseen their training since they were brought into the clan. They have chuunin level skills in all categories and exceptional insight with byakugan."
Tsunade scowled slightly and read from one of the files. "'Unable to work with others. Sabotages efforts at teamwork. A danger if not removed from active duty.' That was Isamu's instructor's final assessment. Shall I read Osamu's?"
"I am aware of what it says."
"I don't know, Sandaime's comments are especially damning. 'Promotion to chuunin accepted on condition of placement among the Hyuugas. Further missions denied permanently.' What reasons do you have for me to rescind this order?"
Hizashi always knew that there was a chance they would never be allowed back into service. Leaving the way they did said far more than any evaluation of physical abilities ever could. Osamu and Isamu may have matured, but they would have to live with the consequences of their younger selves.
"When they requested that I speak to you on their behalf, I asked them the same question. They were young and gave up everything in order to be together, a decision they couldn't take back. They gave me many valid and well-articulated reasons I could relay to you, but the fact is their situation has never been about logic or skill. If there is one thing I have learned raising my children, it is that just because we expect them to be ready at a certain age, doesn't mean they all will be, and if you listen, they tell you what they need.
"It takes more than physical prowess to succeed as a shinobi. Isamu and Osamu were not mentally ready and in doing what they did, they told us so. In nine years, that has changed. What convinced me to come to you was not the reasons they prepared, but for the first time in their lives they said they were willing to be apart. I believe them, and I'm sure those reports say that was the only thing holding them back from being excellent shinobi."
Hizashi paused. Tsunade was far more difficult to read than Sandaime; her illusion of youth did more than obscure her age. He could not tell if she was considering him or annoyed by him. When she remained silent, Hizashi continued. "They understand that they may be demoted and will have to work to regain your trust, but doing so would be a very poor use of their skills. They were wasted as guards and they'd be wasted as genin. I do not say lightly that you will find no Hyuuga more skilled at insight than those two. Nine years standing guard has given them plenty of time to develop it. I have trusted their sight."
Tsunade closed the files and leaned back in her chair. "What happens when they decide they no longer want to be separated?"
"I don't believe that will happen. They would not have asked for this if they weren't prepared." Hizashi didn't doubt the truth of that statement. He'd known the twins since they were born, and for all their faults, when they were serious it meant something to them.
Tsunade sighed. "Tell them they're damn lucky. Konoha needs all the skilled bodies it can get. If they are as good as you claim, I can use them. Have them report to my office tomorrow." She smirked. "I'll have Morino Ibiki assess their abilities. If their insight is as good as you say, Ibiki might enjoy it."
He bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."
Morino Ibiki? Hizashi suddenly felt sorry for his nephews.
"O . . . nee . . . sa . . . ma." Safe inside his nursery, Hinata punctuated each syllable for her baby brother. After a slow start of simple sounds like papa (his first word and Hizashi's proudest moment so far), Shou was recognizing and babbling all sorts of words, and Hinata wanted him to get the right one for her. And it needed to be done quickly.
"Neesa," Shou repeated while playing with his stuffed bird toy.
Hinata tugged the toy from his hand and waved to get his attention again. "Come on, Shou. Say onee-sama. Ooooneeesaamaa."
"Isn't that a dangerous word to teach him?" a voice called from the other side of the shouji door. The intrusion would have been frightening if the voice hadn't been so familiar.
"Only if someone catches me first," Hinata said as the door opened to reveal Isamu behind it. "And I've conceded a –sama for the suffix."
"I don't know. I bet Hyobe-sama wouldn't like it." Isamu plopped down cross-legged next to her and Shou happily changed focus to the new comer.
"He's already insisted Shou call me Hinata-oneesama at the very least, which doesn't make any sense. Neji-niisan used to call me –chan and he never calls me –sama anymore."
"You guys were both kids back then, and you'd just lost your parents. I suppose even Hyobe-sama could tell you needed to see them as family." Like his brother, Isamu was annoyingly skilled at playing devil's advocate. "Shou, on the other hand, will still be little when you become clan head. Hyobe-sama probably doesn't want to confuse him too much. When you take over, Neji-chan will have to call you Hinata-sama again just like the rest of us peons."
Hinata laughed. Only the twins could get away with calling Neji –chan; it was the perk of being family, one Hinata would have with Shou no matter what. "When I'm clan head, I can decide who I allow to call me what."
Isamu snorted. "You believe that?"
"Stop ruining my delusions. They're very nice and they keep me happy."
"All right. All right. Delude on, Hinata-sama."
"Thank you," she huffed once in over-exaggerated haught, and Shou playfully mimicked. "What brings you up here? Aren't you and Osamu-kun on duty right now?"
Isamu scratched the back of his head and avoided her gaze in a very unconvincing attempt to deflect the answer. "Not today, but that's sort of why I'm here. Hizashi-sama was supposed to be back by now, so Aniki sent me up to hear the answer."
"Answer?" Hinata asked, as Isamu wanted. If he'd intended to keep it a secret he could have easily lied well enough for her not to notice or at least not ask. All the little hints and side-stepping meant he wanted to say something, but not outright.
Isamu lowered his eyes and fiddled with the discarded toy bird. "He was going to speak with Hokage-sama about letting us leave the clan and return to active duty."
"Leave the clan?"
The idea that Isamu and Osamu wouldn't be at the gate seemed incomprehensible. They were always there. Something wholly consistent and safe. Their presence was one of the few things Hinata was looking forward to when she finally decided to take over as clan head. To not have them would make returning to the clan more alienating.
Isamu smiled and ruffled Hinata 's hair the way he used to when they were children. "Cheer up, Hinata-sama. Maybe we'll get to work together in the future."
"Why now? You've been in the clan for so long."
"Nine years. People change in nine years; even Aniki and I have to mature in that time. Little things build up until you realize you can't keep going the way you are. I know you understand that."
Hinata nodded. It was part of what led to her agreeing to the marriage in order to gain control of her life. "It's hard to imagine you won't be there to greet me when I get home. I always enjoyed seeing you both."
"It's not like you'll never see us again. We'd be disappointed if you did, but now we'll get to regale you with grandiose stories of our skill and bravery!" Isamu raised Shou's arms in victory, which quickly devolved into giggles and tickling. "Assuming Tsunade-sama agrees to take us back and doesn't force us into lost pet duty for lack of experience."
"You're much better than that. Hokage-sama would be foolish to assign you genin work."
"That's what we're hoping Hizashi-sama will convince her."
They sat in content silence, watching Shou hobble around the room to collect all his stuffed friends together into a pile and plop full-bodied onto it. Each time Isamu stole one out from under him, Shou called out, "Somo!" (he'd yet to manage either twins' full name, and no one was sure he understood they were two people yet) and snatched it back.
"Have you thought about who you're going to choose? For your husband." Isamu kept his gaze on Shou, and Hinata noticed a softness to his voice that wasn't usual for the energetic young man.
"Some," she said, then, more honestly, "I've been avoiding thinking about it, actually. I know Grandpa wants me to choose soon, or narrow it down, but I don't know. How am I supposed to choose between people I barely know?"
"Don't choose Nobu," Isamu snapped, rolling his eyes.
Hinata laughed. "That was a quick reaction."
"He's an ass, and I'll never forgive you if you do."
The door slid open and Hizashi stood above them with a curious quirk of his brow. "Who's an ass?"
"One of my prospective husbands," Hinata said.
Isamu and Hizashi groaned in unison, which relieved Hinata. Even though she couldn't confide in them about how hard it was for her to go through with the wedding, knowing that they loathed it as much as she did was a strange sort of comfort to her.
"That aside," Hizashi said. "I've spoken with Tsunade-sama, Isamu, and she has agreed to allow you back into active service. You both should report to her office in the morning for an assessment of your skills."
Isamu stood and bowed, properly and without any insincerity. "Thank you, Hizashi-sama. We truly appreciate your faith in us."
"I told her you were deserved your chuunin title. Don't disappoint."
The stern expectations of uncle and clan head were quickly lost at the high-pitched "Papa!" trilled from the floor. Hizashi leaned down and ran a hand through his son's thick hair. In his eyes, Hinata recognized the tender love he and Naomi had offered her as a child. Sometimes she wished for the simplicity of those days back.
"I suppose I'll need to go draw up a new guard rotation now," Hizashi said with a sigh. "More paperwork to deal with."
Once he said goodbye and closed the shoji door behind him, Hinata popped up and hugged Isamu. "Congratulations." Missing them wasn't a good enough reason to have them stay where they weren't happy. If this was what they needed, she'd encourage them.
"Thanks, Hinata-sama." Isamu hugged her back, holding on long enough for pink to color her cheeks. When he let go, Isamu kept his hands on her shoulders so she couldn't pull away. "May I give you some advice on your husband?"
Hinata nodded. Reading non-verbal cues the way the twins did was too difficult, but normally she was accurate in reading base emotions in them. Yet Hinata had no idea how to interpret the calm—reserved? resigned?—expression on Isamu's face. It didn't seem to fit where his grin should have been.
"Choose the person who can make you smile."
Hinata's brow furrowed. "That's all?" She was rather expecting something more profound from someone who could read people as well as him.
Isamu leaned in and kissed her. Not a playful kiss of a cousin or friend. Not quite on the cheek, not quite on the lips. It was subtle. Gentle. Lingering.
She finally recognized the emotion so blatant she couldn't understand how she'd missed it. Love. Not true love or undying love, but the kind of undemanding love that has the potential to grow into something much more if given a chance, and when lost is a sweet sadness that leaves you wondering what if.
"Isamu-kun—"
He ruffled her hair again, cutting off any spoken sympathy or apology. "You deserve to smile." Then he winked, that overly-happy smile back on his lips. "I should go tell Aniki the good news."
It wasn't about her. She understood that when she looked into his eyes. That kiss wasn't a question or a hope. He wasn't expecting or wanting a response. It was a goodbye. Goodbye to the chance for more. She was not going to spoil such an unconditional expression with words that would fall far short of anything worthy of what he offered.
Instead, she smiled back. "Good luck."
White eyes followed Hinata along the paths with silent curiosity. She rarely entered the branch house without one of the family or an obvious path to the twins' house. To see her so far from her usual routine left those nearby wondering. None cowered from her the way they did Hyobe, though, and that pleased Hinata more than any discomfort at the attention could subdue. Perhaps they thought her too soft as well, but that wasn't an unwelcome judgment to her. Better they feel welcome to approach her if they needed to than fear her when they shouldn't.
Hinata double checked the directions she wrote down and knocked on the door of the small house. It wasn't a family home, too small for parents and children together, but it was well maintained and appeared clean enough. After a moment, the front door opened and revealed its surprised resident.
Eiji ran his hands through his short hair to clean up the clumps springing haphazard around his head. "Hinata-sama, welcome. What brings you here?"
"I hoped we could talk. We didn't get to very much during the party."
"Because being surrounded by the entire clan all competing for your attention is the best—" Eiji dragged the word out and rolled his eyes. "—way to get to know someone."
"Indeed."
Stepping back, Eiji held the door open for her to enter. "Please, come in. I'll make some tea and we can stare awkwardly at each other without the rest of the clan gawking."
Hinata smiled. "The tea would be nice."