Chapter 11: A Few Small Steps

A.N.: Sorry for the long wait between updates! Been crazy busy! Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Not my characters

###

The morning sun was high and hot when Shikamaru awoke. He glanced over at the futon. Hyuuga-san was still asleep, but beginning to stir. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he headed down to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast. He took the opportunity to sneak a dumpling while he was there. He was growing a little tired of rice and dried fish for breakfast.

When he returned with the food, Hyuuga-san was sitting up a bit, looking out the window. Shikamaru smiled to himself. Yesterday while Hyuuga-san was in the bathroom Shikamaru had moved the futon closer to the window, so Hyuuga-san would have something to look at besides the wall. It seemed to have worked.

Hyuuga-san turned, his eyes sharpening as he saw Shikamaru. "Why are you – undressed like that?" he demanded.

Shikamaru realized he had forgotten to put a shirt on. "It's hot. This is what I sleep in." He had been sleeping shirtless for the past couple of days, and Hyuuga-san had not said anything about it. But then, he had been pretty much out of it, and Shikamaru generally did put on a shirt when he got up. Actually, on really hot nights, he usually slept in the nude, but he hadn't thought that would go over too well with Hyuuga-san.

"I thought it was colder at night," Hyuuga-san said suspiciously.

Shikamaru set the tray down, found a mesh shirt and pulled it over his head. "It is but it's heating up…the rains are coming."

"Hn." Hyuuga-san said, somehow managing to convey his disgust with the entirety of the South Country in that single syllable and the way he sipped his tea.

Shikamaru had more important things on his mind, and now that Hyuuga-san seemed more alert, he thought he could bring some of them up. "Hyuuga-san…did the doctor explain to you what happened?"

Hyuuga-san sat back, regarding him warily.

"You had a bad reaction to the Pet Mark. She said it happens sometimes when…someone isn't willing to be made a Pet."

He could see this register on Hyuuga-san's face. He waited, but Hyuuga-san did not speak.

"I know – of course you didn't want to become a Pet. I didn't want to take a Pet either. But I thought you were – I thought you were willing to go along with it. If I had known you were going to –" His voice scraped on the words, and he took a deep breath. Looking up, he met Hyuuga-san's eyes full on. "Hyuuga-san, if I had known you were going to – do what you did – I wouldn't have done this."

Hyuuga-san looked down, a slight flush coloring his pale cheeks.

"Look," Shikamaru said, "I made you some promises, back there in the lookout tower. And I intend to keep those promises. I just want to know that you won't try that again."

Still no response from Hyuuga-san. Shikamaru sighed. He really did not know if he could trust Hyuuga-san not to try to do something drastic again.

###

Neji wished Nara-san would shut up. He didn't want to talk about this. It was still too raw, too shameful. And he did not trust Nara-san's "promises" at all. He still didn't know who had been touching his hair while he was ill. Had it been a dream, a spirit, a memory – or had it been Nara-san, taking advantage?

For all Nara-san's talk about how he didn't really want a Pet, Neji had gotten the distinct sense the older Naras didn't entirely believe him. And if Nara-san's own parents didn't trust him on this, why should Neji?

"There is one more thing," Nara-san said. He looked serious and tense, and Neji felt himself tensing in return. "While you were sick…I know…I know this is what you were afraid of …"

Neji felt himself go cold, felt the bars of the cage tightening around him. I will kill you, he thought.

"You were really sick – your fever was so high – I thought you were dying. The doctor left some medicine, to bring down the fever, and so I – I put some into your soup. Hyuuga-san, I wouldn't have done it except to save your life."

Neji stared at him warily, trying to figure out if what Nara-san was saying was the truth, the whole truth, or something in between. Enough with this pussyfooting, he thought. He would just say it outright. "Did you touch me while I was sick?"

Nara-san frowned. "Well, yeah," he said slowly, "I had to…to stop the bleeding, and to take care of you. But I never touched you in that way. Even if I wanted to do that – which I don't – I wouldn't have tried anything while you were sick and unconscious." He looked genuinely revolted by the idea.

"Where is the medicine?"

Nara-san went to his desk and returned with a small brown bottle, which he handed to Neji. The label listed the ingredients, which were meaningless to Neji.

"It's for pain as well as fever," Nara-san said. "So you might want to take a little."

Neji glared at him. Nara-san held out his cup of tea and made a small pouring gesture. Neji tipped a little into his cup, and Nara-san drank it down, grimacing.

"It tastes like crap, but it's harmless, see? It won't do anything but ease the pain."

"I can stand pain," Neji said coldly.

Nara-san rolled his eyes at this. He started to say something, but was interrupted by his mother's voice, yelling up the stairs.

"Shikamaru! The doctor is here!"

"Tell her how tough you are," Nara-san said with a knowing half-smile. Neji wasn't sure if he meant the doctor or his mother.

There was a light knock on the doorframe and Shizune entered. "How are we feeling today?" she asked, smiling kindly at Neji.

"Not bad," Nara-san said, when Neji didn't answer.

"Good, good. We can take the stitches out today, I think, if the wound looks good. Let's take a look."

Nara-san lifted the breakfast tray out of the way. As Shizune said, "Lift up your shirt, please," he carried the tray out of the room, presumably to give Neji privacy. Paradoxically, Neji found himself feeling more tense as Nara-san left. He had been injured before and been looked at by doctors before, but this one had seen him at his weakest, knew his shame. And this one was not employed by his clan.

Still, he could probably outfight her, even in this condition. Not because she was a woman – his teammate Tenten had cured him of any notion that women were weaker – but she was not a big woman, and she seemed soft-hearted.

Shizune probed the wound with gentle touches. "It looks like it's healing up well. How does it feel?"

"It's fine," Neji said shortly. Shizune nodded, as if his rudeness was par for the course, which now made Neji feel somewhat ashamed. He did not want her to think people from the North Country had less manners, when of course the opposite was true. "Thank you for your service," he said stiffly.

Shizune blinked at him for a moment in surprise, and then smiled. "Don't mention it. The Naras have been very helpful to me, and I'm happy to return the favor. This will pinch just a bit." She produced a pair of surgical scissors and, with a few quick snips, removed the stitches. Just as she had said, he felt a few pinches and pulls, but nothing worse.

"There!" Shizune said. "You'll have a scar, but not a bad one." Her eyes fell on the medicine bottle. "And you're taking the medicine…good, good."

Neji saw a chance to get more information. He held up the bottle. "What does this do?"

"It's for pain," Shizune said, sounding surprised, "and fever. Didn't Shikamaru tell you that?"

"Does it cause weakness? Or…loss of consciousness?"

Shizune looked concerned. "Are you feeling weak?"

"Not now, but…before." He looked her square in the eyes, watching her closely.

"You were weak and unconscious before because you lost a great deal of blood, Hyuuga-san. You almost died, you know. Shikamaru has taken very good care of you." Her expression changed, moving beyond concern to outright pity. Neji felt himself tensing. He knew what was on her mind – she was going to talk about what he had done, ask why he had done it, or maybe give him a lecture about it. He did not want to hear it. And as far as why, that should have been obvious. But he guessed they had no code of bushido here in the South.

He was saved by Nara-san walking back in. "Everything look good?" Nara-san asked, leaning against the wall in his lazy way.

"Yes, very good," Shizune said, looking as relieved to see him as Neji felt. To Neji she said, "Take another week or two to rest before you do anything strenuous. Keep taking the medicine, and drink plenty of fluids. Call me if there's anything wrong." She gathered up her doctor's bag.

Nara-san bowed to her. "Shizune, thank you for everything."

"No problem. As I told Hyuuga-san, it's my pleasure."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at that, as if surprised that Neji had exhibited common courtesy, before turning to walk the doctor out. Neji was mildly offended at that. He lay back down on the futon. The sun on his face felt good, and he closed his eyes.

###

The sun and the warm breeze felt good as Shikamaru gazed up at the clouds. After he had walked the doctor to the door, he had been waylaid by his mother, who had a variety of chores that would "only take a few minutes." Of course, it had taken him quite a bit longer, as he didn't exactly attack housework with the same energy and force that Yoshino did.

It was late afternoon now, and Hyuuga-san was dozing inside, so Shikamaru had taken this opportunity to get outside for a bit. He was only a short distance from the house, on the hill outside, where he could be easily seen from the window if Hyuuga-san needed anything.

He had checked in on Hyuuga-san a couple of times, and brought him lunch. He had also brought a canteen of water, as Shizune had told Hyuuga-san to drink fluids. Shikamaru had taken a couple of sips to show Hyuuga-san it wasn't drugged or poisoned, before giving it to him. He figured a canteen would be more to Hyuuga-san's liking, as there was less chance of somebody slipping something into it than an open pitcher. Of course nobody in the house was going to be slipping anything into his food or water, but this was how Hyuuga-san's mind worked.

No, Shikamaru thought, this is what Orochimaru has done to him.

Hyuuga-san had been disinclined to talk, mostly just staring out the window, so Shikamaru had left him alone. He had said everything he needed to say that morning. As to whether he should be leaving Hyuuga-san by himself in the room; well, he couldn't spend the rest of his life on suicide watch. Even if he did, sooner or later he would have to sleep again…

The guilt still nagged at him. Why didn't I make sure there were no weapons around? Why didn't I get the doctor sooner? Why did I let myself fall asleep when I knew he was in such bad shape?

He pushed the thoughts away. What was done was done. Even if this whole Pet thing with Hyuuga-san had proved to be a colossal mistake, it was done. They would both just have to make the best of it.

A flock of birds rose from a scrubby tree nearby, spooked by some animal below. He watched them circle, then let his gaze drift upwards. He settled back on his elbows, gazing at the clouds, thinking of nothing in particular, floating in the blue, blue sky.

A sound to his right made him turn his head. Hyuuga-san was making his way along the path, moving slowly and painfully, but steadily.

"Hey," Shikamaru greeted him. "Feeling strong enough to come outside, eh?"

Hyuuga-san settled down on the ground near Shikamaru. He was still quite pale and unsmiling, but Shikamaru noticed that he had changed into clean clothes, and his hair looked damp and fluffy, the tangles gone.

"Feels good to be outdoors again, I bet."

Hyuuga-san gave what might have been the tiniest hint of a nod.

Shikamaru waved a hand, encompassing the vista before them, the flat ocher dunes and ancient rock formations. "Well, this is Suna…some of it, at least. You really have to climb up on the cliffs to see the whole village."

Still no response, but Shikamaru noticed that Neji was looking around a little bit at the landscape rather than simply staring blankly at a single spot.

"Your country must look very different."

Neji nodded again, and then actually spoke. "It's a lot greener…and more…colorful."

Colorful? Shikamaru had never thought about it, but looking at the land around him now, he could see what the Hyuuga meant. Shades of brown and gold, reddish-tinged on the cliffs, all of it seen through the haze of fine sand and dust that hung over Suna.

"The buildings are taller and closer together," Hyuuga-san said. "It's not all open and spread out like this. And they are square, not round."

Shikamaru tried to picture what the North Country might look like. All he could bring to mind were paintings in books he had seen. Square buildings! "What are they made of?"

"Wood…bricks…"

"I'd like to see it someday," Shikamaru said. Impulsively, he turned toward his unusual companion. "Hyuuga-san…I'm sorry you had such a terrible introduction to our land."

Neji nodded. Shikamaru could not read his expression. They sat looking at the landscape in silence. Then the Hyuuga looked at him directly. "Nara-san –"

"Please, call me Shikamaru. Nara-san is my dad."

Neji hesitated, seemingly gathering his thoughts. He started to speak, when a girl's bright, loud voice cut through the air.

"Hey! Shika!"

Startled, Shikamaru looked up to see his two best friends coming toward them. He got to his feet with mixed emotions. On the one hand, it was great to see them after being closed up in the house for so many days with only the prickly Hyuuga for company. But he also felt a sharp pang of frustration at the timing. Neji had started to speak, maybe open up to him; for once his tone had been almost friendly rather than angry or suspicious. Now Shikamaru would never know what he had been about to say.

Getting to his feet, he strolled toward his friends, raising a lazy hand in greeting.

Ino grabbed his arm. "Shikamaru, where've you been? Asuma-sensei said you had some time off from training, but he wouldn't tell us why!"

"Sorry, I've been busy."

Chouji accepted his words with a placid nod, but Ino wouldn't be deterred so easily. "With what?" Peering around him at Neji, who was still seated on the ground, she added, "And who's that? Is that a girl?"

"I've had a houseguest and he hasn't been feeling well, so I -"

"You have a girl houseguest?" Chouji said in surprise.

Ino smacked him impatiently. "Chouji, he just said it's a guy. A very...longhaired guy." A flirtatious smile appeared as she stared at Neji. "Kinda cute, too!"

Shikamaru led them over to Hyuuga-san, who had risen to his feet and was standing with his arms crossed. His formerly relaxed demeanor was gone and the usual hard, wary look was back. Shikamaru introduced them, inwardly praying it would go smoothly.

Hyuuga-san shot a glare at Shikamaru. "Please excuse me for greeting you dressed like this," he said in a cold voice. Ino and Chouji looked nonplussed. What the Hyuuga was wearing – a t-shirt and sweatpants – was no different from what Shikamaru usually wore when not on a mission.

Ino was studying Hyuuga-san openly. "So, Neji...where are you from?"

Shikamaru saw Hyuuga-san recoil at her casual use of his first name. Ino meant no harm in it, he knew; it was common in Suna to call people by their first name in informal situations, and Ino was always exuberantly friendly.

"The North Country," Hyuuga-san said stiffly. "Konoha."

Shikamaru saw Ino's and Chouji's eyes widen a bit. Casual visitors from the North were almost unheard of. A moment of uncomfortable silence ensued, not helped by the almost palpable waves of tension and distrust from Neji.

"What...brings you here?" Chouji spoke up for the first time.

Shikamaru cut in quickly. "He'll be staying with my family for a few months, until he returns to his own village."

Ino and Chouji exchanged a glance. He could see they had picked up on the fact that he wasn't telling them the whole story. But he was pretty certain Hyuuga-san, who had found the whole incident so shameful and painful that he had wanted to die, would not want Shikamaru bringing it up in casual conversation with two people who were virtual strangers to him. And how could Shikamaru tell them he now owned a Pet? It went against everything their clans believed in.

He had thought his feeling of isolation came from simply not seeing his friends, but now he realized that, more than that, it was the huge secret that hung between them. He had never kept such a momentous secret from them before; indeed, he hadn't really kept any secrets from them. There were things he didn't talk about much – such as the fact that his parents' marriage seemed so much more volatile than the Akimichis or Yamanakas, or that he liked a certain girl – but these things were just understood, and he wouldn't have denied or tried to hide them.

Chouji nervously stuffed some snacks into his mouth from the bag he held in his hand, then, as if remembering his manners, held out the bag to Shikamaru and Neji. Shikamaru took a handful, but Neji eyed the bag as if it contained live spiders, before shaking his head.

"Anyway, Shika," Ino said, more businesslike, "Asuma-sensei said that even though you don't have to come to training, he needs your help on strategy for a mission. He said to tell you he'll stop by tomorrow morning to go over it with you."

There was another awkward silence. Shikamaru knew he should excuse himself and return to the house – he could almost feel that it was what Hyuuga-san wanted – but these were his closest friends. He couldn't just turn his back on them.

Hyuuga-san did it for him, giving a very small bow and saying, "Please excuse me," again in that cold tone of voice, before turning and walking back to the house.

"What's with him?" Ino whispered loudly, her eyes alight with curiosity.

"He's, ahh…kind of shy," Shikamaru said, although shy was probably one of the last adjectives he would choose to describe Hyuuga-san.

"Do you think he - I was going to ask if you wanted to come over for dinner?" Chouji said. "We're having roast pork, there's plenty."

Shikamaru had an almost overwhelming impulse to accept. How much he wanted to sit with them in Chouji's house, hearing about the upcoming mission, eating Mrs. Akimichi's excellent cooking, Ino describing some outrageous thing someone had done.

But he was the one who had done the outrageous thing this time, he realized. It was him they would be talking about, if they knew. Feeling a heaviness in his soul, he regretfully declined and started to turn away.

"Shika!" Ino exclaimed. He stopped. She shot a pointed, questioning look first in the direction Hyuuga-san had gone, then back at Shikamaru.

"I'll tell you the whole story soon," he promised. "I've gotta go right now."

"But –"

Chouji tugged on her arm. "We trust you, Shikamaru. Come on, Ino."

Shikamaru watched them go, before heading back to the house to prepare dinner for himself and Hyuuga-san. In the kitchen, a pan of delicious-looking fried mackerel sat on the stove. He began to assemble a tray for himself and Hyuuga-san.

"Shikamaru!" His mother's voice sounded from behind him. "Don't pick at the food."

"I'm not, I'm –"

His mother took in the sight of the tray. "I wanted to talk to you about that. Shizune told me your…friend…was doing much better, and I noticed he was up and walking outside before…" Her voice trailed off.

Shikamaru waited, unsure. Was Hyuuga-san not supposed to walk outside? His mother appeared to be having difficulty getting the words out. He couldn't remember when he had ever seen that before.

Yoshino took a deep breath. "Your father and I were talking. Of course we haven't forgotten the war against the North, and all the suffering it caused for our village. And we still hate the idea of keeping a Pet. But you are our son and we love you. And like it or not, this young man will be living in our home for the next year. So…" She went to the rice cooker, raised the lid, and stirred the rice inside, then looked directly back at Shikamaru. "We would like to get to know him better. You don't have to keep him up in your room. Come down and join us for dinner."

Shikamaru stared at her. "Really?"

"Yes, really," Yoshino said briskly.

For a moment he felt choked by emotion. Then he found his voice. "Thanks, Mom."

Yoshino turned back to the stove. "Go and tell him we'll be eating in twenty minutes."

Shikamaru felt some of the heaviness lift, and he could not keep from smiling as he headed back to his room. Neji was sitting in the window seat, gazing at the lengthening shadows outside. He looked up as Shikamaru came in, his expression unreadable.

"Hey," Shikamaru said. "My parents want us to dine with them tonight. My mom said –"

Neji stiffened, crossing his arms. "I would rather not."

Rather not? Shikamaru stared at him in disbelieving exasperation. "Look, they just want to meet you and –"

"I have had enough of being stared at," Hyuuga-san said sharply.

"My teammates didn't mean any harm. They were just curious –"

"Those were your teammates? I would be embarrassed to even defeat such a team in battle. Lazy, fat and frivolous! Truly, the state of shinobi in your country is pathetic –"

"Yeah, yeah," Shikamaru muttered. "All right, I'll go tell my parents no thanks, and get us some dinner."

Well, Hyuuga-san was certainly back to being an asshole, Shikamaru reflected as he headed downstairs. But, as annoying as he could be, bristly, bitching-about-everything Hyuuga-san was vastly preferable to listless, waiting-to-die Hyuuga-san.

His mother was still in the kitchen, chopping carrots.

"Um, mom…" He dragged the words out reluctantly. "Uh, he's not really feeling well enough to…"

Yoshino's dark eyes snapped around to meet his. "He seemed well enough a little while ago."

"Yeah, well, I guess, uh…"

Yoshino set down the knife and wiped her hands on her apron. "We'll just see," she said, marching past Shikamaru and up the steps toward the bedrooms. Shikamaru waited in the kitchen, cringing slightly. He didn't know what would happen when the unstoppable force of Yoshino came up against the immovable object of Hyuuga-san, but he knew it couldn't be good. He only hoped it wouldn't get too out of hand. Well, Izumo and Kotetsu were right outside, if he needed backup.

But surprisingly, there was only silence for a long minute, and then the sound of his mother's footsteps coming back down. Somewhat apprehensively, Shikamaru hurried upstairs. Hyuuga-san was half-sitting, half-slumped on the window seat, sound asleep with his cheek resting on one hand and one bare foot tucked up under him. In sleep he looked younger and more peaceful.

Yoshino came back in, a light blue blanket in her arms. She opened it with a snap and laid it over Hyuuga-san, then stood looking at him for a moment longer. Then she gave a brisk shrug and bustled out again. Shikamaru stood, absent-mindedly gazing at the sleeping Hyuuga-san and weighing his options. His parents probably expected him to eat with them. He could make Neji up a tray and just leave it here. But if he did, he thought, Neji would probably wake up as soon as he left and just sit there glaring at the food, refusing to eat it and getting all pissed off and paranoid and hungry. On the other hand, if he made a tray for both of them and waited for the Hyuuga to wake up, Neji would probably sleep till morning, while the food got cold and Shikamaru starved.

The smell of the mackerel was making his mouth water. He guessed he would make up a tray and maybe eat most of his, but save a little in case Neji woke up.

His own reactions to Neji baffled him a bit. The Hyuuga could be so troublesome when awake that Shikamaru had fantasies of just nailing him up in a box and shipping him back to the North Country. Yet, watching him sleep like this, Shikamaru felt…protective, almost tender?

No, no, no, that was not it, he told himself. Responsible. That was it. He had taken an oath to be responsible for Hyuuga-san's care, and he was fulfilling that oath.

Hyuuga-san did not awaken when Shikamaru came back with the fragrant tray of food, nor when Shikamaru turned off his own lamp to go to sleep. He was still sleeping on the window seat the next morning when Shikamaru's alarm went off, reminding him that he was supposed to meet with Asuma-sensei. He hurriedly got cleaned up and put his uniform on. He was pretty sure it wouldn't matter to Asuma if he came down in his pajamas, but he didn't want to look that unprofessional.

As he reached for the door, the sight of the Pet Mark on the back of his hand made him stop short. He went back and hunted through his closet until he found a pair of black fingerless gloves. He pulled the left one on, hiding the Mark.

Asuma was already waiting in the courtyard, smoking a cigarette. "Got a mission that's a little tricky," he said, unfolding a map and spreading it out on the bench. "I was thinking you might have some ideas."

Shikamaru did. They talked strategy for a while, going over various contingencies of the mission. Finally Asuma nodded in satisfaction. "Yeah, that sounds good." He picked up the map and stashed it away in his bag. "Sorry you're not going to be with us."

"Yeah. Me too. But I'm, uh…"

Asuma took a long drag on his cigarette. "It's okay. I heard about your situation."

Shikamaru squinted in the smoke. "From who?"

"Lady Tsunade. And Kakashi." Asuma shook his head. "I gotta say, you're the last person I would've imagined would do something like this, but it a weird way it makes sense. If anyone could beat Orochimaru and his clan at their own game, it'd be you."

The unexpected praise warmed Shikamaru. He hadn't been sure how Asuma would take the news. He wasn't as openly opposed to keeping Pets as Shikamaru and his teammates were, but he had no love for the North Country.

"One thing though – I always thought you liked girls."

Shikamaru sighed. "Trust me, I do. He's not a real Pet."

"But he really is a White-Eyes?"

Shikamaru nodded. "He's from the Hyuuga clan."

Asuma looked interested. "I haven't seen one of them since the war. Treacherous bastards, but damn good fighters. Are all the stories about them true?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Probably not. Listen, Asuma-sensei…he's injured right now, but when he recovers, can he train with our team?"

Asuma tossed his cigarette to the dirt and ground it out with his toe. "Why not? It'll be interesting to see what he can do."

Shikamaru realized he was wondering the same thing. He had only seen glimpses of the Hyuuga's famous fighting prowess – and those when he was injured. Just how good was he?

After Asuma had left, Shikamaru headed back to the house. In the kitchen, he poured himself a cup of coffee and set about getting some breakfast for himself and Hyuuga-san, who would hopefully be awake by now. In the room, Hyuuga-san was sitting up on the window seat, gazing out the window. He seemed more alert than he had the past few days.

"Hey, Sleeping Dragon," Shikamaru greeted him. "Brought you some food."

Hyuuga-san eyed the tray a bit skeptically. "Is it spicy?"

"Nah, don't worry, it's disgustingly bland. I'll probably have to cover it in hot sauce just to choke it down."

"Hn," Hyuuga-san said, with a look that said, Very funny. He straightened up as Shikamaru approached, moving to sit cross-legged so that there would be room for Shikamaru on the window seat as well. Shikamaru was pleased to note this, just as he was glad to see Neji taking an interest in his surroundings, and, apparently, recognizing an attempt at humor – though of course not going so far as to actually laugh or smile.

In what was becoming a ritual between them, Shikamaru placed some food on his plate, bowed his head and said Itadakimasu, and ate a little of everything. Hyuuga-san watched him intently. Then Shikamaru would lay down his chopsticks while Neji served himself.

"Hot one today," Shikamaru observed.

"Isn't it hot every day?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "We have seasons like everywhere else. The rainy season is coming, so the nights are hotter. Winter is cooler, though probably not really cold like it is up North. Spring is when things are in bloom, and in the fall we get a sandstorm." At Hyuuga-san's questioning look, he said, "You'll see. It's really cool."

He would have liked to ask about the North Country, what it was like, and he especially would have liked to hear Neji's own story. But he didn't want the Hyuuga to feel like he was being interrogated, and he especially wanted to avoid an awkward, troublesome conversation like the one yesterday. So he kept it to the neutral topic of the weather.

###

Neji was glad they were talking about the weather. Especially after yesterday's extremely uncomfortable conversation, he didn't feel up to going into more personal territory. Although even the weather in Suna seemed alien and hostile.

He didn't know if he would or even could ever return to his village. But he would never fit in here in Suna. The people and customs were too strange and savage, their training regimen was a joke, the food was practically inedible, and their idea of a good time was…a sandstorm?

"Hope you weren't waiting too long for breakfast," Nara-san remarked. "I had to go over some strategy with my sensei." Neji could hear satisfaction and a hint of pride in his voice.

"Are you going on a mission?"

Nara-san drew a deep breath. "No…just helping them out."

"But you wish you were going," Neji said. "You don't like training, but you would like to go on the mission." Nara-san's brows lifted, and he gave a small nod, more to himself than to Neji. "That surprises you," Neji said.

Nara-san looked startled for a second. Then he gazed at Neji thoughtfully for a long moment. "No," he said slowly, as if working it out, "the stories aren't true. You can't really read minds. But you are very, very observant. Is that a trait of your clan?"

"I suppose," Neji said coolly, not wanting to concede anything to the Main House Hyuugas. "How do you know I can't read your mind?"

Nara-san gave a little smile. "If you could read my mind," he said, "you'd know whether or not you could trust me."

Neji looked away, hating this reminder of how off-balance he felt. "If I could read your mind right now," he said sharply, "it would be busy congratulating itself for managing not to believe in a ridiculous myth. We don't rely on witch doctors, either." He had a vague memory of Nara Yoshino saying something like that, while he was injured.

Nara Shikamaru once again looked startled, then abashed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know you had heard that."

"Our medical techniques are probably more advanced than yours."

Nara-san shrugged. "You could talk to Tsunade-sama about that. She picked up some North Country techniques on her travels." He drained the last of his tea and stood up. "Anyway. What would you like to do now? Feel up to taking a walk outside again? Or seeing the rest of the house?"

Neji knew exactly what he wanted. "I want to see the training areas."

"You can see the indoor ones," Nara-san offered. "The outdoor ones are further away…you shouldn't push it too much."

"I'm fine," Neji said defiantly.

"Uh-huh. Well, why don't you get cleaned up, and I'll take this tray down to the kitchen."

Neji felt even more foolish wearing Nara-san's baggy sweatpants and t-shirt while Nara-san was in his uniform, but it would have to do. He tied his hair back and put a headband on to hide the Pet Mark, before following Nara-san out into the hot bright sunlight. They crossed the courtyard, where one of the guards, the one with Northern blood, was leading a group of younger students through some training exercises.

"Hey, Izumo," Nara-san said. He and Izumo exchanged nods of greeting. Izumo eyed Neji with curiosity. Neji turned away, once again hating the feeling of being stared at. Did they know he was Nara-san's Pet? Did they know about the failed seppuku? Did they know what had happened with Kidoumaru?

It was a new feeling, this shame, this hiding, and one he loathed deeply. Always in his own country he had walked proudly. He had been a prodigy, a Hyuuga, tops in his class and able to defeat even seasoned warriors. Everyone had admired and respected and been somewhat intimidated by him. That he was only a Branch House Hyuuga had not mattered to anyone outside of the Hyuuga elders.

"The indoor training areas are through here," Nara-san said, continuing on. Neji followed him through the doorway and down a hallway. "These are the sparring rooms," Nara-san said, indicating a pair of smaller rooms with padded mats on the floor, both occupied with groups of younger students sparring. "And these are the equipment rooms," he said. These rooms were larger, with all kinds of training equipment. Several shinobi their age or older were working out here. It was not as large or state-of-the-art as the Hyuuga training facilities, but it was serviceable, Neji thought.

"The regular workout rooms are here," Nara-san said. These were large, open rooms, one of which was fortuitously empty. Neji walked in and kicked off his sandals, feeling the smooth wood floors under his bare feet. Experimentally, he took his fighting stance and did a few moves. He spread his arms and pivoted on the ball of one foot. Pain stabbed through his ribs and tore at his belly, but it was not as bad as he had expected. The week of enforced bed rest had done him good.

He tried again. He could not do the kaiten with any kind of speed or power yet, but he could still do it. It was tough going, however, and he felt both reluctant and relieved to stop when Nara-san said, "Okay, don't overdo it. Come on."

"And these are the sword rooms," Nara-san said as they reached the end of the hallway. These rooms were also large and airy and very similar to the Hyuuga sword training areas – though of course somewhat smaller and more worn. One wall was lined with bokken – wooden training swords – of various shapes and sizes; the opposing one held shelves of protective gear. The far wall bore a single magnificent sword, ceremoniously mounted. Neji felt his mouth drop open. As if it had called his name, he walked across the room to stand before the sword.

###

Hyuuga-san looked like he had seen a ghost in the sword room, Shikamaru thought. He had been looking around with his customary air of disdain when suddenly his eyes had gotten wide and his mouth had fallen open. Bemused, Shikamaru followed his gaze to the far wall. There was an old, illustrious sword there that had belonged to his great-grandfather. It had been made by some master craftsman whose name Shikamaru had forgotten. He wondered if Hyuuga-san was shocked to see such a fine sword in the supposedly backwards South Country, or if he was picturing himself using it to lop off a few South Country heads.

As if pulled by a magnet, Hyuuga-san went straight over to stand before the sword. Shikamaru followed. Hyuuga-san was gazing up at the sword reverently, evidently in the grip of some strong emotion.

"My father had a sword like this," Hyuuga-san said in a low voice.

Had? "Did he lose it in battle?" Shikamaru asked.

Hyuuga-san turned on him as if he had said something shocking and unforgiveable. "Lose it in battle? Of course not! He –" He broke off, looking as if he were trying to get himself under control. Shikamaru watched him, somewhat cautiously. After a moment Neji said, more quietly, "It was supposed to pass to me when I came of age."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were of age?"

"I was…kidnapped…before I could…" Neji's voice sounded strained.

"Wow," Shikamaru observed, "that sucks."

Neji shot him a look, but it seemed like there was more relief than anger in his expression. "Will you get this one someday?"

Shikamaru looked up at the imposing length of the sword. "Probably not. I'm not that good a swordsman. You must be really good, if he was going to give you a sword like this."

"I am," Neji said. Once again Shikamaru heard an undercurrent of emotion running through the words, but he couldn't quite identify it.

"Hyuuga-san…you'll get back to your country. You'll see your father again, and he'll give you his sword." Was he making promises he couldn't keep? As always, it seemed there was something about Neji that made him want to go beyond what he would normally be inclined to say or do.

A flash of intense sadness crossed Neji's face for just an instant, before he turned away again. He walked to the wall of bokken and lifted a few, trying out the heft and length, before he found one he liked. Holding the wooden practice sword, he began a few moves, simple at first, then more complex. His movements were stiff and halting, and he stumbled a few times, but he kept going.

Shikamaru could see him finding the rhythm of it, see his moves become surer, quicker. He could also see Neji wincing in pain at times, or pressing his arm to his side. He knew he should call a halt to this, knew the doctor would say Neji was pushing too hard, too fast. But he stayed silent. There was a determination in Neji's moves, a fire in his eyes that Shikamaru had not seen before.

Hyuuga Neji was coming back to life.

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A.N.: Thanks so much for reading, everyone! Please don't forget to leave a review!