Author's Note: It occurs to me that the replies I've been sending to the reviewers may not be reaching them. In this case, I wanted to thank you all for the comments and the support. Venny9o6, Ana-Kat101, Jax9, demonscream, AkiKasumi, x-Hyuuga-x, mellyd, aisha89, rcr, thank you.

Neji had meant to settle it when he returned from his mission. However, in the furor of Naruto's return, the abduction of Gaara, and the subsequent new mission of Team Gai as back-up to Team Kakashi, Neji did not even have time to think of Hinata and Kurenai-sensei, let alone have time to talk to the female jounin. He had had to wait 'till he had returned to Konoha with Team Kakashi. By then, Kurenai-sensei was gone for a mission.

As for Naruto Uzumaki, Neji never even thought of speaking to Naruto-san about Hinata. What would be the point? It would only reveal Hinata's secret, possibly embarrass her, and definitely embarrass Neji. And it would be for nothing because that hyperactive ninja, as much as he saved Neji once, wouldn't be able to do anything in this matter, anyway. Naruto Uzumaki could not very well be ordered to tell Hinata-sama not to train the way she did.

Telling Naruto-san, Neji thought as he watched his cousin take her stance, would be like pouring oil on fire. Neji waited a heartbeat, taking his own stance, calming his mind. They were not using Byakugan or chakra, so his preparation was simple. He imagined a dark hole open up in his mind, one that sucked all his emotions and thoughts away, leaving him floating in a sea of untouchable calm.

Then they moved. Hinata swept to his side and threw her left palm under his arm to strike below his shoulder. Neji swept it away a moment before it hit and counterattacked with his own palm to land a blow on her chest. Instead of blocking, however, Hinata spun on one foot to get to Neji's blind side, bringing her arm 'round in one smooth motion to strike her palm against his lower back. Neji ducked, shifting his feet, and he threw up his palm to hit Hinata's chin; but Hinata suddenly just wasn't there, as she swayed back and caught Neji's arm, pulling him up and forward.

Neji was taken aback enough that he was carried along and momentum drove his weight to land on Hinata. She fell back, and again, took him along to fall flat with her.

"Hinata-sama!" Neji was looking down at her, his eyes wide, "where did you learn to move like that?" Even as he spoke, a sudden memory superimposed itself on Neji's mind; a time three years ago, when Hinata-sama almost ran into him in one of the corridors of the Hyuuga compound and she whirled so quickly and gracefully that he was left looking after her with the same wonder he was feeling now.

Hinata was looking up at him, cheeks pink, smile sweet. "Um…I was training with Kurenai-sensei, and she, um, gave me the idea. T-to move like water."

Neji's eyebrows rose. Hinata answered his unspoken question. "She, um, remembered the incident you had years ago when Lee-san accidentally drank sake; she had asked Gai-sensei about it. And, um, Gai-sensei had said that the unpredictability of Lee's moves made it seem like he was moving like water. Flowing and natural. W-we'd been training on water."

A discreet cough made Hinata and Neji look up. Hiashi-sama was studiously studying the ground before him. It dawned on Neji, quite quickly, that he still had not moved from atop Hinata.

He jumped up with alacrity and bowed quite low to his uncle. Hinata stood up, a little slower. "Good morning, Father."

Hiashi glanced at Hinata briefly. "You have been improving." And with that, he turned and went back into one of the corridors. "I will have someone send some tea. Neji, when you have the time, please come before me."

"Thank you, Father," Hinata said to his retreating back. Her cheeks remained pink.

Neji stood up and watched his uncle's back uneasily.

"I wish Naruto-kun could have also seen what had happened," Hinata said softly.

Neji was still looking after his uncle's back, now glum. "Trust me, Hinata-sama, your father is one person too many."

Hinata let out a small laugh. "Well, it's good that my father saw the improvement. But I wish...um, I just fainted again when I saw Naruto-kun after his long absence." She sighed.

Neji said nothing, but he was firmly of the opinion that Naruto Uzumaki had already seen too much.

Neji was kneeling with his uncle as Hiashi-sama looked over household accounts.

Hiashi-sama had still said nothing of what had transpired earlier in the courtyard, which suited Neji just fine. He was in no hurry to put the noose around his neck.

"I am becoming interested in the training that Hinata has set for herself." Hiashi said finally. He still had not looked up from the scrolls of household accounts. "I've noticed in the past years that some of Hinata's movements have been moving away from the Hyuuga style of fighting. I hadn't known it for certain, but today confirmed it. I find that I am not displeased by it."

No mention of how inappropriate our position earlier, thought Neji, relieved. Hiashi looked up, "I am thinking of advising her to move her solitary trainings to the Hyuuga compound. That way—" Hiashi broke off, frowning, "Is something the matter, Neji-kun."

Neji tried to keep his face still. Straight to the fire from the frying pan, was it? "I do not think that is possible, Hiashi-sama. Hinata-sama needs a large body of water and full darkness to train. And the place must be deserted."

Hiashi-sama stared at him unblinkingly. "It is truly important that she be alone?"

Neji held his uncle's gaze steadily, even as his mind scrabbled for an explanation. "Well…Hinata-sama needs to be comfortable with herself, I think. This...is the use of her solitary training. To find herself. Yes, if we were to ask her to show how she trained, she would be too aware of an audience and it would affect her training."

Hiashi-sama then nodded and looked down on the scrolls once more. "Then my mind is made up. On one of her trips, I will go and see it for myself, without her knowledge." He motioned to Neji, dismissing him absently with a wave of his hand.

It was fortunate that his uncle was bending over the accounts once more and had missed Neji's face completely, or else the interview would have been far from over.