Neji exhaled. Hiashi-sama had completely immersed himself in the household accounts of the Hyuuga clan. Neji stood up and quietly left the room, sliding the door behind softly. That was it. He had to tell Hinata-sama to stop her scandalous training. There was no option but to stop.

The young man set off in a determined course, searching for his cousin. He walked through the corridors of the Hyuuga compound and asked the servants, his aunts, his uncles, but no one could say where Hinata-sama was.

"Well, Neji-niichan," Hanabi-sama said when Neji asked her, "Why don't you just use the Byakugan? I'm sure you'll find her that way." There was, however, a playful light in her eyes, and it made Neji wary.

"Hmm…thank you, but I'll think I will just ask around some more."

Neji left Hanabi-sama, feeling the back of his neck prickle at the rascally look that his younger cousin was sending his way. She looked as if laughter was quivering at the edges of her lips. Females, Neji growled in his mind, always seem to be laughing at nothing if not at our expense. He left the compound and walked to the training grounds of Konoha with everyone giving him wide berth after one look at his face. It did not make him any calmer to see that Hinata's teammates were there, but with no sign of Hianta-sama, herself.

He watched Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka for awhile, letting his annoyance stew. The bug-user shot a swarm of insects at Inuzuka; but Akamaru and Inuzuka spun their bodies at ridiculously high speeds, deflecting the insect swarm with the motion of their spin. A smoke bomb flew and exploded at Aburame's feet, but the bug-user had substituted his body for another swarm of bugs, and then Aburame was standing on one of the branches of a tall oak. He spied Neji and there was an almost discernible movement of an eyebrow being raised inside the hood of his jacket.

"Kiba, Akamaru, cease." Thu bug-user did not raise his voice, but the dog and his teammate stopped and there were the dusty faces of the prostrate Inuzuka and Akamaru looking in Neji's direction.

"Oi! Neji-san!" Inuzuka called out cheerfully. "What are you doing here?!"

"Looking for Hinata," Aburame said, answering for Neji. Almost at the same time, both the faces of boy and dog took on intrigued expressions.

Neji ignored the bug-user and walked into the clearing, facing Inuzuka-san. "Have you seen Hinata-sama?"

Inuzuka pursed his lips. He looked up at Neji and stood up, doing it slowly and carefully. He took his time, dusting himself off, and deliberately said nothing as he took note of the line that started to deepen in Neji's forehead, the tightening of the eyes and lips. And then, Inuzuka grinned, feral as a wolf. "I…really don't know," he drawled out.

Neji could only thank the patience that years of dealing with the Main Branch had instilled in him. Veins near his eyes had started throbbing. Neji suddenly jumped up, and only the slight breeze that made the leaves shudder marked his movement. He was standing next to Aburame, who did not look surprised in the least. From below, Inuzuka gaped and Akamaru was barking.

"Do you know, Aburame-san?"

Shino Aburame glanced at him impassively. "She's at the public bathhouse."

"What!" Neji turned and was about to leap, when Aburame caught his arm.

"What are you going to do, Hyuuga-san? Go in after her?" The bug-user asked, his voice betraying a touch of exasperation. Below, the suppressed snorts of Inuzuka and the barking laughter of Akamaru floated up.

Neji gritted his teeth. Maybe all those years of dealing with the Main Branch wasn't going to keep him from choking Inuzuka, after all. Him and his damn dog. "She could have taken a bath at the Hyuuga compound," Neji said slowly, as if explaining things to an idiot.

"Maybe she wishes to be alone."

This time, Neji did sigh, "She's in a public bathhouse!"

Aburame looked at him for a moment, "Maybe she wishes to be alone…away from the Hyuuga from time to time."

Neji fell silent and looked at the bug-user. "She's…not training?" he said softly.

The bug user shook his head, "Not as far as I know; weren't the two of you training earlier? Maybe, she just wanted to bathe, and to do it away from the compound. Besides," he added softly, "there's still light. She would not risk that."

"I need to speak to her. Her father wishes to see the kind of training she's been doing and plans to follow her on one of her trips." Neji's voice was still soft.

Aburame was surprised enough that he let go of Neji's arm.

"Oi! What are you two gossiping about up there?" Inuzuka called out from below.

Aburame looked down at his teammate, and he slowly held up an arm. From inside his sleeve, a swarm abruptly shot out and only Inuzuka's very good reflexes saved him. Inzuka's yelp of surprise and Akamaru's outraged barking drowned out Aburame's whispering to anyone that might have been listening, except to the Hyuuga who stood beside him. He whispered for awhile, his swarm chasing after his teammate who kept yelling.

Neji listened and nodded, approving. "That is good, but…" and he gave Aburame a piercing glance, "I will still try and speak to her."

Aburame looked at him for a moment. "Go ahead and try it. She'll probably be on her way home now."

Neji nodded, glad that they had come to an understanding. He leaped off, leaving Aburame to fend off an aggrieved Inuzuka and his dog. As he flew from tree to tree, it suddenly occurred to him why Hanabi-sama had been laughing. Neji felt his face become hot; that little brat had wanted to see how he would react in seeing Hinata-sama at the bathhouse. He would have to pay her back for that.

But you have seen her at the bathouse, with Kurenai-sensei, and you've seen her at the river, haven't you? Neji ignored the voice, thinking of what he had to say to Hinata-sama, to divert her from disaster. Wrapped in moon cloth with water drops as jewels on her skin. Neji's lips tightened and he firmly silenced the voice in his head by reviewing his plans. And the Hyuuga flew from tree to tree, serenity returned now that there was a specific course to follow.

Neji should be forgiven. Perhaps he thought that because Hinata's father was involved, it would make Aburame reverse his earlier opinions and be as equally concerned about stopping Hinata-sama. Perhaps Neji had been too distracted by Aburame's whispered plan that Neji missed the too-easy acceptance, even the encouragement, of the bug-user in denying Hinata her training. Or maybe it was the voice in his head. Whatever the case, Neji should be forgiven for not seeing that Shino Aburame was, in fact, confident that Neji Hyuuga wouldn't be able to say boo to his cousin, let alone tell her to stop.