A.N. Let me just start off with saying "hello" again, and Happy New Year to everyone! Okay here's the real first chapter to Part two of the story. Before we get started though I've gotta give some credit out there. Thank you everyone for continuing to leave very kind reviews; it lets me know that there are people who actually enjoy the story. Thank you to Riza A who has been helping me with turning my rough drafts into tolerable peices of literature. Actually, literature might be too dignified. I'll just say she makes it actually readable, lol. Astra M, wow, she's going to be my current inspiration for this entire second part I think. As I start to delve into less action and more interpersonal relations of our enjoyable duo it's her writing that drives me to be better. Seriously, go read any of her fics, esp the ones about Ino and Shikamaru. Tell me she doesn't write the best/real girls ever, and I'll call you a liar. Well, I guess you probably want to actually read this huh? I'll stop rambling then.

Disclaimer: ...otherwise I'd be rich enough to pay to learn how to write better.

Outside of the hospital, the village of Konoha is starting to wake up. Hazy purple clouds try to hide the fight between the rising sun and a sliver of the moon for the domain of the sky. The heavenly bodies hang opposite from each other - almost as if they refuse to be seen together. At times they seem to chase one another, and at other times they seem perfectly satisfied apart. It's a love-hate relationship between the kings of the night and day, and Tenten has seen it many times before.

But this is the first time she can remember watching it from the benches outside the hospital.

The bench is cold where her bare arms touch the metal, and under her fingers she feels the moisture of the morning dew as she grips her seat. The sun now proudly beaming its rays over the horizon makes her squint her eyes, but she doesn't look away. There's a part of her that hopes the pain she feels can replace the hurt she heard in Neji's voice a little while ago. As the sunspots start to blot out her vision she wishes they would also blot out the memory of what she saw in that room.

Tenten always knew she had feelings for Neji, even if she never dared to say them out loud. In actuality, she hadn't even understood her own emotions for the silver-eyed man until he suddenly confessed on their last mission. Before now Neji was a training partner, a teammate, a friend, and something more personal that she could never quite pin point. He wasn't like a brother to her; she'd known many people who had siblings and her relationship with the Hyuuga was nothing like that.

And now that he'd confessed, who was he now? She wished she could just answer that one question.

Amidst all of this soul-searching was the daunting memory of Neji screaming in pain, but it was more than that. The doctors that rushed in to treat him couldn't know what Tenten knew. While they heard a patient in need, Tenten heard more. She'd been on enough missions with Neji to know the sound he makes when he gets hurt, or even severely hurt. The unfamiliar hint of fear in his voice was frightening. As she fought to stay from the doctors who wanted her out of the room, she also battled with her own fears.

Neji was a genius. Neji was a leader. He was strong, and reliable. She couldn't count how many times she'd entrusted her life to him. He was one of the few people that she admired as the epitome of being a ninja, and it terrified her when she heard his screams of agony twisted with fear.

Just what could Hyuuga Neji be scared of?

As the nurses dragged her down the halls of the hospital away from his room, over her shoulder she saw him howling in pain. It was the slightest of glimpses, but as he screamed she could have sworn that the silver of his eyes was swallowed in darkness.

Tenten gave a laborious sigh as she leaned against the back of the bench. There was so many things happening, and all of these questions kept circling around in her head. Somewhere in the chaos of her mind was her response to his confession that she had yet been able to give him. All she wanted to do was wake up early and tell Neji that she felt the same way about him.

Looking away from the sun, she starts to feel light-headed and puts a voice to the next question that pops into her head.

"Why is this so complicated all of the sudden?"

"I'm going to be upfront with you Hyuuga-san; even the higher-ups of the hospital staff don't know how to deal with the complexity of your blood-line limit, much less so of the oddity in yours." The doctor that stands at the foot of his bed tries his best to sound competent while his words betray him.

There's the distinct ripping sound of Velcro as the nurse takes off the device to check his heart rate.

"But we're going to keep you here under observation for other reasons. What happened to you earlier is called supraventricular tachycardia; it's when the heart starts beating rapidly. In your case, your heart was going into overdrive."

"When will I be able to leave?"

The doctor again opened his mouth, but the next words were not his own. The voice that cut in edgewise came from the doorway of the room.

"Now. You're leaving now."

Short but stately stood Hyuuga Narabi, one of the elders of the Hyuuga's main branch. He was dressed formally and accompanied by two members of the branch family, his own personal entourage. If there was a question of authority rising in the doctor's mind it was quickly stifled with the answer of old silver eyes combined with a curse-free forehead; even though he wasn't the current head of the clan, his words held sway. The pointed glare that shifted from Neji to the doctor coupled with the almost constant scowl that adorned his face stilled the medicinal practitioner's tongue from protesting.

"Come. Get you're things, and follow."

The walk out of the hospital was a quiet one. There was no talk of his condition, no talk of the abnormal black speck that dotted his right eye. There wasn't even talk of Neji's last mission. Though the silence might have been uncomfortable to say the least, it was far from unusual; Neji was a member of the branch house, Narabi was an elder in the main. Neji was not to speak unless spoken to.

Over the years as Hyuuga Hiashi started bridging the gap between the divided clan, the resistance of the main branch was always clear. They were dyed-in-the-wool believers in their stature and place in society; one man and his nephew coming to terms with each other wouldn't instantly change old blood. The elders in the main branch refused to be humbled, or in their own words, humiliated by lowering themselves closer to the branch.

Neji could feel his own blood begin to heat up. While the better part of his life was spent under Hiashi's leadership of the clan, it was the puppet-wielding elders that came up with many of the decisions that he learned to hate growing up. From the time his father died, to the first chuunin exam, Neji was caged by the belief that he wasn't free from a fate of dying in service. At night he would wonder how much of that cold determination that helped him be a ninja was a result of being jaded by life in those precious formative years. He would always remember the times he didn't cry when people important to him died, and all the times he wanted to.

When they finally reached the Hyuuga estate the two escorts where promptly dismissed with a curt nod given by Narabi. Neji however, didn't get to escape so easily.

It was still relatively early in the morning as Neji followed the elder through the hallways. They dodged, left and right, all of the branch house members who were already awake, diligently tending to the chores of the big mansion. Windows were being washed, and floors scrubbed; no one seemed to stop what they were doing as the two approached; yet each cleaner yielded a way of passage. It was only after Neji walked past that heads would turn, and eyes would stare quizzically. Each set of silver eyes of his fellow branch members were met by a pair not so symmetrical.

When they arrived at the entrance to the elder's council room, Neji knew something was wrong. As he stepped into the center of the room between the two rows of tables, he could feel all eyes of the already filled room bearing down on him. Not only were they staring at him, but also each of them had their byakugan activated. Neji recounted how his opponents looked when they saw his eyes on the battlefield; he supposed he must look the same way now. If having your soul pierced by one byakugan user was daunting, then there wasn't even words to describe how Neji felt.

He was a life-sized voodoo doll, and their glares were the needles that unstitched him to his very being, until nothing was left hidden.

Additional A.N. Right off the bat I gotta get you anonymous reviewers to sign up or leave your contact information or whatever. I've been getting amazing reviews from everyone, and for the most part I try to respond to them. Annie, whoever you are, thank you for your wonderful reviews, and you have my personal thanks for being the first person to mention that they picked up on part two's prologue chapter title. Seriously, everyone who enjoyed/mentioned the title made my day.

Well here it is, I've told people that this was a Neji/Ten story and part two is where I get to put away the fists (but not entirely, goodness I love a good fight scene) and replace them with flowers. Hahahaha not really. Anyway, let's bring on the drama!