Hiashi sat at his desk sternly, unable to concentrate on his work. He was usually a calm and collected man, but at the moment his knee wouldn't stop bouncing nervously. His palms were sweating. He was uneasy and didn't know how to handle it. His daughter thought the worst of him. He wasn't sure if Neji was even doing what he had asked. He knew the boy had an unrivaled affection for his cousin, but he still had an unspoken hope that he would remain loyal to the clan head. He hadn't heard from either one of them in a couple hours, and his doubts were swelling.

"Father?" Hanabi poked her head into his office. "Where's Onee-san?"

"Ah," he looked up, rubbing his temples. "She's out with Neji somewhere. They should be back soon."

"With Neji-nii-san?" Hanabi made a face and looked down the hall. "But... I just saw Neji-nii-san. I didn't see her."

Hiashi went rigid in his chair. "Where? Where did you see him?"

Her eyes widened with confusion, sensing the urgency. "H-he was just across the compound. I saw him running into the branch house. He looked like he was in a hurry so I didn't say anything to him."

Hiashi rose from his seat, trying to remain collected. "Hanabi, why don't you go run after Neji. Tell him I need to speak with him, please?"

She blinked at him and then shrugged nonchalantly. "Alright." She turned and meandered leisurely down the hall.

Hiashi stuck his head out the door and watched her leave. "It's urgent, Hanabi!"

"Right!" She said, quickening her pace.

Hiashi moved down the other end of the hall and respectfully entered his father's room. "Lord Elder, I need to speak with you."

"Something else you can't take care of on your own, Hiashi?" The older man looked up from the small table littered with paperwork in the center of the room.

Hiashi rose from his knees and closed the door behind him, taking a seat opposite of the Hyuga Elder, crossing his legs, back straight. "I'm still unsure about Hinata and Neji."

The older man scoffed. "What are you unsure about? They are young and foolish. We will detain them until matters have cleared up and then they will have no quarrel with anyone. Young people are selfish and adaptive. That is the way it has always been."

Hiashi listened carefully, silently chastising himself. He hated himself for being so weak. He was the stern leader of their clan, but here he was bowing humbly before a stubborn old man he had never had the will to defy. He could not even save his daughter.

But at the same time he saw where his father was coming from. He didn't like the oppression and suspicion that their clan had been subjected to any more than the elder did. Still, if they simply remained peaceful, it would get better. Building trust was key. But the older man did not trust the village authorities, and that's what was needed first. To gain trust, one must trust. He had no idea how to go about building it up from the very bottom when their clan elder was a stubborn man set on sole autonomy.

"W-we are a clan," he tried again. "We are a piece of the village. Shouldn't we-"

"We are a proud family who has been degraded and disrespected for far too long!" the older man roared. "I will not have this discussion with you again! Have you sent word of our upcoming meeting yet?"

Hiashi nodded, bowing his head. "Neji isn't bringing Hinata back. If anything they're going to find a way to stop us."

"They are going to try. And they are going to fail. I am an old man with far too many battle scars. I will not have two... two hooligans mussing up my plans. If we cannot detain them, then they will be disowned. That is all their is to it." He waved a hand at the younger man, looking back down to the document he held in his hand. "Now please, son, I have work to do. I don't need to be worried over trivial matters such as these."

Hiashi frowned severely. "Trivial? Father, these are my children we are talking about! These are the heirs to the clan and the prodigy of the Hyuga. They are your grandchildren!"

"They are traitors of the clan!" The Elder barked. "We do not need them! Hanabi is perfectly capable of taking both of their places!"

"My children aren't replaceable and they aren't disposable! How dare you-"

"How dare I?" The older man echoed, his wrinkled jowls shaking with fury. "I am the elder of this clan! We must think of the good of the clan over the existence of the few! I have lived three of your lifetimes, you will not tell me what I dare to do!"

Hiashi clenched his fists on his knees and darkened his gaze, jaw set. He rose from where he sat and left abruptly. He moved back toward his office, stopping when Hanabi appeared at the end of the hall.

"I couldn't get him to come. He said he was busy." She watched her father stampede past her and stepped out of the way, eyes growing round. "I-is he in trouble?" she called, not receiving a answer.

Neji was was just bounding around the corner when Hiashi caught sight of him. "Neji!" he called frantically, following after him. He turned the corner and paused, looking down the empty street. He sighed and activated his Byakugan, immediately spotting Hinata hiding in the bushes. He frowned and crouched down to see her. "Hinata, what are you doing in here?" he asked, pressing branches apart to get a solid view of her. "Where is Neji?"

Hinata had thrown her arms over her head defensively but now lowered them and peered up at her father with a worried look. "I c-can't tell you...," she stammered, fear pulsing through her. She watched her father's stern face and waited to be tugged up by her elbows and dragged back to the main house. If she was going to be caught, then she wasn't letting Neji get dragged down with her.

She was surprised when the only thing that happened was Hiashi rolling his eyes in exasperation. "Alright, listen," he started.

Hinata relaxed, frowning a little out of confusion. "Y-y-yes, Father?"

Hiashi watched his older daughter come a little unfurled from her protective ball and his frown deepened. "Lord Elder... you overheard what we were discussing, right?"

The color drained from her face and she backed further into the wall, nodding hesitantly.

"Right. Hinata, I know that you are scared. I know that you and Neji are doing your best to figure out how to stop this. I'm not here to stop you."

"Y-you're not?"

He shook his head. "No. But you have to listen to me. I'm not very happy with the village either. It's not just your grandfather. The majority of the clan feels this way. I am the clan head. My place is at the helm. I cannot leave, and I have to watch Lord Elder. But you two-" he lifted a hand and pointed toward her. "You two have no real responsibility right now. You're young. Right now your only obligation is to learn how to protect and remain loyal to your clan. I understand that that's what you're doing, and I agree with your intentions, but I want you to be careful. If you find yourselves in a dangerous situation that may become irrevocable, then I want you two to remove yourselves entirely. This is not something to play around with. This could lead to a massacre. Protect yourselves. Do not worry about us."

Hinata stared up at him, fear passing over her face, heart pounding in her head. "W-w-what about Hanabi? What will happen to you two if... if we don't... i-if we don't fix this?"

Hiashi set his jaw and ran a hand over his chin. "I'll figure something out," he said in a hushed tone. "Just think about yourselves right now." He got to his feet. "And tell Neji what I said. Stay away from the compound from now on."

She watched him turn to leave but reached up and tugged on his hand. "F-father?"

He looked down at her. "Yes?"

She chewed on her lower lip. "I l-love you."

He gave a pained look and bent one last time to press a kiss to her forehead. "I love you too, Hinata. Stay safe." With that, he was gone, leaving Hinata to wait in the bushes again.

Soon after, Neji dropped down from above, somewhere Hinata wasn't paying attention to. "Hinata-sama, are you okay?"

She nodded, reaching for the hand he offered her and getting to her feet. Neji stooped down to slide a pair of sandals in front of her. "Let's go see if we can stop somewhere and get you cleaned up. We can't have you running around in your nightdress."

Hinata propped her hands on his shoulders and slid her bandaged feet into the sandals. She lowered them carefully and stepped lightly, making sure it didn't hurt to walk.

"Can you stand on your own?" Neji asked, hands out to help her if she needed it.

She nodded, doing a small bounce. "I-I'm okay. Th-thank you." She looked down at the bag in his hands. "D-do you need me to carry anything?"

"No, I can manage. Thank you, though." He placed a hand at the small of her back and guided her out of the bushes. "Okay, we're going to go somewhere private where you can clean up and we can think about this clearly."

"W-where would that be?" she asked, letting him lead her down the road.

"Naruto's apartment," he whispered, just in case someone heard.

She sucked in a quick gasp, air catching in her throat and evolving into a ragged cough. She choke, pausing to calm herself. She sobered a moment later, red in the face. "W-w-why N-naruto's house?" she squeaked.

"It's not out in the open, not many people live there, and even though he's an idiot I trust him to help us and keep quiet about this. It's a private, out of the way place where we can collect ourselves."

"W-we can't just go back t-to the-"

"Hinata-sama, time is of the essence. Why would we go back to the cabin the middle of the woods when Naruto's apartment is here in the village?"

She sighed and pressed her lips together, warmth still violently filling her face. "R-r-right," she conceded quietly, looking up and watching Naruto's apartment building looming ever closer.