FOUR: When you say, "I love you," mean it.

It was only because Hiashi was a devoted insomniac that he was in the courtyard when a very drunk Hyuga Neji came stumbling home after a celebration with his comrades.

He observed the young jounin quietly from his sitting place and noticed that despite being well inebriated, his nephew's coordination and movements were still remarkably excellent for one his age. He could probably still put up a good fight even if he won't remember it the next day.

'Just like his father,' the clan leader thought with a sigh as he set aside the reports he was reading. Hizashi was known in the village not only for his skills as a shinobi but for his drinking as well. Thankfully, he was a happy drunk and his drunken antics were for the most part harmless so Hiashi had no reason to call his brother out on his habit so long as he continued to perform his duties competently, which he did to the very end.

But that did not mean Hiashi wanted his nephew to follow his father down this particular path.

"Neji," he called as he approached slowly.

The young man started noticeably and turned around as quickly as he could. His eyes were wide with surprise but sleepy and unfocused with the alcohol. "Uncle Hiashi," he greeted. He swayed for a moment in silence trying to concentrate. "Hi."

This short exchange gave the clan leader a pretty good idea of how intoxicated Neji was. The boy always went through great pains to be as formal as possible. He never called him 'Uncle' even on a good day. "Neji, have you been drinking?" he asked patiently.

"A little," the boy answered truthfully. "It…it was Kiba's birthday."

"I see," Hiashi said as he steadied the boy by holding him by the elbow. He surmised that 'a little' was an understatement. Neji looked on the verge of passing out. The Branch quarters were a long ways off so Hiashi opted to take the boy back to his private rooms. "Is Kiba a friend of yours," he asked as he started to guide them back to his suite.

"No, well," Neji paused as though he had to think about it, "we've been on missions and stuff…but we don't hang out or anything like that. He invited me because I'm Hinata's cousin, that's all."

"I see," Hiashi replied, making a mental note to follow up on this Kiba character.

"I don't have many friends," Neji slurred frankly.

Hiashi frowned at this but didn't say anything. He slid open the door and all but carried the boy inside who had decided at some point between making his comment and waiting for the door to open that he was no longer in the mood for walking.

"Come on, Neji!" the clan leader grunted as he maneuvered the near dead weight of his nephew towards the chaise longue in the family sitting room. He was grateful Hanabi was staying with friends and Hinata was away on a mission. He imagined the two of them made quite a sight at the moment.

He practically dropped the boy on the couch and Neji laid where he landed; on his stomach, face down in the pillow.

Hiashi sighed irritably, 'Just like his father,' and positioned the boy on his back so he wouldn't suffocate. He then went about and collected an extra blanket and a waste basket in the event that Neji's body decided the stomach contents had to go.

He set the basket on the floor next to the boy's head and was spreading the blanket over him when Neji roused himself to wakefulness.

"Uncle Hiashi?"

"Yes, Neji," Hiashi answered, slightly unnerved by his nephew's atypical familiarity. He continued to arrange the blanket comfortably around the boy's prone form.

Neji lolled his head back until it hit the back of the sofa. His eyes were open only to slits. "Did my father…have a lot of friends?"

Hiashi arched an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Well," he began slowly, "Hizashi—your father-made friends easily. People liked him."

"Because he was kind?" Neji asked and his voice was tired and far away.

"I wouldn't go that far," Hiashi chuckled as he sat on the edge of the couch with his back to the boy. "Hizashi had a stubborn streak as long and wide as the ocean and an amazing temper." Hiashi smiled at the memories forming in his mind. "But he had a strong sense of fairness and he liked looking out for people. He was a good person."

"He was…always kind to me…He…"

Hiashi looked over his shoulder to find that Neji had passed out mid-sentence. He smiled sadly. "Yes, that's because he loved you like nothing else in this world. You were his own."

Hiashi got up, retrieved his reports from outside and settled himself in a comfortable chair near his sleeping nephew. He was still wide awake and had more peace of mind with the idea of staying nearby.

Besides, he needed time to recall his brother's miracle cure for hangovers.