"Well enough for transport?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "why does he he need to be transported?"

Hiashi sighed and tried not to show the Hokage how close he was to giving into the urge to hit something as hard as he could. She obviously was not going to try to keep him from saving Neji but the Hyuuga's reputation was far from spotless, his reputation was far from spotless. They were standing in Neji's room, the Hokage still too concerned to leave the young man behind. Now there was talks of poison flowing through his veins. His skin was, if possible, paler than before, his hair was a dark stain hanging over one shoulder. They turned him on his side to reach the exit wounds that decorated his spine like a tattoo. On his forehead the Curse Seal seemed to taunt Hiashi with its flickering. He wanted to make the hand signs and remove the damn thing himself if that was possible. The rest of his face was blurred by the oxygen mask. He was having trouble breathing now, they said and they would have to put a tube down his throat if he didn't improve soon. It was so odd to look at Neji as he truly was after all these years. He had never allowed himself to before but after the decree by the Elders it seemed he could not stop.

His eyes rose fractionally to the indigo haired woman behind him. Head bent in concentration, Hinata carefully pulled power away from the Seal. Just behind her Hanabi waited to do whatever Hinata needed her too. What would become of them? He had always resented his parents for having two children, for condemning one of them. He had vowed a long time ago to not be like them but it seemed he had become worse. He had a daughter to replace the son he thought he could never acknowledge and another daughter to replace the first he thought could never be the Heir. Now it seemed that two of them wold ear the Curse Seal. If they were injured would their fate be the same as Neji's? His stomach rolled at the thought. Neji twitched slightly as the Seal struggled to activate but Hinata ripped he power from it, disabling it with a speed that made even Hiashi's head spin. He looked back at the Hokage.

"He needs to be moved," he repeated firmly.

"He's not ready to go anywhere," Tsunade said, obviously unfazed by his gaze, "whatever your planning to do needs to be mobile because if he's moved now he'll die."

"If he's not moved now then he's as good as dead anyway," he said, "the Seal will kill him."

"And whose fault is that?" she demanded, her eyes sparking.

"Its not a matter of fault," he said gritting his teeth, "what's done is done. I would like to remedy the situation and keep him from being killed by something that is not his fault."

"All the same, he can't be moved," Tsunade repeated, "the damage to his body is far too great. If he's moved now he will die. Even the slightest jostling will result in his death."

"If he stays here he's going to die," Hiashi repeated, his frustration creeping into his voice, "I may be the Clan Head but I cannot convince a bunch of old fools who have not left their homes in ten years to take a stroll down to the Konoha hospital. Now I don't care how much it costs or who I need to get but he must be moved to the compound immediately."

"You're going to remove Neji's Curse Seal," Tsunade said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Its the only way he'll survive," Hiashi said with a curt nod of confirmation.

"But that would mean--" she looked over at Neji and then back at Hiashi.

Hiashi remembered Jiraiya formally turning down the position of Hokage, stating that Tsunade had the brains for it more than he did. Hiashi had never been more certain of the truth in that statement when sudden understanding flared in her eyes. He almost longed for the Third who ruled the village but let the Clans deal with their own madness. Against all protocol Tsunade grabbed his sleeve and yanked him out of the room and into another empty one. He realized belatedly that it was to protect his daughters from things they should not hear. Her eyes locked with his and Hiashi found that he could not look away from her heated stare, her anger pouring off her.

"Is Neji Hyuuga your son?" she demanded. He nodded, "why would you--" she shook her head, "I knew you could be a bastard, but I never thought you could be this cold."

"Its not as simple as that," he said turning away.

"Then explain it," she snapped. He said nothing, "don't make me order you too because I will," she threatened.

"Do not threaten me," he returned angrily.

"Your son is fighting for his life. Me threatening you is the least of your worries. Now what the hell happened? How did this happen?"

"You cast off your name," he said. Tsunade nodded. What use did a Sanin have for a Clan name? "no-one really cares about it. But what if that was something you saw in the mirror everyday? A Hyuuga cannot be anything but a Hyuuga. There is no choice. Everything you are belongs to the Clan."

It made sense Tsunade supposed. Her Clan was old, so was the Uchiha but the Hyuuga was their ancestor. The Clan had been around since before the First Ninja War, their line began one generation after the founder of the Shinobi world. The alliance between the Senji and the Uchiha may have given birth to Konoha but the village would hardly be where it was if the Hyuuga hadn't joined. Their Clan was powerful enough that they did not exist in the world where fighting was everything. One glance was enough to stop wars. The Branch House was a relatively new thing in the Hyuuga world, barely a few generations old. There had always been a group to protect the Head of the Clan and his family but that was hardly uncommon. Hiashi looked over his shoulder at the door that led to the room where Neji was before looking back at Tsunade.

"If you're in charge how the hell did this happen? Did you not want him? Your about to disown Hinata because she's not strong enough."

"I would not disown my daughter," he said, shame coiling inside him, "I did want him, more than anything, but I was the new Head. Having a child with a woman who was not my wife was not an option. My brother's wife was not considered 'appropriate' for bearing the future Head of the Clan. What happened was a mistake followed by many more. The Elders were clear that the child would either be killed or raised by my brother. We were identical so even if the child were the spitting image of me it would be impossible to tell. We were forbidden from mentioning it.I agreed because I would rather the child have a life than die because of my mistakes."

Tsunade crossed her arms and glared and suddenly Hiashi knew that was not going to be enough for her.

The Hyuuga Elders looked at the two young men sitting in front of them with cold ivory eyes. They were identical except for the fact that one wore traditional long robes and one wore the cloths of a Jonin, his vest still on. He had a band tied around his forehead to hide the shameful mark while the other had his bare, showing his loyalty was first and foremost to the Clan, that the Village came second. A bit farther back near the wall a woman wearing a simple robe knelt, her downcast eyes betraying the fact that she was not, in fact, a Hyuuga. The slight swell of her abdomen under her robe revealed the reason they were all gathered, the reason the Hokage was not there. He might be able to understand some things but this was not a matter for Konoha, this was a matter for the Hyuuga and the Hyuuga alone.

"This is disgraceful," the first Elder spoke, "we have not survived this long, we have not risen this high, to have it undone by your foolishness," he glared at the young Head of the Clan, "this child will not bring down the Clan."

"We have two options," a second Elder said, "the child is raised by Hizashi as his own," he looked at the brothers, "or we remedy the situation."

"We what?" Hiashi's head flew up, his eyes wide with unconcealed horror.

"We have not survived this long by allowing things like this to occur and not be taken care of. The child is raised by the woman's husband, your brother, or there will be no child at all," the first elder spoke as though this was the simplest thing in the world.

"But," Hiashi stared at them, "but this is a child! An innocent life that should not have to suffer for my foolishness--"

"Perhaps this will be a valuable lesson to you," the Elder returned, "that as the Head of the Clan your decisions are not your own. They do not affect just you but all of us, from the eldest to the youngest. Thats why this Council was created."

"This Council was created so you could have power!" Hiashi shouted, "and now you want to tell me that I either give up my child or the child will be killed?"

"Yes," the second Elder said, "even if the child possesses the Byakugan, which there is no guarantee he will, his heritage will be disgraceful. A child born out of an affair with his brother's wife is hardly worthy of leading the Clan. Your twin will be the child's father. Even if he is identical to you he will simply be identical to his father, your brother."

Hiashi's head was spinning. He looked desperately over his shoulder at the woman who kept her eyes on the ground, shame staining her cheeks red, before his eyes were pulled to the swell of the child just beginning to show. Would he too grow to be as bitter as Hizashi had become? Would he hate him like his brother now did? And what if he did have the Byakugan? What if he was strong enough to lead the Clan despite their protests, despite everything? So many questions, so many answers that he knew he would not like. The choice was already made, he knew that much. He did not want the child to suffer because he was a fool. He looked over at his brother who kept his eyes firmly on the ground, his lips pressed into a tight line. He knew Hizashi harbored nothing but contempt for the woman he was forced to marry. Even so she was his wife and it was yet another thing Hiashi had taken from him. He hadn't spoken to his brother in months and now he was expected to raise a child that was not even his. He knew Hizashi never wanted to have children. He did not want anyone to know the shame of being a Branch House member, of living a life not belonging to you. It seemed that fate had other planes for the young of the of the twins.

"I will allow the child to live," Hiashi said finally, "if my brother agrees to raise him--"

"Your brother has no choice in the matter," the first Elder snapped.

"Hizashi--" he began.

"As you command, Head of the Clan," Hizashi spoke, his voice thick with bitterness as he bowed in front of his brother.

"Raise the child," Hiashi said, his voice coming out much hoarser than he would have liked, "as your own."

"Then this matter is solved," the first Elder spoke as if this had changed everything, "we will not speak of this again."

"He took Neji as his own," Hiashi concluded, "even if he had never wanted to have a child," he sighed, "Neji was born and Hizashi raised him. He was Neji's father in every way but one."

"What's made the Elders change their mind?" Tsunade asked her voice softer marginally, "after all these years?"

"They think Neji's the best one to lead the Clan. But the Seal will activate and kill him eventually unless they remove it. Neji's had it for so long that it will be a delicate process."

"Has it been done before?" Tsunade asked.

"No," Hiashi admitted, "this has happened before but no Branch member has ever become a member of the Main House before."

"Its going to take at least a day," she said finally walking over to the door, "I'll use that time to see what I can find--"

"You cannot be involved," he said, "this is a Hyuuga matter."

"This is your son," she spun around, her eyes flashing dangerously, "we are past the point of what can or cannot be done because of your precious Hyuuga protocol. I've heard stories about what you used to be like about the man you used to be and it always confused me as to how you became like you are today. Why you let the Clan act like they do. Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because you got permission to act like Neji's father that you're suddenly the only person who cares for him. I am going to find a way to help him and you can inform your precious Elders that this is not just a matter of the Clan. This is a matter of Konoha."

"Why?" Hiashi demanded, "Neji is talented--"

"Neji is more than that," she said, "Neji makes you and your brother look like a joke. He is a valuable asset to Konoha and I will not stand by and let him be tortured further by you and your Clan," she said, "can the Seal continue to be dealt with for another 24 hours?"

"I think so," he said.

"Good," she turned to go, "I suggest you use that time to figure out what you're going to say to him."

It hit Hiashi like a ton of bricks as the Hokage closed the door that he was going to have to tell Neji the truth again. It had been hard enough telling him about how his brother had died but this was going to be much much worse. How was he supposed to tell the young man who still hated him that he was his father? What in Kami's name was he supposed to say? Oh Neji, I'm sorry for being a complete asshole for most of your life but hey, guess what, your father's not actually dead he's right in front of you. Somehow he thought that it would only make things worse for Neji and the Clan. He wondered if this would be enough for Neji to actualy kill him. Something told him that it just might be. Its not as though he didn't deserve it. In fact, at the moment, Hiashi thought it might just be better if he went and killed himself, saving everyone else the trouble. And what about Hinata and Neji? He was just starting to warm up to the role of being her protector. He had seen the two of them in the training field as Neji helped Hinata with one of the finer points of Gentle Fist. How would his daughter's react when they found out he had a son? That Neji was not in fact their cousin but their elder half-brother? The world had suddenly become a very messy place for the Head of the Hyuuga Clan.

Back in the room Hinata bowed her head as she forcibly denied the Seal chakra, pulling it away as hard as she could. She had moved to face Neji's front to better be able to see the Seal. Hanabi had fallen asleep, her head cushioned on her arms. Hanabi and Neji had always looked more like their father and his brother than she ever had. Both had the same dark brown-almost black hair and strong features that gave them the appearance of being angry even when they were not. They all shared the same pale skin and, of course, the same Byakugan eyes. Her own turned to Neji. His breathing was erratic, moreso than before. She could see the rapid, unsteady rise and fall of his chest as he struggled to breath through repaired lungs, to force air past a throat that had nearly been split. The mask around his face fogged more rapidly now than it had when they first slipped it on. She saw his lips move under it suddenly. Keeping her hands in the position she bent her head down to try and see what he was saying.

"Tenten."

One word, a name, and not that of his father. She felt her heart tug. She knew her cousin had feelings for his team mate that went far beyond friendship, just as she knew that he would not act on them. It had been so beaten into Neji that he was not worthy. Not worthy of happiness, of having a life of his own, of anything but being a Shinobi and protecting the main house--her specifically. It wasn't fair, not by a long shot. If anyone deserved to be happy it was her cousin. He wouldn't have risked allowing Tenten to become what he felt the women who married into the Branch House became, as second class as their husbands. But she had feeling that Tenten wouldn't mind, wouldn't care about anything except being with Neji. Neji couldn't see that though, he couldn't understand how anyone would want to be with him. Sometimes she wanted to shake him and tell him that he was not the same coldhearted bastard he had pretended he was. She wanted to tell him that she felt safe by him, that she no longer blocked her door at night because she expected him to try and kill her in her sleep. But she hadn't and now he was going to die because of something that wasn't even his fault. It was horribly unfair.

"How is he?"

Hinata spun around to see Neji's team mate and friend Rock Lee in the doorway. He was dressed unusually in a pair of dark green pants and a shirt, obviously unwilling to wear his green spandex with the memory of his friend's blood staining them so fresh. His hands were free of their wrapping sand she could see the scars and bruises that decorated them. His knuckles were almost raw with the constant strain. His hair was also messy and she belatedly realized that he had only gone home to change cloths before racing right back. He had probably slept at the hospital. Though she doubted Neji would admit it she knew he valued Rock Lee's friendship. Initially he had disliked the young man it was hard to stay mad at him for long. Because of his own shortcomings Lee had been one of the people who hadn't treated Neji any differently because he was a Branch member. She knew the two of them had almost an unspoken understanding about the unique challenges they each faced. Even if sometimes Lee got on Neji's nerves and Neji's coldness infuriated Lee the two got along better than Neji got along with most people.

"Alright," she said hesitantly.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked, his voice still uncharacteristically soft.

"I don't think s--" she gasped as the Curse Seal flared. Neji's body jerked violently. Instantly Lee was by his side, pushing him to the bed and holding him so that he didn't injure himself further. Hinata flew through the hand signs as she pulled Chakra from the Seal and forced it back into submission, "thanks," she said when the Seal was once again not glowing.

"Its killing him, isn't it?" Lee said looking at her, "the Seal," she nodded, unable to lie to him. Lee swore, "he doesn't deserve that," he said, "no-one does but especially not him."

"I know," she said, surprised to hear her own voice choked with tears, "I've been looking and trying but it takes the Elders to do the Seal and its going to take them to undo it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset," Lee said, his apology making her feel worse, "Neji has told me of your attempts."

Hinata felt herself blush. She had put the Curse Seal on an old training dummy that was used to simulate certain attacks. Sealing was easy but unsealing was harder. She had made the Seal fade, turn pink and explode but totally removing it was very hard to do. Everything had said that the Elders were needed when the Seal was placed on. Unfortunately the Elders removing Neji's Seal was about as likely as Neji admitting he was in love with his bun-haired team mate. But she had ben trying. Neji had helped her so much with her own fighting that she wanted to help him with the one battle he could not fight alone. When she had been close to perfecting the Heavenly Spin and her father had gotten too frustrated to continue with her it was Neji who had arranged for Tenten to make use of her dull old weapons by throwing them at her until she spun perfectly. Of course when Tenten had ruined the last of Neji's cloths with her new 'Super Scroll' Hinata had quietly left a pair of robes on Neji's desk. Neither had said anything to the other but both had continued to do small kindnesses for each other.

Did you see my father?" Hinata asked looking up at Lee.

"I saw him leaving," he said, "are you alright with the Seal?" he looked at Neji and back at her, "I can go get him or wake Hanabi--"

"No I'm alright," she assured him, "are you okay?" she asked the uncharacteristically calm boy.

"I just want him to be okay," he said looking at Neji.

Hinata nodded, knowing the feeling of being helpless. She wanted Neji to be okay too, they all did.

AN

I know Rock Lee is horribly OOC here but I wanted to show that he really cares about Neji and wants the best for him.