Please see first chapter for disclaimer, rating, warning, pairings, etc.

Special Thanks: goes out to DarkAnonymous324, Celtic-Memories, rao hyuga 18, and Glitterthorn for your amazing, heartfelt reviews - seriously, you have to be some of the most amazing people on earth, and appreciate you so much! Also thanks to everyone who's put this story on their favorite and alert lists, you all are amazing as well!

Author's Note: I am so sorry for this late update! But there was illness in my family (nothing major, but enough to keep me from posting until today), something which I hope will not prevent me from updating on time next week. I really hope this chapter was worth waiting for (more NejiTen interaction and the plot thickens!), and thank you so much for reading!

*~Chapter X~*

~Meetings~

It was about a half hour's walk from the Uchiha estate to police headquarters near the entrance to Konoha. Itachi and Sasuke set out together about midmorning on Monday, each wrapped in his own thoughts. As they traveled the familiar road, Itachi's mind drifted back to other journeys into the village, earlier journeys: stumping along holding his mother's hand, intent on taking no more than two steps per paving stone; walking beside Mikoto who carried the baby Sasuke (at the time he hadn't understood what all the fuss was about, a puppy would have been a much more exciting addition to the family in his opinion); the trips to and from Konoha Academy, by himself the first few years, then with his little brother tagging along and nagging constantly to be taught all the martial arts moves Itachi knew. . .

. . .The day Sasuke had ambushed him, dropping onto him from a tree, that absurd bamboo sword upraised. . .

Sasuke's voice jerked him back to the present. "Hey, Itachi, remember that time I was pretending to be ronin and jumped you? I scared you so badly you actually knocked me out cold."

Goosebumps ran prickly fingers over Itachi's skin as he glanced over at Sasuke. The quiet, shady neighborhood they were passing through faded. He remembered running, running, head and heart bursting with panic, Sasuke's limp body clutched to his chest, his little brother's head and limbs flopping loosely. "I thought I'd killed you," he said very softly, his steps slowing. "You scared me so badly I could never bring myself to spar with you after that, for fear of hurting you again - especially after Father reamed me out for nearly committing fratricide. I'm sorry, I should have told you that years ago," he added, looking back at Sasuke, who had stopped walking altogether and was staring at him with a stunned expression. "I still have the occasional nightmare about it."

"I - I didn't-" Sasuke suddenly looked down at his feet as he resumed a steady, if slower, pace. "After the doctor left that day, Father sent Mother out of my room and - and pretty much ripped me a new one. He said I was seven different kinds of an idiot for doing such a thing, and-" Itachi saw him swallow painfully before meeting his eyes again, finishing in a near whisper, "I thought you wouldn't practice with me anymore because you agreed with him."

Itachi shook his head, his throat tight with sorrow and regret for the lost years of camaraderie they could have shared. "And I thought you stopped asking me to because you didn't trust me anymore. That you were afraid of me."

Sasuke's black eyes were like windows opening straight into his soul. "You're my big brother, Itachi," he said simply. "I could never be afraid of you." He turned his head in the direction of the headquarters building, its roof visible now over the intervening structures, a hard, fierce expression flitting across his face so quickly, Itachi wasn't sure if he'd really seen it or only imagined it. Certainly when the younger man looked back at him, his grin was pure mischief. "So when do you want to start working out together? Tomorrow too soon for you?"

Itachi breathed a laugh, a wave of healing sweeping through his heart, making it feel lighter, younger, than it had in a long, long time. "If you think you can take me, why certainly. What was that catchphrase your class was famous for? 'Bring it on.'"

The brothers continued on, the silence between them warm and companionable, their strides nearly matching as they entered the busy heart of Konoha. They didn't speak or stop again until the street opened out into the large open space between the sprawling, multi-level police headquarters complex and Konoha's main gates. Itachi drew a deep, steadying breath; heard Sasuke do the same next to him.

"Here we go," Itachi said. "First litmus test of Shikamaru's conjectures. Are you ready, Sasuke?"

"I'm ready," came the reply. Sasuke squared his shoulders. "So, let's do this."

In some tiny corner of his mind and heart, Itachi had managed to nurture a secret hope that somehow, somehow all this would prove to be a mistake, a misperception. One look at the expression on their father's face as he and Sasuke entered his office - a furtive uneasiness almost instantly concealed behind an emotionless mask - killed it. No doubts remained. All loyalty to Uchiha Fugaku as father, as clan leader, died as well. From that instant, Itachi resolved to oppose him with all his strength.

Sasuke went immediately on the attack. Bowing very low, he said, "Please forgive this unexpected visit, Father. I have learned much from observing my older brother's behavior over this past week, and have benefitted from his wise counsel. I confess my earlier actions were prompted by jealousy and boredom. I regret profoundly acting in a manner so unworthy of my clan, and beg to be allowed to redeem myself by service to it."

"Hn." Fugaku shot a sharp glance at Itachi. "Did you put your little brother up to this, Itachi? Or did your mother ask you come here with him and try to smooth things over?"

"I am here," Itachi responded levelly, "because I am truly convinced of my younger brother's sincerity. Also to assure you of what I have already told him: I have no desire to take over as chief of Konoha's police force."

Fugaku snorted. "Well, it takes more than pretty speeches to earn the right to sit in this chair. You've always been the sober-minded, responsible one, Itachi, and fully deserve the duties and responsibilities you've been allotted. Whereas you, Sasuke, have yet to demonstrate any appreciable maturity at all. And until you do, I'd just be wasting my time trying to train you."

Sasuke straightened. "Then perhaps this will convince you of my willingness to put my clan ahead of myself," he said with what Itachi approved as a very creditable imitation of his own cool manner. "Lord Hiashi has no sons to succeed him, having sired only the two daughters. Now, Itachi's marriage with Lady Temari of Suna will bring power to the Uchiha by making allies of the Sabaku." Itachi all but held his breath while thinking, Careful, careful, now, my brother, don't rush it. "However, if I were to marry Lady Hinata-" He delicately left the suggestion hanging in the air, leaving all its implications unspoken.

"So." Fugaku's tone dripped derision. But Itachi, watching his father while appearing to be indifferent, caught the swiftly damped gleam of speculation in those flat brown eyes. "What you're saying is since your brother is marrying the princess of the sand village, you think you should get the princess of the leaf."

Sasuke made a small, deprecatory gesture. "I merely suggest that the benefits of such an arrangement merit consideration."

Fugaku abruptly shifted his intimidating stare to Itachi. "And what's your assessment of your brother's idea, Itachi?"

Tipping his head slightly to one side as though weighing his words, Itachi took his time in replying. "If such a marriage were to be arranged, and an heir came of it, our clan would finally be equal in Konoha to the Hyuuga."

There! That gleam again! Itachi fought down a shiver, forcing himself to stand impassively next to Sasuke enduring Fugaku's regard. When his father finally looked down at the screen of his computer, it was all he could do not to sag in relief.

"I'll take it under consideration," Fugaku said. "Now, you've wasted enough of my time. Out."

Itachi and Sasuke bowed before withdrawing from the office, even though Fugaku wasn't looking at them. As they made their way to the ground floor and the exit, fully aware that even the walls were probably listening in this bastion of their father's ambition, Itachi said, "Since we're in the village, I'll treat you to lunch at Akimichi's, younger brother."

For a brief instant, Sasuke's air of confidence wavered; but he managed to say calmly enough, "That would be very welcome, older brother. Thank you."

Ten minutes later, they entered the restaurant and were instantly hailed by Chouji, the son of the proprietor and another classmate of Sasuke's. As had been prearranged, the path to their table took them past where Shikamaru and Ino were sitting, dawdling over the remains of their meal. When they paused to exchange greetings with the couple, Itachi heard Sasuke murmur under his breath, "More later, but - it's on. Get in to see her as quickly as you can, Ino."

The blonde inclined her head in a quick, tense nod. "All right, I will!" she said brightly, as though confirming an order in her family's shop; but her blue eyes were fierce behind the tears brimming in them as she added in a hissed undertone, "And if she's hurt by any of this I will personally take my florist's shears to your-"

"Sorry we can't stay to chat longer," Shikamaru raised his voice as he clamped a hand around her wrist, "but Ino needs to get back to the shop before her dad comes looking for her. It's a drag, but there you have it." His intense, dark brown eyes, so opposite from his lazy manner, darted from Sasuke to Chouji before meeting Itachi's, who had stepped back to allow them to rise. He added in an undertone, "Akimichi's is our contact point, and Chouji is our conduit for messages." The heavyset young man dipped his head in silent agreement. "We'll get word to you once Ino gets back. Later, guys."

Once at their table, Sasuke drew a deep, shaky breath, suddenly looking young and vulnerable. "And so - it begins."

"It begins," Itachi agreed. And may our ancestors watch over us all.

"I c-can't t-take this any m-more."

Tenten looked up in surprise from where she sat against the wall across the room from the shouji opening onto the gardens. Ever since being told of her disastrous last encounter with Neji, Hinata had spent most of her time kneeling and gazing sightlessly out into the grounds of the estate, gently rejecting Tenten's efforts to coax her to sleep and making only brief visits to the necessary. Suffering her own agonies of guilt over causing such pain, Tenten wouldn't sleep either, instead keeping a quiet watch over her grieving mistress. Saturday night; all day Sunday; through Sunday night and into Monday: The time dragged miserably by, while Tenten thought any number of beatings would be better than this.

"My - my lady?" Tenten said hesitantly, unsure whether she should even have said that much.

She scrambled to her feet as Hinata rose and turned to look at her bodyguard, an expression of mingled dread and resolve on her delicately featured face. "I can't t-take this any more," she repeated. "I have b-been a c-coward, even if t-to protect m-my c-cousin. B-but no m-more. I have you n-now as g-go-between, and I w-will not rest until Neji b-believes I d-do not hate or f-fear him."

Fear, joy and pride in Hinata crashed together inside Tenten's chest, making her feel short of breath. "Of course I'll do whatever you tell me, Hinata, help you however I can! But what are you planning on doing?"

The heiress walked straight to her small study/library. "I am going t-to write Neji a letter. And then I am going t-to show you where t-to d-deliver it." She gave Tenten a sweet, sad smile as she seated herself at her desk. "It has b-been so many years, I had f-forgotten about our hiding place, our special refuge. He m-might not g-go there any more, either, b-but I have t-to at least try."

Half an hour later Tenten, still feeling dazed as well as torn over the wisdom of what they were doing, followed Hinata as she seemingly drifted aimlessly along the immaculately tended garden paths, each planting that caught her fancy leading farther and farther from the main house. Eventually they reached a secluded corner walled by very old, very big trees and fenced by a tangle of wild-looking shrubbery. Only a second, very careful look revealed to Tenten that the out-of-control appearance of the plantings was actually designed to give the impression of untamed growth.

Hinata paused for a moment, studying her surroundings before moving a few feet to the right and repeating the process. She did this twice more, and then indicated a narrow entryway leading toward the presumed interior.

"There's a v-very small gazebo in the center," she whispered to Tenten. "F-follow me." Moving much more quietly through the crowding bushes than Tenten would have expected, the heiress led her through the opening. The all but invisible path curved left, then back to the right, debouching suddenly on a small, thickly overhung clearing. In the center, all but obscured by a riot of climbing roses, stood the gazebo.

Hinata drew her letter from her obi and gave it to Tenten, her hand shaking so much she nearly dropped it. "If h-he is there, I w-will not stay, b-but will meet you in m-my rooms. Now, you know what t-to d-do."

Tenten nodded mutely. She walked resolutely toward the tiny building, Hinata hanging back now, following the faint track that led around one side of it. A break in the exuberantly twining roses gave entry to the dim inside. With a deep breath, she stepped into the gap.

He was there, springing to his feet and scrambling backward with a startled cry as her slender form blocked the strip of sunlight falling across him. Tenten immediately dropped to her knees, bowing until her chest nearly touched the tops of her thighs as she extended Hinata's letter to him with both hands.

"Please, Lord Neji," she said in as soft and nonthreatening a voice as she could summon. "Please read this letter your cousin has written to you."

"Is this some kind of a trick?" From the sound of his voice, Neji was only a heartbeat away from full-out panic. "Why won't you leave me alone? Are you trying to get me killed?"

Hinata's soft voice drifted into the gazebo from behind Tenten and to one side of the doorway where she knelt. "N-no, b-big b-brother. N-no trick. J-just p-please, read m-my letter, then send T-Tenten b-back t-to me." She gave an audible sob. "I am s-so s-sorry." And then Tenten heard her running away, light footsteps fading into silence.

Tenten peeped surreptitiously up through her bangs to see Neji standing rigid as a statue as he stared past her, his eyes glazed with shock. He looked alarmingly pale to her, his face beaded with perspiration. She bit her lip, knowing she had to find some way of snapping him out of his current state. And not just for his sake. Her neck and shoulders were beginning to cramp from the strain of holding her position, her arms starting to tremble ever so slightly as well.

The air inside the gazebo felt uncomfortably warm; heavy, too, with the monotonous droning of bees and the overwhelmingly sweet scent of the roses. "Please, my lord," she said as though coaxing a child, "take the letter, open it, read it."

She saw Neji shudder very hard as awareness flooded back into his eyes. He looked down at her. "Stop calling me that!" he said harshly. "I'm no 'lord' of yours, or of anyone else." Only eight feet or so separated them. Tenten held her breath and closed her eyes before drops of sweat could trickle into them, willing him to come closer.

The folded sheet of paper resting on her palms didn't weigh even as much as one of the brilliant blooms wreathing the doorway; yet when it vanished it seemed she'd been relieved of twenty pounds, at least. She stifled a sigh of relief as she lowered her arms and eased into a sitting position. He'd already retreated to the limit of the space available, the Hyuuga eyes she still found disconcerting flicking from her to the letter and back again.

"So. Have you been ordered to stay and watch me read it?" he demanded, the merest hint of a challenge in his voice.

"Hinata just asks that you give your word that you will read it. Once you have, you'd probably best destroy it," Tenten replied, trying to sound matter-of-fact. But the look mingled terror and hope beginning to grow on his face went straight to her heart. Without deciding to do so, she rose to her feet and held her hand out to him. "You're not alone any more, Neji. I want to help you, and help Hinata too. More than anything else in my life-" Her voice broke.

Neji gave her a curious look before glancing down at Hinata's letter. "I still - don't know - if I believe this is anything other than a cruel joke - or a trap-" He swallowed hard and when he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper. "But you may tell your lady she has my word. I will read it. Now, you had better go back to her."

As Tenten made her swift, cautious way back to the house and Hinata's suite, she couldn't help but reflect in somewhat rueful amusement that for someone who denied any claim to lordship, Neji had sounded quite regal in his dismissal of her. She even cherished it as a hopeful sign his spirit hadn't been utterly broken by the years of neglect since the tragedy. In fact, she could scarcely wait to share it with her mistress, who would surely be cheered by it.

She approached the verandah outside their rooms obliquely, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the shouji stood wide open in their prearranged signal for All clear. With a light step and lighter heart she ascended the three steps, all but bouncing into the sitting room. "Hina," she began to say, "it's all-"

In the very next instant Tenten all but leaped across the room to where Hinata lay in an awkward sprawl on the tatami, her head cradled in the lap of a terrified-looking Ino. She dropped to her knees and reached for her mistress, feverishly checking her pulse and looking for any sign of injury or illness even as she demanded fiercely, "Talk to me, Ino! What has happened to my lady?"

The blonde swiped shaking hands over her wet cheeks. "Oh, I am so going to kill those Uchiha boys! Shikamaru, too!" Then, taking in the look on Tenten's face, "No, no, no, nothing like that! It's just-" She gulped back a sob, obviously trying to steady herself. "I'm the only one who could come to Hina and tell her what to expect, so she'll be prepared when it happens. She's so shy, and gentle, and timid, I couldn't let it just be -sprung on her out of the blue! She needs to be ready-"

"Ino!" Tenten interrupted, feeling half ready to strangle the girl. "What is going on? Tell me!"

"Well, I'm trying!" Ino took a deep breath, then another, her hands twisting together. In a rushed whisper, she blurted out, "If Uchiha Fugaku has his way there's going to be civil war in Konoha as he tries to take control from the Hyuuga, and the only way we can see of stopping it is for Hinata to agree to an arranged marriage with Sasuke!"

*~To Be Continued~*

Author's Ending Notes: Once more, a thousand pardons for this late update - there was illness in the family, nothing major, but enough to prevent me from updating yesterday. Hopefully there shall not be such delays for the next update! Until then, thank you all so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and have a happy Thanksgiving!