Hisako's breath came in short and ragged as she stood facing her opponent. Her legs trembled and her left arm was badly bruised. Her opponent, on the other hand, was completely unphased and was barely breathing hard as he stood a few feet away, an arrogant smirk on his face. She bared her teeth in rage, letting out a low growl as she threw her uninjured hand forward, pointing an angry finger in Neji's direction.

"Neji! You jerk!" she shouted, two Hyuga's who were training a few yards away from them stopped to watch the interaction between the two Genin.

Neji stood up from the stance he was in, walking over to Hisako so that they could continue this conversation in a more quiet tone of voice. However, he still had that cocky grin on his face as if this whole match he was enjoying toying with Hisako!

"This entire time we've been sparring you've been targeting my left arm! What the heck is up with that? It's so freakin banged up now!" Hisako yelled while she had her right hand in a fist.

Quicker than Hisako could react, Neji reached out and this time, instead of attacking her, his hand gently grabbed her left arm. She let out a low gasp as he took her arm, his thumb gently brushing over the sore bruises.

"It's because you weren't protecting yourself," Neji told her quietly, but his voice was stern, "remember when you hurt your arm when you were six? When those Uchiha men attacked you?"

"Yeah. Of course I remember that day. I was there," she replied sarcastically.

Neji gave her a pointed look that made her hold her tongue from saying anything more sarcastic.

"Ever since that day, your left arm and wrist have been your weakness. It has always been weaker, and more easily hurt, even when you throw kunai knives. There's an obvious difference even if you have been trained to hide it well. But, in battle, your defenses aren't as strong as they need to be. If you can't defend your left arm against me if you cannot protect and hide your greatest physical weakness here and now, then what do you expect to do during the Chuunin Exams when we face stronger, tougher opponents?"

Hisako was stunned and silent, her gaze turned downward in shame. He was right, of course. With how badly bruised her arm was just by sparring with Neji, it was obvious she wasn't doing a good enough job at protecting it. More than that, hiding it. She was sure to a trained Jonin, they could spot her tiny disadvantage a mile away. And, if they were her enemy, they would take advantage of that disadvantage in a heartbeat.

"You're right," Hisako replied quietly, but a moment later she lifted her gaze again, "but you didn't have to be a jerk about it in sparring! That really hurt!"

Neji let out an exasperated sigh. He dropped her arm and started to head off the Hyuga Clan's training field.

Hisako stared after him for a few heartbeats before he stopped and turned to look over his shoulder, "Let's go talk to Miss Mio,"

Hisako looked confused for a moment. She wasn't sure how a Hyuga Clan medic could help Hisako figure out how to hide her weakness better but she followed after Neji anyways. It's been a while since she's seen Miss Mio, and she has always been kind to Hisako in the past. It would be good to see her again.

"Miss Mio," Neji said by way of greeting as they quietly entered the Hyuga Clan medical room.

The room was neatly organized and was mostly barren except for a single hospital bed along the back wall, some medical equipment, and a small desk in the far corner. Miss Mio was on staff today again. She was one of the most skilled Hyuga Clan medics and took pride in her work. She saved both Neji and Hisako many trips to the hospital for sparring related accidents.

"Let me guess, you guys overdid it sparring again," Miss Mio asked, turning in her chair to face the two Genin.

Hisako rested both hands on her hips and turned an annoyed look in Neji's direction. Neji didn't pay Hisako's glaring any attention and continued his conversation with Miss Mio.

"I more have a medical question for you, Miss Mio," Neji started.

"Oh? What kind of question? I can see Hisako's left arm is pretty badly bruised," Miss Mio asked.

Instinctively Hisako grabbed her left arm suddenly feeling self conscious. All Hyuga's were as observant, if not more so than Miss Mio. It was no surprise she was able to see the welts as quickly as she did, but it always took Hisako off guard knowing that there was very little anyone could ever hide from a Hyuga.

"It is in regards to her arm, yes," Neji confirmed, "Do you remember when her arm was badly broken when the Uchiha men attacked her?"

Miss Mio nodded, "I remember the recovery to that was rather grueling and tedious too,"

"Hisako is still exhibiting signs of weakness in that arm. It's still easily wounded, and it's never been as strong as her right. Could it still be injured from that day? Medically, is there something we could do to help her recover that missing strength?"

Miss Mio let out a long sigh, standing up from her chair, she motioned to the hospital bed, "Come on over here, Hisako. Let me take a look at that arm,"

Hisako did as she was told and walked over, sitting on the hospital bed.

"Now, a lot of times with injuries as bad as hers was, even though the tendons, muscles, and bones can all heal, nerve damage can still remain," Miss Mio explained quietly, "and the nerves are something we still don't know a lot about. So usually, an injury like this, well, the person will just have to learn to adapt,"

Neji's face was emotionless as Miss Mio explained the situation to them. Hisako's gaze was dropped, her lips pressed into a fine line. Miss Mio's hands were gentle as they ran over her arm examining the angry welts on her skin.

"However," Miss Mio continued, "Some medical professionals believe that the Chakra points have a lot to deal with the recovery of the nervous system since they're so intertwined. The Hyuga Clan has even developed a medical technique to assist in that,"

Both Neji's and Hisako's gaze snapped up to Miss Mio's and Hisako couldn't help but feel a little surprised. She knew that the Hyuga Clan was such a large clan that they had their own medical facility in their estate, but she has never heard of a medical practice that the Hyuga Clan has invented themselves.

"I'm sure Neji's not only heard of this practice but probably understands the foundational knowledge of the practice himself," Miss Mio shot a knowing almost accusing look in Neji's direction and their lavender eyes met.

"You're referring to Chakra Point Therapy, is that correct?" Neji asked as Miss Mio went over to her desk, rummaging through her medical bag.

"That is correct," Miss Mio confirmed pulling out a jar that looked to contain a light yellow salve inside, "Chakra Point Therapy may help to unblock blockages in her chakra network that are preventing her body to reform the nerve endings needed to fully recover. A lot of times, when the chakra network isn't flowing as smoothly as it could, it will affect the nerves or other parts of the body. It will even hinder blood flow. With Chakra Point Therapy, the one performing it will target areas of the chakra network that aren't flowing properly that can affect the natural healing process of the body,"

"Then, can you perform Chakra Point Therapy on Hisako's injured arm?" Neji asked as Miss Mio walked over to Neji, handing him the salve.

Miss Mio gave Neji a small, almost motherly smile, "I could, but I fear I wouldn't be the best choice for that."

"But then-"

Miss Mio cut Neji off, "The main reason why the Hyuga Clan hasn't shared this technique with the world yet is that it's a very delicate process. If the chakra points that are blocked have too much chakra put into them at once, it could damage the chakra network worse than before. If a chakra point is too active, and it's not blocked to let just enough chakra flow through, it'll cause damage as well. It takes having knowledge of exactly what amount of chakra flow is needed for each point worked on, including subnodes for chakra points. Because of that reason, Chakra Point Therapy, even though common among Hyuga, stays in our clan.

"It takes a Hyuga who knows their patient incredibly well to be comfortable enough to perform the therapy. And I do not know Hisako's network well enough. It takes more than just being able to see the chakra points or the flow of their chakra. Each person's network is unique and different to them. Because of that, you have to help their body flow to what's right for them,"

Miss Mio stopped at her desk and turned to face Neji, "Neji, you and Hisako have been close friends since the moment she came to us after the Glacier Village was destroyed. You two have trained together, fought together, and you've already had to hit her chakra points without causing severe damage. I saw that in her medical records. You are the only one who can perform the Chakra Point Therapy on Hisako's arm without doing extra damage."

Neji was silent for a long moment. Even though his face was unreadable, the way he stood as still as a statue made it obvious that the statement made him uncomfortable. Hisako wasn't sure why something like that would make him uncomfortable. It was just hitting some chakra points, right? So she wasn't sure why he was staring at Miss Mio almost like he was in disbelief.

Miss Mio let out a small laugh as she sat down in her chair, "I know you probably came here knowing the answer was Chakra Point Therapy, which is why I know that you were hoping I would be able to perform it myself. But, you are capable of performing that therapy. Every Hyuga is. And every Hyuga is taught even the basic principles of that therapy. It helps us to understand how the Gentle Fist works so well in battle. The only difference is in battle, we don't care about permanently damaging our opponent's chakra network,"

"Miss Mio, you're the medical practitioner. I'm sure you've performed the Chakra Point Therapy many times on patients," Neji insisted.

"My husband and my children,"

Neji seemed taken aback by her words and stayed silent waiting for her to elaborate.

"Those are the only patients I've ever felt comfortable enough to perform that therapy on," she continued.

Neji let out a controlled sigh, "I understand,"

He didn't make eye contact with Hisako, his gaze dropping to the salve Miss Mio had given to him a moment ago, his gaze distant.

"That salve has herbs in it to help encourage nerve regeneration. Given how old Hisako's wounds are, she'll need the extra help. Chakra Point Therapy is usually more effective the newer the wound. Since it's been this long, it'll probably take a while for the nerves to regrow and heal," Miss Mio explained, "now if you two will excuse me, I have some paperwork I have to finish up,"

Hisako stood up from the bed with that dismissal and silently followed Neji out of the medical room and down the hall. Hisako didn't want to say anything to Neji as they walked down the hallways back toward their rooms. She wasn't even sure if this was something Neji wanted to do. He hasn't looked at her since Miss Mio said that the only one who could perform the therapy on Hisako would be Neji. Her gaze dropped to her bruised arm and she frowned in contemplation.

Neji stopped outside of his bedroom door, his hand resting on the handle. Hisako walked past him, heading to her own room when Neji spoke up.

"We'll do the Chakra Point Therapy in my room. It'll be easier for me to concentrate in there," he told her, his voice quiet.

Hisako stopped at his words, her gaze shooting up in disbelief. He wanted to do it. He wanted to help her wrist and arm recover. Her hand went to grasp her left arm as she turned back around to Neji, giving him a nervous glance.

"You don't have to if you don't want to. Most people would just have to deal with this, so I'll find a way to compensate," Hisako told him, her voice quiet and unsure as she caught him staring at her with an intensity she couldn't quite understand.

"Hisako, your arm has been a disadvantage for you for far too long. If this will help you recover from that injury so long ago, then I will gladly perform the Chakra Point Therapy. It will only help our team to grow stronger," Neji told her, sliding his door open and motioning her inside.

His room was like she had always imagined it to be. His bed sat along the wall with bland gray sheets decorating it, a single nightstand by his bedside that had a book neatly laying on the top with a single lamp that lit up the darkened room. A dresser along the far wall with very few trinkets on the top. The only item that caught Hisako's eye was a beautiful brush with a silver handle decorated with vines and flowers.

Neji followed Hisako's gaze to the brush, his eyes growing sad, and almost angry, "that brush belonged to my mother,"

He grabbed her elbow to lead her away from the dresser. From that sad memory that he had on display to remind him of the woman who had given him life.

Hisako felt numb as he had her sit down on the wooden floor. She was honored that she could be here. In his room. That he felt close enough to her to allow her in such a private, personal space. She knew he wasn't a sentimental type of person. His room showed someone who choose a very minimalist lifestyle like she always knew him to be. But, even so, he kept his mother's brush where he would always see it. And, that made her heart ache for him, for the loss he has had to endure.

Neji gently took Hisako's arm, and she noticed that he had his Byakugan activated. He took out the salve and a strong smell of herbs washed through the room as he applied the yellow tinted salve to her arm. She was as still as a statue as he pressed his thumbs on her arms. It felt like electricity was traveling up her arms and a vice was pressing down on her. She tried to suppress the grimace but didn't have much luck doing so. She closed her eyes and her whole body tensed with the effort of not pulling her arm away to get away from the pain.

"It's going to be uncomfortable, try to breathe through it. It'll get easier," Neji instructed.

Somehow, his voice was able to break through the pain she was enduring as his thumbs ran hot lava up and down her arm and hand. She did as she was told and began to take in some difficult breaths, trying to concentrate on what meditating techniques he had taught her in the past. Eventually, the pain became more manageable and she opened her eyes again when she was confident she wouldn't try to pull away from him.

She watched him for a few quiet minutes as he concentrated on her arm. The silence became too heavy for her. She wanted to break it, to start a conversation, anything to distract her from the discomfort in her arm.

"Earlier, you seemed almost… Uncomfortable at the idea of doing this," Hisako said quietly, hoping he didn't mind her talking.

He didn't seem to mind, his eyes never left her arm, "That's because this practice isn't just delicate, or difficult. What Miss Mio didn't say was that this practice, among the Hyuga Clan, is usually considered to be something… Intimate,"

Hisako blinked a few times, and she felt her cheeks flush at the word, "I-Intimate?" she repeated.

"Yes. To perform this, it takes total trust from both people. So usually only family members, or more specifically, people who are romantically involved have enough trust in each other to perform the Chakra Point Therapy,"

Even though Neji's voice was completely emotionless as he gave his explanation, it suddenly dawned on Hisako why he was so uncomfortable with the idea of performing the Chakra Point Therapy on her. If the other Hyuga's found out, other than Miss Mio, she was sure rumors would spread about them. And what would the Head Family think if they found out that their prodigy child, Neji Hyuga, was in love with an outsider? Even though this clan had adopted Hisako, she still wasn't of blood.

She could imagine the type of turmoil it could cause, the type of label. Especially given their age. They were barely teenagers. But, Neji, without hesitation when he found no other way, decided to be the one to perform the Chakra Point Therapy to help Hisako. Sure, he says it's for the total performance of the team. And that with her arm healed and stronger, she could perform better in battle herself, but, was there more to it?

Her cheeks were bright red with the realization of everything this implied. If Neji and she were sharing these moments together, moments that his clan considers to be intimate, what does that mean for them?

Electricity fired up her arm again, this time more intense than before and Hisako let out a gasp in pain. On instinct, she pulled her arm away from the pain but before she could move too far, Neji had already grabbed her elbow, forcing her arm to stay still. She grimaced again, and this time Neji raised his eyes to look at her.

Her breath was taken away by the emotions in his gaze, for a moment, she saw longing, and desire in his beautiful lavender eyes, but a moment later it was gone. His Byakugan was still activated and his gaze dropped back down to her arm again. But, that one look was enough to make her forget about the pain.

"Remember, try to hold still. This is delicate work," Neji gently scolded, "one other thing, do all women tend to overthink everything?"

Hisako was taken aback by that question and puffed out her cheeks, "Excuse me? I do not overthink."

"You're lying. Ever since I said the word 'intimate' you've been overthinking,"

Hisako felt flustered and like she had been put in the spotlight. She squirmed in her seat, keeping her arm still as she tried to look for a response, "how do you know that?"

She was angry that of all the things she could have said, she had settled for that. How lame. She just admitted he was right.

"With my Byakugan, I can watch eye movements. With that, I can typically tell what someone is thinking," Neji explained, "When people lie, their eyes move in an aimless distracted avoidance. When they're thinking about the past or possible futures one moves their eyes in anticipation of their thoughts. I can even tell when someone is overthinking things,"

"Well, isn't that a neat trick," Hisako grumbled under her breath, feeling almost like an open book in front of Neji.

This entire time at the Hyuga Estate, Neji has yet to tell Hisako of that little trick that Hyuga's can do. This meant that for so many years, she has been going around thinking she could keep all her dark little secrets close to her heart without anyone ever finding out. Come to find out, every single Hyuga in this entire estate probably knew she had been keeping secrets this whole time. Every Hyuga was probably able to read her like an open book. Just like Neji was doing now.

But, a small part of her felt disappointment. If she was overthinking things, then did that mean she was overthinking the feelings he had for her? Is he just doing this for the productivity of the team? Did this mean that her heart was wrong in having feelings for Neji? Did he not have feelings for her in return? No. That couldn't be right.

She has had feelings for Neji for many years now. They have spent so much time together, have proven to be the strongest two ninja team back in the academy, fought together, trained together, and almost died together. Once, Neji saved Hisako's life. And then, when she needed it the most, he was always there. Right beside her. And yet, was she overthinking all of that? Was she looking too deep into it? Her heart ached at the prospect.

"You're overthinking things again," Neji observed quietly.

A deep blush formed on Hisako's cheeks and her gaze dropped almost in defeat as she fought back the angry tears. Was she the only one who had feelings? But, the logical part of her said it didn't matter.

Neji had his responsibilities and his duties to the Hyuga Clan, and Hisako had her responsibilities to the now deceased Glacier Village. They both had their destinies that they had to follow. And maybe, no matter how much Hisako wished it to be true, their destinies were never meant to cross. Maybe their destinies were meant to forever be at arm's length. Close enough to see, even touch, but never close enough to be together.

She couldn't help but feel an intense sadness and grief over that idea. She has told herself time and time again that even if all she could be to Neji was a teammate, then she would be happy. Even if all she could do was stand beside him silently, and unseen, then that would be enough. But, she also knew there was no one else for her other than this mysterious handsome young Hyuga in front of her now. Her heart could never belong to anyone else.

They sat in silence again for a while and eventually, Neji's firm grip on her arm loosened. She looked up and saw his Byakugan deactivate as he removed his hands from her arm completely.

"That's all I can do for right now. Let's see what that does, but you'll probably need more sessions. As Miss Mio said, the older the injury, the harder it is to repair the nerves and chakra network," Neji said quietly.

Hisako brought her arm up, flexing her fingers and bending her wrist. She let out a small grimace again. Her arm was sore and tender and it was an effort to just move it right now. Neji had already predicted that and had grabbed out another salve, spreading that on her arm too.

"It'll help with the pain and swelling," he told her gently.

Hisako nodded her head. She wasn't sure if she had the strength to speak right now, not with where her thoughts had been traveling to just a few moments ago.

"Hisako," Hisako looked up at Neji watching him place the two salves in his nightstand drawer, "why were you trying not to cry earlier? Is it something I said?"

Hisako's entire face turned bright red and she stood up so fast that her head spun. She raised her hands, shaking them frantically in front of her as she shook her head.

"N-N-Nothing!" she stammered, slowly inching her way towards the door, "Of course, it wasn't anything you said. I just- Ugh!" she threw both of her hands into her hair, thinking of what to say that wouldn't give everything away as she closed her eyes in deep thought, "you're right. I'm just a girl. I overthink things! And it's stupid, I'm stupid, everything's stupid! You know what, this would be a conversation better for Sakura,"

Hisako dramatically clapped her hands together, turning to Neji's bedroom door.

She slid it open and looked over her shoulder at Neji, giving him a smile, "I'm going to go talk to her now, okay? Everything's fine. I just need to get my head in the game and stop letting it get in the clouds that's all,"

Neji was standing in his bedroom, his book in hand as he watched the scene with Hisako play out before him. His bedroom door slammed shut and he didn't even have time to respond to Hisako before she ran away. But, he didn't need his Byakugan activated to know she was lying about going to talk to Sakura. He heard her footsteps pound down the hallway to her bedroom and a second later, her bedroom door closed shut. He let out a short sigh, this was one of the reasons why he didn't want to do this.

Even if he knew they both had feelings for each other, their destiny would never allow them to be together in the capacity that they both wanted. The most he could do for her was stand beside her so that she wasn't alone. Protect her, fight alongside her. And he was afraid destiny wouldn't allow them to do anything more than that. He knew Hisako knew that.

That was one of the reasons why he appreciated her. She wasn't like the other girls. She didn't over dramatize, didn't jump to conclusions easily. She typically had a calm, cool head like he did. He assumed it was due to her trauma of watching her entire village be destroyed but she very rarely lost control of her emotions like she just did. She usually kept them on a very tight leash. Even so, it seemed that Hisako was having difficulty accepting that destiny would never allow them to be together.

Hisako collapsed onto her bed in her room, hiding her face in her pillow as she bit back the tears that threatened to fall. It was stupid to want to cry over something like this. She knew where they both stood. She knew what they both had to do, their duties and roles in this world. He had a duty to protect the Head Family of the Hyuga Clan. And she had a duty as both the leader of the Fuyu Clan, and the secret Suspended Hyogakage. Even if her duties never came to light, even if she never had to go rule a revived Glacier Village, there was still the issue that she doubted the Hyuga Clan would accept an outsider like her to marry a Hyuga.

But still, a few tears fell down her cheeks as she lifted her gaze, looking at her left arm. It was still badly bruised, but as the soreness faded and she was able to move her arm easier, she realized that it had felt better than it has in a long time. It wasn't as stiff, and she was able to feel more with her fingers. She has gone so long with this injury that she had forgotten what it felt like to be able to move her wrist so freely or feel the delicate fabric of the pillowcase so clearly.

She let out a sigh. She needed to get these damned thoughts out of her head so that she could concentrate on the Chuunin Exams that were coming up. Not only that, but she had to be grateful that Neji would even offer to do the Chakra Point Therapy on Hisako. It was a blessing. That was something that she needed to see as one of the best things in the world. Even if the world wouldn't let them be together like how she wanted, she wanted to take whatever chance she could to be close to him. And this was the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Her gaze grew soft and sad as she rested her head on her pillow. She would have to apologize for how she acted today. It wasn't fair to either of them. She acted like an immature child with some wild crush. Which, okay, maybe she was still a child. And maybe that was exactly what she had, a wild crush. But, it wasn't right for her to have freaked out like that. She doubted Neji would ever want to do another session with her, and that thought absolutely terrified her.

Even despite the pain during the session, she didn't want their sessions to end. Not on a note like it did today. Especially with the improvements she had in her arm already. The extra alone time with Neji was just an added on bonus. She flipped over on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with one arm draped over her forehead.

"Tomorrow then, I'll apologize," she whispered to herself.

A part of her wanted to go find Sakura, to tell her of what happened, get her opinion, but, she couldn't do that to her friend. Not right now when they were so close to a giant exam. They all had to have their heads in the game, and no one had time to worry about trivial things like crushes, or romantic feelings. She had to throw all of those notions out of her head and concentrate on what was more important. Becoming Chuunin. Because if Neji was going to be promoted, then so was she.

Besides, she had more than enough skill talent, and leadership experience to become a Chuunin.

With the thoughts of the impending Chuunin Exams lurking in her mind, her eyes slowly drifted closed and she fell into a restless sleep.