Hiashi Hyuuga looked down at the young man in front of him with a heavy heart. From what Gai had told him there had been an ambush and Neji had apparently thrown himself in front of his team mate, using his own body to protect her from an attack. The young man's chest rose up and down erratically as his lungs struggled to breath. Despite the cool temperature of the room his skin burned and the sweat was bright the brow of his too-pale skin. The blood loss had been damaging to say the least. His dark hair was spread out like a stain, if his temperature didn't go down soon the healers said they would have to cut it off. Bandages seemed to cover most of the exposed skin whereas the bandages he usual wore were gone. The Curse Seal on his forehead glowed softly. He was close enough to death that the mark had been trying to activate, to keep the secrets of the Hyuuga locked away from the rest of the world. He was closer to being dead now than he had been all those years ago. Hiashi had managed to deactivate it but unless Neji improved soon the Seal would keep trying to activate.

Unexpectedly the light flared and Neji let out a hoarse cry, his body arching on the bed. His fingers dug into the sheets, the IV pumping fluids and blood into him came dangerously close to dislodging. Hiashi dove forward, pushing him back down as he made the hand signs. It took more Chakra this time, to keep the Seal from doing what it was supposed too. If he didn't hold him down firmly he was going to injure himself even more. He looked down to see red seeping through Neji's bandages, staining the fabric a bright red where he had pulled the stitches. A sound of protest was pulled from Neji's throat, but whether it was in protest to being kept alive or being held down by his uncle Hiashi couldn't say. Slowly Neji opened his eyes, confusion apparent in them. His lips were dry with the fever, his voice had gone when he was screaming during the healing. He was obviously disoriented. His lips formed the word no less, the desperate plea that Hiashi couldn't have ignored if his life depended on it. It only seemed natural that he would call him father in his current state. Even years after it had happened Hizashi's death still had a lasting effect on him. Hiashi looked away but Neji's voice seemed so broken that when he repeated the desperate plea there was nothing that Hiashi could do to sooth the him. Suddenly Neji seemed far less like the more capable adult he was and much more like a child. He seemed fragile and Hiashi found himself hating that. Suddenly the name on his lips was that of his team mate as he struggled again.

The sound of footsteps pounding on the floor echoed across the hallway. Healers burst through the doors, racing in. He caught a flash of blond hair that he identified as the Hokage while he saw the Uchiha's pink-haired team mate and her blond friend. Even the Hokage herself was there to try and save his life.

"Father," Hinata touched his hand gingerly which he realized was in a death grip on his shoulder, "you need to let him go."

Hiashi gave a nod and stepped back. The healers swarmed over Neji's prone form. Instantly monitors were attached to his body, a mask was placed over his face as the healers scrambled to do what Neji's broken body could not. The Curse Seal flared and he quickly did the hand signs to calm it down. It took more Chakra this time. With the aide of the healer's Neji's face relaxed fractionally as the Seal stopped glowing. Tsunade was barking orders but Hiashi couldn't understand what she was saying. When the blond haired Ino cut apart the bandages to reveal the mess of wounds Neji's chest had become Hiashi looked away. His eyes found his eldest daughter, there to help as best she could.

"Hinata," he said looking at her. His daughter met his gaze with her own lavender eyes and he felt pride swell up in him under the fear, "I'm going to show you the hand signs to fix his Seal," he said doing them slower. Hinata watched before copying, careful to hold her hands apart, "I need you to hold it while I see if there's something to be done."

"Yes father," she said bowing slightly.

He nodded and swept out of the room. In the hallway he caught sight of Neji's team. Gai gave him a nod, the worry in his eyes obvious. Next to him Lee looked like he wanted nothing more than to go to pieces over the state of his friend but he was determined to stay strong. His gaze turned to the girl and he realized who Lee was staying strong for. Tenten's hair had come out of its buns, falling to her shoulders in a mass of waves a bit lighter than Neji's hair. The front of her white shirt was stained with blood from when his legs had given out and he had sagged against her. Her scroll was on the seat nearby, in fact, all their weapons were. He realized that Neji's team hadn't gone home before coming, hadn't moved since they raced into Konoha with his body in Gai's arms like some kind of sacrifice. Tenten was clearly the worse off. She covered her mouth with her hands in a vain effort to stifle the sound of her sobs. Lee had one of his arms around her shoulders, talking quietly to the girl obviously trying to console her. Whatever he was saying wasn't working because all of a sudden she shook her head and grabbed the scroll before tearing out of the hospital as fast as she could, her feet echoing on the floor. Lee seemed to fold into himself, his arms wrapping his arms around his head as if this was somehow his fault. Hiashi knew it was no-one's fault but it still did not help matters.

Tenten on the other hand couldn't bear the thought of being so close to Neji while he was dying. It was her fault he was in this position at all--and she had no idea why he did it. she had been fighting just fine, holding her own against the enemy Ninjas who were attempting to attack them. One of them had used a suicide attack and she heard someone call out her name. Before she even had the chance to run Neji had thrown himself in front of her, the brunt of the attack hitting him. She had been completely frozen as Neji barely managed to turn around. Once his eyes had confirmed that she was, in fact, alive his lips had curved into the barest of smiles and in a heap of off-white robes slowly turning red with his own blood, Neji had fallen into her arms. Gai found her screaming his name, desperate for him to wake up as his breaths got fainter and fainter against her neck. It was a good thing that the mission had been completed because he doubted a Ninja within a hundred feet hadn't heard Tenten's cries. They had raced back to Konoha as fast as they could, desperate to save their team mate. Gai had to physically restrain Tenten or he had no doubt that she would have gone with Neji into surgery. After hours of waiting only to have Hiashi step out with an expression so grave after healers had raced inside Tenten finally snapped. She'd never wanted to be a medic but at the moment watching Hinata, Ino and Sakura race into the room she would have done anything to be with them. Lee told her that this wasn't her fault, that Neji knew what would happen and did it anyway. Before she knew what she was doing Tenten stumbled to her feet and raced out of the hospital, barely managing to grab her scroll in the process.

Turning Hiashi headed for the Hyuuga compound, intent on finding a way to fix this problem. If the injuries Neji had received didn't kill him then the Curse Seal activating certainly would. To any outward eye he was simply the Head of a Clan working to keep one of his prized members alive. Neji was a prodigy, a brilliant fighter and one who must survive. He and his brother had also both been unusually gifted. He frowned, his thoughts had not gone to Hizashi in some time now. It would be a lie to say they were close near the end of his brother's life. In fact, they had not been close for some time. When he had died Hiashi had been guilt ridden but the world did not allow him time to grieve. It couldn't. He was the Head of the Clan and the Clan had just narrowly avoided yet another disaster. After all that had happened in the end Hiashi Hyuuga couldn't protect his baby brother. He knew closing himself off was a mistake but it was one he had made none the less. And the ones to bear the brunt of it were three innocent lives that had somehow been hurt by his foolishness. Hiashi had to focus on keeping his face blank as he pushed down the anger. Wallowing in regret would do nothing to save Neji. He knew that Hianta was capable of staving off the Curse Seal, she had always been capable especially when it came to protecting the others.

"How is the boy?" he turned to face one of the Elders, his great-something uncle who he suspected was holding onto life out of sheer spite rather than an actual will to live.

"His Seal continues to activate," he said, not bothering to tell the Elder that Neji was far from a child, "Hinata is watching over him."

"I see," the Elder nodded.

"I must try to find a way--" Hiashi began but the Elder cut him off.

"We need to speak now," he said leading the Head into a meeting room. Hiashi felt his stomach churn in the realization that this was the very room that the his brother had decided to sacrifice himself in. It was filled with Elders and he imagined the Fifth Hokage would be there as well if she was not in the hospital, "we have not spoken of this matter in a very long time because we never thought that there would be a need. Though Hinata's progress has been excellent the coming years will be trying and we cannot have anyone but the best lead the Hyuuga. Not if we are to survive."

"And what would you suggest?" Hiashi asked, trying to get the image of his eldest daughter's forehead branded with the Seal out of his mind.

"We withdraw our earlier decision concerning Neji," the Elder said, "we, the Council of Elders, grant you permission to remove Neji Hyuuga's Curse Seal and allow him to claim his rightful place as your eldest son and true heir."

"Now?" Hiashi felt as though the air had been sucked from the room, "you come to this decision now after all these years?"

"Now that war with Akatsuki seems imminent the Clan needs a leader that is capable of ensuring the continued survival of the Hyuuga Clan. That leader is not Hinata," the Elder spoke firmly.

"We have thought on this matter for a long time," another Elder said, "we feel this would be be--"

"No. Hizashi is--or was--Neji's father," his voice was steady even as his heart thudded in his chest, "I will accept Neji as my successor as his uncle, no more."

"Then he will not be allowed to rule this Clan," the second Elder said, "only a child of the Main House can rule."

"Why now?" Hiashi demanded, "after all these years why bring this to the light now?"

"Because now there is a need for a strong, capable leader, one who will bring this Clan safely through the upcoming danger. Neither of your daughters is ready to do that. Your relationship with the boy has improved greatly," he added as though this would make things easier.

Hiashi stared. 'Relationship' really just meant that he was no longer afraid Neji was going to kill his daughter's or him in his sleep. It mean that he sparred with him occasionally since he had taught him almost everything. But it was not as if 'relationship' meant that they enjoyed each other's company or that Neji would seek him out with any problems. Neji went to his team mates or Gai if he had too and only if the situation was truly desperate. In fact, the only person that Hiashi had seen Neji show genuine closeness to was his bun-haired team mate. And now he was being asked to overturn a decision that had been made all those years ago for the sake of the Clan. He supposed it made sense that it would be for the sake of the Clan that the decision was overturned. He hadn't meant to sleep with his brother's wife it had been one night fueled by too much liquor. The truth was that sometimes the Byakugan was not passed on. Wives of the Main House were carefully selected and the arranged marriage that his brother had did not have a wife considered suitable. She was a social climber and seemed to be under the mistaken impression that seducing him and bearing a child would give her access to the Main House. That one night had been the final straw in his relationship with his brother. The brother that had always saved him, right until his last moments. The Elders found out, as the Elders do, and agreed that Hizashi would father the child in all ways except one. They were Twins, his brother and he, so even if the child were identical to one it would be impossible to tell which one that was. So he went along with it, for the Clan, for himself, for all the wrong reasons.

It had been penance to him, the torture he deserved for what he had done. He watched his son be raised by his brother. He branded the boy with his own hand. There was an old saying in Konoha that the only thing unstained about the Hyuuga Clan were there eyes. He had never felt that statement was more true. Something had died inside him. He couldn't bring himself to care for the two daughters that came into the world, Hinata who looked so much like his wife that it hurt to look at her or Hanabi who his wife had given herself for. He had watched his eldest daughter struggle without trying to help, watched his son grow to hate the main house and done nothing to aide either of them. It was only he after he watched Hinata and Neji try to kill each other that he changed. it was like a slap in the face to hear him talk like he did, to see him want to kill Hinata desperately enough to try and get past the Examiner. He knew the few other Hyuuga in attendance were wondering why he didn't activate Neji's Seal and end the battle. But Hiashi could not. After all he had done he could not just kill him like an animal that needed to be put down.

"You will do this," the first Elder spoke up, "like you have done everything else. Because this is what is best for the Clan. You are the leader and you cannot be selfish, especially when it concerns your personal matters. When the boy is well again bring him before us to have his Seal removed."

"I'm afraid if he does not have his Seal removed sooner it may be too late. He is close to death and his Seal his activating attempting to protect the secrets of the Byakugan."

"Very well. See if the boy can be moved."

"i will," he said, though the words stuck in his throat. He turned and walked back towards Konoha hospital, not even bothering to bow to the Council. If he did the tears he was just barely holding back might fall.

AN

Idea got into my head. Should i keep going with it? if not I'll take this down in a few days.