She stared uncomprehendingly at herself in the mirror. It should have come as no surprise to her that what she saw was a stranger. It was unsettling- nonetheless. She swallowed thickly, fingers reaching up to brush her bony cheeks, the digits settling over a faint scar she couldn't recall receiving. Within a second she'd dropped her hand back down to her side, faint noise from the first floor of the house drawing her attention. It was strange, the noise was both overwhelming and comforting in one. Her brother had decided to stay at the house for a few days since Hikari was out of town on a mission with an unknown timeframe. Which meant that beneath her feet, only a few feet away from her, was her entire family.

It was unreal.

Kazue had been kept for observation in the hospital for a few days, but upon discovery that the only thing really wrong with her far-too-skinny frame, Tsunade had reluctantly given permission for her to be released. The village had bigger matters to be dealing with- such as the fact that while she had no names, she was faintly aware that someone in the village reportedly died on a mission. She'd searched for some sort of reaction to that- sadness at the very least- but found nothing. It was strange, the idea that someone who she'd probably once known dying would have no effect on her.

Shaking her head to cast the dark thought from her mind, Kazue's fingers fell on the pair of scissors she'd dug out of her desk before taking up this stance before the mirror. Her eyes flickered to her face once more, her free hand taking up one of the shoulder length locks of hair.

Kazue wasn't the girl who'd disappeared years ago. Nor was the the girl trapped in Orochimaru's hideout. When she'd woken up a short time ago, startled from her sleep by a nightmare, that realization had coursed through her mind. It'd been accompanied by the only solution to the problem at hand. If she wasn't the old her, or the more recent her, but something else- then she needed to look the part.

She slid the scissors along the lock of hair, eyes narrowed as she pictured what each length would do to her features. Eventually, she paused them just about her ears and snapped them shut, watching with an emotionless expression as the lock of hair fell to the floor. The moment it'd hit the ground, she gripped another strand and continued clipping. Within a matter of minutes she'd systematically chopped off the majority of her shoulder length hair. She found herself staring at the mirror, attempting to align the figure facing her as yet another aspect of herself.

Kazue was still staring at the uneven strand surrounding her face when her bedroom door swung open. As the sound of someone joining her became obvious, she didn't bother to look at them. The only sign that she'd even noticed the figure was the way her entire frame went tense as an automatic reaction. She couldn't help it- two years worth of wariness wouldn't disappear in a matter of days.

"You cut your hair."

The simple, even toned words said more than one hundred from another person would have. The tension fled her form, her eyes flickering to the side just enough to take in what the voice had told her about who'd joined her.

"Yeah."

Noriaki studied Kazue for a moment longer before- his face expressionless- taking the scissors from her hands without a word of explanation for his presence in her room. Instead, he stepped behind her, easily beginning to even out her much less than perfect haircut. In the silence that followed, Kazue simply studied him in the mirror. Her mind had flickered to an earlier matter, something that had been settled in the back of her mind since she'd first spoke to the person.

"I met Kourin."

He paused, eyes flickering to her's.

"She... seems nice," Kazue continued after a moment of silence. "Pretty, too, in a... cute little animal... sort of way. She talked like you two were close friends. Closer than perhaps... you and Lee, even."

"... we're... friends," he agreed slowly as he returned to cutting her hair. "She bakes."

Kazue's lips twisted up in dry amusement despite herself.

"And you've finally given into your sweet tooth?"

"... she likes it when someone eats her food."

She studied him quietly in response, her mind debating her next words. Within seconds of his declaration, she'd realized something important. She'd never heard Noriaki use such long sentences without actually being forced.

"Are you dating?"

He stiffened, cheeks slowly flushing faint pink. Kazue's brow furrowed in response, a swirl of emotions flooding through her.

"She's a friend," he replied firmly.

"... I see."

This time the resulting silence that filled the air was left in place. Neither seemed to know how to continue the conversation, yet unlike the old times, the silence felt deafening. To even further estrange the situation, the moment that Noriaki replaced the scissors on the closest surface to where they stood, he was the one to break it. Noriaki- who'd almost never voluntarily started a conversation himself.

"I was coming to visit, to check on you, but as I was leaving the main house the clan head stopped me."

Kazue stiffened, spinning to face him as she raised one hand to run through her short locks.

"... he did?"

Noriaki simply nodded.

"He wishes to speak to you- to both of us," he explained. "Most likely about the situation of the heir to the clan now that you've returned."

Kazue bit her lip to hold back her initial retort- how her grandfather had wasted no time getting to business. She was well aware that her initial, jaded responses to others actions weren't appropriate at home. At the same time, she found it difficult to keep the thought to herself. She'd gotten out of the practice of censoring her words. She'd initially attempted to do so in Orochimaru's hideout, scheming to convince them that she was a complaint captive, but had gotten out of the habit upon realizing that Kabuto only found the attempt amusing rather than believable. After that, she'd seen on reason to play the nice girl.

The stray thought crossed her mind that perhaps there was still no reason. She'd spent so much time growing up playing the perfect child for her family and where had it gotten her?

Nowhere.

Discarding that thought for now, Kazue simply nodded slowly in response, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear before dropping the hand to her side.

"... then I guess we should go."

Noriaki studied her critically for a moment before turning for the door without a word. It felt almost like second nature to her to fall in step behind him, some part of her reveling in it. In a world that had become foreign, there was that one familiar piece. Even if Noriaki had changed, he was still her Noriaki. He still paused to open the door for her and constantly glanced back to make sure she was okay as they exited the house and started for the compound. He still tensed when she did, although perhaps not as stiffly given that she seemed to react warily at everything that moved.

He was still her's, even if he seemed to finding someone else he wished to protect as well. A part of her knew that it was alright to share him- she had no real claim to her cousin- but the rest of her simply felt jealous. A feeling that was both foreign and annoying. When had she ever felt a need to feel possessive of her cousin? He'd never looked elsewhere. Even with everything that had gone on- every thought that had crossed her mind that perhaps people wouldn't want her as she'd become- that was the one person she'd never considered would reject her. They were two parts of a whole.

Yet...

She was jolted from her thoughts by Noriaki knocking on the door to her grandfather's meeting room. She instantly straightened, shoving her hair away from her face once more and straightening her clothing the best she could. Within a second the door had been pulled open by one of the house staff and she forced herself to take the few steps needed to enter the room. Was it her imagination, or was this room even more intimidating than it had been when she was younger?

"Kazue," her grandfather greeted. "And Noriaki, you made it with wonderful timing. I requested a pot of tea to be brought in soon- so we should be able to enjoy it as we talk."

Kazue stared at him uncomprehendingly. Sharing tea? Even if she'd been gone for a long time, she couldn't imagine such a change in her grandfather. He shared tea with the head of the Hyuuga house. With her, he gave short instructions or requests and once satisfied sent her on her way. If he spent more time with her it usually either meant a dinner of some importance for the clan, or that he wanted to check her progress in her training. When she'd hesitantly pointed out as much once upon a time, he'd retorted that if she had enough time to complain, she had too much free time and wasn't putting enough effort into her studies.

As Noriaki nudged her quietly with his elbow, she forced herself into action. Within moments she'd simply offered the best- rather horrid- smile she could manage and taken a seat at the short table that decorated the meeting room. Her grandfather simply glanced towards the door, a satisfied smile crossing his face as the door slid open within seconds of the tense silence that had followed his announcement.

"Ah, there it is," he mused. "Such wonderful timing indeed."

She simply stared at him, watching his face as the cups were sat before the three Asaries. Her grandfather simply let the room fall quiet once more as he plucked his cup from the table, his boney fingers wrapped firmly around the fine china. Kazue blinked, her eyes only picking up on the slight details at that moment. She hadn't noticed it in the hospital, nor when she first entered the room, but her grandfather had gotten old. Her mind flickered through the years- adding up his age in her mind. Her father was in his late forties- which meant her grandfather had to be at least in his seventies, if not older. She could remember his silver locks perfectly- as she couldn't recall a time when he had a head of signature, Asari blonde hair- but had his face always held so many wrinkles? Had there always been such a shake to his hand as he drank his tea?

Eventually, he sat down the cup and clasped his hands beneath his chin. As his sharp elbows settled against the surface of the table, his warm gaze studied her critically, that familiar, calculating edge just beyond the smile.

"You've just returned and your father has warned me against diving into business so quickly," he announced suddenly. "But, I confess that I feel that such matters of are of grave importance to sort out soon. You never know what the future holds- something that I believe you are now all too aware of."

She stiffened and while his lips pursed with something akin to satisfaction at being correct, her grandfather continued without pause.

"While you were... away, Noriaki took your place as the potential heir. I couldn't leave the position void- as what if something happened to me while you were... away? He was the obvious choice as he'd gone through the training beside you and is the closest relative. Now that you've returned... it is open for you to retrieve as your own. I'm sure your cousin has no argument with the matter."

Kazue's jaw locked, her hands clenching around the china cup she'd only just begun to pick up.

"She hasn't said she wants to return to being a shinobi."

The clan head blinked, surprised gaze turning from Kazue to Noriaki to find an even more surprising sight. The boy was studying him with a narrowed eyed expression, lips pursed to form a thin, hard line. Kazue was startled to realize- as strange as the thought was- that when one compared Noriaki to the old man before them, the boy towered above him. Not only in the signature Asari height, but in his broad frame and well-toned muscles. Her puppy-like guardian had changed in more ways than one. The air about him was dangerously tense.

"I thought that much was obvious," her grandfather retorted. "An Asari is an Asari."

"Which can mean anything," Noriaki replied instantly. "It can mean doctor or herbalist. It doesn't have to mean shinobi."

Her grandfather narrowed his eyes in response to the words. The two males met eyes, neither willing to back down as a stubborn edge filled each of their expressions.

"Was I wrong to believe you disliked your current position, Noriaki?"

"No."

At least his blunt honesty hadn't changed.

"Then where is the problem in her taking up her rightful position?"

"She has--"

"I'm sitting right here, dammit."

The argument fell silent the second she slammed her cup down on the table, effectively shattering it into a dozen shards of glass.. The action had resulted in two things, each rather predictable. Noriaki was studying her with a frown, as if attempting to sort out what had irritated her so much about the situation. Her grandfather- in direct contrast- was studying the broken cup with unrestrained interest. Most likely comparing the reaction with the mild-mannered girl she'd always tried to be in front of him up till this point.

"I can speak for myself," she added. "I'm not broken, I'm not deaf, nor am I mute. So shut the hell up while I think."

'So much for playing the good girl,' Kazue added mentally, a rueful edge to the thought.

Her grandfather simply pulled his clasped hands apart and waved it in a 'continue' gesture in the air.

"By all means, think," he replied. "... but in the meantime... I went through the trouble of setting up a meeting for you. I hope you don't mind, I thought you might enjoy the chance to become re-acquainted with the village while Noriaki and I discussed the other matter of his upcoming escort mission."

She blinked uncomprehendingly.

"... who with?"

"The Hyuuga boy, of course."

______________________________

'I should have known,' Kazue grumbled mentally, hands idly clenching and unclenching at her sides as she watched the street for her unwelcome escort. 'When he mentioned taking back my position, he meant every part of it. Not just my part as the heir, but the arranged engagement as well.'

Within seconds of this thought, she caught sight of familiar, long-haired figure. She carefully removed all sign of her annoyance from her expression- something that came easy to her. She might have become more open with her sarcasm over the time away, but she'd also grown skilled at concealing her expressions when need be. This felt like one of those moments. In the memories she held of Neji, she'd often felt frustrated or annoyed by how easily he dismissed her- no matter the occasion- simply because of her position in the main family. She doubted that time could have done much for his arrogance.

As this thought crossed her mind, the boy reached the main house, his eyes skimming over her as if to confirm to himself that it was really Kazue standing before him. Within seconds, his gaze has flicked up to meet hers'.

"Kazue."

"Neji."

For a moment, the awkward silence that descended between them clouded the air. As the seconds ticked by, she grew steadily more uncomfortable by it, even if she managed to keep such matters from her face. If Neji felt it, he gave no sign. Which- of course- was what made her give in first.

"Guess you thought you'd gotten out of this," Kazue said.

He blinked a few times, then shrugged as he turned on a heel to start out of the Asari compound- obviously expecting her to follow.

"I hadn't given it much thought."

"I doubt that," she instantly retorted, staring at his back with arms crossed.

He paused, glancing at her over his shoulder. His expression was impossible for her to read, his posture giving off no signs of how he felt. An uncomfortable feeling swept through her as she met his gaze with a challenging one, her decision to conceal her emotions forgotten. It felt strange not to see a reaction from him- she'd always been able to draw one, even if it was only something akin to contempt.

"I hadn't," he repeated. "I long ago aligned myself with the idea. The fact that you've returned and that most likely it will be renegotiated means little."

Kazue furrowed her brow, his words seeming to strike some sort of cord in her- as she jogged up to draw even with him as he started walking once more.

"You don't care that you're being told who to marry?" she demanded, her tone rather blunt.

"I'll assume you do?" he retorted.

She bristled.

"There's nothing wrong with having a problem with it," Kazue said.

His lips twisted up in an almost unreadable, almost amused expression.

"I don't believe I said there was, Kazue," he replied simply. "It would seem your temper hasn't changed."

"I don't have temper!"

"Clearly."

She opened her mouth to retort, but shut it almost instantly and fell back into a sulking silence. Somehow, her original intention of not allowing herself to be flustered- the reason for her initial attempt at concealing her emotions- had failed. Neji- much to her annoyance- simply seemed almost amused by this fact, allowing her to continue to sulk as he absently pointed things out as they walked. Most everything went over her head- all of the sights striking a familiar chord despite her long absence.

Neji- to his credit- didn't seem to mind that she paid little attention to his words, as they were both well aware that the real intention behind this meeting hadn't been for her to actually be shown the sights. Her grandfather wouldn't have been so kind even if he'd thought she'd forgotten some of it. He'd most likely been doing his best attempt at a thinly veiled matchmaking meeting. Something that the would-be pair had easily seen through.

Her attention was only dragged to the present- away from the sulking- by a rather loud, grumbling noise from her stomach. As Neji paused in his rather bored words and simply raised a brow at her, her cheeks flushed an annoying shade of red.

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," he pointed out.

"I know, I meant... don't say what you..."

"...weren't saying?" Neji finished as she trailed off. "There's a bakery on the next block- we can stop there."

Kazue began to argue, then paused as the words clicked with her mental image of the village.

"That's..."

Instead of protesting, she found herself simply furrowing her brow in thought as she glanced around them as if to double-check that she was right.

"Are... you talking about the one that Kourin works at?"

Neji simply nodded, apparently being familiar with the girl in question.

"I am," he replied, falling silent for only a moment before his gaze flicked over the shops around the street, expression unreadable.

"What?"

"... you used to go to this area a lot, was it a different shop?" he asked after a moment.

"... ... what?"

"You and Noriaki," he answered with a hint of that familiar annoyance he used to don when dealing with her in the past. "I would see you in this area a lot. Was it a different shop?"

"...no."

His gaze flickered back to her, noting that she was studying him with a frown. Instead of responding to it, however, he simply picked up his pace so that within a matter of moments they'd reached the small shop. As a bright woman ushered them to a couple of open seats, Kazue began to get a faint, prickling feeling of being watched. As if noticing this, the moment that the woman had left them with promises of being right back, she hustled through the swinging doors that marked off the customer area from the place behind the counter were all the drink stations were. The moment she'd stepped through, the woman put a hand on her hip and began chewing out some unseen figure behind the counter.

Suddenly, everything about Kourin clicked in Kazue's mind. Her lips twisted up in amusement, her faint jealously from the day before lost in the sudden flood of curiosity. She'd begun to make the connection when talking to Noriaki earlier, but it hadn't completely clicked until that moment.

"She's his shadow..." Kazue murmured.

"What?"

Kazue shook her head, gaze flickering back to Neji.

"Nothing. Oh, and I don't have any money on me- so you're paying."

"I'd assumed as much."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

That almost, faint amusement flickered onto his face as he spread one hand in the air.

"When have you ever been the sort to remember such 'trivial' details?" he questioned.

She bristled.

"I just don't have any on me at the moment!"

"Who would usually pay?"

She seethed silently, refusing to give the obvious answer. That almost amused expression of his remains in place as the waitress returned and he ordered for the two of them. As she shot him an annoyed expression, he raised a single brow as if to tell her that if she had a problem with it, she could always order for herself. Which- of course- she instantly did. As the waitress headed for the kitchen, Neji intertwined his hands above the surface of the table.

"Are you really going to eat that much?" he questioned.

"Am I stretching your wallet?" she countered.

"No."

"Then yes, I really am going to eat that much."

Silence fell again, this time it found her studying him, her thoughts flicking back to a previous discussion. In return, he studied her silently as well, adjusting his mental image of the girl to fit all the changes.

"You... really have no problem with this any longer?" she questioned suddenly.

Despite the abrupt change of subject, it was easy enough for him to guess what she was talking about. Her expression was carefully blank, but there was a simmer of emotion obviously bubbling beneath the surface if her mixed tone was any indication.

"I don't."

"Why?"

"Why should I?" he countered.

"They aren't giving you a choice. It's your future."

"I have a choice," he replied instantly. "I'm choosing to secure the future of my clan. If we become stronger through an alliance with your clan, then I don't have a problem with it."

She studied him, her expression growing more incomprehensible by the moment. As Neji's mind flickered through the most plausible thoughts that could be going through her mind, she turned her gaze to the window. At the sight of a very faint scar curling along the side of her jaw, he blinked, trying to align the thought of a girl who healed within seconds being able to develop a scar. With the answer to that thought came the sudden realization of what exactly might be causing the expression on her face.

For two years she'd had no say in her future. She'd returned home and again her future was being chosen for her.

"A choice..." she muttered.

Within seconds the waitress had returned with their drinks, cutting off anything else Kazue might have added to the matter. The rest of the meal was spent in silence, the girl's expression never growing clearer.

He said that choosing the future that the clan picked for her was picking her future.

Was it a future she wanted to choose?

A future that would no doubt be doused in more blood and pain despite her inability to feel. One that would hold unanswerable questions and continue to confuse the world that had once seemed so simple to her. Did she want that future?

Did she want the future of her clan in her hands?

Was there any other path for her to choose beyond that of a shinobi?

Did she want to drop back into her life as if nothing had changed?

Then there was the final question- perhaps not as important as the rest, but life-changing nonetheless. Did... she really want Neji? 

  A/N: Hey, so one of the main reasons this took so long to get out was school. Secondly, it was figuring out how to write Neji now that he's ... well, less of the arrogant ass he was in part one XD So, if he's a little off, it's because I gave up on trying to study it. Just point it out if you have a problem with him and I'll do my best to fix/adjust him in this chapter and in the future! :D Anyways, this chapter and the two following it are bridging chapters that connect to the upcoming events. After them, things are gonna start heating up fast! Hope you guys are ready! Oh, and by bridging, I mean they focus more on character development than action.