[Fic] "Which Constrains Them To Alter" -- Naruto
runespoor7 said: warning signs, NejiHina (or Hinata+Neji), something about them partnering up for political upheaval of the hopeful kind?
Note: This is set in the Summer Camp & Politics AU, directly following After Frost. (Look, if you say "politics" to me in context of Naruto, you have a 98% chance of getting something in this AU. It's reflexive at this point. *wry*) [550 words]
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Which Constrains Them To Alter
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One of the ground rules Tenten had laid down when she agreed to establish a law firm with Neji was a two-hour lunch break from one to three o'clock. The years had given them no reason to alter that policy, though the rule about no politics or business discussion did slip after a while, which was why Neji had his laptop open to watch his cousin make her ghostwritten speech against Uzumaki's bilateral free trade agreement live on K-PAN. He always hated hearing her parrot Uncle Hiashi's words, but this silent witness felt like the least he could do.
Except Hinata set down the papers and spoke in favor instead.
He could almost see the future flicker and lurch like pixelated static resolving into a new image. "Fuck."
"Seconded," Tenten agreed as she muted the broadcast. "I knew Sakura wanted to talk to her about the vote, but..."
"No warning signs?"
"Just general stress, and with Hinata, that's hardly unusual."
"Fuck," Neji said again. He ground the heels of his hands against his eyes, counted to ten, and picked up his cell phone. "Call Assemblywoman Hyuuga's office," he said, and pressed the phone to his ear.
The call went straight to voicemail, where Hinata's recorded voice informed him that the box was full, apologized for the inconvenience, offered her official email as an alternative way to reach her, and terminated the connection.
Neji sighed.
"I don't know what else you expected," Tenten said from across the conference room table, where she was interspersing bites of white rice with a horribly bland mix of skinless chicken, carrot, and wilted spinach. "If you want, I can get her personal number from Sakura -- assuming she hasn't turned that phone off too. There's no way she'll see any emails until next week at best."
Neji considered that for a minute. On the one hand, even a small gesture of support from a family member might go some way toward countering Uncle Hiashi's disapproval. But on the other, if Hinata wanted him to have her private number, she would have found a way to get it to him before now.
He shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but I like to think I've learned a little bit about boundaries since our teenage years. I won't push her. Just let Sakura know to pass on my support if she has the chance."
"You got it," Tenten said, and set down her chopsticks in order to send a quick text. "Anyway, assuming the treaty passes--"
"After that? It will."
"--assuming it passes, how thoroughly will we need to adjust our arguments in the Makishima case? Considering the international trade terms were a big part of the contract disagreements, I think we might need to--"
Neji's phone rang.
"Hold that thought," he said, and accepted the call. "Hyuuga Neji speaking."
There was a pause on the other end before Hinata's soft voice said, barely audible over the background noise of the Assembly chamber, "Cousin Neji. I'm sorry to bother you, but I think... I think I might need to hire a lawyer. In case Father... after the vote... since I'm only here because of his... um..."
Neji took a deep breath and kept his voice level and calm. "Yes. Of course. When do you want to meet?"
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End of Ficlet
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And now I'm going to take a walk, grab some lunch, and then probably do some more gardening despite the heat. Ugh, summer.
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