Not My Glass of Wine
There are many things people will do for money. But there are more things they will do for love. TenxNejixInoxShika
Authoress' Note: Hi everyone! I'm new around here and this is my first shot at writing fanfiction. I'd really appreciate it if you can take the time to read it and leave a review. Thanks in advance, and I hope to make a lot of friends here. Later!
Disclaimer: My first name starts with the letter 'M' and the last five letters of my family name are 'IMOTO', but alas, I'm not Masashi Kishimoto. Don't sue, that's bad.
-xoxo-
Chapter One
Dornbusch Avenue, Silbern
09:00AM
"Why did we have to go here again, Daddy?"
Ino looked expectantly at her father, who sat beside her inside the immaculate white sedan that was making its way through the streets of Dornbusch, waiting for his answer. Approximately thirty more minutes and they would reach their destination: the Hyuuga Estate.
"We're meeting your Uncle Hizashi, Ino." The fifty two year-old man she had always been told she looked a lot like patiently answered.
She shook her head and smiled. "That's what you told me the fist time I asked. But what I want to know is why we have to meet them all of a sudden."
The father smiled back at his daughter. "Well, they're family, princess. We don't really need a reason to visit relatives now, do we? But if you think we do, there are a few business matters that need to be discussed and I know you haven't seen your Uncle in a while so I thought it would be nice to pay him a visit."
"Exactly my point, Daddy. The last time I saw him was during Grandpa's funeral, and that was thirteen years ago. All this time you never went to Silbern much less take me with you. Now you couldn't wait till the weekend to go here. And please, our branch is so far from theirs in the family tree that I could marry Uncle Hizashi's son."
Yamanaka Inoichi coughed.
"It's not that I don't want to be here," Ino explained, "it's just that I don't understand what's so important about this trip."
Her father was about to open his mouth to say something when a phone's ringing interrupted.
"Excuse me," Ino said as she attended to the piece of technology. "Hello?"
"Hey, I'm sorry I opened my voice mail just now." a man's voice answered from the opposite line. "Where are you?"
Ino cleared her throat. "Oh, hi Sakura. What's up?"
"Sakura? Baby, it's me, Shikamaru. I just got the message you left for me a few hours ago. Sorry about that, I-"
"You want to go to go shopping this afternoon? Sorry, I can't. I'm with my dad right now, we're in Silbern visiting my Uncle Hizashi."
"Silbern? What do you mean you're in Sil - "
"Daddy said we might stay here for a couple of days… you know, business and other things. But we'll be home this weekend so I'll be able to go to Temari's party."
"Fine, I get it. Call me later okay?" Shikamaru finally said.
"I will, Sakura. Silbern truffles? Okay. Uh-huh. Later." Ino said, pressing the end call button. She turned to her father and smiled. "That was Sakura. She wanted to go to the mall this afternoon but I told her we're in Silbern."
"Your friends miss you already, huh?" Inoichi teased.
Ino grinned. "You have no idea."
-xoxo-
Meiren Feuille, Silbern
09:00AM
"I don't understand, Father. We're meeting with Uncle Inoichi about business, but you don't want me to get any files or any reports?"
Hizashi smiled at the fetching young man who sat opposite him at the Hyuuga mansion's formal living room. "Calm down, son. You worry too much. We're fine, and we won't be needing any files or reports today."
Neji's silver eyes narrowed, a look of mixed confusion and skepticism on his face.
"Certainly you are not going to welcome your uncle and cousin to our home with a business meeting, are you?" his father continued. "They will stay here until Friday, so we will have more than enough time to discuss business. All I want to do now is to receive our guests graciously."
"If that is what you say."
"Speaking of your uncle, it's been such a long time since you last saw him, am I not right? And you were, ah, nine years old then? It wouldn't be a surprise if you don't remember what he looks like anymore."
"I believe the last time I saw him was on Yamanaka Inohiko's crematory ceremonies more than ten years ago. We've never been to Marina since then, and I'm afraid you are right." he admitted.
"Perfectly pardonable."
"Although I remember reading from your lineage histories when I was young that Hyuugas have amber manes and silver irises, Uchihas have raven manes and red irises, and Yamanakas have flaxen manes and blue irises."
"It gladdens me that you know that fact, son." His father said proudly. "Yes, most members of the three clans that make up our kin have those physical traits. In fact, the three boroughs founded by our ancestors were named after the distinct color of each clan's iris. Silbern means silver, Rosso means red and Marina means blue. It does seem like you studied the family tree well."
"It does not seem apt that I wanted to work for the family business and I didn't know the family history." Neji replied.
Hizashi chuckled. "Neji, Neji, Neji. You're too serious about everything. Staidness will never win you a fine wife, trust me. You would not like to grow old a bachelor, would you?"
"Or maybe it will find me a wife as staid as you say I am." Neji answered, managing a small smile.
"Oh, but I'd prefer a feisty daughter-in-law, my son." Hizashi said. "A bit of spirit will do a lot of good to this house, and even more to you. You are, as I say, too staid. Learn to have some fun."
"I think I'm fine, Father, and I do have my fun sometimes. Now if you will pardon me, I have to make a call."
His father gave him permission and Neji left the living room, walking straight to the adjacent library. He closed the door silently before fishing a phone out of his pocket and dialing a series of digits. The number he was calling rang a few times before it was finally answered by a female voice.
"Hello, darling. Just as I was about to call you. Why are you not in your office today? Is everything alright?" the female voice said.
"I'm fine, darling." Neji said. "But Father informed me during breakfast that my uncle and his daughter are coming today, and he wants me to receive them with him later. He called Rose and she told him that my schedule is clear today so I could not decline."
"Your Uncle Hiashi and Hinata?"
"No, my Uncle Inoichi and his daughter Ino from the Yamanaka side of the family. Their family is based in Marina."
"I see."
"Furthermore, he asked me to join them for dinner tonight. I'm sorry but I have to cancel our dinner plans. I find it direly horrible, this day marking the second month that we are together, but I'm afraid I cannot do anything." He explained.
Neji expected that he would have to wait a few seconds for an answer, but that wasn't the case.
"That's all fine, darling. To tell you the truth, the reason why I was going to call you myself is because I will not be able to make it tonight. Lee and I are meeting with Mr. Culbert's lawyers. You remember Morris and Anderson from our last meeting? You know how difficult they are, and I do not expect the meeting to be over before midnight." The person on the other line said.
He sighed in relief. "I suppose it's all settled then. I'll call you back tomorrow so we can rearrange our dinner plans."
"Noted. Have fun today, darling."
"You too. I love you, Fei Lao Ten-Ten."
He could hear his girlfriend chuckling. "I love you too, Hyuuga Ishikawa Neji."
-xoxo-
Meiren Feuille, Silbern
09:10AM
After his son left to make the call, Hizashi took out his own cellular phone from his pocket and activated the voice recognition command.
"Yamanaka Inoichi." he spoke, and soon he could hear the sound of a connecting call.
"Hello?" a voice answered.
Hizashi cleared his throat. "Inoichi. This is Hizashi. Are you on your way? Everything is fine, I trust?"
"Yes, yes," Inoichi answered from the opposite line. "I'm in the car with Ino right now. Thirty more minutes or so and we'll be there. And Neji?"
"He had to make a call, but he will be with me when we receive you later. Are you ready to do this?"
Inoichi sighed. "I am. I hope you are, too."
"For all it's worth, I never thought I'd have to do this, but I'm all in." Hizashi replied.
"For Argento Freccia." The Yamanaka said.
"Yes, for Argento Freccia."