Multi-chapter I've been working on for awhile. It takes place about 21 1/2 years after the beginning of Shippuden. Neji and Tenten are married with two children, Hotaru and Hibari. This story is centered around Hotaru. Enjoy!

Note: Hotaru and Hibari ARE NOT my original characters. they belong to Reggie, or ode2sokka from DeviantArt. I in no way claim to have created these characters . Go check out her other OC NejiTen children here! .com/gallery/25586336

"Hotaru! Come in here for a moment please!"

The fifteen year old girl sighed in annoyance, closing her eyes as she sat under the willow tree. Beams of sunlight broke through the branches that shivered slightly in the spring breeze that blew through the village. Would she ever get a moment of peace? It seemed that even her father's clan's garden wouldn't shield her from the chores of her mother. She stood up, brushing her navy pants clean of the dirt and grass blades lest she be scolded for tracking mud into the house. It amazed Hotaru how fanatical her mother was about clean homes considering she had witnessed the mess that blood and carnage created that every shinobi encountered. When her mother had changed from the fierce ninja she knew had existed to the overprotective woman she knew now Hotaru did not know, and she guessed she never would see the kunoichi side of her.

She walked as slowly as possible to the sliding door, patterns of bamboo and leaves in bright green decorating the thin beige film that was attached to dark wooden frames. She slid it back…and immediately stepped aside to avoid the tackling blur of red that flew past her and onto the front lawn. The figure recovered quickly and rubbed its head, wincing, brown colored clothes wrinkled and slightly grass stained from years of use.

"Ow! Hotaru, I can't get any better if you don't let me GET you once in awhile!"

"What kind of ninja would I be if I just LET someone attack me, Hibari?"

"A good one," she said hopefully. She waited. Silence. "Well you'd at least be a good sister…" she grumbled and walked away into the garden her older sister had just occupied.

Hotaru smiled inwardly. She loved her sister dearly and always had a soft spot for her in their small family. Whether it was because she was the youngest and she felt the need to protect her or because she was as much endearing as she was clumsy she did not know, but she did know that even with her blindness, her sister had the most potential at the academy at becoming a great ninja. She possessed the determination and skill that would make her deadly in combat, even with her ailment. Hotaru always loved sparring with her because she never knew what new attack her eleven year old sister would pull out.

Hotaru watched Hibari go before entering the house and removing her sandals by the step. She made her way to the kitchen where her mother stood washing the dishes and looking out the window. She looked wistful, loose oak colored hair falling down her back, bangs spilling down into her auburn eyes. Her white apron was stained with various shades of brown, orange and red from sauces and batters spilled over the years. Hotaru wondered what it was that made her mother look so reminiscent. She'd seen the look so many times in the past few months when her mother thought no one was looking. It worried her and aroused her curiosity, but she never acted upon it, preferring to leave the woman to her husband.

"What did you need, Mother?"

"Ah, there you are Hotaru," she smiled at her daughter. But it was an empty smile. Her eyes were tired, no sparkle lit them up and deep bags gave her the appearance of a disheveled old woman. A thirty-nine year old woman was not meant to look this way. "I would like you to finish cooking supper if you wouldn't mind? The rice is about to boil and I think your father will be home soon." Hotaru nodded and moved to the oven. The ingredients of the usual plain meal of rice and salmon sashimi were already laid out before her. The fish boned and pink was ready to be sliced; the pot of rice was about to boil over. She quickly finished preparing the meal, casting glances over her shoulder as she cut the salmon at her mother who was continuing to scrub the same plate she had been washing when Hotaru had first walked in. These daydreams had been happening more and more frequently and Hotaru worried about the reasons behind it. She decided to try and cheer her mother up. The meal now prepared, she set the table and with the sliced salmon created the shape of a rose, spreading the white and steaming rice around it. Proud of the contrast of colors Hotaru continued with the other plates and stepped back to examine her handy work. She nodded in satisfaction and looked back over at her mother. She was still washing the plate.

"Mother, why don't you let me finish washing the dishes while you go and get some rest?"

"Hm? Oh…yes, thank you Hotaru." The older woman looked at her daughter, patted her shoulder and walked over to the living room and lay down on the couch. Just then the sliding door opened and Hotaru's father walked in. She glanced away quickly and scrubbed furiously at the cup she now held in her hands. She heard his footsteps behind her as he walked to the living room to greet his wife and Hotaru let out a sigh of relief. While she respected her father, and while she had held her ground with him before, she was eager to avoid conflict with him as it seemed they argued whenever he stepped in the door. Her mind wandered as she finished washing, drying and stacking the dishes. She was headstrong and she knew he loved her but she had never been a Daddy's girl like Hibari was. She had never appreciated the condescending air he seemed to hold nor understood why he had given up his life as a ninja in order to be on the council of the very clan that had imprisoned his spirit since childhood. The girl herself had nothing but loathing for her aunts Hinata, the less gifted heir of the clan, and Hanabi, the genius of the main branch, and the elders that had placed the curse mark upon her father.

"Hotaru."

The deep baritone voice froze her. She put the last plate in the cupboard and turned. Her father loomed over her, clad in the traditional white robes the council members wore. His silver-violet eyes peered down at her.

"Thank you for preparing the meal. I'm sure your mother will appreciate your creativity. It's time to eat now." He smiled and Hotaru could do nothing but nod and move past him to take her spot at the table. Her mother's head bobbed up and down as though she might fall asleep at any moment. The short rest had done her no good. The daughters' father took his place at the head of the table and blessed the meal before he broke his chopsticks, giving the women of the household permission to begin. They ate in silence, wooden chopsticks clinking against the porcelain plates, no one daring to utter a word. Night had come and the lights of the garden came on giving Hotaru a wonderful view out the window that was behind her sister. The meal passed in silence and Hotaru's mother's plate was left untouched.

Hotaru and Hibari retired themselves to their rooms immediately after dinner. As Hotaru left the table, she glanced over her shoulder to see her mother staring blankly at her plate, her father beginning to clear the dishes around her.

Her mind flashbacked to a time when her parents smiled. A time when the dinner table was full of laughter; when Hibari sat in her father's lap, looking up at him endearingly as he jokingly scolded Hotaru for being such a promising student at the academy, and how, if she wasn't careful, she would soon find herself surrounded by suitors; when Her mother's eyes lit up as she told the story of how their father had saved her life during a mission to the Land of Wind. To a time when anyone glancing in the windows of their humble home would see a family; happy, loving and complete.

Returning from her thoughts, Hotaru climbed the stairs in silence.