Part Fifty-Three: Return to Konoha

Two years later…

"This place…looks so familiar," murmured one of them.

"It's been a while," replied the other. "But not much has changed."

"I suppose we were bound to come back…"

"How fortunate for us."

They walked into the village, their long brown cloaks hiding their bodies from view, their faces hidden behind bandages and straw field hats.

"Stop and check in, please," said one of the shinobi at the gate side entrance. She flung some of her toe-blonde hair behind her shoulder.

The other one put her hands on her hips. "We need your names and the reason why you've come to Konoha, if you don't mind."

The two travelers looked to them and approached them slowly.

"We're here to get some food," one said. "As we haven't had a decent meal in a long time."

The other nodded, lifting her head, her brown eyes coming into view, "We hear you have one of the best ramen stands in the country."

Sakura rubbed the back of her head. "Either way, we'll need your names and an official form to be filled out…" she lifted them up.

They accepted them and lifted the brushes from the stand to fill out the needed information. When they had finished, they handed the forms to the two girls.

Ino examined them and nodded. "Looks good, have a nice day, Mr. and Mrs. Yikami."

They bowed their heads and continued into the village.

"They've grown," said the man, a smile under his bandaged face. "Quite a lot, from what I can see."

"Sakura's chakra flow is much greater than it was before," replied the other. "I can tell she's had some real practice."

The other nodded.

"Maybe we should get the ramen first," said his wife. "I'm starving."

"You always are," he replied. "Well, it's this way, if I remember right…"

"No it's not," she said. "It's that way." She lifted her arm and pointed, the sleeve so long that it draped over her fingers.

The other just smiled. "I will follow you, then."

"Good," they started off in the direction that Mrs. Yikami had pointed.

After a little while of walking, Mr. Yikami stopped, his eyes shifting.

"What is it?"

Mr. Yikami's eyes narrowed and he started towards a grocery store. He looked at a piece of paper on the front, tearing it from the window.

Mrs. Yikami approached her husband, reading the paper over his shoulder. "A celebration? For the whole town?"

"It seems Hyuuga Hanabi is getting married," replied Mr. Yikami. (1) "She must be sixteen now, right?"

"About that age," replied his wife. "But we don't have time to be involved. Come on, let's get some food."

Mr. Yikami nodded and put the paper into the sleeve of his cloak. He and his wife continued down the boulevard.

xxx

Inside of the store, Hyuuga Neji watched as the two foreigners left his sight. He frowned, wondering why these two had taken the poster for his cousin's marriage celebration from the window.

He thanked the clerk and took his basket of food, heading down the street in the same direction they had gone.

When he found them, they were at the ramen stand, taking their seats.

He approached them, setting his basket on the counter, taking a seat on the opposite end of the stand.

"Mister Hyuuga, what a pleasure it is to see you!" said the young woman behind the counter. She smiled happily as her father served the two at the other end of the counter. "I thought you would be eating in today."

He smiled back. "It's good to get away once in a while."

"I see," said the ramen man. "The wedding preparations must be a happy burden for you and your family."

He nodded. "Hanabi's father is asking that I make the preparations for the food and company. It's quite draining."

"Well, we have the perfect cure for that!" replied the ramen man, setting a big bowl of ramen in front of Neji. "It's our super-duper energy-giving ramen bowl!"

Neji smiled and pulled apart the chopsticks, giving thanks. He began to eat.

The two at the other end of the stand hunched over and ate their ramen silently, the bandages around their faces having been pulled open so they could eat.

Mr. Yikami glanced over at Neji and then back to his bowl.

"Excuse me," said Mrs. Yikami, "but I'd like another bowl." She lifted her empty bowl up and the young woman behind the counter nodded, taking it from her to refill it. She set the new bowl down, and Mrs. Yikami began to eat again. "I'd forgotten how amazing this ramen is…" she murmured to her husband.

He nodded and took another slurp, his eyes shifting over to Neji. "Indeed."

Neji glanced up at them and smirked. He took another long bite, guiding the ramen elegantly into his mouth.

Mr. Yikami blushed and looked away.

"Another bowl, please!" Mrs. Yikami asked, holding up her empty bowl.

"Y-Yes, Ma'am," replied the woman, carefully taking the bowl and refilling it. "Here you are."

Mrs. Yikami began to eat again, devouring the bowl of ramen without hesitation. "This is so great…I can't get enough!"

"Careful, wife, or you'll get fat," warned her husband as he set his chopsticks down. "And our wallet will get thin."

Mrs. Yikami looked at her husband from under the brim of her hat. "I-I understand…" she sighed and finished her bowl, also setting her chopsticks down. She looked to the ramen man and said, "Can we get the bill, then?"

He handed it to her and she examined it, sighing again. "I see…"

Mr. Yikami pulled a small folded piece of paper from his sleeve, opening it and pulling some bills from inside of it. He handed the bills to the ramen man. "Keep the change."

They pulled the bandages down around their lips and stood up, leaving the stand.

Neji sat for a few more moments before paying his own bill and leaving with his basket of groceries. "Thank you."

"Have a good day, Mister Hyuuga, and tell Miss Hanabi we'll see her at the wedding!" shouted the young woman.

He nodded and waved, following the two cloaked foreigners down the street.

(1) I'm a loser and kept calling her Hinabi earlier on, because I was deaf and couldn't hear her name right…because…well, I'm a loser. So now I changed it. Yay me.