Lady Hinata was used to being alone by now. Neji knew this. Yet, he took the time to constantly visit her. When coming back from missions, he wouldn't go straight home to his child and wife. He'd come by to check on her, ask how she's doing, then leave with the promise to come visit soon, with Tenten and their son, Noboru, of only one year old.

A month before Noboru's birth, Neji, even though only at the age of 23, believed he'd never get to meet his kid. But life decided to be kinder for this shinobi, even though he almost felt guilty for it.

Lady Hinata would talk kindly about anything she could think of, really talkative for the kind of person she had used to be, she'd always compliment Tenten on how beautiful Noboru was turning, serve them their favourite tea and delicious biscuits, made by her, and listen carefully to any news they had.

"Can you believe they're getting married? Who thought things would turn out like this for Uchiha?" Tenten was excitedly telling, carefully cleaning Noboru's mouth with a handkerchief. The little boy was clumsily trying to eat one of Hinata's biscuits, his little baby-fatty hand barely managing to hold it properly.

Who thought things would turn out the way they did for anyone, really? Hinata thought, memories of the past year coming back to her.

Tenten didn't notice and probably most of people wouldn't, but Neji was immediately aware of the change of thoughts and mood in Hinata. Excusing himself and his family, he told his cousin it was the time for Noboru's nap (indeed, the child was yawning and had half-closed, sleepy eyes).

While exiting, they and Hanabi crossed paths. It was a rather uncomfortable meeting. Neji bowed his head respectfully. Hanabi ignored them all and continued to walk.

"I just hope this one is not going to bother Hinata right now," Tenten muttered under her breath, holding the now sleeping Noboru tighter to her chest. "Walking around, keeping her head high... I will never understand why Hiashi-sama chose her!"

Tenten knew this was a Taboo matter to discuss for the Hyuugas, but her temper made her let out such words sometimes and those sometimes happened any time she'd face Hanabi, in the last year. Neji silently agreed with her wife's outbursts all the time. Still, to the question "Why her?" he'd always only say the following:

"She was made to lead. And that's exactly why she shouldn't be one to lead."

Not later than an hour, another visitor walked inside the house, also crossing paths with Hyuuga Hanabi. However, this one did not feel the necessity to pay any required respect or to let his mood go bad either. Uzumaki Naruto totally ignored her presence and walked past, without his smile to drop for a single moment. During the last... more than two years he had visited the Hyuuga residence almost as much as the apartment of his two best friends, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. Things had changed in the last two, since he was the Hokage and had less free time. He had had to make a compromise, and visit the soon to be Uchihas less.

Why choose the Hyuuga residence over his best friends? He had no idea. But spending time there gave him a feeling that no other place could, not Sasuke and Sakura's apartment, not other friend's house and not in a million years his new, big, comfortable home.

How had the habit started anyway? It happened that Hinata had been constantly inviting him over, for tea. She wouldn't say much and constantly blush for no reason.

The first time she invited him, by the unintelligible words and constantly changing colours of her face, he thought she had been trying to tell him she was choking from something she ate and couldn't breathe. So, of course, when, being the hero he usually was, he took her by the waist and held tightly, she fainted. When she woke up and Naruto finally understood she was saying something about tea, he thought she was inviting him over to thank for his help, so he accepted.

Naruto liked company and he also liked Hinata's biscuits. After receiving his compliments for them (and words like 'almost as good as ramen' coming from him were high praise), Hinata kept baking biscuits, so there would always be some when Naruto came by. And soon he started coming by frequently. After a while, Hinata started to take part to Naruto's rambling. At first, it was hard for him to understand anything. But, in time, her speech got better, her stutter disappeared slowly, only reappearing when Naruto would say, as usual, things on his mind to whose effects they could have he was rather oblivious.

"It would be awesome if you'd cook for me every day."

"Hinata-chan, it's so awful when I have to get back home from here. If you'd be there, too, like here, it wouldn't be so lonely."

But that was Naruto. He probably would never even remember the day she had said him she loved him, the day of Pain's attack...

"Konnichiwa, Hinata-chan!" he greeted, walking towards the porch, where Hinata was seated. More biscuits were already on the table. Hinata was pouring tea.

"Konnichiwa, Naruto-kun," she responded, putting the porcelain kettle down to raise her head and give him a welcome smile. He smiled back and took a seat.

"How did the Hyuuga meeting go?" he asked, taking the hot tea carefully in both his scarred hands. Even though he mostly had paperwork now, Hinata knew he trained anytime he had the chance.

She took a sip of her tea before answering, "The usual. That the family is unstable. That the Hokage's decision was not good enough to clear our name - and I'm sorry again this was catalogued as your mistake. It was my decision, not yours. You shouldn't have the other nations on your head because of me."

"Nani? It was my decision to let you decide. I take all the credit. Besides, relations with the other nations are still going extraordinary. Except for... you know. But before alliance comes friendship. An alliance can be broken for anything. Friendships stay through the bad," unusual words of wisdom not many got to hear from the Hokage slipped through Naruto's lips. Hinata, who always paid attention to anything he said, was one of those rare persons who got to hear that side of him mostly. And, every time, she'd get to admire him more - as a leader.

"Hinata-chan?"

"Hai, Naruto-kun?"

He laid against his chair's back, arms crossed behind his head, eyes looking up, in the distance, maybe at the clouds, maybe at a space unknown. Whatever it was, she thought he looked wonderful there, carefree, as the boy she had been used to see him. Responsibilities and worries had brought a trace of severity and dullness upon his eyes, lately.

"Yesterday, I got out of the office really late, so I couldn't come and visit you anymore. Well, but you prbably had your own work to do, anyway. But now I know I was right back then."

"About what?"

"My house is not feeling right to live in for me because you're not there."

A year before...

"Is he ok now, Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked for the seventh time since the first and long waited change in her cousin's state. Neji had been unconscious for almost a month now. In the morning, he had suddenly awakened, his pulse racing, and asked about Hinata and Hanabi. Sakura had tried to reassure him everything was okay, while making big efforts on keeping his heart's state in control. He hadn't believed in anything she had said and asked to see Hinata in person.

Before a month ago, Hinata had used to work in the hospital. She had used to be there most of her time. Had used to... The duties she had now wouldn't allow her to keep doing that.

Neji had fallen back unconscious, but Sakura was now sure there was not long before he'd wake up again. And this time for good. It had been a long month for Hinata and all of the Hyuugas, but things were finally getting back to normal – as normal as things could now be for them.

"You'll soon be able to talk to him, actually," Sakura reassured her.

"Sakura-sama!" a nurse's head popped up through a crack of the door. "Mrs. Hyuuga Tenten – it's time!"

"Or maybe you'll have to stay in line for Neji's attention," Sakura smiled, motioning towards door.

Hinata's face enlightened, taking a seat next to Neji's bed. Sakura wouldn't need her there for Saki/Noboru's birth. Tenten and Neji asked for her to be the godmother months before, and some days ago she had finally decided – Noboru if it was a boy, Saki if it was a girl.

Also, she had many things to talk about with Neji when he'd wake up, but, as Sakura mentioned, she'd better stay in line.