Momentum
Part One

"Aah, he's so cute! He looks just like Neji. Don't you look like your daddy, Hizashi-chan? Yes, you do."

Hinata smiled as Tenten scooped up her baby boy and tickled his stomach, warmth filling her chest as it always did when she watched her child. He was only three months old, but he was the light of her life, and she always thrilled in holding him. In fact, at times, she didn't like to let others hold her baby, and she knew that Neji felt the same, though he was quiet. Just last week, he had almost had a fit when Lee held their baby above his head, and it had only been through a warning glance that Neji hadn't plucked Hizashi back into his own safe arms then and there.

She had been the one to regulate him then, but seeing Tenten hold Hizashi and make him smile was enough to make Hinata want to take him back and cuddle him all by herself. She bit her lip and forced herself to remain silent, and ignored the amused smirk that Neji sent her way. He knew her discomfort, but as Hizashi was in no physical danger, he wasn't at all worried.

Tenten, however, was perfectly oblivious to the new mother's anxiety as she leaned in and rubbed her nose with Hizashi's. He was really a cute little thing. A bit fat and odd looking, but she supposed all babies were that way. At least he didn't look like a little potato when he had been born, Tenten had been hard pressed to find a compliment to give Neji. He had been quietly brimming with pride and it had showed in his every move, and personally, she had feared for her own personal safety if she told him what she really thought. Anyway, eventually he would become cute and stuff, because all the Hyuuga were.

Glancing up at Neji, she grinned and lifted one of Hizashi's hands, making him wave. It was almost unbearably cute the way Neji immediately came over, lifting his hands and smiling, as he took his son and tucked him against one arm.

Not so long ago, it would have been incredibly rare to see Neji smile. Ever since he married his shy little cousin, he seemed to smile all the time, especially since he son had been born. Love seemed to be really good for him.

A small part of her was a little bit jealous of Neji and Hinata, though she tried to kill the emotion every time it surfaced. They seemed to have such a great life together, though. It might not have been perfect, but a blind person could see that they were about as made for each other as they came nowadays, and Tenten almost wanted something kind of like that. It must have been nice to be able to go home the same hunky guy every night, she imagined. Hinata had life pretty good.

Stuffing her hands deep into the pockets of her pants, Tenten grinned widely and rocked forward on her heels. "So, I hear you guys are going to start trying for another little guy in a little while."

Hinata went bright red and nodded, reaching for her husband's free hand. He laced his fingers with hers, a simple motion, but to Tenten, it was profound. It never ceased to amaze her how intimate married people could be with just the slightest touch. It reminded her of her parents; they were always finding little excuses to touch each other whenever they passed by, be it on the elbow, the hip, the face. It was kind of sweet.

"We want to wait until Hizashi is at least a year before we have another child," Hinata said softly, a smile blossoming on her face.

Tenten had never known anyone else who could be so happy about having babies. To her, it seemed like it was a messy, painful process that she wasn't in any big rush to go through, but Hinata made it look like a piece of cake. She hadn't minded waddling around and Tenten swore she had never once heard her complain about her back or her feet. It was quite a contrast to Ino, who had terrorized her poor husband day and night while carrying her little boy. It was probably just a difference in temperament, but Hinata was definitely the motherly sort, even before she had her first child.

A lot of women said that the instincts came right when your baby was born, and that had been how it was for Ino. Hinata, however, seemed to have been born with them. More, she took absolute joy in her child, and no one had ever heard a harsh word or anything of the sort out of her about her husband or her child. She was almost like a perfect person.

Tenten was a year older than her, but she held Hinata in the highest respect, and whenever she ended up getting married and having babies, she knew exactly who she was going to. First her mom, and then the little mother who had married one of her best friends. She had told Hinata as much, and had been surprised when the other woman had given her a hug and told her she was the best friend that anyone could ever ask for.

About that, Tenten was still a little bit baffled, but she knew that she didn't mind having the good opinion of someone like Hinata. Tenten had never had a lot of 'girlfriends' when she had been younger, as she was mostly obsessed with training and becoming like her idol, and so it had been a little bit strange at first getting to know Hinata. Now that she had, she realized that she had been missing out, because if you pushed Hinata a little bit, she had some seriously hilarious stories to tell about Neji.

A high-pitched wail interrupted her thoughts as Hizashi bunched his fists and began to cry, and Tenten watched curiously as the baby was passed to his mother in a quick, flawless slip. There really ought to have been something wrong about two people as graceful as Neji and Hinata inhabiting the same space for any period of time, because Tenten knew that if that had been her, she would have jumped out of her skin and probably dropped the poor little guy.

Apologetic white eyes met Tenten's curious brown ones as the mistress of the house bowed and apologized. "I'm sorry, Tenten-san, but Hizashi needs to be fed. Please excuse me."

"Hey, no problem. Little guy needs to eat like everyone else," she replied, grinning and nodding when Hinata turned and padded softly down the hall.

Neji's eyes watched her go and stayed focused for a few moments after she disappeared. It was really too much to see how smitten he was, and Tenten couldn't help but poke fun at him now and again. She'd already done so earlier that day, however, and she thought she ought to let him be for a little bit. Neji had certainly calmed down and become a much more mellow man over the years, but he hadn't learned exactly how to laugh at himself yet, and Tenten didn't want to be the one getting the bumps trying to teach him. That was his woman's job.

Reaching up to scratch her nose, she asked, "Does he cry a lot?"

Neji turned to her, the remnants of a smile still on his face. "As much as any child." He said it in a tone that Tenten knew meant he had ruthlessly interrogated some poor medical nin on the subject until satisfied that his child was perfectly healthy and normal.

The thought made her smile widen. "You're such a cute daddy, Neji."

Faint color rose to his face as he shook his head. "Tenten."

She laughed, lacing her arms behind her head and angling her body toward the sunlight filtering in through a window. "It's true. Your little boy is lucky to have you and Hinata for parents."

He strode over and stood beside her, resting one hand on her elbow briefly as he said, "Thank you." and looked out the window as well.

So much had changed for all of them. They had grown up, and some of them had reached their dreams, or fallen in love. Everyone seemed to be moving so far away from each other, especially lately, that Tenten sometimes found it hard to catch up. She was often sad that things still weren't exactly as they had always been, and she didn't have the comfort of knowing that no one would ever move away or lose touch, or even die. Childhood and its warm blanket of security had left her many years ago, and in its wake were things that were wonderful, yes, but heartbreaking at the same time.

When she looked into the faces of all the people she had known before, they were different. All had aged, some far before their time, others in ways that Tenten couldn't even imagine. Life had brought a lot of joy but also sadness, and some terrible, terrible things.

One of them... no one could avoid. Her eyes became heavy as she thought of where she would go as soon as she left Neji and Hinata's home. She would re-enter the real world, a place that was tainted by blood and violence, and take her place in it once again. Here it always seemed so peaceful, like nothing bad could ever touch the careful haven that they had made. Every time she visited, Tenten never wanted to leave. She knew she had to, though.

When your country was at war, you couldn't hide in the comfort of your friend's house. If you were an able-bodied kunoichi, you had to be out there risking your life so that the people who stayed behind, the ones that couldn't fight, would live to see a happier tomorrow.

Tenten was fighting for their tomorrow, for Hizashi's, and Neji's, and Hinata's. She was fighting for Ino's little boy, and for her grandparents, and everyone else who couldn't be on the front lines risking it all for the home and the people they loved. She was proud to be doing it, proud, but...

"You have another mission."

Glancing quickly to her side, Tenten met the calm eyes of her friend, and she knew that even if she wanted to, she couldn't tell him a comforting lie. Ever since the war had broken out, those nine long months ago, Neji had followed it closely, almost compulsively. She knew how he felt, since he was unable to fight alongside his former comrades, and sometimes her heart hurt for him. He wanted so badly to be out there and fighting for his family, but he couldn't, because of that one battle a year and a half ago that had left him crippled.

Fate was such a bastard sometimes. It almost killed Neji to stay behind, and Tenten knew that he would have done something drastic if it wasn't for Hinata, and now Hizashi. They were a true blessing, because they kept him grounded and from doing something really stupid. So many of her friends, people she had known, had already died, that Tenten wouldn't be able to bear it if something happened to Neji.

Offering him a wan smile, she nodded. "I'm leaving tonight. I'm going to be gone a while, though I don't know the particulars. Pray for me," she added, trying to pass it off as a joke.

In wartime, when you were 'gone for a while' on a mission, it meant enemy territory. Neji knew that just as well as Tenten did, and he frowned deeply. "Be careful."

Tenten laughed. "I'm always careful, Neji. Don't worry. Nothing's managed to get me yet."

He shook his head, crossing his arms and giving her a steady look. "All the same, take no unnecessary risks."

Wanting to lighten the atmosphere because it was threatening to choke her, Tenten lowered her arms and smiled widely. "Gotcha. You know, I had probably better get lost. I have a briefing in a couple hours and then I've got to get ready to go."

Neji's expression was severe as he watched her, and she knew she wasn't fooling him one bit. He knew that she was scared to death, but he wasn't going to say anything, likely in case Hinata happened to overhear. He always did his best to keep her mind at ease, not because she couldn't handle harsh news, but because she would worry.

Tenten didn't want any of them to lose sleep worrying about her.

Slugging him playfully on the shoulder, she chirped, "So I'm off. Say 'bye to Hinata for me, all right? I've got a partner for this one and he's going to be really cranky if I'm late."

Neji arched his eyebrows. "Who?"

Adopting a pained expression because she knew it would amuse him, Tenten replied, "Shikamaru. I'm going to hear all about how troublesome everything is from sunshine on down to peeing outside the whole time I'm gone. Maybe you'd better pray double for me," she added, winking.

His expression smoothed and a small smile lifted one corner of his mouth. "You'll be well taken care of, then. Please give him my regards."

Lip curling, she retorted, "I don't need taking care of," as she stalked toward the door, but she paused, turning and smiling over her shoulder. "But I will. See you later, Neji."

Her expression became suddenly pensive as she thought that this could be the last time she ever saw her friend framed in the light of the setting sun, and her heart became heavy as it always did before a mission. For a moment, she merely took in his image, before she turned and slipped out of the room, face falling, her steps a bit slower than they usually were.

Every time she departed on a mission, it was one more time that she kissed Death's cheek. One of these days, he was going to angle his head and kiss her back. She wasn't afraid of that day coming, and never regretted what she did, but she didn't want it to be today.

Tomorrow maybe, but not today. She still had too much life to live today.

Hello everyone! Thanks for reading the first chapter of Momentum. Here are a few details that will help this make more sense:

Neji and Hinata were married six months after the end of their fic. Three months later, war broke out, which will be explained in more detail later in the fic. Six months after that, Hizashi was born, and he is three months old now.

Please look for the next chapter soon. :D