A/N: Thank you to everyone who read/reviewed! I really appreciate it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
…..
Neji, in fact, did not wear his muffler the next morning; something he was dearly reprimanded for when he joined his wife for lunch.
They were seated in a quaint little café, tucked in between the many stores lining N. Michigan Avenue.
Tenten was gushing about a baby pink and gray plaid scarf she had bought for Sakura, pulling out two of them from her shopping bag explaining she couldn't resist getting one for herself as well. Then the topic changed from shopping to some incident at work.
Neji sat quietly, nodding when the moment called for it. He smiled fondly, taking in her beaming face and her nose and cheeks reddened from the cold.
"Tenten," he interrupted her, "May I ask a question?" He waited for her approval before continuing, "You said Sakura was hosting a Christmas party, correct? Dear, you do realize it is still November."
Tenten rolled her eyes, "Of course you would make a point of bringing that up," she teased. "But yes, I know it's still November, and Sakura does too. She will be vacationing for the remainder of the year and wanted to host a party before she left."
Neji raised an eyebrow, "The rest of the year? Where is she going?"
"New York City, I believe. She's staying with her college friend. Ino, that was her name, I think," Tenten told him, folding the scarves and placing them in the bag next to her feet.
"Remind me to ask for a number and address at her party. Just in case I find something she needs to be alerted of," Neji said to his wife.
"Of course, because I actually keep my promises," she said. Neji mock pouted.
"I'll wear a muffler tomorrow, alright?" he said. He knew Tenten was not convinced, but she let it slide for a moment as the waiter placed their dishes on the table.
Neji waited for Tenten to begin, before picking up a spoon and dipping it in his soup (broccoli and cheddar).
Tenten stabbed her salad with much enthusiasm and devoured it with equal vigor. She had woken both of them up late, and neither had time to eat a proper breakfast. Neji's fellow detective, Chouji, of course always had an abundant supply of snacks stashed in his desk. The man was quite sweet, and must have noted Neji's slightly disheveled state as he barged into the office, late. Tenten knew he must have given him something.
She, on the other hand, had to get by on coffee and a few sugar cookies. Pushing the thought aside, she focused on more important things, like the fact her husband was in dire need of a napkin.
She giggled, as she watched him frown at a small drop of soup on his sweater. She reached across the table and wiped it before it could travel any further.
Neji gave her a grateful look. She shook her head, grinning. Neji soon found himself smiling back.
After lunch, Neji drove Tenten back to her office. Just as she pushed open the door of his car and stuck one leg out, he grabbed her arm, pulled her towards him, and gave her a quick kiss.
"I'll pick you up at six," he said to her, before letting her go.
When he arrived at his own building, Shikamaru was waiting for him in the lobby.
"I found something you may want to take a look at," the Nara told him, before ushering him to follow. Neji resisted the urge to drill information out of him in the elevator and instead tapped his foot impatiently for the cart to reach the nineteenth floor.
"I was helping Chouji search for a file in the basement and I found quite an interesting folder," Shikamaru explained, as he pushed open the door to the suite. Neji followed him to his office, a small room littered with papers and not much else.
The only thing kept in perfect order was the crystal clean window. "Typical Shikamaru," Neji thought, as he watched the pineapple haired man fish out a manila folder from a pile of other documents.
"This man," the Nara pointed at a black and white photograph, "was convicted of murder back in nineteen ninety-three. He was rumored to have an affair with Sakura at the time of his trial."
"So, you're saying he did it?" Neji asked, taking the picture into his own hands.
"Well, no. But I'm saying he has a perfect alibi to commit the felony," Shikamaru said, handing him the rest of the file.
"But it states he's in prison," the Hyuuga argued, "How could he have…" He trailed off as the Nara held up a videotape. "What is that?"
"It's a recording of a news report back from the winter of nineteen ninety-eight," the pineapple haired man answered, watching the wheels in his friend's mind turn.
"He escaped," Neji understood.
"And was never found," Shikamaru finished.
"So he did it out of envy? He's still in love with Sakura?" the Hyuuga asked.
"That's what I've come to conclude. It makes sense, doesn't it? There are…" Shikamaru paused as he flipped through the papers in the folder, " reports of her coming to visit him while he was in jail," he continued and handed a paper to Neji. "They say they argued quite a bit and are believed to have broken up. Well, more like Sakura dumped him."
Neji nodded, his eyes scanning the document. "Can we watch the tape?" Neji asked, placing the paper back in the file.
"That's what I brought it for," Shikamaru answered, "C'mon, there's a television in the lounge."
The recording was a bit fuzzy and at times the audio was unintelligible, but all in all, it got the point across and convinced Neji it was this man that had committed the murder.
"How do we find him?" Neji wondered aloud, while Shikamaru ejected the tape.
"Don't know," the Nara replied, even though he knew Neji wasn't really talking to him. "That's your job."
The Hyuuga rolled his eyes, but thanked Shikamaru for the help, nonetheless.
"Any time," Shikamaru said, walking back to his office.
"Most likely to cloud gaze," Neji thought, heading to his own desk. Pushing aside a can of soda and an empty bag of pretzels, he took out the reports from his briefcase and got to work.
While the Hyuuga labored away at his desk, his wife was encountering her own predicament a block away.
Her good friend and Neji's cousin, Hinata, had been unable to find a baby sitter for the day. As a result, the woman had brought her child to work. Seeing as Tenten had already had her lunch, she agreed to watch the baby while Hinata went out to eat.
The baby was quite demonic, contradicting its outward appearance of being cute and harmless.
Tenten was ready to chuck it out the window.
She grumbled as she wiped more drool from her blouse, the special purple silk blouse Neji had given her last Christmas.
"Hinata had better finish her lunch soon," she muttered, frowning at the gurgling infant.
When the white-eyed woman did appear, Tenten all but shoved the child in her arms and scurried away, biting back rude remarks.
She locked her office door and sank down on the ground, catching her breath. Outside, one hall away, Hinata blinked, shrugged, and carried on with her work.
At six in the evening, Neji promptly arrived outside his wife's office building, eager to tell her about his new lead. He hastily helped her into the car and began to speak before she could utter a word.
"Shikamaru found a file on Sakura's ex-lover. We believe, after careful examination of the facts, that he committed the murder of her husband," he told her.
Tenten chuckled and pinched her husband's cheek. "You're such an adorable nerd," she told him, hugging his arm.
Neji pressed his forehead to hers, fondness overwhelming him till he couldn't help but smile at her.
"That's why you married me," he reminded her, ducking to peck her lips.
"Of course, dear," Tenten said, buckling and making herself comfortable.
The next time Neji looked her way, she was asleep, lulled by the thrum of the highway.
…..
A/N: Thank you for reading and please review!