Metal had fallen asleep in TenTen's arms, he laid curled up against her taking up the other half of her bed. His face was hidden in the crook of her shoulder and her arm came around his waist loosely but sure. Neji watched them from the door, struggling to find a place to fit himself in the picture. That kid fit into his lover's arms so naturally. Neji couldn't help but feel pangs of jealousy. What was the point of sacrificing himself for a world that reserved no place for him after yielding him back? He shouldn't have gone to war, he should have just run away with TenTen. Oh – but then the world would have ended. He shook his head and leaned against the doorframe, his eyes closed temporarily. This was stupid. His reasoning was beyond all logic. Maybe love was beyond all logic, and because he was definitively in love he wasn't thinking straight anymore. Neji let out a small sigh, he tried to focus on the small bits of the current situation. He was thirty-two now, what if he had never died? What if things had never gone wrong in the first place? He was thirty-two, in this house, with TenTen sleeping peacefully only a few feet from his reach. Would he crawl into her bed and make a baby with her tonight? Maybe. Neji never really had much of a family so he guessed that in the back of his mind, he'd always wanted to make one for himself. Perhaps if TenTen wanted too, he supposed he would want to do it. Tonight, or a night soon. Neji's eyes opened slowly and the sight in front of him, the reality, felt suddenly like heavy burden had been dropped on his shoulders. He silently made his way to the bathroom.

Neji had never been one to soak for hours so he was quickly out of the bathtub, however, the vapor had fogged the room. Neji stood in front of the mirror, a towel wrapped around his waist, he looked at himself. He did look mostly like he remembered, but this new Neji had shed the last remnants of a boy and fully taken the shape of a man. His skin was a bit less smooth, his jaw a bit more defined. His shoulders had grown taut and he now stood a full head taller than TenTen. But the crucial parts all remained the same, his hair were still long and black, his eyes white like the moon, his power still a legend. And yet his son looked so much different. Metal had TenTen's laughing eyes, but his clothes, his haircut, everything about him reminded of Lee. Maybe it would have been better if Lee had really been Metal's father. Neji always found Lee a little weird but he'd admit now that Lee really had a good attitude with kids. Lee would make a great father. Maybe Neji and Metal just weren't meant to be. Neji groaned, yanked the towel off of his waist, frustrated again and pulled on a night robe than Hiashi had had delivered earlier. He was slowly slipping himself back into the lives of those who knew him, and that too wasn't easy. Neji briefly remembered Naruto telling him about a niece and a nephew he would have loved for Neji to meet. Neji cringed at the thought, not really looking forward to the reunion. His hands were full of kids enough as it was. Ah crap. He thought as he laid down on his futon in the spare room TenTen had given him. His arms fell above his head, almost in surrender. Neji stared at the ceiling like he was staring at the stars, and perhaps with his byakugan he was, he was mildly aware of the night slipping by. But that didn't help sleep to take him away from his worries, or from his broken promises, or from the problems he wished so hard to forget.


TenTen found him lying awake in the morning, his eyes felt bleary, perhaps he did doze off at some point. Her fingers brushed the roots of his bangs, combing the hair away from his face. "I thought you said I was supposed to relax. That you'd take care of everything." She was smiling.

"Ah – right," Neji said, absent mindedly. He was supposed to make breakfast for the kid, part of him was relieved that he ended up dozing off and forgot, it would have been more than awkward after what happened last night. Unbearable, on both sides. "Sorry. Did you…"

"I've woken up Metal on time, fed him and sent him to school already. Don't worry."

TenTen's face glowed in the soft light of the early morning. She was still smiling, her eyes always laughed. Neji thought for the first time that he didn't deserve her, this woman, always so bright and happy. "I've messed up big time, TenTen. I'm so sorry." Neji flattened his palm on his forehead, "I know you said you'd think about it but yesterday, in fit of anger, I blurted out to Metal that I'm his father. Please, forgive me." Neji closed his eyes, breathing deeply, fearful of the silence that stretched between them. He sat up before opening them again, and found that his lips had collided with her cheek. Neji didn't back away. TenTen's eyes fixed a spot on the floor.

"I'm not happy about it."

Neji's lips didn't leave their spot on her face, "I know," he murmured against her cheek, "I'm sorry."

"But I guess it can't be helped."

He was feeling hot all of sudden, the night robe was too tight, too heavy. His mouth made a brief course towards her jaw, grazing the skin underneath, exhaling trails of warm breath against it, "If it helps lessen your grudge, these kids yesterday were making fun of him. They mocked him for not having a mother, called Lee a monster – said bad things about you too. Seemed like it had been going on for a while, the bullying."

"Metal never told me anything," TenTen was looking him in the eyes now, she no longer smiled, nor was she angry.

Neji's index finger traced her jawline, his other hands snaked around her waist to pull her closer, "It's not your fault. Some kids are just plain stupid. Probably Metal never told you about it because he didn't want to worry you."

TenTen rested her head against the bend of his shoulder, "I taught my son differently."

Neji pulled them both back down to lay on the futon, a small revenge against Metal claiming the spot next to her in her bed last night.

TenTen's body easily molded against Neji's frame, "I always recommended that he tell me everything. I'm his mom, I'll always be here for him! Ah -" she sighed, "I guess he's growing up."

Neji gave a gentle squeeze around her chest, "I guess so."


Neji stood in front of Metal's school, his byakugan active occasionally to spy inside the walls. He wasn't there to pick up his kid like a good parent, he was there to study his enemy. That's what Neji was good at. Studying. Studying difficult situations and finding a way to deal with them. He was supposed to do it in secrecy, but it was hard to go unnoticed after coming back to life, people kept ogling up the branch where he'd crawled so eventually he decided to come down and settle on a bench. People still ogled, someone would sit next to him from time to time and ask him how he was doing. Maybe ask him to shake hands. Thank goodness the street was crowded today. Metal was for the most part a diligent kid, except a few minutes before class ended he stared out of the window. Neji followed his eyes, what was he looking at? There wasn't much in his range of vision. But the Neji saw it, past the trees. Could Metal be looking at his house? TenTen was outside hanging the laundry. Neji's head twisted back to where Metal was sitting. A branch cracked behind him, the sound wear barely discernible from the soft noises that people made in the street, but Neji's back straightened and he became all the more attentive. The black figure hidden in the trees at his back jumped down in the street. TenTen's words flashed through his mind. Should you see Sasuke around, don't kill him. Neji deactivated his byakugan, even then he could feel the sneaky glances Sasuke stole at him. There was a rumble of feet, a number of voices grew louder and louder until the school doors finally burst open releasing a flow of kids. One girl came running forward. "Dad!" She yelled. Sasuke took a step in her direction, arms spread open and he was smiling and – Oh. Neji couldn't help but twist his head and stare openly. Sasuke squeezed the girl in a hug, she made a choking sound but seemed to laugh her head off the next moment. The view was ironic to say the least. Sasuke was an accomplished ninja and also an accomplished father. And Neji, who in past had claimed up and down that he wanted to defeat Sasuke, was a failure at everything. He never beat Sasuke into a fight, and neither could he get along with one kid. Sasuke caught him staring, their eyes met. Suddenly a noise stole Neji's attention, even without the byakugan he could see it. Those bullies from last night had cornered Metal again, he was flattening against the side of the building, one boy grabbed his backpack and pulled him. Before he knew it, Neji was standing up, making his way to the side of the school.

"I thought I said to get out of my -" Neji started. The boy gripping Metal's backpack yanked the kid forward, his friend tripped him. Neji went tumbling down on his rear. The bullies stared at him stunned.

"We're sorry -" they frantically backed away, "We didn't see you sir."

Neji blinked, looked down, Metal was a jumble of limbs in his arms. Oh. Neji thought, Metal stirred, an attempt to regain balance. Oh, he was warm and soft, and so small compared to Neji, he could easily hold the kid without even noticing. His gut trembled for a split second. What a weird sensation. The bullies had run away, Neji was only vaguely aware of them disappearing from the street into the trees. But then again, Metal helped him get back into reality when he looked up. Neji recognized this hate, it was the same way he'd looked at his uncle for many years after his father passed away.

"You – again!" Metal yelled. He stood up, shaking the dirt from his clothes like he had to clean himself of Neji's presence somehow. "I don't want your help! Just leave me alone!"

Neji pointed a finger at him, "You will listen this time, young man -"

"No, you listen."

Neji cursed under his breath, this kid! The nerve he had. Neji noticed the way his eyes shone, he looked on the verge of tear again. For god's sake, this kid was his son and he would listen! "I'm your father. Whether you like it or not you'll do as I say. Now you'll go home and -"

Ah, damn it. What the hell did Neji say wrong this time? Metal's face was streaked by rivers of tears, his fists tight on both sides of his body. "You're not my father," he sobbed, "Where were you when we needed you? Mom and I? You left us alone all these years and now you come back and pretend you care about us."

Neji crossed his arms, "I was dead, you know?"

Metal hastily rubbed his tears away with the back of his hand, "Then maybe you should have stayed that way."

He hurried off, but Neji didn't follow him this time. Instead, Neji sighed. His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. He could understand the kid's feelings, he even sympathized with them. It had taken years for Neji to find it within himself to forgive his uncle, would it take years for Metal to forgive Neji? Could Metal actually forgive him in end? Neji regretted dying. He regretted giving up the chance at a future with TenTen, but what could he had done? He did the right thing with his sacrifice. He didn't particularly want this kid, but TenTen would be so happy if he did. And what the hell was the awkward warmth he'd felt when Metal had tumbled in his arms? Ah, he was just so confused. A hand dropped on his shoulder and Neji's head suddenly snapped up. He turned around to find Sasuke standing behind him. The young girl that was with him, his daughter, was nowhere to be seen now. Sasuke nodded up towards a roof above them. "Let's talk a bit."