The two women sat together, looking everywhere but at each other. Finally, with an inelegant sigh, Tsume tried again. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for supper?"
Haruno Tanshi pasted a blatantly false smile on her lips and raised the tea cup. "No, no. Since the young couple won't be joining us, I hardly see the point. The tea has been … lovely, but I don't want to intrude."
A loud snort from Kuromaru drew a frown from the pink haired matron. Tanshi stared at the nin-dog suspiciously, as if she suspected he knew he was being rude, and was doing it on purpose. She opened her mouth to ask, pointing at the eye-patch wearing dog.
Inuzuka Hana knew beyond a doubt that her mother's nin-dog was indeed being rude and decided to intervene quickly. She hurried forward with a plate of appetizers and smiled. "Something light, perhaps?"
The pink-haired woman frowned, her thoughts interrupted as she stared at the Inuzuka heiress. Her soft green eyes belied the sharpness of her look as she peered at Hana speculatively. "You're not married yet, are you?" Her voice made it less a question and more a statement of certainty. As if she doubted any male would be interested in such a kunoichi.
Hana stiffened, but managed to keep her temper. Tsume growled, or Kuromaru did, either way it sounded threatening.
Hand to her chest and with wide frightened eyes, Sakura's mother turned to stare at the duo, her mouth gaping a bit.
Tsume chuckled. "You look like a fish like that."
Green eyes narrowed. "At least I dressed decently for this. Some of us take our social responsibilities seriously."
Hana sighed and backed away. No need to inform the poor civilian woman that THIS was dressed up for Tsume. The jounin uniform was clean and pressed and as far as Tsume was concerned, was completely appropriate attire.
"Your daughter is a kunoichi." Hana said softly, pointing out the obvious. She put the tray of appetizers down on a side table, then shooed away the Haimaru triplets, her own three nin-dogs, who were eyeing the food with unabashed doggie lust.
Haruno Tanshi stood, wiping away non-existent crumbs or wrinkles from her expensive dress. She did not respond.
"In fact, don't her mission paychecks help pay for your quite lovely outfit there?" Hana continued, ignoring Tsume's smirk of encouragement.
Drawing a deep breath, Tanshi looked at both women haughtily. "My daughter, against my better judgment, has chosen a career path not suited for young ladies of quality. I'd hoped she'd grow out of it, but …"
"But she's seeing my son." Tsume said blandly, settling back into her seat as she crossed her arms. "That's got to hurt."
"Yes, well …I'm sure your son is a quite amenable fellow. Sakura thinks highly of him." Tanshi allowed, then waited until Tsume began to relax before continuing. "Then she thought highly of that Uchiha fellow for a while too. See how well he turned out."
Tsume didn't jump to her feet, she moved slowly, but the anger rushing out of her was apparent as Kuromaru whined and Tanshi backed up a few steps.
"Now, now. We need to get along. This is for Kiba and Sakura and isn't about us at all." Hana tried to interject. "We need to think about them."
"What does a kunoichi with no boyfriend and no future know about anything? Do you even have a date for the Winter Festival tomorrow? Don't you tell me that I'm not thinking about my daughter! I want a better life for her than this!"
Tsume growled again, this time flashing fangs. "You don't want your kunoichi daughter dating a shinobi? Or is it just Inuzuka males you object to? Would you rather see her with a Hyuuga perhaps?"
Tanshi narrowed her eyes on Tsume. "The Hyuuga clan at least knows how to entertain properly! And how to dress." She turned to Hana. "Really dear, you need to look more feminine if you hope to catch any sort of husband. No one will look at you when you dress so manish."
The Inuzuka clan leader snarled. "Perhaps it's not our males you object to, only our females. You seem to have a problem with … kunoichi?"
Tanshi flinched on that last word.
There was a knock on the door and Hana hurried to answer it. She hoped it was a summons to go on a mission, or a veterinary emergency, or … or anything to get her out of this mess. And why did it sting so much that Sakura's mother had been right? She didn't have a date for tomorrow's festival. In fact, she'd not been out since her relationship with Iruka had fizzled. Nothing harsh, it just hadn't worked out. Had that really been over three months ago?
Opening the door, Hana paused and blinked. "Yes?"
Neji looked at her and nodded. "Kiba and Sakura wanted me to come and explain their note and why they couldn't come to dinner."
Hana eyed the youth speculatively, then grabbed his arm and yanked him inside as she slammed the door shut. "Play along and I'll make it worth your while."
Neji's pale eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
"Want off the 'undateable' list?" Hana asked bluntly.
"Yes." He nodded, though cautiously. What did she want him to do?
o.o.o.o.o
Matsuri was waiting outside the medical hospital for the two Suna chuunin kunoichi to be done. After that she was to escort them back to the scene of the 'crime' and have them help with the clean up and re-decorating efforts.
"My lovely desert bloom! You look so sad, that is no way to look in the prime of your life."
Lee's voice startled her out of her musings and she flashed him a grin, though it was less than heartfelt.
Rock Lee noticed the difference immediately and grabbed her hand, spinning her in a wide circle. "Ah Matsuri, dove of the desert and rose blossom of the sand, what must a man do to make that smile shine like the heavens?"
Pulling away proved difficult, but Matsuri finally stopped spinning long enough to grab Lee's hand and lead him to a bench beside the hospital's entrance. "Lee? Do you mean those? Those things you call me?"
Lee's smile nearly blinded her as he threw out his arms. "How can you doubt my sincerity? I mean all that I say and say all that I mean. You are the loveliest …." He stalled as she put her fingers gently against his lips.
"No. Lee? You say those kinds of things to a lot of people."
The dark-haired youth started to speak, but she put her fingers against his lips again. He caught her wrist, and she caught his with her other hand.
"Lee! LISTEN FOR A CHANGE!" Matsuri basically yelled in his face.
Shocked, Lee started to answer, saw her eyes narrow and swallowed what he was about to say. Torn with the need to respond, he finally nodded emphatically.
"This is a challenge, Lee." Matsuri scolded him as he stiffened, coming to attention. "Your challenge is not to speak until I give you leave to do so. If you fail, you will have to run 500 laps around Konoha. Understood?"
This time Lee smiled as he nodded.
Matsuri sighed and stared at him a moment, then reached up and brushed an errant hair back into his trade-mark bowl cut. She gave him a sweet smile and Lee smiled in return, his mouth opening. "Ah, ah, you can't fail in this challenge just yet." She chided gently.
Lee groaned, then slapped both of his hands over his mouth looking horrified.
She grinned and chuckled. "No, that won't count against you."
He sighed happily, then slapped his hands over his mouth again looking at her with wide eyes.
Matsuri shook her head as she tried not to laugh. "You are so dear, do you know that?"
Lee looked shocked, then shrugged.
"No, of course not. You have no clue how wonderful you are." Matsuri then sighed as he thumped his chest. "No, I know you know you're a great shinobi. What I mean is, you don't know what a wonderful person you are."
Lee shook his head, not getting it. He held up both hands in surrender.
Pursing her lips, Matsuri reached out and traced the line of his cheekbone. "There are two silly twits in the hospital today. Fangirls of Gaara's who couldn't see that he has no interest in them."
He looked at the hospital door, then back at her.
"Yes, I was one of them." Matsuri confessed. "But at least I knew that Gaara wasn't interested in me. I just figured that as long as he wasn't interested in anyone else, one day he might turn to me. You see, I admire him a lot."
Lee thumped his chest, smiling though his eyes were serious.
"Yes, I know you admire him too, but not like I did. No don't argue with me." She admonished him as Lee grabbed her shoulders. Sighing, he let her go.
"Lee? I'm staying in Konoha for a while. To teach at your Academy here."
He nodded. He'd already known that.
Matsuri continued. "I'm staying because I like you."
Lee smiled big and nodded.
"No Lee. Not just like. I really LIKE you. In the way a girl likes a boy." She explained.
Lee's eyes widened and she nodded, unembarrassed.
"I know you call me endearments, and I know you like me, but what I want to know …" Here she finally stalled and could no longer meet his eyes, she turned to stare at the ground. "What I want to know …."
A strong hand caught her shoulder and she raised her eyes back up to his. His misty eyes filled with emotion. But was this because he returned her feelings? Or because he didn't and he felt sorry for her?
Taking a great big breath, Matsuri caught one of his hands and put it on her own cheek. "I'll give you a choice. Lee? You can run 500 laps around Konoha, or you can kiss me."
A long pause followed, one in which the lack of a response finally stained Matsuri's cheeks a rosy red.
Lee coughed, then he swallowed, finally he broke the silence. "Can't I do both?"
Matsuri choked, then chuckled as she shook her head. "Only you, Lee. Only you would think like that."
o.o.o.o.o
"Thanks, Shino." Ino murmured as she reached for the garland strand he was holding for her as she weaved some extra flower stems into the arrangements.
Receiving no answer from the quiet Aburame was no surprise, but not getting the garland strand placed in her had was surprising. Looking up, she didn't see hide nor hair of a certain bug ninja.
TenTen grinned and picked up the fallen strand, handing it to a puzzled Ino. "You don't see Temari anywhere around either, do you?"
The blond looked startled a moment, then cast a glance around to where Temari had been clearing out debris. Happily, the debris was gone. But then again, so was the wind kunoichi as well.
A slow smile teased TenTen's lips. "So. One bug ninja and one Sand lass missing? That's interesting, yes?"
Ino nodded, trying to hide her own smile as she deadpanned. "Not as interesting as the fact that you're wearing one of Temari's outfits. Care to explain that?"
Two seconds later TenTen was across the road helping Kankuro hang fresh lanterns.
Ino grinned widely. "No, I didn't think you wanted to explain that one."
o.o.o.o.o
"Neji apologizes for running late." Hana exclaimed brightly as she nearly pushed the Hyuuga prodigy into the room.
Tanshi straightened her shoulders. "I'm afraid I must be going."
Hana kicked Neji, who frowned sharply. "I do apologize for running so behind this evening. I certainly meant no disrespect."
As the young Hyuuga turned on the charm, Tsume frowned over at her daughter. Hana ignored her.
"I was not aware that you would be joining us for supper." Tanshi stated, relaxing a bit under the smooth manners of the Hyuuga.
"My fault." Hana jumped in, seeing that Neji was at a loss for an appropriate lie. "He's been tied up with family business and I was unaware that he'd rescheduled some things just so he could be with me tonight." Hana smiled and ran a nervous hand over her pony tail. "And tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Tsume asked, settling back to watch the show all while wondering just what in the hell was going on.
"Tomorrow." Neji said it like a statement, but his pale eyes pinned Hana with the unspoken question. This was the first he'd heard of 'tomorrow'.
"Ah, the Winter Festival." Tanshi smiled brightly. "I'm afraid I owe the young lady an apology. I had no idea she had such an illustrious date for the festival."
"Me neither." Whispered Tsume, greatly amused to watch both Neji and Hana squirm. Luckily Sakura's mother didn't catch their uneasiness.
"Neji was just explaining that Sakura and Kiba aren't merely 'delayed' as their note said." Hana rushed in to turn the conversation. "They got into a spot of trouble with a fight in town and have to clean up the mess."
Tanshi sniffed in derision. "Oh?" She infused the one word into a lengthy judgment on Kiba and how much of a trouble maker he must be.
"Yes." Neji's mouth twitched. "Sakura beat a couple of Suna kunoichi something fierce, but she's helping to clean it all up. Kiba volunteered to stay and help her even though he wasn't involved."
Tanshi's face fell as Tsume laughed outright. "She's got more spunk than I first thought. Come on. Is it that bad that your daughter is a kunoichi? Or that she's interested in a shinobi?"
Sakura's mother sighed and shook her head. "I …I just want her to be safe. And ninja …they're in danger all the time."
Tsume sighed and let all her anger float away. "I forget you're a civilian. Look. Sakura's made a choice in her life. You raise children to think for themselves, then when they make choices you don't agree with it becomes …."
The two women disappeared into the kitchen together, their voices fading.
Neji turned his pale eyes on Hana who cringed inwardly. "Tomorrow? You're my date for the Winter Festival?"
Hana nodded unapologetically. "Sorry, I just needed to show that woman that I could get a date if I wanted. And even a Hyuuga at that. How perfect that you showed up when you did?"
"And fell into your trap." He responded dryly
"Trap? Oh come on." Hana protested. "Like I could set a trap for someone I didn't even know was coming by."
Neji shrugged, conceding that point at least. "So, this date is the way to get me off the 'undateable' list?"
"Yep."
Neji considered that for a long moment, before shaking his head negatively. "Not enough."
Hana drew up and flashed him an irritated look. "What else?"
"Kisses." Was the surprising answer.
A chuckle escaped her before she caught on to the fact that he was in deadly earnest. She watched his stoic face a moment, realizing that he wasn't joking. "You can't mean that. Look, it's only a pretend date."
"No. If I'm seen escorting you to the Festival, but not the family luncheon, then it's not a real date and everyone will know its fake." Neji lied smoothly.
"Family luncheon?" Hana swallowed heavily. Did she have anything that she could wear to such an event? "Look, I'm an Inuzuka. We're not used to your lofty positions."
Neji nearly choked. "Are you kidding? I'm branch family. It only looks lofty from the outside, I assure you."
"Branch or not, you're still a Hyuuga."
"So they tell me." Neji sighed, then looked toward the kitchen. "Look. You need a date, I need to learn how to kiss and …"
"EXCUSE me?" Hana sputtered. "Now I know you're pulling my leg. Like you'd need any help like that."
His pride slightly mollified, Neji quirked an eyebrow at her. "TenTen said when she kissed me it was like kissing her brother."
Hana paused, studying him. "You're trusting me with a juicy bit of prime gossip." She pointed out to him, just in case he'd missed that point.
Neji smiled finally. "You tell on me, I tell on you. I'm on the 'undateable' list. You just couldn't find anyone to date. Which is worse?"
She hissed at him. "Low strike there, you're a snake."
"A snake you'll be kissing tomorrow." He reminded her drolly. "If you agree to the terms that is."
Hana thought about it, then eyed him. Kissing the Hyuuga jounin wouldn't be a hardship, and she did need the date. At least to show up Sakura's witchy mother. She sighed heavily. "Fine. Whatever. I get a date. You get beginner kissing lessons." She couldn't resist teasing him.
Neji's pale-eyed gaze narrowed dangerously on her as she swept by him toward the kitchen where Tsume and Tanshi's voices were rising once more. Beginner lessons indeed. Bah.
o.o.o.o.o
Shino blinked his eyes as Temari stared into them. Slowly she reached out and snagged his sunglasses, baring his melting chocolate gaze.
"We can't just leave …" He began.
"Watch me." She retorted quickly.
Shino looked into her teal colored eyes as they bore into his own. His were the first to break as he looked to one side.
Temari hit him in the chest.
The bug-nin fell against the wall with a 'thud' as she stalked up to him. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" She poked him in the chest with one finger.
Shino caught her finger as his dark eyes started to snap with growing temper. "What's wrong with you?"
"No!" Temari screeched. "No, you are NOT turning this around on me. We were fine, then this fight happened and then …you're ignoring me? Turning from me? What? The poor manners of my brother's fangirls got you thinking that all Suna kunoichi are crazed?"
Shino looked pointedly at her as she backed off, realizing that pushing him into a wall wasn't exactly proving she wasn't 'crazed'.
"So what is it?" She demanded hoarsely. "Why the cold shoulder all of a sudden?"
"HEY YOU TWO, GET BACK OVER HERE!"
Better than a cold bucket of water was Shizune's demanding shout. Shino flashed an apologetic look and whispered 'later' to her as he grabbed his sunglasses with one hand and her hand with the other and led her back to work.
Against her better judgment, Temari allowed herself to be pulled back toward the others in the clean-up crew. Shizune stood there with a shame-faced and bandaged duo of Suzue and Harumi. Temari ignored them, focusing instead on Shizune. "Where's Matsuri?" She asked.
Shizune laughed secretively and shook her head. "I let them off the hook."
"Them?" Shino asked, puzzled. Matsuri was one person, so who was 'them'? And why did they get out of this clean-up crew?
o.o.o.o.o
Sai lay replete and gloriously nude on the bed as he sketched.
Anko padded back from the kitchen, also nude and smiling happily. She handed Sai a snack as a wild shout of glee from outside startled them both.
Mitarashi shrugged in response to Sai's unspoken question. Ignoring her lack of clothing, she peered out her window blinds. "It's Lee."
More shouting from the street had Anko laughing.
"What's he doing?" Sai asked, not bothering to get up and look.
Anko grinned as she watched Lee and a laughing young woman. "Cartwheels. In between kisses it seems."
Sai just shook his head and continued to sketch.
The spiky-haired jounin sauntered over to the bed and crawled over next to him, blowing into his ear. "Again?" He asked happily, pushing away his sketch pad.
Anko purred. "Let's see what I can do to inspire cartwheels in you."
o.o.o.o.o
Sorry for the delay in updating, I hope to be writing more consistantly soon. Hope you enjoyed this chapter though! Reviews are always nice to get ... LOL!