Thank you to everyone who waited for the new chapter. I had some health problems I had to deal with that delayed this longer than I had wanted.

As promised, I also want to mention a new blog I am starting. It's focus will be on world-building (secondary worlds or AU). It will have technique for creating, analysis of existing worlds, and critiques of successful or unsuccessful creations. Pretty much if it relates to world-building somehow, it's free game. I'm, still looking into Patr eon, so keep an eye out at the blog for that. The address is (with no spaces, of course) womanintheredroom . wordpress . com Please head over there and follow.

Now, back to the chapter. As always, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.

Good days always started with pants. Pants meant Hyobe would take Shou out after breakfast and teach him a new kata or practice the ones he already knew. Shou loved doing that; it made him feel grown up like Neji and Hinata. Sometimes, Hyobe would take him into the village afterwards for tea and sweet dumplings, but only when Naomi was gone.

Kimonos weren't fun. Kimonos meant indoor play after breakfast. Indoor play meant he had to be quiet so he didn't bother Hizashi. No running through the halls or bothering the servants, just Shou and his nanny in his room. Sometimes kimonos meant Hizashi or Hyobe would come read to him or take him somewhere, but that didn't happen often enough to make Shou like kimonos.

Today was a pants day.

"Shou-sama, please stand still. You can't go out until you're dressed." Miki huffed, struggling to put the shirt over Shou's squirming arms.

Miki didn't understand what it meant to be a pants day. How could he stand still knowing he'd get to be outside all day? After a moment more, Miki finally got his shirt on, and while she discarded his nightclothes in the hamper, Shou snuck out the partially open door.

"Shou-sama!"

Miki's voice had already faded away as he found the room he wanted. He wasn't tall enough to reach the handle, but he'd learned how to bump and cajole his little hands between the sliding door and the frame enough to push it open.

"Papa!" he trilled, stopping just inside the door at what he saw. A smile grew bright and wide across his face. Pants days really were the best. "Mama! Mama's home! Mama's home!"

Naomi stood next to Hizashi, both half naked, though Shou didn't care. He noticed his parents sometimes helped each other get dressed, too. Shou ran up and leapt at Naomi, who deftly caught him in her lean arms. Only a bra separated him from Naomi's warm, soft skin, and after a moment Hizashi wrapped a kimono around her, Shou still contently tucked into his mother's embrace.

"You really need to teach him to knock before he enters," Naomi said, softly and without any reproach. "Or we need to get a lock for the bedroom."

"As clever as he's getting, he'd probably figure out how to get in anyway." Hizashi chucked and waved Miki away as he closed the door.

"I missed you, Mama," Shou said, having ignored their conversation in favor of being held.

She kissed the top of his head and rocked him gently to and fro. "I missed you, too. I miss everyone when I'm away: Papa and Neji and Hinata."

"And Grandpa?"

Naomi's mouth thinned. "Sure. Grandpa too. But don't you worry. I'm going to be staying in the village for a while."

Shou's eyes lit up. "No more away?"

"For a while, anyway." She glanced at Hizashi. "I've asked Hokage-sama for some missions in the village or close by. He's getting so big and I feel like I'm missing out on all of it. I was there every step of the way with Neji and Hinata."

"She agreed?"

Naomi nodded. "Barring any exceptional need. It's not permanent, just to give me a chance to be with my family again for a bit."

Hizashi leaned in close and kissed Naomi in a way they only did in their room. "I'll never be disappointed you're home."

Shou was happy, too, though he was also a little disappointed. That meant Hyobe wouldn't take him for tea and sweet dumplings after training for a while.

"All right," Naomi said, hugging him one last time before setting him down and tying off the kimono Hizashi had covered her with. She waved Shou to follow as she headed to the door. "Let's go see if breakfast is ready and let Papa finish getting dressed."

Shou happily ran after his mother, clinging to the bottom of her kimono, though not her leg; Naomi scolded him, saying it was dangerous to hold onto her leg while she was walking.

Not only was breakfast ready, but Hinata and Neji were already there, talking near the table while they waited for the rest of the family to join them. All the family that was there ate together when they could. Unfortunately for Shou, a lot of times it was only one or two of them besides Hizashi and Shou. Everyone was so busy.

But today was the best pants day ever, because not only was Naomi home, but Neji and Hinata were, too. Shou released his hold on Naomi and ran as fast as his stubby legs could take him straight for his older siblings.

"Oniisama! Oneesama! Mama's home! Mama's home!"

"We see that," Hinata said, smiling bright as she hoisted Shou high into the air. At the peak, she dropped him, but Shou wasn't scared. This was the fun part, falling the few feet to Neji's easy catch. Shou fell into a fit of laughter. He loved having everyone home.

After a moment, Neji set him down at his place at the table so Naomi could give both of them a hug. "It's good to see you again, Mom. We weren't expecting you back for a couple more days. I hope your mission went well."

"Surprisingly easy. It was a little unsettling at first, but none of us were going to complain about getting home early." Naomi waved the others to the table while they waited for Hizashi to join them. "How long are both of you home for?"

Both shrugged. "I've just gotten back as well," Hinata said. "I've got a couple days off now. Kiba-kun, Shino-kun and I are going to visit Kurenai-sensei today—she said she had something to tell us—then train probably."

Neji nodded. "I've been home for a bit now, but with everything going on with Akatsuki, I think Tsunade-sama's nervous about sending us out on anything below A-rank. Tenten and I have plans this afternoon, but otherwise I'm free."

"Will you train with me after supper?" Shou piped in. He normally didn't care about all their conversations—it didn't make much sense to him—be Neji was hardly ever free, so he needed to take advantage of it.

Neji ruffled Shou's short hair. "Sure."

"Why don't we take him out to the pond and show him how you used to train me?" Hinata said with a smile that wasn't quite the same as her normal smile. Shou couldn't tell why yet, he was too small to understand, but he knew it was different.

"Really? Both of you!" This was the best pants day ever!

"Why don't we have a picnic by the pond for supper instead?" Hizashi said as he entered the room. "We all might as well enjoy everyone being home."

"That sounds like a lovely idea," Naomi said.

Shou arched back to watch Hizashi's upside-down figure move to the table and earned a gentle swat from his mother to sit up straight. "Can Grandpa come, too?"

Something strange always happened to his family when Shou mentioned Hyobe, though he didn't yet have the words to describe it. He just called it radish face, because it looked exactly like the face he got when he found radishes in his food. Shou hated radishes. He never understood why they looked that way for Hyobe. He loved Hyobe.

"We'll see if Grandpa is not busy then," Hizashi said as he sat down on the other side of Shou.

Shou pouted a little. Hyobe was always busy. Even when it was only Shou and Hizashi home and the table was much too big and empty, Hyobe was always too busy for mealtime.

Naomi stroked his cheek with the back of her fingers. "Maybe we can go out for dessert after you and Neji and Hinata finish training."

"Really?!" He tackled his mother in a big hug from his seat, all his frustrations forgotten.

"Both of you better be home on time for supper," she said, eyeing Neji and Hinata. "No excuses."

"Yes, Aunt Naomi," Hinata said. Neji merely nodded and waved her concerns off, his mouth full.

Naomi began filling his plate as she always did when she was home. Hizashi did it otherwise, but when Naomi was there, Shou knew she'd make up his plate. He cuddled up next to her side as she reached across the table; he loved having his mother home.

Breakfast hadn't been so noisy in months and Shou loved every minute of it. Neji and Hinata left first, having to meet up with their teammates—Shou wondered what they did all the time when they left; he'd only ever seen restaurants outside the compound, and surely they didn't eat all the time—but Naomi and Hizashi quickly brought him back to the table and he quickly returned to the simple euphoria of being between his doting parents.

Suddenly, they both went quiet, which made Shou pop up from his seat. They only acted like that for one reason. "Grandpa!" He barreled into his grandfather's legs tugging happily at the bottom of his kimono. "Mama's home! And Oniisama's home! And Oneesama's home! And we're having a picnic and you'll come, too, right?!"

Hyobe was quiet as he took in the silent faces behind the bubbling boy. "Unfortunately, I don't think I can. Have fun, though. And I've told you before, you need to call her Hinata-oneesama."

"Yeah, Oneesama."

Hyobe's face drew tight. "Hinata-oneesama."

"Yeah, Oneesama." Shou snickered, which joined the subdued laughter of his parents. Hinata told him to always answer Hyobe like that when he tried to change what Shou called her. But Shou couldn't tell him. It was their secret game.

Hyobe sighed and turned his attention to Naomi, who quickly sobered up. "I'll be taking him for his morning lessons unless you have other plans while you're home."

Hizashi waved them off. "Naomi will be home for some time now. Go on and take him. It will give us a chance to catch up."

Shou turned around in time to see Hizashi steal Naomi's hand from her lap, and a funny smile formed on both their faces. It was a weird smile he only saw on some adults, not all of them. He saw it once on Neji when Tenten came to visit, but he covered it up quickly when they entered the room. Maybe he should ask Hyobe what it was.

"Come along," Hyobe said, leaving the room without another word. Shou ran and gave his parents a hug before following.

Hyobe directed him to one of the small training fields in back of the main house and took a seat on the porch. Shou jumped down to the ground and stood in front of him, rocking back and forth on his heels as he waited for Hyobe to tell him what to do. He only knew two katas so far, but one was long and he didn't always remember it from beginning to end. Hyobe never got mad at him though, even if he had to show him the whole kata over again.

"Can I learn a new kata? I wanna learn a new one. I really, really do."

Hyobe took him by the hands, which calmed his bubbling energy a little. "Before we start, I need to talk to you about calling Hinata oneesama instead of using her name. It's important you remember that she's not your sister; she's your cousin and one day she'll be your clan head. You will not be allowed to be so familiar with her when that happens."

"Oneesama says to call her Oneesama."

"And I've had this talk with her, as well. She shouldn't be encouraging you. You may live here, but you are branch family, like your parents and Neji, and she is main family. When she is made clan head, all of you will have to show more deference." Hyobe paused at Shou's confusion. "Deference means you won't be able to talk to her like family anymore, especially in front of other members of the branch family. It's best for you to get used to that now."

Shou looked down, the toe of his sandal digging into the loose dirt. "But Oneesama says I'm her little brother and I should remember that."

Hyobe's face thinned into the same radish face everyone else had earlier. Before he could say anything more, Shou pointed at his sour expression. "Why does everyone look like that when I want you to come to dinner? Isn't that a bad face? I don't make a bad face. Why do they make a bad face?"

Sighing, Hyobe ran a hand over Shou's black hair. "You like your nanny, Miki, right?

Shou nodded, confused at the change of subject.

Hyobe continued, unfazed. "You like your parents and Neji and Hinata, too, right?"

Shou nodded again.

"Do you like them all the same? Or do you like your parents more than Miki? Do you like Neji and Hinata the same way you like your parents?"

Shou fixed his expression into his thinking face and considered the question as best he could at his age. He definitely liked his parents way more than Miki; nothing beat Hizashi reading to him before he went to bed at night or the excitement he felt when Naomi was home. His parents definitely won that. And he idolized Neji and Hinata, but not like he did with his parents. He wanted to grow up to be like them, and when they were around, it was more playful. So he supposed it was a different kind of love.

"They're all different," he finally concluded with a firm nod of his little head.

Hyobe chucked to himself. "We all have different relationships with different people, including me. With you, I'm more your Grandpa than the former clan head, but with Hinata and Neji, I have to be more of a clan head than a grandfather. They don't like that as much—your parents don't like it either—but that is what I need to be with them to prepare them for their futures."

"They don't like you?" he asked, trying to make sense of everything Hyobe said.

"Not in the way you do. They respect my position in the family."

"But I want them to like you, then we can all eat together and have fun together and no one would get the bad look on their faces."

Hyobe turned away for a moment, his face drawn like Shou's when Naomi had to leave. "I wish we could be like that, too, but we all make sacrifices for the clan. This is mine." He brushed the hair from Shou's forehead. "You'll make yours soon enough. We must always do what's best for the clan."

Shou looked away, pouting. This wasn't supposed to happen on pants day. He was supposed to be happy on pants day.

Hyobe stood up, glancing around as if someone was watching. "Why don't we skip morning practice and go into town for tea and sweet dumplings. But you must start calling Hinata, Hinata-oneesama. Understood."

"Yes!" Shou's face lit up and he jumped up and down next to his grandfather. This was a much better use of pants day. But, he thought, he'd still call Hinata Oneesama. She said he could, and Hyobe would eventually forgive him for the white lie.

Hyobe picked Shou up and headed for the main gate. "Don't tell your mother. It'll be our secret."

Naomi was waiting for them at the training yards when they returned, a tea stain on the front of Shou's shirt exposing what they'd done. Without any concern over the sour look on her face—far past the normal radish face she had around Hyobe—Shou ran up and hugged her leg.

"I thought you were training this morning," she said, not looking away from Hyobe.

Hyobe appeared calm as he always did with the rest of the family. "I decided to take him into the village for a while instead. There's still plenty of time for his lesson."

"You never allowed Hinata such a dalliance during her training." The smile Naomi wore seemed just a little mean to Shou, which didn't make sense. That must be what Hyobe meant by having a different relationship.

Hyobe's voiced turned cold. "Hinata was deficient in too much to dally at that age. Is there a reason you came looking for us?"

Naomi bent down and picked Shou up, holding him at an odd angle that made it hard to see Hyobe anymore. "Hizashi had to attend to his work, so I decided to come and take over Shou's lessons for the rest of the day. You are no longer needed here, Hyobe-sama."

Shou wished he could see his grandfather, because everyone got quiet and he couldn't tell what was going on. All he knew was Naomi looked angry. After a moment, Hyobe voice finally returned, saying goodbye to Shou, though Naomi continued to block him from seeing anything.

"Mama," Shou said when Naomi refused to let go of him. "Did we do something bad?"

Naomi's face softened and she planted a big sloppy kiss on his cheek. "You didn't do anything bad."

"Did Grandpa?" he asked, wiping his cheek off on her shoulder. "Is that why you had a mean face?"

Naomi sat down, adjusting her hold so that Shou sat in her lap facing her. "It's hard to explain why, but Grandpa treats you very differently than Neji or Hinata."

Shou smiled. He understood that. Hyobe explained it. "We have different rela . . .re . . .lay . . . ships."

"Relationships," she corrected. "Different can be good, and different can be bad, too. I'm very happy that you love your grandpa and want to spend time with him, but I'm also sad because that's not how Neji and Hinata feel. I wish they did, but Hyobe-sama doesn't treat them the way he treats you."

"And that's bad?" It seemed a lot simpler when Hyobe explained it.

"It's sad. And Grandpa knows I don't like it that he doesn't treat Neji and Hinata like he treats you."

Shou was quiet, thinking as hard as he could. He thought he understood. It was what Hyobe had told him, only that was a bad thing now. After a moment, he looked up at his mother. "Should I not be happy with Grandpa anymore?"

"Don't you think that," Naomi answered without hesitation. "You have as much fun as you want with your grandpa and be happy about it. Neji and Hinata wouldn't want you to get mad at him for them. That's my job as your mother."

Shou smiled. "Does that mean it's okay if I still call Oneesama Oneesama? Grandpa said I shouldn't cause she not my sister, but Oneesama says I can cause I'm her little brother. I don't get it."

Naomi pulled him close for a hug that wasn't as playful as the earlier kiss had been. "You're family. That's all that matters, so call her whatever you want to and don't you worry about what Hyobe-sama says. In a few years, Hinata will outrank him anyway."

"Will Oneesama not be family anymore when she's clan head?"

Naomi's eyes grew wide. "Why would you think that? Of course she'll be family."

"Grandpa said when she's clan head we can't talk to her like family no more."

The same angry expression she displayed earlier to Hyobe glared like fire at the house, as if she could see through the walls to something inside. "From now on you don't worry about what happens when Hinata is made clan head, and don't listen when anyone else tells you what you'll have to do. Hinata's opinion will be the only one that matters, and she'll tell you what to do then. Okay?"

"Okay," Shou piped happily. Hinata said he'd always be her little brother, and that was enough for him.

Gently pushing him from her lap, Naomi stood up and ushered him into the training yard. "Now, it's time you got to your practice. Why don't you show me how much you've learned while I was away."

Shou couldn't remember a better pants day. First everyone was home, then Hyobe took him into the village, then morning training with Naomi, lunch with his parents, and then Hizashi came out and read a story to him on the porch. And now it was time for a picnic supper and training with Neji and Hinata at the pond. Shou couldn't contain his excitement, especially after falling asleep during story time. He had far too much energy for all this waiting around.

"Where is Hinata? I told you two not to be late," Naomi said to Neji, as if he was somehow at fault.

"Her team's probably holding her up," he said. "Tenten and I barely escaped a run in with Lee and Gai on our way back."

Naomi swatted his arm. "Gai-sensei. You'd think you'd have learned to call him that by now."

"He was much more Gai than Gai-sensei today." Neji laughed at the stare burrowing into him from his mother. "Let's see you call a man sensei when he's walking on his hands screaming at the top of his lungs with a miniature version following behind."

Hizashi chuckled only to quickly cover it with a cough at the exasperation Naomi showed. "You should have invited Tenten to join us. We have more than enough food."

"I figured Mom wanted to keep this a family affair."

"Like I said, you should have invited Tenten," Hizashi said, grinning. Neji looked away, his face reddening.

Shou rocked back and forth on his heels. "Can't we go yet?"

"Once Hinata gets here. Why don't you show Neji what we worked on today while we wait?"

"No need. She's here." Neji pointed to the path leading from the main gate. After a second, his eyes narrowed. "Something's wrong."

Shou hadn't cared much about the adults' conversation up till now, but he was old enough to recognize the voice Neji used. It was what his father sounded like when he needed Shou to be quiet and pay attention because he had something important to say. Grabbing onto Neji's pants leg, Shou squinted the sunlight out of his eyes to see Hinata better. The only thing he noticed was she wasn't smiling. Hinata usually smiled unless Hyobe was around.

"Hinata, are you all right?" Naomi asked once Hinata was close enough to not scream.

"I'm fine . . . it's just . . . I can't stay for dinner. I'll grab something to take back with me."

"But you said we'd train," Shou grumbled, a pout firmly planted on his lips. This wasn't how the best pants day ever was supposed to end.

Hinata squatted down and gave him a little hug. "I know, but something terrible has happened, and I need to get back to my team." She looked up at the rest of her family. "Asuma-sensei . . . Asuma-sensei is dead."

"Sarutobi Asuma? How?" Hizashi said as the others all stared in silence. Shou had never seen anyone look like that, and he clung tighter to Hinata in response. Whatever dead was, it must have been very, very bad.

"Shikamaru-kun was there when we arrived at Kurenai-sensei's. He said it was the Akatsuki, like the ones that went after the Kazekage."

Naomi spoke next, her voice thick and slow. "How's Kurenai-sensei taking the news?"

Hinata stood up despite Shou's attempts to keep hold of her, forcing him to retreat to Neji. "She's still in shock, I think. The grief comes and goes."

"It will for some time, I'm sure."

Hinata wiped at her eye before any wayward tears could fall. "What makes it harder is she's pregnant. That's what she wanted to tell us today, that she wouldn't be working anymore until the baby was born."

Shou searched his family's faces confused. When Miki's sister was having a baby, Miki was happy for days about it, but when Hinata said that, a darkness seemed to mask his family's faces. He wanted to ask what was happenings, but Neji's hand settled atop his head and silenced him.

After a moment Naomi rallied in a way that Shou liked to call Mom mode. Her eyes were clear and her face set as if she could take care of anything. Picking up the large basket waiting on the porch, Naomi handed it to Hinata. "Sometimes all we can do it be there and help them keep going. Go ahead and take this back; we can get something else. She may not want to eat, but if she does, it should at least be a home-cooked meal."

"Let her know, if she needs anything, all she has to do is ask," Hizashi added.

Hinata smiled, but it was a wrong smile that made Shou's stomach tie up. "Thanks. Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, and I are going to stay with her tonight. We don't want her to be alone."

They waited as Hinata left as quick as she came, their dinner basket now in hand. Everyone stayed quiet, each looking at the other as if having a silent conversation he couldn't understand. Shou tugged on Neji's pants until his brother knelt down beside him. "What's dead?"

Neji looked at his parents, and Naomi came up behind Shou, gently turning him to face her. "Dead means that you never get to see them again." She placed her palm on his chest. "Their heart stops beating and their bodies look like they're asleep, but they won't ever wake up again. Hinata's parents are dead, and that's why we're here, because they can't ever come back. Asuma-sensei was Kurenai-sensei's husband, so she's very sad that she won't get to see him anymore."

Shou nodded. He'd be sad if his parents or Neji or Hinata or Hyobe never came home. "What makes you dead?"

"Most of the time it happens when you're very old, and you've lived a long, happy life, and you're ready for it. It's not something scary. But sometimes, like this, a person can get hurt so much they die before they're old and ready and those left behind hurt even more, in here." Naomi tapped his heart. "That's why Hinata needs to be with her, because having people who love you nearby can help with that pain. Do you understand?"

"I think so." When he missed Naomi a lot, he would go see Hizashi even if he wasn't supposed to. Shou figured it must have been something like that.

"Why don't we go into town for dinner?" Hizashi said, though his voice had none of the enthusiasm it normally did at that suggestion.

Naomi picked Shou up without him even asking, and carried him the entire way to the small restaurant. The fifteen minute walk was the quietest he'd ever known from his family; the shuffling of shoes and bystanders chatter was all that he heard. No one spoke again until the waitress arrived for their order.

"It's strange," Neji said, finally breaking the thick silence pressing down on the family. "Even though I'm jounin, it's still difficult to imagine one of the instructors that I grew up with is dead. I've faced Akatsuki, yet the idea that Gai-sensei could die feels unreal."

"You're fortunate to never have lived through a war," Hizashi said, glancing to Naomi who mirrored his terse expression. "We saw our friends die much younger. It's never easy."

Shou was busy following the grain in the wood table from one end to the other, half climbing into Neji's laps to continue his quest. But he listened. Hyobe told him to always pay attention when adults were serious, and they were very serious right now.

Neji placed a hand on Shou's head as he played next to him. "I wonder if they were coming for Naruto."

"Uzumaki Naruto? Why would they be after him?"

"They were after the tailed beast inside the kazekage, and Naruto's our village's jinchuuriki, isn't he?"

Shou looked up when his parents didn't answer. Their eyes were wide with shock. Hizashi searched the area nervously before speaking again. "How do you know that?"

A smug smirk touched Neji's lips. "I am considered a genius. Naruto's chakra never seemed right. He had too much; it was too powerful. And when he was trying to save Gaara-sama, there was understanding in his eyes. I couldn't figure out why at first, then I thought back to the way everyone acted around him when we were kids. How you wouldn't let Hinata be friends with him. It all made sense after that. He understood what it was like to be a jinchuuriki in a village that hated him."

"What's a jinchuu . . . jinchuu . . . riki?" Shou asked. He wasn't sure if he should, but his parents were quiet again after what Neji said, which confused him.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," Naomi replied quickly in her mom tone that said not to ask again. Now he was really confused.

"You should have trusted Hinata's instincts. I may not fully like Naruto, but he'd give his life for this village and his friends. He's a good shinobi."

"You don't remember that day the way we do," Hizashi said, his eyes cast low. "What we saw the Kyuubi do . . ."

"Naruto's not the Kyuubi, though." Neji didn't look up at his parents, but his voice was firm, like the way they would scold Shou. "You know Hinata never listened to you. She was always friends with Naruto at the academy. She just learned to be discreet about it. He's the one who found her that day at the academy when I didn't show up. Osamu told me he came all the way to the compound just to try and kick my ass for being a bad brother."

"You're not a bad big brother," Shou said with an angry pout that anyone should think so. "You're an awesome big brother!"

Neji grinned and ruffled Shou's hair. "Even awesome brothers can make mistakes sometimes."

"Parents can, too," Hizashi said with a sigh.

Naomi eyed her son curiously. "Don't tell me he's the one she . . ."

"Like I said, I don't completely like him."

"No wonder she never told me who it was. So you're telling us that you've been lying to us for the last ten years, knowing full well Hinata was doing something we told her not to."

Neji chuckled, an odd, nervous sound Shou wasn't used to from his confident brother. "I like to think of it as preserving her independence. After all, she might never have defied Grandpa if she hadn't done a few things she wasn't supposed to before. Besides, I knew Hinata wouldn't tolerate someone mean-spirited as a friend and Naruto always seemed like he needed a friend as much as she did. Now I know why."

"Have his feelings changed since his return?" Naomi asked, her voice more hesitant than normal. "I know he didn't see her romantically before, but I'd hate to think after all she's done to connect with the clan through the wedding it would all be ruined because of an old crush, especially Naruto. We're not the only ones who saw him that way; many still do, I'm sure."

Neji shook his head. "Naruto's dense. Good-hearted, but dense. He has no idea if he feels anything beyond friendship for her, and hopefully that'll be enough to keep him from making a fuss. No doubt he's already distracted by another mission and will forget all about it."

"You have a very strange opinion of Naruto," Hizashi said, his eyes serious as he looked at Neji.

"I respect him as a shinobi. He's skilled, determined, and loyal to his friends. As a person, he's an idiot who broke my sister's heart, and therefore I hate him on principle. It makes working with him very interesting."

Shou perked up at mention of something he sort of understood. "Did you heal it?" When they all looked at him confused, he added. "Oneesama's heart. I thought hearts were hard to heal, that's why you shouldn't aim there in practice."

All three of them laughed, which earned a confused scowl from Shou. Naomi reached across the table and took his little hand in hers. It didn't make up for laughing, but Shou enjoyed the warmth he felt inside anyway.

"Hearts are hard to heal, especially when you can't see the wound, but all of us helped her heal by loving her and supporting her until her heart wasn't so broken anymore. For some wounds in the heart, that's all you can do. That's what Hinata and her team are doing now for Kurenai-sensei, whose heart is very broken up right now."

Shou considered what Naomi said, thinking it through with his childish logic. "So Oneesama wasn't hurt . . ." He punched Neji's arm, which did very little, then placed him free palm on his chest where it hurt when he missed Naomi. " . . . she was hurt?"

Naomi nodded. "It's easy to hurt someone's heart that way. Not everyone has byakugan's insight to notice when someone's hurt, and even we Hyuuga can make mistakes." She looked at Neji. "We can want to help too much or not enough and end up causing someone pain. So we must always do our best to understand people, and if we fail, we need to try and make things right."

Shou was still thinking about what Naomi said when their food arrived, promptly distracting him from all seriousness of the evening. He tried to listen to their conversation, but his parents kept talking about people he didn't know, people who were "gone". Neji listened patiently through their stories; the name Sarutobi popping up between them both. Shou passed it off as none of his concern and went to work building a small battlefield between the vegetables and meat over the rice mountain until Naomi swatted at him across the table and forced him to eat his supper.

Spoilsport. The vegetables were about to win.

The walk home felt nothing like the journey to the restaurant. Relaxed, Naomi let Shou wander next to them freely, not trapped in her unsettled embrace. The silence was still there, but it wasn't heavy this time. Their faces were calm, content, and only a little bit sad.

When they were almost home, Shou hurried up to Neji and tugged on his leg. "Are we training now?"

He nodded and fluffed Shou's dark hair, and action Shou would never admit to enjoying. "Sure, we can still practice."

Two strong arms scooped him up from behind. "But you have to change first. You made quite a mess playing with your food," Naomi said.

Shou tilted his head back and grinned innocently. The guards at the gate bow their heads as the family entered, but instead of continuing on with Hizashi and Neji, Naomi paused. Shou dangled from her arms, kicking his feet a little at the delay.

"Has Uzumaki Naruto come by the compound in the past few weeks?" she asked.

The guards shifted in place. Finally, one nodded. "Once. He asked to see Hinata-sama. We didn't let him in, of course, but Hinata-sama did come out to meet him."

"That wasn't the first time you've seen him come by, was it?"

"It was, but you may want to talk to Isamu and Osamu if you wish to know more."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Naomi shook her head and laughed. "From now on, Uzumaki Naruto should be allowed the same liberties as the rest of Hinata's friends."

The guards' eyes grew wide, catching Shou's interest. "Naomi-sama?"

"Make sure the other guards know as well."

"Yes, Naomi-sama."

Shou squirmed in his mother's hold, trying to see what was happening silently between his mother and the guards, but nothing was obvious enough for him to make sense of it. Once they were a few seconds away from the gate, Shou twisted so he could see Naomi's face.

"Why'd you do that?"

"I told you, already. When you realize you hurt someone, you need to try and make it right." She kissed his bare forehead. "You'll understand when you're older."