Hi everyone, here's the next installment. I'm choosing to avoid many of my adult responsibilities presently and work on the story. I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story so far and I look forward to hearing what you think. PS: Don't get used to those 10k chapters.

Neji had just finished getting ready for the day. He left his room and headed towards the gates when he heard his name called. He turned to face the speaker and his muscles instantly tensed. Hiashi.

"I was hoping I could speak with you in private for a moment."

Neji nodded. "Yes, sir."

Hiashi led Neji into his office and closed the door. Hiashi often asked Neji to complete tasks for him, so the sight of the inside of his office was a familiar one. Based on his tone, however, Neji didn't think this was going to be the typical go-drop-this-off-for-me kind of conversation.

"It's been brought to my attention you've been spending more time than usual with the Tsukimori girl," Hiashi folded his arms and Neji nodded. It was a waste of time to deny it considering the whole family could see through walls.

"I understand the two of you are on friendly terms. Much of the family is comfortable with Miss Tsukimori, especially due to her close friendship and rescue of Hinata two years ago." Hiashi set his jaw. "But I must remind you of your responsibilities to this family."

Neji kept his voice even when he asked. "What responsibility are you specifically referring to, sir?"

"You are a well-known member of this family," Hiashi began. "You have demonstrated your prowess as a shinobi and are known throughout the village and beyond. Whether you were aware or not, you have been carefully observed by other clans since you were young."

Neji got a sinking feeling in his gut. He wasn't sure where this conversation was headed but it didn't bode well.

"There are several clans that have expressed an interest in marrying their children into our family, specifically marrying their daughters off to you," Hiashi explained. "I haven't burdened you with this information as I was concerned it might affect your ability to concentrate on your training. I feel now that you are secure enough to include you."

"Has a decision been reached, then?" Neji asked.

Hiashi shook his head. "I held off on taking any formal requests until recently. There are three promising candidates. One of the young women is from an offshoot of the Hyuga clan; the family is seeking to reestablish ties with us."

Neji's ears started ringing with the effort it took to contain himself. "How can I help?"

"Right now, the best thing for you to do would be to work on maintaining your image and good standing within Konoha." Hiashi's expression softened. "I apologize if that means curtailing your friendship with young Miss Tsukimori."

"Do we know when a decision will be made?" Neji asked, daring to speak out of turn.

If Hiashi was offended, he didn't show it. "Since the conversation has officially begun, I suspect it will take about two months to reach a consensus with the rest of the family elders."

Neji nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Hiashi dismissed him. Neji did his best to walk normally, not to let his shoulders slump or his feet drag, no matter how much he wanted to. This can't be happening. Neji knew that many of the marriages in his family were arranged; if it hadn't been for Hinata's "accident" with Naruto, then she would surely be in the process of being fought over by their own kinsman as well as clans far and wide. The family elders had protested the arrangement at first, but Hiashi had held strong. He did what was in the best interest of his daughter.

But Neji wasn't his son. As a member of the branch family, no matter how hard he worked or how much prestige he earned, it all belonged to the main family. Everything he did, his entire life was supposed to be spent furthering the glory of the Hyuga. He had no idea how he would tell Beki. After everything they had been through to be together, the pure bliss and relief of sharing their feelings and having them reciprocated, this would be devastating. Beki would feel completely betrayed, no, she would feel used after this. Now that Neji was sure Beki was his soulmate, both emotionally and physically, how could he ever pretend to love anyone else? The very thought made him sick. As Neji walked towards town, the burden on his mind quickly became a hindrance to his body. He stumbled from time to time, unable to see the road in front of him even though he was looking right at it. After walking for a while, how long he didn't know, Neji stopped and sat on a bench. He had no direction, no purpose, so it was pointless to keep going. He watched the people passing by without observing them: couples, children, families. They were all so happy, just another thing he would get to miss out on thanks to the unfortunate luck of his birth.

He felt something cold trickle down his neck but paid it no mind. The sensation grew more persistent but Neji was set on brooding. A snowball to the face finally stirred him from his daze with a shout.

"About time," Yuki folded her arms and scowled at him. "I've been talking at you for five minutes."

"I apologize," Neji brushed the snow from his face and hair. "I've received some bad news today and I'm afraid I'm a little preoccupied."

Yuki blinked, her eyes widening with concern. "What's up? Is everything okay?"

Neji looked away. The last thing he wanted to do was for Beki to find out through her mother. Then again, if he was going to break up with her, Neji should tell Yuki to keep himself from ending up impaled on an icicle later. "I…am apparently going to be married off. They haven't decided to whom yet, but Hiashi is already going through candidates."

"Ew," Yuki put a hand on her hip. "So you aren't allowed to marry outside your family then?"

Neji screwed up his face in disgust and shook his head. "No, that isn't it. We are; it just so happens that a lot of us end up marrying within the clan. I guess my success as a shinobi has drawn me some admirers."

"That and your pretty face." Yuki chucked his chin. "If my daughter were as pretty as you, I would have a lot more to worry about."

"That's a cruel thing to say about Beki," Neji swatted her hand away.

Yuki shrugged. "I don't mince words, Hyuga. My daughter is fine enough, but her lot was a warrior's. Softer features would have only caused her more pain."

Neji shook his head. "As I said, I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood for conversation right now."

Yuki looked off in the direction of the Hyuga compound. "Well, if you're allowed to marry outside the family, what do you think the criteria is for your brides-to-be?"

Neji shrugged. "A pedigree and resources, I'm sure. Either secret family techniques, a kekke genkai, wealth, power…who knows. We're all just meat to them."

Yuki tapped her fingers on her folded arms. "Well, I may not be good at this whole clans and propriety thing thanks to losing mine at such a young age, but I'm good at digging up skeletons. Let me go see what I can do about these spotless little virgins they're trying to set you up with."

Neji blinked. "You would…Yuki, are you saying you're going to help me?"

"Duh," She put a hand on her hip. "Do you think that Beki came running to your arms by accident? I approve of your relationship. I think the two of you are good for each other. So help me God, old world politics are not going to mess with my baby's future."

Yuki stepped back and started off down the path. "Don't look so sour. It'll ruin your pretty features and I need pretty grandbabies."

Neji held his tongue but shook his head. The woman was mad, but it would take madness to get him out of this.

…

Yuki tapped her pencil on the table, her coffee going cold beside her. Through equal measures eavesdropping, bribery, and good old fashioned research, Yuki had figured out the three candidates the Hyuga had lined up for Neji. All three girls came from good families with pedigrees as far as the eye could see. Each offered something different: wealth and prestige, merchant connections, or in the case of the best of the candidates, a set of secret family techniques and a kekke genkai.

If Yuki was going to make this happen for Beki and Neji, she was going to have to handle this like a lawyer and a salesman. She would need to present the case on why her daughter was the best candidate while also selling her, basically. If Yuki put her tendrils out a little further, it might be possible to dig up some dirt on the other girls. No one would have to look very far to find reasons why Beki was not old-established-clan-bride material. She was loud, at times combative, and prone to accidental public nudity. But Yuki, Neji, and even Hiashi couldn't deny she had a heart of gold.

Suddenly, something small but heavy plopped on top of her head. Yuki looked up while fishing out of her hair. She pulled out the small disc and glanced at it.

"Really, Kakashi? You're throwing coins at me?"

"Sorry, I didn't have any singles to tuck into your pants." He sat down across from her in the booth.

"Haha, I was a stripper for like two months. I get it." Yuki bounced the coin at him. "God knows what covers you've had to use for missions."

"I'm still active duty, so I can't really talk about it," Kakashi slid her coffee across the table and took a stealthy sip. "But I can tell you I was never an exotic dancer."

"Again, though, how effective was it?" Yuki said with her eyes glued to her research.

"Is this about that boba tea shop chain you're thinking of opening?" Kakashi glanced at the pile of hand written notes stacked beside her.

Yuki shook her head. "No, that's off the ground already. This is some personal business."

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "Care to share, or is this another vendetta you're plotting?"

"For your information," Yuki shot him an annoyed look. "Not all of my plotting ends in murder. Slander, perhaps. Blackmail, most likely. But not always murder."

"So what's going on, then?" He asked.

"Neji and Beki are finally dating," Yuki explained. "And now apparently they're getting ready to marry the boy off to one of three prim and proper little heiresses."

"Finally," Kakashi folded his arms. "It was painful watching those two."

"Right?" Yuki cocked her head. "Anyway, I'm trying to build a case for why Beki's better than all of them."

"Look at you, little tiger momma," Kakashi grinned.

"You should have seen me when they rejected Beki for the academy," Yuki gave him a dangerous smile. "They never saw me coming."

"She was rejected?" Kakashi blinked. "Did she not meet the minimum requirements or did you try to start her too young?"

Yuki shrugged. "There are a lot more politics in Getsu than here. Beki's dad pissed off a lot of the wrong people. Some of those people had friends at the academy." Yuki paused. "Hey, I've never asked you: do you want kids?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't think I would be a good father."

"Even though you've been dad away from dad with your students?" Yuki gave him a quizzical look.

"In case you haven't noticed I didn't exactly have the best winning streak with those three." Kakashi waved down the waitress and got his own cup of coffee. "I think it was you who pointed out it would take them a week to notice I was gone?"

"That's just teenagers in general." Yuki shrugged. "Not that I can speak from a lot of personal experience. Just, you know, general ideas."

"Do you want more children?" Kakashi asked.

Yuki bit her lip. "It's...hard for me. I never wanted kids in the first place. Beki was an accident. It was the happiest accident of my life but I thought the same thing, that I would be unfit as a mother. It was hell the first couple of years, dealing with the teething and the crying all the time," Yuki got a dreamy look. "But you know what? By the time Beki was five, she was her own little person. Had a personality, a sense of humor, worshiped me and her dad. It was...It was really nice. I never really got to have a family and then there's this tiny person clopping around in my heels and plastering her face with my lipstick because she wants to be just like me. It...softened me up a lot. I don't think you would have liked me before. It makes me really sad that I wasn't there for her. I looked forward to all of it, even the ugly tween years, and I missed out. I'd be happy with just Beki for the rest of my life but I would be lying if I didn't say part of me is curious to try again."

Kakashi was silent for a while. "I think you're a great mom."

Yuki gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you. I really try."

"I still think I wouldn't make a good father." Kakashi shook his head.

Yuki shrugged. "If I was wrong, you could be too." She slid one of the sheets of paper she was working on across the table to him. "Now tell me what you know about this family."

…

It was Beki's favorite spot in the woods. The stream was cool and clear and there was enough of a break in the trees that it got plenty of sunshine. There were big rocks to sit or nap on. Deer, rabbits, elk, and a rainbow of birds came to drink there, sometimes not minding people if they kept their distance. Neji was sitting on one of the rocks watching Beki wading in the water. He had no idea how she could stand it; this time of year the water was freezing. There she was, though, her pants rolled up to her knees, splashing around like a toddler in a puddle.

Neji hadn't brought up the marriage situation. Part of him hoped somehow the situation would resolve itself, that he wouldn't need to do anything at all and it would just go away. They had a few months, though. He really just wanted to enjoy his time with her, especially since it was going to be so limited. Next week, I'll tell her. Neji decided. But this week I just want us to be a normal, happy couple.

Movement in the underbrush caught both of their attention. Konohamaru burst out of the bushes, his skin covered in tiny knicks and brambles in his hair. "I've been looking for you everywhere, nee san!"

"Oh, sorry bud." Beki hopped on stones until she was clear of the river and safe on the grass.

Konohamaru glanced at Neji. "Oh, hi."

"Hi Konohamaru." Neji gave him a small wave. "What's up?"

He shrugged. "I was just going to ask Beki nee san something." Konohamaru faced her. "You know how you said you wanted to do something for me?"

"Yeah," Beki put her hands on her hips. "Did you think of something?"

Konohamaru nodded.

Neji laughed. "Did you burn off your clothes and had to borrow his?"

Beki shook her head. "I know that's your knee jerk reaction, that any time something happens its because I was naked in public," Beki reached out and ruffled Konohamaru's hair. He blushed at the contact, subtly leaning into her hand at her touch. "But Konohamaru saved my life during the Akatsuki attack."

Neji suppressed the urge to cringe. When he had found out how much danger Beki had been in during the attack, he'd been sick. If only I had been there, He had thought to himself a million times. "I owe you a thank you for taking care of her."

Konohamaru shrugged. "I'm a shinobi. Its my job to protect people."

"So what does the little man have in mind?" Beki folded her arms.

Konohamaru looked her dead in the eye, a small flush creeping into his face. "I want to go on a date with you."

Beki cocked her head. "Really? That's all?"

"Hear me out!" Konohamaru had apparently anticipated a much less receptive response. "I'm getting old enough that I'm going to start dating soon and I have no idea what I'm doing and-" He blinked in surprise. "Wait, are you saying yes?"

Beki shrugged and glanced at Neji. He gave her a small shrug in response and she nodded. "Yeah, why not? I'm your big sister, right? Who better to teach you how to treat a girl?"

Konohamaru stared at her, his jaw slightly open. He clamped it shut and shook his head to recover his cool "So, um, can I come pick you up at…" He looked at Beki. "When's a good time to ask a girl out?"

She chucked his chin. "When you're young, five or six is good. When you're my age, you can ask them out at seven or eight."

"Six, then?" Konohamaru tugged at his scarf self consciously.

"Yeah," Beki grinned. "I'll see you then."

Konohamaru nodded and walked back to the bushes, his confidence spent. He left much more quietly than he had come in. Once the rustling had died down, Neji shook his head. "He's brave."

"Braver than we are." Beki smiled. "He's a good kid." She turned her gaze on Neji and gave him a mischievous look. "Are you really okay with another guy taking out your girl?"

"Well first of all, he's fourteen. I don't think I have much to fear from him in the potential replacement department," Neji shrugged. "Besides, what can I say, he saved your life. I owe him one. If that means keeping my mouth shut while you guys go get burgers together and play at the arcade, so be it."

"Aw, you're sweet." Beki came over and sat on his lap. "You're a lot better with kids than I thought you were going to be."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Neji furrowed his brow but wrapped his arms around her waist.

Beki shrugged. "With me you're all, do this and don't do that and eat your vegetables!"

"Konohamaru can take care of himself," Neji poked her nose. "You on the other hand…"

"You ever think maaaaybe I might act so dumb so you'll come over and help me?" Beki shot him a sly smile.

"You manipulative little…" Neji shook his head and kissed her. "I should spank you."

"Later." Beki kissed him.

…

At six o'clock, there was a knock on the door of Hinata's house. Naruto had been in the living room training but was the closest, so he came into the kitchen and opened the door. Konohamaru was standing there as red as a beet, clad in a dress shirt, tie, and slacks. Naruto blinked. "Konohamaru? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Beki." Konohamaru exhaled at the sight of Naruto. "Is she ready?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and screwed up his face in confusion. "Huh? What, are you interviewing to be her secretary or something?"

"Is that Konohamaru?" Beki called down from the stairs.

"Yeah," Naruto scratched his head.

"I'm coming." Beki could be heard descending the stairs and Konohamaru stopped breathing again.

"What's the deal Kono-" Naruto stopped dead.

Beki came downstairs in a light gray cabled sweater dress that was just long enough to get away with not being a shirt and black velvet thigh high boots. Her hair was curled and her makeup was done. She caught sight of Konohamaru and gave him a lopsided grin. "You look good, Konohamaru. Ready for our date?"

"Ahuh." He gulped.

"Wait a second!" Naruto pointed at her accusingly. "You can't be serious?!"

Beki blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"First Gaara and Neji, now Konohamaru?!" Naruto threw his hands up. "Do you have no shame?!"

"Look," Beki walked over and put an arm around Konohamaru's shoulders. The high heeled boots helped establish some of the height difference she'd been losing the race on lately. "Konohamaru asked me to take him on a practice date."

"Dressed like that it looks pretty serious!" Naruto frowned and crossed his arms. "You're a cradle robbing creep, Beki."

"If I'm taking him out I'm going to make it as real as possible. The kid needs to know what to expect." Beki nudged him. "Let's go."

Konohamaru nodded and followed her out the door.

This is wrong. Naruto thought. I thought I knew Beki but the way she's been acting lately is really suspicious. Maybe she's been a splitner agent or something all along and now she's setting her plan into motion, to throw the whole village into chaos. Naruto shook his head.

…

"Thank you for coming out with me," Konohamaru had kept his eyes glued to the path in front of him. The feeling of Beki's body beside him, the weight of her arm around his shoulders, and the smell of her perfume were overwhelming him.

"Thanks for having me," Beki grinned. "Speaking of which, where are we headed?"

"I…" Konohamaru let out a frustrated sigh. "I wanted to take you to the best restaurant in town but when I called them up and they said that they're booked out for a month and we can't get in. I'm sorry."

Beki shook her head. "I'm sorry, Konohamaru. That's really sweet that you wanted to take me to a nice place, but I'm just as happy with burgers or ramen."

"But this is a date!" Konohamaru looked up at her pleadingly. "We've eaten ramen and burgers and stuff together before! This is supposed to be different, right? It's supposed to be special?"

Beki paused and thought for a moment before replying: "We could do hibachi somewhere. That's fun."

Konohamaru nodded slowly. "I think hibachi's fun."

Beki gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Everybody does. Do you know a good place?"

"Yeah!" Konohamaru beamed. "My mom and dad took me for my birthday-" He flushed. "That was a lame thing to say."

"What, that you hang out with your parents on your birthday?" Beki snorted. "My mother would dress me if she still could, Konohamaru. A lot of people don't have parents. There's no shame in having a good relationship with yours."

Konohamaru smiled up at her. Beki looked prettier than ever. It wasn't the hair or the makeup, it was Beki. She was practically glowing from the inside out. Konohamaru remembered her looking like that when they first met, but it seemed like for a long time there was a thundercloud hovering over her. Beki had still been beautiful but she was always frowning a little. He didn't know if it was worry or just plain being sad, but Beki hadn't been herself. But this, this was the Beki he knew. For some reason that excited him as much as it terrified him. Konohamaru had been on missions to other towns and villages now but still, Beki beat every girl he ever saw by a landslide. She was funny, smart, pretty, and always talked to him like was important. Konohamaru still struggled with people not taking him seriously and treating him like a little kid. But never Beki. He knew that years ago Beki had told him she would never love him, not romantically. With her track record of boyfriends, who could blame her for not being interested in a kid? She had dated the Kazekage and now Neji, the village's resident prodigy.

That didn't change how Konohamaru felt about her, though. It just made him work harder. It made Konohamaru that much more determined to become a hero, to become Hokage. This date was a half measure, mostly a selfish way for Konohamaru to entertain his fantasy. But maybe it would put that idea in her head, too. If Konohamaru did a good enough job it might impress her enough to give him another shot when he was grown up. He was so close now. Without her heels, Konohamaru was almost as tall as Beki and Naruto had taught him how to use some of his ninjutsu. Maybe if Beki was still single in a couple years, he would really have a shot.

When they got to the restaurant, the pair were seated at the grill with a couple of people Konohamaru didn't recognize. They pointed at Beki and Konohamaru and laughed good naturedly, whispering about how she was taking out her little brother. It made his ears hot and he stared at the menu. He was doing his best to ignore it when Beki bumped his shoulder.

"What are you getting," Beki whispered. "I think I want the teriyaki chicken. And fried rice. I love fried rice."

Konohamaru looked up. "I'm going to get the beef."

Beki beamed. "Good idea. Then we can share."

Konohamaru blinked. "You're just going to eat some of my food."

"See, this is why this was a great idea." Beki held up a finger. "Rule number one on dating: what's yours is mine. Be prepared to hand over some of your food every time you go out."

"Can I have some of yours then?" Konohamaru blinked.

Beki nodded. "It's only fair."

They placed their orders and watched the show. Konohamaru kept glancing over at Beki to make sure she was having a good time and not just pretending for his sake. She kept her eyes on the show, clapping and laughing, shooting him a reassuring grin every so often. After a few moments Konohamaru forgot why he started looking at her and just found himself staring at her. It made his heart pound so hard it hurt. Anything else that did this would make him angry, he would avoid it at all costs, but with Beki it was okay that she made him hurt. Konohamaru kind of liked it, actually. It made him feel grown up.

After they ate their food, Beki grabbed the check before Konohamaru could. "No, Beki," Konohamaru hissed. "I asked you out. I'm supposed to pay!"

Beki winked. "Buuut you saved my life and I'm thanking you for it with dinner."

Konohamaru pouted. She had a point, but he had wanted to show off. "Its okay, Beki, I saved up for this before I asked you." Beki reached over and pat his cheek.

"That's really nice of you Konohamaru, but don't worry about it. You're a genin now and you should be saving up for fun trips with your friends." Beki could see the shame in his eyes. This was embarrassing for him. "Hey, tell you what, when you're Hokage you can take me out whenever you want."

Konohamaru blinked. "really?"

Beki laughed, "Well, if all goes well I'll still be the ambassador then. We can do all our meetings over lunch."

Konohamaru imagined a life where he got to see his nee san in his every day life, working with her, having her support him as a kage. That would definitely improve his chances with her as grown ups if they went out together all the time. "Okay."

Beki ruffled his hair and paid the check.

"So, um, nee san," Konohamaru tugged at his tie. "What do we do now?"

Beki shrugged. "We could go for a walk, or go to the arcade, or if you're hungry we can go get ice cream-"

Konohamaru shook his head. "I'm too full for ice cream. Wait a second, you're saying you would want to go to the arcade?"

Beki cocked an eyebrow at him. "Konohamaru, if you take a girl on a date and she doesn't want to go to an arcade, she isn't worth dating."

Konohamaru thought about all of the different kinds of games in an arcade. "I guess I can see your point. There's kind of something for everybody there."

"Yeah," Beki grinned. "And its kind of a backdoor way for a guy to show off. She can pick something from the prize wall and you have to earn it with pure skill."

"Has anyone ever won you anything?" Konohamaru asked.

Beki rubbed her hands together devilishly. "I usually turn it into a contest. Winner is whoever earns enough tickets to get the prize by themselves."

"But then what does the loser do?" Konohamaru furrowed his brows.

Beki shrugged. "I usually end up picking out as many of the bullshit low prizes as I can."

"Do you lose a lot?" Konohamaru gave her a pitying look.

Beki pursed her lips and frowned. "We aren't talking about my winning streak today."

The pair walked to the arcade and the moment they entered the door Beki's eyes locked on to a sparkly gold and pink monstrosity mounted on a rack on the top shelf. She inhaled sharply, her eyes wide. "It's the crescent moon princess holy chalice wand!"

Konohamaru blinked and furrowed his brow. "What are you…oh, that thing? Beki, please don't tell me you watch that nerdy kids show!"

"It is not a nerdy kids show!" Beki stomped her foot. "Its about true love, the power of friendship, and cats!"

"Beki, its like, 500,000 tickets," Konohamaru folded his arms. "I could take you down to that nerdy game store off the alley by the academy. They'll have the same thing!"

Beki pouted. "Don't use adult logic on me, Konohamaru."

Konohamaru pointed at the tokens sales poster. "Look, the amount of tokens you would have to buy to even have a chance at earning that stupid thing in one day would be like, four times what it would cost you to buy it outright."

Beki gazed longingly at the wand. "I could get really lucky."

"I watched you get buried under a building, trip over your own feet and fall in the river, have a bug fly in your mouth and choke you while you were running," Konohamaru counted off each event on his fingers.

"I get it! I'm not lucky," Beki sighed. "I thought I was on a date with you, not Neji. My God…" She shook her head. "Fine. Take me to the nerdy game store."

Konohamaru took her hand and led her outside. "Let's get some ninja info cards."

Beki nodded. "That's not a bad idea."

…

Konohamaru knew it hadn't been the most amazing of dates. His dinner plans hadn't worked out, the arcade had kind of been a bust, and the pair had spent an embarrassing amount of time buying and trading ninja info cards. Beki looked ridiculous: a hot young woman with a confident and satisfied look on her face and a giant pink girly wand thing slung over her shoulder. She certainly looked happy but Konohamaru couldn't shake the feeling the night should have been something more.

"Did you have fun?" He asked.

Beki nodded vigorously. "The next costume party…I'm going to slay as the Pretty Guardian Princess Soldier."

"That made no sense to me," Konohamaru shook his head. "I'm glad you had fun, though."

Beki blinked. "You don't sound like you did. What's wrong, boo?"

"I don't know," Konohamaru shrugged. "I just kind of thought dates were like, this big fancy to do. Today was fun but it just kind of felt like…well, like the kind of stuff we do all the time."

Beki's expression sobered. "You want some more inside grown up advice? Dates like these are the best kind of dates, Konohamaru. I've had both. I've had someone who made a big show when we went out of taking me to fancy places and showing me off. It isn't real. That isn't the sort of thing you're going to be doing all the time. That's the point of dating, Konohamaru, is finding someone that everything is fun with. If you're with someone that running the most boring errands feels like a party, that's the right kind of person for you."

"What's the point of dating at all, then?" Konohamaru was getting a lot of mixed messages from what movies and tv had told him and what Beki was saying. "Why get all dressed up and go out at all?"

"Life is short. Sometimes its fun to make an occasion to celebrate instead of waiting for one to come along." Beki explained. "That's really the only difference between everyday life and a date, to put your best side on."

Konohamaru nodded. "I guess in a weird way that makes sense."

Beki reached over and put an arm around him. "I think you're going to be good at this."

He gave her a half hearted grin. "Thanks, nee san."

"Here's my stop." Beki squared off with him at the gate. "Was that what you were hoping for as your thank you?"

"Its what I asked for," Konohamaru gave her a small smile. "Thanks, nee san."

"So, you can't expect this from a girl," Beki leaned down so their noses touched. "But I'm going to give you a goodnight kiss."

"Okay," Konohamaru shrugged. He was expecting her to kiss his forehead or his cheek, but Beki leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips. It was soft and quick, too long to be a peck but not long enough to be weird. Blood rushed to his face and he froze, wide eyed. "G-goodnight."

Beki waved and headed inside the gates of the Hyuga compound, almost immediately running into Neji. He had his arms folded, his Byakugan activated, and a disapproving look on his face. "Well, that wasn't very nice of you Beki."

Beki gestured at the gate with her wand. "He felt bad for not being able to roll out the red carpet for me. I thought I should make it up to him."

"The poor kid is going to have to walk home with his coat in front of him." Neji sighed and shook his head. "If I didn't know you were so simple I would think you had a vicious streak."

Beki blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"He isn't some eleven-year-old kid anymore, he's fourteen, Beki. You kissed him. His body is going to betray his interest." Neji threw up his hands. "And what the hell is that ridiculous bauble you're carrying?"

Beki cradled it protectively. "Its the crescent moon princess holy chalice wand."

"Why do I feel like Konohamaru was the adult on this date?" Neji cocked his head. "Please tell me you didn't blow a couple thousand ryo at the arcade for it."

"No," Beki pouted. "Konohamaru talked me out of getting it at the arcade and took me to a store where I can buy it."

Neji gave her an unreadable expression. "You…I don't know what to do with you. Come on." He reached out and took her free hand. "I'll help you mount that girly plastic dust collector on your wall."

Beki grinned. "You're the best, babe."