The Ramen and hot chocolate were gone from the table, yet while Chiaki and the children played spinning tops in one of the rooms, Neji was looking outside to check on the snowfall. He was currently standing in the snow wearing a pair of black jiku-tabi on his feet while a thick wool cloak was over his shoulders.
His concern was that if one of the children had flash stepped during the heavy fall, they might lose sight of them. Generally the Seireitei was safe, but given how he'd met Suzume he couldn't help but feel like he should take extra precautions with her. Especially knowing now that they all possessed reiatsu, but hers was lower than theirs.
He smiled at the sight of the glistening white that blanketed the ground. His smile grew until he was giggling like a young child and called back into the house, "hey! Let's play!"
He didn't have to wait long as the kids ran by him, wearing cloaks over their clothes and wearing beige jiku-tabi on their feet. He smiled as he gathered some snow in his hands, compressing it into a ball form and then threw it at Tetsuya. The boy raised his arm reflexively but laughed as he tried to make a snowball himself. Suzume struggled a little with the frozen condensation, Chiaki had come out of the house with two cloaks on and was helping her.
Neji eyed at her and asked, "don't like the cold?"
"Most fire types don't," Chiaki revealed with a smile as she guided Suzume's hands in forming the snowball. Once she had a good shape though the little girl threw it at the woman, hitting her chest. Chiaki laughed as she started forming her own.
It was war! Snowballs flying in four different directions until all three of them pitched their projectiles at Neji who spun on the spot, a light blue aura swirling around him as his reiatsu deflected the snow back at the other three.
Chiaki smirked as she used Danku to shield herself and the children. She eyed him as she asserted jokingly, "two can play that game, Neji Hyuga."
He chuckled as he surmised, "Kido against Revolving Heaven."
"Reiatsu control and empty hand combat are your specialities, mine's reiatsu control and kido," she reminded him.
He heartily laughed at the reminder, as if he actually needed it! Her position in Soul Society as Kido Corps Commander said it all and even if he hadn't known that of her he had a feeling she was capable of incredible feats with kido regardless. He regarded her as he commented, "as if that barrier you created in thirty seconds after Hinata and the others passed out didn't tell me that one!"
Chiaki tilted her head to the side before giving a laugh of her own, lowering the kido barrier from in front of them. The next thing she knew another snowball was flying at them, she held out her hands in front of her, "Enkosen."
A yellow spinning circle of energy formed in front of her, which blocked the snowball.
"Hmm, well if that's how you want to play-" Neji remarked as the three of them began gathering up snowballs. He waited until they were coming towards him before he spun on the spot, forcing his spiritual energy out in a cyclone barrier, "Rotation!"
The snow balls continuously bounced off of the spiritual energy barrier that he'd formed and when they ceased he stopped spinning, causing the cyclone of energy to cease.
'Alright—I'll admit, for those not well gifted with kido that could be quite effective at least for low to mid strength attacks,' Chiaki thought to herself.
"Aunt Aki, I'm cold," Tetsuya complained as he shivered, his teeth chattering. She nodded in agreement as she suggested, "let's all go inside now."
"I wanna play more," Suzume whined, crossing her thin arms over her chest with a pout on her face.
Neji looked to Chiaki, as he proposed, "you warm up Tetsu, I'll stay with Suz."
She nodded in agreement as she and Tetsuya entered the house. She nodded as they entered the house and she began heating up the fireplace in one of the rooms. Tetsuya hesitated before asking her, "Aunt Chiaki?"
"What's on your mind, buddy?"
"Could I – could I try sleeping in another room alone again?"
"Sure. When were you thinking? Tonight? Tomorrow night?"
He nodded, "yeah, tonight."
"Tetsu—has Atau or Grandpa talked to you about some changes you may soon start experiencing? I'm not going to attempt that talk myself but if they haven't then I could ask them to—or someone else if you're more comfortable with them," Chiaki probed.
He shrugged his shoulders a little as he admitted, "they touched on that in one of my classes in the academy. Not a lot of stuff was talked about though but—I don't know. Talking to grandpa or Atau about that would be weird."
"Maybe we could ask someone else then. What about Lieutenant Abarai? Or Hisagi?"
He shook his head 'no', and bit his lip before suggesting, "maybe Neji?"
"I'll ask him. We'll see what he says, okay?"
He nodded in agreement as Chiaki lightly pinched his cheeks, "my baby nephew's growing up."
"I'm hardly a baby," he retorted with a huffy tone. The deep scowl on his face made her giggle as she acknowledged, "I know. But you are my only nephew. I did see you as a baby, I raised you from your third month of life onward. It's not easy watching a little person that you've cared for grow up and need you less and less. I mean you're happy about it. Don't get me wrong! I always want you to keep growing not just physically but as a person too."
"Aunt Aki, you've been like a mom to me. I'm always going to need you," Tetsuya corrected her.
"You say that now—but if that's the case then I've failed. The goal of parents and teachers alike is for the ones they instruct and guide to one day not need them, but still want them around," Chiaki advised him.
He sighed in contentment as he informed her, "I've warmed up a bit now."
"Oh good! Your great-grandfather was never affected by the cold. I guess Ryujin Jakka kept him warm enough that he didn't need to worry about it," Chiaki mused.
"What about you, with Hotori, does she keep you warm?"
"Of course, but I'm not going to rely on her power for that. It isn't fair to her," she answered as the boy cuddled into her. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and kissed the top of his head. 'I don't think I did too shabby with you, kiddo. I hope I can do just as well with your cousin and Suzume though,' she thought to herself.
