As of a few hours ago, this was a completely different chapter. Part One is the same, but then this little scene with Lee and Tenten popped up, and, well, now Chapter Three is written! (at least until I re-write it.)

The Mechanics of Law
Chapter Two: A Fortiori

a fortiori: 'From stronger.' An a fortiori argument is an "argument from a stronger reason," meaning that because one fact is true, that a second related and included fact must also be true.

-Part One: Domus sua cique est tutissimum refugium-
'Every man's house is his refuge.' Legal maxim about the sanctity of the home.

"In 1763 British Prime Minister William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham, also known as Pitt the Elder stated as follows: The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the crown. It may be frail - its roof may shake - the wind may blow through it - the storm may enter - the rain may enter - but the King of England cannot enter." - duhaime . org

Neji had always been a fast learner.

He was a particularly fast learner when the subject interested him.

Therefore, it wasn't surprising that he had very quickly learned as much as he could about Tenten's likes and dislikes.

When it came to food, she'd try anything once, and she'd built up a wide and varied repertoire of small, out-of-the-way places to eat that Neji had never even heard of. But her favorite kind of food was Chinese and she really loved Ming's food in particular.

So when she'd declined to meet him for dinner to keep her week-long marathon of studying for a test that could result in her being granted a tuition waiver, he knew exactly what he'd bring her to eat.

Tenten answered the door, a smile immediately lighting up her features when she recognized the familiar paper-bag-full-of-cartons. She was quick to step aside and let him in.

"How did you know I was thinking about ordering from Ming's?" She followed him to the kitchen counter where he set down the bag and her mail.

"Call it a hunch," he said dryly. "Besides," he crossed to the sink to wash his hands. "You brought over herring soba when I was studying for my big test last semester. It is only fair that I do the same for you."

"That was about fifty percent of your grade," she pointed out. "This doesn't affect me in any way, other than maybe saving Ibiki some money."

"And yet you've been studying all week," he countered, drying his hands.

"Ibiki has always been really good to me," she started sorting the containers. "I'll never be able to pay him back, but if there is anything I can do for him – no matter how little – I'm going to do it."

"I don't know that dedicating the majority of your week to studying for a test you're only taking to lower tuition you aren't even paying counts as 'little,'" Neji crossed his arms, "but I understand your motivations."

"Your timing couldn't be more perfect," she pulled down some plates. "I was just getting ready to take a break."

"Then let's eat," he pulled out the spoons and chopsticks. "We both know that if you don't stop now, you'll forget until morning."

"Your vote of confidence is overwhelming," she muttered, folding the paper bag and setting it to the side.

"Make no mistake," he crossed to her and tipped her chin up until he was sure she was looking him in the eyes. "I have nothing but the utmost confidence in you. I also know that when you get locked into project mode, you become your last consideration. Since you will not be able to make yourself a priority, please allow me to make you mine – at least for a little while."

Her smile was slow and warm and tired even as her cheeks were dusted ever so slightly with pink.

She rested her hands on his chest before gliding them up to circle around his neck.

"You always know the perfect thing to say," she knotted her fingers just under his hair. "Do they teach you that in law school?"

Neji chuckled, but declined to answer. He was too busy wrapping his arms around her waist, and dipping his head toward her to formulate a reply.

Warmth bloomed in his chest even as he kissed her with an unhurried assurance.

Nothing in his previous relationships could have prepared him for the curious cocktail of familiarity and comfort and unpredictability and trust that he had found in his relationship with Tenten. They had been dating since last December, and despite having busy professional, personal, and academic lives, they had found a way to dovetail their time together with their obligations. They were still, as Hanabi called them, 'study buddies,' and invitations to study were never made in pretense. Both of them put their work first.

That being said, it wasn't unheard of those invitations to serve as a precursor to simply spending time together – it just meant that they both adhered to the philosophy of 'work first play later'.

For now, however, he was more than content to enjoy the warm press of her against himself as he inhaled the dry bite of lavender that was so her.

"Food will get cold," she protested half-heartedly.

"How hungry are you," he muttered.

"For Ming's?" she smiled against his lips. "Pretty hungry. Also? I might've skipped lunch."

"You win," he relented with a kiss to her forehead.

The chatted easily as they ate, and Neji offered to help her study in any way that he could.

"That's the problem with studying for a math based test," she speared the last dumpling. "You have to do it on your own, really. It's more about repetition than anything." She began to gather up the dishes. "Same with the physics stuff, although – I could stand to be quizzed on a few terms. Been a long time since I had to memorize the coefficient of anything."

"I have a few things to work on," he helped bring the dishes to the sink. "Why don't I study here, and if you need to be quizzed or have someone time or grade your practice test, I can help."

"That could work," she filled the kettle and flicked it on. "We can spread out in my office; you can have my main desk, and I'm already set up at my work table."

"That hardly seems fair," he packed up the food while she started the dishes.

"Easier than me moving everything," she said over her shoulder.

"Why didn't you just use your main desk," he put the left overs in the refrigerator before catching up a towel to dry the dishes.

"I do for my usual work," she handed him a plate. "I just like to have an area set up when I am working on a project. I leave it set up for the duration of the project, and then when I'm done I put it all away." She studied the second plate with a little frown and went back to scrubbing it. "I had to borrow some resources to study, and I want to keep track of everything so I can give it back as soon as I'm done."

"Ever think about becoming a law clerk?" he reached above her to put the first plate away and reach for the second. "Because you're already a better hire than half of the people at the office. Or a least a more organized one."

"No thanks," she chuckled. "Besides – isn't there a 'no dating' policy at your office?"

"Mmm," he considered. "More like inter-office relationships are strongly discouraged."

"I'm pretty hard to discourage," she admitted, "but it's probably best if I stick to cars."

He chuckled, and they finished up the dishes, working side by side with minimal conversation. She reached into the cabinet and retrieved both her favorite tumbler and the mug he preferred. (He was certain he had never directly told her which mug or tea he favored, and yet she had selected both seemingly without thinking.)

She busied herself with preparing the tea, and there was something intimately familiar about how she moved in the kitchen, humming under her breath.

The realization broke over him slowly and settled into his bones.

He felt at home here.

No.

Not just here.

With her.

"What is it?"

He blinked.

She'd caught him staring.

He shook his head.

"Nothing."

"You sure?" she put the heavy coasters upside-down on the mugs to help the tea steep. "You look like you just thought of something important." She sat on the counter. "Something on your mind?"

"No," he crossed his arms and leaned his hip against the opposite counter. "Not really."

She cocked her head to the side, and began to respond, but was interrupted by sudden outburst from her mobile phone.

With an "Eep!" she jumped off of the counter and hurried to where she'd left her phone to charge.

Neji could barely suppress his smile.

"Mulan?" he arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Oh hush," she snatched the phone up and began flicking through screens. "One: I'd bet you know every word to that song, and two: It's your fault I have that alarm."

"My fault?" he raised both eyebrows.

"Yes," she sniffed. "That is my 'stop being distracted and go do your assignment, already' alarm."

"Don't you mean your 'let's get down to business,' alarm?" he teased.

"Nope," she held up the screen and showed it to him.

The screen actually spelled out "Stop being distracted, and go do your assignment already!"

"So," he took the phone and studied it closer. "It is reasonable to assume that you find me to be distracting?"

"Compared to studying for an exam I have less than no desire to take?" she scoffed. "You're even better than Facebook."

"And am I supposed to be flattered or offended by a comparison to mainstream social media?"

Her cheeks dimpled with her smile. "Go with flattered," she said gamely.

"Hm," he considered her phone. "Well you were distracted enough to snooze the alarm rather than turn it off," he showed her the screen, but turned it back to himself before she could reach for it.

"That leaves approximately seven minutes," he put the phone on the counter behind him. "Hardly much time."

She was too busy trying (in vain) to reach around him to notice the amused glint in his eyes.

"Time?" she tried for the other side, but he used the momentum of her lunging forward to swing her up onto the counter. He moved fast enough that she had to grab onto his arms, and he braced himself against the counter to keep her from falling, his hands resting on either side of her legs.

"Time or what?" she watched him warily, her breathing shallow.

"To distract you, naturally."

Her grin was slow and warm and did strange things to his insides.

"You can try," she leaned back to better meet his eyes. "But I don't distract easily."

His amusement turned into something quietly smug before murmuring against her lips:

"Challenge accepted."

And this time, when she snoozed the alarm for 10 more minutes, it was intentional.

-Part Two: Timing-
The coordination of the valves, pistons, and spark. The timing must be exact or engine performance will suffer.

The semester was well underway, Nara's tests were over a week behind her, Neji was out of town for the weekend to attend a business function with his Uncle, and Tenten was on a mission.

It was a rare Saturday off, and operation 'Get-Iruka-moved-to-Konoha-so-that-Naruto-will-hurry-up-and-move-to-Konoha-and-Temari-won't-kill-him' was in full effect.

Lee was in the front seat of her truck, scanning her list.

"So the moving company did get everything over to Iruka's?"

"That's what Naruto told me," she shrugged. "He hired someone to coordinate everything, so the furniture should all have been moved to the appropriate rooms. I guess that whoever he got to decorate will arrange everything and make it look nice."

Lee frowned.

"Well then, what's left for us to do?"

"Plenty! Remember all of those books?"

"I remember packing them very particularly, as Iruka has a system for how he likes them shelved," he grimaced. "I only hope we can recreate it."

"Naruto took pictures," her eyes danced. "Said it was the decorator's idea. He forwarded me a list of things we could unpack," she flicked her eyes to the clipboard. "Looks like we can get the books sorted and maybe unpack the kitchen today."

Lee made some noise of agreement while he looked back over the list

It was quiet in the car for a minute or two before Tenten remarked:

"I wish I knew more about this decorator, but all Naruto told me is that he found them through his work with Jiraiya."

"And what about Naruto's move? Has he made any progress?"

"Last time we spoke, he said that the actual moving wasn't the problem, it was getting his work done so that he could move."

"Do we need to go out there and help like we did with Iruka?" Lee looked up from her list. "He knows we'd be glad to do that, right?"

"That's just it," Tenten drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. "It sounds like everything about the actual move is covered. He told me last week that he was really hoping to be moved in time to celebrate his birthday at his home, but that he'd celebrate for the weekend after."

"That is coming up quickly – we're already into September."

"I know," she pulled into Iruka's soon-to-be parking lot. "But you know Naruto – if he sets his mind to making something happen…?"

"Then I'll clear the weekend," he handed over her list and stepped out of the vehicle. "we obviously will have plans."

They spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening working at Iruka's. The kitchen had already been unpacked, so they went right to unpacking all of the books. Tenten was incredibly grateful that the movers had already put the right boxes in the right rooms with the right bookshelves, because otherwise the task would've been impossible to accomplish without Iruka's help.

After breaking down all of the boxes and cleaning up after themselves, they ran a few more errands on their list before hitting the gym.

Naturally, the best way to round out a Saturday was with a movie-marathon at Tenten's.

"So, Iruka's place is really great," Tenten said, setting down the popcorn. "Can't wait to see what it all looks like when everything is in place. When can we pick up those pictures from Sai?"

"Good question," Lee pulled out his phone and sent a text, and it beeped almost immediately in response. "Within two weeks, assuming Naruto has made his final selections. When does Neji get back?"

"Late Monday," she settled into her spot on the couch, "but I probably won't see him until the middle of the week. He sort of...invited me go to next time."

Lee's significant eyebrows raised significantly.

"To go where? Away?"

She nodded.

"For the weekend?"

She nodded again.

"Well," Lee sat back. "That is ...something?"

"It's for a conference," she admitted, "but it might be nice – assuming I can get away from work."

"I'm sure Ibiki would give you the time," he eyed her carefully, "Assuming you want to go. Do you want to go?"

"I guess?" she tipped up one shoulder. "I hear that a good bit of his family will be there, too. I've heard about his cousins, but I've only met Hanabi. The other one – Hinata? – she's been traveling in and out of Konoha."

"Oh? What does she do?"

"She works with their family's company. She is an architect specializing in interior architecture. My understanding is that they recently re-did a bunch of the Hyūga properties all over the place, and she is involved in the building of any new ones. Since the Hyūgas are involved in the Youth Center renovations, I think she will be involved, too."

"No wonder you haven't run into each other," Lee reasoned. "She sounds like she has quite a full schedule."

"Neji says she works incredibly hard, but is very shy," Tenten's smile was kind. "I'm looking forward to meeting her – whenever that chance comes up."

"And that chance might be at this weekend away some time in the near future?"

"Possibly end of September/early October. Hopefully not the same weekend we celebrate Naruto's birthday - because there's no contest there," she grinned lopsidedly. "No one ever comes ahead of my boys."

"There never has to be a contest," Lee held her gaze steadily. "You know Naruto and I love you, and we know you love us right back. Anyone else lucky enough to be loved by you isn't a threat to us."

Tenten paled.

"Who said anything about love?" she tucked a blanket around her legs and looked for the remote.

Lee arched one eyebrow and plucked the remote off of the coffee table and held it up.

"Lee," she warned. "Don't you-"

He didn't even break eye contact as he leveled the remote at the TV and hit play.

Music flooded over them and Tenten smashed a throw pillow to her face and groaned.

"How do you even do that," she let the pillow flop into her lap.

Lee's shrug was elegant.

"It's a gift."

"Alright fine," she threw the pillow at him. "I really, really, really like Neji. Now can we please watch something else? Anything else?"

"Kung Fu Hustle it is," Lee crossed to the DVD player and swapped out the discs. "But we both know you love Hercules."

"Not as much as I like watching Stephen Chow," she grabbed a handful of popcorn. "I still think the Landlady and Landlord are our long lost parents."

"Agreed," Lee sat at the other end of the couch. "Shove over, 'sis.'"

Tenten tossed him a throw blanket and settled back into her pillows. She couldn't stay mad at Lee (not that she had been mad in the first place).

And she did really like Neji - maybe she'd take him up on that offer for the long weekend after all.

Maybe.

Definitely.

She'd worry about all of the other details (like how many 'really's' she could put before 'like' before she switched to another 'L' word) some other day.

If you know Disney's Hercules, you know Lee magically jumped right to the song "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)." Naturally, Tenten's alarm in 'part one' was Mulan's "I'll Make a Man Out of You." Don't lie, friends, your're already singing those in your head...

Kung Fu Hustle is one of my all-time favorite movies and it makes me laugh until I snort. As a rule I prefer subtitles to dubbed, but the English dubbed is so wonderfully ridiculous it is worth it.

Time-wise, this chapter and the next will be fairly close together, but I am going to keep with the flavor of 'Force Majeure' and time skip week to week. I still have plenty planned for you, friends, - to the point that I've outlined a NaruHina prequel and maybe even a 3rd and final installment to the Force Majeure stories.

So much love shown for this story already! Guest reviewers, I can't respond to you directly, but I so appreciate your comments!

Can't thank you enough, friends.

See you next Tuesday!

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