The Butterfly Effect
"Me? I'm nobody. I'm not skilled like Uchiha-san. I am not passionate like Haruno-san. I am not smart like Nara-san. I'm not as strong as Chouji-san. I'm not as collected as Aburame-san. Or as pretty as Yamanaka-san. I'm not as confident as Inuzuka-san. If anything, I'm like Hyuuga-san, socially awkward. Oh wait, no, she's just shy. The socially awkward one is me." OC! Team 7 remix!
Bonus Chapter 2 – Balancing Shadows
8-8
In the Hokage's office, things have been serene lately. Tsunade has her twins running around like nobody's business, finding that she quite enjoys the companionable chaos that comes with having her brats nearby. And what gorgeous little cuties they're turning into! Identical twin boys, with their father's birthmark and silvery hair, but their mother's looks. And they hate their father's perverted ways, utter prudes, both of them. Tsunade fears that might change when puberty hits, but... they are simply too shy and flustered around new faces, so she doubts it.
The beauty of this office's current setup, though, isn't that there's enough space for the twins to run around, it's the other desk and occupant of the office: Namiki Aya, the Sixth Hokage. Tsunade still isn't too happy with how that came about, but she's more than grateful with the status quo at the moment. If Tsunade wants to take a few days off, Aya can easily take over and will barely miss her, but the same is true the other way around. Frankly, they each have their own advisors and their own ways of doing things, but they never seem to disagree for long.
Aya is quite happy to explain her stance and will blatantly tell Tsunade when she's unwilling to budge on a topic. Tsunade is much the same. Interestingly, they never seem to be stubborn on the same thing. Things Aya is passionate about and dead set on making a reality, is usually something that Tsunade doesn't find too interesting, so she lets the younger Hokage run with it without too much of a fuss. And again, the opposite holds true as well. Other things, like medic trainings, both blonde and brunette are utterly devoted to. So there hasn't been a team in years that didn't have at least a Rank Four medic on it.
It's... refreshing.
"It's your birthday tomorrow." Tsunade offers, seemingly off the cuff. She's busy going over Sakura's proposal for a new wing at Konoha General, but she's gotten quite used to offering little bits and pieces of conversations now and again, just because she can. "You're turning twenty-one, aren't you?"
"How is that relevant?" Aya asks, going over the peace accord with Stone. The wrinkle between her eyebrows tells Tsunade that Aya isn't happy with it, at all.
"Well, seeing as that means today's your anniversary...?" Tsunade points out, wondering why she didn't take the day off.
"Chou begged off again this morning. That man never seems to remember that I enjoy spending the day with him." Aya sounds... pleasant enough, but Tsunade hears the annoyance in her tone anyway. "And no, Wolf, I do not want to hear about your opinion on the matter." There's a brief flicker just behind Aya; Hoshie's way of showing she's annoyed. "What about your... husband?"
Tsunade hears the 'good for nothing deadbeat' Aya really meant to say, but she doesn't like to speak ill of the twins' father in front of them. "Out with Minori and Haruki, as usual." Tsunade admits. "He should be back in a few weeks, I should think."
Aya offers a dull glare; really? Tsunade shrugs, knowing the man promised his boys he'd be back soon, and he hates breaking his promises to them. "Hnn!" Aya obviously isn't very impressed, choosing to ignore Tsunade in favour of a document that seems to bother her even more.
"So when are you going to admit it?" Tsunade asks, smirking when Aya's hand shoots to her flat tummy.
"Auntie, you stalker." Aya grouses, blushing and looking away from her.
"You act as if this is the first time I've gone through this." Tsunade teases. "Does he know yet?"
"I doubt it. He's been all over the place lately. I swear the only time I even see him is when I drag him to bed so I can get some sleep." Aya complains, finally giving up on the stupid Stone thing. "Look, whatever. I'm heading out. You figure this stupid thing out, and if you don't like it, burn it. Stone pi... really upsets me." Her eyes flick to the twins, to show she's only behaving on their behalf.
Wordlessly, Wolf follows her sister, as do Crane and Koala. And Rabbit, but no one's too surprised that Sumi would sooner chew stones that let her lady go anywhere without her.
Once outside the office, Sakiko looks up, her eyes showing she isn't too happy with what she sees. Aya rolls her eyes, letting her secretary know that she's just in a mood and that it'll pass. Sakiko isn't buying it. "Tayuya, I think someone needs some fresh air, you think you can handle things around here without me?"
"Who the fuck you talking to? I've gone on S-rank missions solo, brat! I can handle a fucking desk job without you holding my hand!" Tayuya all but shoves Sakiko out of the way, happily burning pointless paperwork that has no value whatsoever, in her opinion. Just who keeps requesting higher quality toilet paper?
8-8
In no mood to deal with people, Aya curses that she can't just disappear and skulk her way to wherever it is she feels like going. Instead, she has to (im)patiently wade through the crowds, talking to everyone that comes up to her. She's annoyed and emotional, but she loves her people. So she talks to everyone, even if only a few words, as she listens to well wishes and she smiles warmly to show she truly appreciates it.
Still, the only person she really wants to see is her oh so remiss husband. She's grateful to have her sisters, she's grateful to have Keito, Tsu and Sumi. She's grateful that the general populous of Konoha loves her, but... they aren't Chouji.
Unable to face people anymore, she ducks into a bakery and orders more chocolate than is probably healthy. Just her luck, the baby craves chocolate as badly as she does. Satsuma's going to have a fit when he finds out, and Aya knows Hoshie keeps him up to date on absolutely everything she eats and drinks. Four Anbu Operatives come out of the shadows just as Aya sits down.
Keito stands guard, knowing that there isn't a whole lot he can contribute, but he also casts a privacy jutsu so that he lady can... complain in peace? He isn't really sure what to make of pregnant women. Sometimes they're stalkerishly focused on their partner, sometimes they could happily disembowel them with a rusty spoon to show how supremely pissed off they are. Keito knows he can't figure it out, he doesn't try to. He lets the ladies figure themselves out, he'll just stand out of the warzone and warn others not to venture too close.
Aya bites into her chocolatey pastry, tears already streaming down her face even though she doesn't really understand why. She's just… all over the place; hormones are fun like that. And that she's quite an emotional person to begin with doesn't help that in the least. Hoshie is to her right, Ryuuzetsu to her left, both trying to calm her down, talk sense into her as gently as they can. Hoshie knows exactly what's going through her head, she's been down this road before, and she knows to remind her that Chouji's probably just out there planning something super sweet for her, just like the day they got married.
Ryuuzetsu is mostly focusing on wiping away Aya's tears. She's glad the woman at least didn't wear any makeup –that would make this so much worse, because nothing makes a woman feel more messed up that knowing she looks messed up– but she's still plenty worried, because Aya hasn't just upped and gone emotional basket case on her like this in years.
Something is bothering Aya. Well and truly, deeply, intimately bothering her.
Sakiko is pretty much of the same mind as Ryuuzetsu. So she's standing behind her sister, idly running her fingers through her hair and… letting her let it all hang out. Hoshie's pretty much mastered the art of cooling Aya down by now, the others know to soothe her physically, fret over her, let her know that she's alright… and mostly keep out of Hoshie's way as she gets to the heart of the matter.
Sumi is sitting down across from Aya, studying her lady's eyes. No matter how good her lady's poker face has gotten over the years, when she gets emotional, her eyes always tell the whole story. Always.
Aya's eyes speak of fear. Sumi doesn't understand it, at all. What could Aya fear so?
"Aya-nee, will you tell me what has you like this?" Hoshie announces she has Aya just logical enough to really start talking.
"I think Chou… he's…"
"You think he's having an affair?" Hoshie finishes. Aya nods, tears streaming down even more now.
They laugh.
Aya stares, shocked.
Sakiko kisses her sister once again, her giggles obviously announcing her amusement. "I'd believe a lot of things, but Chouji cheating on you?" Sakiko giggles some more. "That man worships the ground you walk on."
"Then why does he smell of another every time I see him?" Aya demands, hot tears showing she doesn't believe her fears are unfounded.
Hoshie sighs. "You just need to trust me, Aya-nee. It's not what you think."
"Trust you…?" Aya manages, wondering about that. She trusts her sister with her life every day.
"That's right. Trust me. Chou-nii tells me everything. I know the truth. And it isn't what you think. Just calm down, relax and trust me. I swear to you, everything will be alight."
8-8
End Bonus Chapter 2
8-8
A/N: A mean place to end it, but it shows what I want it to. Keep in mind, this just shows she's early in A pregnancy, not if this is her first or not. I was purposely vague, though I left a single clue in there if you pay attention.
Also, as side note. This is a trailer for future events. Just like the engagement, in Bonus Chapter 1, this WILL happen. So you'll no doubt see what Chouji has up his sleeve ;)