"Hanabi Uzumaki, you will fall here." It was somewhat comical that Neji said it all with a neutral expression.

An arrogant laugh was heard from the young girl. She grasped her controller tight in her little hands. "Hah, like an old man like you could ever beat me."

"You little – prepare yourself for your demise."

Hinata kept her attention on preparing dinner as Naruto walked in, a baffled expression on his features as he asked, "Are we sure this is a good idea?"

Hinata turned to her handsome husband and let her lips curl into a loving smile. "It's like therapy. If playing Mortal Combat with Hanabi will help Neji –"

"You mean getting his ass handed to him, right?" Naruto leaned on the marble counter and stole a kiss from Hinata. She blushed but didn't push her husband away. "I'm not bragging or anything but its Hanabi we are talking about. She has a winning streak that's been going since what, her birth?"

The Hyuuga woman laughed, a knowing glint entering her eyes she responded, "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that Naruto."

Not even half an hour later, the couple heard the shrill cry of defeat and disbelief ringing around the house.

"How! How! You can't possibly win! That move right there was a fake! You couldn't – no effing way! Rematch! Right now! And this time I'll wipe the floor with you uncle Neji!"

Naruto glanced back at his wife, slightly concerned about Hanabi's mental state. "Did Hanabi lost? In Mortal Combat? To Neji!" the blond pinched his cheeks. He yelped in pain. "Ouch, nope. This ain't a dream."

Hinata rolled her eyes at her husband's antics. "Did you know that Neji is banned from all local game archives in Japan? Apparently, he kept breaking his own record every single time. Some customers couldn't handle it."

Naruto looked seriously impressed and he let out a low appreciating whistle. "They might help each other out. You know, bonding through Mortal Combat an' stuff."

Hinata nodded, her smile turning a tad bit sad. "I'm not surprised that he is here, Naruto. Neji-nii needs some space to breathe. I talked with uncle Hizashi a few days ago. He said Neji… he couldn't even step on the ice after…" she let her words trail off.

The blond wound his arms around Hinata and left a small kiss on her nose. As he expected, she blushed in that pretty shade of pink he loved to see. They silently stood there, comfortable in each other's arms when Naruto spoke up, "Whose turn is it?"

"Turn?"

"Taking Hanabi to practice." Said Naruto offhandedly. Hinata's curious gaze shot up to see a playful grin and glinting blue eyes. Realization dawned with a click and she felt her lips mirror her husbands.

"Mine," she said slowly, brows drawing closer. "Oh, but now I remember that I had that play project for the kids and I absolutely must handle everything. The scenery, the roles, the costumes…"

"Ongoing meeting for a full month." The blonde chirped. His mischievous grin taking up half of his face.

"I can't thank you enough, Neji," Hinata said, sincerity and gratitude evident in her tone. She tried to keep her face even and thanked the heavens for Hanabi's absence. With her attitude, Hinata was sure she'd let her act slip. "I'd drive Hanabi myself but –"

"I said I'd do it," Neji pointed out. He sipped from his rich coffee and avoided Hinata's eyes. That girl knew how to use pleading eyes way to well. "It's no inconvenience."

Hinata smiled and hugged the older Hyuuga before he could twist away. "Thank you Neji-nii."

The older Hyuuga returned the hug with a sigh. He completely missed the shared look between Naruto and Hinata behind his back.

"I'll give you the keys of my car. Hanabi has to be on the rink Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 8 to 10 am. On Wednesdays, she has to make it to her class that starts at 11. You'll have to pick her up from school on Mondays and Fridays around 15:30 and return home before dinner." Hinata handed him a piece of paper with the time and location of Hanabi's school. She gave him an apologetic smile. "Finding the Ice Lotus is a bit complicated. Don't worry, though, once you see it you'll recognize it instantly."

"I'll be your GPS," Hanabi grumbled as she entered the kitchen, short hair sticking everywhere and pajama mussed from sleep. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and hopped on the stool to start her breakfast. She menacingly waved her fork at her uncle. "If you think I forgot about yesterday, you're wrong. I'll kick your ass eventually, just wait."

Neji couldn't keep the satisfied smirk off his face. "Before the next decade, preferably."

Hanabi narrowed her eyes. Her competitive ego was poked awake. "You'll eat those words. No one, and I mean no one, has ever bested me in Mortal Combat. I'll have to regain my lost honor."

"Your honor has to wait, Hanabi." Hinata cut in before they could bicker like last night. She was secretly enjoying the rivalry between the duo but she wasn't about to say that out loud. "Eat and get dressed. It's Wednesday and you have practice. You don't want to make sensei wait, do you?"

The teenager pouted. She knew a lost battle when she saw one. Also, she had all the time to bicker with her uncle at the car.

True to her thoughts, Hanabi and Neji managed to drive each other up to a wall in the 20 minutes it took to find the Ice Lotus.

They lighthearted bickering kept going even when Neji pulled into the parking lot which a few cars occupied and parked in the nearest empty space near the front. Stepping out of the car, Neji glanced up at the pretty big building with a metal-reinforced glass dome covering the top.

Neji thought that it seemed to be cozy. The stadium-like building was made of gray bricks with tall windows and glass doors to let the early sunlight in. The Ice Lotus, true to its name, had an elegant pink lotus flower positioned everywhere. On the parking lots, petals scattered over the gray bricks, on the asphalt road and stairs leading inside…

"If you think they exaggerated with the lotuses wait until you see the inside."

Neji dreaded what his imagination came up with but he dutifully followed Hanabi inside. There was a warm lobby in which the color green seemed to be ruling over, the walls, the indoor plants, the small assembly of plush couches – along with a hideous orange pillows Neji had ever seen, he could easily picture Naruto getting on his knees with tears in his eyes as he'd sing praises at them. The entire right wall was lined with vending machines full of snacks of every kind, and the large wooden counter – painted a mint green – held a chain of pink lotuses on the front.

Hanabi didn't spare a glance at the infernal interior design and made a beeline to the left. Pushing the door open to the girl's changing room, she entered a small changing room with dark green lockers and iron benches.

"Just come in uncle Neji, there is none here." Hanabi gestured him inside. Neji only lingered at the door for a second before coming in.

Hanabi whipped out her keys, easily opened the locker number 6 and pulled a pair of ice skates. When she was done changing, the teen pulled him outside to the rink.

There was a flurry of movements on the ice already and Neji quietly sucked his breath in. A hockey game was taking place and from the looks of it was pretty intense. Hanabi skipped to the front bleachers, Neji one step behind her, and settled down on a row of other girls her age. She greeted them all with a wave, introduced him to which Neji just nodded, and sat down at the end.

"Why is the hockey team still on the rink?" Hanabi asked, a small frown on her adorable face. "Their times are up and it's our turn. It's not fair!"

A blonde girl rolled her eyes. "Calm down Hanabi. Just a tiebreaker."

"Just a tiebreaker." Hanabi mimicked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Are they aware that the nationals are in 4 months? We need every single practice minute and the damn hockey jerks are doing it on purpose. Just because your baby bro is in the team doesn't mean you have to take their side constantly Temari."

Temari flipped her middle finger. "Make me Hyuuga."

The girl with the glasses hid her snicker behind her hand and Hanabi shot her a glare. "We'll see who's better on the ice."

Neji's large hand fell on her head. He hoped his hands weren't shaking too much for her to notice. "Patience is a virtue, Hanabi. A virtue you seem to lack."

Hanabi stuck her tongue out at which Neji responded with a strained smile. "Although hockey and figure skating are different kinds of sport both belong with ice. You might get inspired to create your own program. Watch the game Hanabi." He offered with a quirked brow.

The teen seemed to consider his words. With a huff, she turned her gaze to the ongoing game. "It's not like I have anything else to do." She grudgingly admitted.

Neji tentatively shifted his attention to the game, feeling like he was overreacting, and perhaps he was. He wouldn't have accepted to be Hanabi's personal driver if he had thought he couldn't handle it. Neji came here to heal, taking baby steps to mentally prepare himself.

But so, why did his blood roar in his ears so loudly that he couldn't hear the shouting in the match? His heart hammered into his ribcage, trying to break free while the familiar scent of ice, adrenaline, and mint reminded him of his glorious days.

Seconds felt like hours as Neji's vision focused and he shook off the ruthless memories that resurfaced.

The game was well on its way with the players focused and frustrated. They seemed to be teenagers, older than Hanabi, and playful taunts and encouraging shouts were ringing as the blue team advanced.

A particular player in the green team caught Neji's eye. Number 2 was built to be tough yet quick on his blades as he danced around the offensive unit. Neji first assumed him to be only agile but his opinions changed when number 2 brutally body-checked the player with the puck. The blue team member was roughly slammed into the boards and Neji's brow rose with interest when the whole side shook violently.

The kid had strength. And manners as he flew across the ice at top speeds while shouting an apology over his shoulder.

"Lee has hyped up again."

Hanabi snorted and Neji caught her amused grin. "When isn't he?"

Lee, number 2, dodged the opposing offense with the puck in his possession. Lighting fast, he passed the puck to a small built boy with the number 4 etched on the back of his green uniform, whom slid past a burly blue team member and snapping it back at Lee when he was in the clear. The whole blue team sprang into action to stop the duo with excellent teamwork who was already skating up the center in quick bursts. With determination, the offense unit tried to block number 2 and 4 but Lee passed the puck to his right for another player just in time to be slammed into the half wall separating the ice from the stands.

Neji winced. The tackle had way too much strength behind it and prayed the boy didn't have anything broken in him. Surprisingly, Lee got back up on his feet with a shout of youth, slid through the ice easily, gaining speed towards number 4. The boy gained Neji's respect just by his enthusiasm and stubbornness to stay down.

After he effortlessly stopped a possible goal, Number 4, puck back at his control, swerved away from the attacker that came close to hit him. Dodging and passing his opponents effortlessly, he pulled back, took aim and made the shot. The puck went right into the net.

Neji clapped alongside the watchers and felt his lips curl. Though he watched only ten minutes of the friendly match, Neji could pick up how the players enjoyed their time on the ice. He remembered his own younger days, still wet behind the ears and skating with the thrill of the adrenaline fueling his strikes.

While he was absorbed in the game his heart slowed down and the only thing he felt running through his veins was blood and not the dreaded fear he battled constantly when ice was concerned.

Coming here really was a good decision.

"What a wonderful match!" A voice boomed. Neji stared at the person with the impressive pair of lungs and just stared. "I'm so proud of my little green beasts! You all fought bravely and emerged victoriously!"

"Who?" Neji gestured to the rapidly approaching figure wearing a bright green (that explained the excessive green color in the stadium) body suit, way too tight to be considered appropriate. As he neared, Neji saw the glossy bowl cut, tanned skin, blinding smile and enormous eyebrows.

"Ah. See that would be Gai, my skate instructor's dad, the coach, and the owner, who bench presses cars in his spare time." She chirped while fastening the laces of her skates. The teenager gave them a few experimental tugs to be sure.

"He's seven kinds of scary when pissed." Hanabi supplied helpfully. "You should have seen the last guy who tried to ask his baby girl out for a date, wow, I've never seen a human run that fast."

Neji silently tucked the information under the file named 'The Canadian winter's effect on the sanity of a human being'. No surprisingly, his list was growing fast.

With his helmet off, Lee supported the same out of style bowl cut and thick brows; though he seemed paler than his father and the shape of the boy's eyes were not anything like his father's.

For some reason, both were crying while hugging each other in bone crushing hugs. More than once, Neji heard youth and fire and training but he couldn't wrap his mind around what his eyes were witnessing. The green team must be used to this strange play as they just waved goodbye to the coach and made their way to the locker room, high with the victory.

"The boy he's hugging is Lee, his son. Though I don't need to say they are related, anyone could make the connection. The red-head is Gaara, Temari's little brother. They call him the demon on the ice."

And Neji could easily believe. He saw how number 4 dominated the game, though Lee was a great teammate for the red-head. He wound his fingers through his sweaty scarlet strands as he dodged the excited group hug.

Hanabi latched onto his sleeve with a shrill cry that almost deafened him.

"Hey, Sensei!"

She started to wave her hand excitedly and Neji barely managed to stay out of her hitting range. When the young girl settled down a bit, Neji saw the person who got Hanabi all hyped up.

Wearing a sweater that had to come from a sheep with a horrible wool disorder, and familiar colorful and glass-like beads carefully woven into wavy brown hair, Neji instantly recognized his savior from last night.

Tenten, his mind helpfully supplied, with the overprotective father that bench presses cars in his free time.

Tenten waved back and walked to the bleachers with a smile. Neji couldn't help but check her eyebrows.

Tenten caught Neji's eyes and coyly asked, "I sincerely hope my family didn't scare you, much."

"My opinions are formed on an individual basis," Neji replied with a faint smile.

The brunette laughed and the glass beads clinked with her every shake. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon, mister temporarily geographically challenged."

"He has a terrible sense of direction." Hanabi butt in. "We managed to take three wrong turns. And I was giving him the directions the whole time."

"Don't you think that, perhaps, you are the one in fault?"

"My directions were flawless! If you just listened to me instead of your masculine intuition we wouldn't have gotten lost."

"Well, young lady, I certainly can't be blamed that every single road looks the same. Snow covers a lot, as you should be aware."

"You –"

"Time out! Hanabi go start your warm-ups." Tenten guided the teen by her shoulders towards the rink. "I'll keep an eye on your uncle so he won't get lost while you practice."

"I'm not in need of a babysitter," Neji mumbled dryly but Tenten knew he wasn't offended by the amused glint in his lavender eyes. The brunette noticed how much the man looked like Hinata and Hanabi. Being drop dead gorgeous must be in their gene pool.

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Tenten rested her elbows on the half wall. Neji stood at her side, albeit awkwardly, and they together watched the girl warm up on the ice.

"So, Neji, what do you do in your free time?" Tenten asked chin nestled inside her palm, as she looked at him curiously through her thick lashes. He was left speechless as the richest brown eyes settled on him, causing his heart to pick up speed.

"He mopes!" Hanabi yelled from across the rink, shattering the kind-of-maybe-flirting-thingy they had going.

"Hanabi!" Neji's glare settled on the grinning girl who childishly stuck her tongue in return.

The brunette just laughed, charming and captivating. Neji's annoyance almost disappeared. "Moping is an interesting way to pass time." Her bell-like laughter rose in volume when Neji's glare found her.

"I used to skate," Neji said and bit his tongue when he realized he had said it out loud. He had never meant to mention that fact. He came all the way from Japan, to forget, to heal but here he was spilling his secrets and it wasn't even a week.

Tenten hummed, a sad shadow crossing over her brown eyes but it was gone before Neji could comment on it. Seeing her troubled left a bad taste so Neji awkwardly tried to change the subject. Seeing Hanabi getting close, he smugly said, "I'm actually a very good Mortal Combat player."

As he planned, Hanabi heard. She narrowed her eyes and mouthed something unladylike. Tenten gasped a hand with a delicate wrist and bony fingers covered her mouth. Neji just raised one brow, he had heard much worse from Kiba.

Tenten bit her lip to hold her laughter and Neji's gaze focused on her teeth abusing the soft lip. Raising her hand, she ticked her fingers one by one. "So, from what I gathered, used to skate, terrible with finding his way, likes to tease underage girls and a good gamer. Is there anything I'm missing?" she raised her brows in challenge.

"I make excellent hot chocolate," Neji added.

"Better than my favorite coffee shop?"

Was she… if Neji's gut feeling was right the brunette was flirting with him. The Hyuuga decided to try his luck. Covertly wiping his sweaty palms over his trousers he asked, keeping his voice low, "I wouldn't know. First I must taste their chocolate and then make a cup for you to decide."

A flirty smirk shaped her lips as she leaned in, "I'd like that. Are you free today?"

"In the afternoon."

"Pick me here at one then." She winked and hopped over the wall onto the ice.

As Neji watched her go, he heard her bell-like laughter and the clinks of the beads on her hair while she swayed her round hips. His eyes were glued to her retreating form when he caught the green body suit by the corner of his eye.

"He's seven kinds of scary when pissed." Hanabi supplied helpfully. "You should have seen the last guy who tried to ask his baby girl out for a date, wow, I've never seen a human run that fast."

We are very close to the end! It's either gonna be a long final chapter or a separate two parts.

Stay tuned for more!