Tayuya Uzumaki was by no measure what you would call a model citizen. She had a vocabulary far more foul than a seasoned naval officer and despite her feminine curves she hit harder than most guys in a straitht out fight. Keeping all that mind it begged the question why the tomboy was dressed semi-nicely, namely a strapless dress instead of her preferred ripped jeans tank top and hoody, and on the arm of her cousin Naruto. "Neither of us wants to be here Tayuya but its a vet event and I need to be here since guys from my unit will be here. Try to curb your temper and mouth" Naruto said as he showed his invitation to the host at the restaurant door.

"I'll try shithead" Tayuya said rolling her dark brown eyes. If she was honest Naruto was one of a handful of cousins she actually got along with. Most of their family tried to curb stomp being a lady into her and was thus cut off when she told them where to shove it quite colorfully. Naruto though, he didn't care that his cousin swore like a ninety year old naval vet. As far as he was concerned it was just part of her character or so she assumed that was along his line of thoughts about her.

"Thats all I ask. Hows your wife Kin these days? I heard you two were trying to adopt or potentially get an artificial insemination" Naruto said taking the invitation back as they proceeded inside. He personally liked Kin. In his humble opinion she was the calm to Tayuyas storm despite the raven haired womans own rage when pissed off.

"Eh, we're in the middle of a rough patch actually..." Tayuya looked off to the side. "We got into a huge fight over that and we both said some pretty harsh things we didn't mean in the heat of the moment..."

Naruto sighed silently and bonked the redhead on her head despite her protesting whine. "You love her to death don't you?" he asked rhetorically. Of course he knew that Tayuya loved her wife to death. Hell the redhead took a bullet to the chest for her the night she proposed to keep her safe when a gang of teens held up the restaurant they were at. "Call her. Apologize. She may be the yin to your yang but you have to bend sometimes Tayuya" he said pulling his cell from his dress pants.

"She doesn't want to tal-"

"Believe me when I say she does. Hinata and I had a few fights like that and all it took for the bitter taste left in my mouth to go away was apologize to her. Don't make Kin be the only who lets her emotions show. A foolish act like that could drive the woman you love into anothers arms and I don't want to see you hurt like that" Naruto cut Tayuya off with a pointed look.

The redhead sighed and dialed her wifes number before hitting the call button with an anxious breath. Three rings passed before it was answered with a happy tone. Given Naruto had introduced them it was to be expected they were friendly. The ensuing short conversation was wrought with emotion and apologies on both sides. After telling her wife she loved her she hung up and punched his arm. "Ok love guru, what do I owe you now?" she asked rolling her eyes and shoved his phone in his pocket.

"Nothing. Enjoy yourself and the free food" Naruto said freeing the arm Tayuyas was wrapped around and kissed her cheek. "I'll keep an eye on you while I do what I got to do here."

"I'm no fragile flower shithead" Tayuya said with a tiny scowl though the soft smile was more prominent as she looked to her cousin. Aloof and distant as he was he still made attempts to bring his old self out around her and she was at least thankful for that. She loved his goofy personality, his calm demeanor and teasing barbs. The death of Hinata tempered it a lot and made him distant from most people she saw more than the shadow of his former self.

"Doesn't mean I won't stop protecting my baby cousin from the bad icky scary men" Naruto said with a small smirk as the scowl took over. She bad said that ONCE and he was never going to let her get over that. "Like I said, have fun and enjoy the food. Our table is over by the stage. Speakers start to talk at eight when the main course comes out so don't fill up on the appetizers the waiters are carrying around on trays." He rolled his eyes as she punched his arm and disappeared into the crowd.

"Naruto you actually came!" The blonde turned to the sound of happy voices. Coming towards him were three of his former circle of associated friends who just happened to serve with him. Shikamaru was still skinny as ever with the same pineapple hair do. Choji was still bulky, not fat since the word was a big no no with the Akimichi, and the only real difference was there seemed to be more muscle than he remembered. Last of the trio was Hyuuga Neji, a person he hadn't so much as spoken to since he learned of Hinatas murder. He looked the same as he remembered albeit paler and his hair was slightly shorter.

"Well you three would no doubt hunt me down if I didn't show so I saved myself the trouble and came" Naruto shrugged. The three scowled at him, Shikamaru and Neji did anyways since with Chojis face it was more like a pout with his pudgy cheek, and he didn't blink. "So when is thing over anyway? Tayuya and Kin have some making up to do tonight."

"You brought your cousin as your plus one?" Choji asked with an incredulous look. "I thought by now you'd at least be wetting your feet again."

Narutos eyes hardened and bordered on glacial. What was it with everyone wanting him to move on and date already? Sure it was almost a year now since Hinata was buried but that didn't mean he was ready to consider dating again. "Something you three want to say?" Naruto asked with a clipped icy tone, one they were more familiar with him using when he was their CO. "Because if its what I've heard a million times, stuff it up your asses." He left them standing their as he snatched a champagne flute off a tray and downed in one go. Oh tonight was going to be fun, he rolled his eyes at the thought, if all the guys from their unit would be so interested in his personal life. He didn't mind going drill sergant on their asses if need be and reminding them why he was the highest ranked NCO before their discharge but he didn't particularly want to.

"Hey there foxy, long time no see." He froze in his tracks before sighing as a pair of long feminine arms wrapped him in a hug. His eyes met the lone visibile one of his former Captain Mei Terumi. The woman was looking particularly well and it seemed she kept herself in shape since her uniform fit her like a glove as it did when he and the guys served under her command.

"You look well Captain Terumi. I see the years have been kind to you" Naruto said politely as he picked her arms off him and stepped out of her grasps. He had no problem with the dark red haired woman except that she was a little touchy feely for his taste. That and she had an issue about being too up in peoples personal space.

Mei pouted at the cold but polite greeting she received from the blonde. He used to be so full of life and now he seemed to be as warm as the artic circle in the heary of a snow storm. "Now now Naruto-kun, is that anyway to greet an old friend?" she asked with pouty puppy dog eyes.

"Calling us friends is a stretch Captain. Acquaintaces maybe, comrades in arms yes but friends- I hesitate to say anything that far" Naruto said as he shook his head. "So when does this whole thing kick off because I know this isn't just a big reunion for people to catch up after all these years."

"Actually it is." Mei grimaced seeing the look of pure annoyance cross Narutos face. Why was he so against seeing his service comrades? Why was he so much colder than she last remembered him? "Is there something wrong?" she asked. Now she was definitely more concerned since it felt like the area around them dropped twenty degress making her shiver as Narutos eyes looked to be chips of ice.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't want to come" Naruto growled under his breath. Of course the organizer would paint it as something else. It would ensure that all the invited guests would attend without too much huff and fuss. "No Captain, nothing at all." His words and tone did not match up at all as he swiftly made his way through the crowd searching for Tayuya.

Laughing between the company of two pleasant women who served with Naruto, she believed they introduced themselves as Temari and Tenten, Tayuya couldn't help finding her cousins exploits while enlisted hillarious. The pair had finished telling her how the blonde once switched the whole of the officers shampoo with dye leaving them with pink hair for months. Oh they'd been the butt of jokes and tried to pin it on Naruto but had no evidence to prove it. In fact he only claimed it was his doing AFTER he was discharged to avoid disciplinary charges. Her laughter died immediately seeing said blonde approaching her looking ready to kill.

Seperating from the pair she guided him to a quiet sideroom devoid of people. "Whats wrong? You look ready to beat someone to death with a spoon" she said closing the door.

"This isn't an event I need to be at!" His roar of anger was loud to say the least as he frustratedly kicked the air. "This is a fucking reunion! I downright don't like or hate nearly ninety percent of everyone here!" Naruto chucked his watch at the wall and didn't care as the glass on the face shattered exposing the mechanism to the open air.

Before Naruto could rage any further or cause damage he didn't intend to Tayuya did the one thing she thought might stun him for a moment, she kissed him. It wasn't deep or anything like that, she wasn't a fan of societies stigma of incest nor was a fan of the practice, but it was just deep enough of a light familial peck on the lips to shut him up and force him to focus on her. "Then we can leave. You know I hate seeing you like this shithead" she said after breaking the kiss. She thought she saw a small thankful light in his eyes as she knelt down picking up the fragments of glass and his watch.

"If only we weren't related and you weren't married or a lesbian" Naruto said with a weak chuckle. Sometimes it scared him how Tayuya seemed to know him even better than Hinata. At the same token it made him thankful as well since she could calm him in the middle of a rage before real damage was dealt. Following the smaller redhead out he ignored the calls out to him by various people. "I need a cigarette, you want one?"

"No thanks but I do need to ask you something."