Here's to wishing you all a Happy New Year and good fortunes for 2016! Hopefully it'll be even better than last year.

At BrightestOfCrayons, your review made my day so thank you for that!

At guest, you have no imagination.

Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

Chapter 9

Before stepping into the shower Sakura followed her usual routine of examining her body in the mirror. She would note any new stretch marks that appeared and the gradual swelling of her belly. The stretch marks were the worst, as they probably wouldn't go away after she gave birth.

On the bright side she'd stopped throwing up and was finally putting on some pregnancy weight, though it was mostly in her thighs at the moment. Her breasts were also starting to expand and were sometimes sore in the mornings, though she wasn't sure if that was a positive.

"The joys of pregnancy," she murmured, tearing her eyes away from the mirror and stepping into the shower.

The past few weeks had been filled with either nonstop planning and preparation, or boredom. There were times when Mebuki would drag Sakura around to look at prenatal classes and baby items, and times where Sakura sat at home flicking through the television channels. Lee was always her cure when she was bored, as she just invited him over. He'd been a regular sight around the Haruno household for many years and continued to be so, even if he was working every other day.

At least the gym was closed on Christmas. Gai and Lee were coming over for the day, as they were now technically family. Sakura still couldn't believe that she and Lee were now related in a way other than friendship.

She'd made significant progress in changing her views on Lee. The thought of dating him wasn't undesirable now and she focused more on the good things he would bring into a relationship, but she still didn't like him enough. It was chewing her inside-out and she wondered if they'd ever be a couple, given that her feelings weren't as strong as they should be. She remembered her hahaoya's words, "don't force yourself to fall in love with him", but she couldn't see herself falling in love with him naturally. It was cruel, she knew, and she feared she was sending mixed messages, but what else could be done?

Sakura stepped out of the shower and towelled herself dry, paying careful attention to her stomach. Four months ago it had been as flat as a pancake. She dressed in her pyjamas and exited the bathroom, heading to the lounge. Picking up her phone (no new messages), she wondered what her friends were up to.

o.O.o

"It's looking almost finished," Hinata said proudly, hopping from foot to foot, her heels sore from standing on the concrete floor in Kiba's garage.

The kennel looked fabulous, if she said so herself. It was big enough for Akamaru and three other dogs to sleep inside, with a sanded wooden floor and white painted walls. The outside was fashioned from oak planks and a large plastic window was set in the wall opposite the entrance. Outside the entrance frame was a small veranda. Two holes were cut to one side, the metal dog bowls fitting into the holes nicely. Small fences lined the left and right sides of the veranda, leaving the front unobstructed. The roof was triangular in shape, made of red terracotta tiles that were secured in place.

All in all, the kennel was luxurious and Akamaru would be salivating once he saw it.

"It is finished," Kiba grinned, brushing his hands against sawdust-covered shorts. "This is the best Christmas present for Akamaru. I can't thank you enough!"

"I've told you, I'm happy to help out." She used an old paintbrush to dust the edges of the kennel, pushing loose bits of wood onto the floor. The garage was filled with brick-a-brac piles of wood and construction equipment and it would take forever to clean. Luckily Kiba had volunteered to do all the cleaning, stating that Hinata had already helped out enough.

Kiba glanced around at the mess. "This is going to take up all my time until Christmas. And no! You've done enough."

Hinata shrugged and finished with the brush, lowering it. She went over to the workbench and pulled a dust-covered sheet, using it to cover the finished kennel. Once it was in place she pushed her hair behind her ears and smiled. She'd taken more showers than usual lately but it was worth it to spend time with Kiba. Hiashi had been suspicious at first, as his daughter was spending excess amounts of time with a boy, and hadn't relaxed once he met Kiba's family. Tsume was a handful, as was Hana, but they were loveable people. They had warmed to Hinata immediately, as did the dogs.

"This should keep it hidden from the pups," she grinned, glancing at Kiba. He nodded, sawdust flying from his hair, and a matching grin spread across his face.

"You should see your hair. It's filthy!"

She giggled, her confidence having grown from weeks spent with him. "Another quip like that and the ladies'll be eating from your hand."

"Nah." He blushed. "That's Akamaru's job."

"Good one," she said warmly, "but he's not a lady."

"You're a lady," Kiba agreed, "though you don't look like one right now."

"Kiba!" she sighed, rolling her eyes. He stepped forward and ruffled her hair playfully, sending sawdust everywhere. They both tried to hold their breath but couldn't prevent the coughing fit and doubled over as they hacked out their lungs.

"I'm not doing that again," he wheezed, standing straight and clearing his throat. Hinata did the same and felt suddenly parched.

"I'll go get some water," she said. As she turned to leave the garage, Kiba's hand grasped her arm firmly.

"I made myself a promise," he murmured. "I promised myself to tell the truth before you left the garage today."

"The truth?" Her breath caught as he pulled her around to face him. After weeks of brushing against him accidentally, blushing after eye contact and sharing secret smiles, he was finally doing something about it. She knew he was a good one.

"I was wondering if you… well, if you'd like to go out sometime?" he asked, blushing. "I mean, like to the movies or dinner or something."

Grinning, she pretended to consider. "Hm, let me think about that… would I want to have dinner with you?" He went pale. "I think so. Sure."

Kiba laughed and let go of her arm. "That's great! I mean, um…" He seemed to debate on what to do next, then he leaned down, closing his eyes.

"Kiba…" Hinata pressed a hand to his chest. "I'm not kissing you right now. Or on the first date. Its bad luck to kiss a girl before or during the first date."

He opened his eyes, blushing and fidgeting, stepping back. "I'm sorry. It's not as if I've done this before…"

"I know." She continued to the garage door. "I'll get us that water now." Exiting the garage she carried herself with an air of confidence and security, but inside she was dancing with joy and squealing like a little girl.

o.O.o

Elsewhere in town, Tenten was stacking returned books in piles of: Young Adult, Adult, Historical, Encyclopaedia, Romance, and many more. When the piles were done she transferred them to the trolley and wheeled it into the silent library. There, she began to place them back into their respective shelves.

Working as a librarian's assistant wasn't a particularly fulfilling job, but it was a lot better than being a waitress (that was her previous job). The pay wasn't as good, but the work was a lot easier and she didn't get covered in grease and filth.

As she moved into the Romance section a familiar voice made her jump. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Neji!" she hissed, spinning. "Are you stalking me or something?"

"No. I visit this library often. I just happened to see you and wanted to say hello."

Tenten inwardly cringed. She'd been actively avoiding the Hyuga household, except for Hinata, because she was embarrassed that Neji had seen her in only her undies and bra. It was humiliating! And now that he'd seen her thunder thighs he probably wasn't interested.

Stupid Hyuga, she thought savagely.

"So when do you finish?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"Do you want to get hot chocolate or something? It's pretty cold outside."

"No," she said firmly.

Neji stared. "I don't get it. You say you like me, then you avoid me. Why?"

How could he understand? She'd never had a boyfriend before, not like Sakura, and she had no idea what to do. "I just… I don't know." He really made her feel like an idiot at times.

He sighed and leaned against the trolley of books. "Look, I'm sorry about the other week. I should've knocked."

"Damn right you should've."

"Now I'm trying to mend the gap. Will you have a drink with me?"

Hm. Her best friend's brother had just offered again to take her out and he did look quite nice leaning against the trolley with his muscles tensed. What's the worst that could happen? "I finish in three hours."

"I'll just read." He waved his hand vaguely. "Do you have any preferred places?"

"Not really. My hahaoyas' and I don't eat out much."

"Your hahaoyas'?"

She blushed, figuring it was best to tell him now. The time for embarrassment about her two hahaoyas' was long past. "I was adopted by a gay couple."

"Fine by me," Neji shrugged, "two of my best friends are gay." He stood straight and retreated into the Historical section, where he grabbed a book and settled down to read. Tenten shook her head and went back to work, excitement pulsing in her belly at the thought of going on a date with Neji.

o.O.o

"Ino… Ino… WAKE UP!"

"CHICHI!" she screamed, her eyes snapping wide open and her torso jerking against the seatbelt. "What the hell?!"

Inoichi chuckled and patted her shoulder. "We're here."

She spun in her seat, realising that they had finally reached the lodge where they would be staying until the New Year began. It was made entirely of pine, with the exception of the stone fireplace. The whole lodge was right near a skiing spot, where families would come for a day in the snow. Mountains surrounded the lodge, which was awful in the event of an avalanche. Each mountain was completely covered in powdery white snow, as was the roof of the lodge and its neighbouring shed.

"It looks beautiful," Ino breathed, her eyes fixing on the blue pick-up and the silver Ute parked on either side of them.

"The Ino-Duo!" two voices shouted, their respective owners exiting the wooden front door with grins on their faces. Chouza and Shikaku bounded up to the white Land Rover and pounded their fists on the bonnet good-naturedly, until Shikaku stopped to yawn.

"Losers!" Inoichi cried, leaping from the truck and embracing his two best friends. Ino giggled. Some things never changed; the trio had been best friends since they were little children. Unfortunately the close friendships hadn't been inherited by their own children, probably since Ino was a girl. Shikamaru and Choji were friends, and Ino and Shikamaru had briefly dated a year ago, but together the three of them were acquaintances. Ino hoped that this holiday would change that.

"I'm glad to see you finally showed your ugly face," Chouza said, his voice deep and booming.

"Why won't the little shrimp get out of the Bubble?" Shikaku sighed tiredly, earning a glare from Inoichi for comparing the Land Rover to a 'Bubble' car. Ino didn't take the shrimp remark seriously (insults were their best and only personality traits) and crawled from the truck, rubbing her eyes.

"My little niece!" Chouza declared, crushing Ino in a bear hug. She felt her lungs quake under the pressure and blubbed pointlessly until the huge man finally let her go. She collapsed on the ground, gasping, and Shikaku helped her up.

"Jeez pea-brain, you'll break her," the Nara chided, hugging her gently. She wrapped her arms around his waist gratefully and wondered if she would survive two weeks at the lodge with five stinky males.

Then Shikamaru and Choji exited the lodge, and she knew she would survive the next two weeks.