Chichi - father

Hahaoya - mother

o.O.o

Chapter 11

Her two weeks were almost up and she still hadn't made any progress in asking Choji out.

Ino sighed as she collapsed inside the warm lounge room, lit only by the large wood fire. Shikamaru was napping on a pile of cushions in front of the fire and Choji was snacking in an armchair lazily, staring into the flaming depths.

Their chichis were all in the nearby bar drinking and enjoying their last night on holidays together, as they were heading home tomorrow. Ino was envious of their fun, as she was sitting bored in the very uneventful lodge lounge on New Year's Day. Well, it wasn't technically New Year's Day, as it was night-time, but it was still the first of January. Thinking while on holidays made her head hurt!

The whole holiday had been amazing. The group of six went skiing and snowboarding every day and the three teenagers had made quite a few snowmen together; enough for a small army. Even Shikamaru, who was notoriously lazy, managed to scrape up enough energy to function every second day. Shikaku was the same.

Christmas had been a blast, even if they didn't exchange gifts. According to their chichi's this trip was a good enough gift and the children agreed. The food was excellent and the lodge was away from the other families staying in the mountains, meaning they had a huge area to themselves. Ino loved the solitude, even if she spent her time with her ex-boyfriend and her want-to-be-boyfriend. Luckily she and Shikamaru weren't ones to hold grudges. They honestly couldn't even remember why they'd gone out in the first place.

Shikamaru stirred on the cushions, rolling over and mushing his face into a fat one, exhaling loudly. Choji continued to snack. Ino reached for a brush and ran it through her long blonde hair idly, tugging it through the wet strands. She winced as it caught a bigger knot, cursing her thin blonde strands (thin hair was awful to brush).

"You want me to do that?" Choji asked, glancing over at where Ino sat on the three-seater couch.

"Sure." She shrugged indifferently, though her heart was racing at a million miles an hour. Choji heaved himself up from the armchair and ditched his chips, joining Ino on the couch. She turned her body away and handed over the brush, closing her eyes as he began to brush her hair, starting at the tips.

"So what was your favourite part of the trip?"

"The snow during the day, and the fire during the night. You?"

"Hm… it's a cross between the buffet and the salad bar. They make a good beef salad here." He licked his lips at the memory.

"I take it you haven't had beef salad like that before."

"Nope. I saw you hanging around the salad bar a lot too. You ordered a lot of different things."

"Oh really? Like what?" she challenged, wincing as the brush tugged hair from her scalp. Choji pressed a gently hand to her head and pulled the brush through the knot, wincing at her squeak of pain.

"Like, um, you had a few Caesar salads, some rock salads, and chicken salads… garden salads…"

"Well done. What about Shikamaru?"

"Eh, he mainly got stuff from the vending machines and the sushi bar. Lazy sod can't be bothered to be adventurous."

"Well he's plenty adventurous during the day, so it doesn't really matter if he sleeps the night away." She had to admit, Choji was a genius when it came to food. He was a brilliant cook, like his chichi (who owned one of the most prestigious restaurants in Kohona), and wanted to be a chef or a food taster when he grew up. Maybe even both.

"That's our Shikamaru. Being adventurous is too troublesome."

"Talking about people behind their back is mean," Shikamaru mumbled from his spot on the floor. Choji and Ino chuckled but otherwise ignored his comment.

"So what are your plans for the rest of the holidays? I mean, until school starts at least?" Ino asked. He continued to brush her hair, the brush moving smoothly as all the knots and kinks had been worked out.

"Well… just helping out at the restaurant I guess, and hanging out with my friends. We should catch a movie sometime."

"Damn, you stole my line," she giggled.

"Huh?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted dinner and a movie… but okay."

The brush stilled. "As in a date?"

"Yeah…" She hesitated. Had Neji been wrong?

"Um…" His voice had risen, probably in nervousness. Ino shook her head.

"I'll give you the night to think it over. I'm going to bed." She stood and left the lounge, her face flaming. What if he said no? Then she'd feel like the biggest idiot. She closed her bedroom door behind her and flicked the light on before moving around the room to prepare for bed. Someone knocked on the door. "Come in!"

Choji entered, red-faced and sheepish. "You uh… you forgot your brush." He laid it on the dresser beside the door nervously, withdrawing his hand like a snake was about to bite it. "Um, about before, yeah, dinner and a movie sounds great. It was just a bit… unexpected."

She smiled widely and crossed the room, throwing her arms around him without a second thought. "I'm glad!" His rounded body was very comfortable and she imagined resting against it if they were cuddling in bed. That would be nice.

"The skinny, blonde and beautiful Ino Yamanaka just asked me out. Why not?" He laughed into her hair and she pulled back to face him.

"The smiling, kind and food-loving Choji Akimichi just agreed to go out with me. Why not?" She darted forward and pecked his lips briefly, grinning at his shocked expression. "Now out you get mister. I'm going to bed."

He nodded slowly and swept from the room, a vacant (but happy) expression on his face. Ino, beaming, turned the light off and settled into bed. It took quite a while to fall asleep, and when she did she was woken minutes later by Inoichi, Shikaku and Chouza as they came home from the bar, laughing and singing loudly about goblins.

o.O.o

Tenten checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time before staring back out at the street. Plenty of people wandered past, heads protected by woollen beanies and hoods, but not the person she was looking for.

As it was the second of January mostly elderly people and families were out and about this early in the morning. Her own hahaoyas were in bed sleeping off hangovers like quite a few others she knew. The New Year celebrations had lasted over several days, resulting in multiple wild nights and subsequent hangovers. Tenten had escaped the madness that was her family by hiding out in the library. Sure, she loved her hahaoyas and their families, but they got very loud when they were drunk. They were never dangerous or anything like that – just loud.

She wasn't the only one who'd been caught up in family celebrations. The day after she had coffee with Neji, he and Hinata had been swept up in family commitments lasting from before Christmas to the New Year. As a result, she hadn't seen either friend. Ino was skiing and Sakura and Lee were having a baby, which didn't leave her many options to escape her rambunctious family.

"Good morning beautiful."

Tenten jumped and spun in her seat, taking in long hair flowing out from underneath a grey beanie. He had snuck up behind her while she was deep in thought. Bastard. "Morning Neji. It's been a while."

"Yep." He moved around the table and dusted snow off the chair opposite her before sitting. He had called the night before to ask if she wanted to get some breakfast at a local café he was fond of. As she hadn't seen him in weeks and really missed hanging out with someone other than family, she'd accepted.

"So how was your family time?" she asked, tugging the sleeves of her gloves.

"Boring. All they talk about is money and the business. I come from a family of robots. You?"

"Well, I've been out at aunt's and uncle's houses for Christmas and New Year's. They all got pretty drunk and really loud." She shook her head. "I love them and all, but they can get rowdy."

His expression became concerned. "What kind of rowdy?"

She grinned. "They're a jolly bunch. You know, like Hobbits and stuff. Quite a few embarrassing stories are told. I tend to head to the library for some quiet time when they get loud."

Neji nodded. "Hold on a second, I'll go and get us some menus." He stood and entered the quaint little café, returning to their outside table within moments.

"You think we should eat inside?" Tenten asked. "It's quite cold."

"It'll be fine," he assured her, handing over a menu. "What would you like?"

She scanned the menu for a few long moments, pursing her lips. "Bacon and eggs with a cappuccino."

"Okay." He took both menus back into the café before returning, hands tucked in his pockets. "I made our order."

"What're you having?"

"The eggs benedict with a caramel latte."

"Real sophisticated," she commented. He sat back down across from her and sighed.

"I wish my family was like yours." He laced his gloved hands together broodingly. "It would be nice to have fun sometimes, even just one night of rowdiness."

"We're not swapping families for a day," Tenten chuckled. "I can deal with their loudness and not the boringness of your family, you and Hinata excluded."

"Are you calling my chichi boring?"

"Well, he is very unfriendly at times…" She trailed off, staring in disbelief as two familiar figures wandered past the café, holding hands. "Lee? Sakura?"

Both teens turned and noticed Tenten and Neji sitting together. Sakura dragged Lee over to the table, but they didn't sit down. "Hey Tenten," she greeted, "hey Neji."

"Hi."

"Hey! So… are you two a couple now?"

"Yes." Lee blushed.

"It's about time!" Tenten cried, leaping to her feet and pumping their free hands enthusiastically. "Sakura, you do know that he's loved you for years, right?"

The pink-haired girl shook her head. "It seems like everyone knew but me. Our parents took bets on it!"

Tenten sat back down, grinning. "It looks like Ino owes me that green purse."

"You too?" Sakura groaned. Lee patted her shoulder consolingly with his free hand. "So are you two on a date?"

They exchanged glances. "Yes," Neji replied before Tenten could speak. The brunette fell silent, slightly flattered by the declaration. As far as she was concerned, their breakfast wasn't a date, but so far it'd been a good first date – if that's indeed what it was.

"Then we best leave you," Sakura said hastily. "See you around." She and Lee retreated quickly.

"Hinata and Kiba are dating!" Tenten called to their retreating backs.

Neji's lips twitched. "It seems all your friends are pairing off. Choji texted me last night. He and Ino are planning a date."

Tenten watched her friends' retreating forms curiously. "Doesn't it make you feel really shallow?"

"I don't understand."

"Well here we are, and Hinata and Kiba and Ino and Choji, all thinking about trivial stuff like relationships. Then there's those two. They're having a baby for God's sake! I just… I feel like we're being really selfish and insensitive to their situation, like we should be doing more to support them."

"They have each other," Neji deadpanned. "I'm sure you'll be hanging out soon once the baby is born." He glanced down the street thoughtfully. "Is it a girl or a boy?"

"A girl. I wonder if they're looking at names yet," she mused. Their discussion was interrupted when their food and coffees were brought out to them. Tenten stared longingly at her bacon and eggs and tucked in eagerly, much to Neji's amusement.

"I like a girl with an appetite," he said, cutting up his eggs benedict. Tenten shot him a vicious glare, prompting a smirk from him. Stupid Hyuga.

o.O.o

"Thanks for getting me out of the house," Sakura smiled, reclining onto her lounge room couch. Lee moved to stand behind her and rested his chin on the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her stomach.

"I am glad." Lee gently kissed the top of her head and she sighed contentedly. He smiled slightly, knowing that her happiness was his doing.

Someone cleared their throat behind the couple, breaking the feeling of contentment that had momentarily settled. Lee stood straight and nodded respectfully at Kizashi.

"Good morning, blossom. Morning Lee."

"Hey chichi."

"Good morning Kizashi."

"Come here, Lee." Kizashi beckoned. "I want to talk to you."

"Of course." Lee smiled at Sakura and followed her chichi into the kitchen, where the older man turned and proceeded to glare.

"I want you to promise me something," Kizashi said, his voice low. "I haven't said anything because I know how happy you're making my baby girl, but I'm going to warn you. If you ever hurt her – if you even think about leaving her because it's becoming too hard – I will hunt you down and kill you in your sleep. Promise me that you won't leave her and you won't treat her poorly, because if you do… it'll be the last thing you ever do."

Lee smiled, unfazed by the threat, as he could never imagine doing anything cruel to his blossom. "I promise that I will remain by her side for as long as she wishes. I promise to treat her with the respect she deserves and love her with all my heart. I will never intentionally hurt her. Remember, you bet that she and I would become a couple and we have. Do not count us out so quickly."

Kizashi glared for a moment longer before smiling widely. "You're the good one. I'm proud to call you my son." He stepped forward and embraced the tall boy, who returned the hug eagerly. When Kizashi held him at arm's length, he chuckled. "I'll tell you now, you can come to me whenever you want and ask for my blessing."

Lee opened his mouth to reply, but Kizashi squeezed his arms and breezed from the kitchen, humming like nothing had happened. The teenage boy walked slowly back to the lounge room, his eyes riveted on Sakura's smiling face.

"Did he try to kill you?" she joked, holding out her hand. Lee took it and moved around the couch to sit beside her.

"No, we just talked."

Sakura picked up Grimm's Brothers Tales from the coffee table and pressed it into Lee's hands. "He won't try to kill you; he loves me too much."

"I know." Lee opened the book to where they'd last read to and began the tale of Snow White. Sakura settled against his side and he read to her like the talk hadn't been a big deal.

I'm proud to call you my son… you can come to me whenever you want and ask for my blessing…

Inside his mind, the wheels were turning.