All good things come to an end, friends. Thanks for making this so special for me.

The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Twelfth Day of Christmas: January 5th

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*.*On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: twelve drummers drumming*.*
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Neither Neji nor Tenten were ones to stay in bed past a certain hour, no matter the time of day, the bed, or the company in the bed.

Therefore, when the clock ticked past that certain hour and they were both still asleep, it was something of a momentous occasion.

Neji drifted to wakefulness first, his senses slowly cataloging his surroundings in the early lingering light of winter dawn. Two nights ago, he had fallen asleep in his own bed, with Tenten's back curled into his chest. He woke in the same position, surprisingly well rested, and still cradling her protectively. Last night they had retired to Tenten's bed, fully aware that the majority of their time would not be spent sleeping. This morning they were a tangle of limbs and he was strangely at peace with the world.

He didn't need to look out of the window to know it wouldn't be snowing hard this morning. The temperatures were going to remain cold, but the worst of the storm had passed through. Itachi had messaged that the trip to Suna was on for tomorrow.

Something strange settled under his ribs as Neji came to a very simple, straightforward realization.

He was going to miss her.

She shifted in his arms with a murmur of something nonsensical and content. He drew the blanket up over her shoulders and felt her smile against the crook of his neck before her breathing returned to something quiet and steady.

She was exhausted.

Given what life had thrown at her lately, he couldn't blame her.

He doubted he had ever dealt as well or as honestly with his parents' deaths as she had – and knew she was reeling from the way her world had been turned on its head since Christmas Eve. Now she was going back to Suna – somewhere she hadn't been since she left to take care of her father. She was going back, in a sense, to her old life.

Granted, her stay wasn't slated to be long – but what would it mean for her when she returned to Konoha? What would that mean for her new life? Would the last almost-two-weeks prove to be nothing more than an anomaly?

When she returned to Konoha… would she be coming home?

Or was it one more place on the road to the home she didn't know where to find?

His breath caught in his throat at the stuttering brush of long lashes against his skin and the slow inhale of her waking.

She blinked slowly a couple of times, her breath a warm whisper against his pulse.

She shifted in his arms, leaning back just enough to meet his eyes.

"Morning."

"Good morning," his eyes roved over her. "Sleep well?"

"Mm. Bed is surprisingly comfortable. You?"

"Very well."

"Hungry?"

He arched an eyebrow at her.

"For?"

"Breakfast," she chuckled. "The kind that I make in the kitchen non-euphemistically."

"Perhaps… not quite yet."

They hovered on the edges of this new orbit between them, testing the boundaries of physics and expectations before succumbing to the gentle pull of their combined gravity.

Neji understood lust. He understood the mechanics of desire, and did not consider himself immune to them. In fact, he cultivated a high level of self-aware pragmaticism in all things, so as to avoid confusing the act of indulging or satisfying a need with any artificial sentiment that such acts could engender or represent.

He had been born beautiful, and was no stranger to being wanted for that beauty.

He was wealthy, influential, and successful, and had suffered a parade of princesses and stepsisters and dragons, all brandishing one shoe, all certain he had one just like it tucked under his bed and waiting for its match.

He was enigmatic and aloof – an exotic creature to be hunted and trapped and tamed and turned into a trophy.

He understood his own motivations, and the motivations of others, and could safely say he had never been hurt in love - an easy claim to make, when he'd never allowed himself to even consider the emotion as anything other than a fairy tale.

Neji understood all of those things.

But the strong fingers trailing feather-light over his chest to skim up his neck and tuck his hair behind his cheek demanded nothing.

They asked.

They explored.

They marveled.

But there were no demands.

The eyes meeting his so openly had always done so with honesty – but now they were completely unshuttered, and it was an intimacy he had never experienced.

He desperately wanted to be the person he had only ever seen reflected in her eyes.

As he rolled her under himself, his senses full of her, he knew he was charging headlong into uncharted waters.

Neji understood lust but this…?

This was unexplored and dangerous territory.

And the only thing keeping him from running the other way, or slipping out while she slept, or making excuses to skip breakfast, was that it was her.

That simultaneously thrilled and scared the shit out of him.

He wasn't any closer to an answer later as they made breakfast, while she intermittently hummed what he was fairly certain was the theme song from a kung-fu movie.

Both of their phones buzzed with an invitation from Naruto and Hinata to join them for dinner.

Tenten glanced at the oven clock.

"Can we make a few stops before we go over?"

"I don't see why not. Need something for your trip?"

"Not exactly," she put something in to bake and set the timer. "I want to get a couple of things before I have to say goodbye."

Neji quietly refilled his coffee.

"Goodbye?"

He hadn't intended to sound anything more than noncommittal, but his failure must've been stark to earn the look she turned on him. Her grin was slow and knowing as she slipped her arms around his waist.

"More like farewell," she amended. "Why? Going to miss me, Hyūga?"

"Yes."

"Can't get rid of me that easy, Neji," she pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw. "Besides. I promised Lee I'd be here to pick him up from the airport."

"You did."

He put down his coffee and held her for a moment.

"Will you… Are you going to want to tell…"

She smiled and shrugged. "We'll handle it as it comes."

He held her close until some other alarm chimed, and she hummed her way to whatever needed her attention.

Neji smiled to himself, content to enjoy their as-needed conversation. He was going to miss her, yes, but he would also look forward to her returning.

As someone who – Hanabi's soon-to-be-born baby aside – had very little to look forward to, he thought that this was more than enough.

Both of her parents had wanted a big family – Ryu because he'd never met his, and Chun-Li because she missed hers. Tenten had often wondered what it would be like to have people to come home to – a house that would fill with laughter and the odd angles that come from sharing a space with family. Holidays captivated her young imagination, and she'd dream about being one of those kids that had cousins that went to the same school, or getting on a plane to go visit grandparents for the holidays, and having the built-in friends that come with the adventures of a childhood shared.

Unfortunately, the timing never quite worked out and Tenten had remained an only child.

Her parents made a concerted effort to fill their small home with love, and her father doubly so after her mother's death. They largely kept to themselves, but they had been guests in others' homes for the holidays – or shared celebrations on base with other families….

…but it had never quite lived up to her imagination.

It was all too temporary – too distanced.

It was never hers.

It wasn't home.

But now, gathered around Hanabi and Konohamaru's dining room table, in a house full to bursting with the laughter and companionship and loyalty and love of a family blended by birth and circumstance and choice, her childhood fantasies were looking less like dreams and more like hope.

"Seconds?" Hanabi nodded to her plate.

"It would be thirds, and no thank you," Tenten sat back in her chair. "But thanks for the offer."

"Great!" Naruto reached for the nearest pie. "More for me!"

"And now you know why Hinata always cooks for fifty," Hanabi slid another pie away from the black hole at the end of the table. Unfortunately, Konohamaru scooped it up on his way in with her tea, and sat down next to Naruto with the pie, a can of whipped cream, and a fork.

"Sneaky," Hanabi narrowed her eyes at him.

"Freezer. Second shelf."

Hanabi's eyes went wide and she put her napkin on the table. "Pardon me," she shoved away from the table and hurried into the kitchen.

Tenten quirked an eyebrow at Konohamaru who was doing his best to empty an entire can of Redi-Whip over the surface of a whole pie.

"Wait for it…" A shriek of delight came from the kitchen. "Theeeere it is," he ate a huge forkful of what might've been all whipped cream.

Hanabi came back in grinning and plopped down next to him, a pint of specialty ice cream in one hand, a spoon in the other.

"I didn't think they had any of this left in Konoha," she sighed happily, taking off the lid.

"They didn't," he speared another big bite of pie. "I ordered it directly from the company."

Hanabi closed her eyes in bliss with the first bite. "God, I love you."

"Thanks," he nudged her with his elbow. "Even though you mean the ice cream and not me."

"Can't it be both?"

Tenten laughed, and started to gather the plates nearest to her. She joined Hinata in the kitchen, and they loaded the last of the plates into the dishwasher as the smell of hot chocolate wafted through the air.

"Not sure what you put in this," Tenten stirred the large pot on the stove, "but I'm thinking it is probably illegal."

Hinata laughed as she arranged mugs on a tray.

"What else is there left to do?" Tenten stepped aside so Hinata could ladle out the hot chocolate. "I don't want to leave Hanabi with any work."

"Nothing until the boys finish the desserts. "Did I hear correctly? Your flight will take of tomorrow?"

"Yes," she turned the tray to make Hinata's job easier. "The last of the weather system that brought the storm is passing through tonight, and Suna is in the opposite direction."

"Are you looking forward to going back?"

"I'm looking forward to seeing Temari," she admitted. "I read over the files Itachi gave me; I think this project will turn out to be rather interesting."

"It sounds like something you'd be rather good at," Hinata's eyes danced mirthfully. "At least if the reports of your spar with Neji are to be believed."

Tenten laughed, then. "Probably depends on what you heard, but the general scope of training and training methods is pretty firmly in my wheelhouse."

"When do you get back from Suna?"

"Two weeks? Week and a half if Itachi thinks we have done all we can by then."

"Is there anything I can do for you while you are gone?"

"Yes," she smiled, scooping up the tray. "Keep Naruto away from my new place. The last time he checked on where I lived, they condemned the whole building."

Hinata crossed her heart in a solemn promise before both women cracked into laughter.

They had barely unloaded the tray when Boruto barreled around the corner, eyes wide, smile brilliant.

"Mom! Dad! Come see! Santa came back! Santa came back!"

"Whoa!" Naruto managed to scoop him up before he knocked over anyone. "What's this about Santa?"

"He came back!" Boruto practically vibrated with excitement. "There's stuff under the tree! Can we open it?"

"I guess we can check it out," Naruto set his son down, who rocketed back the way he came.

Amused, all of the adults followed to the room where Konohamaru and Hanabi's tree glowed happily. There were several brightly covered packages glistening under the tree, much to Bortuo's delight. Himawari attempted a shaky step before plopping to her bottom and crawling quickly to catch up with her brother.

Tenten tried to contain her smile.

She had purchased thank you gifts for everyone and had asked Neji if he thought it would be alright for her to leave them under the tree.

"The Magi bring their gifts tonight," she'd said, wrapping the presents. "One of dad's foster families celebrated with gifts at Epiphany, not Christmas. It's something he did with me since I was a child."

"Sit, sit!" Boruto half led, half shoved her onto the couch. He ran over to the pile and grabbed one of the gifts.

"This one has your name on it!"

Tenten was prepared to correct him, but it did, in fact, have her name on the tag.

"You can read?"

"No. Uncle Neji read it for me."

Tenten looked up at Neji who was calmly sipping his drink.

"See what the others say," Naruto urged as the other adults filtered into the living room.

With help from the adults, Boruto handed out all of the gifts – one for everyone (several for him and Himawari because Tenten had never had the joy of shopping for children before) – and no less than five piled next to Tenten.

She looked between them all as Neji joined her on the couch.

"What is this?"

"Looks like Santa knew you didn't get to celebrate Christmas," Naruto shrugged. "But I'm just guessing."

Their range of expressions – from Hinata's gently sweet to Hanabi's satisfied to Naruto and Konohamaru's excited to Neji's quietly pleased – made her heart stutter.

Tenten gaped the pile in awe. "I can't…you didn't have… you've already done so much," she raised eyes wide with gratitude and possibly the hint of tears.

"What did they do?" Boruto looked between her and the presents and his family. His eyes grew wide, and he pinned his parents with a look somewhere between awe and terror as he whispered

"Did you call Santa?!"

To Tenten's infinite amusement, it was Hinata that lifted her shoulders in the most innocent of shrugs.

"Whoa," Boruto breathed.

Himawari was holding up a wrapped box to Boruto, her head cocked to the side.

"Open?"

He looked to his parents for permission.

"…Can we?"

"Of course," Hinata's smile was sweet.

"Let's all open them," Hanabi grinned at her nephew. "You start!"

With a sigh of relief and an immediate return of his excitement (and a few suspicious looks toward mantles and other places that tattletale elf liked to hide because someone had to have let Santa know) Boruto dove into his presents.

Surrounded by the laughter and warmth of a family, Tenten felt her heart swell with a tangible happiness. It was so close to everything she had ever imagined as a child – but was it real? Was she still just a visitor to someone else's world that so resembled her dreams as to make her heart contract in a joyful ache?

"This?"

Tenten looked down to find Himawari pushing a brightly wrapped box into her lap.

"This is yours," she smiled, recognizing it as one of the gifts she bought. "You can open it."

Himawari blinked her large eyes at her. "This? Open? This?"

"Yes, sweetheart. You can open it."

"She wants you to open it," Boruto said over his shoulder, tossing wrapping paper to the side.

Tenten picked up the box.

"You want me to open it? Are you sure?"

"Open," she grinned happily, climbing onto the couch in between her and Neji

"Alright," she put the gift between them. "But you help."

"Help!"

Tenten pried part of the paper up for Himawari to tear. She'd had to remind herself she was wrapping gifts to be opened, not shipped, and curbed her tendencies to seal the packages with tape.

It had one of those tiny marvelous wonders of the day – wrapping a gift to be shared with people the same day – not painstakingly wrapped and double wrapped and triple wrapped to survive the journey to whatever far-flung corner of the Earth was currently housing Lee.

A tiny gasp from Himawari brought her attention back to the moment, and a tendril of pride curled around her heart. Himawari's mouth was in a small "o" as she carefully pulled the toy out of the box. She gently stroked the soft fur, eyes wide with wonder.

She looked to Tenten in disbelief.

"This? Me?"

"Yes, sweetheart," Tenten smiled gently. "It's for you."

Himawari grinned and crushed the stuffed panda into a huge hug, rocking it back and forth.

"Oh, wow!" Bortuo's eyes grew wide. "Pandas are her favorite!"

"Mine, too," Tenten grinned.

HImawari curled into Tenten's side – panda and all - and sucked her thumb contentedly. Boruto had to help her open the rest of her presents, and then he went ahead and helped Tenten with hers. By the time all of the gifts were unwrapped, Himawari was fast asleep.

Part of Tenten's heart melted as the little one wriggled in close. She glanced over to Neji, who was smiling gently at his niece - the kind of smile that Tenten suspected few people saw, and even fewer were intended to see.

He looked up and caught her gaze, and something warm and wonderful blossomed in her chest. Years of dreams slid through her mind and slipped around her heart - it was all so close to everything she had ever wanted.

"It isn't what I imagined," she thought as they wound their fingers together on the ride home.

And again as he joined her in front of the fire and gave her a small box and said "Might as well make it convincing."

And again as she laughed while he slid the band on her finger - a large aquamarine flanked by rubies - before trying to tell him the whole idea was silly.

(And again as she realized it was her and her mother's birthstone flanked by her father's.)

((And again later when she realized her father and Neji had the same birthstone.))

And again as he reminded her they had a year to indulge, and that Mr. Gamariki had been most insistent.

(And again the next morning when he brought her to breakfast and then the airport, and Itachi alerted them that they were being photographed in "secret.")

And again as they disappeared upstairs together.

(And again the next evening when she had to endure an interrogation from Temari who took her jobs as best friend and drill sergeant equally as seriously and did not let the fact that they had both worked an insanely full day stop her.)

((And again much, much, much later, when a second ring joined her first.))

And again as they wound together, hearts beating as one, she thought,

"It's nothing like I imagined it would be."

Neji adjusted the blankets to cover her shoulders before kissing her head, the rise and fall of his chest slowing to the even pattern of sleep.

Tenten settled into her place nestled against him (a place that neither doubted was well and truly 'hers') and let sleep overtake her.

It was nothing like the dreams she had as a child - not really.

Yes there were friends and family and a warmth she'd only read about.

But it was nothing like her dreams.

It was so much better.

And she couldn't wait to see what the year had in store for them both.

.~*Fin*~.

With gratitude, friends.

- Giada