Author note: Better late than never? Some ships sank, some ships sailed but we can all agree that this story is now firmly an AU.

Most of the time, situations such as these would have been uncomfortable for me. Despite having gained more respect among my family, diplomatic negotiations were still unnerving. However, my discomfort was nothing compared to what Neji-nii-san must be feeling, even if he was a master at concealing it.

When my father asked me to join him at an important meeting, I had expected another afternoon of political discussions about some far away border town. I most certainly had not expected to find Neji-nii-san trapped under the withering glare of a man more than twice his age and less than half his height.

When the couple was introduced, I could barely contain my shock. I had never met Tenten-san's parents but this was not how I imagined them. Well… truthfully though, her mother had her grace and looks. Her father had all the emotions and personality quirks that I had come to know as Tenten-san's.

The fact was I had never really thought about her parents. I knew most of my friends' families but that was because most served on the council. But Tenten-san's and even Sakura-san's families were mostly unknown to me.

"It is an honor to have members of the Kuroyama Company visit us," my father started as soon as tea had been brought in. "I trust the journey to Konoha was without incident."

Tenten-san's father started to say something but her mother chimed in quickly. "You honor us by inviting us into your house." She smiled and turned to me, a reflection of an older Tenten-san hidden in her gaze. "You must be Hinata-sama, my daughter speaks highly of you."

I blushed and bowed a bit in my seat. "Thank you very much… ma'am," I managed, trying not to trip over the fact that I didn't even know her name.

"Zhenzhu, please," she replied. "We don't require formalities, especially with such good friends of our daughter, do we, Jian?"

The older man smiled slowly, never breaking eye contact with Neji-nii-san. "No, we wouldn't want to estrange people our daughter was so… close to."

The flinch was imperceptible to most, but I saw it in my cousin's reaction. On the one hand, I wanted to squeal in excitement. Something had happened! I could not wait to tell Ino-san and Sakura-san! But on the other hand… I did not want to leave Neji-nii-san here to be taken apart by her irate father.

My father coughed a bit, and if I had not known better I would have thought he was trying to mask his laughter. "Yes, we have become very fond of Tenten-san over the years," he said, maintaining his composure.

"Some more than others," Jian-san quipped, earning him a sharp poke in the side from his wife. He glared at her, giving Neji-nii-san his first chance to breathe. I caught his eye and tried to ask what exactly had happened without words. His face remained impassive at that but if I strained hard I could almost see… disappointment.

Oh. So nothing had happened or far more likely, the reason her father was so upset... I looked over at Jian-san who was now concentrated on my father.

"Indeed," my father managed. "I suppose it is no secret then the real purpose of my asking you to come here."

"Perhaps not to you," Jian-san snapped, "but the last I heard my daughter was recovering from a serious injury, not being coerced by some hormone-driven idiot to do gods only know what!"

"I assure you that my nephew would never act improperly with anyone, let alone someone whom my entire family holds in high regard."

"…alone, without a chaperone, I can only imagine what might have happened if we hadn't gotten there in time."

I should not have laughed. But of all of us, Tenten-san was the least likely to allow someone to take advantage of her. My father shot me a glance, not necessarily of disapproval but enough to force me to mask the noise as a cough that I buried in my tea cup.

"In our part of the country," Jian-san continued, lecturing to both Neji-nii-san and my father, "we don't canoodle in public like that unless we are married."

The tea brushed the top of my nose as I tried and failed to contain the giggle. A warm hand rested on my arm and I looked over to see Zhenzhu-san looking concerned. "Are you alright dear? You aren't ill, are you?"

"My family always acts honorably," my father said, seeming to get a bit angry . "Of that there is no question."

"Really?" Jian-san asked, turning his glare back to Neji-nii-san. "So am I to assume then that your intentions are honorable."

Neji-nii-san cleared his voice. "Of course."

"Then is there something you would like to ask?" Jian-san prompted.

Oh, my cousin. He is a genius in many, many things. But in matters such as these, we have already established he is less than quick to understand the implications of what is going on. He was simple in that regard. Like most things in life, he had assessed the risks and gains involved in a course of action and already determined the best way to approach the situation. So it did not surprise me that he answered like he did.

"I already asked her to marry me," he replied evenly.

I placed the cup down and watched as Zhenzhu-san delicately pushed her own teaware out of the range of her husband.

"YOU DID WHAT?"

I cringed and watched as my father sat back in his seat. Even for him, this was going to be a difficult situation to negotiate out of. I expected him to be angry for Neji-nii-san's gaffe of not even thinking that it would have been important to ask the father's permission first. Or at least upset that the family's honor was truly at stake. Instead, he looked… he almost looked sad.

"It is my fault," he said evenly. It was a good thing I no longer had the cup of tea in my hands. The surprise that this statement caused would have surely made me drop it onto the floor, shattering it to pieces.

"With my brother's passing, the duty of teaching certain things should have fallen to me. I have failed in that regard," he finished, bowing low to the ground.

I don't know which among us looked the most surprised. Myself, Tenten-san's parents or… yes I believe Neji-nii-san would have won for looking the most shocked.

Jian-san seemed to have the wind taken out of his anger. He cleared his throat once and waved a hand. "There's no need for that. I'm sure proper steps can be taken to fix this."

"They will," my father said, straightening up. "Hinata, please escort our guests back to their lodgings."

I bowed and stood quickly to my feet, shuffling to the door.

As soon as we cleared the compound, Jian-san let out a deep breath. "Well then," he said, looking at me and then at his wife. He seemed to shrink, if that was possible, under her gaze. "Perhaps I should go and speak to Konoha representatives before heading back."

"You should," came the even reply.

He bowed to me and quickly hurried off. To be perfect honest, at that moment I was more afraid of Tenten-san's mother than her father. Since the scene at the house, she had said nothing, barely looked at another person. Knowing how Tenten-san's patience would eventually boil over to sudden rage, I could only wonder if this was the same pattern.

"My husband…" she started. "…is an idiot." I didn't show any sign of agreement or disagreement at that. "But he is right in some ways."

To that I had to agree. "I am sorry that we have appeared to act improperly."

Zhenzhu-san sighed. "You really haven't. It's just hard to be parents to a kunoichi when you are not living in the village. We want to grant our daughter's wish to follow this path but at the same time, we still want to protect her. We can't, though, protect her from the dangers that come with her chosen profession. Jian knows that, so I think he overacts in the parts of her life he feels like he could still do some good."

I shook my head. "You have done a wonderful job," I replied. "I see so much of Tenten-san in both of you. She is one of the best kunoichi in this village, a fact that could not have occurred if not for the way you raised her and continue to support her."

"Thank you," she replied, though her voice still held some sorrow. She said nothing else as I brought her back to Tenten-san's home. I was surprised that Tenten-san wasn't there but her mother took it in stride, thanking me for the escort and stating she was ready for some rest.

Free of that obligation, I did not feel like I should go home just yet. So instead I went in search of Sakura-san.

She was not in the hospital but at the flower shop with Ino-san. As soon as I walked in, they quickly dragged me to the back room so we could speak in private.

"Did anyone die?" Ino-san asked.

Sakura-san tsked her tongue while I shook my head. "No, it was… not pleasant though."

"Spill!" Ino-san said.

I did not want to air my family's private discussions so instead I went on another path. "Her parents were simply… concerned."

Ino-san snorted. "About what?" I hesitated as I thought about how to best answer that without giving too much away.

"About everything," Sakura-san replied, with an understanding look.

"Why? Tenten is a kick ass shinobi," Ino-san retorted. "She can take care of herself."

"Yeah, we know that, but it's hard for them to understand."

"Understand what?"

"Ino… it's different for you. Your dad is shinobi. But when your parents aren't, it's harder. They don't understand what we do and they tend to get overprotective. I mean, the best thing I did was become a medic-nin and move out on my own. Now my parents think I work in the hospital all the time."

"But you still go on missions."

"And I just don't tell them," she said simply. "Otherwise, they'd just worry."

There was silence as that weighed on the group. No one liked to face mortality but shinobi simply grew up sooner than regular kids. Ones like Sakura-san and Tenten-san simply accepted the possibility of their fate long before their parents ever could.

Ino-san stood up suddenly. "This is too heavy for me," she said, flippantly. "We need to go relax and forget about all this grown-up stuff."

I watched Ino-san, realizing that she was not blowing this off as inconsequential. She was simply seeing that there was no good solution for the situation and focusing our attentions elsewhere.

"I have a date with Kiba in ten and then I'll reschedule with the others. We need a girls-only weekend trip to the hot springs."

Sakura-san paused. "Well… we don't have any missions. But I have some shifts at the hospital."

"Then trade them off, that's an order!" Ino-san said, placing her hands on her hips. "This is an important trip. Tenten is probably off wallowing somewhere, looking as miserable as you do."

"I don't look miserable!" Sakura-san said, not really convincingly.

"I can see the worry lines in your huge forehead already settling in…"

"SHUT UP, PIG!"

Ino-san did not bother to ask me if I could go. Not because she did not care if I could come or not but because she knew I understood that there was no discussion in the matter. I headed home to pack a small overnight bag. I could not find my father anywhere so I made Hanabi promise to tell him I would only be gone a few days.

"I wish I could go on missions," she sulked.

"It is not a mission," I replied. "We are going to spend a few days at a hot spring."

I expected her to look less upset at getting left behind with that. But instead, she looked a bit worse. "Hanabi?"

"It's fine," she said haughtily. "It's not like I don't have important stuff to do myself."

Only, I knew she did not. With father occupied, who else would Hanabi spend time with? I realized she was very much like I was before Sakura-san had asked me to join her group. Alone, without any female friends and… well, Hanabi most definitely had more confidence than I did. However…

"I understand," I replied. "However, I would like you to come with me. I believe we could use your help in determining how to best proceed with the situation."

Hanabi looked at me warily as if waiting for the other shoe to drop. "I'd… get in the way."

I shook my head firmly. "Quite the opposite. We can trade off making sure that Jiraiya-sama is nowhere near us."

She waited a second before letting the ghost of a smile show through. "Well, I can see further than you," she said. "I'll go pack."

When we arrived at the front gate of the village, I was a bit cautious about how Ino-san would react to seeing my younger sister there. After all, she had not explicitly invited her.

"Hey Hinata," Ino said. "Hey… chibi-Hinata."

I stifled a giggle as Hanabi indignantly reminded Ino-san of her actual name. Ino-san didn't react, instead waving as Sakura-san and Tenten-san came into view. Hanabi quickly attached herself to Tenten-san's arm, complaining about the rude blonde girl. Sakura-san was quick to agree with everything Hanabi said.

We made our way towards the hot springs, Ino-san working hard to distract everyone from any reason not to be excited for our impromptu vacation. For the most part it worked because it was hard not to catch Ino-san's infectious excitement.

By the time we reached the hot spring the sun had long since set. I spoke with the owner of the hotel first to make sure we had enough space for our additional guest. I barely managed to get two words out before we were being escorted to the best suite in the place.

"It's good to be friends with the Hyuuga," Ino-san exclaimed, eying the room. Even I was a bit taken aback by the opulence. At least four separate bedrooms, two full baths, a private door to a hot spring and a living room that was full of food and flowers. Oh, and a mini-bar. I had better make sure that stayed locked.

"We're not friends," Hanabi replied with a scowl.

"Whatever, chibi-Hinata. Let's hit the hot spring!"

A quick scan alleviated any fear of prying eyes as I settled into the hot water. Ino-san was almost purring as Sakura-san found a seat next to her. Tenten-san sat opposite them while Hanabi cautiously looked around with Byakugan.

"This… this was a good idea," Sakura-san said.

"Of course, it was," Ino-san replied. "It was mine. Now the most important part, the rules."

"Rules?" I asked.

Ino-san nodded. "First of all, no fighting. We're here to have fun and relax and fighting will not help that."

Sakura-san rolled her eyes. "You're the one that always starts the fights, pig."

Ino-san was about to reply but took a deep breath instead, steadying herself. "Second, no shop talk. We treat this like a vacation from everything shinobi related."

Tenten-san looked over. "Um… so we can only talk about what?"

"Life outside of being a shinobi! I mean I know Sakura has no life, but the rest of us…"

"INO!"

"Rule number one," she countered quickly. "Third rule, and most importantly, what happens here is not discussed with anyone except the four… five of us. Got that, chibi-Hinata?"

"My name is HANABI."

"Rule number one," she repeated, with a song in her voice. "Are we all agreed?"

We nodded slowly and I watched Hanabi muddled over the choices she had. "But we can still use Byakugan," she countered. "To make sure there is no one else around, right?"

Ino-san nodded firmly. "Definitely. I mean, we're not talking about being shinobi. We aren't going to leave ourselves open to danger."

Hanabi nodded slowly. "Okay… then I agree to your terms."

Sakura-san giggled at the formality of the statement. "Okay, Ino, so what should we talk about?"

Ino-san paused and tapped her chin. "How about how hot Kiba is without a shirt?"

"INO!" Tenten-san and I managed at the same time, shooting a glance at Hanabi.

"Ew," Hanabi said. "He smells like a dog."

"Oh? What's your type then chibi… Hanabi?" Ino-san asked.

Hanabi sat back and tried to appear taller. "Well, I think they have to be skilled. And quiet. And well mannered. So… exactly the opposite of nee-san's type."

I could feel myself blush red. Did everyone know? If Hanabi knew, then… oh, oh no, father couldn't possibly…

The other girls laughed hard at her statement. So hard, I thought Ino-san was going to pass out.

"Oh, and smarter than Neji-nii-san. Who asks a girl to marry him without asking her father's permission first?"

All the laughter stopped abruptly. I glanced at Hanabi, ready to chastise her for eavesdropping on a private conversation before I realized the real damage she had done.

"Wait… WHAT?"

I couldn't tell if it was Sakura-san or Ino-san who had asked that, but as soon as the secret was out the questions followed like a flood. Poor Tenten-san, she could barely get in a word edgewise. No matter how much she blew it off, saying it had been a passing joke; Ino-san and Sakura-san were already knee deep in wedding planning. After ten minutes of this, Hanabi finally broke it out with a simple question.

"Don't you want to marry nii-san?" she demanded, looking over at Tenten-san.

Even Ino-san and Sakura-san stopped talking long enough to await Tenten-san's response. She started to sink in the water in what looked like an attempt to drown herself. Ino-san waded over and quickly pulled her out.

"No, no way are you getting out this," Ino-san said, yanking her up to the surface. "The girl asked a proper question and she deserves a proper answer."

Tenten-san sighed. "Ino… it's not that easy to answer."

"It sure is. Yes or no."

"My parents…"

"... aren't the ones we're asking," Ino-san pointed out. "Because they're not the ones who can answer a question like that. Yes or no."

I think we were all holding our breath as we watched her work an answer out in her head. I mean, we all knew that things were changing but we also had not really heard anything from Tenten-san one way or the other.

"...maybe."

Ino-san screeched and pushed her under the water. "That wasn't a CHOICE!"

Tenten-san's hand came out the water, one finger up in the air in a desperate attempt to invoke rule number one. When Ino-san finally let her up, Tenten-san was laughing hard and quickly retaliated by splashing Ino-san.

Things fell apart after that and it was only after I mentioned that it was getting late and we should respect the other guests that we finally returned to the room. Dinner had been laid out and I made sure that, despite her best attempts, Ino-san could not get into the mini-bar.

The rest of the weekend passed similarly. Somehow we managed to adhere to all the rules Ino-san had laid out. Most of the time. Even Hanabi seemed to enjoy herself, despite the fact that Ino-san was endlessly listing off potential matches that fit her profile. It would have been a fun game if Hanabi had dismissed Shino-san as immediately as the rest of them. I eyed her suspiciously at that and made a mental note to somehow let it slip to Neji-nii-san so he could handle it.

Hanabi looked over at me and held up three fingers.

She had me there.

By the time we left, everyone's spirits were lifted. I had to assume that by now my father had managed to somehow rectify things and that we were not heading home to the same issues that had caused us distress in the first place.

As soon as we crossed the gates, I was ready to head home. I enjoyed our time together but I needed some time to think. If father had not managed to smooth things out, then I would just have to…

"There you are!"

I came to an abrupt stop. Naruto-kun… he was running towards us at full speed. He must have been looking for Sakura-san or…

"I asked at your house but they said you were gone for the weekend."

Why was he stopping in front of me? Oh… oh dear, don't forget to breathe again.

"Ne, listen, I was talking to Ino and she made me realize something. You're really cute and we had fun dancing so we should go out sometime."

My eyes opened wide. No, not out of surprise that it had finally happened. That Naruto-kun had just fulfilled every romantic daydream I had and actually done it. Asked me, shy, mute, antithesis of everything he was, me. Out. On a date.

It was because not ten feet behind him, my father was standing there with Neji-nii-san at his side.

My father cleared his throat and it was enough for Naruto-kun's attention to turn from me to the increasing danger behind him.

Everything stopped. I glanced at the girls but they seemed as petrified as I was. Father could not just… kill him outright, could he? In front of people? Could he?

Father took in a deep breath, as if he was taking on the entire weight of the world with that breath. He reached forward and grabbed Naruto-kun by the collar, dragging him to his other side.

"Let's begin again," he said evenly. "Rule number one, prior to courting a young lady it is imperative that you ask her father's permission FIRST." Neji-nii-san looked like he was either going to kill Naruto-kun for his earlier actions or for forcing him to relive this conversation again.

Needless to say, none of us stuck around long enough to get pulled in as well.