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Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Prologue

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Force majeure
(/ˌfɔːrs/ fors, /ˌfɔərs mɑːˈʒɜːr/ mah-zhur, or /məˈʒɜːr/ mə-zhur; French pronunciation: [fɔʁs maʒœʁ]) –
or vis major (Latin) – meaning "superior force", also known as cas fortuit (French) or casus fortuitus (Latin)
"chance occurrence, unavoidable accident"

Ten years ago

They didn't normally try to lift cars like the one being valet parked at the beyond-exclusive-restaurant, but Uncle had been watching it for weeks.

"That's the same one," he muttered, tucking the small binoculars back inside his coat and pulling out a pack of cloves and a lighter.

"We aren't going to try and take it here, are we?" Twitch's eyes darted about rapidly.

"No," he shook his head. "This one is going to come to us. And quit your worrying," he narrowed his eyes at the wiry, fidgeting man. "I know what I'm doing."

Twitch knew better than to argue.

Uncle drew the last cigarette out between clamped teeth before crumpling the package and tossing it carelessly behind him. His old zippo spit sparks at the dark until its flame glowed through cupped hands and curled smoke. Eerie light bled through his fingers, only to be swallowed by the darkness the second Uncle snapped the lighter shut and shoved it back into the recesses of his coat.

Earthy smoke hung heavy in the alley as he continued to carefully consider the valet lot, even though the proposed target was now well out of sight.

"I don't know what business the guy has," he finally said, studying the cigarette as he rolled it between his fingers, "but he's been in our end of town regularly for the last two months."

"Did you check with the local ladies?" Twitch snorted, patting down his jacket until he found the old metal tin with his ever-present stash of unfiltereds. He lit up, sucked down about a third of the cigarette to ash, and held the air in his lungs for a five count before expelling the smoke on an addict's sigh. His nervous energy temporarily banked, his thin, nimble fingers drummed a slightly less harried tattoo on the side of his leg.

"I checked," Uncle flicked his ash to the side. "Hasn't been going to see any of them. Can't figure out who he's going to see. Doesn't change that it's not smart to drive an expensive car like that around our turf, much less park it unprotected. Practically an invitation, if you ask me."

"Or a set up," Twitch's narrow, rodent features pinched into a frown. "What if it's a trap? Like, the car is bait."

Uncle shrugged.

"Then we just gotta be fast. Half-pint here can wire it up quick, can't you?"

He turned to her, and gave her an encouraging smile.

She half nodded, and he winked at her. "'Atta girl. We'll show Twitch there's nothing to worry about."

Uncle was a patient and cunning man. He had been jacking cars for years, and knew that this job was far more complicated than just stealing an expensive car. Cars like that belonged to people with lots of money. The police didn't answer many calls in their neighborhood, but they'd come in droves if someone who could afford a car like that was on the other end of the line.

The success of this job depended on him getting back to a shop quickly, and avoiding any route that could be blocked by the police. Luckily, the neighborhood was a labyrinthine network of poorly lit streets, and Uncle knew it better than anybody.

He watched and waited, biding his time.

Two weeks later, he made his move.

"Wait here," Uncle told her, stuffing something into his pocket, pulling the stocking over his face, and his hood over his head. "I'll let you know when to come out."

She nodded. As Uncle and Twitch slunk through the shadows, she stayed hidden, listening to the sounds of a dark, wet, Konoha night. The rain bordered on freezing, and there was a decided bite in the air. A shiver raced through her, and she tightened her coat around herself.

"I don't like this, Papa," she thought, trying to ignore the growing lump of lead in her stomach. "Maybe…maybe I'll stop helping Uncle after this. Tell him I'm too scared or something."

Uncle and Twitch were on different sides of the street, and with a nod from Uncle, Twitch sidled up to the car and tried the door.

Locked, of course.

Twitch was not a particularly brave or clever person, but he was an absolute rock star with locks and alarms. He pulled a long, thin wire from inside his coat, and quickly went to work on the door.

The rain began to fall harder, and she crouched farther into the shelter of Papa's long, weatherproof coat.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Something wasn't right.

With inhuman speed and deadly precision, a figure darted out from the darkness, grabbing Twitch from behind and slamming him against the car. She clamped hands over her mouth to muffle her involuntary gasp of surprise. Twitch's eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and he stammered incoherently at whoever was hidden by the upturned collar of the trench coat.

"Can't find your keys?" the larger man asked menacingly. "I know I hate when that happens."

Twitch twisted in the man's grip, his wits finally catching up to him.

"No…! No..I… Boss – HELP!" he cried out, and the other man looked up sharply.

"Not alone? You're smarter than you look." He gave Twitch a swift punch to the gut, and the thief doubled over, clutching his stomach with a groan. He then focused on a patch of darkness with the keen, predatory eyes of a hawk.

"So there you are," he let Twitch slide to the ground into a worthless heap. "Going to come out, or going to run away?" he called out. "Bet your friend here will be more than happy to tell me anything I want to know about you."

The man's eyes widened, and he ducked just in time to avoid the bullet that sliced the air to zing off of the car. Cover blown, Uncle abandoned his hiding place and raced through the shadows, the slap-splash of footsteps swallowed by a low rumble of thunder. Lighting flashed, temporarily dispelling the darkness and giving both men clear sight of the other. The other man jumped up and aimed with his own gun – or was it Twitch's? – his jaw a line of hard resolve. He fired his shots in confident, rapid succession, whereas Uncle was running and firing wide.

Uncle shot out the back window of the car, and the other man had to duck to avoid the spray of glass, but came up returning fire. Uncle was almost to her hiding place, and she tried to disappear behind the old oil drum that doubled as a fire barrel for the homeless on cold nights. He cut across behind her, but instead of shouting instructions, or dragging her away to escape, he darted behind her barrel for cover, shoving her into the light of the street as a distraction before changing direction. She instinctively dropped to the ground, even before the bullet grazed her arm. The other man – realizing what had happened, bit out a curse and started to move toward her.

Uncle fired one last shot over his shoulder and fled.

The man dropped to one knee, with a sharp cry.

Dizzy, she stumbled to her feet, dimly registering the fading cadence of Uncle's retreat.

Crimson was beginning to blossom through the man's trenchcoat.

That dispelled any confusion or dizziness.

She sprinted to the car unsurprised to find Twitch long gone. Jumping in through the broken rear window, she unlocked the car, yanked up a floor mat, and used it to shove as much glass off of the back seat as possible. Satisfied, she wrestled her long coat off and spread it out on the seat.

She then hurried back to the man and tugged furiously on his uninjured side, draping his arm around her shoulders, and heaving with all of her might.

Yanking him to his feet, she staggered with him to the car, and sat him down on the edge of the back seat.

"Keys," she demanded.

"You….you want my wallet, too?" he rasped out.

"I don't want to take the time to hotwire this thing; I have to get you to the hospital," she bit out. "Keys!"

"Pocket," he looked to his coat, keeping his arms close to his chest.

She wrapped thin, cold fingers around the keys, leaving everything else in his pockets alone.

"Stay upright if you can," she ordered, helping him in the car. "And hold on."

"Can you drive?" he asked, incredulously.

"Of course," she scoffed. She closed the door, yanked open the driver's side door, jumped in, adjusted the seat, buckled up, revved the engine, and peeled out like the devil himself was at her heels.

"You can't have a license," the man said, his pallor quickly going gray.

"I don't," she admitted, taking a sharp turn expertly.

"But you said-!"

"You asked if I can drive," she snapped. "The answer is yes. Now just sit back, be quiet, and don't die!"

Something like amusement crossed his pained features.

"Whatever you say, Captain."

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Chapter One: Modus Operandi

Modus Operandi: a particular way or method of doing something, especially one that is characteristic or well-established.

-Part One: Status Quo-
the current situation : the way things are now

Present Day

Neji took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

If he never had to read about torts ever again, it would be too soon. Sadly, he was only partway through the reading for next semester, and that class ran the full sixteen weeks. It wasn't that he didn't understand it, or the nuances. He simply found it to be mind-numbing.

He glanced at the clock. He had been in the library for over three hours, and normally would have completed his reading an hour ago. He rolled his neck and blew out a sigh.

It was the middle of the afternoon, and his plans for the remainder of the day included completing his self-assigned reading schedule, joining his family for dinner, and then probably doing some more reading and then meditating before going to bed relatively early to that he could get up extremely early and begin his routine again.

He ruefully acknowledged that most people in their twenties – especially students - had a semblance of a social life. He wasn't certain that he had any kind of life, much less a social one.

He'd been taking classes at Konoha University since his days at Konoha Academy, the exclusive and internationally renowned all-boys preparatory school.

In those days, the campus library had been one of those imposing, heavy buildings that swallowed sounds and light (and some students suggested, souls.) The average student scrambled for one of the few private study rooms, group study rooms, or music listening cubbies where the air seemed less oppressive, and the light a little brighter. Even the most ardent of bibliophiles found the place to be intimidating, and the braver few would find one of the small tables sandwiched in corners between stacks of books or the odd worn, overstuffed chair that was never quite as comfortable as it should be.

There could be three people in the library or three-thousand; you'd never know while winding through the towering stacks of yellowed books.

"It's because the lights actually run off of the souls of students," one classmate had snarked. "That's why it's brighter at exam time."

It wasn't a wholly implausible theory.

Neji had spent many hours in the dark confines of the library, often without seeing another person. He was in his second year of undergrad when an anonymous donor had given enough to have the library completely redone, as well as for a new law library to be built.

Neji couldn't really bring himself to feel nostalgic for the old, gothic monstrosity that he had visited all through high school as he took university classes to augment his education. There had been enough safety concerns with the building that it had been bulldozed. The old law library had been turned into something else, and for that, Neji was glad.

The original law library was a stately, if not small building with marble floors and rod-iron stairs and balconies with an air of respectability and academia. He had loved studying there, often checking out whatever resources he needed from the other library and reviewing them in the respectable silence. It might have been what made him choose law… or, rather, accept that it had been chosen for him.

Now, in the start of his second year of law school, he was very familiar with each of the newer buildings. Both structures were incredibly modern, complete with a myriad of outlets and desks and computers, and password protected Wi-Fi. They boasted the most cutting edge technology, architecture, and security both in terms of data and student safety.

So many of the resources were online, that he could often study wherever he chose.

It was always a toss-up.

The law library was more exclusive; not everyone could access certain areas, and that was by design. It had better facilities for solo study, and was more serious, but it came with a downside.

It was filled with law students.

Neji did not wish to commiserate with most of his peers. They were either too serious, or not serious enough. They either knew about his family and tried to kiss up, or down play their importance. Others had no idea that he was from a powerful political family, and they said stupidly inane things around him.

It was maddening.

He once sat near a group of students that were ostensibly in a study group when it dawned on him that they were not conversing; they were taking turns giving small monologues. It was all done under the pretense of conversation, but it was an exercise in hearing oneself talk. He wondered if any of them realized what they were doing.

By the end of his first year, he started studying more in the main library. He was quiet and serious, and kept to himself, so that often assured he was left alone.

At least there, the overtures toward conversation by strangers were largely driven by attempts at flirting, rather than to enhance some political connection. It usually took about thirty seconds for the speaker to realize any attempt in that direction of conversation would be completely ineffective.

By the first few weeks of the semester, most people left him alone.

There was always a little flurry of mid-term activity by people who hadn't actually set foot in the library since their campus tour, but it never lasted long. Soon, he would be engrossed in his work, and nothing else would matter.

As it was, there were still a few weeks left before the new semester started, meaning he had the library largely to himself. He had acquired the materials for his classes early, and was systematically going through each syllabus and the assigned reading.

He was well aware of the old adage about law school: the first year they scare you to death, the second year they work you to death, and the third year they bore you to death.

Of course, Neji hadn't been scared his first year. He had prepared too long and been too well groomed to the task to shy from it. He did wonder if perhaps this upcoming class on tort law was intended to give him a taste of the 'bored to death' aspects of his degree, but that didn't keep him from plowing through his work.

The phone in his pocket buzzed, and as he checked the caller ID, he found himself grateful for the interruption.

"Yes, Uncle?" he asked in his carefully modulated baritone.

"I am sorry to interrupt your studying," his Uncle said without preamble, "but do you think you would be able to join us for an early dinner? I have a client that I would like you to meet."

Neji shuffled a few papers before answering. "I believe I am at a good stopping point," he said casually. "When shall I meet you?"

"The driver can pick you up on campus in fifteen minutes. I presume you are at the main library?"

"I am," he began neatly stacking his books and papers.

"Excellent," his Uncle continued. "Then I shall see you soon."

"Yes. Thank you," Neji replied, and ended the call.

He had a good working relationship with his Uncle, but they weren't especially close. For that matter, his family wasn't a particularly warm one – too many formalities and levels of propriety for displays of emotion or affection. He was close with his father, but they rarely saw one another, since he was usually travelling for the family business.

That being said, he was relieved to the point of gratitude have a reason to shelve any further study of torts, and when he slipped into the passenger seat of his uncle's car, it was without any regret.

-Part Two: Routine Maintenance-
Simple, small-scale activities (usually requiring only minimal skills or training) associated with regular (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) and general upkeep of a building, equipment, machine, plant, or system against normal wear and tear.

"So when do classes start?"

Tenten swiped at the sweat tracking down her face, concentrating on her work.

"Next week," she called back, half buried under the hood of the ancient truck. "Okay," she stepped back. "Try her again."

Kotetsu turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. "Nice," he called over the noise of the happy engine.

"Cut it," Tenten called, and he turned the car off. A few more adjustments and some TLC, and she was satisfied with her work. She closed the hood of the truck, and patted the top of it fondly.

"Still has a few good years left in her," she said as Kotetsu got out and came to stand next to her.

"Yeah, in a junkyard," he snickered. "Why don't you let this old thing go?" he asked. "Ibiki told you, like, a hundred times you could have one of the newer cars."

"Because this is mine," she shrugged. "I don't just throw away friends."

Kotetsu rolled his eyes at her, but she paid him no mind.

"So what are you taking this semester?" he asked.

"A business class, an accounting class, and a half term class on repairing the new built-in GPS systems."

"That it?"

"One other engineering one," she shrugged, reaching for the blue paper towels and taking one to clean her hands.

"That'll make the boss happy," Kotetsu nodded.

"That's why I'm doing it," she muttered, tossing the dirtied towel into the bin. "What's with the Jag in bay three?"

"High end client," Kotetsu nodded to the sleek, expensive car. "Ibiki handles that one personally."

"Lucky," she sighed to herself before checking the time. "I've got to hurry up and get cleaned up. I'm meeting Lee at the gym in twenty minutes."

"Wear something green," Kotetsu called after her, and she flipped him off.

Despite knowing she was going to get sweaty again, Tenten hit the showers. The sweat and dirt of an honest day's work didn't bother her, but going to the gym covered in grease wasn't good form.

"Always start your routine clean and ready to work," Gai had said solemnly. "It will help you focus."

She still took that instruction to heart. After all, if anyone knew about the finer points of working hard, it was Might Gai.

Not that she was a stranger to the concept, even before he had taken her in.

She'd been from a poor, rundown neighborhood. Her mom had been sickly, and hadn't lived much past Tenten's fourth birthday. Her dad was a good mechanic but after her mom died, he gave more into alcoholism that she later learned was caused by PTSD. He had been kind and gentle with her, though, and she loved spending time with him in his tiny autoshop. Unfortunately, he died when she was only ten, and there weren't many people to look after her. Her "Uncle" ended up taking over her dad's shop, claiming it as payment for bad debt. He didn't make her move out of the small apartment above the garage where she'd spent her whole life. Instead, he installed his sweet, half-deaf, half-blind, old-as-dirt aunt as her caretaker. Neither the aunt nor Tenten realized he had turned the business into one of his many chop shops by night, and that he was running a whole crime ring based around stealing, reselling, and disassembling cars. Eventually he roped Tenten into helping with some of the work. By the time she was eleven, she could hotwire a car faster than just about anyone in his gang.

She was thirteen when that job went very, very wrong.

Officer Hatake Kakashi and his partner Might Gai found her curled up in a chair in the hospital waiting room, dirty and tear-stained, and clutching at her bloodied coat. She refused to leave the hospital, or to even tell a nurse about her own injury, until she heard that the man she'd brought in was in stable condition.

Because of that night, the entire criminal ring collapsed, the chop shops were shut down, Uncle and Twitchy were found and jailed, and Tenten found herself up against criminal charges.

Someone must have been looking out for her, though, and she ended up owing community service rather than jail time. It probably didn't hurt that man had survived, and her information had been the final nail in the coffin for Uncle's operation.

In the end, her records were sealed, Officer Gai became her legal guardian, and Lee her adoptive brother.

Gai was a firm believer in the benefits of training and sports. She joined the track team with Lee, took martial arts from Gai, and traded in her street fighting background for darts and archery. The rest of her spare time was spent apprenticing at Morino's garage, where she spent so much time, she had to be evicted to go home to study.

She had always wanted to be a mechanic, and had dreams of one day owning her own garage.

Unfortunately, Uncle had extorted money out of her dad and ran the business into the ground. When Gai brought her back to her dad's building and the apartment above to get what she could, there wasn't really much to take.

The building still legally belonged to her father, and therefore to her, but it was not in good repair. It was going to have to be demolished, and the lot sold.

Gai had contacted Ibiki to help negotiate the sale of whatever equipment he could, and to put the funds from the sale of the property in trust for Tenten, so she had a little nest egg. She added to it with whatever Ibiki paid her through high school, and used some of it to get her associates degree after graduation.

She stayed on working for Ibiki, and her little nest egg continued to grow.

Every day, she went to work, checked in with Gai, trained with Lee, and went home to bed, only to start again early the next morning.

Last December, Tenten had taken Lee out to celebrate finishing his first semester of grad school when they got the call that Gai had been badly injured in the line of duty and rushed to the hospital. They sat side-by-side outside of the operating room for the duration of his extremely complicated surgery. It had been touch and go, but to everyone's immense relief, he pulled through without a hitch. Gai's career on the force ended with him in a wheelchair, but with no shortage of enthusiasm.

Tenten gave up her little apartment and moved back in to help out Gai, and Lee came home from campus every weekend to help.

"I could take a year off," Lee had offered one day while they split an order of steamed dumplings. "It's an awful lot on you."

"Well what good would that do me?" she asked, spearing a dumpling with a plastic take-out fork. "You're training to be a big-time physical therapist! If you quit now, there goes my retirement plan!"

Lee tried not to laugh as she plopped the dumpling in her mouth.

"I'm serious, Tenten," he schooled his features into as stern a look as he could manage.

"So am I," she said around the too-big bite. "Who's going to keep me in the lap of luxury in my old age if you quit school? Being grease monkey doesn't pay for the kind of lifestyle I intend to have at your expense."

"Is that so?" he asked grabbing his own dumpling.

"Well, I could marry rich," she reasoned, "but that takes way to much work. No. This way is simpler. I'll keep an eye on Gai, and you just keep learning to be awesome at your future job."

"I won't let you down, Tenten," Lee promised her, squeezing her hand.

"You never do," she squeezed back.

Six months after the accident, Gai moved into a modest one-level home. Captain Yamato did carpentry work on the side, and helped Lee and Tenten make everything accessible to Gai. They installed ramps, lowered cabinets and countertops, and put railings in different places. The final exterior coat of green paint wasn't even dry before Gai declared himself no longer in need of live-in-help, and insisted that Tenten needed her own place. Before she could even think of disagreeing, Ibiki had offered her the tiny house that had belonged to his parents. He'd been renting it out for a few years, and his most recent tenant had moved out a week ago.

"I'm sick of being a landlord," he muttered as he drove her over to check out the house. "At least you can probably repair anything that breaks."

"I'll try to be a good tenant," she chuckled, "but that still makes you a landlord."

The little house sat back from the road, hidden by a small grove of trees. Ibiki opened the front door, and she walked in, eyes wide, mouth in a small 'o.'

"What kind of rent are you thinking?" she asked, going through the rooms, and poking in the cabinets.

"I was thinking more of a trade," he replied, crossing his arms and leaning against a kitchen counter.

"What kind of trade?" she hopped up and sat on the opposite counter.

"I need a partner," he said bluntly. "The business is expanding, and it will be a hassle to run on my own. I need someone else to help organize and coordinate this stuff – you know, order supplies, make sure payroll is taken care of, all of that crap that takes my time from fixing cars."

"And some of which I do anyway?" she asked playfully.

"Right," he nodded. "You want to own your own garage, right? Well here's your chance to see what it's all about. You'll need to take some classes over at KU, though. Business, management, a few of the classes on GPS and computer repair for these newer vehicles… oh and accounting and bookkeeping. I can't stand that shit."

"So…rent is…"

"I already own the place free and clear," Ibiki shrugged. "You just cover your utilities and we'll call it square. You can live here as long as you like, and your schedule at the garage can be changed as needed while you take the classes I need you to take. If you make it five years, I'll sign over half of the garage, making you a full partner."

Tenten arched an eyebrow. "So I pretty much get a free place to stay, classes, and a garage, and you get a bookkeeper? Sounds more like a pity position than a job."

"Make no mistake," he crossed his large arms over his chest. "I'll work your ass off, understand?"

She smiled and stuck out her hand.

"Now that's the Ibiki I'm used to," she beamed. "It's a deal."

So that was how she ended up living rent-free in the smallest, coziest house in all of Konoha, working for Ibiki, keeping an eye on her adoptive father, and signing up to take classes at Konoha University, starting next week.

"Life is full of surprises," she told her reflection as she pinned her hair up into two buns and hoisted her bag on her shoulder. Her reflection gave a reassuring nod, and Tenten headed out to meet Lee.

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Chapter Two: Ab Initio

ab intio: from the beginning

-Part One: Condicio sine qua non-
a condition without which it could not be : an indispensable and essential action, condition, or ingredient

Neji stood in the bookstore idly paging through a magazine.

He checked his watch for the time, and his phone for any messages.

He had offered to bring his soft spoken cousin to the shops so that she could buy a baby gift for a friend. They both loved the bookstore, and had agreed to meet there when their respective errands were done. Hinata was extremely mindful of the time of others, so Neji knew he would not be kept waiting.

However, finding himself with time to kill, he decided to indulge in some non-scholastic, non-legal reading material, as well as a hot cup of tea.

He'd be starting his second year of law school in the morning, and he was sure he'd need the odd distraction.

Not that Hyūga Neji was really one for distraction. His keen intellect and laser accurate focus had distinguished him from his peers, even at this early stage of his career. His concentration was unshakable, and his resolve implacable.

He checked his watch again as he paid for his purchases. Deciding that the small, shaded table in the outdoor area of the café looked inviting, he sent a text to his cousin, and sat to enjoy his tea.

Her reply was immediate, and she assured him she'd be back within their agreed upon window of time. That meant there was nothing left for him to do until she arrived.

Unfortunately, Neji did not do 'nothing' well.

He reflexively pulled out his tablet and flicked through his schedule. Unlike some students who mourned the loss of summer, Neji had no bittersweet sensibilities at the start of an academic year. Although his schedule changed, his ratio of 'time committed to working or studying' to 'time not committed to working or studying' hardly altered.

'Spontaneity' was on the same level of theoretical as cold fusion in his world.

He wondered what it was like to be one of those people that seemed so untethered by time and commitments.

A joyful, bright laugh bounced off of the cobblestoned walkway and into his range of detection.

"I can't believe you ordered that curry again!" A woman was teasing. "Didn't you learn last time?"

"There was nothing wrong with the curry," her compatriot said defensively. "I just put too much of the extra sauce on it."

"Well whatever it was, I haven't seen you turn that red since the time you were determined to break the world record for holding your breath."

A woman with laughing hazel eyes rounded the corner, as she locked arms with a most earnest looking fellow, clad solely in vibrant shades of green.

"I'm glad you are okay," she said fondly. "C'mon. Let's pop into the bookstore; I need to grab a few things and then get back home in time to get everything ready for tomorrow."

They made their way inside, and Neji could see them through the large windows. He watched her laugh and talk animatedly as they hit the magazines, and couldn't help but wonder what topic warranted such conversational alacrity.

He thought of his many somber relatives and business associates and smiled wryly to himself. He suspected that he didn't need to worry about negotiating even half as lively conversation in his day-to-day life.

"Neji!"

Hinata walked over quickly, her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, her arms full of packages. She paused on the other side or the low rod-iron barrier separating the patio area from the walk between shops.

"I am so sorry to keep you waiting," she said with dismay. "There were just so many things to choose from, and I,-"

"I wasn't waiting," he interrupted kindly. "I was in the mood for a cup of tea."

"A cup of tea sounds lovely," she said wistfully, then flushed and added. "But I don't want to keep you."

"We have more than enough time, Hinata. Go get your tea and come join me." He got to his feet and reached over the low barrier to relieve her of her packages.

"Thank you, Neji," she said warmly. "I shall be quick."

He watched her go with a small smile and shake of his head. Despite not having a particularly close family, he was fond of his cousins. Hinata was a gentle, sweet person with a kind disposition and a quiet intelligence that many people overlooked. Her younger sister Hanabi, on the other hand, was a bit of a firecracker, but she was also fiercely loving and had a wicked sense of humor.

The three cousins all looked out for each other in their own way, despite each of them having full and conflicting schedules. Neji was certain if it wasn't for Hinata, no birthday in his family would ever be celebrated. Well. Except Hanabi's. Hanabi was more than happy to celebrate her own birthday for several weeks each year.

Neji sipped his tea and decided to allow his mind to wander until Hinata rejoined him.

She entered the patio area, tea in hand, just as the couple from before exited the store. The woman with the two buns was listening as the guy with the bushy eyebrows spoke animatedly about someone he called "Gai-sensei."

Whoever he was, he clearly was known well to and cared for by both parties, as the woman's expressions were sympathetic, understanding, knowing, exasperated, and amused all in turn.

"Don't supposed it is worth our time to try and explain why riding a wheelchair at a skateboard park isn't the best idea?" she asked on a sigh.

"Probably just better to give him this," the man handed her a package. She fished out a box and began to laugh heartily. "It is top of the line," he assured her with a crooked grin.

"You really are the best," she put the box back in the bag and linked her arm in his. "How did you even find a green helmet?!"

"Thank you for waiting," Hinata said, slipping into the seat opposite of him. "It was rather crowded in there."

"Day before classes," Neji said, forcing his attention back to his cousin. "Tell me about your upcoming week."

Hinata took a thoughtful sip of tea before answering, giving him just enough time to watch the other couple round the corner out of sight.

Her laughter echoed back lightly, and he found himself hoping he'd hear it again someday.

-Part Two: Firing on all cylinders-
working or functioning at a peak level of performance

Tenten gratefully sank into a seat at the cafeteria, and retrieved her lunch bag from her satchel.

Whoever said the first week of classes is the easiest was:

1. Clearly not an older student.
2. Already knew where everything was.
3. Had no f*&king clue what they were talking about.

She took a healthy bite out of her apple and snorted to herself. She was betting on option '3.'

Tenten pulled a binder out of her bag and flipped it open to the color-coded schedule she'd made at the start of the semester. Scanning it quickly, she glanced at her watch, and then back to the graph.

She pulled out her phone and flicked through the screens to her work schedule.

There were several texts from Lee and Gai.

Gai sent her encouragement every day, reminding her to work hard and pay attention in class. This always made her smile, because she saw past what might be thought of as cliché advice to the immense pride and support behind it. Gai had and would always be a cheerleader for both her and Lee, no matter how old they were.

Lee's texts apologized for not being able to meet for lunch, but promised he'd catch up with her later for either a run to the gym or just a run. They had a 5K next weekend, and although they could both run it in their sleep, their competitive natures wouldn't let them enter a race without taking it seriously. Lee always came in the top of his division, and somewhere in one of the top runners overall. Tenten liked to say that he dragged her along with him, which was not very far from the truth…

She had a couple of other texts, including one from her friend Temari in Suna. Tenten appreciated Temari for being one of her few girlfriends, and for understanding looking for a significant other wasn't high on her list of priorities.

It wasn't that Tenten objected to the idea, but who had the time?

Temari had never been one to make a big deal about that sort of thing, even when she stumbled into her own relationship. She refused to be one of those friends who did the whole 'you don't know what you're missing' routine, since a) it had been done to her and it pissed her off to no end, and b) she was well aware that the 'who' of the relationship was more important than the 'what,' and as long as there wasn't a 'who' worth investing the time in, just looking for relationships was pointless.

Her texts were as practical as she was.

'Found what you were looking for, and I even found it in green. Do you want me to bring it to the next race or ship it?'

Tenten smiled. Lee's birthday was in November, but Tenten liked to get things taken care of early.

She tapped out her reply.

'Race is fine. I have until November. Thanks so much!'

Temari's 'thumbs up' emoticon signaled the end of the conversation, but Tenten didn't mind. She had plenty to keep her busy.

She went back to flipping through her schedule, comparing when major assignments were due with the dates of the races she was already signed up for with Lee, and her known schedule at the garage.

She definitely wasn't going to have any time to be bored this semester.

Her phone buzzed in her hand and the garage number popped up on caller ID.

"You caught me at lunch," she answered.

"I figured," Ibiki's gruff voice resonated over the line. "Classes going ok?"

"Not bad so far," she shrugged. "Although, I can see why you didn't want to do the bookkeeping thing," she flicked through her notes. "Definitely not your cup of tea."

"And you already made spreadsheets, I'm sure," he replied dryly.

"Of course I did," she scoffed. "Did you get in touch with your accountant?"

"Yeah. I sent him your questions. He said he could meet with you this afternoon or tomorrow."

Tenten glanced at the large clock in the cafeteria.

"This afternoon," she said firmly. "I'm done with classes after this next one, and I was going to come back to the garage anyway."

"And when were you going to study?"

"Later tonight, Mother," she rolled her eyes. "I've got it covered."

The large clock tower on campus began to chime the hour, and she reflexively checked her watch. "So other than checking in with me, is there anything else?"

"Just checking about the accountant meeting," Ibiki said briskly. "If you get done in time, you can help me with the Jag that is coming in later."

"Again?" Tenten balked. "What does that client do to his cars?"

"Same client, different car," he replied. "I'll see you this afternoon."

"Got it, Boss."

They both hung up. Ibiki hated being on the phone more than just about anything, so Tenten didn't take the brusque nature of his calls to heart. On the contrary, she was excited by the prospect of getting to work on the Jaguar and determined to hurry on with her day. She gulped down the rest of her lunch and headed out early to her next class.

A flux of students flooded in as she fought her way upstream. A bigger student in a bigger hurry pushed through the crowd, inadvertently knocking her into someone on their way into the cafeteria.

She was forced forward with the rest of the traffic, so she called "Sorry!" over her shoulder and let the tide of students carry her out of the building.

She didn't see the pale eyes of a fellow student widen in surprise and recognition, or the way they followed her until she was out of sight.

Near misses, friends. Near misses.

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Chapter Three: Vice Versa

vice versa: 'the other way around.' Something that is the same either way.

-Part One: De dei in diem-
"from day to day." Generally refers to a type of labor in which the worker is paid fully at the completion of each day's work.

He was two weeks into the semester before he saw her again.

Actually, he hadn't been absolutely certain that 'she' was 'her' until he had briefly spotted her across campus, talking to the Guy in Green.

That was someone Neji had no doubt he recognized. He was sure no one else in Konoha could possibly have that wardrobe, that haircut, and that much energy.

Once he made that connection, he was sure that the student he had seen was the same person he'd seen the week before classes started.

His next time actually seeing her was in the library.

He only half registered the sigh of relief and the sound of belongings being shifted from arms to the table, followed by the zwip of a zipper being yanked down.

He glanced up, and this time he definitely recognized her as the girl he'd seen at the book store, and at the cafeteria the other day.

It was the Girl Who Smiled.

She was distracted, so he took a moment to do a covert inspection.

He put her within a year, give or take, of his own age of 23. Her movements were quick and perfunctory and efficient as she hooked her ankle around the leg of her chair and pulled it out while she wriggled out of her jacket. She put her jacket on the back of the chair next to her, and began to relocate the contents of her messenger bag to the study table. He watched her neatly place her laptop, her notebooks, her pens and pencils, a stack of books, and a few other items on the desk.

She stepped back and eyed her work with satisfaction before turning to survey the room. Her eyes ran calculatingly over their surroundings, looking for any possible distractions. Neji studiously avoided looking directly at her, so she didn't acknowledge him directly, or attempt to engage him in conversation. When he next glanced up, she was seated, had earbuds jammed in, and was rapidly taking notes while watching her laptop screen.

He studied her silently.

"Focused," he noted. "Driven. Not fidgeting. Methodical." She sat rather straight in her chair, and there was a sort of contained energy in the lines of her body. Not like the Guy in Green who looked like he might suddenly break out in a Bruce Lee routine, but like someone who was used to physical work and/or training.

"Athlete?" he speculated. "Exercise junkie?"

He didn't see the clues of any specific sport or indulgence. No 'namaste'/yoga gear, nothing that said 'Zumba,' or 'Crossfit,' or any of the mainstream fitness movements. No "Insanity" t-shirt or sports themed gear…no merchandise of note, or patches sewn onto her worn bag.

"Some kind of martial art or self-defense, maybe," he mused. Something gave her that look, and she maintained it with some kind of regiment. Knowing that kind of thing sometimes could tell you about a person.

Next, he tried to see what books she was reading. One looked like an engineering text, and another looked like one of his first-year business classes from undergrad. "So maybe she's an engineering student," he reasoned.

He mused on the possibilities a little longer, wondering how he could test his theories. His watch buzzed against his wrist; it was his fifteen minute warning before he had to switch reading assignments. He turned back to his work with slight reluctance, absently wondering if she would study up here from now on.

He hoped so.

-Part Two: The daily grind-
idiom describing an every day work routine. Often used to express to the tedium of a standardized routine

Tenten had been going to the library since the first day of class, trying to find a good place to study. She didn't mind noise so much – she worked with machinery after all – but she did mind clutter and people constantly getting up and moving. She had almost pulled a knife out of her boot when one kid wouldn't shut up on his phone.

Rather than cause a scene, she looked for another place to work. No one place seemed to be consistent, though.

It was chance that she found that empty table on the quiet landing of the fifth floor. It afforded her a good view of the library below, should she choose to sit where she could see it, but she was happy to be tucked away in her own little at the study table.

She surveyed the area, and decided she was pleased. There was one other student at a table not terribly far from hers, but whoever it was, was buried in their own books, and hadn't even registered her presence.

"Perfect" she thought happily, and settled in to work.

She had finished her accounting homework and was halfway through the first engineering assignment when she decided to take a short break.

For the first time, she noticed who was sitting at the other table.

Sitting straight backed at a in his seat was an impeccably dressed, effortlessly gorgeous man, sipping a tumbler of what she guessed was green tea, while he read a law text.

His long fingers splayed across the leather spine of the book and she found herself thinking how beautiful they were. Not like her own hands, she mused as she glanced down at the cut and calloused fingers. They were nimble and skillful, but she'd be hard-pressed to call them beautiful.

This man, though, with the glasses and sloppy bun was decidedly beautiful.

He came from money – she was certain of that. Something about the way he held himself tipped her off. But, if the pile of books surrounding him was any indication, he knew how to work. She shuddered when she realized every text around him was about law. She gave him extra points for being able to focus on a subject as dry as that; she'd rather be elbows deep in an engine any day.

Still, there was something steady in his features that pleased her. He was confident, certainly, but she guessed that he had earned whatever confidence he could claim.

She gave a shake of her shoulders and re-immersed herself in her work, deciding that she had too much to do to speculate about the lives of strangers.

No matter how beautiful they were.

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Chapter Four: Locus in quo

locus in quo: 'the place in which.' The location where a cause of action arose.

-Part One: Locus delicti-
shorthand for 'Lex locus delcti commissi.' "The scene of the crime."

They shared a corner of the library. Sometimes he arrived before her, sometimes after.

Both of them stayed too late.

He only rarely saw her during the day. Normally, he saw her in the evening, working well into the night.

He found himself paying attention to her.

Granted, they had never spoken, but he appreciated the way she worked, and her silence. He even appreciated her rare moments of non-silence. So far there had been three, and they had all been directed to library patrons that seemed to forget they were, in fact, in a library. She was polite, but firm, and the balance of silence was restored.

That seemed to validate his guess that they were about the same age – she didn't seem like one of the undergrads. Absently, he wondered if she was a grad student or a TA. Something about how she spoke with other students in a gently authoritative way convinced him that she couldn't be a day under twenty-three.

She didn't put much thought into her appearance.

Her hair was almost always twisted into a pair of buns on top of her head, and was wet 3 out of 5 times. She usually had a gym bag with her, so perhaps she worked out before studying.

Her wardrobe was utilitarian; jeans, well-worn leather boots that had clearly seen some travel, and an interchangeable series of layered shirts and sweaters. Plain earrings and a simple necklace, almost always. No rings or tan lines from rings. Occasional scarves, that appeared to be more for warmth than fashion. He had seen her bring a gym bag, but he didn't know if it was for before or after her time in the library.

Her stride and carriage were athletic, and her hands weren't manicured and smooth. This was someone who knew the meaning of hard work and physical training. He'd seen her carry heavy loads of books with ease, as well as stretch to impossible angles when retrieving something high on a shelf, or under the table where she worked. Occasionally she'd get up and take a quick break, going over to a corner to stretch. Ostensibly she was out of sight, but Neji always managed to watch her.

Briefly he wondered if she was or had ever been a dancer, but in the end he decided fighter or gymnast. Dancers are strength tempered with grace – her strength seemed to be tempered with patience and discipline.

It was certainly tempered by perseverance, if the long hours she put into studying were any indication. He had noticed assorted accounting, math, and engineering texts, and had often found himself listening to the rapid scratch of pencil on paper as she made her way through calculations.

He was puzzled at the amount of time she put working over a ledger, and from financial files.

He'd only seen her use one accounting textbook, and he knew it was for an introductory level class. Whatever she was working on was beyond the scope of that course, and appeared to take the majority of her time at the library. He was guessing data entry into new software – possibly something for an independent study project, or as part of an outside job.

She was absorbed in her work, and didn't seem to notice his covert observations. Sometimes he thought she was looking his way, but he never caught her doing so.

Midway through the semester, she came in looking harried, the worse for wear, and with a bruise on her cheek.

He watched her without appearing to, trying to decide how she could have gotten such a mark, and disliking every conclusion that could logically be reached. Just as he was weighing whether or not to speak with her about it, she rubbed her eyes with a tired sigh before running a hand down her cheek.

The bruise smudged.

She blinked twice before staring at her hand. She turned on her phone, and must have turned the camera on herself. With a small sigh-chuckle at herself, she rummaged in her bag and took out a pack of wipes, first removing the remainder of the bruise from her cheek, and then from her hand. She muttered something under her breath about 'idiot,' and went back to working.

Neji returned to his own work, his chest much lighter than it had been just a moment ago.

She wasn't hurt, and she wasn't afraid to get dirty.

Something about that appealed to him.

He found himself looking forward to seeing her in the library, and wondering if he could ever justify striking up a conversation with her.

If he didn't see her in the library, he saw her walking on campus the Guy in Green, usually in the direction of the gym.

He wondered what it would be like to spend time with someone that smiled and laughed as easily as she did. He looked at his pile of books and papers ruefully.

"What time," he muttered to himself. He could hardly ask someone out for a date when he practically lived at the library.

He froze.

"A date?" he asked himself incredulously. He could just hear what Hanabi would say.

"A date?" she'd gasp incredulously before dramatically putting a hand to her heart."Is Hyūga Neji actually considering not only willingly engaging in conversation with a member of the opposite sex, but actually doing so with the intention of asking her on a date?!"

Hinata would be more subtle.

But he suspected she would be no less surprised.

He flicked a glance up to her usual seat, which was currently empty. He didn't need to look at the time to know it was too early for her to be in the library.

Still….

He glanced down to the other bag he had packed on a whim.

Making a decision he packed away all of this things, and went to the gym.

-Part Two: -Autoignition-
autoignition temperature: The autoignition temperature or kindling point of a substance is the lowest temperature at which it will spontaneously ignite in normal atmosphere without an external source of ignition, such as a flame or spark. For gasoline, it is 247–280 °C/477–536 °F.

Tenten and Lee played five fast-paced games of uber competitive racquetball. With two wins a piece and a draw, they'd decided to head to their favorite pizza place and split a pie and the cost down the middle. Just before they were about to go to their respective locker rooms, he showed up, leaving the weight room swiping at the back of his neck and face with a gym towel.

Tenten had seen him many places on campus, but never at the gym. She'd known he was good looking. She'd even known he was hot. Until that very moment, she hadn't realized that the Beautiful Law Student was, as Temari would've texted, 'sexy af.'

His hair – which was much longer than she realized – was in a ponytail. The black mesh shorts and gray t-shirt were nothing special, really, but she'd only ever seen him in business casual wear – not even jeans. She had also never seen him without glasses, and she found herself wondering if they were just for reading, or if he had contacts. She only caught a quick glimpse of his face; were his eyes gray? They were lighter than they appeared from behind his glasses, but she'd never really gotten a good look at them.

She had, however, gotten a very good look at what she was dismally certain was a perfect physique.

Of course, he would be perfect. Of course he would.

He hadn't seen them, so she had a second to swallow back her shock, stopping and pretending to look for her phone while he stopped at the water fountain and she tried to recover whatever part of her brain was still functioning.

"Tenten?" Lee asked. "What's wrong?"

"Hm?" she asked, absently, looking up. "Oh. Just looking for my phone."

"It's in the locker room," Lee said helpfully, but his lifted eyebrows added the unspoken "….where it always is."

She hated to be disturbed while working out or playing sports, so she always left her phone in her bag. Lee knew that.

"I know," she laugh-sighed at herself. "Don't know where my mind is today. Meet back here in fifteen?" she proposed. "We can grab a bite to eat after that."

"Yosh!" Lee gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, and headed into the locker room.

She gave a small, fond shake of her head, and a light laugh. She purposely didn't look at the gorgeous man at the water fountain, because she was certain any attempt at conversation by her would end in utter disaster.

She missed him opening his mouth to call her back before shutting it again with resolve.

He was nowhere to be found when she and Lee met up, and for that, she was grateful.

She heaved a subtle sigh of relief when she and Lee finally sat at their usual table and began to divvy up the pizza. She was reluctant to guess why the thought of talking to someone she had never officially met made her mouth go dry and her tongue swell up. She also wondered why she had never mentioned him to Lee. She told Lee everything – so why not tell him about the guy that shared the quiet study space on the fifth floor?

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she thought about that.

The fact that she mentally referred to her not-really-study-buddy as the "Beautiful Law Student" probably had something to do with her reluctance to tell Lee about it.

"Tenten?" Lee's concerned voice broke into her thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"Hm? Oh…sorry," she gave a sheepish smile. "I was just thinking about some things I have to remember to do," she waved the thought away. "But right now I'd rather think about pizza and chat. Tell me how clinicals are going."

She gave Lee her undivided attention, firmly pushing any distracting visualization of Him out of her mind.

Later that night, she leaned on her bathroom counter and narrowed her eyes at her reflection.

"You are out of your mind, you know that?" she said pertly. "You got flustered by someone who has probably couldn't pick you out of a crowd if his life depended on it."

Tenten rolled her eyes and exhaled on a chuckle.

She then resolved to distract her inner seventh grader (for who else could possibly be daydreaming about the Beautiful Law Student showing up at the garage to ask her out?) with the promise of a weekend of old school anime, cartoons, and sugary cereal, if she'd just let her get to the end of the semester without any more silliness.

"I'll even throw in a few stickers," she bargained, as she slid into bed and pulled up her covers.

Her mind was blissfully blank for a total of five seconds.

Then he was back.

She sighed.

Apparently it was going to take more than the promise of a few childhood comforts to distract whatever part of her mind was busy creating impossible daydreams by the dozen.

Who was she kidding?

Lisa Frank, old-school TMNT, and Dragon Ball Z had nothing on the Beautiful Law Student.

Tenten groaned into her pillow, screwed her eyes tightly shut, and sternly instructed herself to go to sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, fresh from more dreams of him, she glared at her reflection.

"No stickers," she declared imperiously, before turning on her heel and into the shower. She ran the water hot, determined to scour her way back to good sense.

"No carrots," - Prince Phlip, Sleeping Beauty.

See you next week, my friends!

Chapter Text

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Force Majeure
Chapter Five: Res Dubia

res dubia: 'doubtful things'

-Part One: Dubia in meliorem partem interpretari debent-
'doubtful things should be interpreted in the best way.' Often spoken as 'to give the benefit of the doubt.'

Midterms were next week, and the library saw its customary spike in activity. Notices were put up all over campus, reminding students that the campus police were always available to escort them – male, female, or other - to their dorm or car, no matter how late or early it was. All students were encouraged not to be alone on campus late at night, especially since the University was not cut off from the surrounding metropolitan area. Granted, there wasn't much cross-traffic from people not associated with the University, but there wasn't really anything to keep an opportunist from taking advantage of tired, distracted, isolated students. The numbers were down, but muggings and other attacks were not unheard of.

Neji hadn't thought about that, really, until he noticed his study schedule was suddenly at odds with that of his normal study companion. His own hours at the library had gotten much later, but he sometimes saw her arriving just as he was walking out of the door. He frowned to think that she could be coming so late and might be alone. One night he stepped to the side of the three sets of double doors leading out of the library, pausing to adjust his coat and text his cousin that he was leaving. He was composing his message when she walked in, clutching at the scarf wound around her neck. She pushed through one set of doors and paused in the small atrium, dragging her boots against the dull gray mats before entering into the library proper. He glanced at the time, and hesitated. Should he approach her with his concerns? It might serve as a means of introduction, but it could also come across wrong. Perhaps he could return to his study spot for a little while longer and wait out her departure, or at least delay his own until it was sensible to ask if she would be alright crossing campus alone. That might appear to be less intrusive and more - what was the word? - organic of an approach.

Just as he decided to return to the fifth floor, the campus security guard called to her from where he leaned against the welcome desk.

"You're going to call, right?" he asked, taking a long toothpick out of his mouth and pinning her with a look. "When it's time to walk to your car?"

"It'll be late," she warned, unwinding her scarf.

"So what else is new," he scoffed. "Just make sure you don't try and leave without me or one of the others walking with you. I don't need Morino on my ass."

"Alright, alright," she put her hands up in defeat. "I get it."

"Good. Now get going, slacker," his grin was lazy.

"Thanks, Genma," she gave the man a tired smile, and headed into the building.

Neji watched her cross to the stairs - she never took the elevator - and disappear on her way to the fifth floor. He gave a small exhale of relief - she was not cavalier about her own safety.

"Waiting for a ride?"

He snapped his head to the side to find the security guard - Genma, was it? - was a few paces away.

Genma raised his eyebrows.

"Didn't mean to startle you," he shrugged. "Figured you must be waiting on someone," he gestured to the phone in his hand.

"Just waiting on a return message," Neji returned smoothly.

Thankfully, his phone buzzed in his hand.

'Are you coming home soon? I don't have class tomorrow, and talked Hinata and Dad into late-night pizza!'

It was Hanabi.

He messaged back quickly: 'Just leaving.'

Her reply was immediate.

'Perfect! You can pick up the pizza!'

Neji wasn't one to roll his eyes, but he thought about it. He gave a small shake of his head and a barely audible amused sigh.

He gave a quick, covert glance toward the stairs. There'd be no return to the fifth floor after all - not with an excited-impatient-hungry Hanabi at home. He'd consider delaying, but Hanabi was definitely one who got 'hangry,' and he couldn't do that to poor Hinata.

"Everything alright?"

Genma broke into Neji's thoughts.

"Fine," he nodded to his phone. "Except for a pushy younger cousin."

Resigned, he tapped out a quick reply.

'Well played. Text me what I'm picking up and where.'

Knowing her instructions would follow shortly, he locked the phone and slid it into his coat pocket.

"Glad it's all sorted, then," Genma said, easily, moving toward the doors, and opening one for him. "Have a good night."

"I will. Thank you."

With that, he walked through the open door.

As he pushed through the second set of doors, he caught the reflection of the security guard. He noted that while this Genma did a very good impression of being generally disinterested in his surroundings, he was currently eyeing Neji with sharp, intelligent eyes.

"Interesting," he mused under his breath.

The air was bitingly cold, and he walked briskly to his car, replaying the conversation he'd overheard just before Hanabi made her demands.

He wondered who 'Morino' was, what he was to his sort-of-study-partner, and how this 'Genma' fit into the mix.

Clearly, he wasn't just looking out after a student; he knew her, and people connected to her.

He looked at the clock on the dash as his car purred to life, despite the cold.

It had been dark for hours, making it feel later than it was.

Still, 9:30pm was a late start time for studying, especially considering that she tended to stay in the library for a minimum of two-and-a-half hours.

At least, though, he reminded himself, she was safe.

No. Not 'she.'

Tenten.

That is what the Guy in Green had called her at the gym a few weeks ago.

Unbidden, the image of her in form fitting workout clothes, laughing as she slung racquetball equipment over her shoulder came to mind. Her hair had been in those twin buns again, her protective eyewear on the top of her head. He hadn't expected the sinewy grace of an athlete, but she was lithe, strong, and cut.

Clearly she and her friend worked out regularly.

He thought about the workout bag he now kept in his trunk. Not that it had anything to do with her, really. He had simply found he enjoyed his time at the gym…surely it would be worthwhile to go more often. Especially if Hanabi was going to make a habit of late-night pizza runs.

He double checked the address she sent him, and collected the pre-paid pizza.

He sent her a text that he had succeeded in his mission, and she promptly replied with a 'thumbs up' emoticon.

She bounded over to him as soon as he opened the door, and immediately relieved him of the pizza, sing-songing "Thanks, Big Cousin!"

He met Hinata's eyes; it was clear she was just as grateful for his arrival.

Neji went to bed later than he had intended, and only skimmed his reading before switching out the light.

He allowed his mind to empty of all thoughts of contracts, torts, civil proceedings, and case law.

As sleep overtook him, all that remained was a vague recollection of a bright smile and a clear laugh.

Even in sleep, it made him smile.

-Part Two: Practical Mechanics-

Practical Mechanics was a monthly British magazine devoted mostly to home mechanics and technology. With an emphasis on things its readers could reasonably construct themselves, the magazine featured numerous articles on how to build things around one's house, such as a sink or bathtub. It also regularly featured more fanciful articles on how to build things with less obvious applications around the home, for example a Geiger counter, or an aeroplane for £25 (not including the cost of an engine). It ran from 1933-1963 for a total of 352 issues.

"Making any new friends at school?"

Tenten looked up wearily to see Genma extending a steaming to-go cup of coffee from a no-frills shop down the street.

"Oh, bless you," she muttered, taking the coffee gratefully.

She took a long, slow drink of the hot beverage and closed her eyes in contentment. She'd survived mid-terms, but she still had enough of a workload that she spent more and more late nights at the library.

"Thanks," she sighed. "I needed that."

Genma shrugged as he pulled a chair out to sit across from her. "I had one of the guys bringing me my usual order for my break," he held up another cup. "Figured I'd have him bring you one, too."

"I might love you," she murmured.

"I'd be flattered if I wasn't certain you were talking to the coffee just now," he snorted. "How's everything going?" he sat back in his seat.

"Pretty good, actually," she took another sip of the coffee. "I have almost all of our records transferred to the new software and system, and now I'm setting up the different files to help us track everything."

"Sounds captivating," Gemna said flatly.

"The data entry is mind numbing," she agreed. "But the actual bookkeeping part isn't so bad," she nodded to the ledger in front of her. "Still, I can see why Ibiki wants to pass it off on someone else."

"But you are good at it," Genma shrugged. "He told me that."

"Probably because he knew you'd tell me that," she muttered.

"Are you saying I gossip, Tenten?"

"You know you gossip, Genma," she rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying Ibiki is always very well aware of what he is saying and to whom."

"True," Genma watched her over the top of his coffee. "But he only says things he means." He dug his phone out of his pocket. "Gotta get back to work," he announced, standing up. "Don't stay here too late – you need sleep, too. I'll take you to your car when you are ready."

"Okay," waved him away. "Thanks for the coffee."

She returned to her work, rejuvenated by the magic that was caffeine.

It had been a grueling couple of weeks, but fall break was just around the corner. She was probably one of the only students looking forward to getting back to work, rather than school.

She was doing well in her classes, but she just wasn't much of an academic. She'd always been more of a 'hands-on' type of person. Did she understand the theories of how combustion worked? Sure. But she was far more interested in rebuilding an engine than calculating the coefficient of anything.

Luckily, math had always come easily to her. She had an excellent memory, and could 'see' numbers in her head, allowing for quick calculations. Geometry, too, had made sense to her, as well as physics. That was probably why she was so good at things like pool.

Gai had demanded that both of his foster children put forth their best effort in everything, and that included academics. Half-way through her first semester freshman year, he'd eyed her grades with a frown.

"You are capable of more than this," he said, looking down the sheet. "All of your teachers think so."

"But I'm passing," she said, defensively.

"You are getting by," he corrected her.

"What's the difference?" she muttered.

He gave her a long look then, leaned his elbows on the kitchen table and folded his hands under his chin. "I understand, you know. Before, there was no one to monitor your time in school, and your real-life concerns were far more important than this," he gestured to the sheet of paper between them.

She dipped her head in a combination of shame. frustration, and acknowledgment.

He was right.

She'd been busy trying to survive. She did just enough in school to pass - to get by. Singled out for being an under-achiever or an over-achiever meant calling attention to her life, and calls to home were the last thing she wanted. She stayed in that safe-range of doing well enough to be of no concern, but not well enough to be noticed or singled out.

Gai was the first person to realize she was gifted in math.

She could also read quickly, and had gotten through multiple classes by skimming the material, and knowing just enough to pass the tests.

"Take time," he said kindly. "You have it now. Your job," he put a strong hand on her shoulder, "is to build the best person you can. I don't expect you to be perfect," he assured her, "but I know you can do better than this," he tapped a finger on the report.

"I believe in you, Tenten," he squeezed her shoulder. "You are better than this."

It was Gai that taught her to read for enjoyment, and how that history could be really interesting if you knew the stories behind things (undoubtedly appealing to her nosy nature), and that every classroom lesson had a real-world example that could hold her attention better than what was carefully printed in her textbooks.

And he had introduced her to Ibiki.

He let her be good at what she loved, and taught her to love other things and become better at them.

She sighed and rolled her neck.

She was going to need every one of those lessons to get through the actual accounting classes and to the application of what she was learning.

She chanced a glance over to the empty study table across from her.

She doubted anything she had learned ever would let her think law texts were interesting enough to read them for more than five minutes without slamming her head against a hard surface.

Just last week, she'd noted a text that he was reading, and looked it up on the library website. There was a copy in the main library, and she'd checked it out. It was sitting in her bag, but she hadn't looked at it yet.

Curious, she pulled it out to scan it.

After about ten minutes, she closed it with a sigh.

Who in their right mind would spend time reading about torts?

Tenten glanced at the clock before deciding to stretch her legs and return the book

The librarian, noting her selection when she returned it and asked, "Do you need more books on the subject?"

"Thanks," Tenten smiled apologetically, "but barely got through skimming this one. Guess it's a good thing I'm a mechanic and not a lawyer."

The librarian gave an inelegant snort. "That's because you were reading about torts. No one likes to read about torts."

"Now that I can believe," Tenten laughed lightly. "How does anyone do this for a living?"

"I might say the same thing about being a mechanic," the librarian returned. "So many things to know about...so many ways to get cheated if you don't have a reliable person to help you." She gave a shrug. "Not so dissimilar, really."

"Trust me," Tenten smiled, "most of the basic stuff is just that. Basic. The really complicated stuff doesn't come up all that often for the every day car owner."

"The same could be said for law," the librarian countered. "They call it the 'practice of law,' for a reason."

"Oh?"

"Law is always changing," she said, warming to her subject. "It is the application of laws and interpretation of case law that is constantly redefined. So many lawyers are academics," she sighed. "I see the students come in, and they memorize all of their technicalities. They think they are going to win a case because the accused was listed as Joe X. Smith, and their client is actually Joe Y. Smith. Very quickly they learn the truth behind the phrase 'de minimis non curat lex.'"

Tenten quirked an eyebrow.

"The law does not concern itself with the smallest things," the woman translated. "It is a perfect example of how the law is far more practical than many people believe it to be. Some of the best lawyers weren't the bright stars in their class... and some of the academics never quite learn how to apply what they've learned." She smiled. "Get a lawyer with good sense," she directed. "The same, I think, could be said for mechanics."

Tenten grinned. "I guess it could."

"Here," the woman turned behind her and scanned the books for reshelving. Plucking out two and removing a print-out she'd called up while they spoke, she checked the books out and handed them over to Tenten. "Try these," she suggested. "Far more your interest, I think."

"All right," Tenten nodded, accepting the books. "I'll give them a shot."

"Excellent!" The librarian beamed. "And remember: the mechanics of law are far more important than the theory of law."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tenten smiled, and with a wave, headed back up to the fifth floor landing.

She slid back into her seat and considered the two books she'd been given. A quick glance through them both reassured her they were far more digestible than the one she'd tried reading. Her phone buzzed in her pocket; a gentle reminder that she needed to get back to work. Making sure the reading list was carefully folded in the larger of the two books, she tucked them both away in her bag.

Tenten chanced a look over to his study space.

If he wasn't purely an academic maybe... just maybe they had more in common than she'd initially thought.

She took a strange comfort in that thought, and returned to her own studying.

By the time she finished, even the coffee wasn't going to keep her awake anymore. Genma was getting off shift, so he got her to her truck, and then followed her as far as her turnoff to her neighborhood. He honked as she turned into the quiet subdivision before continuing on to his own home.

Tenten parked her truck in the garage and hauled her things into the house. Stopping just long enough to dump the contents of her gym bag into the washing machine and start it, she then stumbled her way into her tidy bedroom.

She set her alarm, and crashed face first on her bed, too tired to even think about finding pajamas. She fell asleep with book keeping figures dancing behind her eyelids, and just beyond those, a familiar figure reading at his table.

She hadn't seen him lately, what with her self imposed shift in schedule, but that didn't mean he visited her thoughts any less. Too tired to reign in her imagination, she allowed her mind to linger on thoughts of him.

"The mechanics of law," she mused to herself with a small chuckle before drifting off into a deep sleep. That night she had a jumble of dreams, including one where she was called to attend court in a tailored version of her coveralls, wrench in hand.

"Your honor," she addressed the judge. "I move that the case be dismissed on the grounds that tort law is mindnumbingly boring."

"Oh thank goodness, someone finally said it," The judge sighed happily. "Case dismissed for mindnumbing boredom." he rapped his gavel with authoritative finality. "Court is adjourned."

A cheer went up from the jury, and the Beautiful Law Student smiled at her.

"Well done," he said smoothly, but there was pride in his voice.

"All in a days work," she shouldered her wrench and gave him the Lee/Gai thumbs up.

Her alarm went off seconds later, and she woke up in a burst of laughter. She was still chuckling to herself over her coffee, her chest still warm from his smile.

"Not a bad way to start the day," she admitted out loud. "Not bad at all."

One of the titles I considered for this story was "A Tale of Two Cinderellas." The other was "The Mechanics of Law." If I go with the sequel, I think that will be the title :)

Thank you so much for returning this week; I can't tell you how much the support has meant to this crazy little author. An unexpected introduction next week, friends, and around 4K words, so longer than this chapter. Hope to see you then!
- Giada

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Chapter Six: Uberrima Fides

uberrima fides: 'most abundant faith.' Concept in contract law specifying that all parties must act with the utmost good faith.

-Part One: Ibid.-
Abbreviation of ibidem, meaning 'in the same place.' Used when citing sources, to indicate the cited source came from the identical location as the preceding one.

The flashing lights from the emergency vehicles bounced off of the wet pavement and the shattered glass. The side and back of Neji's car had taken serious damage, but the car that hit him looked far worse. The driver was still talking to both of the police officers while seated in the back of the small paramedic van. She had some superficial cuts from glass, and probably some bruising from her airbag going off. She looked like she might be about eighteen, but it was hard to tell from where he was.

He checked his phone and flicked through his calendar. Apparently he would not be making any of his appointments today.

He already put a call into his Uncle's secretary to let him know what had happened. She said she'd immediately call for a tow service, contact the insurance, and arrange for Kō to pick up his cousins.

That done, there was nothing to do but sit back in the driver's seat while the cold late-autumn rain fell in sheets.

"Not how I imagined kicking off fall break," he admitted aloud. Deciding there was nothing to do but wait, Neji turned on his music and let his mind wander.

The occasional sweep of his wipers provided intermittent glimpses of the world beyond the isolation of his car to an underscoring of Debussy. He recognized one of men speaking to the other driver as Officer Sarutobi; husband to Hinata's mentor, and son of his academic advisor affectionately known as "The Professor."

He idly considered the senior officer. They weren't well acquainted, but he knew of him, and had for some years.

According to Father, Sarutobi Asuma had been accepted to Konoha University as a promising pre-law student. However, in the wake of an argument with his father, the then Governor Sarutobi Hiruzen, he left after his first semester and joined the military. Rumor had it that he'd advanced as far as the secret service before his honorable discharge a couple years back. Asuma was now Officer Sarutobi, and the former Governor was a senior lecturer at Konoha's own School of Law.

Neji had always secretly admired the man that had followed his own path, despite high expectations from his family. He was even a shade envious that the man had something he wanted enough to be worth abandoning those expectations.

Deciding he was tired of sitting, Neji grabbed his umbrella and unbuckled his seatbelt. He would speak with the officer outside of his car.

Asuma intercepted him before he reached the paramedic's van.

"Here is your copy of the paperwork," he handed Neji a print out of a police report and a carbon of the ticket citing the other driver. "I was monitoring this area for speeders, so I actually witnessed the accident and caught it on the dash cam," he glanced back at his cruiser. "Other driver hydroplaned and lost control. Wasn't her fault per se," he continued. "She wasn't speeding or driving recklessly– but she is still the cited party. Nothing you could've done," he added. "In fact, you handled the collision expertly. Kept her from going back into traffic and hitting another driver; although I'm betting you'll be sore tomorrow."

"Probably," Neji half smiled, taking the rain-flecked paper, and tucking it in the inside pocket of his coat. "Is she alright?" he nodded toward the other driver.

"Shaken up, but fine," he looked over to where another officer was speaking with the young driver. "I know her, actually," he continued. "Classmate of my nephew – name's Moegi. Good kid; you won't have to worry about any kind of frivolous law suit, or attempts to put this in the media."

"Glad to hear it," Neji said dryly. "I am grateful, though, Officer Sarutobi."

The policeman shrugged. "Pretty straightforward case. Paramedics gave you a preliminary OK, but you should still get checked out," he cautioned the younger man.

"I know," Neji nodded. "One of my family members is on his way. I'm sure we will go to Dr. Senju or Dr. Kato - whomever is on duty."

A radio chirped at the officer's side, and he picked it up.

"Tow trucks are here," the voice crackled over the radio. "I'll take the girl to the station; that is where her parents are meeting us."

"Got it," the officer responded watching the truck pull in front of Neji's car. He grinned and extended a hand to the large man getting out of the cab of the vehicle.

"Long time no see, Ibiki," he shook hands with the bear of a man.

"Asuma," he gave a nod. "What happened here?"

"Other driver hydroplaned into Nej…Mr. Hyūga," the officer said casually. "I doubt that this vehicle is driveable in its current condition."

"It isn't," the mechanic said gruffly before turning to Neji. "Morino Ibiki," he said, extending a hand. "I've worked on your Uncle's cars for years."

"Hyūga Neji," he replied formally. "I have heard many good things about your work and your business," he said politely.

"Then I'll try and live up to the standards," Ibiki gave a not-unfriendly smirk. He stood back and eyed both cars.

"I've got a second truck on the way for the other vehicle," he said, checking his phone. "Why don't you get what you want or need from this car and sit in the cab of my tow truck. My man will take you back to the garage, and I'll stay to help the next truck load the other vehicle.

Fifteen minutes later, Neji was in the passenger seat of the surprisingly comfortable cab of the truck, while a driver with the name tag 'Izumo' brought him to the garage.

"I'll pull us into the main area, and then you can head into the lounge," the man offered with a polite smile. "You won't get soaked that way."

"Thank you," Neji nodded, thinking more about the safety of his laptop and books than his own appearance. "I'll probably just study until my ride gets here."

"I'm sure you can use one of the offices," he continued. "The boss' is usually locked, but I can open the other one for you."

Neji thought about that for a moment. He was very close to finishing an assignment; that would be helpful if he didn't have to waste the time. "If that is convenient," he allowed.

"I'm sure it's fine," Izumo grinned, pulling the truck to a stop. "Wait here."

The mechanic swung out of the cab of the truck and headed over to another vehicle. The hood was up and blocking his view of whom Izumo was speaking with, but clearly whomever the person was, they had keys to the offices. The keys were dropped into Izumo's waiting palm, and the man jogged back to the tow truck, opening the door on Neji's side.

"All set," he grinned. "Come this way."

Neji followed Izumo across the garage, nodding to the several mechanics that were headed toward the tow truck and his own vehicle on their way out. When the double doors swung closed behind him, he was surprised at how quiet it became.

"Soundproof," Izumo said, pushing the 'up' button for the elevator. "Gets pretty loud in there."

"I can imagine," Neji replied. The elevator ride was quick, and he was soon following his guide into the business area of the garage.

"There is an office down in the pit - that's what we call the garage level - but it isn't very quiet," Izumo continued. "The Boss' main office for meeting clients is up here on the lobby level." He pointed down the hall, pulling the keys out of his pocket. He unlocked the door to a modest, neat office.

"Restroom is down the hall," he pointed to the right. "Small lounge just there," he pointed across the hall. "There's a mini fridge, coffee, tea, and some refreshments. Help yourself to whatever is in there."

He checked the doorknob to make sure the office would stay unlocked, and then did a cursory scan of the lounge to make sure everything was where he said it was. He snagged two water bottles from the fridge and handed one to Neji, who took it gratefully.

"If you need anything, pick up the phone and dial star seven. That will transfer you down to our level."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Neji assured the man.

"Well, if you get bored, you can watch TV in the lobby," Izumo jerked a thumb back the way they came. "You can also see the garage from a big window at the end of the hall, just there."

"Thank you," Neji stepped into the office. "I appreciate all of the consideration."

"No problem," Izumo cracked open his water and chugged some. "Better get back to work. Someone will be up to fill you in after we get an initial inspection done."

With that, the mechanic returned to the floor, and Neji scanned the office. The main desk was clear, but he didn't feel comfortable setting up there. There was a smaller desk in a recessed part of the wall that looked like it would serve his needs. He set up his laptop, and began working.

The phone chirped away in the background, but Neji was used to the sounds of an office, and he didn't pay any attention to it.

"Call from the boss on line two," a voice came over the garage-wide PA system. "Tenten, line two!"

Neji looked up sharply.

How many people could there be named Tenten?

Then it hit him.

Morino.

He'd been so distracted by the accident, he hadn't recognized the name.

If that giant of a man was who Genma had been talking about the other day, then Neji could certainly understand why he didn't want to irritate the man.

"Only one way to be sure," he breathed, before pushing away from the small desk and striding to the end of the hall where the big window overlooked the garage.

He could see the tow truck that brought him there parked in a far corner of the large auto shop. His car was up on a lift, and a tech was circling it with a clipboard, scribbling notes down.

There were other mechanics, but none of them appeared to be female.

Just as he thought he must've been mistaken, the door to the lower level office opened and Tenten stepped out.

She was in a mechanic's uniform, complete with twin buns and grease smudged across one cheek. He recognized her walk as she strode purposefully out of the office and back onto the floor, calling out something to one of the other mechanics who called back, earning a satisfied nod.

He stared, captivated. It was if he had stumbled upon her in her natural environment – so different from how he had seen her, yet so fitting.

The man inspecting Neji's car waved her over, and showed her his clipboard. She looked over the car with a critical eye, and a hint of a frown.

"Well, that doesn't bode well," he muttered to himself. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he reflexively backed away from the window as he pulled it out and checked the caller ID.

"This is Neji," he answered.

"Glad to hear your voice, Nephew," his Uncle sounded relieved. "I would have gotten back to you sooner, but my secretary was unable to get through to me."

"I told her not to bother you, Uncle," he admitted, taking a last glance out of the window before heading back toward the small office. He could hear his Uncle frown.

"It isn't a bother to get a call about your well-being, Neji," he said with reproof. "Of course I would want to be notified of something like this immediately."

"The paramedics had already determined that I was fine," Neji assured him. "I did not think it warranted your immediate attention, so I asked her not to interrupt your meeting."

Hiashi was silent for a moment.

"I appreciate your consideration," he finally grumbled. "However, I consider all information about my children and nephew as deserving of my immediate attention. I …" he cleared his throat. "I am pleased to hear you are well."

"Just a little sore," Neji said mildly.

"Ko just returned with Hanabi and Hinata. He should be arriving within the next twenty minutes to pick you up."

"No rush," Neji shrugged. "I have my laptop, and have been working."

"Unsurprising," Hiashi said with cool approval, but there was a note of pride in his tone. "I look forward to seeing you later this evening, then, Nephew."

After a short goodbye, Neji returned to the small office and looked around. He glanced over his shoulder before circling around to the other side of the large desk.

Everything was neat and orderly. There was a photo of the Guy in Green with his arm slung around Tenten's shoulders, and they were both holding up some kind of medal. Judging from the background it was some kind of charity 5k event. There was another picture of the two of them with a Man in Green, but he was sitting in a wheelchair, giving a dazzling smile and thumbs up to the camera. This time Tenten and the Guy in Green were flanking the Man in Green and were covered in mud. Neji guessed obstacle course race. A brief look around the office revealed a couple more photos tucked into the shelves and a digital picture frame that he couldn't see from where he sat with his laptop.

The photos dissolved into one another. Lots of races, sporting events, and even a few pictures of Tenten with some of the mechanics. He watched, transfixed with this small window into her life. The heavy sound of approaching footfall snapped him back to reality, and he slid back to his seat and resumed working.

Ibiki soon filled the doorway, rain speckling the bandana tied over his head.

"Hope you were able to get some work done," Ibiki said in his gruff but not unfriendly way. "Your Uncle let me know that someone is on their way for you."

"He told me the same," Neji stood. "And, yes, I got quite a bit done. Thank you."

"Come down the hall," he stepped back and jerked his chin toward the large window. "I'll explain what is going on so far."

Neji did as he was asked, listening to Ibiki's initial assessment of the damage, and projected repairs.

"We won't know for sure until we finish all of our inspections, but there is a chance we will have to scrap the vehicle."

"It is beyond repair?" Neji asked, disappointed.

"My mechanics can repair anything," he scoffed. "But it isn't always the safest plan. I'll know more tomorrow. You can stop by anytime. Tenten will probably have a good workup of a report into me by the end of tonight."

"Tenten?" Neji asked neutrally.

"Down there," Ibiki looked out of the window. "The only girl on the floor. She's one of my best. She Just started taking a few classes over at KU to help me with the business end of running the garage – you might have seen her on campus."

"Possibly," Neji said. "It is a big campus."

"Well, knowing her, she'll be in early tomorrow morning to work on these cars. You won't have to wait long for the verdict."

A soft knock on the doorframe ended their conversation.

"Ah, Kō," Ibiki gave a familiar nod. "Nice to see you again."

"And you," Kō gave a polite bow of his head. "Are you ready to leave?" he asked Neji.

"Just let me get my things," he motioned to his laptop.

"Like I was telling Neji," Ibiki started, and gave Kō the basic report. Neji moved quickly, his heart pounding in his ears.

He was soon shaking Ibiki's hand.

"Swing by tomorrow, if you like," Ibiki offered. "The garage doesn't officially open until 10:30, but I'll be here by 9:00. If you ring the bell by the lobby door, or call the garage, one of us will let you in."

"One of you?"

"The receptionist or myself," he clarified. I'll be working in my upstairs office, and she'll be working on updating our inventory system. Tenten will be here, but she'll be down in the pit. She won't hear you."

"Good to know," Neji said shouldering his bag. "I believe I shall take you up on that."

"Tomorrow, then," Ibiki said, before striding away.

Moments later, Neji was in the passenger seat as Ko drove them to see Dr. Senju. As the lights of the garage disappeared into the dark and rain, he smiled to himself.

"Tomorrow."

 -Part Two: She's a Good Wrench-
good wrench: slang for a good mechanic.

It was a gloomy morning, but Tenten was humming on her way to work. She knew she'd be the first one to the garage, just like she'd been every day of fall break. Making a point to arrive well before the receptionist and Ibiki, she relished the quiet of the shop when no one was there. She wasn't a chatty morning person; she didn't mind being awake as long as no one tried to speak with her. That made these early mornings alone and surrounded by her work pretty much perfect.

She sipped at her large travel tumbler of hot tea and reviewed the paperwork on her small desk in the large garage-level office. She'd already put her coveralls on, and she was ready to get to work.

"Like you used to say, Dad," she stood and stretched. "No sense wasting a perfectly good morning."

Ibiki left a note for her and the receptionist. One of the guys from the wreck would drop by today. Apparently this Hyūga person was related to the bigshot whose Jags frequented bay three. Ibiki didn't have much to say about the customer, or the client in general.

Of course, Tenten had heard of the Hyūgas. They were a large and powerful family that owned a large and powerful business that did large and powerful things. Okay, so she didn't really know the specifics, but she knew that it was a wealthy, elite family. According to Ibiki, most of the main family were lawyers or business people. He explained something about a branch family, but didn't really go into any kind of specifics. Sounded like this guy was part of the branch family, but the nephew of the main guy in the head family, and, well, all Tenten got out of the whole conversation was:

"Be nice."

Not that she was ever rude to clients, and not that Ibiki ever advocated ass kissing, but he did know she could sometimes be more abrupt if she wanted to get back to work.

That was part of the reason she came in so early that morning; she wanted to get some things done before she could possibly be interrupted, which would greatly increase the chances of her being on good behavior.

Reports were tedious, necessary parts of the job. She moved quickly through the ones she had to fill out, and looked over a couple she was preparing for the insurance companies. She did all that she could before switching programs to check on inventory. Wisely, she took a quick walk through the garage to make sure everything matched up. Their inventory system was still a bit new for the guys, and sometimes they forgot to log what they took in or out or used on the job.

"Getting better," she murmured, noting that the few discrepancies were easy, honest mistakes. She counted both her and Ibiki as being lucky that they had such a good crew. It would be easy to filch supplies here and there if one was careful about it.

That was how 'Uncle' had gotten his start. He'd worked for legitimate businesses and slowly siphoned off supplies or inventory to run his chopshops. Tenten could forgive him for how he treated her, but she'd never forgive how he'd cheated her dad and taken advantage of him. Maybe her dad had known all along what he was up to, but hadn't wanted to confront him about it. After all, in that neighborhood they were all surviving as best they could. Her dad's garage had been one of the few honest, upright businesses around, and she vaguely remembered conversations between her dad and Uncle. Gentle reminders to do right by others, to be careful about decisions made… all things that now, as an adult, made her think maybe her father actually had known what was going on all along.

She input her inventory data and checked the time.

The receptionist would arrive in about thirty-five minutes.

With a shrug, she went back to working on the cars they brought in last night. The girl's car was totaled – no question. It had been a solid but older vehicle, and had, as her father would have put it, lived a long and happy life.

Still, it always tugged at a specific corner of her heart when she had to permanently retire a loyal vehicle.

Ibiki would have to OK the final paperwork before she sent everything in to the insurance agency, but she didn't think he would disagree. Ibiki had very strict standards about what he would or wouldn't do to a vehicle that had been in an accident.

"Just because something can be repaired, doesn't mean we should repair it."

That is what he told her that first summer she lived with Lee and Gai, and hung around his garage as much as possible.

She frowned at his statement.

"But if we can fix something, shouldn't we fix it?" she asked. "That is what we do, right?"

"Wrong," Ibiki retorted flatly, half buried in the engine. "If you can't guarantee the integrity of the repair, the parts, or the safety of the vehicle, than you aren't really fixing the problem. You are simply making a new problem. It's bad enough to see a car come back to your shop still broken, but it is even worse if someone got hurt because of your work."

She hadn't thought about that.

"Uncle used to say that the more times a person brought their car back, the better."

"And I know for a fact, he used to arrange for cars to break," Ibiki grunted as he tightened a bolt. "Many of his repeat customers were actually repeat victims."

Tenten had been particularly upset to hear that piece of information.

"I thought I was helping at first," she said one day, sitting on a stool and handing him equipment and tools as he asked for them. "I wanted to be a mechanic like my dad, and I thought we were helping people. Then he got me into jacking the cars. Used to tell me he was saving them money by not using a tow truck, and that the insurance would be better to them this way." She snorted at her own ignorance. "Pretty dumb, huh?"

"It isn't dumb to want to help people," Ibiki said curtly. "It takes time to learn to spot a well-crafted lie."

"There was always some truth in Uncle's lies," Tenten sighed. "He made you doubt what you knew."

"That is how the best liars work," Ibiki assured her.

She went back to the Hyūga vehicle and looked it over again.

"I can fix you," she murmured, putting a kind hand on the shining black metal, "but I don't know that I can make you safe. I'm sorry."

"Tenten, line one. Tenten, line one."

With one final apology to the car, she moved quickly to the phone in the garage.

"This is Tenten," she said crisply.

"A Mr. Hyūga is on his way to see you about his car," the receptionist informed her. "He should be arriving in five minutes."

"I'll be right up," Tenten assured her. "Give me seven minutes to make sure Ibiki's coffee is running here."

In 6 minutes and 45 seconds, she was stepping out of the elevator, and headed to the main lobby. She heard the receptionist speaking to the client, and the perfectly professional tone of the man replying.

When she rounded the corner, though, she was just proud that she didn't drop everything in her hands.

She'd was startled by his unusual eye color. Her mind flipped through a stack of possible colors, like going through paint inventory to match the shade and batch number to patch up a car. Words like 'lilac,' 'smoke,' and 'pearl' swirled around in her mind. She remembered the Jag, and she found herself thinking of Polaris White and Rhodium Silver. The Aston Martin collection might be more on point, though – Lightning Silver, Morning Frost White, Silver Fox, Skyfall Silver, Maybe even some Stratus White tinged with Tungsten Silver…?

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Hyūga," she recovered quickly, shifting her clipboard and papers to her other arm and extending a hand to him. "Tenten," she offered.

"Tenten?" he raised his eyebrows as he took her hand. "Unusual name."

"I get that a lot," she smiled wryly. "You should see what baristas write on my coffee cups."

"I can only imagine," the man smiled winningly. "But where are my manners?" he inclined his head politely. "Hyūga Hizashi, at your service."

Chapter Text

I usually hate Tuesdays. Having something to post makes them more fun.

Force Majeure
Chapter Seven: Ex Ante

ex ante: "Of before." Essentially meaning "before the event," usually used when forecasting future events.

-Part One: Ex parte-
"From [for] one party." A decision reached, or case brought, by or for one party without the other party being present.

Neji took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He still had not amended his initial take on torts. They were painful. It was colder in Konoha, and some well-meaning soul had turned up the heat in the library. Neji was out of removable layers, so he resorted to rolling up his sleeves and pulling his long hair up into what his cousin Hanabi called his 'man bun.'

He glanced over to the empty study table across the room.

He'd barely seen Tenten since the day of his accident. He was pleased that his father had surprised them all by coming home a week early, but was miffed that he hadn't gotten to go to the garage and speak with her.

In fact, his father hadn't mentioned he had been to the garage that morning until after lunch. Neji hadn't paid much attention to the sleek SUV that had dropped his father off, presuming it was one of the private taxis the family usually hired. He didn't think to ask, and had no reason to before he and his Uncle sat down to keep his father company while as he ate his meal.

"I heard about your accident," Hizashi had told him, signaling the waitress. "I am glad to see you are alright, son."

"I'm fine," Neji assured him.

"Ko told me that both of you were at this impromptu meeting, and that you had plans to go the garage to speak with Ibiki. I took the liberty of stopping in on your behalf."

"Oh?" Neji asked, going for 'neutral surprised.'

"I knew you'd be stuck here for a while," Hizashi looked around the grill room of the club, "I was surprised they were open so early. Then again," he chuckled, sharing a look with his brother, "it is Morino Ibiki we are talking about."

Neji looked between them.

"You both know the owner of the garage, personally?"

"For quite some time," his Uncle reached for his tea.

"Years," his Father added. "I spoke with the mechanic," he father continued as the waitress topped up his coffee. "It appears it will make more sense to total out the vehicle rather than repair it."

"Was he sure?" Hiashi asked. "I thought the damage was not quite so extensive."

"She was sure," Hizashi nodded. "Walked me through the entire thing, and Ibiki agreed."

"If Ibiki agreed, then I guess that is all there is to it," Hiashi sighed. He looked over to his nephew. "That means I am even more grateful that nothing happened to you."

"Thank you, Uncle," Neji inclined his head, and fought the silly urge to blush. He was itching to ask his father about the mechanic; Ibiki had been clear that the only 'she' working at the garage was Tenten.

Unfortunately, the topic of conversation changed to Hizashi's recent business trip, and Neji only listened with half an ear. He had been unable to learn any more about the mechanic from his father, and now had no good excuse to go to the garage.

Now, with exams around the corner, he was spending more and more time studying, which meant he would've thought he'd've run into her by now.

He looked at the clock, grimacing at the late hour.

Surely if she wasn't here by now, she wouldn't be coming.

Neji wasn't sure if he felt relieved or worried that she didn't arrive before he left at 12:30AM. He made his way down to the lower level, and paused to text Ko that he was leaving.

"Walking to your car?"

Neji turned to find the security guard Genma leaning inside the doorway, his arms crossed lazily across his chest.

"Yes," he nodded.

"Where're you parked?"

"The East Garage," Neji nodded in the direction of his car.

"Been some people lurking around now that it is exam time," the guard pushed away from the wall. "There was a mugging last night. I'll give you a ride over there – and before you think of refusing, I'm headed that way to go get some coffee anyway."

Neji had heard about the mugging, and figured it didn't hurt to be careful.

Moments later, he was surprised to find himself not in one of the golf carts, but in an actual cruiser.

"Too damned cold for the golf cart," Genma's expression was conspiratorial. "The newbies get assigned to the carts in the winter." He looked over to Neji. "You want any coffee or anything before you drive home? You look like you might fall asleep at the wheel."

"No, thank you," Neji declined politely. "I'll be fine."

"Suit yourself," Genma shrugged. "Guess you can handle it – you are one of the few students that spends a significant amount of time in the library. Studying Law, I'm guessing?"

"Yes."

"Hm," Genma hummed. "This is a late night for you."

A spark of an idea came to Neji.

"For me, I suppose," he allowed, "but I've seen other students arrive as I am leaving."

"Oh, there are always a few night owls," Genma chuckled. "There's that girl that studies on the same floor as you – have you met her?"

"No," Neji shook his head. "But I know who you mean."

"That's Tenten," Genma continued. "I know her boss and her foster dad and brother. She's been here very late before."

Neji frowned at this. Could she still be coming, even at this late hour?

"'Course, the last week or so, she's changed up her schedule," Genma said idly. "Been coming more in the early morning. I've seen her when I get off of the graveyard shift; said that it is quieter and she has less on her mind that early. I'll have to take her word for it," he gave a wry chuckle. "I've never tried to try and study anything at 5:30 in the morning, and with her, that can be before or after a workout."

He pulled them into the garage, and left a thoughtful Neji to make his way home.

So that is why he hadn't seen her; she was going to the library early in the morning.

He thought about that the whole way home. Perhaps it was time to switch his schedule as well. His Uncle excused him from any business related duties until exams were over; that meant if he studied early in the day, he might actually have a free evening for a change.

With that thought, he went home and wasted no time going to bed. By his third early morning, he still hadn't spotted her. He stirred his green tea, disheartened.

"How to find you…?" he mused.

And then it struck him.

The Guy in Green.

If he found him, he'd find Tenten – and he was much harder to miss.

Neji practically grinned into his tea, pleased with his new strategy. After all – it wasn't as if she was avoiding him; he'd run into her sooner or later. And when he did?

"An introduction is long overdue."

-Part Two: A wrench in the works-
from the idiom "throw a wrench in the works:" to damage or change (something) in a way that ruins it or prevents it from working properly. Often used when describing an unforeseen circumstance or factor that necessitates an alteration to a previously decided course of action.

Tenten had absolutely been avoiding him.

Ever since that morning at the garage, she had gone to great lengths to make sure she their paths didn't cross.

How did a morning that started out so unassumingly turn so.. so...

She groaned, burying her head in her hands.

She didn't even have a word for what that day had become, but she suspected that Genma's favorite description of 'clusterfuck,' came pretty close.

Unbidden, the entire morning replayed over and over in her mind:

.
.

"Tenten, line one. Tenten, line one."

With one final apology to the car, she moved quickly to the phone in the garage.

"This is Tenten," she said crisply.

"A Mr. Hyūga is on his way to see you about his car," the receptionist informed her. "He should be arriving in five minutes."

"I'll be right up," Tenten assured her. "Give me seven minutes to make sure Ibiki's coffee is running here."

In 6 minutes and 45 seconds, she was stepping out of the elevator, and headed to the main lobby. She heard the receptionist speaking to the client, and the perfectly professional tone of the man replying.

When she rounded the corner, though, she was just proud that she didn't drop everything in her hands.

She'd was startled by his unusual eye color. Her mind flipped through a stack of possible colors, like going through paint inventory to match the shade and batch number to patch up a car. Words like 'lilac,' 'smoke,' and 'pearl' swirled around in her mind. She remembered the Jag, and she found herself thinking of Polaris White and Rhodium Silver. The Aston Martin collection might be more on point, though – Lightning Silver, Morning Frost White, Silver Fox, Skyfall Silver, Maybe even some Stratus White tinged with Tungsten Silver…?

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Hyūga," she recovered quickly, shifting her clipboard and papers to her other arm and extending a hand to him. "Tenten," she offered.

"Tenten?" he raised his eyebrows as he took her hand. "Unusual name."

"I get that a lot," she smiled wryly. "You should see what baristas write on my coffee cups."

"I can only imagine," the man smiled winningly. "But where are my manners?" he inclined his head politely. "Hyūga Hizashi, at your service."

Tenten shook his hand, her brows drawing together. She checked her clipboard. "I have this as being registered to a Hyūga Neji," she flicked through the pages.

"My son," he nodded. "He was detained on a family matter. I just got back into Konoha an hour ago, so I haven't seen him yet. This was on my way home," he looked around the lobby, "so I thought I'd stop by in his stead."

"I see," Tenten tucked the clipboard away. "Well, then, would you like to come to my office, or go down to the garage and see the vehicle."

"The garage, please," he nodded perfunctorily.

She led him to the damaged vehicle and walked him through everything, even raising it on the lift before giving her recommendation to not repair it.

"I know you don't know me," she flipped the lever to lower the car back to ground level, "but that's my ride over there." She pointed to the ancient blue truck that had clearly seen better days and was held together by TLC. "If I thought there was even a remote chance I could repair your son's vehicle and guarantee that it would be safe, I would." She shook her head sadly. "I just don't think I can make that promise in good faith. I think the damage to the frame makes it impossible."

Hizashi looked over the vehicle thoughtfully. "Has the adjuster been by yet?"

"No," Tenten flipped off the lever to the lift and crossed back over to her client. "But I already got an email about who is coming. He's worked with Ibiki before and trusts his judgement."

"Or, in this case, your judgement?" He asked lightly.

"Ibiki always has the final word," Tenten smiled wryly. "But when I gave him my initial report, he agreed with me. My final report isn't much different, so I don't see him changing his mind."

"Then I suppose that, as they say, is that," his gaze lingered on the vehicle a moment longer before alighting on her.

"I'll get your paperwork," she said with an apologetic smile. "Ibiki will be here before we are done, if you have any questions for him."

She took him back up to her office, and he studied the pictures of her and Gai and Lee while she printed off the rest of what they needed, and prepared his file to take with him.

"I see you like to run races?" he asked.

"I like to compete," Tenten allowed. "Races are more Lee – my foster brother's - thing, but he always talks me into signing up."

"Looks like you do well," he nodded to the pictures of the two of them holding up medals.

"I have a pretty fierce training partner," she laughed. "And you should meet our coach."

Hizashi's smile was amused. "I can imagine."

"Hizashi? I wasn't expecting you."

Ibiki filled the doorway of Tenten's office.

"Just how things worked out today," the other man replied easily.

"I didn't see your car," Ibiki rubbed his chin.

"I came directly from the airport, so I hopped a cab over. Now that I know I won't be driving my son's vehicle home, I'll take another one to the Club."

"Don't bother," Ibiki scoffed. "We'll give you a ride. Tenten," he looked over to her. "I have some errands for you to run. Take my SUV and drop Hizashi off wherever he needs to go."

"I can do that," she nodded, eyes darting between computer and printer. This was not an unusual request for Ibiki, and she had long ago learned that his tone and brusque way of speaking was just part of who he was.

Also, he only trusted his personal SUV with a handful of people, and his own clients with even fewer. She was pretty much the only person he'd let drive his 'baby' and his client all at the same time.

"Come down to my office for a moment," Ibiki motioned to the door. "Tenten, out front in five?" he held his large fist out to her.

"Got it," she held out her hand, and he dropped his keys into her palm.

Four minutes and fifty-four seconds later she pulled Ibiki's sleek ride (which she was certain he had named but wouldn't tell her) up to the door. Ibiki and Hizashi shook hands, and the latter got into the passenger seat.

"Where to?" Tenten asked, putting the car in gear.

"The Konoha Country Club," he directed, "if you would be so kind."

"Sure," she gave a smile. "You mentioned that you just got back in town. Did you need to make any stops along the way?"

He was in the middle of smothering a yawn.

"Coffee?" she chuckled knowingly.

"Coffee," he gave a sheepish nod. "That would be perfect."

Five minutes and a drive thru later, she had her coffee, and he had his last-minute-change-of-heart-black-tea.

His cup was nearly empty as she turned into the entrance for the country club, and onto the long, winding road to the clubhouse.

"There was an impromptu business brunch today," Hizashi explained as they wound their way past golf greens and occasional fountains. "If I'm unlucky, I'll catch the tail end of it. If I'm lucky, I'll miss it completely, and be able to convince my brother and son to stick around and have lunch with me before giving me a ride home."

"Do you need me to wait?" she asked. "I don't want to leave you stranded here."

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Ah, my son is still here," he beamed. "Excellent."

Tenten smiled at that. "Neji, right?"

"Yes," he tucked his phone away, clearly pleased. "I have been away for several weeks. I am looking forward to seeing both him and my brother."

"Always nice to see family," Tenten offered.

"Depends on the family," Hizashi admitted ruefully, "but in the case of my son, or my brother and his daughters, yes. It is always good to see them."

She pulled the SUV into the curve of the covered entrance way, and put the vehicle in park.

"Thank you," her passenger said kindly, pausing as he turned to her. She raised her eyebrows in question.

"You know," he said slowly. "I have to say that I enjoyed this ride far better than the last one that you gave me."

Tenten gave an apologetic smile.

"I'm afraid you must be mistaken," she said politely. "I am sure I've never been the one from the garage to give you a ride."

"No," he shook his head, "but you did take me to a hospital once. Your driving has improved, by the way."

Tenten continued to look at him puzzled.

"Of course you are taller now," he added. "Makes it easier to see over the dashboard. Probably doesn't hurt that it isn't pouring rain and I'm not bleeding in the backseat. All improvements, to my way of thinking. How's the arm?"

"My...my arm?" she asked weakly, her mind spinning around a conclusion she was certain was impossible.

"Left upper arm, if I remember correctly," he said, regret pulling at the corners of his unusual eyes. "That bastard," he swore softly. "Used you to draw my fire. I was more than happy to help put him and his partner away for a long, long time."

The pieces of the puzzle didn't so much click as they slammed into place.

Her arm.

Shot.

Hospital.

Tenten's hand reflexively cupped the top of her left arm.

The thin scar had faded with time, but she'd never told the few that noticed it the truth about how she got it.

"That..." her breath hitched unceratinly. "That...was you?"

"It has been ten years," he nodded gravely. "I never got the chance to thank you in person, though."

Tenten's mind was racing with disbelief. The angles of his face were vaguely familiar, yeah, but surely there was a simple explanation for that. "No…no that can't be right," she shook her head in denial. "Look, if nothing else, I'm sure I would've remembered your eyes, and -"

"Contacts," Hizashi interrupted good-naturedly. "I didn't want to risk being recognized at the wrong time by the wrong people. Even at that, you were very focused on getting me to the hospital alive. I'm surprised you recognized anything about me… but you do recognize me, don't you?" he asked knowingly.

"No! I…I mean, you-"

He arched an eyebrow at her, and the sinking feeling in her gut told her he was right.

"It was a really long time ago," she finished lamely.

"Yes," he mused, "Yes it was. Well," he said briskly. "I thank you for the ride. Come by the Club sometime," he nodded to the building behind him. "At the very least, I owe you dinner. I'd like to introduce you to my nieces and my son. Ah – there he is now."

Tenten had thought the day had gotten as weird as it could get… and she was wrong.

The man waiting at the top of the short set of stairs was none other than the Beautiful Law Student.

Hizashi looked between her and his son – who hadn't spotted them yet.

"Well. Another time, perhaps," he said easily. "Thank you again," he unbuckled his seatbelt. "For everything."

"Uh.. yeah… sure," she tore her gaze from the too-perfect vision. "I mean, thank you for, you know… not … dying…"

He smirked in amusement as she shook her head to clear it.

"Thank you for not pressing charges," she corrected herself. "I… It meant that I got a second chance with a new family."

"Then," he held out his hand to her, "it was my pleasure, Tenten."

She shook his hand, and continued to stare in disbelief as he closed the car door behind him, dragging his small carry-on and laptop bag behind him. When he said something to his son, and he began to look back to the car, Tenten snapped to attention.

She pulled away as quickly as she could, and zipped back down the private road to escape into the melee of the normal world.

.
.

She still couldn't believe it. Of all the people to run into, and be related to the most beautiful man on the planet, it had to be-

Tenten thunked her head on the study table with a groan.

She had taken to studying in one of the claustrophobic single-person study cubbies in the most out of the way corner of the library.

"Hiding is more like it," she grumbled to herself. She hated to admit it, but now that she knew who he was, and her connection to his father, she dreaded seeing the Beautiful Law Student.

Sure, she'd been certain he came from money, but she never dreamed he came from the largest, most well-known family in all of Konoha.

Even that wouldn't normally have bothered her, much less motivated her to drastically rearrange her study schedule. The part where she was technically an accomplice in his father's shooting, on the other hand, was a different story.

She'd never known who the man was, and the family had managed to keep it out of the papers. She'd assumed he'd been pretty important or rich to keep the matter as quiet as he had, and for her to not have been sent to jail.

She'd heard that Uncle and Lucky didn't have nearly as smooth of a time of it, and were still in prison.

So what kind of introduction did that leave her to make to his son?

"Oh, hey, my name is Tenten, and I sort-of stole your dad's car to take him to the ER when I was thirteen, because he was shot by the people trying to steal his car, whom, by the way, I worked for..."

"Ok," she stood up abruptly. "Game over."

She checked the time, and sent a text to Lee.

"I give up. Meet me at the gym?"

His reply was prompt.

"I'm on my way!"

Tenten smiled. She could always count on Lee, no matter how stupidly complicated she managed to make her life. She shoved her things back in her bag and left the library behind, determined not to think of any of this until exams were over.

Lee didn't ask what was on her mind, or why she'd been pushing herself so hard lately. They worked hard and played harder until they were both at their limits, and had to get ready to go to class.

Despite resigning herself to a life of dodging the Beautiful Law Student at all costs (and, should that not work, possibly moving to the desert, thereby avoiding human contact altogether) she dreamed of him relentlessly. Each dream was more fantastic than the next. They were spies and ex lovers. They were on estranged former teammates in a space/sci-fi setting. They were courtiers in the Middle Ages, and trying to find a away to be together regardless of societal conventions. They were ninjas who had also had animal familiars - his was a hawk. (The funniest one was them trading pickup lines to see who could crack the other's composure - but everything else was pretty out there.)

Tenten jolted awake at 3:00AM.

She slung leaden feet over the side of the bed and hauled herself into her bathroom.

It had been over a week since she started avoiding him, but he was clearly on her mind - or at least her subconscious mind.

For lack of something better to do, she decided to take a shower.

As Tenten let the water run over her, a kernel of a thought took root in her heart.

Despite her confusion at meeting Hizashi and the impending mortification of seeing his son sometime before the apocalypse, she had at least learned something.

His name was Neji.

"Not that I'll ever be able to be in the same building as him ever again, much less call him by name," she muttered to herself, "but still… it's good to know."

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Chapter Eight: Facio Ut Facias

facio ut facias: "I do, that you may do." A type of contract wherein one party agrees to do work for the other, in order that the second party can then perform some work for the first in exchange.

-Part One: Shifting gears-
idiom. To suddenly change what you are doing.

When Lee found her, she was underneath a truck.

"You aren't sleeping under there, are you?" he crouched down to peer underneath the vehicle.

"Not yet," she called back before rolling forward until both she and the creeper cleared the truck. She sat up, and leaned on bent knees to study her best friend. "What's up?"

"I have a favor to ask," Lee said sheepishly.

Tenten blinked twice, not sure if she heard correctly; Lee pretty much never asked for favors.

"Everything okay?" she asked, brows drawn together with concern.

"Everything is fine," he assured her, holding out a hand to help her up. She waved him off, holding up her dirty hands as an excuse. "I just need some help."

She stood up and wiped her hands on the rag at her waist. "Name it."

"I have a big anatomy review for the exam, and a practical. I think I have it all memorized, but I need someone to quiz me."

"I can do that," she smiled, motioning him to follow as she headed toward the garage-level office. "When do you need me?"

"That's where the favor part comes in," he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's my long day teaching at the dojo. I won't finish until after 7:00, so by the time I grab a bite to eat and check in on Gai-sensei, it'll be after 8:00. I know I have at least two hours' worth of drilling to get in, and I know you have an early morning, and-"

"And it's not a problem," she cut him off. "Tell you what. I'll go home after work and take a quick nap. Come over to my place after you've cleaned up; I'll make dinner, and we'll study as long as we need to."

"Think we can stay awake at your place," Lee asked. "Or should we hit the library?"

"I'll make the coffee," she assured him.

"I don't need to stay up until next week," he reminded her, "just until we are done studying."

"Got it," she smiled.

"Thanks, Tenten," he smiled brightly. "You're the best!"

True to her word, when Lee arrived that night, Tenten had dinner ready and waiting, as well as a whole pot of coffee. They studied long into the night, finally deciding to call it quits around midnight.

"Crash in the guest room, Lee," Tenten yawned. "We can hit the gym in the morning, and then the library."

Lee was too tired to argue, and was soon passed out, occasionally mumbling out names of muscles, and their origins and insertions. Luckily, both Lee and Tenten kept a stash of supplies and a change of clothes at their respective homes, so he had everything he needed in the morning.

Lee was very much a morning person; Tenten was not. He wisely refrained from speaking to her until she was done with her first cup of coffee, after which she was in a far more approachable state.

Since Lee taught a couple of classes at the University gym, he had keys to the studio spaces. The two of them went through one of Gai-sensei's taijutsu warmups before working a couple of katas and then hitting the ellipticals. It was a shorter workout than Lee normally did, but he was anxious to review the material one more time before his practical that afternoon.

When they entered the library, Tenten automatically headed for one of the smaller study areas, but Lee had already started up the open staircase.

"Lee- wait-!" she tried to snatch the back of his hood, but he was too fast. Swallowing a sigh, she followed after him, looking around nervously as they got closer to her until-recently-usual study spot.

When she got to the fifth floor, Lee was already arranging his things at her table. She reflexively glanced to where Neji normally sat, but his table was empty. Giving a small exhale of thanks to the universe, Tenten joined Lee and set to work.

-Part Two: Per proxima amici-
"by or through the next friend." Employed when an adult brings suit on behalf of a minor, who was unable to maintain an action on his own behalf at common law.

It was a gamble, but Neji arrived at the library early, and made his way to his study spot. He stopped short when he heard an unfamiliar voice reciting anatomical data.

"Erector spinae. Origin: iliac crest, sacrum, transverse and spinous processes of vertebrae and supraspinal ligament. Insertion: angles of the ribs, transverse and spinous processes of vertebrae, posterior aspect of the skull. Action: extends and laterally bends the trunk, neck and head. Innervation: segmentally innervated by dorsal primary rami of spinal nerves C1-S5. Artery: supplied segmentally by: deep cervical artery, posterior intercostal artery, subcostal artery, and lumbar artery."

"Great! And your notes?"

Neji paused, his breath caught in his throat. That voice, he knew.

"The erector spinae is separated into 3 columns of muscle: iliocostalis laterally, longissimus in an intermediate position and spinalis medially; each of these columns has multiple named parts."

"Perfect!"

Neji slipped unnoticed into the stacks of books, watching Tenten quiz the Guy in Green, who sighed in relief.

"I don't know what you are so worried about, Lee," Tenten gathered up a stack of notecards and handed them to her friend. "You know this stuff cold."

"It is a lot to remember," he took the cards and shuffled through them. "I just want to make sure I'm prepared."

"Lee, there are NASA space launches aren't as prepared as you are," she reached over and tapped his arm. "You're going to do great."

"Thanks, Tenten," he took a deep breath. "I feel much better."

She checked her watch and began to gather her things. "I'm going to head over to the café and snag a coffee before class. Do you want to come with me?"

Lee checked the time. "I want to go through this one more time on my own," he nodded to the cards. "After that, I'll probably just head over to the practical."

"You can't not eat," she put her hands on her hips. "Tell you what. My class doesn't even start until after your practical; I'll meet you outside of your building in 30 minutes. That gives you time to finish here and still get there early enough to eat what I bring you before heading in."

Lee would have protested, but she gave him a knowing warning look.

"Okay, okay," he laughed. "Thanks, Tenten."

"What're best friends for?" she chucked his arm. "Besides. You're still my retirement plan. Who else is going to put up with me in my old age?"

In moments, she was down the stairs. Neji waited a minute or two before retracing his steps and entering the study area as normal, going straight to his usual seat. He unpacked his things, surreptitiously looking over at the Guy in Green, who he supposed must be called Lee.

Lee, meanwhile was flicking through his note cards, quietly reciting information to himself and then checking against the reverse side of the cards. He was focused on his task, so Neji was certain that he didn't notice his attention.

In fact, he was so engrossed in his task, that he paid no attention to the time. Neji watched him automatically silence a vibrating alarm on his phone without even looking up from his cards. He glanced at the clock, and then back at Lee. He had about seven minutes to pack up and go meet Tenten, presuming the allotted thirty minutes was a specific amount of time and not the vague notion of a half an hour or so. Neji strongly suspected that the pair of friends dealt in real time, and that Lee was on the border of being late.

Neji hated being late.

The idea of being late, or of others being late set his nerves on edge. He began to fidget in his seat. He flicked multiple looks to his phone, checking the time. The dull, repeated thunk of the end of his pen against his notepad punctuated his airspace in a subconscious Morse code of warning.

Nothing.

Not even a flinch.

Neji swallowed a sigh and checked his phone again before looking over at the other man again.

Finally, Neji couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking across to the Guy in Green, "but are you getting any signal in here?" he held up his phone. "I seem to be having trouble."

Lee looked up, startled, and then hunted for his phone. "Well, yes, I think I –" He suddenly sucked in an audible gasp of air. "Oh, no," he gasped, and began to scramble for his things.

Neji kept his expression neutral.

"Everything alright?"

"Fine, fine," he said, winding his scarf around his neck and reaching for his coat. "I just have to meet my friend across campus shortly, and I am running behind. I can't believe that I-"

"Time's up, Rock Lee," Tenten's voice floated up the stairs.

She came into sight, her coffee in one hand, a bag of food for him in the other.

"Tenten," Lee breathed in relief. "I am so sorry – I"

"Lost track of time," she waved the notion away. "I knew after you didn't reply to my last two texts that you were still here."

Lee furrowed his significant brows and checked his messages on his phone. He turned bright red, and Tenten laughed.

"See?" she grinned. "I knew if you didn't reply to either of those, you hadn't read them – which meant you were still here. C'mon," she held up the bag of food to show him. "I'll walk with you."

Lee gathered his backpack, but suddenly stopped to look over at Neji.

"Sorry if we disturbed you," he waved a hand between himself and Tenten, who was just noticing that he was there.

"Not at all," Neji shook his head.

"Oh!" he said, fishing out his phone. "To answer your question, yes, I have signal on my phone. If yours isn't working, you can use mine," he offered.

Neji made a show of checking his phone. "It appears I have reception now," he feigned surprise. "Thank you anyway…?" He lifted his eyebrows in question.

"Lee," he supplied. "And this is my best friend, Tenten."

Neji turned his gaze to the girl he'd spent a whole semester watching. "A pleasure to meet you," he dipped his head. "I'm Neji."

Tenten gave a small smile, and Lee beamed. "Nice to meet you, Neji," he said brightly. "Wow," he scanned the books and papers neatly lined up on his study table. "I can see you are deep in studying. Law student?" he asked, nodding to the book on contract law.

"Yes," Neji answered, keeping Tenten in his periphery. "Second year. And you? Med student?"

"Physical Therapy," he said cheerfully. "Also second year. That means one year left for both of us!"

"I suppose so," Neji said easily. "And you?" he looked over to Tenten, hesitating for only a second before adding, "What have you been working on so diligently all semester," he nodded to her table. "Engineering student?"

"No, not me," she shook her head. "I'm just a mechanic."

"You're not just a mechanic," Lee said with a sudden and enthusiastic loyalty. "You are one of Ibiki's best mechanics - he says so all of the time!"

Tenten began to protest, but Neji sensed and seized an opportunity.

"Morino Ibiki?" he asked.

"Yes!" Lee enthused as Tenten went still. "Do you know him?"

"We met over fall break," Neji said easily. "If I'm not mistaken," he looked back to Tenten with a spark of humor, "you're the one that totaled out my car."

Lee's eyes went wide.

"You were in that wreck?!" he gasped. "I saw the cars when I dropped by the garage the other day. Did you sustain any injury? You do appear to be favoring your left side."

"I am still a bit sore," Neji admitted, "but no permanent damage done."

"Well that is a relief," Lee sighed. "If you are in any discomfort, I can recommend a few stretches and simple exercises to help."

"I may take you up on that," he rubbed his neck ruefully. "I am sorry that I didn't get to speak with you myself," he turned back to Tenten. "I did not know my Father would be back in town, and he did not know how long I would be detained. He seemed more than confident in your analysis, however."

Tenten cleared her throat before giving him a tight smile.

"Glad to hear it."

"You can be sure that if Tenten recommended your car should be totaled, than there was no way it could be made safe," Lee interjected with a defensive enthusiasm.

"I spoke with Ibiki on the day of the accident," Neji returned mildly. "He told me that his mechanics could fix anything, and I am inclined to believe him. In fact, both my Father and Uncle took his recommendation without a second thought. That in and of itself is telling of the confidence that they have in both the establishment and its proprietor - and by extension, any of its employees." He looked back over to Tenten. "My father didn't say much, but you clearly impressed him. He is not an easy man to impress."

"I'll bet," she said absently before shoving up her sleeve to check her watch. "Sorry," she said not-quite-apologetically, "but we'd better go. Lee, you got to get to your practical, and you haven't even eaten yet."

"I didn't mean to keep you," Neji apologized sincerely, looking to them both.

"Not at all," Lee waved the concern away. "Nice to meet you, Neji," he stuck out a hand. "I'm sure we'll see you around!"

"Nice to meet you both," Neji stood to accept the firm handshake. His gaze lingered a second longer on Tenten than he had intended. She still had the bags of food clutched in her hands and against her chest, and had already backed toward the stairs, so he settled for a half wave before returning his hands to his sides in what he hoped was a nonchalant pose. "Good luck on your practical," he pulled his gaze away to nod at Lee before turning back to her, "and your exams."

"Thanks!" Lee enthused while Tenten offered a more decorous response. She turned and hurried across the landing and down the stairs, with Lee on her heels.

As Neji watched them go, his brows drew together.

"Well that could've gone better," he muttered.

-Part Three: Biomechanics-
Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems by means of the methods of "mechanics." – which is the branch of physics involving analysis of the actions of forces.

Lee found himself thinking something very similar as his best friend hurried them out of the library. He stopped to hold the door open for an older woman and then had to jog to catch up to Tenten.

"Tenten?"

No answer.

"Ten!"

"Hm? What?" she asked over her shoulder, distracted.

"What just happened?"

"When?" Tenten asked.

"Just now," Lee pressed. "Back there. Tenten, what is going on?"

"What do you mean?"

Lee got in front of her, easily keeping her pace while jogging backward.

"I mean, you are all but running away from the library. Did I miss something?"

"I'm not running away," Tenten scoffed. "I'm trying to make sure you get to your practical so you can ace it."

Lee stopped where he was, hands on hips.

"Then why are we walking in the opposite direction?"

"We aren't -!" Tenten retorted before stopping dead in her tracks. "Oh. Oh, we are."

Lee moseyed up behind her and crossed his arms.

"You going to tell me what's going on?"

Tenten swallowed. "Just frazzled," she sighed, turning on her heel and heading back the way they came.

Lee followed in silence, waiting until they reached his building to sit at a picnic table and wolf down some breakfast.

"Thanks, Tenten," he said throwing away the bag. "Dinner on me tonight. I'll bring it by your place."

"That'd be nice," she gave a small smile. "I'll get my studying done early, and we can watch a movie after we eat."

"I'll see you at seven," he slung his bag on his shoulder and gave her a thumbs up.

"At seven," she repeated mechanically, and they parted ways.

Lee pursed his lips and considered her for a moment before heading in to his practical. He had managed to compartmentalize and put all thoughts of anything but his work out of his mind, but the minute he handed in his paper, his thoughts turned back to Tenten.

Lee was a kind, openly loving soul, who naturally saw the best in everyone. This led many to believe he was naïve, or unobservant.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Lee was incredibly insightful, especially when it came to his foster sister. Not that he needed to be, he mused. This time things were pretty obvious.

"This calls for strategy," he declared.

True to his word, Lee showed up at 6:45 with her favorite Chinese carryout and a bag of goodies – one of which went directly into the freezer. Dinner conversation was light, and Tenten seemed less distracted than she had been earlier in the day.

Of course the fact that she made a point to avoid discussing anything earlier in the day told Lee he had correctly assessed the situation.

After dinner, he cleared the dishes, preheated the oven, and announced they would kick off movie night with dessert.

He instructed Tenten to key up one of their favorite old kung fu movies. She was curled up on the couch in her coziest PJ's when he handed her a bowl of her favorite ice cream, and put a plate of fresh cookies on the coffee table.

Her eyes widened appreciatively.

"You really are the best," she sighed happily.

Lee took his seat on the other end of the couch.

"So now that you're comfy, you have to figure out where to start."

"Where to start what?" she asked, adjusting a cozy blanket around her legs

"Where to start explaining to me about Neji, and why you didn't tell me you like someone."

Tenten flushed bright red. "I don't like anyone, Lee."

"That is a terrible place to start," he advised, pointing his spoon at her. "And it also isn't true."

Tenten flopped her head against the back of the couch with a groan. "Lee...!"

"I know what I saw, Tenten," he shrugged. "So fill me in."

Tenten sighed up at the ceiling.

The ice cream.

The cookies.

The movie...

She smiled ruefully and looked into the knowing eyes of her best friend.

She knew when she was cornered.

"Which part do you want to hear first?" she asked, picking out a chunk of something chocolate in her bowl. "The part where I was an accomplice in his dad getting shot 10 years ago? Or how about the part where I just ran into his dad who not only knew who I was, but took the time to introduce himself, and now I don't think I can ever face his son again - never mind that today was really the first time we spoke ever and I've been mooning over him like an idiot this whole semester?"

Lee held her gaze for a moment eyebrows lifted.

"You're not joking, are you?" he half stated half asked.

"Not even a little bit," she grumbled, poking at her ice cream with her spoon.

"Wow," he blinked. After a few moments of thought, he put down his ice cream and went into the kitchen.

He returned with the carton of ice cream and put it on the coffee table. He made sure they had ample supplies. He then started the movie - they'd watched it hundreds of times, and used to talk through it as kids, stopping to watch their favorite parts and then going back to whatever they were discussing.

"So," Lee picked his ice cream back up and got comfortable. "Ten years ago?"

Tenten gave him a resigned sigh and a grateful smile.

"Ten years ago."

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Chapter Nine: Ultra Poss Nemo Obligatur

ultra posse nemo obligatur: "No one is obligated (to do) more than he can." Specifies that one should do what he can to support the community, but since everyone has different levels of ability, it cannot be expected that all will perform the same.

Part One: Obiter dictum
"A thing said in passing." In law, an observation by a judge on some point of law not directly relevant to the case before him, and thus neither requiring his decision nor serving as a precedent, but nevertheless of persuasive authority. In general, any comment, remark, or observation made in passing.

He didn't see her back at the library or anywhere on campus for the next four days, and there was only day left in finals week. Neji had only one final remaining, and was confident in his preparations. Therefore, he allowed himself to lean back in his desk chair, look up at his bedroom ceiling, and do the same thing he'd done in every spare moment he had since he'd met her.

He thought about Tenten.

More specifically, he thought about their unconventional introduction.

She hadn't seemed particularly enthused to meet him the other day. He had mentally replayed their meeting countless times, trying to decode her reaction. She had been all ease and smiles before she noticed him there, so what had changed? Was she simply caught off guard? Was she solely focused on getting Lee to his practical, and saw their introduction as ill-timed given her obligations? Had he offended her in some way?

Then again, it wasn't as if he had ever spoken to her, so perhaps the situation was unexpected and caught her off guard. Perhaps she had no interest in an introduction. Was she shy about meeting new people? As much as it stung his pride, it was perfectly possible that she had never noticed him at all - or at least beyond the fact that he regularly studied in a particular spot, and it was adjacent to hers. Even if she had taken note, it didn't necessarily follow that she wanted to bother with an introduction - a theory supported, again, by the fact that she had never attempted to make one.

But, that being said, neither had he, and he had clearly been interested in an introduction.

And then again, it might have nothing to do with him whatsoever.

She could have been solely focused on Lee's obligations and their respective schedules.

And what of her response when he asked about her major? (A question that he knew the answer to per his conversation with Ibiki, but one that made sense to ask, given the context of the conversation, and would have provided an opening for her to tell him more about why she was there and what she was studying, allowing for further conversation.)

While she clearly took her studies seriously, she had labeled herself as "just a mechanic." Further consideration on Neji's part led him to believe she was comparing herself to both Lee and his paths of study. Perhaps she was additionally making the distinction that her pursuits were more practical than academic in nature. Ibiki had mentioned she was taking classes at his behest, and for the purposes of better running the garage. Perhaps, then, she had fulfilled her obligations and would not be returning next semester. He tried to remember if the accounting classes necessarily fell into a series, or if they could be taken independently. Of course students enrolled in a degree program, would be required to complete a battery of classes in a particular sequence - to run the academic gauntlet, if you will. He thought back to the classes he had taken so long ago in undergrad. He thought perhaps the accounting classes most beneficial for the application in a business setting were those beyond the introductory ones. Then again, there was no telling what level she was taking - the text he saw her with was used for multiple levels of the class.

He grimaced.

Perhaps he shouldn't have brought up Morino directly. Perhaps there had been a better segue that would've allowed for more comfortable and continued conversation. Had she thought he was being arrogant by mentioning his Father and Uncle? That he was trying to imply that his familial approval carried some weight, perhaps because of their name?

Had he come off as a snob? Well. More than usual?

Neji was so deep in thought over the matter that he almost didn't hear the knock on his door. Jerked out of his musings, he swiveled in his chair only to be met with his father's familiar smile.

"Still studying?" Hizashi asked apologetically. "Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"It's fine," Neji closed the book that still laid open on his desk. "I'm overdue for a break."

Hizashi strolled in the room and surveyed his son's desk, and the detailed schedule he'd pinned to the cork board above it. "Just one exam left?" he indicated the highlighted text.

"Thankfully," Neji eyed the calendar. "Can't say that I'm sad to see the semester end."

"It couldn't have been all bad," Hizashi raised his eyebrows. "Surely there was something you enjoyed this semester."

Neji thought of the sound of warm laughter and a smile that made his heart skip beats.

"It had its moments," he allowed.

"Well then what are your plans for your winter break?" Hizashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"To begin studying for next semester," Neji stood to shelve the books he didn't need anymore.

"And?"

"And what?" he asked, flipping through another book to make sure he hadn't left any papers in it.

"And that's it?" Hizashi asked with a hint of incredulity. "That's your only plan?"

"I have a comprehensive daily schedule," he absently handed an already-color-coded spreadsheet over his shoulder "but I presumed you didn't want that detailed of an answer."

"You were right," Hizashi grimaced as he studied the schedule with distaste. "Well at least you allow yourself fifteen minute breaks every…. Four hours," he handed the schedule back. "For a minute there, I was afraid you might be overdoing it."

Neji took the schedule back and carefully pinned it to the message board over his desk.

"You know," Hizashi drawled, "it's called winter break for a reason. As in, you should take advantage of it. Life is not all obligations, Neji. You are allowed to enjoy yourself along the way."

"Alright, Father," Neji said dryly, crossing his arms. "What do you have in mind – and don't bother skirting the issue. You wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't have a specific activity to recommend."

"Can't a father just be concerned for his son's well-being?" he asked innocently. "Concerned enough that he seeks out his son to express those concerns?"

"What else?" Neji asked, masking his amusement with boredom.

"I took the liberty of getting you a ticket to this year's Winter Gala. As our business is one of the largest supporters of the charity, you can justify your attendance as being work related while still getting to enjoy one of the best events in Konoha."

"You will attend as well, correct?" he asked skeptically.

"I shall be there, yes," his father replied mildly. "They are honoring an old friend of mine. Besides, it is for a good cause."

"At what they charge per head it better be," Neji said frankly. "I've spent less for meals on a week-long business trip."

"They charge what they charge per head because that money goes directly to the charity," Hizashi countered lightly. "This fundraiser alone fulfills the budget for an entire year of youth programs."

"And what isn't made, we donate the difference," Neji filled in the blanks. "So it is important to be there."

"Actually, we donate any difference and then match what is raised," Hizashi shrugged. "But that isn't common knowledge."

Neji's eyes widened as he unfolded his arms. "I was unaware of that. Has it always been that way?"

"No," his father shook his head. "We started matching contributions about ten years ago."

"Interesting," Neji mused, genuinely intrigued. "What changed?"

Hizashi rocked back on his heels. "Well, it is a bit of a long story. The short version is that I had a run in with some rough characters running an even rougher racket out of the worst neighborhoods in Konoha. Things went south, and it was a kid from that neighborhood that stepped up and got me to a hospital."

"Wait…" Neji's mind raced, connecting the dots. "Ten years ago? When you were in the hospital, ten years ago? I thought that was because of a bad wreck."

"Is that what my brother told you at the time?" he asked. "Good idea," he rubbed his chin. "Much better than telling you I was shot in an attempted car-jacking."

"You were shot?!" Neji asked incredulously.

"Yeah," his dad laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "It became part of a bigger police affair, so we could never really talk about it. When I found out that the kid had been about your age and with no parents that hit a little too close to home for me. Hiashi and I decided to match the contributions that year, and have ever since."

"So you were helped by an orphan," Neji reasoned, mind a whirl with all of this information "And a large part of the proceeds from the Winter Gala - "

"-Go to helping the orphanage, yes. But this child wasn't in the orphanage."

"Then…" Neji puzzled, "why this charity?"

"We helped set up an outreach program for at risk kids, and ones that fall through the cracks."

He put his hands on his son's shoulders.

"I came pretty close to not making it that night," he said levelly. "And you came pretty close to not having a father. I didn't want that for another child."

Hizashi stepped back from his son, allowing Neji to digest the information.

"Did you ever find out who the child was?" he asked.

"Records were sealed," Hizashi gave a half shrug. "The name was never released."

Neji furrowed his brow.

"Then how did you know about their age or being an orphan?"

"I guessed on the age," the elder Huyga admitted, "but later one of the officers gave me the generalized information. It was part of why we decided not to press charges."

"So what happened to the child?" Neji asked.

"I was told they were successfully fostered and adopted shortly thereafter," Hizashi gave a small smile. "One of the first that was helped by the Konoha Youth programs."

Neji considered this for a moment.

"And that is the short version of the story?" he asked.

"For the most part, yes," his father shrugged again.

"So presumably, there is a long version of the story," he pressed.

"There is a longer version," Hizashi allowed. "Would you care to hear it over dinner, or would that interrupt your comprehensive study schedule?"

"I believe I have some time for my father to explain to me how and why he was shot, ten years after the fact," Neji returned fire with ice-cold composure.

"Touché," his father returned approvingly. "I see your Uncle is rubbing off on you - just the right amount of sarcasm and disdain in your tone. Well, then, shall we?"

Neji wordlessly gathered his things and followed his father, mind abuzz with a decade of questions he didn't know he needed answered.

Part Two: Idling
Running a vehicle's engine when the vehicle is not in motion. This commonly occurs when drivers are stopped at a red light, waiting while parked outside a business or residence, or otherwise stationary with the engine running.

The semester ended two weeks ago, the new inventory system was a go, and Tenten was fairly certain she'd winterized every car in the Greater Konoha Metropolitan area. Ibiki actually sent her home from the garage on a forced day off, and told her that if she set foot on the premises before 9:00 AM the morning after tomorrow, he'd have her arrested for trespassing.

"Pushy jerk," she grumbled as she tossed her workout clothes into the washer. She padded into the kitchen and opened her refrigerator. "Still empty," she sighed sadly. She looked out of the window over her sink to see the skies were still thick with snow clouds, and the weather a dull shade of miserable. "Delivery it is," she announced, and reached for her phone, still peering into the emptiness of the fridge. The knock on her door interrupted her online ordering.

Lee was on the other side of the door with a large mesh bag slung over one shoulder, and a handful of carryout bags in his other hand. Tenten backed up quickly to let him in, and he put the carryout on her counter, and the large black bag on the floor.

"I knew you'd have forgotten to go shopping," Lee said, eyeing the still-open and empty refrigerator. "So I got the basics."

He opened up the mesh bag, which was full of smaller grocery bags.

Where Rock Lee was concerned, the 'basics' were nothing less than a full refrigerator and cabinets.

"You're a lifesaver, Lee," Tenten beamed as she washed her hands before unpacking the bags of Chinese food. "How did you know I was in the mood for Chinese?" she sighed happily.

"You're always in the mood for Ming's," he said over his shoulder. "Besides," he gave her a sheepish smile. "I figured I owed you."

"For what?" she asked, pulling the containers out and arranging them on counter for a buffet-style dinner.

"Well for helping me study for one," he closed the top cabinets. "And for the other night. I didn't mean to be so…"

"Nosy?" Tenten speared a steamed dumpling on a to-go fork and handed it to him.

"Yeah," he took it in one bite. "That."

"You were just looking out for me," she shrugged and tore off some paper towels for napkins. "You couldn't have known any of the other stuff."

Lee gathered up his shopping bags and neatly returned them to the larger bag and set it to the side.

"So…" he stopped to wash his hands. "Have you seen Neji since then?"

"No," she pulled out two sets of real chopsticks. Lee didn't even bother getting the disposable ones when bringing food to her house. "But maybe that's for the best."

"How do you figure?" he held out his hand for her empty insulated water bottle.

"It's not like I ever really talked to him," she handed over the bottle and leaned back against the counter as he refilled both hers and his with water. Both of them drank a ton of water, and neither generally bothered with cups. "Besides," she gave a helpless shrug. "What would I even say?"

"Hello is usually a good start,'" Lee dried off her water bottle with a towel before handing it back to her.

"And then what?" she took the bottle and turned back to the food. She slid Lee his plate and bowl and they began to fill their dishes together. "He's a serious academic student and already involved in his family's internationally renowned business. I'm just a mechanic who agreed to take some classes for work."

"What difference does that make?" Lee asked with a frown. "It's not like that is anything to be ashamed of.".

"I'm not ashamed - not at all," Tenten scooped rice into her bowl. "I'm perfectly happy with what I am and who I am. But that doesn't give me anything in common with him."

"How about your history with his father?" Lee handed her the lo mein before she asked, and traded her for the rice.

"That ties a little too close to my own past, and is massively awkward," she tipped the container over her bowl. "I can't think of a better example of how different our lives are." She raised eyebrows to him in silent question.

"Finish it," he nodded to the container as he reached for the dumplings. "But that isn't your life anymore," Lee continued. "Hasn't been for years."

"I know," she sighed, emptying the rest of the lo mein into her bowl before pitching the empty container into the trash. "But our only connection starts there. Top shelf, right hand side," she flicked a glance up to her cabinets.

Lee fished out the hot sauce she kept on hand for him and proceeded to liberally douse his food with it.

"Do you think his father told him about you?" he asked.

"I doubt it," she put three dumplings onto her plate. "I told Ibiki about what happened, and he seemed to think that Hizashi would keep it to himself. Records were officially sealed, after all," she took the small container of dipping sauce and put it next to her plate at the table. "He isn't supposed to know anything about me or what happened. No one is, really."

"Well there you go," Lee said encouragingly as he put his plates across from hers. "If it hasn't come up, it isn't an issue."

"That doesn't change anything," she sank into her chair. "Anyway," she situated herself on her chair, "this is a purely academic discussion. Next semester Neji gets the fifth level all to himself, and I'll study somewhere else. He probably won't even notice. Don't worry," she gave Lee a lopsided smile, "I can find someone else to have a completely baseless crush on. Maybe an Unconventionally Attractive Poli-Sci Student."

"Quite a few youthful specimens in the PT program," Lee offered gamely. "I can introduce you."

"What, and complicate a perfectly good crush with an introduction?" she asked in mock horror. "Perish the thought! No, I think I'll just mind my own business, and occasionally appreciate the scenery."

"Maybe there will be a dashing candidate at the Winter Gala," Lee waggled his substantial eyebrows.

"Sure," Tenten played along. "I'll make sure I get the mice and pumpkin cleaned up for next weekend. Just remember, we'll have to be home by midnight. It's a long walk from downtown."

"Then I guess it is a good thing we are staying at the hotel," Lee added more hot sauce to his curried beef. "You know that Gai-sensei won't leave the party until the last minute."

"He does love a good party," Tenten laughed. "And it is a special night for him."

"He's very excited," Lee happily speared another dumpling.

"Has he figured out about the award yet?" Tenten asked, eyes dancing.

"He knows he is going to be honored for retiring," Lee smiled brightly. "He has no idea about anything else. He did ask me to drop off his suit at the cleaners, since it is on my way to class."

"Well, then, his Cinderella evening will kick off when he realizes we got his tux cleaned instead," Tenten returned with a conspiratorial grin. "Having the PT assistant double check his measurements during his last session was a stroke of genius, by the way."

"That did work out rather well," Lee's satisfaction was clear. "Kakashi is going to come over to help me get him ready. Are you sure you don't want to ride over with us?"

"I'm going over early to help set up," she reminded him. "I snuck over to his house last week and packed a bag for him so that he has what he'll need to get ready for the luncheon the next day. Once I've made sure his room is prepared, I'll get ready in our hotel room."

"Did you get everything fixed with your dress?" Lee asked.

"All sorted," Tenten assured him. She didn't dress up often, but she did know how. "And before you ask," she held up a hand, "I have an appointment at the hotel salon to put my hair up in something other than my usual twin buns."

"That will make Gai-sensei proud," Lee winked.

"Well I'm not doing it to impress the MC," Tenten grumbled. "Who is presiding this year, anyway?"

She ate a few bites of lo mein while Lee chewed and took a sip of water

"Former Governor Sarutobi," he said, once his mouth was clear.

"Fancy," Tenten smiled around her mouthful of noodles.

"I hear he specifically volunteered after hearing Gai-sensei was to be honored," Lee's smile glinted with pride.

"Well, he put more time into the Konoha Youth programs than anyone," Tenten stirred her noodles with her chopsticks. "Look at all he did for us," she picked out a sliver of water chestnut. "He's pretty remarkable."

"I couldn't agree more," Lee nodded emphatically. "I couldn't ask for a better foster father or sister," he smiled warmly at her.

"Same here, Lee," she returned the smile and squeezed his forearm. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Well, you'd have to buy more groceries, for one," he teased her with a glance at her refrigerator.

"Guilty," she admitted ruefully. "How about I make it up to you? We didn't get to really watch our movies last time. Shall we try again? I have popcorn."

"Deal," Lee stood to refill both of their water bottles.

That night, Tenten and Lee stayed up late, watching movies like when they were children, and her heart was light.

Maybe Ibiki had been right - maybe she had needed a break.

That night, she dreamed of happy times, and while Neji lingered on the periphery of her dreams, she did not mind. She wished there was a way to share these little happinesses of hers that meant so much to her - but what could they mean to someone like him?

She kept these thoughts in the back of her mind while she and Lee had a morning run, and then made breakfast together.

They had saved last night's fortune cookies for their after-breakfast treat.

Just as when they were children, they each took one end of the cookie and broke it in half, read the fortune, and then repeated the process with the second cookie.

Tenten pinned the fortunes up on a cork board that she had for that very reason alone. She stepped back, and Lee slung an arm around her shoulders. Together, they looked over the years of wrinkled, yellowed, or soy-splattered fortunes.

"Still think you're bad luck?" Lee asked.

"Not as long as I've got you to share my luck," she said with a fond half-smile. "At least, it's worked for the last decade or so."

"No one I'd rather split my fortunes with," Lee said solemnly, which made her smile for real.

"Same," she went up on tip-toe to give his cheek a sisterly kiss.

"You know…" he kept his eyes on their collective fortunes. "I sort of introduced you to Neji. Maybe that means it could be a good luck thing."

"Maybe," she leaned into him. "I'm just not sure I'm ready to bet on something so uncertain."

"Just be open to the possibilities, Ten," he urged. "Can you do that?"

"I guess I can do that," she said reluctantly. "You aren't going to drag me around Konoha trying to find him now, are you?"

"No," he chuckled. "But there are worse ways to spend your day off."

"Yeah, but I've got a better one," she grinned up at him. "Since I'm banished from work, I was planning on seeing if I could find ways to make Gai's Cinderella weekend even better. Sound good?"

"Count me in!" he gave her a thumbs up.

Tenten spent the rest of the day with the brother that luck had given her, as they planned surprises for the man that had become their father.

That, Tenten reminded herself, was better than any daydream she could ever invent - with or without a Beautiful Law Student.

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Chapter Ten: Quantum Meruit

quantum meruit: 'as much as it deserves; as much as she or he has earned'. (1) In contract law, a quasi-contractual remedy that permits partial reasonable payment for an incomplete piece of work (services and/or materials), assessed proportionately, where no price is established when the request is made.
(2)In contract law, and in particular the requirement for consideration, if no fixed price is agreed upon for the service and/or materials, then one party would request a reasonable price for the said services and/or materials at the end of the job. A common example would be a plumber requested to fix a leak in the middle of the night.

Part One: Pro forma
'As a matter of form.' Things done as formalities

Neji tucked his tuxedo shirt into his trousers before double checking his zipper and buttons.

A soft knock at the door told him Hinata had come by to check on his progress.

"Come in," he called absently, tugging at the sleeves of his shirt to fiddle with the cuffs.

"Wow," Hanabi leaned in the doorway. "Don't you look spiffy?"

"Hanabi?" Neji turned and arched an eyebrow. "What are you doing here?"

"Figured you wouldn't let me in, so I knocked like Hinata," she said gamely, tagging him on the shoulder as she walked by.

"And to what do I owe the honor?" Neji asked sarcastically - but there was no ire or acid in his tone.

"Just wanted to see you before you went out," she shrugged, inspecting his tuxedo jacket on the hanger. She nodded to the cufflinks on his desk. "Need help?"

He eyed her suspiciously.

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "Do you think Hinata is the only one who knows how to do this crap? C'mon," She scooped the cufflinks from his desk, and motioned for him to hold out his arm.

Neji shrugged and did as bidden.

"Where is Hinata?" he asked. "I expected to see her."

"She got caught up with some stuff," Hanabi said casually, but there was a knowing glint to her smile.

"Hanabi…" Neji warned.

"Never you mind, Big Cousin," she said breezily, moving on to the second sleeve. "Bow tie?" she looked around.

Neji handed her the thin piece of black fabric and she grimaced.

"You know they make these so that you can just hook them on, right?"

"If you can't do it, I'll manage," Neji said dryly.

"I'm just saying," she grumbled, quickly tying the tie. "You always have to make things so complicated when they really don't have to be."

"What's that supposed to mean," Neji narrowed his eyes.

"Nothing," Hanabi focused on her work, but the tint of red at the tops of her ears was a give-away that she wasn't being completely truthful.

She stepped back and eyed her work. "Not bad," she smiled. "It's been awhile since I've seen you with your nose out of a book."

"And I've never seen yours out of the business of others," Neji said flatly. "So what alignment of the stars made it my turn?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Hanabi sniffed. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she smiled before texting back with blinding speed.

"Is there anything else I can help with?" she asked, stuffing the phone back in her jeans pocket with an all-too-innocent look.

"No, thank you," Neji checked his own phone for the time. "I had better go meet my father. We should leave within the next twenty minutes if he wants to make the cocktail hour."

"I'll walk with you," she chirped happily. "You can tell me all about your semester."

"It isn't that far of a walk, Hanabi."

"And once you leave out the studying parts, it shouldn't be that long of a story," she returned sweetly. "C'mon," she latched onto his arm. "You don't want to be late."

Neji resigned himself to following along with his younger cousin's latest whim, gathered his coat and shoes, and allowed her to lead the way.

Part Two: Attention to detail
to detail a car: to clean (a motor vehicle) intensively and minutely.

The Grand Konoha was easily the most recognizable building in the city - even moreso than the Governor's Mansion, or the State House. The large, iconic hotel had been an expertly run destination location for generations, and never allowed to fall into disrepair or become unfashionable.

The hotel lobby was wide and open with a marble entrance way and tall columns giving way to a dual curved staircase. Sparkling decorations dangled from the ceilings and were wrapped around banisters and archways. Winter boughs of pine and holly were tastefully interspersed, and there was a buzz of excitement in the air.

Genma wandered into the ballroom with cups of coffee, and took in the expanse of the room.

"Wow," he shifted the toothpick in his mouth. "Fancy."

"'Bout time you got here," Izumo said as he sorted name cards on a large table. "Volunteers were supposed to show up a couple of hours ago."

"The guy who brings the coffee is never late," Genma said sagely, handing him a cup. "Where's Tenten?"

Izumo didn't answer – he just looked over and up.

Genma followed his gaze to the base of a very tall ladder and up to where Tenten stood on the last step before the 'don't-step-on-this-step' step.

"Of course she's up a stupidly high ladder and working," Genma said, amused.

"Better her than me," Izumo shuddered.

"Incoming," Genma nodded to the far end of the ballroom.

The rapid staccato of heels echoed on the marble. Conversation drifted closer as the event coordinator approached, giving her instructions to her assistant.

"…And make sure the lighting and sound technicians have all of their equipment set before we bring the rest of the arrangements in. We don't want to have to double the workload by having to redo or reset anything, and – WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Tenten kept focused on her task, but offered an absent "Hey, Ino."

"Don't you 'Hey Ino' me," the blonde strode over imperiously. "What did I tell you about meddling with those decorations?"

"I'm not meddling," Tenten kept her eyes on her work. "Izumo has a thing about heights. We just switched tasks, that's all."

"She's right – Izumo can't do heights," Kotetsu called down from an equally high ladder on the other side of the ballroom.

"I really can't," Izumo grimaced. "But I can sort name cards," he motioned to the tented white cards he was organizing on the table.

"And even I can't mess the decorations up at this stage of the game," Tenten added.

Ino crossed her arms. "I'm not worried about you messing them up, baka! You were supposed to meet Kurenai over a half-hour ago!"

"Really?" Tenten asked, nonplussed. "Was that today?"

"I'm in no mood, Tenten," Ino warned, fisting her hands on her hips. "Now get down here this instant and go get ready for tonight, or so help me, I'll turn everything here over to someone else and take you on myself."

"Fine, Fine," Tenten made a final adjustment. "I was done anyway."

She climbed down the ladder quickly and placed her tools back into her toolbox, patently ignoring how Ino crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Make sure I get all of mine back," Tenten told Izumo, pulling off a pair of fingerless gloves and adding them to the box before taking a rag out of her beltloop and wiping off her hands. "Just take them back to the garage when you're done here."

"Sure thing," he nodded. "Thanks for switching."

"No problem," Tenten waved it off. "Ooh!" she spotted Genma. "Is one of those for me?"

"Yup," he held out the to-go cup to her.

"Excellent," she sighed happily and took a hearty gulp of the beverage. "That hits the spot. So," She looked around the ballroom. "What's next?"

Ino's eyes went wide

"Are you kidding me?" she said in exasperation.

"No," Tenten said calmly. "If there is work to be done, I'm here to do it. Tonight is special for Gai, and I want it to be perfect."

"I'm in charge - of course it will be perfect," Ino scoffed. "Now," she started to herd Tenten out of the room. "Get yourself down to the hotel spa, or so help me, I'll-"

"Alright, alright," Tenten put her hands up. "No need to shove; I'm going. You're a real pain when you get into beast mode, you know that?"

"So, I've heard," Ino said dismissively, "If I don't get a text from Kurenai in five minutes, I'm coming after you."

"Guess the devil does wear Prada," Tenten teased her.

"Agreste," Ino corrected, holding out her hand for her clipboard. "He's taken Paris by storm. Tell you all about it later. Now, where were we," she turned to her assistant. "Oh, yes. As for these final arrangments, I think it will be best if we…."

Her audience with the Queen concluded, Tenten took her leave, chuckling as Ino's voice faded behind her. Within ten minutes, she was sipping on water with cucumbers in it, and chatting with Kurenai. Several hours later, Ino had come up to her hotel room, determined to see the results of their shopping.

"I told you this would look amazing," she said smugly, zipping up the back of Tenten's dress and peering into the mirror over her shoulder. "And those shoes are perfect."

"These shoes are insane," Tenten corrected her, "and they have a time limit on them."

"A time limit?" Ino quirked an eyebrow. "And then what? They turn back into pumpkins or mice?"

"Crocodiles," Tenten said easily, fastening her earrings into place.

"Crocodiles?" Ino repeated before the remark made sense to her. "You wouldn't," she gasped. "Crocs? At a formal event?!"

"Would you relax?" Tenten laughed. "Look in the bag on the bed."

Ino eyed the bag and shoebox with suspicion, and possibly a side of impending mortification. Gingerly, she pulled out the box, lifted the lid, and sorted through the paper. She picked up the shoe between thumb and forefinger, clearly expecting something hideous.

"Oh," she blinked. "Well these aren't so bad."

"I told you," Tenten shook her head before looking over to Kurenai. "She never listens to me."

Kurenai chuckled, and Ino fisted her hands on her hips. "Well what was I supposed to think," she said in exasperation. "Where did you even find green crocs in a reasonably cute flat?"

"I didn't," she grinned. "Lee did."

"Lee?" Kurenai asked, surprised.

"He knows I don't really care for heels," she explained, putting in her other earring. "Plus, we are here first and foremost to help Gai. I can't be much help if I can't keep up with the two of them, now can I? Don't worry," she added. "I won't swap out until after the awards. Kakashi and Lee will be with us until then, and the two of them can move Gai if they need to."

"And then what?" Ino quirked an eyebrow. "You'll run back up to the hotel room, change shoes, and return? Maybe add a cape?"

"I'm putting them in my bag," she nodded to the roomy definitely-not-an-evening-bag bag hanging on the chair. "And before you protest, I am going to run it down and stick it under the table at my seat – no one will ever see it and I have things Gai usually needs in it."

"Fine," Ino sighed resignedly. "Give it to me, though. I'll put it at your seat; I have to do a final check of the rooms anyway."

Tenten handed over the bag, and Ino pulled her into a quick hug. "You really do look lovely, you know," she assured her.

"Thanks, Ino," Tenten returned the hug.

Ino gave her a final squeeze, then started as she checked her watch. "Now don't dawdle," she wagged her finger at her friend, switching back to business mode. "Cocktail hour is already underway, and the private reception will begin soon."

"Aye, aye, captain," Tenten saluted smartly. She and Kurenai exchanged smiles.

The door had barely clicked shut when Tenten's phone buzzed.

"Looks like they just picked up Gai," she said scrolling through her messages.

"Then we should go to the reception," Kurenai stood. "We want to be in place when he arrives."

Tenten nodded and grabbed her small handbag. After one last text, she put her phone and keycard in the bag, and headed down to the reception.

"So, just to recap," Tenten said, as the elevator closed behind them, "Gai knows he is being honored for retiring. It's the 10-year foster reception, so he is expecting to see the current kids and families, and a few of the kids that moved out of the area. He doesn't know that we contacted a bunch of them to make sure they were in town for him, specifically."

The elevator arrived at the top floor, and the doors slid open.

"Ten years," Kurenai shook her head as they stepped out. "I can hardly believe it."

"Me, neither," Tenten gave a little laugh. "A lot has happened in that time – and the program is stronger than ever. It's thanks to people like you and Gai that so many of us have turned out as well as we have."

"No," Kurenai shook her head. "You are the ones that did the work; we were just there for guidance. Still are, if you need us."

Tenten shared a fond smile with her. "You've been a great help – I can't wait for Gai to see all of this – look!" Tenten walked quickly to the bay of windows overlooking the city. "He's going to love this!"

"Tenten?! Is that you?"

Tenten spun around and grinned brightly. "Naruto! You made it!"

"Wouldn't have missed it," he grinned brightly.

"I didn't think you'd be in town?" she returned his warm hug. "When did you get here?"

"Turns out I had some business to bring me back to this side of the country, so I took it. Now come on," he nodded to the reception area. "There are a bunch of us here, and I don't know a lot of the new kids. You can introduce me."

Tenten looped her arm around his with a brilliant smile. "I'd love to."

Part Three: Perfectly Mismatched
"Families don't have to match. You don't have to look like someone else to love them." -Leigh Anne Tuohy

"And you are sure that Tenten doesn't need a ride?" Gai asked, worry creasing his brow.

"I am sure," Lee assured him for the third or fourth time.

"I told her I was wearing a suit," he tugged at the sleeves of his white shirt. "Are you sure the cleaner didn't have my suit? What will she think I show up in a tuxedo instead? What if she feels underdressed? I might have another suit in my closet – Lee, isn't my green one hanging up in the-"

"It will be fine," Kakashi interrupted. "The event has been getting fancier; you won't be out of place or overdressed in a tux."

"But Tenten," Gai started.

"I am sure Tenten will be properly dressed," Lee chimed in. "She ran into Mrs. Sarutobi when she was shopping."

"Oh, that's alright, then," Gai relaxed. "She'll listen to Kurenai."

Kurenai had been the psychiatrist assigned to both Lee and Tenten when they were going through the fostering and adoption process. Kurenai had also been a childhood friend of Kakashi and Gai, and had been particularly invested in both Lee and Tenten's success. Happily, both children had smooth transitions, and did not require her services beyond the court-ordered standard visits.

After that, she was simply a friend whose path had the odd occasion to cross theirs.

"So nothing to worry about," Kakashi said easily, taking the hanger with Gai's jacket from Lee. "Let's get going. You don't want to be late."

"Why, Kakashi," Gai's eyes brimmed brightly with unshed tears. "I'm overwhelmed that you would overcome your natural tardy tendencies on my account…!"

Kakashi swallowed a sigh as Lee bustled a happily weeping Gai off to through the front door and loaded his wheelchair into the lift of the spotless van.

Tenten did regular maintenance on the vehicle and the lift, and had detailed it two days ago as a surprise.

"I see my Lotus has been busy," Gai took in the freshly vacuumed interior with approval.

Lee and Kakashi exchanged a bright grin and a slight smile, respectively. This barely scratched the surface of what was in store for Gai today.

The snowfall was just beginning to pick up as they drove up to the Grand. Kakashi turned the keys over to the valet, while Lee got Gai out of the van.

Gai made a point to take it all in.

The sweeping marble steps leading up to the grand entrance gleamed bright white, and had been cleared of any snow or ice. Small, white lights glittered in the trees lining the sidewalks, and flurries of snow drifted lazily in the crisp, cold air of an already-dark night.

Ramps curved up along the side of the entrance, and Lee briskly pushed Gai into the warmth of the foyer.

Gai's eyes shined with excitement. "Looks like Ino has done it again," he beamed, taking in everything from the sparkling decorations that dangled from the ceilings, to winter boughs of pine and holly framing the archways.

A volunteer bustled over to take their coats, and Kakashi had a quiet word with him while Gai and Lee soaked in the everything all around them.

Gai barely noted that the elevator went past the usual stop of the Mezzanine, where the cocktail hour was traditionally held. But when they arrived at the Observation Room, he quirked a substantial eyebrow.

"A few changes this year," Kakashi shrugged.

Whatever questions Gai might have had vaporized as they rounded the corner. The small event board outside of the room neatly spelled out "Foster Reception," but Gai never noticed it.

He didn't even initially notice the large banner that cried out "Ten Years of Building the Youth of Tomorrow," in a very particular shade of green, or the cake, or the decorations that brought the room to life.

No.

When Might Gai entered that room, his heart gave a joyful lurch.

Because the faces that were all waiting for him were achingly familiar, even though they were no longer those of children.

More importantly, they were all smiling.

These same faces had come to his program scared or lost or angry or alone. But now?

Now, the alumni and current fosters, and their families were gathered, and not a smile was out of place.

Gai was met with an entire room of gratitude and love.

His eyes welled up, and for once he was speechless.

Lee stood by his side, and Tenten came to stand by the other. He gripped their hands, as his eyes shone with tears too happy to shed.

Finally, at least one of them couldn't take it anymore.

"Three cheers for Gai-Sensei!" Naruto roared, punching the air.

The room exploded into a riotous chorus of cheers, and finally, finally, Gai bellowed out a laugh of pure, unadulterated joy. Lee and Tenten exchanged happy smiles, and Lee reached across to put his free hand on her shoulder.

They stood together as a family.

And Tenten was certain her heart had never been so full.

"Doesn't get any better than this," she put her free hand over Lee's.

"Just wait," he assured her. "The best is yet to come."

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Chapter Eleven: Onus Probandi

Onus probandi: 'burden of proof.'
The presumption of innocence, sometimes referred to by the Latin expression Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat (the burden of proof is on the one who declares, not on one who denies), is the principle that one is considered innocent unless proven guilty.

-Part One: Semper necessitas probandi incumbit ei qui agit-
"the necessity of proof always lies with the person who lays charges."

Large scale social events were not on Neji's list of things he liked. They barely even made the list of things he tolerated. Therefore, no one was more surprised than him when he realized he was enjoying the evening.

So far the cocktail hour had been pleasant, the appetizers were delicious, and he hadn't had to speak to many people. Despite his initial misgivings, even he had to admit that the event was incredibly well run. The small fleet of people circulating with food and drink, taking coats, helping guests, and doing the million and one things needed to make a function like this run were doing their work with a subtle efficiency.

He also hadn't expected the event to be so beautiful.

The entire hotel was ornately and tastefully trussed out with millions of tiny white lights tracing the arches of the doorways and the high ceiling. Garlands and shimmering decorations were expertly placed, the waitstaff was polite, quick, and attentive, and the entire atmosphere was uplifting. Even the background music – which at these kinds events was normally something imminently forgettable or abysmally adapted for elevator rides – was pleasant, tasteful, and cleverly selected.

"Lovely, isn't it?"

"It is," Neji replied, turning to find the former Governor Sarutobi, looking around the room appreciatively.

"The Grand is always lovely at this time of year," he said wistfully. "I've attended functions here as a young man and as an old one – and as a civilian and a government official… but it has always been lovely, no matter the time or the occasion." He turned back to Neji with a grandfatherly smile. "The Winter Gala has long been one of my favorite events. So glad you could join us this year," he clapped a hand on his shoulder. "I believe your father has been trying to get you to attend for some time. He had often told me you were too busy studying. I thought, perhaps, he had a little too much blind faith in his son, but now that I have seen you as a student," he chuckled. "I can see he reported nothing but the truth."

Neji gave a slight smile. "Social engagements are more my father's forte."

"And more his interest as well, I'd wager," the old man said lightly. "He was always the more social of the two brothers. However, this event has grown significantly because of both your Father and Uncle's efforts."

Neji met his advisor's eyes ruefully. "Yes. I just heard the…finer points as to how my father became more involved in this charity ten years ago."

"Ah," his teacher said, instantly understanding. "I see."

Neji didn't think he'd ever forget that dinner with his father. It hadn't taken him long to discern that the 'longer' version of the retelling of the events was not necessarily the unabridged version of said events. His father delivered an obviously and carefully redacted version of that fateful night and the weeks that followed, but Neji couldn't fault him.

He understood the nature of confidentiality and the position his father was in.

Still…

"I must say I am surprised I had heard nothing of it before now," Neji confessed. "You'd think I'd have stumbled across it during some of my research," he shrugged. "But I found no record of the incident at all, anywhere in the physical or electronic archives."

"Well, you wouldn't" the older man nodded gravely. "Those records have been sealed."

Neji considered this. "I understood that the records of the minor in question were sealed. I hadn't realized that the same could be said for the records of the case."

"It is more accurate to say that there are parts of the case that are ongoing, and therefore not readily accessible." Sarutobi Hiruzen stroked his beard. "I was still Governor when all of this happened, you know and I remember the case well. One of the more positive repercussions of that particular incident was the attention it called to the need for more outreach programs for the youth of Konoha. In fact," he looked around the room, searching, "the gentleman we are honoring this evening was instrumental in the founding and running of those programs."

"My father mentioned he had a friend being honored," Neji tried to follow the older man's gaze. "I thought I heard something about a retirement and a recognition of years of service?"

"Many distinguished years of service," the former governor affirmed. "Might Gai has been a police officer for over twenty years, and is the last person I or anyone else ever thought would retire. Unfortunately, at about this time last year, he suffered a critical injury, ultimately resulting in his being confined to a wheelchair. He has decided to retire from the force, and dedicate himself to taking over the Youth programs full time – fitting, since it was largely his efforts that allowed for their restructuring ten years ago. It was at his insistence that the entire foster system was reevaluated and consequently overhauled."

The Professor met his eyes.

"It was difficult to place children in those early days. The orphanage was being expanded, and foster families were in short supply. In addition to everything else, Gai opened his home, and fostered several children over the years – even going as far as adoption."

Something in his tone caught Neji's attention. "Really?" he asked, digesting the information.

"Mm," his mentor nodded gravely. "In fact," he said with a careful nonchalance "one of the very first enrollees in the new generation of programs was the one that helped your father."

"Now that is interesting," Neji's eyes snapped intelligently. "Is that how he and my father became acquainted?"

"I couldn't say," Governor Sarutobi shrugged. "The fact remains that many people in this city owe a debt of gratitude to Gai."

"Pardon me, Governor Sarutobi?

Both men turned to face the impeccably dressed blonde that Neji supposed was the event coordinator.

"I'm not the Governor anymore, Ino" he chuckled before introducing her. "Yamanaka Ino, Hyūga Neji. Ino is the in-house event coordinator for the Grand, and very much sought out for outside events. Neji is one of the brightest law students I have had the pleasure to teach."

"A pleasure to meet you," she dipped her head, acknowledging Neji. "I hate to interrupt your conversation," she apologized, turning back to the Professor, "but we will be dismissing to the ballroom shortly. I'd like to have you in place before the crowd comes through."

"Certainly, my dear," the old man smiled kindly. After assuring Neji he would see him after the presentations, he took his leave.

Deciding that he did not wish to get caught in the rush, Neji made his way into the ballroom.

His father motioned him over to their table. "Would you care for something from the bar?

"Not right now," Neji shook his head as he took his seat.

"Suit yourself," Hizashi shrugged, accepting his cocktail from the waitress.

"Tell me more about your friend that is being honored," Neji suggested. "What is he like?"

Hizashi flipped open the program booklet and pointed to a page of pictures. "See any familiar faces?"

Neji studied the pictures, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. "That is you," he remarked.

"Actually, that is your Uncle," his father said wryly. "It's the smile that threw you off. Ah, here we both are," he pointed to another picture.

The formal black and white photo was dated ten years ago, and labeled "Konoha Youth Programs Advisory Board."

Neji easily recognized Governor Sarutobi, Dr. Senju Tsunade, Dr. Kato Shizune, Dr. Sarutobi Kurenai, and a few of the other members.

"And that," his father pointed to the man in the middle giving a broad grin and a 'thumbs up,' is Might Gai.

"So how did you come to know him?" Neji asked.

"Largely through his early work with the program," his father explained. "I sat in on the occasional board meeting, especially that first year, when they were still determining what they would need."

Neji studied the picture as the general noise of the room rose to a lively buzz as more guests filtered in.

"Looks like everyone is coming in now," Hizashi remarked. "Ah – and there is the man of the hour."

Neji followed his father's gaze, and did well to hide his smug smile.

Just as he suspected.

Might Gai was "The Man in Green."

Although, tonight, he was in a tasteful black tuxedo with a green waistcoat and bow tie. He was flanked by Lee and a tall, tan, blonde man and they were all laughing.

Something triggered in his mind.

Lee had introduced Tenten as his best friend, and if Neji remembered correctly, they had been discussing a "Gai-Sensei" that first day he saw them out shopping. Also, Genma had mentioned that she had a foster brother and father, so it was possible that she could be in attendance tonight either as a friend to Lee, or as an alumni of the foster program.

Hours of digesting legal texts had made him an incredibly fast reader, so it didn't take him long to scan his own booklet and conclude that the name "Tenten" was nowhere in the program.

He supposed, then, that despite Genma mentioning she was a foster, that she hadn't been a part of Gai's Youth programs.

He began to close his booklet, when he remembered Professor Sarutobi mentioned that the person who helped his father would have been in the program that first year.

Neji flipped through until he found the two pages listing the inaugural alumni.

Clearly, he had to narrow down his choices. Several names had symbols preceding them, so he referenced the fine print at the bottom of the page

* - placed foster
**- placed foster and adoptee

Neji's father's words echoed in his ears as he rescanned the list of names.

"Later, one of the officers gave me the generalized information…I was told they were successfully fostered and adopted…One of the first that was helped by the Konoha Youth programs."

Of the inaugural alumni, there were about twenty-five fosters, but only three were listed as both fosters and adoptees.

Nakano Tiān
Rock Lee
Uzumaki Naruto

That gave him three potential suspects; now all he had to do was figure out who these inductees were.

He suddenly recalled what Tenten had called out when she returned to the library for her friend.

"Time's up, Rock Lee."

Rock Lee was Lee, a.k.a. the Guy in Green.

Lee would be about the right age, and joined the program at the right time.

He was both a foster and an adoptee.

"Who is that blond man with Gai?" Hizashi asked. "He looks familiar."

"Uzumaki Naruto," the man next to him intoned. "Why, you ask, do I know? That is because we were classmates when we were younger. He was adopted by Iruka, who was our teacher at the time. As a matter of fact…"

Neji stopped listening.

If Uzumaki Naruto was in Shino's class, that made him the same age as his cousin Hinata – still close enough to possibly be the person he was looking for.

However, his father had indicated that the person who helped him had not been in the system before they met, so depending when Naruto joined, he might or might not be a good suspect.

Neji considered Lee again.

It would be reasonable to assume that the "Officer" his father had heard from was, in fact, Gai. If that was the case, then it made Lee a stronger candidate for his father's rescuer. He hadn't yet heard anything about this 'Tiān' person, though.

One thing was for certain; Neji's 'in' was Lee. He was sure if he found the affable athlete, he'd find some answers.

He began scanning the crowd, and was just beginning to curse that this event was the one place where he couldn't just look for green when something in that color family caught his eye.

Two women stood with their back to him, speaking with Gai. One was clearly Ino. The discussion went for a few moments before Lee nodded and went behind Gai's chair, and took over pushing it as he maneuvered him up the ramp to one of the elevated banquet tables.

Neji barely noticed this.

He was too captivated by a new addition to the cast of characters: "The Woman in the Green Dress."

Ino spoke with her and the blond man for a little longer, before striding away purposefully, no doubt going into action to get the evening under way.

Thankfully, The Woman in the Green Dress also turned. Neji had a heartbeat or two of relief – because the view of the back of her had been far too captivating – but it was shortlived.

Because when the Woman in Green turned around, Neji felt the blood drain from his face.

She was beautiful.

And just when he thought it couldn't get any better, she did the impossible.

She smiled.

Two things happened.

One – she became that much more beautiful.

Two – he knew exactly who she was.

"Son?" Hizashi asked, frowning. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Neji cleared his throat. "I do believe I shall have that drink after all. Shall I bring you one?"

"No," his father shook his head, holding up his nearly-full cocktail. "I am still working on this one."

"Ah. Yes. Of course. Will you excuse me?"

Neji was gone before his father could offer an amused "Sure."

-Part Two: Homecoming-
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It is a tradition in many universities, colleges, and high schools in the United States and Canada. It usually includes activities for students and alumni, such as sports and culture events and a parade through the streets of the city or town.

There was a time when Tenten had two, loving parents. She had no siblings and knew of no other relatives, but a handful of neighbors and their children served as her extended family.

Those were the happy times.

But then her mother had gotten ill. She hadn't understood any of it then, and the only thing that hurt her father more than losing his wife, was explaining to his four-year-old daughter that her mother wasn't coming back from the hospital. Devastated at the loss of his wife, the alcoholism he had kept at bay returned with a subtle but consuming vengence. He worked hard and ran his garage during the day, and drank heavily at night. The neighborhood was in a steady decline, and one by one, the families moved away. Still, he wouldn't leave or consider selling his business. Their world grew smaller until it was really just Tenten and her father.

Those were the hard times, but there were still small happinesses to be had.

Tenten spent countless hours in her father's garage, and learned to know every tool, part, and engine that came through the doors.

She'd swept floors, cleaned windows, sorted shipments and filed mail – anything and everything she could do, just to be with her father.

When he died, she was sure he'd taken what was left of her heart with him.

Without her father, Uncle was really one of the only people left in Tenten's life. He'd cleverly steered old family friends away, and isolated Tenten with the intent of usurping her father's business.

Of course, at barely ten years old, she didn't know any of this. She simply adapted. She kept to herself in school, and very few of her classmates even knew her father was gone.

Those were the lonely times.

The night of that botched heist was both the best and the worst thing that had ever happened to her.

She knew that she should have disappeared as soon as she had brought the man to the hospital – it would have been easy to slip away in the chaos.

But she couldn't.

She had to know if he was okay.

She'd kept her own injury hidden, and at the first opportunity, went to the ladies' room and washed it out as well as she could. A clean sanitary pad pressed to the wound and tied to her arm with a bandana was the best she could manage on her own. The too-big-for-her sleeves of her father's coat camouflaged her work, and she returned to the lobby to wait.

That is where Officers Kakashi and Gai found her - huddled in a corner, and burrowed into the warmth of her father's old coat, trying to make herself as small and invisible as possible.

They hadn't even introduced themselves to her when the first words out of her mouth were "Is he alright?" Assured that he was stable and in surgery, she crossed her arms stubbornly and informed them "Then I'm not leaving."

It didn't take them long to ask their questions, and she answered them as best as she knew how. When they finished, she eyed them warily, certain she was about to be taken into custody. To her surprise, they honored her wish to stay. Eventually Kakashi left, promising Gai he'd take Lee over to Kurenai's while the other man stayed with her.

When they finally got word that the surgery was a success, Tenten unfolded herself from her chair. "We can go now," she said, relieved. "I won't fight."

She made it two steps before the fatigue, hunger, cold, and blood loss made her dizzy. Gai shot a hand out to catch her, gripping her injured arm.

Her involuntary yelp of pain was enough to clue him in, and he insisted she receive treatment.

He stayed with her the whole time.

Somehow he had called in several favors and was granted custody of her. When her time in the hospital ended, instead of being sent to juvenile or the orphanage, she was released into his care. Lee hadn't been told anything more than "Tenten will be staying with us for a while," but that didn't stop him from welcoming her like his long-lost-best-friend-sister.

Those were the uncertain times.

She had no idea how long she would stay, or what was next for her. Certain that nothing about her situation was permanent, she fought any form of attachment, and remained as guarded and aloof as she could.

Several other fosters came through Gai's home in those first few months, but she was the only one that stayed. The year where Naruto stayed with them before going to live with Iruka was the one where she finally came out of her shell and realized no one was coming to take her away.

No one was going to force her to leave, or go back to being alone.

She had a family again.

She was home.

That was the start of the good times.

Lee, Tenten, and Naruto were the first official enrollees of the new Youth Programs, and remained close even after Iruka got a job offer he couldn't turn down and moved them both to Suna. That was how Tenten ended up meeting Temari, making her circle of friends a little bigger.

And then there was Ibiki.

She'd hung around his garage so much that people began to think she was his daughter. The other mechanics soon accepted her as one of their own, and the circle got a little bigger still.

Genma had been friends with Gai since they were children, and had even been on a team with him in the Academy. He'd eventually left the KPD to head up the Governor's security team. He had his own company now, and one of their biggest clients was Konoha University. He kept a low profile, though, and most people assumed he was just another campus security guard. He'd helped Gai put together safety and self-defense classes for the Youth programs, specifically targeting needs of the kids coming in from dangerous situations.

Genma always said that Gai taught her to fight clean, and he'd taught her to fight dirty.

He was one more person looking out for her.

And now she stood with hundreds of others on the other side of the hard, lonely, and uncertain times.

Naruto draped a friendly arm across her shoulders as they surveyed the growing crowd of people.

The Winter Gala was a longstanding tradition in Konoha, and the proceeds had always gone to the care of the children of the city. Gai had been involved longer than the ten years the Youth programs had officially existed, and the lives of many of the people at the Gala had been touched by his kindness and dedication.

"Not a bad turnout," he remarked.

"Ino told me this one set a record for attendance," she said proudly.

"I'm betting it will be a record breaker for fundraising as well," Naruto agreed. "There's a silent auction going on in one of the galleries, and they've already had quite a few bids. And speaking of galleries, have you seen the anniversary photo gallery? They've got pictures in there from the first Konoha orphanage all the way up to the most recent Youth program."

"Ino warned me," Tenten admitted. "I'm actually looking forward to seeing it, but I'll wait until after the awards."

"We've got all night," Naruto began to tick things off on his fingers. "Dinner, dancing, late night buffet, more dancing, fireworks at midnight, more food, and even more dancing until two… I'm sure somewhere in there we can fit in 'look at old timey pictures.'"

"Agreed," she smiled. "So what is this big business that brought you back to this side of the country?" she nudged him gently. "You've been so busy, that neither Lee nor I have heard much from you."

"Jiraiya is thinking about reestablishing a business presence in Konoha. I've been sent ahead to start negotiations."

"'Reestablishing a business presence,'" Tenten quirked an eyebrow. "What kind of nonsense jargon is that?"

"It means I might have a reason to move back to Konoha," Naruto's eyes gleamed with amusement.

"Really?" Tenten's eyes went wide. "Naruto, that would be amazing! But what about Iruka? I mean, I know you don't live with him anymore, but won't he be lonely?"

"He's been itching to move back to Konoha for ages," he chuckled. "He's pretty much stayed in Suna so I won't be lonely, so I know he'd jump at the excuse. Gai told him when we moved that there'd be a job for him in the Youth programs whenever he wanted it."

"He's always said Iruka would be a great addition to the programs," she agreed before squeezing his arm. "But back to the important part - it would be so great to have you back in town!"

"I know, right? I can't wait! I mean I love my friends in Suna," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, "but I've been traveling so much it will be good to just have one place to be for a while. And I sorta won't miss the whole desert thing. But what about you, little miss collegiate. Need a date for homecoming?"

"I think I'll pass," she snorted. "I'm still just a mechanic. I'm just better at accounting now."

"But you're saving me a dance tonight, right?"

"I guess that can be arranged," she said airily. "But don't expect too much – this dress isn't for our more enthusiastic routines."

"I can see that," he looked her over. "You look amazing by the way – lose a bet with Ino?"

Tenten gave his arm a playful punch. "Shut up, Naruto."

"Is that anyway to take a compliment?" he rubbed his arm ruefully, but his eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Some compliment," she crossed her arms. "Can't a girl get dressed up now and then?"

"If by now and then you mean 'every five years or so,' then sure," he shrugged.

"I think five years between wearing heels is perfectly acceptable," she muttered, looking down at her shoes.

"I'm guessing Ino had something to do with this?" Naruto ventured playfully.

"Ino had everything to do with this," Tenten's lips twisted into a rueful smile. "I had no idea she was going to tag along until I met up with Kurenai, and by then, well. You know Ino."

"Oh, yeah," Naruto chortled. "But it looks like she knocked this one out of the park. How did she manage to find something green, and with a lotus?"

"I have no idea," Tenten laughed. "Even the old Chinese woman who tailored it for me commented on how rare it was to see a cheongsam these days, much less one in green silk with a painted design," she indicated the flower that flowed over the top left half of her bodice and shoulder. "My mother had something like this," she said, and Naruto heard something wistful in her voice. "I have old pictures of her in a red one. She might've even been married in it. I thought I remembered seeing it in our old place," she shook her head. "But it wasn't in with her stuff when I moved."

Naruto gave her a squeeze across her shoulders. "I bet she'd've told you that you looked awesome, too."

Tenten smiled up at him. "And your mom would probably be glad to know you can rock a tux. Guess we've come a long way from just the three of us playing Ninja, haven't we?"

"Made some good friends along the way, too," Naruto agreed.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Yeah we have." She checked the time. "I'd better check with Gai to see if he needs anything. If I don't catch you before then, I'll see you for seconds at the buffet."

"See, you get me," he sighed happily. "Best sister-not-sister ever."

She laughed and headed toward where Lee was waiting.

"Save me that dance!" he called after her.

She turned just long enough to echo "Believe it!"

Ino was handing Professor Sarutobi a microphone just as Tenten took her seat. Lee smiled at her and she squeezed his fingers in excitement.

This was definitely one of the best times.

And she was certain that tonight was going to be unforgettable.

-Part Three: Springtime-
1: the season of spring 2: youth 3: an early or flourishing stage of development

Dinner was delicious, and segued seamlessly into dessert, coffee, and the presentation of awards. It was a bittersweet evening for Gai. He had never intended to retire from the police force, and certainly not for health reasons. However, he was going to take over directing and managing the Youth programs full time, so he couldn't bring himself to be sad.

Melancholy was simply not in his nature.

And certainly on tonight of all nights, where so many people he cared for were gathered, he could be nothing but joyful.

Gai applauded enthusiastically for each person that had received recognition that night. When it was his turn to be honored for retiring, Tenten straightened his bowtie, and Lee turned him around so he could travel up the narrow ramp to the raised platform under his own power.

Governor Sarutobi acknowledged him with a smile before shuffling his cards and clearing his throat.

"We recognize Might Gai this evening as he retires after twenty years of service to the Konoha Police Department," Sarutobi Hiruzen announced. "His distinguished career speaks for itself, and I know I am not alone when I say that he will be greatly missed. For your service and your dedication, Might Gai, Konoha thanks you."

Applause rang out as Kakashi handed Gai a certificate and an envelope before shaking his partner's hand.

"Not going to be the same without you," he shook his head. "Guess I'll have to retire soon, too."

"Maybe run for Governor?" Gai suggested.

"Maybe," Kakashi shrugged. "If I get around to it."

Gai clapped his ex-partner on the shoulder, and was prepared to return to his seat, but the Professor had more to say.

"I invite any alumni and current participants in our foster and youth programs please stand."

Gai watched as one by one, guests stood. A disjointed wave rippled through the audience until each of the fosters and their families were on their feet.

He glanced over at Lee and Tenten making room for Naruto to stand between them, draping his long arms over both of their shoulders. All three of them were watching him as they stood with arms wrapped around each other, just as they had when they were children.

"Gai," the Professor said kindly, drawing his attention back to him. "It is my absolute honor to recognize you not only for your years of service to our community as an officer of the KPD, but for the countless hours you have dedicated and continue to dedicate to the youth of Konoha. On behalf of our city, and of all of us gathered here," he looked out over the sea of people and then back to Gai, "I thank you, and officially recognize you as Konoha's Man of the Year."

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the entire room as the former Governor shook a still-stunned Gai's hand, and draped a medal around his neck. Tears slid down Gai's cheeks even as he smiled brilliantly. When Professor Sarutobi handed him the mic, no one took their seat.

"I cannot thank you enough for this," he said humbly. "But I want each of you to know it is nothing compared to the honor of having met each of you, and getting to watch your youthful spirits blossom into the fine young men and women of Konoha. I invite you to look around you, and to remember that this," he motioned to the room, "is your family." He looked directly at the three once-children that had shared his home and his life. "As long as you have each other," he promised them, "you will always have a home."

The remaining guests got to their feet and applauded, but none were louder or more heartfelt than Lee, Tenten, and Naruto.

And as the applause filled the room, the lighting shifted. Gai caught sight of Ino who winked at him

The entire ballroom area was awash in green light.

He burst out laughing, and was certain that he had never been happier.

-Part Four: Motor Planning-
The ability to organize and perform movement in a meaningful manner

When Lee was thirteen, he'd mistaken a bottle of Saki for one of Gai's home remedies. The upshot of that particular occurrence was that Lee refused to touch alcohol ever again. However, he'd been assured that the bartender was perfectly capable of making several beverages sans alcohol, and was on his way to the open bar to get something to drink for himself and his friends.

He was pleasantly surprised to see an unexpected face at the bar – and even more surprised when Neji greeted him first.

"Hello, Lee," he inclined his head politely. "Nice to see you again."

"Neji!" he extended a hand. "What a pleasant surprise!"

Neji returned the handshake. "Likewise. I trust your practical went well?"

"It did," Lee smiled. "And your exams?"

"Also well, thank you."

Lee paused to place his order and then looked back to Neji. "Those aren't all for me," he said, sheepishly.

"Good to know," Neji replied, amused. He accepted his own drink from the bartender and placed a tip in the jar. "Presumably, then, it is safe to say you are not by yourself this evening?"

"I've been a part of the Youth programs since they started," Lee grinned. "I have quite a few friends here this evening - especially since so many came in for Gai-sensei's award."

"A remarkable man," Neji said, sincerely. "I was pleased to hear his retirement won't take him from his work with the Youth programs."

"Pretty much nothing will take him from that," Lee assured him. "He's spent the last two years working on raising the money to buy and overhaul the old Konoha Rec Center. I know many of the alumni have contributed to a specific fund, but Gai was adamant that this was a separate project, and that none of the money from the Gala was to go to it. He doesn't want anything taken from helping the children."

"How far is he from his goal?" Neji asked.

"Hard to say. Naruto – one of our other alumni and good friends – has been working on securing funds from our out-of-town alumni. Last I heard, we were waiting on word about potential contributions from two larger silent donors."

"Interesting," Neji mused. "Would this be Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Yes! Do you know him?"

"I was seated with one of his classmates at dinner. Another inaugural alumnus, I gather?"

"Oh, yes," Lee laughed. "He's been with us from the beginning. He's the orange one," he nodded to the tall glass in the row of drinks the bartender was lining up on the counter.

"What is that?" Neji arched an eyebrow.

"No idea," he shrugged. "I just put the order in." He put a tip in the jar and began arranging the glasses to carry them.

"Need a hand?" Neji offered.

"Only if you'll join us," Lee returned with a smile. "I'll introduce Naruto, and you've already met Tenten - my friend that came to get me at the library?"

"I recall," Neji said mildly.

Lee handed him two glasses. "Sorry about that hasty introduction," Lee gathered the other drinks. "I hope you did not think us rude."

"Not at all," his lips twisted into a rueful ghost of a smile. "I am well acquainted with the obligations of academia. As is your friend, if the hours I've seen her at the library are any indication."

"She has always been a hard worker," he allowed.

"Will she be returning to classes next semester? Or has she finished the classes she needed?"

"I believe she has a few more to take," he said, not missing the brief flash of relief in the other man's features.

Lee swallowed a smile.

So Neji had noticed Tenten.

Lee led them to one of the smaller, empty tables near the dancefloor.

Naruto stood nearby, speaking with several people. Upon spotting Lee, he excused himself from the conversation, and headed toward the table. He gave a quick wave and Tenten nodded; she'd be there in a moment.

"Thanks, Lee," Naruto accepted the drink gratefully. "And you found a friend," he smiled at Neji. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Neji put down his own drink and held out a hand. "Hyūga Neji. I've heard so much about you."

"Oh?" Naruto darted a glance to Lee as he shook hands.

"I sat with one of your classmates," Neji clarified. "Aburame Shino."

"Ah," Naruto pumped Neji's arm again. "Shino. Been a while since I've seen him."

"Seen whom?" Tenten asked, coming up to their table.

"Shino," Naruto said. "Neji, here, was sitting with him tonight."

Lee had known her long enough to recognize the flash of surprise in her features, but she recovered quickly. Thankfully Neji spoke first.

"I believe this must be yours?" he held out a glass of white wine to her.

"I…yes. Thank you." She accepted with a small smile before taking a seat next to Lee.

Naruto immediately struck up conversation with Neji. Tenten caught Lee's eye, flicked a glance to Neji and then back to Lee.

What is he doing here?

Lee just offered a half shrug.

"So there were three of you?" Neji asked. "Both of you and someone named Tiān?"

Naruto laughed. "Tiān. Now there's a name I haven't heard in years."

"Oh?" Neji asked over his drink. "And why is-"

Naruto's phone buzzed in his pocket and he offered an apology as he checked his messages. His eyes lit up, and he jumped to his feet.

"I have to go find Ino!" he said hastily. "Lee – come with me – I need your help."

Lee shot Tenten a look before getting to his feet. "Of course, if that is alright?" he looked to Neji and then Tenten.

"By all means," Neji said graciously, and Tenten murmured 'Sure.'

"Be right back," Lee assured them, and followed after Naruto. He shot off a quick text to Tenten, though, echoing his advice from the other day.

"Just be open to the possibilities, Ten. See you at the fireworks. Usual spot."

With that, he left her to her own devices, counting on the fireworks to make up for it.

-Part Five: On-board diagnostics-
On-board diagnostics (OBD) is an automotive term referring to a vehicle's self-diagnostic and reporting capability. OBD systems give the vehicle owner or repair technician access to the status of the various vehicle subsystems.

Tenten had no idea what Naruto was up to.

She knew exactly what Lee was up to, even before she got his text.

She wondered if she should kill him now or later.

"It is nice to see you again."

His voice snapped her out of her musings. She turned to see him sitting across from her, looking completely composed.

She smiled even as she mentally railed at her best-friend-turned-traitor for leaving her alone with the Beautiful Law Student.

Correction.

The Beautiful Law Student in a Tuxedo.

It was a whole different level of impossibly gorgeous, and she hated how it did stupid things to her stomach.

"Nice to see you, too," she said, somehow able to find a sincere half smile despite the chaos addling her mind. "Outside of the library, I mean…" she trailed off.

She hid her wince with a sip of white wine, wishing it would turn into something like a Singapore sling, or a shot of tequila.

To her amazement and relief, he chuckled – a warm, honest sound that smoothed the edges prickling under her skin.

"I know exactly what you mean. Until this semester, I was quite certain I was the only person who spent so many hours there." He looked her over, approvingly. "You are the first person I've seen there as often as I was."

A half-relieved-half-amazed laugh slipped out.

"I am surprised you even knew I was there – I don't think I ever saw you look up from your work."

"I knew you were there enough to make sure no one took your seat," he said easily, and she hoped the dim lighting hid her blush. "By midterms, most people stopped asking to sit there – and for that I am grateful."

"Grateful?"

"Certainly," his smile was slow. "You were far better company than the kind that normally seeks me out."

She tilted her head. "But we never spoke."

"Exactly."

A grin tugged at her lips.

"And should I take that as a request to return to the status quo? I can certainly sit quietly, or leave, if you'd rather."

"I hope you won't," he countered easily. "I am very much enjoying both your company and your conversation."

She blinked in surprise and could have sworn the tops of his cheeks pinked.

He cleared his throat.

"Your friends seem to be quite nice," he offered. "How long have you known them?"

"Since we were children," she hedged, not wanting to get into the particulars of her past.

"Both Naruto and Lee mentioned being alumni of the Youth programs– how old were they when they were fostered?"

"Naruto was in the orphanage for a while," she said. "Long before he was fostered by Gai and then Iruka."

"And Lee?"

"Gai took Lee in when he was eight," she watched him carefully, but he gave away nothing. "Why do you want to know?"

Her heart beat faster in her chest; waiting for him to ask her about being fostered, about how old she had been – anything that might bring out her secret.

Neji eyed her for a moment before sitting back in his seat. "Just curious," he finally said.

She felt a bone melting relief before chiding herself for being foolish. Lee had introduced her as his best friend; Neji had no reason to think she was here other than being friends with Lee, or – if he had seen the pictures in her office – trained with Gai.

"Stop worrying," she chided herself. "If his dad had said something, you'd know about it by now."

She finished her glass of wine.

"Would you like another?" he asked.

"No, thank you," she reached for the water Lee had brought her. "But don't let me stop you from having more," she gestured to his near empty glass.

"I'm not much of a drinker," he tilted his glass. "This will suffice."

Just be open to the possibilities.

The words started as an impish response and somehow crept from the back of her mind (where she had relegated all cheeky and impish responses for the duration of the evening, unless speaking with Lee, Genma, or Naruto) and escaped.

"Are you much of a dancer?"

The wine.

It had to have been the wine.

Those sneaky bastard fermented grapes must've known she was concentrating on suppressing embarrassment and nervousness, and took that opportunity to slip past her defenses and untie the back of her tongue.

For several tortuously long heartbeats, the clink of ice cubes in Neji's glass was the only sound between them.

"Do you think I wouldn't be?"

His features were pleasant, but she heard amusement – maybe even a challenge in his response.

She was giddy with relief.

"Oh, I suspect you've had to undergo the standard training – cotillion and those sort of things, right? Pretty standard issue for anyone that went to a fancy school."

Neji arched an eyebrow.

"And who says I went to a 'fancy school?'"

Anyone who knows that really rich powerful families all send their kids to private fancy schools? Anyone who may or may not have googled you and saw you listed as an alumnus of Konoha Preparatory Academy?

"You mean you didn't go to Konoha Prep? The all boys one?"

She held his gaze.

"Clever," he mused. "Or are you a good guesser?"

"Both," she grinned as he sipped the last of his drink.

"Either way," he placed the glass on the table, and rose to his feet. "You are correct – at least about my schooling. Shall we see if you are correct about my other training?"

He held a hand out to her.

She was amazed that her tone stayed even, even as her heart raced.

"Is that a challenge?"

"It is an invitation to dance, Tenten," he said, and her stomach twisted at the sound of her name.

She put her hand in his, and stood, her heels putting her on a better eyelevel to him.

Whatever floodgate had been opened by the wine, she decided to ride it out.

"Challenge accepted, Neji."

-Part Six: Cadit quaestio-
'The question falls.' Indicates that a settlement to a dispute or issue has been reached, and the issue is now resolved. As a mark in copy editing, "cq" implies that the accuracy of a statement has been verified by the copy-editor and, hence, is no longer in question

It was better and easier than he had ever imagined it would be.

Once Tenten had confirmed that neither Naruto nor Lee fit the profile of his father's rescuer, Neji had a decision to make.

He could either continue looking for someone that may or may not be in attendance, or he could enjoy the company of the woman he'd been watching for an entire semester.

Framed in that way, he really had only one sensible option.

He wasn't sure if it was the two drinks or the collective resolve of weeks wanting to approach her overcoming his normal social reticence, but his sense of boundaries dissipated.

When she accepted his outstretched hand, he was certain he had made the best possible decision. Lighting shot from the gentle brush of her fingers up his arm, and jolted his already elevated heartbeat up another few notches.

He had timed his request well – the music had segued into something not too slow, and not too fast.

"I have a theory," he ventured.

"Oh?" she asked, as he turned her to face him on the dance floor.

"Mm," he hummed. "If I had to guess, you are used to leading."

"I can follow," she raised her eyebrows. "Presuming there is a good leader."

"We'll see," he said, and pulled her into dance position. He kept a proper distance between them, and kept the hand at her waist from drifting. She easily aligned her body accordingly, her hand resting lightly in his. Despite the textbook positioning and propriety, the electricity still buzzed beneath his fingertips.

He began with a basic step.

"Foxtrot," she said after a few patterns, a small grin tugging at her lips. "Not bad."

"Thought I'd start out simple," he shrugged.

"How kind of you," she said with a feigned sweetness.

"Not impressed?"

"At a basic slow-slow-quick-quick?" she quirked an eyebrow. "Pleasantly surprised, but, no. Not impressed."

"Good," he led her into a promenade. "That means we can continue."

She easily followed him through a sequence of sways and corner rocksteps into an underarm turn, and a few rock-turns.

He doubted she realized how her smile had blossomed.

"Still alright?" he asked.

"I'm managing."

His heart skipped a beat.

She had a dimple.

"Alright then," he nodded.

The subtle shift in his touch was all she needed to adjust her body position. The bend to her back as she held position, (that necessarily brought their midsections closer together, even if their faces were leaned farther away) was the muscle memory of someone who had learned to dance more than socially.

A quick glance at her dress was enough of a reminder that the flashier tricks that could come with the dance were ill-advised. Unfortunately, it was also enough to remind him of how the dress hugged her curves, which he was certain made him flush.

A series of turns was enough space and air for him to regain his composure, and to elicit a genuine laugh from her.

"Alright," she admitted. "Now I'm impressed. You're good."

"You're not so bad yourself," he turned her once more. It was a gross understatement. She was excellent. He'd never danced with someone as in synch with him as she was. If more people partnered him as she did, he'd actually bother to dance more than once or twice a year under obligation.

"I never would've guessed it," she came back to their base position. "You're full of surprises."

"I could say the same thing," he adjusted his hold on her waist. "If I may borrow from your introduction, I'd say you are quite more than 'just a mechanic,' although I gather that you are quite good at that as well."

The music shifted, and Tenten paused in his arms. She listened to the beat a moment or two before cocking her head to the side.

"Cha-cha?"

"What else?" he scoffed lightly, as if it was the most obvious choice. He was rewarded with a dimpled smile and a second dance.

The whole situation was surprisingly conducive for conversation, and he was multiple dances in before he realized how long he and Tenten had been speaking.

Their conversation was general and organic. He was relieved to hear she was returning to Konoha University for more classes, and selfishly hoped her course load kept her study schedule as full as it had been this past semester.

"Shall I save your seat?"

"If you can stand the company," she grinned.

"I'll manage," he said, deftly spinning her through a turn.

"I don't know," her smile was impish. "You were pretty much the best study buddy ever, but that was before we spoke."

"I see no reason that should alter," he drew her closer and redirected their path to avoid colliding with an enthusiastic but less coordinated couple. "I doubt I will be any better company," he pulled her back again, wondering of the other couple was drunk. "At least," he met her eyes, "not until after I've studied."

Her smile was warm and her eyes crinkled with her smile. "Fair enough."

Their repartee continued dance after dance. At 10:45, Ino announced the opening of the buffet, and reminded the crowd about the midnight fireworks. A count-down clock was projected on the backdrop of the presentation area as well as behind the live band. Pictures – no doubt from the anniversary gallery – faded in and out around the numbers as they ticked their way down to midnight.

Neji noted that the pictures became more and more recent as the minutes spun away.

"Lee and I watch the fireworks every year," Tenten said as the music slowed again. "I'll have to catch up with him soon."

Neji glanced at the clock.

Five minutes to midnight.

"There is still time."

He pulled her closer, until his cheek rested at her temple. His senses filled with her – how she felt and looked while dancing; the way the silk of her gown was smooth and warm under his hands. She was heady and intoxicating, and he found himself thinking that If he turned his head just ever so slightly, he'd be able to press a kiss to her temple.

He should've been more startled by the direction of his thoughts, but he was honest enough with himself to accept this was not the first time he had considered such actions, simply the first time he'd had the opportunity to act on the same.

Ever the gentleman, however, Neji contented himself with enjoying the moment as it was – for it was already far better than anything he could've envisioned for the evening.

He glanced over to the countdown clock.

Two-minutes and thirty-five seconds until midnight.

At two minutes and thirty-four seconds until midnight the pictures on the screens shifted, and Neji jolted to a stop.

"Neji?" Tenten looked up in surprise. "What is it?"

But he couldn't take his eyes off of the screen.

The picture was of three children – one boy with wild, blond hair, another boy with a shiny bowl cut and significant eyebrows, and between them, a girl with twin buns in her hair.

The caption read: "Inaugural Alumni: Uzumaki Naruto, Nakano Tiān, and Rock Lee."

He felt more than saw her follow his line of sight.

"Oh, that," she gave a relieved chuckle. "I should've negotiated final approval on what pictures were used."

He tore his eyes away from the picture to study her face more closely. Her hair was in an elegant chignon, and her makeup was subtle and flawless, but there was still something of the sunny little girl in the sophistication of her features.

More importantly, it was her name.

She was Tiān.

"You," he breathed. "It was you."

Her expression was immediately guarded, and he felt lead form in his belly.

"Well…yeah?" she ventured cautiously. "Who else would it be?"

"Ten years ago," his voice was even. "With my father…. That was you."

This time she stiffened in his arms. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened to offer a reply that never came.

His mind was reeling – all this time, he'd been in the same room with that person and never even known it.

And then it dawned on him.

"That day in the library," he released her. "You knew…that is why you were so on edge… You weren't rushing to get to the practical… you were running away…but why?"

"Neji…" her features clouded. "I didn't know before then – not until your father-"

"My father?" he cut in, and his razor-sharp mind made the next leap. "He knew who you were. Is that why he went to the garage? Is that how you knew?"

"Yes. I mean no – I mean," she closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. "I mean he figured it out and then told me."

"Oh, of course he did," Neji muttered. "And he just 'happened' to stop by the garage the morning that I was going, and he just 'happened' to find the person he hadn't seen for ten years working there, and then just 'happened' to get a ride from her back to the club. Clearly there was no planning involved."

"I don't think there was," she gave a helpless shrug. "How could there be?"

He stepped away from her, immediately missing her at the ends of his fingertips. "All this time…" he said, voice low and incredulous confusion.

Tenten's features were guarded, but she reached out to rest fingertips on his arm. "Neji, I don't-"

"Tenten!" Naruto came barreling over. He snatched her up and whirled her around before setting her back on her feet. "We did it – hurry – There's going to be an announcement."

Tenten held onto his upper arms while she regained her equilibrium.

"What did we do? What announcement?"

"We did it!" he gripped her shoulders. "Jiraiya and the other sponsor came through – hurry – it's almost midnight!"

Understanding broke over Tenten.

"Of course," she said assertively. "Let's go."

"We'll be right back!" Naruto assured him, grabbing Tenten's hand, and pulling her through the crowd.

Once she turned to follow him, she didn't look back.

Neji snapped out of his temporary paralysis too late. The crowds shifted, the projectors flickered, and Ino took the microphone.

"We have a special live feed from Suna," she announced. "If you'll please direct your attention to the front?" She stepped back, and a jovial white-haired man appeared on the screen.

"Greetings, Konoha!" his voice rumbled. Even Neij recognized Jiraiya – one of Konoha's most celebrated ex-pats. "Might Gai, I was so pleased to hear that you would be honored this evening. Your dedication and persistence have made the Youth programs the best in the Elemental Nations."

Applause broke out in the crowd, and he waited for it to die down.

"One of your original 'Three Musketeers' clearly took these lessons to heart, as he has been hounding me and most of Suna for the last year. I'm pleased to announce that his efforts and those of the alumni have paid off. As of tonight, the funds to purchase and renovate the Konoha Rec Center have been raised in full. Fittingly, the construction of the Might Gai Youth Center will be underway this Spring. Congratulations, Gai – Konoha couldn't do this without you. And thanks to the alumni that worked so hard to bring this about, especially Uzumaki Naruto, Rock Lee, and Nakano Tenten. The three of you have made your teachers – all of your teachers – very proud."

The image faded, and Ino stepped back on stage.

"A large round of applause for all of the alumni who came together to make this happen."

"Good news, eh, son?"

Neji scowled at his father.

"Depends," he said icily. "Do you mean the news that I found the person that helped you ten years ago, or the news that you already knew exactly who she was?

Hizashi raised his eyebrows at his son.

"You are angry," he said, clearly taken aback. "You understood the case, Neji; I couldn't reveal her identity. I'm not even supposed to know it was her."

"But it was her," Neji snapped. "And you knew."

Hizashi held his son's gaze in silence.

"And which is the part that matters?" he asked quietly. "The part that I knew, or the part that it was her?"

"Both," Neji retorted.

"I did not realize you were acquainted," Hizashi considered. "But surely you realize it wasn't my secret to tell. That was a particularly traumatic experience for her as well. I trust you didn't do anything as asinine as bringing it up in an insensitive manner."

Neji's spine grew tight, and his father's expression slid into amusement. "Ah. I see." He studied the ice in his glass before taking a sip. "Perhaps you have spent a little too much time with your Uncle."

The sound of fireworks echoed through the building and people hurried to the Observation Room and the balconies to watch.

His father tipped his glass in mock salute. "I suggest you formulate your apology while you look for her."

With that, he left his son to his own devices.

Neji looked around the room methodically.

She'll be with Lee," he told himself. "Just find Lee, and you'll find her."

He hurried to each of the places patrons gathered, but he couldn't find her.

"You'd think she couldn't get very far in those heels," he muttered to himself.

Well after the last firework lit up the sky, he returned, dejected, to a half-empty ballroom.

There was only one hour left in the evening, and the remaining patrons were split between the Observation Room where there was a small band and dancing and a buffet, and the larger ballroom, where there was no live music, but the remnants of the first buffet.

In a last-ditch effort, and for lack of something better to do, he found where she had been sitting. He read the tented name cards, and picked up the one between 'Rock Lee' and 'Hatake Kakashi.'

The elegant script read:

Nakano Tiān
Inaugural Alumna

…except someone had drawn a line through "Tiān" and written in neat lettering "Tenten."

He held the card between thumb and forefinger before sinking into her seat.

Neji sat back, tapping the card against the table, thinking.

He had been right; all of his deductions had been well thought out, and correct. He had narrowed down the data and determined which of the three suspects had to be the person he was looking for.

He simply hadn't known she was the same person he'd been thinking of semester.

And when he finally had her in his arms and dancing, what did he do?

He acted like an idiot.

So what now?

Would she return?

Had he chased her off?

Even his anger with his father had dissolved into nothing by the time the waitress brought him another drink. The alcohol took the edge off of his agitation, but could not let him overlook the way his reaction would most logically be interpreted.

He had to make it right.

But how?

A waitress was going to the different tables to clear the glasses, so he shifted his chair in to afford her more room. He felt his foot hit something under the table, and he absently kicked whatever it was to the hem of the table cloth.

Reaching under the table, he felt around until his fingers brushed against the obstruction and brought it out for inspection.

He stared at it dumbly for a moment or two as the reality sank into his bones.

She really wasn't coming back.

The dull ache in his chest told him that mattered.

That realization sparked something contrary in him, and his exceedingly keen intellect returned from wherever it had disappeared to when that picture had flashed onto the screen.

He had been stupid, of course, and he had to remedy his actions immediately.

He outlined is situation:

One – she wasn't going to return.

Two – he had to find her.

Three – he now had the means to approach her.

Four – he couldn't do this alone.

Determination set his jaw, and he finished his drink in one gulp.

"Better start with 'four,'" he muttered, pocketing her name card.

"Now, the only question is," he looked around the room. "Orange or Green?"

Decision made, he took what she left behind, he went in search of help.

Only the conclusion and epilogue remain! Your feedback means so much, friends. If you have a moment to leave a comment, please do.
-With gratitude, Giada-

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Chapter Twelve: Vis Major

vis major: 'greater or superior force'
Force majeure, specifically events over which no humans have control, and so cannot be held responsible. Equivalent to an "Act of God"

-Part One: Crazy like a fox-
idiom. Person who is very clever, cunning, or shrewd while appearing foolish or mad

Naruto felt the rigidity in Tenten's fingers as he pulled her through the crowd to join him and Lee. A quick glance over his shoulder was enough to solidify his suspicions that something wasn't quite right.

He positioned her to stand in front of both himself and Lee.

"So you can see," he said nudging her forward.

She flashed a grateful smile and turned to face Ino and the projection screen.

Naruto waited until Jiraiya's video feed began to nudge Lee's shoulder.

"Wasn't she all smiles a second ago?" he whispered, flicking his eyes to Tenten and back again. "What gives?"

"Not sure," Lee answered quietly, "Although," he looked past Naruto and into the crowd. "I might have an idea."

Naruto followed his line of sight where Neji stood, arms crossed, scowling.

"Ah, I see," Naruto said. "I thought they were hitting it off," he turned back to Lee. "They've been dancing for hours – what happened?"

Lee gave a barely noticeable one-shouldered shrug, and they remained quiet until the video ended.

Naruto and Lee both watched Neji's posture go rigid as Hizashi approached (And Naruto was certain it was him and not Hiashi because Hiashi wasn't able to attend this evening), agitation clear even in the control of his aquiline features. Tenten turned around just in time to see father and son speaking heatedly, (Well. Heatedly for Hyūgas) and all of the blood trained from her face.

"It's after midnight," she said abruptly. "Time for these glass slippers to turn back into crocodiles."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked.

"C'mon," she waved for him to follow the short distance to their seats from dinner. Lee darted ahead of Naruto and bent to retrieve Tenten's large bag from where Ino dropped it off under the table.

"Thanks" she said with a wry smile. "Wondered how I was going to do that in this dress." She leaned the bag up against the leg of her chair and fished out a pair of green croc flats. She crossed her legs and pried one heel off, rotating her ankle and pressing a thumb to her arch.

"Good for another five years?" Naruto asked.

"More than good. Might even make it seven," she put her shoe on the floor before slipping on her croc and repeating the process with the other foot. She sighed happily as she wiggled her toes in the shoes. "At least seven," she amended.

"So," Naruto clapped and then rubbed his hands together. "What's it going to be this year? The Observation Room or the Rooftop?"

"Either way, we'd better hurry," Tenten reached down for her shoes. "Fireworks start any minute now."

"We've got a minute," Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Ino arranged to have the fireworks pushed back by twenty minutes to allow for Jiraiya's announcement."

Tenten's small evening bag began to vibrate and shimmy across the table. She fished out her phone and smiled when she saw who was calling.

"Hey," she grinned. "Yes, they just announced it – that is so exciting! We can't thank you guys enough." She glanced up at Naruto. "Oh he did, did he?" Tenten smiled up at him. "It's Temari. Says that you basically badgered everyone in Suna until they donated just to shut you up."

"Sounds about right," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck.

Tenten laughed. "No, Naruto has not eaten all the food, but the night is young." She listened a little while longer, nodding her thanks to Lee as he began to gather up her things and zipped her bag closed. "I'll tell him," she promised, and then, "See you soon!"

She finished her call and put her phone away. "Temari says that you should go forward with your negotiations, and to try not to be too big of a pain in the ass while you are in Konoha."

"Nice," Naruto chuckled. "So what's it going to be?" he looked between his two former foster buddies. "Rooftop or Observation Room."

"I vote Rooftop," Tenten leaned back in her chair to look up at them. "Ino said they've set it up this year, so we don't have to sneak out like when we were kids."

"That was half the fun of it," Naruto pointed out. "Lee?"

"Rooftop," he agreed.

"Rooftop it is!" Naruto beamed.

"Let me just run to our room," Tenten stood, reflexively checking a watch that wasn't there. "I have just enough time to drop off my big bag and to grab Gai's blanket."

"I can't believe you still have that thing," Naruto laughed.

"Of course I do," she accepted the bag that Lee handed her. "You want me to get anything from the room?" she asked him.

"No," Lee shook his head. "I'll take Gai upstairs."

Tenten darted a discreet look to the dance floor and her eyes widened for a fraction of a second. "Alright, then," she slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'll be right up. Save me a spot!"

With that, she walked quickly for the main exit, before breaking suddenly to the left and taking the side stairs.

"Wow," Naruto snickered. "She's fast."

"Always was good at evasion techniques," Lee agreed. Both of them looked back to where Neji was walking through the crowd, making his way in the opposite direction as Tenten.

"So," Naruto kept his eye on the departing Hyūga. "As her best friends and pretty-much-brothers, do we find out what happened or just keep him away from her."

"Talk to her first," Lee's gaze followed Neji. "Then do what she wants us to do."

"Does she know this guy is into her?" Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Or is she being normal kinda-dense-about-guys-that-like-her Tenten. Because from what I saw he likes her."

"No way of knowing," Lee said abstractly. "Either way, let's be in place at the rooftop so she isn't there alone, should she want to avoid conversation. You go ahead," he nodded back to their mentor. "I'll stay with Gai."

"Roger," Naruto mock saluted, and followed the crowds to the fireworks. "But first," he thought, "I have a quick stop to make."

-Part Two: Non constat-
'it is not certain.' Refers to information given by one who is not supposed to give testimony, such as an attorney bringing up new information that did not come from a witness. Such information is typically nullified.

The Gala officially ended at 2:00 AM, but since so many guests chose to stay at the Grand, multiple gathering areas were still populated even at this late hour. Having finished his ceremonial duties, Professor Sarutobi had suggested retiring to the cigar room for a pipe and a snifter of brandy. Hizashi had taken him up on that suggestion and was comfortably ensconced in one of the large, comfortable chairs when his son slipped into the room and proceeded directly to the small bar tucked in the corner.

The bartender tossed ice into a short, squat glass before pouring a generous dose of amber liquid overtop and placing it on the cocktail napkin on front of Neji. Hizashi waited several moments before approaching.

"Didn't find her, I take it?"

"No," Neji sipped at the strong liquor. "I didn't."

"Mm," Hizashi slid into the seat next to him, and nodded to the bartender. "I see."

The bartender quickly replaced his empty glass with a fresh drink. Hiashi took a sip and sat a moment longer before offering: "I am sorry that I couldn't have told you more."

"I know why you couldn't," he shrugged one shoulder. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"That's alright," his father said kindly. "It was a lot to take in. So," he tipped his glass, and slid a glance to his son. "Precisely how badly did you cock this up."

Neji gave a derisive snort. "Enough that I couldn't find her to apologize. As many people that are here, I still can't believe that is a coincidence."

"That bad, huh?" he tried to suppress his smile, and failed.

"Yeah," Neji grumbled into his glass. "That bad."

"Well, there's always tomorrow."

Neji checked his watch. "We arrived at the 'reassuring platitudes' stage sooner than I would've imagined."

"Actually, I was being quite literal," Hizashi ignored his son's sarcasm. "Tomorrow, there is an extended brunch/luncheon for the alumni. It goes from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, presumably to accommodate both those that need to catch an early flight as well as those who might have morning obligations."

"Are you sure it isn't just to let people sleep off a hangover?" Neji muttered.

"That is an added benefit," Hizashi drawled. "One of which you may have to avail yourself, should you keep knocking back those drinks at that rate. But, no matter. We have an open invitation to the event. I have it on good authority that Gai will be there for the entire function, and it is unlikely that he will be alone," he looked at his son meaningfully. "Perhaps it would make more sense to stop sulking and to get home and get some rest."

"I'm not sulking," Neji frowned, but he waved off the bartender from refilling his drink. It was not long before they said their goodbyes and were being chauffeured home.

Hizashi watched his son.

"So how do you know her?"

Neji kept his gaze forward. "She is a student at the University."

"So are approximately 40,000 other people," Hizashi jibed. "And in all of your years of study there while still at Konoha Prep, and then in your Undergraduate, I've never once heard you mention noticing another student. Much less a female."

"That is because I didn't."

Hizashi raised both eyebrows as the car was pulled up to their home. "Why do you suppose that is?"

Neji considered the question.

"Because none of them were her."

With that, he stepped out of the vehicle.

"Good night, Father," he nodded, and disappeared inside their home.

Hizashi watched his son go with a sigh.

"It's like watching my brother all over again," he shook his head. "Where did I go wrong?"

-Part Three: Realignment-
Wheel alignment, sometimes referred to as breaking or tracking, is part of standard automobile maintenance that consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are set to the car maker's specification.

Tenten didn't make it to the luncheon. She'd gotten up, worked out with Lee, showered and changed, eaten an early breakfast with Gai, Lee, and Naruto, and packed up her car. On her way in from the parking lot, she caught sight of a sleek, silver Jag pulling up to the front of the Grand. The valet hurried out in the cold morning air and two men stepped out of the car.

Tenten froze.

She'd know that car anywhere, and she'd definitely know the two men that just exited it. She stood there dumbly for a few moments wondering if she should return inside.

She checked her watch. 9:35 AM. Of course they were the kind of people to be ridiculously early.

Tenten worried her lip, trying to decide if she was being prudent, silly, or a coward. A cold gust of winter wind sliced the air around her and she burrowed into her coat. Well, she wasn't going to get any warmer standing out in the cold, so she might as well head inside. Bricking up her resolve, she bent into the wind and headed back to the hotel.

"Tenten? Is that you?"

Tenten turned around on the main steps to find Kakashi, hands jammed in pockets, sauntering up behind her.

"Hey," she lifted an ungloved hand in greeting.

"Heading in?" he nodded to the hotel.

Tenten's phone buzzed in her hand. It was a text from Lee. "Did you know Neji was coming? Because he is here."

Tenten looked up just in time to seek Kakashi shake his head at her phone. "Shame," he said. "That brunch was going to be good. But I guess it can't be helped – you'd better hurry or you won't make it to the airport."

"The airport?" Tenten quirked an eyebrow. "Why would I go to the-"

"There you are!" a voice sing-songed from the doors of the Grand. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me!"

"How could I?" Kakashi said in an ostensibly polite voice. "Terumī Mei, Tenten. Tenten, Mei." He turned back to the tall woman with the auburn hair. "Tenten has graciously offered to take you to the airport for me," he said, fishing out his keys. "I got a call from the precinct. A few drunk and dissorderlies last night that I need to go down and check out. I'm afraid I can't keep our original plans."

"Well that is a shame," her full lips downturned into a pout. "I had hoped to get to know you better – Shizune says so many nice things about you."

"Yes, well," Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck and gave an awkward cough. "Some things can't be helped."

Before she could protest, he scooped up her luggage and offered his arm. Tenten smothered a laugh as he bustled the preening woman into his car and helped her into the passenger seat. He closed the door firmly then handed Tenten the keys. "I'll drop your car off at the garage," he said simply.

Tenten arched an eyebrow as she took the keys.

"He was looking for you last night," Kakashi slid a glance back to the Grand. "I'm guessing there is a reason he never found you."

She stared at the keys in her hand. "One good eye and you still see more than anyone I've ever met," she half laughed. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he shrugged. "I have to bring it in to be serviced soon anyway."

Tenten dropped Mei off - who was far less talkative when there was no attractive man around (although she did ask Tenten if she knew Kakashi, and did he have any other attractive friends?)– and then went directly to the garage.

And that was how she ended up at work 20 minutes after she was supposed to be sitting with Gai at the luncheon.

Lee sent her a text: "Kakashi is most grateful for your help and Gai is proud. It is a shame you won't be able to come back before the event ends – we will miss you."

She smiled at her phone.

Lee knew she could make it back… he was telling her she didn't have to.

She sighed and tossed the keys on her desk. She'd thought about going back for her car, but decided to do maintenance on Kakashi's instead. He was right; he was due to come in next week anyway, and she could use the distraction.

She hung up her jacket and changed into a faded, comfortable set of coveralls that she didn't wear when she was officially working. They were left over from her dad's garage and had belonged to a female mechanic that had worked there for about 6 months before moving to Kumo. She'd turned her uniforms over to 8-year-old Tenten with a smile and her blessing, and she loved that she still had a reminder of her dad's old shop.

The coveralls were faded and gray – not the sharp, crisp navy and light blue that Ibiki insisted on. Tenten zipped them up over a fitted pair of athletic shorts and a tank top before lacing up her shoes.

She was already in work mode by the time she pinned the inspection checklist on a clipboard and headed back into the garage.

The garage was quiet, save for Ibiki's old boombox crackling out some classic rock. They had a main sound system, and she had both a dock and earphones for her own ipod, but she didn't want to lose herself in music today.

Today she wanted to lose herself in the garage.

She was grateful they were closed for the day, although she was sure Ibiki would be in at some point to do some paperwork and office things. Ibiki took about as much time off as she did, which is to say almost none.

It wasn't that either of them couldn't afford to take some time off, or that they disliked being away – it was just that they both really loved what they did.

She was lucky, she supposed, to get to do what she loved – what she had always loved – every day. Her being settled into a working zen as she began the routine of servicing a car. She zoned out as she checked brake lights, and tire tread depths, and the wear on the windshield wipers. She got the car on the lift and decided to rotate the tires while the oil drained. The relative quiet was punctuated by the loud whir of the impact wrench as she removed the lugnuts and stored them appropriately. It was her father that taught her to love these kinds of things, and to not be bothered by the noise.

Her mother, though, taught her to love the boom of fireworks. She spoke only sparingly of her family, but she loved fireworks as a child, passing that love on to her daughter. It was one of the first things she'd bonded with Lee and Naruto over – one of the first times she felt connected to them as a child.

She'd been in a hurry to join them last night, and had stopped in her room just long enough to put her bag on the bed, grab Gai's blanket, and pull a long dress cloak around her shoulders. It was warm and soft and comfortable, and didn't snag her dress. More importantly, it hid the telltale green under the folds of the black material. She had to give Ino credit – again – on the recommendation.

"Who knew capes could have pockets?" she'd asked, when she tried it on.

"It's not a cape," Ino had rolled her eyes. "It is a cloak."

"Fine," Tenten shrugged, "but if the opportunity comes up to fight crime, I'm taking it."

Sadly, the evening turned out to be devoid of any excuses to fight for justice, liberty, and the Konoha Way.

Once she stepped out onto the patio, she filled her lungs with the crisp, clear night air.

Naruto found her immediately and pressed a warm cup of hot cocoa into her hands.

"Gai's sensei's over here," he led her to where Lee, Gai, Genma, and Kakashi were chatting pleasantly.

Naruto held her drink while Tenten took the blanket folded over her arm – the same one Gai had used with the three of them so long ago - and tucked it over Gai's lap and his legs.

"Just in case," she said with a kind smile, and he beamed at her.

"That's my Lotus," he declared proudly. "Always prepared."

"Well, we learned from the best," Tenten accepted her drink back from Naruto.

"You flatter me," Gai put a hand to his heart.

"How do you know she wasn't talking about us?" Genma quipped. "You aren't the only one that whipped these three into shape."

Gai gave a hearty laugh as he clapped Genma on the back. "That is true! You had your share, didn't you?"

"So did Ebisu," Genma drawled. "I thought Naruto had broken him…at least until he got stuck with Asuma's nephew."

"Oh yeah, Ebisu," Naruto's eyes widened. "I'd almost forgotten about him. How's he holding up?"

"He's doing well. Now come!" Gai boomed. "Let's hear what Naruto has to say for himself. Any youthful prospects on your horizon?" he waggled substantial eyebrows at him.

"Eh," Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, "Well…Oh, Look!" the first twisting trail of light rocketed into the sky. "The fireworks have started!"

The rest of the crowd fell into a low buzz of conversation as music swelled over the sound system. The fireworks were choreographed to the music, and Tenten loved how the blasts reverberated through her.

Lee stood next to her, not saying anything. He simply draped an arm around her shoulders and waited. There were multiple smoke shadows of spent fireworks hanging in the sky before either of them spoke.

"He knows," she said quietly.

Lee didn't have to ask 'whom' or about 'what.' Instead, he asked:

"How?" and then, as an afterthought, "His father?"

"No," she gave a wry laugh. "He figured it out. Turns out all of that studying isn't for show - he's ridiculously clever. He narrowed it down to us three, and then to just me… he just didn't know that I'm Tiān ."

"…Who he thought must be here, and that is why he was surprised when Naruto hadn't heard that name in a while," Lee filled in the blanks. "He is clever."

"And funny, and charming, and considerate," she added. "Not to mention easy to talk to, and a really good dancer, and…" she buried her head in Lee's shoulder with a groan. "And I'm never talking to him again."

"I can see why," Lee drawled, eyes on the fireworks. "Sounds like a real jerk."

"I wish he was," Tenten sighed. "That would make this easier."

"Sounds like you are being awfully hard on both of you," Lee said gently.

"You didn't see his face when he figured it out," she burrowed deeper into the folds of her cloak.

"How much does he know?" Lee pressed. "It might not be so bad."

"He knew it was me ten years ago, and judging from his expression, that wasn't welcome news."

"Maybe it was just unexpected news," he offered. "This all had to be strange for him, too, Ten."

"If it was strange tonight when we were almost on an even social footing, how strange is it going to be in real life?" she shifted to look up at him. "I'm playing dress up for a good cause like I do once a year; this sort of thing is probably normal for him. I fix cars, Lee, and take five-year breaks between wearing heels. He probably has multiple tuxedos hanging in his closet and attends high-end social functions ad nauseum."

"Give him some credit, Tenten," Lee chided gently. "He had the good sense to dance with you for hours."

"Until he realized who I was," she sighed. "I just…" she paused, watching the night sky.

Lee waited, as everything lit up in shades of red and blue and green and white as the explosions littered the sky with sparks.

"I just want to watch the fireworks," she murmured. "For tonight."

"Alright," he kissed her head.

He didn't say anything more on the subject.

She and Naruto and Lee stayed with Gai until about 2:00, when they went back to their room and sat around and talked. She'd stayed up too late, enjoying the company of her two best friends (not counting Temari) and fallen asleep happy.

It had been a restorative return to her 'normal' world that her heart had sorely needed.

She needed the reminder that no matter what happened (or didn't happen) with regards to Neji, she'd always have Lee and Naruto. And it wasn't like Neji was really so much a part of her life that he was unavoidable – after all, she'd been around Ibiki's garage since she was 13, and hadn't seen his dad before then.

"Life will go back to normal," she assured herself, lowering the lift. She popped the hood and propped it open.

Tenten was just double checking the supplies on her cart when she heard the chime for the side entrance echo in the almost-quiet of the garage. She paused a moment to listen. It was too early for Kakashi to have come by with her truck. Maybe it was someone Ibiki was expecting? One of the mechanics? Probably Kotetsu – he was forever forgetting things in his work locker. The familiar ding of the door sensor meant that Ibiki was here and had buzzed whoever it was in.

That officially made it none of her business.

She turned her attention back to own work, humming along to the radio.

-Part Four: Locus poenitentiae-
'Place of repentance.' When one party withdraws from a contract before all parties are bound.

The cab pulled up to the garage.

Before he could allow any rational part of his mind to engage, Neji paid the fare, jumped out, and strode quickly up the shoveled and salted walk to the main entrance.

The sign on the door was still flipped to read "Closed." He peered in through the glass door into the lobby, shading his eyes to better see. There was no one at the reception desk, and he couldn't see the offices from the door.

"Service entrance," he said under his breath. "Has to be a service entrance."

He circled the building until he found a smaller side door. There were a couple sets of footprints in the snow near the cleared path, so someone had been by this way earlier.

There was a buzzer/intercom and keypad under the small placard reading "Ring for Service."

Neji took a deep breath and pushed the button.

A chime rang on the other side of the door before relaying through the building.

"Yes?" a gruff voice came over the speaker.

Neji's eyes flicked up to the security camera.

"Neji?" Ibiki's voice held a note of surprise. "Can I help you?"

"I just came to make a delivery to one of your mechanics," he held up a bag.

There was an audible click and there was no longer a buzz coming from the speaker. Neji heard nothing for a full thirty seconds. There was an electronic whir from inside the door and a buzzing – the door had been unlocked.

Neji presumed that was his cue. A single, pleasant tone alerted anyone inside that someone had walked through the door. It took his eyes a second to adjust from the bright sun of a snowy day to the sedate lighting of the hallway. In that second, he realized a very large figure was making his way through the hall toward him.

"Neji," Ibiki nodded a greeting, holding out a hand. "Good to see you."

"And you," Neji returned the firm handshake, idly noting that he hadn't seen his hand look so dwarfed since he was a child.

"So," Ibiki crossed his arms, almost filling the not-narrow-hallway as she stood in a modified parade rest. "You said something about a delivery?"

"Yes," Neji cleared his throat. "I did."

Ibiki raised both eyebrows in question.

"It seems that one of your mechanics – Tenten," he clarified, keeping his tone as casual as possible, "left behind something at the Gala last night. I would like to return it to her."

"She's working," Ibiki nodded his head toward the corridor behind him. "Would you like to leave it with me?"

"Actually I'd rather give it to her in person," Neji said with just the right note of apology in his tone, even as his heartrate kicked up a beat or two per minute. "I won't take too much of her time."

Ibiki looked him over, considering. "Down the hall. Last door on the left," he finally said. "Hooks on the wall for coats. I'll be just in my office, should either of you need me."

With that he stepped to the side allowing Neji enough room to get by – even though the quarters were tight enough that he had to cross into the much larger man's airspace, however slightly.

He nodded his thanks as he passed.

"She's here on her own time," Ibiki said, and Neji halted in his steps, looking over his shoulder. "I ask you to be mindful of that."

Neji gave a respectful nod. "Noted."

Without another word, Ibiki continued down the hallway, leaving Neji to make his own way to the garage.

The high ceilings and cement floors allowed for sound to both bounce and be swallowed. He could just make out the crackling of a radio and the clinking of metal as he stepped into the room. The lights were on in only one quadrant of the large space so he directed himself toward it. One lone car was on the lift, lowered to ground level. As he drew closer the sound of someone humming threaded its way in between the crackle of power chords and solo guitar.

Mesmerized, he stood in silence wondering what to say to her. He watched as she stepped away from the car and went to a tall metal cabinet and retrieved five quarts of oil. After that she went to the office, clearly visible through the large windows. As he watched, the corners of his mouth tipped upward. He was fairly certain he'd just found his opening.

-Part Five: Stalled out-
A stall of an engine refers to a sudden stopping of the engine turning, usually brought about accidentally. It is commonly applied to the phenomenon whereby an engine abruptly ceases operating and stops turning.

Tenten realized two things simultaneously.

1) In her distracted state of mind, she'd grabbed the wrong oil for Kakashi's car.

2) Her phone was almost dead.

She hadn't even opened the oil, so 1 was easily fixed. As for 2, luckily, when Kakashi had roped her into dropping Mei off at the airport, she'd taken a minute to retrieve her big bag from her car. She dug out her phone charger and was putting everything back in, when she realized she was missing something.

She looked over her desk.

Nothing.

She looked under her desk.

Nothing.

She looked around her desk.

Still nothing.

Perplexed, she checked the office again, and then went out to Kakashi's car, carefully looking inside.

Definitely nothing.

She muttered to herself.

"One? Only one? Are you kidding me?"

She closed the car door, jammed her hands on her hips and asked:

"Who only loses only one shoe?!"

"Cinderella for one. Or so I'm told."

"Okay, fair," she replied, crouching to look under the car, focused in her task. "but if I was hightailing it out of a castle, I'd lose the glass kicks, too."

"What about if you were running out of the ballroom of a hotel?"

"Why would anyone run out of…the…"

She sat back on her heels for a moment, blinking. Slowly she turned her head and caught sight of the expensive black leather shoes and the dark charcoal cuffs flecked with snow. She scanned up the long, lean lines of tailored trousers to the crisp white shirt and grey vest to the now-familiar lilac-pale eyes of the Beautiful Law Student.

And all she could manage to say was

"Oh."

That was until he dipped a hand into the small bag he was holding and produced her missing shoe.

Her eyes went wide.

"Where…where did you get that?" she asked.

"At your seat for the Gala, just under the table," he said calmly. "For what it's worth," he continued, holding up one impossibly high green satin heel, "I think these are a far better choice than the traditional glass or fur, although I am not certain they're that much more practical."

"Highly impractical," she found herself agreeing. "What are you doing here?"

He lifted slim eyebrows. "Other than returning your shoe?" he asked with a trace of amusement. "I came to apologize."

"Apologize?" Tenten's forehead crinkled as if she was having trouble translating the word.

"Yes. I owe you at least that much."

Tenten's heart contracted into lead. She gave a dry bark of laughter and stood, brushing herself off.

"You don't owe me anything," she tried to keep her tone light. "Not for last night or for anything else. Thanks for finding my shoe," she began to back her way toward the open hood of Kakashi's car. "You can just put it down over there," she nodded to a clean work area, "and we'll call it square."

Tenten turned back to her work, ignoring the strange gripping in her chest. She snatched up her clipboard, scanned her checklist, and tried to orient herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Neji watching her. After a moment or two he turned to gently place the lone shoe onto the nearby work-worn desk.

She reached in the engine and unscrewed the oil cap, putting it on her cart before cracking open the bottles of oil.

Neji circled behind her and stood to the side.

"Tenten."

His voice hung in the air between them.

She flicked her eyes up to him as she grabbed the first two quarts of oil.

"Yes."

"Will you do me the favor of just listening?" he asked evenly. "I shall take no more than five minutes, and you can continue to work."

Tenten's heart pounded in her chest as she drew in a long, deep breath.

"Alright, Neji," she exhaled. "I'll listen."

-Part Six: Audi alteram partem-
'hear the other side.' Refers to the idea that one cannot be fairly judged unless the cases for and against them have been heard.

Neji cleared his throat, and she turned her attention to pouring the oil in the funnel.

"I only recently learned about what happened ten years ago," He began. "It was the first I'd heard about what really happened to my father that night, or anything related to that incident," he hurried to assure her. "I do not know what he said to you, but he never mentioned your name to me. In fact," he paused and she half looked over her shoulder. "He never even mentioned if his rescuer was a boy or girl. Probably, he did that to let me assume it was a boy."

He thought that maybe she smiled at that, and it gave him a little more courage.

"Needless to say it gave me much to think about – first and foremost, why hadn't I ever heard anything about it, and what happened to the child that saved my father?"

He watched her carefully as she turned and reached for the third and fourth quarts. He waited until she resumed her work to pick up where he left off.

"I suspected that the person in question might be at the Gala. I knew they had been both a foster and an adoptee, and an inaugural member of the Youth programs. From there, it was easy to narrow it down to three possible suspects."

His eyes softened. "I eventually ruled out Lee and Naruto – the timing of when they entered the programs didn't match. That only left someone named 'Tiān.'"

She faltered slightly in her work, her back tightening even as she tried to remain aloof.

"I had no idea who Tiān was," he shrugged. "And more importantly, I stopped looking. You see," he took a hesitant step closer, "I had a new objective. Something far more important than looking for someone I may or may not find."

She half turned toward him, waiting.

"And…what was that?" she asked cautiously.

Neji gave an elegant shrug.

"To spend time with the person I'd wanted to talk to from the first time I saw her at the shops, the day before classes began."

She snapped her eyes up to his, lips parted in obvious disbelief.

"Me?" she breathed incredulously, turning to face him

"Yes," he said solemnly. "You, Tenten."

He could see he lingered just on the edge of her trust, and he searched for a way to reassure her.

"The first time I saw you, you were leaving the bookstore with Lee. I wondered what it would be like to spend time with someone who smiled and laughed so easily. I passed you several times on campus before you began studying on the fifth floor."

His eyes roved over her face and a gentle smile tugged at his lips.

"I'll tell you a secret," he lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I didn't know your name – or Lee's. Not until I overheard Lee say it at the gym. Until then, I always thought of you as 'The Girl Who Smiled.' Naturally, Lee was 'The Guy in Green,'" he added.

"Naturally," Tenten's smile was slow but genuine and it warmed his heart.

"And then there was last night," his eyes caught hers. "Getting to know you - spending time with you - was better than I could have ever imagined it to be," he admitted. "And I had always imagined it would be rather marvelous."

Her voice was soft. "You did, huh?"

"Frequently," he affirmed frankly. "I do not generally warm to people quickly, but I was certain that if there was an exception to that rule, it would be you."

Something playful flitted across her features. "Not one for talking to strangers?"

"No," he said with a flat finality that prompted a small, possibly understanding laugh from Tenten.

"And I'm certainly not one for dancing with them if I can help it," he proceeded, quickly pressing what he sensed to be an advantage. "I couldn't have possibly anticipated that you would be such a delightful partner. Granted, given your choice of footwear," he flicked a glance over to the satin shoe, "I was exceedingly grateful for your skill," (she laughed again), "but your intelligence, your kindness, your sense of humor…all of that made it more than I could've projected. Although, I confess," he took in her twin buns and work wear with appreciation. "While you looked stunning, that was less of a surprise. I already knew you were beautiful."

Tenten's expression hovered between skeptical and pleased, and embarrassed, and perhaps even tempted to believe him.

"As for your past with my father," he held her gaze, and could almost hear her defenses begin to brick up. "In my shock, I reacted poorly. Abominably, even. And for that I apologize. It was uncalled for."

"Not uncalled for," Tenten's smile was small and crooked. "Understandable, given the circumstances. My past is complicated to say the least. And all of that stuff with your dad-"

"Is in the past," he said firmly, placing both hands on her shoulders. He felt her jolt of surprise at his interruption, and the tensing of lean muscle under his palms. "And as grateful as I am – and I am grateful- I didn't come here because of your past, Tenten."

"The shoe, of course," she nodded. "And, don't worry about apologizing, it's not that big of a deal. It was just a misunderstanding, and-"

"That's not it either, Tenten," he interrupted gently. "Not entirely."

She scanned his face with those large, hazel-gray eyes of hers, taking his measure.

"Alright," her voice was low and wary. "Then why are you here, Neji?"

Despite having an impressive vocabulary and a gift for framing his thoughts, and despite having a very clear sense of what he wanted to say… he found that the words eluded him.

His eyes fixed on the smudge on her cheek, instantly reminding him of the time he thought she had been hurt. Reflexively, he traced a thumb over the mark.

Neji had long prided himself on being resourceful and for thinking on his feet. He was analytical to a fault, but was swift to adopt a course of action once he decided upon it.

When she neither flinched nor pulled away from his touch, he was encouraged.

When she leaned into his touch, he made a swift and final decision.

Trailing fingers gently down her jaw to tip up her chin
– and seeing no objection from the other party –
he kissed her.

Cautious.

Measured.

Considerate of her boundaries.

At least for the first five seconds.

Nothing in his analysis of the situation could have calculated how impossibly good and right her lips felt against his, or how electric her skin was under his fingertips.

He did not foresee them both overcoming their shy reticence with an alarming alacrity.

Yet his initial brush against her lips was quickly returned and deepened. His hands slid around her waist as her forearms glided around his neck and they pulled closer to one another.

Every rational thought abandoned him, and for the first time Neji was completely at peace with ceding control to the fates.

He didn't know how long it was before he rested his forehead against hers, heart pounding in his ears, breath uneven.

She cleared her throat. "You make a compelling argument, counsellor," he heard her smile. "However, I believe protocol allows for opposing counsel to make a rebuttal?"

"A rebuttal?" he asked, lifting his face to better see her.

"I believe that is what it is called," she gave a small shrug, "I'm not all the way through that chapter."

He arched an eyebrow at her, and she mirrored the expression. "You don't think you were the only one paying attention this semester, do you? I still don't know how anyone can enjoy reading about tort law," she gave a shudder.

"If you ever figure it out, let me know," he said dryly.

"I think I'll work on the rebuttal first," she grinned slyly, brushing her nose against his. "Far more interesting."

Any attempt he might have made to question or correct her logic was swallowed in her kiss.

He had to agree – the rebuttal was far more interesting.

Absently, he noted that he knew nothing of what this was or where it would go, but as her body sighed happily against his, he could only focus on his present victory.

He'd finally caught up to "The Girl Who Smiled."

It had taken a whole semester, and should have been impossible, but as she stole his breath and sent his pulse careening, he had but one conclusion to make.

It had been worth the wait.

Chapter Text

Force Majeure
Epilogue: Casus Fortuitus

casus fortuitus: 'fortuitous event' Force majeure, specifically a man-made inevitable accident

Part One: Sync
Ford Sync (stylized Ford SYNC) is a factory-installed, integrated in-vehicle communications and entertainment system that allows users to make hands-free telephone calls, control music and perform other functions with the use of voice commands.

It was all so surreal.

One minute she was wondering how the hell she had lost track of one – and only one – shoe, and the next minute the Beautiful Law Student was kissing her.

Neji was kissing her.

Not that he was any less beautiful (or a law student) but she realized that last night as they danced, Neji had become… Neji.

He was real.

He was nothing and everything she'd imagined he would be.

He wasn't perfect.

He was human.

And that was better.

Human was approachable. She could work with human.

As he pulled her closer to him, her heart lurched.

Yeah.

She could definitely work with human.

Everything around her became a Gaussian blur except for the reality at the immediate end of her synapses.

And then a strange noise rumbled between them.

It was several seconds before she realized it was Neji's stomach.

Tenten smiled against his lips.

Neji cleared his throat awkwardly.

"In my efforts to get out of the house this morning, I might've skipped breakfast."

And just like that the rest of the world shifted back into focus; the crackle of the radio echoing in the garage, the faint buzz of the lights overhead, the familiar smell of oil and freshly laundered coveralls, and the new smell of clean and crisp that was Neji.

"Mm," she hummed. "We should do something about that."

Neji brushed a light kiss across her mouth before checking his watch.

"I happen to know a place serving brunch until 2:00," he offered.

"Would this be the same place I was planning on eating brunch this morning?" she asked, releasing her hands from behind his neck to skim across and rest on his shoulders.

"It would," he laced his fingers behind her back. "I hear you got roped into taking Terumī Mei to the airport?"

Tenten's eyes went wide.

"You know Mei?"

"I know of Mei," Neji corrected her. "I have managed to avoid an introduction thus far. My father was rather grateful that she took a shining to Kakashi this year."

Tenten gave an inelegant snort. "I'll bet."

"And I'd bet you were avoiding me," Neji looked over her lazily.

"You'd bet right," Tenten openly admitted. "How did you know I was here?"

"Lucky guess," Neji shrugged. "Would you like to return to the Grand? There is still time."

"Depends," she leaned back to better see his face. "How are you with nosy people?"

"Neji quirked an eyebrow. "I can both dodge paparazzi and converse with little old women who invariably know someone about my age that I 'simply must meet,' if that is what you are asking."

"You've never had to out-maneuver the Green Team," Tenten smiled crookedly at him. "If you show up with me to that luncheon, we will find ourselves faced with several very inquisitive men, and they are relentless when they want to know something."

"And what would they want to know?" he asked.

"Anything. Everything. Me bringing back Kakashi's car won't surprising. Me showing up with you, will. Of course, I can drop you off and then park; you can say you got a cab back, and problem solved."

"Sounds a little like a seventh grader trying not to get caught," Neji tsked. "Unseemly."

"Maybe it's better to just skip it, and go somewhere quiet instead," she chuckled. "Naruto is still here for a couple more days, so the four of us can catch up later."

"No," Neji said, and although his tone was low, it was firm. "They are your family, and this is a special event for you. I do not wish you to miss out on my account. As for any questions," he tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear, "that is simple. Tell them the truth: I have long been an admirer of your 'youthful spirit,' and am happy for the chance to know you better."

"Know me better, huh?" her eyes danced playfully. "Just how well are we talking."

"Quite well," he said solemnly. "But perhaps those details are better left to the imagination until we can discuss them further, Perhaps over dinner? Tonight?"

"You haven't even had breakfast, and you are thinking about dinner?" Tenten raised her eyebrow.

Neji answered, in all seriousness:

"I like to plan ahead."

"You'll be sick of me by dinner," she laughed.

"Tenten," Neji made sure she was looking him in the eyes. "I spent an entire semester thinking about you, a couple of weeks researching anything I could on the person who saved my father (of course, not knowing that was you), and all of my time at the Gala either trying to find a reason to speak with you, actually dancing with you, or trying to find you after you disappeared."

Tenten grinned wickedly at him. "Seems like I've already been a terrible amount of trouble."

"Very much so," he said dryly. "But worth every minute of it." He checked his watch before planting a swift kiss on her lips (well, it was supposed to be swift, but neither of them was one to do things half way).

"Do what you need to do to finish," he indicated the car. "And then we shall go to the Grand."

In no time Tenten finished the last few adjustments, changed out of her coveralls, lowered the car, and drove them back to the Grand Konoha Hotel.

After handing the keys over to the valet, she hesitated at the bottom of the stairs.

"You sure about this?" she asked, looking up the white marble steps. "You can go in ahead of me – no harm, no foul. I'll still go to dinner, if you're up for it."

Neji was still for about half of a heartbeat before holding out his hand to her.

"I'm sure, Tenten."

With a slow smile, she crossed the short distance between them. Blinking away the snowflakes that settled on her eyelashes she slipped her fingers in between his.

They rode the elevator up in companionable silence, his hand warm and sure and wrapped around her always-cold fingers.

The door chimed and they followed the signs to the luncheon.

"A moment," Neji stopped them just out of sight of the door and held her hands out to the sides before stepping back and studying her thoughtfully.

"What is it?" Tenten asked warily.

"Just memorizing your attire – particularly your shoes."

"My shoes?" she asked, confused. "What on earth for?"

"In case you go missing during the course of the meal."

Tenten's indignant gasp melted into laughter as his teasing barely-there smile became genuine.

He held his hand out to her again.

"Ready?"

She flicked her eyes to the door and back, eyebrows raised. He raised his in kind.

Something warm settled in her stomach, and her smile blossomed. She wound her fingers in between his and reached up on tip-toe to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Yeah," she squeezed his hand. "I'm ready."

Part Two: Off-duty Mechanics
card mechanic: A card cheat who specializes in sleight-of-hand and manipulation of cards, a card sharp.

It was just after 8:00PM when Kakashi let himself in through the back door.

"That you, Kakashi?"

Genma lazily leaned back in his chair to look around the corner, watching as the other man removed his shoes.

"Yeah," he replied, unwinding the scarf from around his shoulders and face. "It's me." He hung up his coat.

"Just in time for the next hand," he said, and a collective groan went up from the table.

"I told you he was bluffing," Kotetsu elbowed Izumo.

"Yeah, yeah," the other grumbled shoving over the pot to Genma.

"Have a seat," Genma nodded to the empty chair just across from him. He slid the stack of cards over to Kakashi, who cut the deck before handing it back. Genma dealt out the cards with a practiced hand and a quick eye.

"Where's Gai?" Kakashi asked. "And wasn't Naruto going to join us?

"Gai-sensei said he needs to finish some work for the Youth programs before the first," Lee explained. "He sends his regrets and says he will be here next week. As for Naruto, he just got back in to Konoha tonight, and said he has an early morning. I think he had dinner with someone from work, though," Lee added.

"Hm," Kakashi hummed.

"How's the car running?" Ibiki asked, eyeing his cards.

"No complaints," Kakashi shrugged. "Tenten did a great job, as always."

There was a knock on the door, and Genma actually got up to answer it, earning more than a few quirked eyebrows.

When the last poker seat was filled, they understood why.

"Gentlemen," Hizashi nodded. "Been a while."

Kakashi leaned back in his seat. "Ah, so that's how it is," he mused, looking around the table, met with a variety of smug, sheepish, and unconcerned expressions. "I wondered what was going on."

He turned to Hizashi.

"So these are the meetings you said you had to go to?"

"Shame you're always too busy for poker," the Hyūga shrugged one shoulder. "You'd've been in on everything sooner."

Kakashi arched an eyebrow and looked directly at Ibiki. "And they got you to go along with this? That isn't like you."

"They were already up to no good when I found out," the larger man snorted. "I only came on board as damage control."

"Alright," Kakashi sighed, looking over his cards. "Walk me through it."

"Simple, really," Genma shrugged. "I first noticed when Tenten started studying in the library. I monitor the security feed in there, you know."

"Ah," Kakashi tossed out two cards. "And?"

"And library security is one of the most boring things ever," Genma scoffed. "At least until I noticed the two of them. I've kept an eye out for Neji since he was in high school and coming to classes," he shrugged.

"It's part of why we let him do so much work on campus," Hizashi added.

"Easiest assignment ever," Genma grunted. "Never saw the kid do anything ever than study until she started showing up on the fifth floor. She'd started studying late on campus even before then; Lee and Gai and Ibiki all gave me the heads up. Made my life a hell of a lot easier when they started studying in the same place."

"Be honest," Lee's eyes sparkled. "You suggested the fifth floor."

"Tenten asked me the best place to study where it would be quiet, and she wouldn't be interrupted. No one even tries to study up there after a month into the semester. Her being there shortened it significantly. The girls trying to flirt left Neji alone, and the people who talked got chased off by her. It ended up being good for both of them."

"And easier for you," Kotetsu snickered.

"True," Genma flicked him a card.

"So you were spying on them," Kakashi leaned back in his chair.

"Monitoring the situation," Genma corrected. "I am subcontracted to Hizashi after all."

"That is true," Hizashi said, clearly in good humor. "It was part of why Neji was afforded so much freedom on campus at such an early age. Kidnapping is, unfortunately, a very real concern for our family."

"Genma told me about that," Lee darted a look around the table. "Neji's cousin, correct?"

"My niece, yes," Hizashi nodded gravely.

"Lee, how long have you been in on this?" Kakashi asked.

"I only filled Lee in recently," Genma waved the speculation away. "Other than that he'd just been looking out for Tenten as usual."

"It was enough for Ibiki to contact me," Hizashi slid a glance over to the larger man. "He called me to warn me about what these two were up to."

Kakashi looked at Ibiki and flicked a glance to Izumo and Kotetsu. Ibiki gave a miniscule shake of his head. His mechanics didn't know the history involving Tenten and Hizashi. Another head jerk indicated that Lee and Genma knew.

"Wouldn't have bothered saying anything if I hadn't seen your kid looking over my mechanic," he said gruffly. "He's got it bad."

"Sure does," Hizashi said happily. "Well, you saw them at the luncheon the other day. I must say, I wasn't sure that my son would be smart enough to actually bring her back. Perhaps he has some of his Father in him after all!"

"That was a surprise to see them back at the luncheon," Kakashi said idly tossing a few more chips into the middle of the table. "As far as I knew, Tenten had left."

"Stuff it, Kakashi," Genma snorted. "We all saw her give you the valet ticket when she got back."

"What I still don't understand." Kakashi ignored Genma. "Is the whole shoe problem? And how did Neji know where to find Tenten?"

"That genius and deviously fanciful gem was all Lee," Genma tossed in his bet.

"Lee?" Kakashi's eyes widened.

Lee gave a nonchalant shrug. "She was anxious to leave the ballroom. I simply put her bag together and zipped it closed while she was on the phone to Temari. Must've missed one of the shoes on accident."

"Accident?" Kakashi eyed Lee over his cards.

"Things happen," Lee shrugged.

"Probably like you just so happening to run into Tenten in the parking lot," Genma said slyly. "I know you pulled in around the same time I did."

"That was mostly genuine," Kakashi corrected him. "And considering it meant Mei got back on her flight on time," he looked around the table, "you're welcome."

A collective shudder slipped through the men.

"Well, either way," Lee said cheerfully, "it all worked out in the end. He has asked her to be his date for New Year's, and she accepted."

"That is good news," Hizashi's eyes gleamed. "Anything else to share?"

"Sorry," Lee shook his head.

"Oh well, can't blame a father for trying," he looked around the group. "Cards?"

"Nothing," Kotetsu sighed.

"One pair," Izumo turned his over.

Ibiki and Lee shook their heads.

"Genma?"

"Straight," he fanned his cards out on the table.

"Kakashi?"

"Straight flush."

"That beats my four of a kind," Hizashi chuckled, pushing over his chips.

"Better luck next time," Kakashi offered as he accepted the pot.

"That's alright," Hizashi said mildly. "I'm holding out for a different hand."

"Oh?" Genma arched an eyebrow.

Hizashi smiled.

"A Full house."

Part Three: Moonlighting
moonlight: to have a second job in addition to one's regular employment.

The astonishment in Jiraiya's voice was obvious, even over the phone.

"They emailed me the contracts this morning. How did you get it done so fast, my boy?"

"Pretty good, eh, Pervy Sage?" Naruto grinned as he pulled his keys and wallet from his pockets and put them on the hotel dresser. "Told you that you could count on me, believe it!"

"I knew I sent you for a reason," the sound of papers being sorted filtered through. "But I wasn't expecting to have the paperwork back after dinner tonight."

"I met with several of them when I came into town for the Gala," he admitted. "Turns out we have a few alumni and friends in high places. They met me for dinner with the paperwork ready to sign."

"Either way, I wasn't expecting to have this all in place before the New Year."

"I told you I could do it, didn't I?" Naruto hung up his jacket on the hanger with tie he'd decided not to wear to dinner.

"You did," Jiraiya chuckled. "I should know better than to doubt you by now, even if it seems like you are taking on the impossible."

"I had help," Naruto smiled at the reflection in the mirror.

"And that is why I should've known," Jiraiya snorted. "You always manage to get people to pull together when you need to. It's a real gift, my boy."

"Well," Naruto unbuttoned his sleeves and began to roll them up, "I did have a pretty good teacher."

"That you did," the squeak of his old chair indicating he was leaning back comfortably. "Still…. You were awfully motivated. Even for you."

"You did promise to make regular contributions to the Youth program if I got it all done before New Year's," Naruto pointed out.

"And you know I would've done that anyway," Jiraiya said dismissively. "No… No, I think you had some outside motivation."

"You know I've been wanting to move back to Konoha," Naruto sat on the side of his hotel bed. "My family is here."

"Ah, yes, the other two-thirds of your trio. I wonder if Konoha will survive that kind of reunion."

"Guess we'll have to find out," Naruto shrugged easily. "Either way, it's time."

"You are staying at one of the airport hotels, right?" the sound of typing drifted over the line.

"Yeah," Naruto glanced at the clock on the night stand. "I have to fly out early on the second and most of the hotels are booked up for New Year's."

"Will you see your friends, then?"

"We'll catch up tomorrow. Not sure how plans will shake out now that Tenten has a date, though," he grinned cheekily. "Wonder if she'll invite her two brothers to come?"

"My boy, we may have to chat about women again."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto rolled his eyes. "It'll have to wait for tomorrow. It's been a long day and I have a really early morning."

"That's fine," Jiraiya said, all business. "Keep me posted on any new developments. I have your flight itineraries, and copies of your paperwork in case you lose your passport or tickets. Again."

"That was one time," Naruto grumbled.

"It was three times," Jiraiya countered, "and one of them was last month."

Naruto yawned widely.

"Alright, alright," Jiraiya gave in. "Get some rest."

Naruto ended the call, idly checking a few messages before setting his alarms, and plugging in his phone.

"Everything alright?"

He looked over his shoulder to smile at the woman sitting at the head of the bed, curled up with a book.

"Yeah," he locked his phone and sat back on the bed. "Just a little worn out."

"You?" a playful smile hovered on full, pale pink lips. "Tired?"

"Between work, keeping up with Lee, and Operation NejiTen? Even I have my limits, Hinata."

He flopped his head into her lap.

She smiled fondly at him and put her book to the side, adjusting to make him more comfortable.

"Then I guess it is a good thing we are going to Tea Country for a little while," she ran gentle fingers through his hair.

"Mmhm," he hummed happily. "Sure you won't go back to Suna with me?"

"Not this time," she apologized in her gentle voice. "Iruka's is almost ready, but I can't do anything more at your home until they finish the renovations. If you want it all ready in time for the move…"

"I know," he threaded his fingers through her free hand. "I'm just excited."

Her chuckle was light.

"Me, too."

"Really?"

His boyish grin tugged at her heart.

"Of course," her smile was sweet, and full, and only for him. "Besides," those pretty lips glided into something eerily redolent of the trademark Hyūga smugness, "I can't keep Operation NejiTen up all on my own."

"Don't see why not," his eyes sparked mischief. "You're the one who started it, after all."

"It was just good luck that I recognized her and Lee that day," she said modestly. "I'd never seen Neji-nii look at anyone like that," her smile was wistful. "How could I not do something?"

Naruto shook his head and gave a low laugh.

"W-what?" Hinata's cheeks flushed. "Did I say something wro-"

Naruto moved in a blink, pushing himself up with one arm and capturing her with a sudden and confident kiss.

Her eyes drifted closed as she melted into him.

"You are amazing, Hinata," he rested his head against hers. "I don't know how I got so lucky."

"I'm the lucky one," she brushed pale fingers against his chest.

"I think it's Neji and Tenten that are the lucky ones," Naruto teased. "After all, they have the two of us looking out for them."

"And Konohamaru and Hanabi," Hinata added. "And Genma."

"And Gai-Sensei, and Lee, and Kakashi, and Ibiki, and the guys at the garage, and your Uncle, and-"

"My Uncle?" Hinata asked, eyes wide. "He's involved?"

"He doesn't know anything about our side of things," Naruto was quick to assure her. "Only Genma."

"It's not that I don't want him to know about us," she blinked beautiful, lavender-white eyes at him, "it's just that-"

"'Nata, I know," he cut her off. "C'mon," he brushed a quick kiss against her lips. "It's been a long day – let's get ready for bed."

"Naruto," she hesitated. "We're already in bed."

"Good point," his smile grew wicked as he brushed his nose against hers before trailing kisses along her jaw. "What was I thinking?"

"Naruto!" she gasped, "What are you-?"

He swallowed the rest of her surprise in the kind of kiss that cleared the matter up entirely.

"Oh," she murmured.

"Yeah," he reached to turn off the light with a 'click.' "Oh."

"But we have to-!"

"Tomorrow, Hinata," he promised, his fingers trailing up her hip to her waist to slip under her pajama top.

Her eyes glazed over and she nodded her agreement.

Tomorrow.

*~*Fin*~*

Chapter Text

Please enjoy this preview of the sequel to 'Force Majeure,' to be updated weekly on Tuesdays.

The Mechanics of Law
Chapter One: Nemo Judex In Sua Causa

nemo judex in sua causa: no one shall be a judge in his own case Prevents conflict of interest in courts. Often invoked when there is really no conflict, but when there is even the appearance of one.

-Part One: Inter se -
'Amongst themselves.' Refers to obligations between members of the same group or party, differentiated from the whole party's obligations to another party.

Neji had an excellent concept of time.

He had an uncanny understanding of how long things took, the kind of effort he would need to expend, and how much time had gone by. He always knew roughly what time it was, with or without checking his watch or his phone.

That being said, he was fairly certain the time for his current lecture to have ended had come and gone several times over. The two times he had allowed himself to surreptitiously glance at his watch, he had been sorely disappointed with how little time had passed. Resolving to simply endure, he kept his eyes trained on the professor at the front of the room. When the lecture finally did reach its inevitable yet horribly delayed close, Neji wasted no time gathering his things and proceeding directly for the door.

He strode through the halls with determination, never breaking his gait or allowing any emotion to even so much as flicker across his face. Thus, no one approached or tried to interrupt his progress as he pretended not to notice the occasional wide eyed glances cast his way. Pressing through the doors and all but marching down the steps, he particularly ignored the small group of girls darting glances up at him from the benches outside.

Neji put purpose into each of his long strides, which was enough to carry him quickly from the building as well as well as prevent any further attempts at interruption.

He didn't break stride until he was at the top of the stairs on the fifth floor of the library, when he felt that tension coiled between his shoulders begin to slip away.

Absently, he noted an appreciation for both the legal and poetic concepts of "sanctuary."

And the strongest motivation to that notion was currently reading through an accounting textbook while weaving a pencil through her fingers.

"So?" she finished reading a line of text before looking up at him. "What's the verdict?"

Sometimes he hardly recognized himself with Tenten.

Before taking his customary seat, he leaned over the table for a chaste-enough-for-being-in-public-even-though-no-one-else-was-around kiss. "You're beautiful," he murmured.

He felt her lips curve into a smile. "Isn't that leading the witness?"

"Simple statement of fact," he shrugged, allowing himself to indulge in one more kiss before pulling away. "To answer your question," he began to organize his things, "if this first class was anything to go by, the rumors vis a vis the third year of law school are far too accurate."

"That bad, huh?"

"I checked the time," he said flatly. "Twice."

"Ouch," her wince was sympathetic even if her eyes were amused. "And I thought this stuff was bad," she motioned to the textbook in front of her. "Well," she cocked her head to the side. "Look at the bright side."

He waited patiently for whatever optimistic or teasing thing she was about to say.

"Studying will seem that much more entertaining."

Warmth spread through his chest as he gave a light grunt of amusement. He had always been a dedicated and disciplined student with a strict studying regime. When he entered his second year of law school, he was already prepared to face the year the professors were said to "work you to death." He hadn't known then that he'd spend his first semester studying the woman across the table from him, and the second semester dating her.

"Well," her smile was playful and crooked. "If you start to get 'bored to death,' you can always work on my accounting projects. I bet they'd be a party by comparison!"

"Nice try," he opened his laptop.

"Just looking out for you," she picked her book back up, a smile twitching her lips.