Two young girls, one four and the other five, stood in the just inside their home, yelling at their mother. "Okaa-chan! They'll be waiting for us! Hurry up!" The two girls both had blonde hair and honey brown eyes, and they were both dressed in matching outfits.
The younger, Chinatsu, had her hair in pigtails that were tied down with red ribbons and a red sleeveless dress. Her older sister, Kotone, had her chin-length hair held back by a red ribbon also, but her dress had long sleeves and an over-coat.
Their mother came around the corner, grinning at the two. "I think they can wait a few minutes. Everyone knows that they will when they get older, so they should get used to it as soon as they can."
She grabbed each of her daughter's hands and led them to the park, where a group of people could be seen. Kotone pulled away first, her keen eyes quickly spotting Neji. "Neji-kun!" She ran towards him before hugging him with all her might.
His eyes looked as though they were in danger of bulging out of their socket before she finally released him. The adults around the two chuckled at the sight, and laughed even harder when Shikamaru received the same treatment from Chinatsu.
"It's funny how young these guys are, and they've pretty much decided who they want to be wit for the rest of their lives already."
"No one is ever too young or old to be loved."
"Well, that's true. You prove it every day!"
Kotone rolled her eyes at her parents and seized Neji's hand before pulling him away, shouting over her shoulder, "We're gonna play some games! Be back soon!"
Anxious, Chinatsu did the same to Shikamaru, pulling a lot faster than Kotone was so that she could catch up to the older couple.
"Be back before sunset! And be careful!" the girls' mother yelled, watching their backs disappear. "They grow up way too fast..."
"Oh, I wanna play that one, Neji! C'mon!" Once again, the Hyuuga was dragged to another stand that he really didn't want to go to. Kotone quickly paid for the darts and shot, but all of her throws came up short.
"Here." Neji paid for some, and not one of his throws missed. "What do you want?"
Kotone blinked before pointing at a bunny, which the vendor quickly handed her. She hugged it, looking up at Neji with bright eyes. "Arigatou, Neji-kun!" She wrapped her arms around him, and he turned as red as a cherry before hugging her back.
Chinatsu pouted at Shikamaru, and he sighed, scratching the back of his head. "You want one, Chin-chan?"
"Hai!"
"Okay then..." He hurriedly threw his darts, and barely hit one of them otherwise he did it without a problem. "Which one?"
"That 'un!" She jerked her finger towards a teddy bear, and Shikamaru nodded at the vendor, who brought the teddy to Chinatsu. "Arigatou, Shika-kun!" She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, clutching the teddy bear to her chest.
With both boys red-faced and embarrassed, the four returned to the park, taking no notice of the laughter of their parents as they guessed why the two boys were red in the face and avoiding everyone's gaze.
Snow fell lightly over the park, and brought a brown-haired girl's face to the sky. She gasped when she saw another figure enter the park, and grinned when she realized just who it was.
"Shika-kun!!" she yelled, running at the boy.
His head jerked up, and his eyes grew wide at the sight of a strange girl barreling in his direction. She slammed straight into him, her arms wrapping around him just before they hit the snow-covered ground.
"Who're you?" Shikamaru asked the moment they were sitting.
"You don't remember me?" She cocked her head to the side, and his eyebrows knit in confusion. "It's Chinatsu, you idiot! Geez, and here I was, thinking you were supposed to be the smartest guy in your class!"
"Chi... natsu?" he repeated, trying to remember.
All of a sudden, an image of a light blonde girl popped into his head, and he flushed, suddenly realizing that this girl in front of him was the older version of the Chinatsu that was his friend when they were four years old.
"You remember me now, huh? Took you long enough," she humphed, crossing her arms in a playful manner.
"Sorry, Chin-chan... I haven't seen you since you and your family moved to Sand all those years ago. What brings you back to Konoha?"
"Kaa-chan and Tou-san passed away... Kazekage-sama decided to send us back here since we were so 'useless' to the village."
"You? Useless? I can hardly see that!" He paused, realizing that she had been using plural. "So, um... Kotone's back, too, then?"
"Hai! She had to go to the Hyuuga compound though. She needed to deliver a scroll to Hiashi-san for Hokage-sama."
He looked at the ground, hoping to himself that Kotone wouldn't run into Neji and realize how he'd become. "I'm glad you're back, Chinatsu."
"I'm glad to be back. I missed the snow..." He looked at the sky, watching the things she had missed so much as they fell around the couple. "... and you, Shika-kun!"
She kissed his cheek, and his reply was the same as last time: a bright red face.
"Arigatou for bringing the scroll here, Kotone-san. And I hope you enjoy being back here in Konoha."
"Arigatou, Hiashi-san." Kotone bowed, her long silver hair brushing the floor. "I should tell the Hokage that I'm done before hunting down Chinatsu. Ja ne, Hiashi-san."
She quickly went out the door, sliding it closed behind her. She turned and stepped at the same time that another silhouette did the same, and they tumbled to the wooden floor beneath them.
"Ah! Sorry! So sorry!" She stood, and so did the boy, and she blushed when she looked at his face. "Neji-kun!" She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest.
"Eh?" He looked down at Kotone, shocked. "Kotone? Is that you?"
"Hai. Hajimemashite?" She grinned at him, stepping back slightly.
"Fine." He started to walk towards Hiashi's office, but she caught ahold of his arm.
"What's wrong? You're acting strange."
"Nothing's wrong, Kotone. This is how I act." He shrugged her off, and she scowled.
"Fine. I should have stayed in Suna if I'd known this would be my greeting." She hesitated only a moment before turning.
"I guess you should have."
Tears brimmed, and she ran out of the compound, weaving through crowds as she sprinted to the park.
"Neji." The teen turned around to see his uncle standing there, a frown placed disapprovingly on his face. "Go to her."
"No. She doesn't matter to me anymore. I'm a ninja, so--"
"That wasn't a request, Neji." He came forward and placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "You may be a ninja, but even ninja have hearts... That girl was the one who kept you from being this way after your father's death, was she not? I know that you started to become so antisocial only after her family moved away, and you came back to the compound so blissful after going to the festival with them that I wouldn't have guessed it was you had you acted like you do know.
"Go. To. Her."
Chinatsu shushed her sister, trying to stop the tears that had been pouring down the elder's face since she raced into the park. "What's wrong, nee-chan? What happened?"
Huffing brought both Chiatsu and Shikamaru's attention to the swingset, where the long-haired Hyuuga prodigy was trying to catch his breath.
"Kotone..."
She glanced up at him, her eyes wide and red from crying.
"I'm sorry..." He sat in front of her, taking her head in his hands. "Do you forgive me?"
She mumbled something incoherently as she tried to turn her head away, but his hands brought her back to face him again.
"Can you say that again? And a bit louder this time?"
She gulped before mumbling, "Never do that again, and I will."
"I promise, Kotone. I won't, and if I do hurt you, I will apologize five times faster and bigger each time."
She smiled weakly through her tears, which had slowed, and nodded. "Sounds good to me."
Chinatsu and Shikamaru smirked at each other, slowly walking away from the other two to give them peace.
Neji leaned forward and kissed Kotone, smiling at her as he leaned away. "Good because I don't want to risk losing you again."
Pictures and a question in the results!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
I was wondering if I should do a oneshot for every holiday, and then I thought about making a spinoff from this one. Either a oneshot spinoff for New Years or a full series. Please vote on the poll and fgive me your opinion!
^^^^^^ older Chinatsu
^^^^^^ older Kotone
