Yamanaka Mom's pupilless brown eyes pierced through me from the other side of the table. Her face was serious, without a hint of a smile for me.
There was on the table for us a cup of hot tea — green — and a few cupcakes that had survived Ino's early eating frenzy. The mood was heavy. Ino had, at her mother's insistent request, retreated to her room, leaving me alone and stranded facing this terrifying woman.
I… didn't really want to be here, not one bit. I knew she disapproved of me dating Ino, even if she somehow treated me very well otherwise. It was confusing, and I wasn't really sure what she really wanted.
My guess — and it was really a guess — was that Ino's mom was worried about Ino getting hurt, or maybe the social pressure such a relationship might cause. The alternative was something inane, such as family line and bearing children, and keeping the clan lineage and all that silly stuff.
Yamanaka Mom didn't strike me as someone who would put that above her daughter's happiness.
The real problem was that deep down, I also agreed with her, in a way.
There was no denying I was in love with Ino, and Ino liked me, maybe even loved me — I hoped so, God, that would be awesome if she did — but I was an outcast with heavy baggage. For a time, I might have chalked my infatuation with Ino to starstruck idol worship, but those times were long past. Fangirl silliness had been mostly absent ever since I woke up after the last bout of coma, and I didn't feel the same when thinking about Tenten, Sakura, or even Karin, who had become someone I was very fond of.
But even before being involved with me, Ino had been reckless and had invited potential disaster at the Hyuga meeting.
The difference between Ino's mom and me was that, even if I thought things like that, I didn't presume it was my choice to make, nor did I want to. Yes, I was selfish like that. If our relationship progressed, my enemies — fucking Shimura Danzo — might try to get at me by targeting her and her family.
Ino knew the dangers. I had told her most of my secrets, even if I wasn't sure if she really believed them. She knew that Danzo was still hunting for me, that Orochimaru wasn't dead and would come for me, and my still secret plans to deal with Akatsuki.
I was terrified for her, that she would get hurt again or worse, but I wouldn't push her away. That was her choice to make, not mine.
What I would do to keep her safe was to stop holding back: there would be no more half measures. Kill first, ask questions later. So lost had I been in my own head that I couldn't do my duty as a squad leader, and Ino died. I'd been too worried thinking about how much violence was too much violence. A ludicrous thought, in hindsight. This was Naruto's world; there was no such thing as too much violence.
Which was one of the reasons I insisted to Ino that we always had at least one clone training in secret. When the clones weren't busy with more important things, they collaborated on training jutsu, improving control, and discussing tactics.
But back to the matter at hand, Ino had ranted about her many fights with her mom before they got into this cold war situation. Ino's mom was adamant this was a mistake — a teenage fling that would only cause problems for Ino — but had also resolved not to pester Ino about it anymore. Like she'd said to us not so long ago, she considered this Ino's mistake to make.
It pained me that she thought about our relationship like that: a teenage mistake.
And now I was here, facing this imposing woman and at a loss for what to say. I had rehearsed with my clone what I wanted to say, to prove she was wrong, to show it wasn't a mistake, but the words wouldn't leave my mouth.
I took another sip of the bitter tea and nibbled a cupcake to cleanse my palate.
Yamanaka Mom sipped her tea as well, raised a single eyebrow, but let me gather my thoughts without rushing me.
"The bakery will be ready in a few weeks," I said, instead of addressing the giant badger in the room.
Ino's mom took it in stride. "Do you have a name already?"
I nodded. "Explosive Sweets!"
A small smile showed briefly on her face before it disappeared again. "And what are your plans to attract customers? Do you have anyone in mind to mind the till and work the oven?"
The coward I was jumped at the chance to avoid the difficult relationship conversation.
We talked about logistics, suppliers, ways to attract customers, customer service, ambience, and a lot of other things I hadn't considered before. I showed her the blueprints of the building, and she gave me ideas for decoration and how to set up the place to fit my needs best. Ino's mom even had suggestions about workers for the bakery, if I couldn't find people myself.
I held back on that one; I still wanted to poach Secretary-chan to work with me in the bakery. Since that fateful day at the tower, she hadn't been to the tower. Asking around only told me she was away on some secret mission, which set my conspiracy senses tingling: in the years I'd known her, this was the first time she was out on a mission.
Was it because of the war? Were we so hard-pressed that even a receptionist now had to perform missions outside the village? If so, why were they still holding me hostage inside the village?
Business discussion died down after talking about opening hours and competition.
Ino's mom looked satisfied with all the notes I took and all the details we'd discussed.
My hands froze while still setting the notes in order.
"It isn't a mistake," I said, before even knowing what I was saying.
Ino's mom froze midway through taking another sip of tea. She placed the cup down and sighed. I didn't even need to tell her what I was talking about.
"I won't apologize," Ino's mom said.
I sucked in a deep breath. Was I dating Ino really that bad?
"I'm still not convinced this isn't just some teenage folly," she said, but her eyes weren't on me. She was looking past my shoulder, as if seeing something far away. "You are young, and the world is a cruel place, and I only want what is best for my daughter."
I hung my head, pain blossoming on my chest.
"But I give you my blessing to date Ino."
My head snapped up, not really believing what I had heard.
Ino's mom looked tired. She sighed and gave me a sad smile. "You're a wonderful girl, Hinata-chan, and I know you won't mistreat Ino." Her smile turned into a frown. "But this world isn't something that will accept your relationship." Ino's mom took the cup and drank another sip of tea. "More so because she is a Yamanaka and you are a Hyuga, even if you don't carry the name."
Ino's mom didn't say more after that. I stewed in my thoughts, turning her words over and over, trying to find the shape of what she truly meant. In a way, I couldn't even fault Ino's mom. She still believed our relationship was something that wouldn't work, but she'd chosen silence over a battle she knew she'd lose.
I didn't know how to feel about it.
The conversation, which had trickled down to nothing, died when Ino stomped down from her room and sat on my lap, shooting a glare at her mom. She didn't kiss me, but the defiance in the gesture was unmistakable.
In some sort of miracle, there wasn't an argument. Ino's mom gave us a tight smile, gave me a small wave, then left us alone in the room.
Ino slumped against me, pulling my arms to hug her midriff. She turned around until she sat sideways on my lap and rested her head on my shoulder.
I found my voice not long after. "Are we still going on that date?"
Ino pulled away long enough to roll her eyes at me, mutter, "Wouldn't miss it for the world", then kissed me like we hadn't seen each other for days.