A bond renewed

Chapter one

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you two to be here?" Neij raised an eyebrow and looking meaningfully at Sakura's stomach.

Sakura was now nine months pregnant and a week past her due date. Any other person would have been more at ease to stay at home in case their water broke, but not Sakura. No, the pink had insisted on attending the birthday party for Hinata's cousin Oren, who had turned thirty-six last weekend.

Currently she was happily chatting with Tenten, who was holding a one-year old Shion on her lap.

Hinata sighed and rubbed her forehead, feeling the irritation building up again. "Of course, it's not, but she refused to stay home. I told her I didn't mind missing out on this party," Neij snorted and she stubbornly ignored that sound, "but she said that we needed to spend time with the family."

"And you didn't put up a fight at all?" Neij looked torn between being exasperated and amused as he nursed a glass of white wine.

The ex-heiress glared at him. "There is no arguing with Sakura when she gets in that particular mood. Don't you think I tried? She's as stubborn as a mule."

"Well, I hope for your sake that she doesn't go into labor now," Her cousin murmured. "We're not exactly close to the city."

"Don't remind me," Hinata groused and glowered at her own glass of wine. Oron's home was located at the outskirts of the town, close to the mountains, and it was a two-and-a-half-hour drive to get to the center of the city. Considering how bad the traffic was in that part of the city, it would take them at least another hour before they would reach Tsunade.

In other words: they would be quite screwed if Sakura went into labor now. Hinata's hand tightened imperceptibly around her glass.

"How did the last check-up with Tsunade-sama go?" Neij inquired, placing his empty glass on a tray.

"It went fine. The baby has shifted into the right position and Sakura's body has fully adjusted," Hinata replied. Despite trusting Tsunade to take care of Sakura and knowing it was necessary, it had taken everything in her to control herself when the older woman had examined Sakura to make sure her birthing canal had formed completely.

Hinata would have preferred to be Sakura's doctor, but she had rules to follow and one of those rules stated she couldn't be the doctor of her own mate. It was a stupid rule if you asked her, but not one she could ignore – unfortunately.

"That's good to hear," Neij murmured. "Say what you want about Tsunade-sama, but she's a good doctor."

"She is," Hinata conceded and then added darkly, "I did warn her, though, that if she isn't on time when Hinata goes into labor, she can say goodbye to her precious sake stash."

"You're ruthless, Itoko," her older cousin smirked; his dark eyes glinting in amusement.

"As if you would react otherwise," Hinata retorted and scowled at the older man.

"I suppose not," Neij grunted and was then accosted by their Uncle Masa, leaving Hinata free to slip away.

She might be attending family functions more frequently now – mostly thanks to Sakura's insistence and her apparent inability to refuse the pink – but that didn't mean she wanted to socialize with her family.

There were certain limits she was unwilling to cross even for her mate.

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A couple of hours later, after they had finished lunch and had migrated back to the living room where Oron was handed several envelopes and various packages as his presents, Hinata became suddenly aware of the fact that Hinata hadn't returned in a while from the bathroom.