This story takes place during and after the Bikōchū filler story arc from the Naruto anime (When Team 8 and Naruto went to find the Bikōchū bug so that it could find Sasuke by his smell).
I try to keep the characters pretty much in character. It's mostly from Shino's perspective in third person, but a little from the other characters too. I also write descriptively about Shino's kikaichu bugs, so if bugs freak you out, don't read it. Then again, if bugs freaked you out, why would you be reading a Shino fanfic anyway:P
Also, I sort of "created" Shino's mom (made a character design for her) for this story later on, because he's got his sexy dad, why not a sexy mom?
Enjoy.
Filling in the Emptiness
Disclaimer: I don't own Shino, Hinata, Kiba, Shibi, or any of the Naruto characters. I just borrow them on weekends.
Chapter 1 – Only for you.
"Letsss….GOoooo!"
Naruto ran energetically ahead on the path, just outside the massive gates of Konoha village.
After a few seconds he stopped and turned around, to see genin team 8 leisurely walking.
"WHY ARE YOU GUYS WALKING SO LAZILY! We have to find the bug before it hatches so we can find Sasuke!"
Shino began to wonder why he ever brought up the idea for the Bikōchū mission…he really would not have minded at all if the hokage had not made Naruto come along. Although not found of socializing, he had found he'd come to really like his teammates Kiba and Hinata.
Then he remembered… he brought up the subject of using the rare bug only because he saw how much Hinata wanted to help Naruto. She seemed so down ever since Naruto and their team failed in their mission to retrieve Sasuke. This whole mission was for her, and no one else, in Shino's mind. He could care less about the showoff, broody Sasuke.
Naruto ran back, passing the three, and then running again to catch up again.
"Shiinnoooo…." He whined, about to break into another speech about how they should hurry.
Shino felt his skin crawl at Naruto's whiney tone; literally. He silently ordered his hordes to not fly out and attack the source of the annoyance, and slowly but abruptly turned around to face him, the edge of his coat's high collar just at few centimeters from Naruto's nose; his dark glasses catching a gleam of the waning sunlight, "Naruto," He said in his low, very adult voice, "I am the leader of this mission, and you will do as I say while we are on it. Is that understood?"
Naruto felt a drop of sweat drip down his neck; he nervously smiled and stayed silent as Shino tuned back around and kept on walking. As Kiba and Hinata passed him he muttered in a broken voice, "Kiba, how can you stand being near him…?"
"I heard that," Shino thought to himself, slightly hurt.
"I'm sure you'll get along with him fine Naruto," Hinata said quietly as she passed him, not looking up.
…
They had been walking for hours when the sun finally dipped itself below the horizon, casting its setting colors across the forest path.
Shino stopped walking and so did everyone else behind him. Naruto gave him a weird look as they stood there for a few silent seconds.
"The sun is setting, we're stopping," Shino said. Used to this, Kiba and Hinata had no problem and calmly began to set up camp for the night. In the meantime, Naruto freaked out.
As they began getting ready to go to bed, Kiba laughed and pointed at the already asleep Naruto. "And HE was complaining about us going to sleep so early." Hinata smiled and blushed as she looked at the splayed out, sleeping boy. To an outsider viewing, one would think Shino indifferent, not being able to see any expression on his unchanging eyebrows, through his dark glasses or over his high collar.
But in reality, he was glancing at Hinata, with a sad twist of his mouth and lowering of his eyes. It had taken him a long time to realize it, after many years of being together with her and Kiba as a team, that he had feelings for her. He did not show it the way Sakua and Ino did, fighting and drooling over Sasuke, or even in the way Hinata showed her feelings for Naruto. He showed nothing on the outside, and what he did, with a softening of the eyes or a twitch of the lips, no one ever saw.
And so he would silently watch her trying to show her feelings to Naruto, who Shino could clearly see was too clueless and stupid to ever notice. He would sit by silently and do nothing.
"I wonder if he'll even notice her if she shows him what she's been working on with us these past few months…" Shino thought to himself.
Kiba nestled into his sleeping bag, cutely lying on his side with Akamaru lying in the crook of his chest. Hinata slowly stepped into her own sleeping bag, looking over at her two teammates. Shino lay flat on his back, still fully clothed and with his sunglasses on. There was no way to tell if he was asleep or not. Hinata tilted her head, and then lay down quietly, thinking as an aside to herself, "I wonder why he even wears his glasses to bed…"
…
…
Shino felt a jolt of activity beneath his skin, and his eyes snapped open. Something had stirred his kikaichu. He quickly looked around the tent with his eyes, not making any movements that would alert an onlooker to the fact that he was awake, in case they were under a stealth attack of enemy ninjas. He saw Hinata was not in her sleeping bag. He sighed in relief that it wasn't an intruder, and calmed the bothered writhing under his skin. There's nothing to be afraid of, thanks for telling me though… He silently said to his little minions in their own insect language. Then thought to himself, "She didn't…"
He knew at once she must have gone outside to train. She was perfecting her new technique, and had more and more often trained at night alone using water. He knew this because she had been coming to practice looking tired, and asked her why she was so worn out. She refused to answer at first, but when Shino asked again more firmly she told him what she was doing. Hinata rarely heard Shino ask about something so fervently, so she gave him the answer.
He just hoped she was careful, and would come back and get some sleep.
…
"WAIT!" Shino opened his eyes again, and sat up silently. "Where's Naruto?!" He was shocked to see he was missing as well.
The writhing returned as he felt a wash small of anger swell over him. When any strong emotion came over Shino, the kikai bugs could feel the pulse of his chakra swelling with it, causing them to stir. The intense emotions brought with them strong flavor to the insects, as chakra changed flavors with varying emotion, some of which were spicy or hot; like anger or jealousy. It was why he trained himself to be so calm and control his feelings, it is a necessary part of being a bug-using clan member.
"Is he, out there with her? Is he watching her…? Taking advantage of her…?" These worried thoughts raced though Shino's mind, and his mouth parted into an angry, clenched frown. It was not a common occurrence for Shino; letting his emotions get the better of him, and it surprised and bothered the kikai greatly.
A handful of kikaichu broke out of the skin of Shino's arm and crawled out from his left sleeve. He brought them up to his eye level, at first to scold them and try to calm them down…but then he got an idea. He ordered them to fly and find Hinata, and report back. The kikai bugs within him knew her smell well, and flew out of the tent to follow their host's orders.
…
They came back a few minutes later. Shino had laid back down, taken a few throbbing deep breaths, and gone back to being his usual collected self. The returning scouts crawled back under their master's skin the same way they had came. Upon hearing Hinata was actually on her way back and fine, Shino breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to go to sleep again, Hinata came back, trying to be as quiet as possible, and slipped into her sleeping bag. A minute later Naruto came, looking bewildered, and sleepy. From the looks of them, nothing happed, and Shino was again relieved, and finally went back to sleep.
…
