"Shino has a problem." Kurenai-sensei said, explaining to Kiba and Hinata why Shino hadn't been around much lately, showing up for barely an hour before disappearing off somewhere.
Shino thought that Kurenai-sensei had a way with words. Kiba and Hinata were now looking at him like he was terminally diseased, that he was about to drop dead and had come to say goodbye.
"He's going through some changes, and because of the nature of his condition, it's not too good for him to be around people outside of his clan right now." Kurenai-sensei continued, and Shino could see Kiba's insatiable curiosity bubbling to the surface. Shino sighed, irritation rising within him, causing his kikai bugs to begin buzzing under his skin. Normally, he'd be able to handle such an irrelevant emotion with ease, but now…
"Well, I suppose Shino-kun should go home, if he isn't f-feeling well." Hinata offered shyly, smiling encouragingly. Shino felt his ire ease away, but his bugs wouldn't settle as something else surfaced.
"Hey, I'll walk with you Shino! If you're not gonna be here, there's no point in training." Kiba grinned, purposely showing more of his sharpened canine teeth than was required, and Shino shifted his weight back, ready to dodge, his defenses up and the kikai bugs jumping to get out.
"Why don't you all head home for now? I've got to get going anyway, I'll be back in a few days. Don't forget to practice on your own while I'm gone." Kurenai-sensei was gone in a blur of an afterimage, and Hinata and Kiba were left to walk an uncertain Shino back to the Aburame compound.
Akamaru yipped and his little white-furred body jumped down from his usual resting place inside Kiba's coat and he began trotting along the path. Hinata followed the growing puppy while Kiba hung back to walk next to Shino.
"So, what's wrong with you? Are you sick or something? Is it something that has to do with your clan?" Kiba asked quietly, trying not to let Hinata hear. Shino watched the way Akamaru weaved his way between Hinata's legs as she walked, trying to trip her. A warm content feeling settled in his chest, and he could feel the edges of his mouth pull up.
"It has to do with my clan. Because of the kikai bugs we carry inside our bodies, when we hit puberty and our hormone levels start to fluctuate, our emotions become more volatile. Because our kikai bugs partially respond to our emotions, this can cause complications. I have to keep myself separated from people outside my clan, so that I can learn how to control myself and harness my emotions."
Kiba was unsuprised by Shino's little monologue. Because Shino was such a quiet person, when he was asked to speak, he usually let out a flood of words. Kiba, having been around Shino for some years, was used to his random floods of speech.
"Huh, that sucks. All that happens to the Inuzuka's is that we just talk louder and act a little rougher." Shino paused for a moment, pondering the idea of a Kiba who would be worse than he was now. He let out an uncharacteristic sigh, shaking his head. The feeling of doom hanging over him made his kikai bugs settle deeply under his skin.
Hinata had turned and was waiting for the two boys, giggling as she listened to Akamaru show her his cat impression. Shino watched how her lips moved, and the delicate way her hand came to cover her mouth, the gentle bend of her spine, the way her chest was heaving…
Shino sighed once again, and moved forward to walk next to Hinata, while Akamaru went back to run circles around Kiba. Shino tried to keep distance from Hinata, but she moved closer to speak with him. His bugs were once again buzzing, aching to reach out, to smell her, to taste her skin and her sweat.
"Shino-kun, I hope that you'll b-be okay. H-how long do you th-think that you'll have to stay home?" She asked him, looking up into his sunglasses with an innocent smile. She trusted him, and felt comfortable enough around him that her stutter was more from habit than nervousness. And Shino was thinking about her…
The sudden wave of guilt and embarrassment made Shino clear his throat and a bare light dusting of red decorated his cheekbones, mostly obscured by his glasses and high collar. "Maybe a week. It depends." He said, his deep voice not wavering in the slightest. However, Shino could see Kiba out of the corner of his eye, and the brunette looked very suspicious.
Hinata nodded, too polite to ask what was wrong with Shino, but she once again wished him well, and told him that she'd visit soon. Shino watched as she jumped up onto the roofs above, his gaze firmly fixated on her rear end until she was out of sight.
"You like Hinata." Kiba stated, Akamaru's head sticking out of Kiba's jacket. Both sets of eyes were staring at him, not angry or accusing, but Shino knew Kiba better than that.
"I like her body. If there were any other girl around, I'd also be looking at her." Kiba and Akamaru were still staring. "Kiba, you know that I have a fiancé from my own clan. You know that I'm happy with this. I'm not going to touch Hinata."
The words that Shino hadn't said sat in his chest like a weight, but Akamaru yipped, and Shino knew he was forgiven. Kiba laughed and threw his arm around Shino's shoulder, confirming it. Kiba and Akamaru parted ways with Shino at the front gates of the Aburame compound, promising to come visit the next day.
That night, Shino pictured her soft body in his mind, delicate, yet it had so much power and flexibility. He gasped and shuddered, holding himself tightly in hand, the feel of her skin and the taste of her sweat transmitted to him from the bugs he'd planted on her. He fell back on his bed and wiped himself up with the sheets. He fell asleep imagining her sleeping next to him, and with the feel of her sleeping body from his kikai bugs.
