The dirt crunched lightly under Shino's sandals as he walked down the narrow path that lead to the small clearing, which, despite being located inside the large village of Konoha, was a quiet sanctuary tucked away in the middle of the forest leaving it hidden from most searchers, and those who found it kept it a personal secret leaving it quiet and peaceful. Shino's kikaichu buzzed contently, pleased to be in such a familiar place, where they could be allowed to explore without worries. Shino himself shared their mood, all too happy to be away from the crowds and noise, finally somewhere he could really relax, or train, or pursue other interests without being disturbed. As he came around a final bend in the trail he came upon his destination, the small meadow flooding with colorful plants and even more insects, which darted between the plants each on their own independent mission that only they truly knew. He inhaled the smells of the field and felt instantly relaxed at the familiarity of the area. He had left his heavy overcoat at his home, not needing it in this solitary spot, but had kept his high-collared under coat, which he wore in nearly every situation. With a small grunt he lowered himself to sit at the side of the field and allowed his kikaichu to spread out from him and explore, which they did gratefully. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to merely relax for a time, however a buzzing arose from his beetles, quiet and calm, alerting him of someone coming and he smiled lightly as he was told who had come by his sentries. A second later a pair of arms dropped around his neck from behind and the newcomer rested her head atop his own and simply stated:

"Surprise."

His smile grew slightly as he replied to the "greeting"

"Not really Hana, you alerted nearly even creature in the forest on your way over here."

He heard the inuzaka shift around a bit as she let out a light chuckle,

"Ahh, I'm sure I didn't alert all of them, I bet your just trying to act like you knew I was there." He could practically FEEL the grin that broke out on her face as she spoke, and he allowed himself to lie back against her, chuckling himself in the way that she always made him. She let herself slid back slightly in response to his moved, ending with his head resting on her left shoulder, giving her the chance to place a light kiss on the side of his head. He let out a quiet grunt and leaned and kissed her right on the lips, which Hana gladly returned, before he leaned back to rest against her shoulder. He listened to her heart beat for a moment before she breathed in an sighed.

"I can always find you here," she said quietly," if I can't find you anywhere else."

"I often come here. Why? Because it is quiet and even your loud-mouthed brother can't find me, which allows me to escape from being drafted into another insane plan."

His companion let out a light laugh, a real laugh. "Oh he's not that bad, but I guess your right about the insane plans part. Did Hinata ever completely recover from the attempt to destroy Gai's spandex?"

"No one ever completely recovered from that incident, but at least he agreed not to do anything that involved the spandex again…"

"Yeah, he made that decision quite quickly thankfully, though Gai still hasn't forgiven him, or lee for that matter."

Shino leaned over and lightly kissed that side of Hans neck, earning a surprised gasp, and breathed in her scent, before noticing something missing.

"Where are the Haimaru Triplets anyway?"

This brought out a small burst of laughter, which enchanted Shino's ears, before she replied.

"Oh there out walking, or probably dragging kiba around the block a few times. I managed to convince him it would increase his ninja capabilities."

"Twenty years old and still that easy to fool? A bit disappointing really."

"True but if he wasn't so easy to trick, I couldn't be here right now."

"And that is why I would have it no other way."

They both let out a chuckle, then leaned in and absorbed themselves in the kiss. Shino wished the moment would never end, and in the upcoming days, he would realize how important these moments were, and how in the ever-changing times they were about to be caught in.