They can't know about me. I won't let them know.
"Shino-kun?"
Shino glanced behind him at a nervous Hinata, shrinking instantly at drawing attention to herself. The trees rustled softly, bringing the smell of lilacs with it. When she still said nothing, he faced her fully. . . and waited. She always came around in the end.
"Shino-kun. . .did we, I mean. . .did Kiba-kun and I hurt you?" Her eyes widened at the thought, and those intense pupiless eyes shot up to the gash on his right arm where the kunai had sliced him.
So timid, but stronger than she wants to realize, he thought with more remorse than he intended.
"No Hinata. Such a small cut is trivial to the kakai bugs," he said showing the skin beneath his torn sleeve. It was undamaged, the only thing out of place was the swift movement from the kakai bugs crawling underneath his skin.
"I-I'm so glad," she whispered, and he could tell her sincerity by the sound of her voice.
Kiba jumped down from a tree branch, Akamaru draped out from inside his hood. He walked over to them, his canine eyes staring hard at the place where the cut should have been.
"Those bugs of yours sure come in handy," he said, pulling out the many kunai's lodged in the trees.
Shino helped while Hinata picked up the stray ones from the forest floor.
One was particularly stubborn and Kiba braced both feet against the trunk until his body was parallel to the ground. Akamaru yipped at it while Kiba continued to pull as hard as he could. Shino concentrated on his task while Hinata glanced up furtively in amusement. Kiba growled, his sound rivaling Akamaru's, and with a crunch and splintering of wood, it released, sending Kiba flying backwards. Shino glanced over once and went to another kunai, buried equally deep, and pulled it out in one fluid movement.
"We are done for today. We need to head back before the light wanes."
And with that, team eight headed home towards Konoha, Shino leading the way.
The sun was low in the sky, setting Konoha's streets in gold. The trio walked side by side, each with their own separate gait, yet somehow managed to keep with each other.
Shino felt Kiba's attention drift from the conversation and a moment later, felt Hinata stiffen next to him. He didn't need to look over to know who was coming.
Naruto.
"Hey Kiba! Hinata! Shino!" Naruto yelled bounding past them, and spinning around.
"What are you up to?" Kiba asked.
"I just finished training. I'm going to Icharaku to eat some ramen, with lots of barbecued pork," laughing gleefully at the thought.
Shino kept his face neutral, but inside he smiled.
"We-we just finished training as well, Naruto-kun," Hinata managed, barely above a whisper. Even Shino barely heard it, he doubted the loud Naruto could hear anything that was below a horn. Naruto cocked his head, and leaned towards Hinata.
"Did you say something Hinata?"
Shino felt Hinata blush a scarlet color.
"The line for Icharaku is getting longer," Shino noted quietly, indicating to the shop down the street.
Naruto stared hard at Shino for even speaking, and Shino couldn't help but narrow his eyebrows in annoyance. It wasn't that uncommon. But instantly Naruto broke from the thought and turned on his heels.
"If I don't hurry, all the pork will be gone! Thanks!" he waved behind him as he continued to run.
Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, and glanced once at Shino. It was all the thanks he needed.
Nightfall came quickly after and they started to head for home. They dropped Hinata off at the gate of her house. She bowed quickly twice, stumbling through her second after she didn't do it properly the first time.
"I-I'm sorry, I have to go," she said quickly, glancing back and forth between them and her house. Hiashi-sama did not like it when she was home late with no explanation, but Shino felt she would be okay.
"Excuse me," she whispered and ran toward the distant house lights winking in the distance.
Shino smiled, a little sadly, grateful for his high collar's ability to hide such displays of emotion. Silently, they turned to leave. All the while they were walking away, he heard the distant sound of her footsteps echoing in his ear. Footsteps he knew so well, he could hear them in the dark and know they were hers.
He and Kiba parted ways at the end of the lane, heading in opposite directions. Shino continued for several more meters into the darkness, then, promptly turned and walked up the hill toward Konoha's forest.
The night was cool and could hear the crickets chirping in the night.
They are singing of the wind tonight, he thought recognizing their unique speech. A sad song, filled with hope of tomorrow. Appropriate to more than just the wind, he mused thinking of his own life.
Raising his right hand, he touched his eyes beneath his glasses, wincing when he felt their pressure, but could not see his fingertips. He held up his hand to his eyes and moved it back and forth. Still nothing. Nothing but the darkness he had known since birth.
Sudden anger boiled up inside of him and instantly he felt the kakai bugs react to it, pouring out of his skin. With a great will, he suppressed them, forcing them back into his skin, and breathed deep until he could control his emotions once more. He knew the serious danger of when he let his emotions control him.
I am blind. I am blind, I cannot change that fact, even if I wished for it. There is nothing you can do except adapt to it, like your insects.
He shook his head briefly, and the kakai bugs resumed their place behind his eyes to the rich chakra centers that lay there. It was the closest thing to real sight he would ever get.
He moved to his place in the center of the grove. It felt so familiar to him, but then again he had practiced here for four years now. Every night, when time or energy had allowed for it.
It is time to find a different spot. This place no longer offers a tactical challenge, and is now inadequate for my purposes, but. . . just one more night. Tomorrow I will find a new place, but I want one more night here.
A kunai flew from his hand. With his kakai bugs for sight, he saw a shimmering image from its metallic scent as it flew to the nearest tree.
It was hard to interpret and see through the many different smells his kakai bugs were sending, and even harder to interpret it into a distinguishable image in his mind, especially during battle. Though the kakai bugs had actual sight, it was fractured and distorted, and far more difficult to comprehend than the wisps and images of smells. He used their sight only when there was no other option. Still it had taken him over a year to have them focus on smells, and be able to communicate that information back to him.
The memory of the first test of the Chuunin exam surfaced in his mind. He had nearly failed when confronted with the written part. He still could not translate clearly what the kakai bugs saw. It had nearly taken half of the exam just to read the questions before asking that fly for assistance.
He let three more kunai's fly, heard them all sink into the trunks with a satisfying thud and flipped himself backwards as if in a mock battle. Kankuro's fight still troubled his thoughts. That had been too close, far closer than his cool composure would dare admit. He could not even admit it to his father when he had found him. So now he practiced harder than ever. He could not let his lack of sight hinder him again.
No one knows, and that is a comfort. They would consider me less than a ninja if they did. Weakness cannot be transformed into trust. I will not let them know. . . no one would see me anything less than a burden if they knew. Especially. . .
He lifted his eyes to the stars, stars that he knew were there, but ones he would never see.