Arranged Marriage
Author: Reflection of a Broken Dream
Pairing: Shino x Hinata from Naruto
A Quick Note: Alright, guys, this is my first (well second, if you want to get technical) fanfic that I've posted online. (I literally have over two hundred and fifty on my laptop alone, though most are bogus and no good...I keep revising, though... I have an obsession, I think. Eheh...?) Well...I hope ya'll like it, it's one of my best to date! I don't plan on running from this one, so if you don't like my pairing, please don't read. (It's Shino x Hinata, one of my absolute favorites!) NO FLAMING, PLEASE. Constructive criticism is always welcomed, though. I like to improve. ^.^
- It is going to come up in chapters, and I can't get on often to update, so please don't get too angry with me for it. I have already created a few chapters to post, so I hope it sates those who like this story for a while. (Believe me, though, I'll update as soon as I possibly can. I know how much it sucks to love a story only to be crushed by the waiting period between chapters...or to realize it hasn't been worked on in years. I won't do that to you guys, if I can help it. I should be able to continue so long as I'm alive, and I will for as long as I can. ^.^ )
- I tried to make them all in-character (IC) as best I could, so please forgive me if I mess up somewhere. (Obviously there will be some out-of-character (OOC) stuff as time progresses in the story and Hinata and Shino will have to come to love one another...but I'll try not to stray too much.) I am trying my best.
- Also! I have seen all of Naruto, and a little of Shippuden...but not much. (!SPOILER! Enough to see Atsuma-sensei and Jiraiya-senin die...T-T ...I liked those characters...) This is placed after that, and I'm guessing what happens, making it my own. It wouldn't be a fanfiction if I didn't change something or another. XD
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the awesome characters, as much as I'd love to...but I do own this storyline! Yay me! ,
Arranged Marriage
Chapter 1 - Prolouge - A Mission's Return and a Feeling of Dread
Hinata sighed softly with a light smile as she, Kiba, and Shino rushed through the trees back to Konoha, the cool air nice on her skin, as her jacket was making her a little warm. The group was minus one giant white dog- Akamaru- because the dog needed his update on shots and Kiba had known the dog would be sore and irritable. He would be resting at his home when Kiba got back, they all knew, and he would still need a day or so to recover his full muscle strength.
Old group eight, minus Akamaru, had just successfully completed a B-rank mission. It wasn't too bad, really, and they didn't have any major injuries this time, just little cuts, scrapes, and bruises... Hinata was glad it was over.
She was glad all of the major bad events were over, honestly. It was much more peaceful now...and, though business as a ninja- kunoichi, in her case- was slow now, she was happy for it.
Orochimaru and the Akatsuki had been defeated and Sasuke had come back to the village to live. He was...how to put it...more settled now. Less 'cool guy' and more normal- he was actually nice towards others now. Most of the time, anyway. He was still a ninja, and was still off on missions, as they were, as well, tamed down as the missions had gotten. He had Naruto to thank for that, as Naruto was acting Hokage. He's the one that decided to give him a second chance, and it seemed to be a good decision so far...
Naruto...
Hinata sighed heavily to herself. Naruto had married Sakura nearly half a year ago now, when he had turned twenty-seven and became Hokage and Sakura had just turned twenty-three. They were already expecting their first child. It was kind of depressing for her, but she was steadily getting over Naruto, and she was genuinely happy for the two.
Hinata had just turned twenty three last November...it was spring time now...and her father had made it abundantly clear that he wanted her to marry and have her own children to further the clan. It didn't suprise her, but she wasn't really ready for that kind of thing (partly because she was only just getting over Naruto, finally). Hiashi had gone so far as to threaten arranged marriage if she hadn't gotten a husband, or at least a fiancee, by her twenty-third birthday. Naturally, she hadn't picked a husband or even tried to. She hadn't heard anything from her father since, but she had a really bad feeling about it... It was instinctual...and her instincts were usually right when it came to these kinds of things, unfortunately.
And it was because of those feelings that she delayed their return a little bit.
Okay...maybe she had purposely delayed them a lot...
"Pick up the pace, Hinata," Shino spoke in his deep monotone as he looked back at her, his stoic face ever-hidden behind both jackets. She could tell he was slightly aggrivated at her, though...that was a perk of being teammates so long- she could tell what his emotions were without even having to see most of his face or eyes.
"Yeah, Hinata," Kiba looked back. They were a couple of branches ahead of her. "What's with you? I know you're faster than this..." The man looked as worried as he was. Kiba always wore his heart on his sleeve...and Hinata found it endearing, though it got him into tons of trouble on a daily basis...mainly due to his short temper...
"Sorry Shino-kun, Kiba-kun," Hinata apologized softly with a light blush coloring her porcelain cheeks, her waist-length blue-black hair gently billowing behind her like a cape as they continued their route home through the treetops at her lazy pace. "I guess...I am...just...a little reluctant to return home..." She nibbled on her bottom lip nervously, out of habit, at the admission. (She had managed to stop stuttering and wringing her hands nervously all the time, but she was still biting on her bottom lip- the one habit she couldn't kick.)
"Huh? Why?," Kiba asked predictably in a disgruntled voice, his eyes widened in suprise. Hinata idly noticed that Shino's brows had furrowed, indicating his own form of confusion and slight worry.
"A-Ah...no reason," Hinata managed to reply a little more nervously with a small trademark smile. Kiba just nodded and seemed to accept her answer, though he did still look a little worried. She almost let out a sigh of relief...until Shino spoke up.
"If there was no reason, you wouldn't be lagging," Shino pointed out, making Hinata's smile faulter a little. He wasn't so easy to fool... Most times, she would be glad of that...but not at the moment.
"Umm...," Hinata hesitated, trying to think of a reason different from the truth, but close enough that the lie would go undetected, the young woman afraid that she might come off sounding silly.
"Are you hurt?," Kiba asked immediately after, Hinata feeling a sweatdrop forming on her brow. "Do you feel sick?" Now that Kiba was started up, it was going to be hard to get them to stop...
"I'm fine, Kiba-kun, I promise," Hinata replied reassuringly to the suddenly really worried-looking Inuzuka. "I am uninjured, besides bruises and cuts, and physically well."
"Then what's up?," Kiba asked, curiosity in his dark eyes as he blinked at her. "Is it Hiashi-baka again?" Hinata frowned lightly at that. He was always calling her father demeaning names behind his back, but he could never say a thing in front of the man, himself. Besides that, it always offended her a little that he did that...her father wasn't nearly as bad as he used to be. She wasn't punished so much anymore and he gave her sufficient freedoms. (The punishments had been extreme ninja training that had always left her far past exhausted. He used to punish her often with that for not wanting to become a kunoichi. She understood now that he had done that because he wanted her to become a suitable and strong heiress- it wasn't unfounded torture. An added bonus was that it strengthened her in case of attack on the clan, and there had been some in the past few years, to destroy them. What better way to destroy a clan than to take out the leader?) Yes, he still pushed her into things sometimes, the arranged marriage being a perfect example, but she could always see that he had good reasoning behind his actions. It wasn't as though he did things on a whim to see her suffer. He had the good of the clan in mind, and she could respect that...despite the fact that she really didn't want to be wed to some man that she might not know or love...
"It's nothing," Hinata found herself sighing again. It was so...uncharacteristic. Both men could figure that out. Something was wrong, but she just wasn't talking. "Please don't call my father that, Kiba-kun." Kiba and Shino shared a look before looking back at the distraught girl behind them. Hinata internally berated herself as she sighed again, looking up through the treetops, seeing the sun high overhead. It had to be about noon or so...
"We should stop for lunch," Shino spoke up, startling Hinata a little as she looked back at the two with a blink of her big white eyes. They slowed in their pace and started descending a few branches. Hinata was quick to match their pace and descended, as well, landing near to them as they finally stopped and landed on the ground near to a stream. "If we take a fifteen minute break, we should still return around three, if we keep a steady pace." Shino glanced back at her briefly and she felt a small twinge of guilt shoot through her, the girl averting her eyes from him quickly.
"Right," Kiba grinned with a nod before turning back to Hinata. "Give me your cantine and I'll fill it. Yours, too, Shino." Kiba nodded his head at the Aburame as Shino nodded back, pulling his cantine from its holster and giving it to him as Hinata did the same, handing hers to him.
"Thank you, Kiba-kun," Hinata managed a smile as he gave a bright grin back at her.
"No problem, Hina-chan!," he replied cheerfully, taking the two and starting over to the stream. "Just sit and rest. I'll have it back to you in a minute." Hinata nodded and sat on one of the two fallen trees in the clearing. She was quick to pull her pack from her back and search through for a couple of energy bars- she was going to need the energy. She couldn't lag any more, she already knew. Shino gave a small sound that sounded suspiciously like a soft sigh as he sat next to the slightly suprised Hinata. He had his own rations out, the man un-buttoning his jacket some and pulling it away from his face so he could eat. Hinata had seen him do this countless times, so it wasn't unusual for her to see. What suprised her was his immediately turning to her, the slight frown tugging at his lips and his ever-so-slightly furrowed brow.
"What's wrong?," Hinata asked softly, setting her pack down at her feet.
"That's what I wanted to ask you," Shino responded, to her further surprise. She felt herself sigh again, her body slumping forwards ever so slightly. She could tell that he had noticed that, too, his brow furrowed down a little more. "The last time you attempted to delay our progress back to Konoha, Hiashi-san was brutally training you while still expecting you to go on the worst of missions..." She had to give it to him, he was right about that one...
"Yeah," Kiba added in as he sat on the other side of her, handing them their cantines back. Shino and Hinata took them back with small words of thanks. "That's why I called Hiashi that, because he's usually the reason you don't want to go back home."
"Well...," Hinata hesitated, managing to stop her sigh that time around. She thought a moment, both of them giving their undivided attention as she opted to look at the ground in front of them, playing with the still-packaged energy bar in her hands as she nervously nipped her bottom lip. "I...umm...it's kind of because of father...but there's...something else, too..." She could feel both of their gazes on her intensify a little, a little color rising to her pale cheeks. She shifted nervously a moment as the silence lingered.
"Well, what is it?!," Kiba finally snapped, as she kind of expected from him. She managed to only flinch a little at his voice before hesitantly turning back to meet his irritated gaze.
"I'm trying to think of a way to say this without coming off sounding...mmmhh...naieve," Hinata replied softly, contemplatively, as Kiba blinked at her in suprise.
"Just spit it out any way you want," Kiba replied, being blunt, as usual. "We're your friends, dummy. We don't give a damn if it comes off bad or whatever, we're not going to tease you for it or anything."
"It could have been said more tactfully, but Kiba is correct," Shino inclined his head as Hinata looked back at him with a small smile on her face. She was more than greatful for her friends...they always helped her when they could, and she returned the favor when she could. She managed a small nod and inhaled deeply.
"Alright...," She agreed softly, greatfully. "I don't want to go home, because...well..." She fidgetted again, looking at the ground when she felt Kiba becoming impatient again. She struggled only a moment more before finding the words she wanted to say. "A few years ago, father asked me to choose a man to marry before my twenty-third birthday." She peeked back at both of them, gauging their reactions. Kiba sat up a little straighter, albeit more rigidly, and Shino's brows rose a bit at that. "If I didn't choose, which I haven't, he said he would choose for me, and would arrange a marriage between myself and whoever he selects." Hinata paused, taking in a slightly shaky breath before continuing. "Granted, he hasn't said anything about it since then...but I have a really bad feeling that he's already chosen...and that honestly really scares me." Hinata managed a small smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "He's attempted to set me up with some...really bad men in the past...and I'm afraid it will be the same this time..." She sighed softly again, her white-lavender eyes reflecting her misery of the issue, conflicting with the smile on her face. "This time, it will be a permanant relationship whether I agree to it or like it or not...and there will be nothing I can do or say about it..." For a long moment, there was an uncomfortable silence. She put on a little more of a convincing smile before looking back up again. "But if I had chosen a husband before this, this wouldn't be happening. So...I really don't have the right to complain or anything. Please forgive me for slowing our progress back to Konoha. I promise to keep pace the rest of the way back." With that, she opened her energy bar up and took a bite, carefully avoiding her teammates' eyes. It didn't take long for their minds to catch up and Kiba to respond how she was afraid he might.
"WHAT?!," Kiba yelled, making Hinata flinch as she miraculously managed to swallow her bite without choking. "What the hell, Hinata?! I think this is the worst thing you're dad's done! How can you just sit there and brush it off like it's nothing?!" Hinata slowly turned back to her fuming friend, his eyes narrowed down dangerously.
"I'm the heiress," Hinata managed to say softly with a slightly saddened look. "I don't really have much of a choice in things."
"But-!," Kiba started to start up again.
"Enough, Kiba," Shino spoke firmly, suprising them both, and Hinata more when she felt his large, warm hand on her shoulder. Both Kiba and Hinata looked back to the Aburame in suprise. His lips were tightened into a thin line and his eyebrows were furrowed and upturned a little, seeming to give off a slightly sympathetic feel.
"Shino! How can you just go along with this?!," Kiba snapped at him angrily.
"Because I know how she feels," Shino replied simply, suprising both of them a little more. "I, too, am an heir, and I, too, will be married off into an arranged marriage of my father's choice." Hinata blinked in suprise at the man, though she really shouldn't have been so suprised- most heirs and heiresses were arranged to marry off by their families.
"It's still unfair," Kiba pointed out, Hinata hearing the frown in his voice. "To both of you- it's inhumane!"
"It doesn't change the fact that it will still happen, reguardless of what others think," Shino pointed this fact out to him. "Clans work differently than normal people and ninja do, you should know this by now. Wasn't your mother married off to your father?" Kiba hesitated a little.
"Well...yeah...," he admitted softly, unhappily. They knew Kiba didn't like to talk about it, and they knew Shino wouldn't go too far with it.
"In that lies your answer," Shino replied simply with finality that Kiba couldn't argue with.
"Why, though?," Kiba spoke softly, sounding about as helpless as he was. "Why do you have to?" Hinata's little false smile grew nervous as she glanced up to see Shino's shades angled down to her. His brow rose, as if asking if she wanted to explain or if she wanted him to. Hinata gave a small nod, silently telling him she would explain it as she turned back to Kiba, idly noticing Shino's warm hand was still on her shoulder. It was oddly comforting...
"Umm...," Hinata started nervously, Kiba's intense gaze turning to her, now. "It's because...well...because we're young...and we can create and bear several children now, for our clans." Hinata's face flushed darkly as Kiba flushed and sputtered in slight shock. "To continue our clan lines and so we can take over for our fathers as the clan leaders. That's why."
"Exactly," Shino replied, Hinata feeling him nod behind her, his hand patting her shoulder before he removed it. She shivered lightly as the coolness of the air set in where his hand had been, the girl almost immediately missing the warmth.
"B-B-B-But...I m-mean...," Kiba sputtered out, still seeming in shock. "Do you have to? I mean, what if you don't know the guy?!" Hinata gave a sad little smile as she looked at her long-time best friend.
"Yes...we have to," Hinata nodded. "It doesn't matter if we know them or not, like them or not...we still have to do it." Kiba seemed to notice Hinata's slightly melancholy mood, finally, and he let out a breath, looking as though he was going to drop it.
"Hinata," Shino spoke up, the girl turning to look back at him slightly curiously. His shades were tilted down to her, Hinata knowing she had his undivided attention, as he had hers. "I can understand your fear, but delaying the trip home won't help you any. Your problem will still be there, waiting, when you return, as mine still will be. It's not something that delay can help, nor something that either of us can merely escape from."
"I know," Hinata answered him softly, her eyes softened and saddened as she no longer tried to smile that false smile of hers. "I guess...I just let my fear get the best of me. I'm sorry..." She noticed his brows lax a little, as well as his lips.
"H-Hinata...," Kiba gasped softly from behind her.
"It's alright," Shino reassured gently, his hand on her shoulder again. "We're all human, and we've all let our fears get to us at some point or another." Hinata managed a small, real, smile at that, feeling a little better about it. "Just think of it as a mission that lasts a lot longer than normal missions...it works most times when I think of it that way." Her eyes lit up as she thought about it a moment with a little nod. It made sense in a way, and it made her feel a little easier about the whole situation.
The irony- a kunoichi that has faced the most fearsome of foes in battle...is more afraid of getting married than going into battle again. She was almost ashamed of herself for her irrational fear...
"Alright...thank you, Shino-kun," Hinata gave him a bright smile, the woman noticing his slight upward twitch of the lips at her smile. She felt accomplished, having made Shino smile a bit, which was normally a really hard thing to do...
"You're welcome," Shino replied easily, patting her shoulder again, his brows fully relaxed above his shades. "Though I suppose I should thank you, as well." At Hinata's puzzled look, his lips twitched up a little more. "You may have delayed my own marriage arrangement a little." There was amusement in his voice that made Hinata's lips spread into a wide smile.
"You're welcome, I guess," She replied with a hint of amusement in her own voice. "I was glad to help, if only a little."
"Aheh," Shino pushed his shades up habitually, Hinata blushing lightly and blinking as Kiba stared at him in shock. That was about as close as he ever got to laughing (excluding the time on that mission where someone slipped drugs into his food to make him laugh uncontrollably- that was a dirty trick), and it was a slight shock to the two, though a pleasant one. "Alright. We need to eat quickly now so we can get back on time."
"Mmm," Hinata nodded, feeling so much better about the issue that she was inwardly slightly shocked at herself. It was amazing how her friends helped her so much sometimes...
"R-Right," Kiba spoke with a sweatdrop on his brow as they all got to eating their lunch. They still had a fair ways to go, afterall, and there would be no more stalling and delaying this time. It was long way home...
^.^
"Well...that's good to hear," Naruto spoke up, relief etched into his face as he studied Team Eight. It had turned four 'o clock on the dot when they had reported in to Naruto, the man in the study of the Hokage Tower in Konoha. "I'm glad everything went over well and you took out the leader of that nasty uprising." His nose crinkled lightly at the memory of the rogue ninja. His face suddenly fell into a thoughtful expression. "Though, I have to admit, I was a little worried. You took a little longer to return than I had anticipated..." Hinata shifted her weight a bit nervously at that, noticing that both Shino and Kiba had noticed her subtle movement.
"That was my fault," Hinata managed to speak up with a light blush on her cheeks as she bowed to a surprised Naruto. "I apologize." She failed to notice both of her teammates looking at her with some semblance of surprise.
"A-Ahh...u-uhh...it's fine," Naruto waved off a bit awkwardly. "So long as you all are alright."
"We are," Hinata nodded as she stood tall again, her hands folded neatly in front of her.
"You didn't get kidnapped again, did you?," Naruto asked cautiously as Hinata inwardly cringed, the girl slumping ever-so-slightly.
"N-No, Naruto-sama," Hinata managed to answer softly, her blush heating her face a little more. She felt so incompetent that he had to ask that...perhaps she should ask for more training from her father, as much as she really didn't want to... "I...umm...m-my father spoke of arranged marriage, s-so I purposely delayed our return a little by lagging behind. It was f-foolish of me to do so, and I apologize a-again for the inconvenience." She bowed to him again, having seen a slight blush on his cheeks as she went down that time, his eyes widened in what looked like suprise.
"Oh...umm...," Naruto sounded as flustered as Hinata felt as she slowly bent back up to a standing position, her eyes trained on the floor as her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
"Hina-chan," Kiba gently nudged her from the left, where he stood beside her, Shino on her right. She managed a small look at her teammate, the man seeing how embarrassed she was, though her long hair helped her hide it a little. He gave her a little sympathetic look before turning back to their Hokage. Naruto cleared his throat, Hinata looking back up at the man reluctantly. His cheeks were stained a light pink, to her slight surprise.
"Well...I'd heard of arranged marriage in clans...," Naruto spoke up, suprising them a bit. "And I can't really blame you for that. If I was in your position, I'd want to delay it, too, if anything." Hinata managed a small nod and smile, glad she wouldn't be punished or berated or anything...though she really hadn't expected that from the man. Her father, yes; Naruto, no. "But I think I would check in with Hiashi-san, if I were you." He had a sweatdrop on his brow as Hinata blinked at him in surprise. "He kind of...well...he was acting funny earlier. I ran into him in town when I went to get my lunch...and he was talking to himself- muttering under his breath about something or another. I don't know...he's always been so silent when I've been around him. Is that something normal from him?" Both Kiba and Shino looked at the surprised Hinata as her blush died down a bit and worry settled into her features.
"No...that isn't normal for father," Hinata admitted softly, feeling a little bad for delaying the mission's return now. Had he fallen ill while she was away? She had only ever seen him do that once, when he had gotten sick and was trying to hide it as he went about his day as though everything was normal. Her conscience weighed heavily on her now... "Thank you for bringing this up...I'll check on him as soon as I can."
"Alright," Naruto nodded a bit, looking worried that something seemed wrong, but glad that she could check on him. "If he's sick or something, let me know and I can get Tsunade-obaa on him or Sakura."
"I thought Sakura-san was on maternity leave?," Hinata asked with slight surprise. The woman was only three months pregnant, but she was having a few complications, from what she had heard.
"Well...she was...but she got bored," Naruto chuckled lightly with a sweatdrop, rubbing the back of his head as Hinata blinked. She was working again because she was bored? "When she gets bored, she gets easily irritated and violent. I couldn't have stopped her, if I'd tried...so I just asked some of the other nurses to take turns watching over her to make sure she stays well and all. She can't work on the sick patients, so she's been working in the OR. Actually, I couldn't ask Sakura to help, sorry about that, but I know a couple of other competent medical nin that could get to your dad pretty quickly."
"Umm...alright," Hinata nodded a bit with a small smile. "Don't worry about it too much. If it isn't too bad, the medical nin at the Compound can deal with him... It's not a big deal."
"But what if he's incapacitated?," Naruto asked, suprising them a bit that he remembered a large word. "Will you have to take over?"
"Mmmhmm," Hinata hummed as she nodded. "I will have to take over as the acting leader until father gets better, and I will be unable to take missions at that time. If you want, I can come by later to report how my father is doing so that you will know whether or not I can participate in missions or not."
"Alright. That'd be great, Hinata-chan," Naruto nodded and smiled at her, making her blush ever-so-slightly. She inclined her head to him politely.
"Is that all we needed to talk about?," Shino spoke up, suprising everyone a little. They all looked back at Naruto, who looked contemplative as he looked over his paperwork for the mission.
"Uhh...yeeeah," Naruto finally nodded with a little smile, stamping the top of the paper-clipped papers with a red stamp and pushing it into a manilla folder. "I gave you guys your paychecks, right?" He sweatdropped as he looked a little lost for a moment.
"Yeah," Kiba spoke up with a little chuckle, Naruto blushing a little with embarrassment. "Getting a little lost there, Naruto-sama?" Naruto scowled lightly as Hinata frowned at the man's teasing.
"Ahh be quiet!," Naruto growled back at him. "I've done so much paperwork and signed so many checks today I can't see straight anymore!" He rubbed at his face to emphasize that, the three kind of sympathetic towards him in their own ways. "Anyway..." He removed his hands from his face. "You're dismissed. I've got more paperwork to do." He groaned softly as he looked at another pile of papers that was standing tall on his desk.
"See you later, Naruto-sama," Hinata bowed as the other two did.
"See ya," Kiba tossed out carelessly.
"Hn," Shino spoke his trademark greeting as they all headed towards the door.
"Bye," Naruto called after them, Kiba shutting the door behind them.
"Man, this 'leader of the clan' business is tricky stuff, huh?," Kiba looked between Hinata and Shino with a little sweatdrop.
"Yeah," Hinata agreed softly with a little nod as Shino inclined his head. "If father is, indeed, sick, I'll be about as buried in paperwork as Naruto-sama is." She visibly slumped a little at that. Yes, the wonderful life of being clan leader...it was going to be so much fun when she took over...
"I hope he's well," Kiba managed to reply, patting her back a little.
"Me, too," Hinata nodded as they shared a little smile before walking after the mostly silent Shino, the group moving quickly down the stairs. Things were comfortably silent until they reached the bottom of the tower, each of them nodding to the usual guard that sat at the desk there. They always looked so bored... They exited and stood off to the side, keeping out of the way of incoming and outgoing traffic of the Tower doors.
"Well...that was relatively easy and fun," Kiba spoke up first, the man stretching and popping his joints with a little grunt.
"Yeah," Hinata nodded and smiled at the man a little.
"Are we still on for training in two days?," Kiba asked, looking from Shino to Hinata.
"Umm...well...," Hinata started, a hand at her lips as Shino looked down at her, pushing his shades up his nose. "I would still like to...but if father is sick, I won't be able to." Kiba and Shino both nodded understandingly to this. "Shino-kun? Would you be able to go?"
"Yes," he replied with a simple nod.
"Me, too," Kiba added in. "Akamaru might be able to, and I will be for definite." They nodded at that.
"Umm...do you think, maybe, we could all meet up in about an hour and a half at our usual training grounds? I should have my answer then," Hinata spoke up. "That gives me time to see Naruto-sama and get father taken care of, as well, if he's ill."
"That sounds good to me," Shino nodded to that as Kiba did.
"Yeah," Kiba grinned. "If you want, we could all go out to dinner, too. I don't remember the last time we went out like that...and it'll be my treat!" Shino and Hinata shared a look, Hinata surprised and Shino showing it with his raised brows. Kiba rare to never offered to treat to anything...
"Umm...alright," Hinata nodded after a moment of thought, a smile crossing her face as she looked to Shino.
"I will be able to," Shino nodded, pushing his shades up again.
"Alright, then," Kiba smiled his boyish smile that charmed Hinata somewhat. "See you guys in an hour and a half."
"See you," Hinata agreed with a little wave.
"Hn," Shino replied stoicly, as they figured he would. Each of them returned to their respective home with a simple jutsu, three puffs of white smoke the only indication that they had ever been there.
^.^
Shino stepped up onto the front porch of the dark, towering mansion that belonged to the Aburame Clan, the man sighing softly as he started digging around in his pocket for his house key. It had been a long day, and he was looking forwards to a hot shower and a change of clothes before he went out with Kiba and Hinata. Of course, he would talk with his father a little before he left...he was supposed to be back from his mission today...
"Hmm...," Shino let out a sigh through his nose as he finally found that darned house key. He went to slip the key into the lock when he saw something he had missed, and he really didn't know how he'd missed it... A large yellow post-it was stuck to the door, just above the handle. "What's this?" He gently pulled it from its perch and read the neat scribbles that were, undoubtably, in his father's handwriting.
'Shino,
I have returned from my mission safely, but I have some business to attend to in town before I come back for the night. I brought in some groceries, so go ahead and eat without me. I may be a little late getting in. If you're up when I get back, we need to discuss something. See you soon,
Shibi Aburame'
Shino blinked at the odd note. His father rarely left them, as he usually stayed in and lazed around the first day he got back from a mission. He couldn't really say anything, because he did the same, most times.
"Hmm...something important to discuss?," Shino asked himself aloud, the man frowning lightly. The last time his father had said that, his cousin had gotten gravely injured and was on his deathbed. Worry settled itself deep into his heart, but he didn't let it outwardly show. Though...he didn't think it was something of that nature this time; he wrote about 'business' he was attending to in town... It could still be virtually anything and it still worried him. "I hope it's not too serious..." His mind deep in thought, the man opened the door as he shoved the note in his pocket.
For some reason...he had feeling something big was about to happen...and he wasn't sure he was going to like it...
End of Chapter 1
~.~
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my fic, despite the fact that it ended in a dreaded cliffhanger. (He he,) Had to keep you interested! Keep reading, please, and I would like some (hopefully positive) reviews! Thanks for reading!
Also...I won't always be able to do these as long, but here's a sneak peek! Please enjoy! ^,^
Here's a Sneak Peek at the next chapter:
Hinata sighed softly as she wrung her hands nervously in front of her. Sure, she knew what she had to do in order to make sure her father was alright...it was just...he usually didn't take well to her checking on him like this. He was a proud man that didn't like admitting his 'weakness' of being mortal. That was just how he was...
"Ohh...," Hinata sighed more heavily before inhaling deeply and regaining her more regal composure, knowing her father wouldn't have any less from her. She raised her tightly clenched knuckle as she approached the door to his study that she had stared at the last few minutes as she regained her composure. He was in there, she knew, because she had heard his voice within, speaking to another softly, as though not to be overheard. She had debated even knocking because he might be in a meeting with someone important and he didn't want her to interrupt.
She swallowed down any fear she had of facing Hiashi and interrupting the meeting as she rapped lightly on the door, holding her breath a moment as she heard the voices pause.
Besides, she could always say she was reporting in from her mission. That was always a good excuse to stop by- it was a mandatory thing that she report in after every mission, just like any other Hyuuga was supposed to. Yes, she was sure that would work. Though...it didn't help the butterflies flitting about wildly in her belly...that was something she'd just have to deal with...though it was hard to when she heard the light padding of feet getting closer to the thick shoji screen door. The feet stopped just before the door and it started to slide open, Hinata's heart almost jumping out of her throat in her nervousy.
"Hinata," Hiashi spoke as he looked at his daughter over, obviously looking her over for injury after her last mission.
"Father," Hinata greeted immediately with a bow, the girl standing straight right after as she looked him over for any sign of injury or illness. He was a little pale, but he always was from being stuck indoors, doing paperwork all the time. His dark hair was normal in sheen, tied back as he often had it. His eyes looked fine, not showing even a bit of weariness or lack of sleep. He was dressed in his usual dark robes, his feet bare against the bamboo floor. There was nothing in his stance, or anything that she could see, that even hinted at illness or injury.
"Welcome home," Hiashi managed a small smile for her, as he had most days nowdays. Hinata smiled back, some of the nervousy leaving her as she allowed herself to breathe again.
"It's good to be back," Hinata managed to reply softly but strongly as he inclined his head to her.
"We were just waiting for you to get back," Hiashi spoke, suprising her mildly. 'We'? "Please, come in." He stepped aside so Hinata could enter. She hesitated only for a brief moment, padding onto his floor with her white socks, the girl having stopped to take her shoes off, throw her pack into her room, and grab a pair of socks to walk around in. She inclined her head to him politely as she walked in somewhat hesitantly, the girl looking to her father's traditional low-to-the-ground meeting table with slight shock. Someone she knew very well was sitting there comfortably on a dark silk cushion of her father's, his legs folded in front of him indian style. She was so suprised that she barely registered that her father had snapped the door shut behind her.
"Ahh...Hinata-san," the man spoke with a hidden smile. "It has been a while, has it not?"
Tune in next time for Chapter 2 - Devious Dads and a Forced Fate!
(I've always wanted to do that! XD )