A/N: This first chapter is set in Naruto Chapter 281, and contains spoilers for the end of the first Shippuuden story arc. Manga verse, so please ignore all the filler eps while reading--and the relevant episode once it has ben released and no doubt thoroughly Josses me. This is a work of fanfiction and has nothing official to do with the licensed version of this anime and manga in any way whatsoever.
One-Sided, Two Ways
Part One: Rival's Come Back
For three years, he'd had her to himself. He'd watched her grow and mature, had felt her hair brush across his face during missions, had treasured her gentle touch when he was injured and her harsh blows during training. He'd trusted her to see all the traps and find the way. But now, his rival had returned. Not only was he back in Konohagakure, he was back from special training with the one and only Jiraiya-sama, and back from a battle with the Akatsuki. A battle his rival had won.
From the shadow of a tall building, he watched Naruto jog down the street. The other boy had truly changed in his years away. His shoulders were broader, he was taller, and he showed even more of the confidence that had begun to develop in his time with Team Seven. Naruto had grown in more than just the physical way.
Shino's eyes narrowed behind their goggles, and he darted from the shadows to follow at a distance. Shino had been on his way to meet his teammates, traveling along rooftops and trees for some extra training, when Naruto had run past down in the street. Fortunately they had both been been headed in the same direction.
Shino vanished into the depths of a leafy tree when the blond suddenly whirled around to peer behind him. Trust Naruto to sense when he was being stalked.
Hidden deep within the leaves, Shino pulled his jacket's hood lower over his face to shade his goggles from the scant beams of sunlight. Ten paces away, Naruto shifted his weight, eyes scanning the surroundings. The orange panels of his new shinobi jumpsuit were vividly bright in the sun. Yes...Naruto always seemed to shine above them all. So much so that the Third Hokage hd known him personally, and somehow he was even closer to the Fifth. Naruto wasn't the smartest or the most skilled, but he was crafty and very determined. And Shino knew that was what Hinata loved about Naruto. Shino's silent support as her teammate was completely overshadowed by Naruto's blazing personality and achievements.
With one hand, Shino called a passing wasp to him and whispered. The insect buzzed away, flitting above Naruto before it dived directly for him. He yelped and leaped back, swatted ineffectively at the bug, which dived for him again. Naruto turned and streaked away, cursing.
Up in his tree, Shino smiled and leaped from his branch to follow. He was not going to stand back and let Naruto claim Hinata's heart. Not when Shino was finally so close to winning her himself.
Rather smugly, Shino released the wasp from his control. It took Naruto a few moments to realize the insect had forgotten him. He scratched his head, muttering, and resumed his steady pace. He kept looking down cross-streets and peering into restaurants and shops, eventually asking a passing chuunin if they had seen any shinobi his age around. That made Shino very curious. Naruto was searching for his old genin friends. Any of them, apparently. Interesting.
Shino checked the time. It was still early for him to meet Hinata and Kiba at the usual meeting tree, but this would give him a chance to talk with Naruto. Though not here...there were too many people around. He called several more wasps from a nearby nest and sicced them on Naruto. Shino darted down a side street and across several rooftops. He reached the large tree in the alley where he was scheduled to meet his teammates and turned to wait for the wasps to herd Naruto towards him.
He heard Naruto's curses before he saw him. The vibrant words made Shino smile. It seemed Naruto had learned more than only jutsu from Jiraiya-sama.
Mission accomplished, the wasps flitted away, letting Naruto resume his search down the alley. He was precisely where Shino wanted him. Now he could find out what Naruto was doing back in Konohagakure, why he was searching for his former genin comrades, and if Hinata had anything to do with either one.
To be honest, Shino rather hoped Hinata did have something to do with Naruto's return. Shino eyed him again, truly studying how much Naruto had changed. He really did seem much stronger, and his easy confidence likely implied he would be a skilled opponent. Good. Shino was eager for a solid fight, especially if Hinata was the prize.
Naruto walked straight past the tree and Shino, so intent on finding someone that he was completely oblivious to the other's presence. Impatient to get things started, Shino stepped away from the tree and addressed Naruto's retreating back.
"Been a while, hasn't it, Naruto?"
.oOo.
Shino jumped when he heard Hinata's small scream. He, Kiba, and Naruto all turned towards the sound, which had come from the corner of the fence that formed one side of the alley. The kunoichi was no doubt hiding just out of sight. Naruto darted towards the corner to investigate.
Hands clenched and trembling in preparation for what must be coming at Hinata's reunion with her hero, Shino forced himself to calm down. He knew Hinata still idolized Naruto, he knew she still cared for him...even after three years of not having the slightest glimpse of him. She had told Shino this herself when news of Naruto's return to Konohagakure had first reached them. What Shino didn't know was if Hinata had yet realized her idolization was not love. She held Naruto up on a pedestal of confidence and bravery, a paradigm of the qualities she felt she lacked.
Shino knew she was confident and brave, even if Hinata couldn't see it herself. Naruto also had acknowledged those qualities in her at the end of Hinata's first chuunin exam, when she had faced her cousin in the arena. She worshipped Naruto, but it wasn't love. Now that Naruto had returned, now that she could see the other shinobi in person instead of dwelling on her idolized memory of him...perhaps she would finally realize the truth of her feelings. And maybe, just maybe, she would compare how she felt about Naruto with how she felt for Shino himself.
His nerves steeled as best as he was able, Shino walked towards the corner, ignoring Kiba's attempt to catch his gaze as the other moved ahead and ducked out of sight around the fence.
He turned the corner and slowed to watch Kiba and Naruto talking to Hinata. The blond was still rather short for his age, but he was definitely taller than Hinata now, and standing very close...so close the girl was trembling. Her face kept growing brighter and brighter red, then suddenly it paled. Shino shot forward when her knees began to buckle and caught her before she collapsed on the ground. He knelt on the concrete with her cradled in his arms, completely unconscious. Shino raised his face from her to gaze up at a surprised Naruto.
"What's so scary, Hinata?!" Naruto demanded ineffectively.
In resignation, Kiba stared down at the girl in Shino's arms. "Why do you always pass out when you see Naruto?"
Shino raised one eyebrow at Kiba, who gave him an exasperated look in return and moved to walk back to the tree with a sigh.
Naruto watched Kiba leave, then looked down at Shino where he still held the unconscious Hinata. Shino slid his left arm underneath Hinata's knees and stood, easily lifting the kunoichi. The sight of Naruto's face, which plainly showed his bewilderment at the girl's sudden faint, made Shino uncertain if he wanted to sigh and accept it like Kiba, or throw obscenities at Naruto instead. Obscenities...likely followed by a satisfying punch. He settled on changing the subject back to what they had been talking about before Hinata had interrupted.
"You even immediately recognized Hinata, Naruto."
Naruto rolled his eyes and walked with Shino back to the tree. "You're wearing that huge white hoodie over your already huge black coat, you know! And the goggles cover what little I can see of your face. If you want people to recognize you, try shedding a few layers!"
.oOo.
The swaying motion and the sensation of someone's strong arms around her--felt even through her heavy clothes--told Hinata she was being carried. Her fuzzy brain considered that for a moment. The number of times she had been carried was very few, and all but two involved her father. Who was carrying her...and why?
She opened her eyes, slowly blinking until they focused on the face that hovered close. Hinata could see herself reflected in the dark goggles. "Shino-kun..."
He halted and looked down at her.
Hinata returned his look in puzzlement. "Why are you carrying me?"
Shino said nothing.
Then it came back to her in a deluge of images and raw emotion. Naruto, standing at the meeting tree, talking to Shino and Kiba. Naruto suddenly right next to her, taller and stronger than she remembered. Naruto's friendly eyes shining with pleasure at seeing her, his deepened voice caressing her ears with an audible smile. Naruto standing so close she could feel the heat from his skin.
Naruto.
Hinata gasped and felt her face burn. Her eyes stared blindly up at Shino, and she mindlessly clenched his coat in her hand.
Shino still did not move. He simply held her eyes with his own. She could feel his steady gaze reach her, even through the smoky lenses of his goggles. Her breathing evened, and her hand on his coat relaxed.
"Hinata! You feeling okay?"
The sudden sound of Naruto's voice snapped her out of her trance. She flinched and hid her face against Shino's shoulder, not noticing when his arms tightened around her in response.
"Hey, Hinata...what's wrong? You aren't glad to see me?"
The slightly hurt sound in Naruto's voice reached through her panic. "No...I mean..." Hinata swallowed and forced herself to turn her head and meet his eyes. "I'm glad you're back...Naruto-kun." She managed a wavery smile. "Really, I'm glad."
"Heh heh!" Naruto returned her small smile with a huge grin. "I'm glad to be back, too! Though I'll be leaving again in a few days."
Disappointment stabbed her heart; her smiled faltered. "Oh?"
Naruto put his hands on his hips and bounced on the balls of his feet. "Yeah, I was hoping you guys could come with me on the mission, but Kiba says you're about to leave on one of your own."
Hinata made a noise of assent and tried not to think about the missed chance of finally sharing a mission with Naruto. Unable to meet his eyes any longer, she turned her head back to Shino.
"I'm okay now, Shino-kun. Please put me down."
He held her for a moment more, then bent and set her on her feet. She was grateful when he kept an arm around her shoulders while she regained her balance. Now that she had some distance between herself and Naruto, Hinata was able to really study him as he talked with Kiba.
Naruto was slightly shorter than Kiba, and definitely shorter than Shino, but he seemed more solid than both. And however short he might be in comparison, he was taller than she was now. That was its own shock. Ever since their Ninja Academy days, they had been about the same height, and Hinata had even been a little taller than Naruto the last time she had seen him. However he had changed physically, Naruto still used his hands to gesture wildly when he talked. She stared at how large they had grown, and how the bones and veins were vividly defined. His muscles rippled beneath his skin, especially in the little she could see of his forearms.
Hinata felt herself blush again, and she averted her eyes. She chastised herself inwardly for dwelling on such shallow things. Much more importantly, Naruto was back in Konohagakure. She should treasure every moment in his presence that she could, not spend it gaping at how he had matured.
The breeze suddenly gusted down the alley, ruffling their clothes and lifting Hinata's hair to flutter around her face.
Naruto stopped chatting with Kiba and grinned at her again. "Hey Hinata, your hair's really grown! It looks good!" He gave her a thumbs-up sign and flashed his huge smile.
Hinata's mind froze in shock. Naruto had complimented her.
Shino tightened his arm around her shoulders and angled her away from Naruto so he stood between them. She didn't hear a word of him telling Naruto where to find Shikamaru.
Naruto had complimented her.
Naruto almost danced away from them in eagerness, a grateful smile on his face. "Thanks, guys!" He turned and jogged past the dazed Hinata.
Naruto had complimented her.
As he passed, one of the long ties of his hitai-ate stroked her cheek. The gentle sensation snapped her awake. She jerked away from Shino and took several steps after Naruto. He had already almost vanished around the corner where she had so unexpectedly come face-to-face with him again.
"Naruto-kun!"
He paused and glanced back at her, surprised at the strength of her voice.
Hinata clasped her hands together in front of her. "Welcome home! Do your best on your mission!"
He beamed at her again. "Yeah! You guys do your best, too!" Then he ducked around the corner and was gone.
Trembling, her heart pounding, Hinata smiled.
.oOo.
Kiba cut his eyes away from Hinata and studied Shino. Even through all the layers of clothes, Kiba could tell Shino's entire body was rock-hard with tension. His eyebrows were low over the goggles, the hand that had been around Hinata's shoulders before she left his grasp had tightened into a large fist.
"Shino...could you have been any more obvious?"
"Shut up, Kiba."
"Not that Naruto noticed." Kiba sighed. "It's still one-sided, you know."
"Shut up."
"For Hinata...and for you."
Shino whirled around and glared at Kiba, who simply stared back. Without being called, Akamaru moved to stand next to Kiba. The three faced off in silence for several heavy moments.
"Eh? What's going on?"
Both shinobi started at the sound of Hinata's worried voice.
"Shino-kun? Kiba-kun?" She looked from one to the other and reached out a hand to smooth down Akamaru's ruff. "Did something happen?"
Shino turned away from Kiba and stepped towards the meeting tree. "No." The word was almost cold.
Kiba relaxed and gestured with his head for Hinata to walk with him. With Akamaru padding alongside, they headed towards the tree as well. "Kurenai-sensei will be here soon," he told the kunoichi. "We should review what we know of our mission."
"Of course, Kiba-kun," Hinata agreed. Just before she reached the tree, she paused and looked back over her shoulder to where Naruto had vanished on his quest to locate Shikamaru. Kiba and Shino followed her line of sight. With three distinctly different emotions, they all accepted the same fact.
Naruto was back.
.oOo.
A/N: Most of my stories are character-driven drama or comedy, so this is my first shippy fic EVAR. I hope I did a good job! Concrit is always welcome. More info on this and my other stories can be found on my profile page. Ja! -s2m
(completed 10-08-07, last tweaked 3-24-08)