"Hey Ugly! Wake up! You're late for your meeting with Tsunade!" Sai yelled as he heard her cuss out loud and start running around her small apartment and get dressed quickly. Sai quickly stepped to the side of the door before he was run over by sakura. He chuckled and shut her door before leaving to meet up with Naruto at the training fields.
"Hey! Shino! Hurry up man! We're gunna be late!" Kiba yelled as the younger Aburame walked up to them. Hinata gave a small wave of hello and smiled up at her generally quiet companion. Kiba turned and continued walking up to the Hokage tower where they were supposed to get their new mission. Shino saw how nervous Hinata looked and sent a bright blue butterfly to land in her hair. She turned around to see him giving her an encouraging smile and she immediately brightened.
Hinata's eyes widened in fright and Shino tilted his head in questioning. He turned around and was knocked on his ass by a giant pink and black blur, said pink and black blur lying on top of him, their lips accidentally mashed together. Shino's uncovered eyes widened in surprise as he realized it was Sakura on top of him. She quickly sat up, both of their faces bright red.
"Ummm….sorry Aburame-san. So sorry," she said quickly. 'Wow, he has beautiful eyes…' she thought to herself.
"My name is Shino, Sakura. It's ok," he said was he grabbed his sunglasses and put them back on and tried to sit up. As he sat up, they realized the position they were in. Sakura blushed even brighter and jumped up quickly. Shino stood up and brushed himself off and glared at Kiba who was clutching his sides in laughter.
"OH crap! I'm gunna be late! I gotta go meet Tsunade-seishou for some mission specs. I'm supposed to be helping out a team. Sorry again Shino-kun!" she said taking off again in a chakra filled blur. Shino shook his head, tried to mentally smack himself, and began walking again.
"Shut it Kiba or I'll tell everyone your secret," Shino said as he passed by him. Shino's mind was still reeling from that one, single intense kiss. Kiba shut up and grumbled something at Shino's back. Hinata smiled at Kiba's back and continued their walk to the Hokage's tower. Hinata knew why Shino was so scatterbrained after that little accident, though she was the only one to know his secret crush on the young Haruno. Hinata secretly hope that Sakura was their fourth person to be put on their team for the upcoming mission. It was time for Hinata to play matchmaker….
Sakura shook her head at Tsunade's still form. The Hokage was asleep at her desk AGAIN!! Sakura let out a heavy sigh and tapped Tsunade on the shoulder.
"What……" Tsunade asked still half asleep.
"You said something about putting me on a mission seishou…you fell asleep again," Sakura said patiently.
"What time is it?" Tsunade yawned. Sakura checked her watch.
"About 10:30. Sai came and woke me up about 15 minutes ago saying I was late," she answered. Tsunade swore under her breath and started looking for papers.
"Damn. Team 8 will be here soon and I need to find their papers so I can give them the information. Oooohhh…..damn. That's probably them," she said at the knocking of the door. "Sakura get that for me." Sakura shook her head and sighed as she walked to the door. Sakura blushed as she and Shino made eye contact, as did he.
"Hey guys, come on in. She's looking for your mission specs, and hopefully mine too," she told them.
"They're one and the same Sakura," Tsunade said from beneath a mound of papers. "This mission is a long one and I want you to go with team 8 as a medic." Shino glanced at Sakura and tried not to blush. "FOUND IT!!" Tsunade yelled holding up a small scroll.
"You should have had it out and ready to begin with," Sakura said as she rolled her eyes. Kiba chuckled to himself and Hinata smiled.
"Oh shut it Sakura. Now, I have a suggestion for you four with this mission before I give you details. I want you to pose as two sets of couples fo-"
"WHAT!?" Sakura yelled.
"You heard me. Couples. It'll be easier for you to blend that way. Do you have any suggestions for couples?" she asked. Hinata raised her hand and cleared her throat.
"I would suggest Shino and Sakura go together and then Kiba and I go together," she said quietly. Everyone turned to her. Hinata blushed slightly and started to explain herself. "Well, Naruto and I are together and Kiba and Ino are together. Kiba and I should probably go together so Ino doesn't get jealous of Sakura pretending to be his girlfriend. Naruto will understand once I tell him what's going on so I'm not worried about him," she said managing not to stutter.
Tsunade smiled. "Good idea Hinata. I was going to suggest that if none of you said it." Tsunade noticed the sidelong glances between Shino and Sakura coupled with a small blush as well as Hinata's small smirk.
"This is a stake out mission for the most part. Sakura, I want you to keep me informed with our wind jutsu and I'll let you know if anything needs to change. You'll be in mist country so be careful. Don't worry though because you'll probably have some helpful back up," she said with a wink at Sakura. "We think it's the Kamizuru again after some sort of relic. We want you to go in and figure out what is going on. If something happens, we may need you to fight and that's why I'm sending Sakura with you. Everyone understand?" she asked. They nodded their heads yes. Tsunade dismissed them and the group walked out waiving goodbye, the mission scroll in their hand.
"I'll see you guys at the gate tomorrow morning. I'm going to go let Naruto-kun know what's going on," Hinata said with a smile. "Shino, Sakura, you two should get to know each other for a little while," she said as she walked away. Kiba smirked.
"I should go talk to Ino before I leave. She's right though. Go pack then spend the day together you two," Kiba said before walking away after Hinata. Shino looked at Sakura and blushed slightly.
"I'm going to go pack now. You wanna actually do what they said?" Sakura asked as she and Shino walked down the hallway. "We could meet down at the ramen shop in an hour if you want."
"Sure Sakura. Is it just me, or do you think this is gunna take some getting used to?" he asked softly. Sakura chuckled.
"It's not just you. Especially after our little tumble this morning," she said as she watched him blush. Sakura reached over and dug her hand into his pocket and laced her fingers with his. Shino about pulled a Hinata and faint on the spot. He pulled their hands out of his pocket and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
'I've officially died,' he thought to himself. 'Her hands are so soft, I can't believe it. She's a shinobi, how does she do it!? Oh well.' Shino tried not to stumble as they walked down the hall. "You want me to walk you to your apartment Sakura?" he asked her.
"Sure," she answered not really knowing what was going on in his head. They soon arrived at her small apartment and Shino walked her to the door.
"See you in an hour?" he asked, still holding her hand. Sakura nodded and gave Shino a bright smile. "Hey Sakura…." he said looking away slightly.
"Yeah Shino?" she said. Shino blushed as he leaned foreword and kissed her cheek. Sakura gasped softly and blushed a bright red. He pulled back and gave her a small smile, both of them bright red.
"That," he said in a light hearted manner with a small smirk. Sakura chuckled and kissed his cheek in return. Shino stiffened and turned a brighter red than Hinata ever managed. When she pulled away Shino raised his hand in an awestruck manner to his cheek.
"See you in an hour," Sakura said with a grin Shino vaguely nodded and backed away from her door as she opened it up. Shino stood in a daze for a moment before walking towards his own house to pack as well.
Sakura grabbed her pack for longer missions and began to pour things she needed into it. She jumped slightly at the knock at her door and went to answer it.
"Kakashi! Hey, what's up?" she said slightly surprised.
"Can I come in Sakura-chan?" he asked. Sakura smiled up at him.
"Sure. I'm in the middle of packing though so if it's ok with you I'm gunna keep working while you talk," she said with a grin as she walked back to her room.
"That's fine," he said as he followed her. "What was that just now with Shino?" he asked cutting to the chase. Since her parents died, Kakashi had been named her guardian, a job Kakashi took very seriously. Very few men got near her without him doing something about it. Sakura blushed as she continued to pack.
"Him walking me to my door before we go get some ramen in about an hour," she said avoiding the question.
"Sakura….I was talking about him kissing you and you two holding hands," he growled out wanting an explanation.
"Dear god Kakashi! I'm 18 years old now, not 12. It was just a kiss on the cheek," she moaned out.
"I don't care. What was it all about? Are you two dating?" Sakura sighed at him.
"No we aren't, but we do have a mission together in which we're supposed to act like a couple, so get over it. It's a long mission supposedly so you're not going to be able to see me for a while." She said as she moved to the bathroom. Sakura gathered her shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, tooth paste, body wash and razor in her arms and brought them over to her pack. Kakashi sighed.
"I'm going to be fine, dad," she said making him mad.
"Don't call me dad. It makes me feel seriously old. I'm coming with you to meet up with Shino," he said.
"No you're not. We're using today to get to know each other better before the mission. It's not an actual relationship so you have no reason to go bully him. Now, I'm done packing so I'm heading out. NO following us around, got it?" she said in that same tone that Tsunade used against him. Kakashi sighed and nodded his head. "Good. I'll see you later Kakashi," Sakura told him as she gave him a hug good bye and shoved him the door locking it behind her as she went to catch up with Shino.
"Hey Shino. I'm not late am I?" Sakura asked as she sat down next to her new "boyfriend". Shino shook his head no and gave her a small smile. Sakura smiled back and ordered some shrimp ramen noting that Shino's order was being filled as well. Shino scooted his chair closer to hers and gently brushed the back of her hand with his fingers.
Sakura's hand twitched at the unexpected touch and her eyes jumped to his. Their eyes locked and they held each others gaze for a few silent moments. They both jumped in their seats as their food was sat in front of them. They ate their food in relative silence, only asking a few questions here and there.
"Wanna go down to the training grounds?" Sakura asked suddenly. "I know a nice spot where we can sit and talk by ourselves if you want."
"Sure, sounds good. I'll pay for both of us," Shino said handing the money over before she could protest. Sakura sighed to herself. "Lead the way Sakura," Shino said walking up next to her.
"Let's get there quickly. Think you can keep up?" she joked. Shino smirked at her.
"As long as you don't pull what you did this morning," he said. Sakura laughed and grabbed his writs and pulled him alongside her toward the training grounds. Shino followed Sakura through the forest part of the grounds till they reached a large stream. Sakura leapt onto a large bolder and patted beside her in a gesture for Shino to sit beside her. Shino sat down and looked around in wonder.
"So…wanna basically play 20 questions?" she asked as she watched him.
"Sure. Mind if I ask a question first?" he said. Sakura made a gesture for him to ask. "Are you afraid of bugs?" he asked. Sakura smiled at him.
"Why am I not surprised at that question? No, just spiders. But spiders aren't really bugs though. I have no problem with bugs at all. A lot of them are cute and tons are helpful to both humans and plants alike," she answered truthfully. Shino grinned. He let a beetle crawl outside his body and up her arm. Shino's eyes lit up as she let it crawl onto her finger and cooed at it. He called the small kikai back to him and smiled at Sakura.
"So, I guess it's your turn for a question," he said quietly. Sakura smirked at him.
"Can I steal your sunglasses?" she asked. Shino gave her a small frown.
"No," he answered. "Now how about a real question Sakura." Sakura pouted at him.
"Fine. Why do you always wear them anyways?" she asked as she silently plotted to steal them anyways.
"It's just a part of my clan. Why don't I like that look in your eyes?" he said warily. Sakura smirked before stealing his glasses from his face. She laughed as Shino made a grab for them and missed. "Sakura! Give them back!" he cried out with a blush.
"Nope. While we're together right now, NO sunglasses. Besides, get over it. You're too obvious of who you are with them anyways. Besides," she said leaning foreword making Shino blush. "You need to get used to a little playful teasing if we're going to be a couple." Shino's face flushed a bright red at the word couple. "What's up with you Shino? You've been blushing worse than Hinata," she said playfully. Shino growled softly.
"Well if we're going to be a couple, you'd better get used to the idea of me kissing you," he said to counter her. Shino chuckled as Sakura's face turned as pink as her hair. "Maybe I should get you used to the idea now," he boldly joked, surprising himself and her.
"Oh really? Are you brave enough to back that statement up with actions?" she said leaning foreword towards him.
"No," he said as he leaned towards her. "But I am stupid enough to," he whispered before reaching out to cup her face in his hands and gently kiss her lips. Shino watched through half lidded eyes as Sakura's closed in what appeared to be pleasure. Sakura's hands wrapped around his neck as she gently kissed him back, neither of them going more than lips to lips. Shino pulled back and tried to control his breathing.
"What the hell do you two think you're doing?" Kakashi said as he stepped into the clearing. Shino jerked away from her in surprise and fell into the stream. Sakura jumped down next to him and helped him up.
"Didn't I tell you no following us!!" Sakura yelled at Kakashi. Kakashi scowled and glared at her with his arms folded across his chest. "I swear Kakashi; I am going to kick your ass one of these days!"
"I'd like to see you try Sakura. Get over it," he said. Sakura growled at him and ran foreword, her arm raised to punch his face in. Shino leapt foreword and caught her around the waist and held her to him. His kikai hummed gently, trying to calm her.
"Calm down Sakura-chan. He's your guardian. He has a right to be protective of you," he said in a calming manner as his kikai continued their humming. Sakura's breathing soon evened out and her muscles relaxed in his hold. Shino nuzzled his nose against her shoulder and neck in a calming way. Sakura sighed in defeat, both of them temporarily forgetting Kakashi; that was until he chuckled.
"Well this turned out better than we could have hoped," Kakashi said with a grin.
"What do you mean?" Shino asked. Kakashi grinned before a puff of smoke enveloped him, revealing Kiba. Shino growled out his name and grabbed Sakura before she could attack him. "Kiba, I hope you realize you're about to get the shit beat out of you," Shino said in a low voice. Sakura turned to look at him in surprise and Kiba's eyes widened in fright.
Shino let go of Sakura and streaked after Kiba, his kikai streaming out at his idiot teammate. Sakura shook her head and ran after the two boys. She came upon the scene of Kiba slammed up against a tree, Shino holding him up by his collar. Sakura ran up to them and placed a hand on Shino's shoulder.
"Shino calm down. Please! Don't do this Shino," she pleaded with him. "Just let him down and let me deal with this." Shino slowly let Kiba down and released his shirt. Sakura slowly pushed Shino behind her before swiftly kicking Kiba in the balls. Shino winced as Kiba went down with a small yelp of pain. Sakura pulled on Shino's arm and led him out of the forest, leaving Kiba whimpering in pain.
"You freakin owe me big time Hinata," Kiba said once he reached up with her. "Sakura kicked me in the crotch when they found out it was me."
"Well that's what you get for not staying hidden, but noooo, Kiba had to be a joker," she said with a roll of her eyes. "When we get back I'll buy you a huge thing of dog food and toys for Akamaru as payment ok?"
"Fine. I'd add on a week of mute servitude but I won't. I'm gunna go hang with Ino now. See you later," he said limping off.
Hinata gave a small smile in his direction before going to meet up with Naruto. Phase one of her semi-evil plot has been a success. On to faze two…..