Shino had been busy training with Kiba when Neji had come up to him with a well-concealed look of confusion on his face and had begun to explain the concept of an entirely new holiday called "Valentine's Day." Apparently, according to the Hyuuga, one was supposed to invest in little romantic items that signified to one's significant other his or her love for them. Chocolate in the shape of hearts was a good example of this, Neji had said. When asked where Neji had gotten the idea, the Hyuuga replied that Jiraiya came back with tales of such a phenomenon from the Land of Hearts. The Sannin had also been carrying various bouquets of roses and heart-shaped boxes, which he had proceeded to distribute amongst the women of Konoha, both shinobi and civilian, in the hopes of wooing one.
Neji's brow had furrowed at this part of his tale and he asked Shino if he knew anything about the holiday. The Aburame had calmly shaken his head and denied that he had any knowledge of it beyond what the Hyuuga had just told him. Neji had then turned to Kiba and asked if he knew anything about "Valentine's Day." Kiba had shaken his head and shrugged. The Hyuuga, after that, looked down a little and began to softly chew the inside of his lip, a sure sign to Shino that he was either upset or thoughtful.
When asked what was bothering him, though, Neji had only scowled and averted his eyes from Shino's.
When asked once more, this time with a rather hard stare sent in his direction, Neji scowled some more and uncomfortably admitted to wanting to take part in this new tradition.
Shino blinked. Kiba laughed. Neji glared.
After silently convincing his canine of a friend to shut the hell up, Shino had turned to face Neji once more and agreed to share the holiday of "Valentine's Day" with him.
His lover looked pleasingly satisfied after that.
Shino sighed to himself as he allowed Hinata to timidly lead him through the shopping district, which was decked out in red, pink, and white, in honor of Valentine's Day. The young girl was trying to find a gift for Naruto and had timidly asked Shino to help. Of course he, being not all that familiar with Valentine's Day, was not the best choice, but the Aburame knew that he was the most tolerable.
"Um, Shino-kun," Hinata ventured timidly. "What do you think Neji-niisan will get you?" Shino admired Hinata's attempt at conversation.
"I'm not entirely sure, Hinata-san," he replied honestly. "I was under the impression that he didn't know the fundamentals of this holiday." Hinata blushed and looked down, slowing her pace slightly.
"Well, he asked me about it earlier," she admitted quietly. "And he wanted me to help him find a gift for you. I wasn't sure how much you would l-like it, but, he was c-confident that you would." Shino nodded, intrigued that his lover would be so eager to participate in a sappy holiday like Valentine's Day ("sappy" being Naruto's word for it).
"Should I be getting a gift for Neji as well?" the bug nin asked. Hinata faltered a little and hastily shook her head.
"Um, I think you should wait until W-White Day to get Niisan something," she answered in that shy matter-of-fact way of hers. "Traditionally, on Valentine's Day, the girl gets something for the boy she likes. And then on White Day, the boy gives her something back. And, um, since Niisan is kind of…girly, I figured he would be the one to get you something on Valentine's Day." Her speech finished, Hinata looked down at the ground as she continued to pull Shino through the district. Shino looked at her curiously.
"If I may ask, Hinata-san," he said. "How do you know so much about Valentine's Day? Neji said that it was completely new to him, and it is to me as well." Hinata shrugged timidly and went bright red.
"Well, V-Valentine's Day has been around for a l-long time now," she explained nervously, as though afraid that Shino would be angry at her for never having explained the concept to him. "I g-guess you were just too busy with missions and training to notice." The Aburame thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.
"That must be it," he mumbled to himself. "Perhaps the Sannin exaggerated in his tale a bit."
The two continued on until Hinata found the chocolate shop she went to every year and ventured inside. As Hinata sought help from the clerk, Shino browsed around, looking at the different displays and chocolates that were available for purchase. Most of them, he found, had some sort of love-based theme. There were dove-shaped chocolates, there were rose-shaped chocolates, and, of course, there were heart-shaped chocolates. There was dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. Shino found himself a little more than slightly fascinated by all that went into Valentine's Day.
The Aburame was far from surprised that the store sold roses also; a lovely array of reds and pinks and even whites and blues. It was quite an appealing display, right in the window. Shino wasn't surprised at the number of women the roses attracted to the window. They giggled and cooed and blushed and laughed and acted just girly in general.
"Shino-kun?" Shino turned to see Hinata standing in front of him, clutching a heart-shaped box with a red ribbon wound round the front and tied in a neat and beautiful bow. She looked as though she were trying to strangle it. Thinking quickly, Shino stepped forward and rescued the poor box from Hinata's anxiety-induced death-grip. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Hinata-san, you need to relax," Shino said. Hinata blushed and nodded, but her hands were quivering slightly. The Aburame sighed and tucked the box underneath his arm and took both of the Hyuuga's hands in both of his.
"Hinata," he said firmly, albeit softly. "Don't think about it so much. It will not be as bad as you think, so don't worry. Now, take a deep breath." Hinata nodded and did as instructed. Once she was calm, Shino handed her the box and told her that he would be a moment and that she was free to wait outside. Curious, the girl chose to remain inside to see what Shino was doing.
The Aburame walked over to the clerk and asked about the price of a single rose. Hinata blinked, interested, as the clerk walked Shino over to the window display and selected a small white rose that still hadn't fully opened yet. The girl's brow furrowed as she watched Shino reach into his pocket to extract the money necessary to pay for the infant flower. After taking the money, the clerk smiled and asked Shino questions that Hinata couldn't hear, which Shino answered; politely, if Hinata knew her former teammate, which she did.
It was slightly amusing to watch Shino answer Valentine's Day-related questions in his perfectly stoic fashion while the clerk bubbled and gushed and cooed whenever the shinobi answered.
Finally, Shino was freed and calmly made his way towards Hinata, delicate white rose held in his hand.
"What did she ask you?" Hinata asked, hardly able to contain her curiosity. Shino continued to walk towards the exit of the shop, throwing a passive wave over his shoulder as the clerk bade him and Hinata farewell.
"Questions about Neji," Shino answered simply. If Hinata was unsatisfied with this answer, she didn't show it. Instead, she simply nodded, bit back a sigh, and continued onward. The Aburame walked silently beside her.
The sun was directly in the middle of the sky and there was more bustling around than ever as both shinobi made their way back to their respective homes.
"Shino-kun, are you and Neji going to the festival?" Hinata asked, after the unbearably strained silence (strained for her). Shino nodded.
"Yes," he replied.
"Do you have something red to wear?" the girl asked almost nervously. Traditionally, people wore red, white or pink yukata in honor of the holiday. Once again, Shino nodded.
"Yes," he said. "My father said he would lend me a dark mahogany yukata for the festival. I should probably show it to Neji first, though. He would want us to match." This last part was spoken almost as an afterthought and very much to himself. Hinata looked down to hide her smile. When Shino said he wanted them to match, the "he" referred to himself, not to Neji. "He," as in Shino, wanted them to match. It was the Aburame's way of being possessive, Hinata understood. It was Shino's way of marking his territory, as Kiba would say. Shino wasn't openly possessive or territorial; rather, he had little ways of showing ownership over something. It varied with the situation, and this situation, it seemed, called for matching clothing. Or, clothing that didn't clash. Apparently, Shino thought that if their clothing clashed, some other person would try to swoop in and steal Neji away from him.
"Oh?" Hinata pretended to be unaware of the real reason for Shino's sudden interest in his lover's fashion choice. "Well, Niisan is going to wear a white yukata. I think you'll match just fine." Shino turned to her and nodded.
"Thank you for informing me, Hinata-san," he said. "That's good to know." Hinata giggled and nodded. The two fell into a comfortable silence and maintained a slow, leisurely pace together, both thinking of the upcoming festival that night.
It had been a tradition, according to Hinata, for years, even though Shino had never really heard of it. A holiday to celebrate love? Really? It seemed a little obsolete to Shino, as there were plenty of other days on which to celebrate one's love for family or friends or lovers or all three, but, apparently, the rest of the village seemed to think it necessary.
But what were the traditions of such a holiday? What did one do? Hinata had managed to clear away some of his questions, but new ones had risen in his mind and he was frustrated with how concerned he was over this whole "Valentine's Day" concept. Perhaps he was so bothered by it because he wanted to please Neji. Yes, that had to be the reason. But still…
"Hinata-san?" he asked, startling the girl beside him. She turned her head to look at him with eyes as white as his lover's.
"Yes, Shino-kun?"
"Could you explain a little more to me about Valentine's Day?"
"…Well…"
Neji was not in a good mood at the moment. Firstly, he was nervous, more so than he should've been over something so trivial. Secondly, his lover had not once bothered to see him before the start of the festival, and so he had no idea where to meet him or what he would look like. And thirdly, he was pissed about being nervous.
So, yes, all in all, not a great way to begin a "fun-filled" night with Shino.
In his hand, he held a single red rose he had handpicked for Shino, with Yamanaka Ino's help, of course, and the blood red color clashed beautifully with his snow-white yukata and misty-grey obi. His hair, he had tied back in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck, and he had removed his hitai-ate so he would perhaps be less inclined to be on his guard. Shino had asked him to allow himself this one chance to just release the years of tension that being a shinobi had built up within him and think of nothing but that night, for a change. Of course, Neji felt very uncomfortable about showing his seal, but his lover had agreed to come without anything covering his face, and so, Neji had reluctantly agreed.
Neji sighed heavily, irritated with himself for being so irritated, and refrained from fidgeting. Where was his Aburame? He should've been here by now! The festival had already started and Neji was impatient, not that he would ever admit it out loud.
"Neji." Finally! Neji turned around angrily and was about to give him an earful for being late, when Shino held his hand out, thrusting something into the Hyuuga's face. The brunette man blinked and looked at the object clasped gently in Shino's long fingers; a rose. A white rose that was still unopened and relatively small compared to Neji's rose for Shino.
And still, Neji blushed as he reached out to take the thoughtful gift from his lover.
"Thank you," he said, forgetting his anger. He grasped the white rose in his right hand and handed the red one to Shino with his left. There was no awkwardness in the exchange of gifts, as both men were very used to the giving of little objects of affection and endearment, but there was an unusual newness to the whole situation that Neji found slightly stifling.
Shino smiled and shook his head, his deep and soulful eyes closing as he gently pushed the hand that held the red rose back to its owner. The Hyuuga looked at him confusedly, but the bug nin only smiled a little wider and opened his eyes, taking a step towards his beloved. Neji watched him with a furrow to his brow as Shino took the white rose from his pale hands and undid the tie in his hair. Neji felt his hair tickle his cheeks as it fell around him to frame his face. His eyes locked with Shino's and the Aburame took yet another step forward, fingering Neji's rich tresses, pulling them back from his face.
With baited breath, the perplexed Hyuuga stared in slight wonderment as his lover's other hand, the hand that held the rose, moved towards him. The next thing Neji knew, Shino was entwining the stem with his dark locks, hiding it amongst the thick hair until nothing but the bud was showing.
After having realized what his lover had done, Neji blushed darkly and averted his eyes, dropping his head to stare fixedly at the ground.
He couldn't see Shino shake his head, and only knew that the Aburame had taken any action when he felt two fingers on his chin, forcing his head up so that his marble eyes could once more gaze into those of his lover.
And then, soft lips were upon his own, engaging them in a dance that was all too familiar to both men. Neji sighed gently into the touch and moved his hands to lightly ghost over Shino's face, as Shino's arms moved to rest on his slim hips. There was no rough passionate tug, no hurried or lustful kisses, and no needy moans. Neither Neji nor Shino were so without control over their emotions.
And besides that, it was still perfect, this simplistic touch. There would be time for lust and desire and passion later.
Pulling away gently, Shino and Neji looked at each other. The Hyuuga was still a little pink in the face, but it darkened when his lover took his slender hand in a tender hold and brought it to his lips, placing a small kiss on the pale skin.
"We should get going," Neji said softly, looking down cutely. Shino only nodded, taking his lover's arm around his own, before turning and starting down the pathway into the packed Valentine's Day festival.
Neji was surprised at how much he was enjoying himself. First, they had gone to some sort of game, of which he couldn't remember the basics, and Shino had won him a small stuffed dove, which he still held safely in the crook of his right elbow, his left one being occupied by Shino's arm, to which he was clinging womanishly. After that, Hinata had discovered them and dragged them to a stand that sold millions of different types of chocolates, and Neji had requested politely that they try some of the white chocolate. Shino had given him a look that the Hyuuga didn't really want to label as sly, but couldn't really find any other way to put when, a moment later, he was being fed some of the sweet stuff by his lover, who was ignoring the blushing Hinata, who couldn't seem to look away.
The most interesting thing by far was the odd little booth that seemed to attract a very large number of men, called the "kissing booth." Apparently, a man bought a ticket to kiss the girl who sat at the stool and was given a few seconds of which he had to make the most. Neji had blushed profoundly when a man had come up to him, presumably the one who ran the booth, and asked him if he would step in for the girl on the stool, as she had been there since the start of the festival, and since her boyfriend was getting rather pissed off. Shino had saved him and hastily explained that Neji was, first of all, a man, and second of all, taken. He had demonstrated this by removing his arm from Neji's grasp and winding it rather possessively around his waist. The man had looked very disappointed at this, but had nonetheless walked back to his booth, leaving the two alone.
Shino had yet to remove his arm from Neji's waist.
Very near the end of the festival, Neji turned to Shino in sudden realization.
"You never took your rose," he said bluntly, handing the red flower to Shino. The taller shook his head.
"Not yet," he said seriously. Neji arched a brow but said nothing and the two continued to watch as Naruto made a spectacle of himself, as usual.
Hinata was fascinated. Hinata was interested. Hinata was damn curious. She had just been about to give Naruto the box of chocolates she had bought for him (after hours of mental preparation) when she had seen Neji standing next to Shino with a white rose in his hair. If she was not mistaken, it was the rose she had seen Shino purchase earlier.
She blinked, confused, wondering why Neji was wearing a rose in his hair, but speculating that he looked good with it, regardless of the reason for it.
The sight of the two of them together had halted her and she had stopped moving towards Naruto, who didn't seem to notice, and turned to watch them, hoping that they didn't see her. She watched as Neji turned to Shino and said something that she couldn't hear, handing the Aburame a red rose that her former teammate refused to take for some reason. The Hyuuga heiress's brow knitted together and she became intrigued.
Her strong curiosity was one of many things of which almost absolutely no one was aware.
She watched silently as the two lovers turned and headed away from the center of the entertainment and towards the forest. Still very curious, the girl followed, making sure to conceal her chakra as best she could without exhausting herself. What were they up to?
Hinata followed them to a secluded clearing surrounded by sakura trees, which, in the light of such a beautiful moon, framed by such a cloudless sky, was very romantic. Hinata had the decency to blush.
She stilled her breath as Neji turned to Shino and once more handed him the rose. The bug nin reached out and, instead of taking the rose, closed his hands around Neji's, pulling the elder one closer to him. She strained her ears as Shino said something and reached up to softly caress the rose in her cousin's hair. Neji blushed and smiled softly, refusing to break eye contact with his lover. He reached up and took the Aburame's hand in his, bringing it to rest against his face. Shino gave a light smile of his own and moved his hand over Neji's face, as though memorizing the structure and features of it. Hinata had never felt so much like an intruder.
They kissed softly just as the first of the fireworks symbolizing the closing of the festival started. Hinata struggled to keep herself from jumping, knowing that they would discover her if she did.
They pulled apart and embraced. Neji's shoulders were bunched up adorably as Shino's arms encased him, and her cousin's head was nestled against Shino's no doubt firm chest. Hinata almost cooed. Maybe this was why Shino and Neji were considered the sweetest couple in Konoha? The Hyuuga smiled. Yes, this had to be the reason.
Neji sighed against his lover contentedly. Shino's chin was resting atop his head and his arms had never felt so safe.
"This was unexpectedly enjoyable," he mused quietly. The Aburame nodded once in agreement.
"It was," he supplied. "I rather like the sight of you with roses in your hair. Perhaps we should make this regular." Neji lifted his head up to glare at the bug nin, who chuckled. He removed one of his hands from Neji's back and placed it on the side of Neji's head; the side that sported the white rose, still clinging stubbornly and beautifully to the chocolate strands.
"Don't take it out yet, my love," he whispered lovingly. Neji's eyes became suddenly intense as he fixed Shino with a piercing gaze. Shino met the look head on and soon Neji faltered, sighing and holding out the rose that Shino had now rejected twice.
"Please take it, Shino," he said just as quietly. "It was and is meant for you." Shino stood silently for a moment before he finally took the rose from Neji.
"I know." Neji looked at his lover once more, silence and understanding passing between them.
All too soon, though, Shino looked away and turned his head up to look languidly at the moon.
"Shall we go back now, or would you like to stay here?" he asked. Neji turned to follow his stare and let out a slow breath.
"Let's head back." Shino nodded and turned back to Neji, holding out his hand, waiting patiently. The brunette turned to face him and took his hand immediately, allowing the younger man to pull him slowly closer.
They met in the middle and Shino dropped a kiss to Neji's forehead. They stood in a moment of silence before turning around and leaving the sakura grove, ignorant of the small white petal that fell from the white rose that Neji would from then on care for and nurture lovingly with every tender sentiment that he possessed.
As the two slowly disappeared into the calm night only a few more words were spoken, carried on the breeze that stirred the sakura petals into a lazy dance.
"I love you, Shino."
"And I love you, Neji"
"Happy Valentine's Day."
Happy Valentine's Day!!!!! Sorry it took so long to upload this (just like my Christmas fic...) but it's still here before the dya is up!!
Once more, this is dedicated to my special peeps, KagomeRaya, Mewmewgodess, G.L.G., and Hanai-kun!!!!! I added more this time!! I hope you all have a wonderful and happy Valentine's Day filled with love and chocolates and roses and...awesomeness!!
And thank you to anyone who reads this, and Happy Valentine's Day to all!
You know the deal, R&R.