A/N: So…I pretty much live for the filler episodes. *waits for hardcore fans to stop rioting* Yeah, I know. But the reason why I enjoy them is because it's the only time some of my favorite characters (read: Shino and Tenten) get worthwhile screen-time. I was very excited for last week's episode (Shino and LEE on the same team? Let the hilarity ensue!), and was left extremely underwhelmed (beat by an ostrich and a kangaroo? REALLY?). But, there was one Shino moment that made me smile. For those who haven't seen the episode, a panic-stricken Shino revealed that he had, at one point, named some (if not all) of his beetles. Decidedly un-Shino-like in my opinion, but it still was an "Aaaaaaw!" moment that I think Shino deserves more of.
That little scene spawned this: my attempt to take a pseudo-canon, yet somewhat out-of-character idea, and lend it some plausibility.
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What's in a Name?
Characters: Shino, Tenten
Genre: Friendship, with a touch of humor
NOTES: I used a few Japanese words/phrases (their accuracy is debatable—I'm no linguist), as names. Rough translations:
Kokeibi = small gaurd
Kokouhai= small spouse, mate
Kotogi = small nurse
Koishii= dear, wanted, beloved, darling
Konbou = stick
Kujikuhone = literally 'crush' and 'bone,' thus, "Bonecrusher"
When he was a child, he could not help himself.
Somewhere deep down, he was aware that the practice was completely implausible… But he had never found himself fortunate enough to possess the happy knack of conversing easily with his peers. So, to his somewhat lonely, childlike mind, it seemed only natural to humanize his hive as much as possible.
His kikkai were often his most devoted companions and, with the exception of his father, his closest confidants. They shared a bond, as each Aburame host did with their hive, which, to Shino, seemed not so unfamiliar with the bonds he often observed of his peers. But despite their sheer numbers, it only seemed fitting to treat his kikkai in the manner he wished to one day treat, or be treated by, a…friend.
It was then that Shino had taken up the habit of naming the members of his hive.
It proved to be a difficult task—their lifespans were often quite short, and with the vast numbers, it became highly difficult to devise unique and fitting names. He would never admit aloud how deeply he was affected the first day he was forced to recycle a name.
Providing them names also made it much more difficult for Shino to risk their lives in battle. He knew it was their purpose…but the moment he had christened a kikkai, it deepened their bond so that it almost felt as though he were betraying it by sending it to its death.
Which was why he did not continue the practice for much longer than a year.
It was…easier…to be on the outside looking in at the lives of his peers than it was to be on the inside, watching friend after friend perish by his own hand—even if it was their duty.
Yet, to this day, Shino still found himself quite fond of the custom, despite its impracticality.
He had vowed never to tell a soul of this custom—not even his father, though Shino suspected he was aware without it being divulged. He feared it would implicate a weakness which adversaries might exploit to their advantage, whether on missions or in the equally dangerous social battlefield.
Which was why it came as such a great surprise to him when he absentmindedly made reference to it in her presence.
"Wait, wait… Did you just say you name all of your bugs?"
He was not sure what had caused him to confess it. Perhaps, it was for the first time in his life, he felt as comfortable in the presence of a peer as he did with the hive he had carried with him since birth. Or, perhaps she possessed an unknown ability that lulled him into a false sense of security. Whichever the case, Shino was sure she would not betray his secret to others, even if she chose to utilize it for her other…personal…whims.
"I have not done so for many years. Why? It is impractical to provide names for a complete hive, when their biology and duties lead to an average lifespan of only a few months."
"Shino! I had no idea you were so sentimental!" She was teasing him. This was to be expected. She would take great pleasure in it too. "Introduce me to some of them!"
"I have already told you that I do not—"
"Oh come on, Shino," her impish smile was infectious. "You're going to tell me you named your entire hive for a while, and then you just chose to stop, cold turkey? Give me a break! I know you better than that."
He was not quite sure why he felt compelled to open up to her the way he did. Never in his life had he felt quite so…familiar…with a fellow human being (his direct relations excluded) as he seemed to feel with her. He would have never entertained the thought of sharing this topic with his teammates, yet here he was, exposing himself in a way he'd always wished to, but never felt…comfortable with…to someone he never would have expected.
Perhaps it was Tenten's strange ability to know exactly what he was thinking, when he had not been aware he was thinking it.
The truth was, that he had been so fond of the practice that while he had consciously stopped naming all of his hive, the habit had forced him to unconsciously name a few specimens of each generation.
He struggled, for a few moments, to choose between feigning ignorance and admitting defeat. Both were against his nature, but he knew all too well she would see right through the former. Which left…
Burying his chin further into his collar, he tentatively he called a few beetles forth. They hummed about their heads for a moment before serenely taking up residence on Tenten's person.
"Kokeibi*," he stated simply, indicating the kikkai on her shoulder. "Kokouhai*," to the one on her forearm. "Kotogi*," to the one perched on the tip of her nose.
"What odd names…" she mused as several more beetles landed on her limbs. "No offense," she added with crossed eyes, focused to the insect on her nose.
"Not so odd. Kokeibi is a worker whose primary function is hive defense, as her name indicates. Kokouhai is a drone with the sole purpose to procreate. Kotogi, 'nurse,' provides care to the hive, specifically the injured or newly hatched kikkai."
She frowned ever so slightly, "Yeah, but…aren't names supposed to be less functional and more affectionate, or something?" She curiously watched as the kikkai crawled about her limbs.
"Can I name one?"
Shino could not help the swell of possessive indignation at her request. It was, and had always been, his…tradition. A tradition, he calmly tried to remind himself, that up until a few moments ago he would have soundly denied holding if asked by anyone else…
"Why—?"
"I like this one," she said protectively holding a kikkai, that had moments before been crawling patterns on her knee, up to her face. "I think I'll name it…Koishii*."
It was the most…absurd…name he had ever heard. But, the look of pure joy in her eyes as she watched the beetle's slow path down the back of her hand and wrist, he could not help feeling resigned to the fact that today was the birth of another custom.
Later in his life, Shino would likely realize the true milestone this moment with Tenten was. She had forced him to share, and in doing so, accept, a vulnerability he had feared. But more than that, she had proven that his trust in her was well placed—a question he had long sought the answer to.
All of which was likely why, on this day every year following, he would allow only her to choose a name for one of his kikkai.
And…
He was certain that there would always be one Koishii in his hive, even if Tenten did not choose it herself.
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"I like this idea. I think I'm going to start naming all of my weapons now!"
"…Only if I may designate one name."
"Yeah, right! You'll go naming my bo staff 'Kujikuhone*,' or something ridiculous."
"I believe 'Konbou*' would be a more fitting na—"
"Hmm… 'Kujikuhone.' Kind of like that name, actually…"
"…"
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*A/N: For name translations, see above author's note.