Disclaimer: Don't own it. Kishimoto Masashi must be stinking rich. (I wish I was rich. ..)
Anyway, this is going to be a YAOI fanfic. Don't know what that is? Well, I'm too lazy to explain it. (I mean, what are the odds of someone reading Naruto fan fiction and not knowing what yaoi is?)
Pairing: ShinoKiba, maybe hints of others
Warning(s): None. Absolutely nothing. I feel slightly depressed that I didn't even write any (gasp!) swears. (At least I don't remember doing so…)
Maybe I'll up the rating in the future, try a lemon or something.
I was trying for humour here and there, so any feedback on that would also be appreciated. And… I'll stop boring you with my five-hundred line opening-thingy. On with the story!
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Chapter 1: Day 0
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-Kiba's POV-
"Shino-kun! Oi! Shino!" yelled Inuzuka Kiba, running towards the training ground Team 10 typically used, Akamaru several steps ahead. As the bug-user turned, the dog leapt up and hit him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Kiba pulled up beside them, laughing.
"…Kiba," Shino said, the slightest hint of a threat in his usually emotionless voice - in fact, the slight inflection was so minute that most people (i.e. not Kiba, Kurenai, Hinata or one of his family) would not have been able to tell the difference. Kiba supposed that the fact that his dog was seated smugly on his chest had something to do with it, but he only laughed again.
"I'm sure you needed a break anyway," he shot back, dropping to the ground beside the fallen Aburame. "You sure work hard."
"…Kiba," Shino said again, the threatening tone more noticeable this time, "if you don't remove your dog from my person, I will remove him myself. Forcibly. With my insects. There will be fleas involved later."
Kiba swallowed visibly. "A-all right." He patted one of Akamaru's massive flanks. "C'mon, boy, Shino's being a stick bug in the mud."
The dog gave a low whimper, probably in agreement, and slowly climbed off his master's team mate.
The two chûnin stared at each other for several moments (at least Kiba assumed Shino was staring at him… with the heavily tinted sunglasses that were an Aburame trademark, his friend could very well be taking a nap or watching a cloud like that lazy Nara Shikamaru) until Hyuuga Hinata ran up, slightly breathless.
"Hi, Shino-kun, Kiba-kun…" she greeted politely, looking a little puzzled. "Isn't Kurenai-sensei here yet?"
Shino sat up, brushing himself off. "No, I just got here several moments ago myself." He turned his head towards Kiba, probably in reference to his comment earlier but the Inuzuka paid him no mind.
"Oh… It's unlike her to be late," Hinata remarked. "I wonder if we have a mission and that's what's holding her up…" She seemed to be thinking aloud.
"I hope it's something good, all these D-rank missions are starting to get on my nerves," Kiba remarked, leaning back against Akamaru, who was now at least half of his master's size, if not more. "I'm hoping for a C-rank, at least, but I wouldn't object to a B-rank one." He closed his eyes partway and studied Hinata. Lately the fourteen-year-old had begun to notice that the girl had filled out somewhere along these past two years, but since he'd seen her everyday, he just hadn't noticed it, almost like he hadn't noticed Akamaru's growth, but those two had both changed considerably over the past two years.
Reflecting upon it, he supposed Shino had changed as well, donning steadily heavier and more concealing clothing until all that was really visible of the Aburame were his hands and a space around his (bespectacled) eyes. Conversely, he himself had changed as well, but not as much as his team mates… But if you asked them, he thought they'd probably say the same about themselves.
The only one who really hadn't changed, apart from aging, was their teacher, Kurenai, who looked the same as always, Kiba mused.
---
About thirty minutes later, a jônin appeared several feet away in a dramatic poof of smoke - not exactly Kurenai's style, which prompted Kiba to wonder if she was ill or called away on an A- or S-ranked mission.
Hatake Kakashi, known in other countries as the Copy Nin, stood before them in all his silver-haired, one-eyed glory. He raised his left hand in greeting. "Yo." He rivalled Shino in the whole 'concealed-ness' area, as he only showed one eye, and really on the tips of his fingers and his hair were visible, but Shino still won, in Kiba's opinion.
"…Konnichiwa, Kakashi-sensei," Hinata greeted, looking a little unsure, but not nervous, like she used to be around other people - that was only reserved for Naruto now, a fact for which Kiba was glad: he preferred the confident, powerful Hinata over her younger counterpart. "…Is Kurenai-sensei ill?"
The Copy Nin shook his head, his silver hair swaying almost comically. "She's been called away on a secret mission along with Asuma," he explained, his eye closing in the upside-down crescent that symbolized a smile for the former ANBU. "I believe she'll be back within the week." He seemed on the verge of departing when he said, "Oh, right, Tsunade-sama wanted to see you two, Kiba and Shino. I think she said something about a mission."
He nodded once, then disappeared again in that same mysterious smoky poof. Kiba had always considered the ninja something of a show-off, and this somehow confirmed his views of the Hatake.
"Oh…" Hinata sighed. "I was going to show Kurenai-sensei my new genjutsu…"
"…You could show us, Hinata," Shino suggested, somehow seeming to Kiba like he was trying to console their team mate, which then seemed absurd - the Hyuuga was in no need of comfort. "Right, Kiba?"
"Uh, right," Kiba agreed hastily, not wanting to seem like he hadn't been paying attention.
"Gomen, but I'm not, well, finished it actually," Hinata confessed. "I was hoping Kurenai-sensei would be able to give me some pointers on how to improve it, because I was making it from scratch. …I think I'll just go back home and see if my father or Neji-nii-san will help me with it. And besides, Kakashi-sensei said Tsunade-sama wanted to see you." She smiled, a little sadly, at her two team mates. "I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow, maybe."
"…Hai," Shino agreed, and Kiba somehow got the impression that her polite refusal had hurt the Aburame… It had hurt him a little, actually, that she wasn't willing to share her new jutsu with them, but there wasn't too much either boy could really say to explain it to her. They did have a mission, after all, and it wouldn't do to give the somewhat lazy and mostly irritable Hokage a reason to be angered with them.
The Hyuuga waved good-bye and trotted off for home, leaving the two boys behind.
"That was odd," Kiba remarked, once she was out of sight, and presumably, earshot. "You'd think she would've wanted to show us her new jutsu." Akamaru barked his agreement.
"Hn," was the elaborate reply.
"I mean, we were here for half an hour, that should've been plenty of time," Kiba continued as they began to trot to the large pinkish-red building that housed the Hidden Leaf Village's administration.
"She had no way of knowing we would be there without Kurenai-sensei for half an hour," Shino pointed out, abruptly turning to avoid being run over by a harassed-looking woman shoving along a stroller filled with a tubby, bawling toddler. "For all she knew, sensei could have turned up any minute."
Kiba frowned. "I suppose. But still, it bothers me that she didn't even mention it!"
Shino made no reply, signifying that he had lost interest in the conversation. It was one of those things that bothered the Inuzuka to no end, but no matter how hard he tried, (and he had tried many times in their first year in the same team) it was impossible to keep up an argument with the other boy. He usually lost interest after several moments and stopped replying, effectively winning the debate because Kiba was left spluttering aimlessly like an idiot - another thing that bothered the brunette. He often felt like an idiot around his more mature team mate, and at times over-shadowed; while the Aburame did nothing to encourage the thought, like boasting or showing off, Kiba learned early that what was left unsaid often had the most impact when it came to the bug-user.
"…Not talking to me again, eh?" Kiba sighed. "You lost interest more quickly than usual." He could see the disturbingly pinkish building up ahead, getting closer with every step.
"…Lost interest?"
In another person, the tone might have given the two words the air of a statement, but to the Inuzuka he sounded highly curious.
"W-well," Kiba stammered, caught off guard, "you usually seem to, whenever I try to get in an argument with you," he explained awkwardly, glancing at his friend out of the corner of his eye. "You just stop talking."
He thought he saw the Aburame raise an eyebrow beneath the heavy shadow of his hood, but that could have just been a trick of the light.
"I… dislike verbal confrontation."
Kiba snorted. "Yeah, I've noticed." He found himself absently scratching Akamaru behind one floppy ear, a nervous habit he'd picked up around the time that he could comfortably do so without bending to reach the dog's head.
"But that does not mean I lose interest," Shino continued. "You often make good points."
The Inuzuka blinked in surprise: this had been unexpected. "Well, I've always thought so," he agreed with a grin, trying to lighten the mood slightly.
"And-"
Whatever Shino had been about to say was cut off by the abrupt arrival of Izumo, one of the two chûnin who, more often than not, cleaned up after the Hokage when she threw her chair out the window or destroyed a desk in a fit of administrative rage.
"Oh, good, you're here," the man said, relieved. "Tsunade-sama is not in a good mood… She practically took off Kotetsu's head with that last thrown book…" He rushed them through the open archway, into the Hokage's office, where an irate-bordering-on-enraged Hokage sat seemingly calmly behind her desk. Her demeanour, the content expression on her face, spotlessness of her desk all spoke of calm.
The latter could be explained by the papers and books strewn on the floor. Kiba assumed that the woman had shoved them off angrily, and rather recently too, considering Shizune had not yet made an appearance.
As well, a rather large hole had appeared in the glass slightly to the left of her head. It looked vaguely chair-shaped, and considering she was perched almost like a child on her desk, the Inuzuka could only assume one thing:
Fleeing was a good option, and plausible in numerous situations…
But this was not one such situation.
Sometimes he cursed the day he'd decided to become a ninja, then realised it hadn't really been a decision. More like an assumption that, since he was from a ninja clan currently residing in a Hidden Village, he would become a ninja.
Kiba was abruptly brought out of his thoughts as the Hokage started outlining (in a sweet, innocent voice) their mission details.
"We've recently received reports of a bug-user in the Land of Stars(1), which is near the Land of Earth," she explained. Kiba wanted to point out that it was probably one of that weird clan that had attacked he, Shino, Hinata and Naruto when they'd gone in search of the Bikouchu, but had the feeling such action would not be a good plan at the moment.
"He bears the appearance of an Aburame clan member," she continued, "Face-concealing coat, messy brown hair, thickly-tinted glasses…"
Beside him, Kiba noted that Shino had stiffened almost imperceptibly. Maybe he was insulted that the Hokage had called his hair messy.
"And we have been offered this chance to smooth over the… indifferences of our two Villages by the Village Hidden in the Sun(2)," the Hokage explained, "if we find and apprehend, if not eliminate, this ninja." She glanced at the two as if to see if they'd been keeping up. Kiba gave a slight nod, as did Shino.
"I have chosen you two because Shino's father is away on another mission and therefore unavailable. I would have sent father and son, but that's impossible now. Instead, you'll have to go."
"…Why not Hinata as well?" Kiba asked, then immediately wished he hadn't. The expression, though fleeting, that crossed Tsunade's face was not a pleasant one. 'Ohgodohgodwe'reallgonnadie' would have been a better adjective for the look.
"It is an A-ranked mission, at least, and one that I would prefer to hand out to jônin rather than chûnin, so I asked your and Hinata's parents if they would approve of your… participation in this mission, and Hyuuga-san, as was within his right, requested that Hinata not be included in this particular excursion. Your mother, however, had no qualms, and seemed to think that a team effort would have better odds of succeeding." The woman sounded weary. "And here you are. I'm debating sending Sakura with you, in case of injuries needing medical treatment, but I understand that you three have never worked together before, so that probably would not be a good idea."
"Hokage-sama… You have not yet explained why it is imperative that a member of the Aburame clan partake in this mission," Shino remarked, the slightest tension betrayed in his voice, "Or why this is practically considered an S-ranked mission."
"Ah, yes. Well, it seems that this mysterious ninja also uses that same kikkai-ichu bugs that your clan does, but the effects are far more devastating."
"…Devastating?" Kiba repeated. Whenever his team had been forced into a fight and Shino had brought out his kikkai-ichu, they had certainly seemed devastating in his opinion.
"Hai. It seems this ninja has been unleashing them on rural villages throughout the country, and killing the entire populace. All people possess chakra, as you well know, and he has been using the innocents as livestock, draining their chakra until they die."
Kiba's eyes widened in shock. He'd never thought of it before, but now that the topic had been brought up, it didn't strain credulity that such atrocities were possible, it was just that Shino was much too humane and, innately, kind to even consider such a drastic course of action.
"…I know of no one within my clan that would ever do such a thing," Shino said firmly, in a tone that brooked no argument. "The very thought is outrageous… And yet you have solid proof, don't you, Hokage-sama…"
"Unfortunately. What we really need is for you to find and subdue this menace as soon as possible. I suppose I could spare another chûnin for the job, but you'd have to find them-"
Kiba would have liked to request Shikamaru's accompaniment, but Shino spoke faster.
"That is unnecessary, Hokage-sama. I'm certain Kiba and I will be sufficient."
Tsunade studied them for a long moment. "Very well. You'll be leader, Shino, because you'll understand this ninja much better than Kiba. I'll give you the rest of the day to prepare, since it's nearly noon at any rate, but I expect you two to both leave at dawn. Do I make myself clear?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" they replied in unison, Akamaru giving a bark, although Shino sounded considerably less thrilled.
"Dismissed."
The two chûnin turned to leave when she suddenly spoke again.
"Oh, and the next time you see that idiotic, dawdling Copy Nin, tell him that his next mission will consist of the most useless, menial tasks I can scrounge from the depths of the rejected mission basket, will you?"
Kiba winced. That was not a fate he envied, that was for certain.
"Hai, Hokage-sama," Shino replied for him, and the two left just as Shizune burst in.
They could hear the two medic nin arguing in the background as the descended the stairs to the street.
"Well, I guess I got what I asked for," Kiba remarked, stretching. "Although an A-rank was above and beyond my expectations." The two were passing an alleyway as he said that and the Inuzuka abruptly found himself shoved up against the wall, Shino's hidden face inches from his own.
"Don't even joke about that," he said, sounding considerably more frosty than usual. "Do you even realise how dangerous this mission could be? The Hokage asked your parents if they wanted you to go out on this mission. I've never even heard of that happening before. And what's more, she offered to send her probable predecessor, Haruno Sakura, along with us, in case we were injured! I don't think you quite understand the seriousness of this mission."
"I- I was just trying to shrug off the uneasy feeling I got from that meeting!" Kiba protested, shifting slightly. Behind Shino, Akamaru was whining in a confused fashion, unsure of what to do - this friend was attacking his master, but he was just that - a friend.
A moment later Shino had backed off. "I… apologise. I'm on edge myself. Forgive me."
Kiba blinked, glad that sudden outburst was over. "'s all right," he assured his friend, despite feeling slightly hurt that the other would consider him such an idiot.
"…Not really. I… will make it up to you later," Shino promised. "We'll meet by the Gate at four-thirty, and leave by five o'clock, at the latest."
"Hai," Kiba agreed.
The two stood there at the mouth of the alley awkwardly as several people walked by, giving the two fourteen-year-olds no mind.
"Well, I guess I should go pack," Kiba remarked, shifting uncomfortably.
"Hai," Shino agreed, and the two parted ways.
---
Around eight o'clock that night, there was a knock on the front gate of the Inuzuka clan's compound.
Kiba, who had just finished his own dinner and was going to take Akamaru for a walk, answered it.
"Oh, hi Shino," he said, slightly puzzled by his appearance. "What are you doing here?" Their respective clan compounds were pretty much on the other side of the village from the other's.
"I wished to speak with you about the mission tomorrow," the Aburame replied, gesturing for the Inuzuka to walk with him.
"…Couldn't it wait for tomorrow?" questioned Kiba as the two started to walk down the darkening lane. "I mean, not that I was doing anything, but you don't usually do things like this," he clarified, in case he sounded like some selfish child.
"…I would rather not speak about it out here," Shino replied, quickening his pace slightly. "I… It would make more sense were you to come to my clan compound and I could show you."
Kiba raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he sped up to match his friend's pace. "I see." It was all pretty mysterious, and if Shino wanted to speak about it someplace private, so be it.
He studied the taller boy out of the corner of his eye. It was odd, the way he was acting. He was as tense as he had been eight hours ago, if anything even more so than before, which led Kiba to try and make small talk.
"So, uh, how has your-" he paused then. 'How has your family been?' didn't really seem appropriate at the moment, "-day been?"
At Shino's sharp look, Kiba winced inwardly. That word choice hadn't really been all that great either.
"I spent the time after I was finished packing in my clan's library."
"Oh."
They continued in silence for several minutes, and Kiba estimated it would be another ten to fifteen minutes until they reach the Aburame compound.
"…How has your day been?" The Aburame's words startled Kiba, but he was a little pleased as well. He'd thought the Aburame had lost interest again, but apparently not.
"Oh, not so bad. I restocked my soldier pills and helped my sister with a new litter of puppies. One of them looks just like Akamaru did when he was little," Kiba replied. Akamaru gave a bark of agreement. "And I got to practice that new Inuzuka technique, but I'm still not so good at it yet."
"Hm, well I look forward to seeing the successful jutsu once you have mastered it," Shino remarked, sounding mildly interested. "Perhaps you'll be able to use it on this mission as well."
Kiba grinned sidelong at his friend. "Yeah, maybe, but I'm not Naruto."
The Aburame looked at him strangely. "Not Naruto…?" he echoed.
"Well, y'know, he always seems to master his jutsu in the nick of time and stuff like that, but it's never happened to me," Kiba explained, shrugging. "I guess it's 'cause he's got the Kyuubi sealed inside him or something."
"…I suppose."
The rest of the brisk walk was passed in silence, and as the sun slipped below the horizon, leaving a red-pink stain at the bottom of the sky, they reached the imposing Aburame compound.
Most of the windows were dark, as the entire clan seemed to follow the daily schedule that their kikkai ichu did.
While the compound seemed no different than the average clan's compound, surrounded by a ten foot brick wall, with most houses connected by walls, but closed off from their neighbours, the darkened area seemed to have a sinister air that no other clan could lay claim to. To Kiba's trained nose, it smelled… Well, a lot like Shino, which certainly wasn't an unpleasant smell, but subtly different, more… dangerous? But that was insane, and Kiba shook those thoughts away.
And the fact that, compared to most, the clan was so small in such a large compound, added to the mysterious aura surrounding the Aburame Ichizoku.
"…Everyone's away on missions?" Kiba asked in a soft murmur. Even though he'd come to Shino's home many times over the past two years, he couldn't quite get over the heavy, almost library-like quiet that blanketed the compound, and found himself speaking in a near-whisper the whole time he was there.
"Yes, or asleep," Shino replied calmly, in his regular voice, but it didn't echo in the stillness. Neither did his footsteps, for that matter, although Kiba's seemed to reverberate off the walls and disappear into the darkened lanes and alleys. He had a feeling if he spoke normally, his voice would echo unnaturally as well.
Shino led the way to a small building near the center of the small community that stood alone and separate from all the others. Oddly enough, soft light could be seen through the windows, illuminating rows of bookshelves.
Kiba was surprised to realise that, although he and Shino had been in the same team for a while now, he'd never been anywhere in the compound except his team mate's home, and even then he hadn't really paid any attention to how his friend had led him there, so he doubted he could find it even now.
In fact, he thought with a shock, Shino more often came to his and Hinata's home than they to his, and he seemed to know the layout of both their compounds fairly well.
They stopped before the wooden double doors, Shino stepping forward to knock quietly, then step back beside the Inuzuka. Akamaru's tail wagged audibly as they waited, for what, Kiba didn't know.
Several moments later, Kiba heard the sound of a no doubt heavy cross bar being lifted, then placed gingerly beside the doors. The left door opened, and a pair of trademark Aburame glasses nearly blinded Kiba with their light-reflecting glare as a waft of musty, old-bookish smell hit him.
"Who are you?" demanded a surprisingly loud female voice. "Shino said he was coming back later-"
"I'm here, Auntie," Shino said mildly, much to Kiba's relief, for she swung her head - and blinding glasses - towards her supposed nephew.
"Oh, Shino-kun… Ah, yes! You said you were bringing a friend, didn't you? How forgetful of me." The door swung open wider and Kiba saw the woman within more clearly.
Her very gray hair was pulled back tightly into a bun, and her face, though thin and wrinkled, was certainly healthy. She wore a gray coat similar to the one Shino used to wear, but the collar was open. She was wearing a pair of standard issue ninja pants, and he saw a kunai and shuriken holster on her hip.
"Auntie Shirike, this is Inuzuka Kiba, the boy who will be accompanying me on the mission," Shino introduced, and Kiba bowed.
For some reason those words seemed to hold a significance for the old woman, for she seemed to give Kiba a very searching, appraising look before one corner of her mouth quirked up in an almost-smile. "Very nice, Shino-kun," she said approvingly.
Kiba blinked wondering what that was supposed to mean. "Gomen, Shirike-san," he said politely, which caused her to chuckle mysteriously.
Shino cleared his throat, sounding slightly embarrassed, but his next words gave no indication. "Kiba, this is my great-aunt Aburame Shirike," he added.
Kiba bowed again. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Shirike chuckled again and gestured for them to enter. "Well, hurry up you two. An old woman like me's got to get to bed early!"
The Inuzuka was tempted to point out that the entire clan seemed to 'get to bed early' but decided against it. This woman was interesting and it wouldn't make sense to alienate her so early on, since she seemed to like him somewhat.
"Hai." Shino stepped inside, Kiba following, but Shirike suddenly stuck her arm in front of him.
"No animals allowed inside!"
"I-" Kiba blinked, caught off guard. "S-surely you'll understand, Shirike-san… He's my companion, and I hardly think of him as an animal. Akamaru won't do anything, I promise."
Akamaru gave a low wuffle of agreement, staring up at the old woman with puppy dog eyes that could melt even the coldest Inuzuka heart.
Shirike sighed. "Very well. I suppose if you promise…" She stepped back and he continued inside. Shino nodded at him, as if he approved of Kiba standing his ground.
"Try to be finished by nine, all right, Shino-kun?" Shirike said.
"Hai."
Shino gestured for Kiba to follow him as he disappeared into the warren of bookshelves.
Kiba gave her a quick smile before hurrying after his friend, Akamaru a step behind, on his best behaviour.
He glanced around, noting the candles set in brackets about the building. He wondered why they would use fire rather than electricity since there was all this paper around waiting to catch flame. And they weren't very effective either as he hurried to catch up to Shino, because the tall bookcases cut off the meagre light they cast, and the fact that the spaces between bookcases were thinning out didn't help things. Kiba began to feel claustrophobic as they neared the center of the building, for the candles were set only on the outside walls, and it was practically black this far in, but he could still navigate by his sense of smell, and as he neared Shino's scent he slowed so as not to crash into him.
But he had expected to be able to see Shino, and walked into him anyway, because the Aburame was kneeling.
Kiba cursed as he fell on top of his friend, and quickly scrambled to his feet, apologizing softly.
"Sorry! I-I didn't see you!" whispered Kiba, feeling his cheeks heat in embarrassment. He imagined that the red tattoos on his cheeks were blended perfectly with the blood rushing to his face.
Shino stood as well, but as always he was unreadable. "I should have said something," he assured his friend. "It's fine. I found the book I wanted to show you anyway, so we can leave now," he added, then stood there expectantly.
It took Kiba several moments to realise the Aburame expected him to lead the way out of the labyrinth he had jokingly called a library.
"Uh, I don't know the way back out," Kiba muttered, sweat-dropping. "You were going so fast that I didn't have time to memorise where we were."
"Hm. Well, there's not really much space to move around," Shino observed. "But I should have thought of that…" He stepped forward and Kiba pressed himself as far against the bookshelf as possible to accommodate the Aburame.
As Shino passed, their hands brushed. Shino faltered for a moment, then quickly apologised.
"Uh, it's fine," Kiba assured him in a murmur, a little confused. "C'mon, hurry up, Shino. I want to leave this library… It sort of freaks me out, you know?"
"Hm." Shino navigated the maze-like bookcases with ease, Kiba making sure to keep only one or two steps behind so there would be no more falling mishaps.
When Shino stopped abruptly as they neared the main part of the building, Kiba walked into him. Akamaru gave a sort of doggish chuckle behind him.
"Sorry," Kiba apologised, heat rising to his cheeks, and he got the feeling his cheeks were one solid color. Again.
"It's fine," Shino replied. More loudly, he called, "Auntie! I've got the book, and I'm going to borrow it for my mission tomorrow."
"Oh, which book is that again, Shino-kun?" Shirike bustled out of a shadowy path of bookcases to their left.
Shino held up the book for her to examine and Kiba saw that it was about two inches thick, a well-thumbed paperback with worn black leather covers.
Her brow furrowed slightly as she neared them. "Oh… The History of the Aburame Ichizoku, Volume 2." She nodded. "All right, but be sure to bring it back! We've only got one copy of that volume." Her stern words seemed to hold a significance for Shino, who straightened almost imperceptibly, and tucked the small book into his pocket.
"Hai. Of course."
"Well, I wouldn't expect anything less from you, Shino-kun," Shirike assured him, softening her tone slightly. "Run along, I have to go to bed now. These bones aren't as young as they used to be, or something like that." She chuckled and hustled them out.
"It was nice briefly meeting you, Shirike-san," Kiba said politely.
Shino's aunt chuckled again. "I'm sure it was," she said dryly. They had reached the door, and she'd given them a little push over the threshold. "Good-night," Shirike said, and closed the door in their faces.
Kiba could hear her bustling about, snuffing candles and rearranging books.
"…She's a little… different," Shino remarked, leading the Inuzuka away.
"I liked her," Kiba replied sincerely. "It's… refreshing to know your entire clan isn't soft-spoken and emotionally devoid."
"…I'm not emotionally devoid," Shino stated as he turned to slide open the door that, presumably, led to the home he and his father shared. "I just prefer not to show my emotions."
"Heh," Kiba muttered. "I'm not very good at that, compared to you." They removed their sandals and Shino flicked on a light, revealing the small, modestly furnished family room. Although Shino's father was widely considered the successor as clan leader, he and his son, a small family, were still relegated to an average-sized home.
As his friend led him to his room, Kiba looked around, committing the layout to memory, so he wouldn't suffer that strange anti-epiphany again.
He noticed that, while the halls weren't sparkling (in fact, they were somewhat dust-coated), they were… neat. The Inuzuka compound halls were regularly littered with things varying from ninja weapons to clothes to canine items, so this absence of mess was almost… shocking.
"Your halls are neat," Kiba remarked as Shino stopped before the door at the end of the hall.
The Aburame glanced back at him, as if he doubted the sincerity of his words. "Hai. But a little dusty. My mother used to take care of such things." His voice was unreadable as he spoke of his dead mother.
"Oh," Kiba said tactfully. "Um, well… I just meant that the halls back at my house are pretty messy."
"I see." Shino slid the door open and they entered, the Aburame flicking on the light as he passed. "Sometimes Auntie comes and dusts, but not often."
Kiba realised he'd never really paid attention to the details of Shino's room the few times he'd been in it either. The room was a lot larger than the family room. It was long, and a large bed dominated the far side, opposite the door, which stood on the far end, a shut off closet beside it. Two small windows were set in the wall opposite, one across from the door, the other above the bed. A rather large bookcase was centered between the two, and it was filled with books and scrolls.
A desk sat several feet from the door, and several scrolls, a lamp and an open book were placed haphazardly atop. Kiba noticed that a full length mirror was hung on the wall beside the desk, and above the desk hung a framed picture of a woman, presumably his mother. Between the mirror and the closet , door were various stands with a variety of shuriken, kunai and other ninja tools, and beyond that a rack of jackets, standard-issue pants and shirts. A rug stretched across most of the room, and several cushioned chairs were placed at various intervals around the space.
"…Isn't that a closet?" Kiba asked, pointing to the door.
"…It's a bathroom," Shino explained.
"Oh." Kiba was really laying on the tact thickly now.
Shino grabbed one of the cushioned chairs and pulled it up beside the desk. "You can sit here," he said calmly, sliding into the chair that went with the desk.
Akamaru jumped into the pulled-up chair and sat there expectantly. Kiba stifled a laugh.
"Not you, Akamaru," Shino said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Arf!" Akamaru barked, sounding disappointed as he sprang down. He stuck his tail high as he strode over to Shino's bed and made himself comfortable.
"…Don't forget about the fleas, Kiba," Shino said mildly, pulling the small book out of his pocket. He began to flip through it, presumably looking for a certain page.
"Akamaru, get down from there!" Kiba said, once he'd managed to stifle his laughter. The flea threat hade helped considerably. Thinking the action cautionary, he sat down beside Shino, who had stopped on page 203.
"I take it that this is about the mysterious ninja we're supposed to track down?" Kiba asked as Akamaru trotted over and curled himself about his masters chair.
"Hai," the Aburame agreed. "I've been researching possible links of this ninja to my clan, even though I did not want to believe anyone who belonged to or used to belong to my clan would do such horrendous things," Shino explained, flipping the page again. "Auntie was helping me."
"Okay," Kiba replied, for lack of anything useful to add to the conversation.
Shino glanced at him, then handed him the book. "Read this passage," he said, pointing to the page on the right, about a quarter pf the page down.
"'kay." The Inuzuka accepted the offered book, and nearly dropped it because Shino drew his hand back so quickly that he almost didn't see him move.
"Sorry," Shino apologised, and Kiba wondered why he was apologising: the Aburame seldom apologised, because he seldom did things that required an apology, yet here he was, doing just that, for things that required no form of apology whatsoever.
He was probably just on edge because of what Tsunade-sama had said about that ninja being a member or former member of the Aburame, Kiba decided.
" 'In the year 1900, Aburame Shito and his younger brother Shiku left the Ichizoku with their families - Aburame Tsuni, Shito's wife, and their two children, and Aburame Shouji, Shiku's wife, who was pregnant at the time. They were the sons of the patriarch's brother and advisor, Shiko, and had access to important scrolls detailing various powerful and forbidden jutsu,' " Kiba read aloud, " 'They stole a number of these, and fled. Using his status in the clan, Shiko offered to place his life in the stead of his errant sons and their families. Reluctantly, Shino-' " Kiba assumed this was the patriarch of the clan at the time, and found it rather telling that his friend shared this man's name, " '-had his brother put to death, as was the custom, and they put the missing members out of their mind. The stolen scrolls were recreated and all returned to normal.' " He started to read the next paragraph, thinking that it would hold more information on the two brothers, but there was nothing about them.
"…That's it?" Kiba asked, a little surprised. "Surely there's more? I mean, they left the clan!"
Shino nodded. "I know. But that's all there is. I think there may have been more, at one point, but… The Aburame dislike to leave traces of their past errors."
Kiba's eyebrows rose and he ran a hand through his hair. "Ugh… It said the year 1900... What year is that?"
"We don't count years like that anymore, we conformed to the standard date in Konoha, but before my clan was really accepted into the Village we counted our date differently. I believe that would be… around seventy years ago," Shino explained, accepting the book Kiba handed to him.
"Seventy years… It doesn't say how old they were upon their departure, but I assume they were probably in their thirties… You'd have to be pretty close to your prime to carry out something like that and succeed," Kiba stated. "Their children were probably a couple years younger than us, but not too much younger, because it would be foolish to do so with really young children…"
"Hai, I'd come to basically the same conclusion," Shino agreed. "They're probably dead by now, but it's probably that their children are still alive, and their children's children(3), if they had any."
"And you think that one of their children's children is the ninja?"
"Hai."
"Okay, so he know that much, but that still doesn't help us figure out how to track this guy."
"Or girl, but I've already thought of this too," Shino said, selecting a relatively small and slim reddish-brown scroll. "This scroll teaches how to track another person who uses kikkai ichu."
"I thought you could already do that?" Kiba asked. He had very little understanding about how Shino related with his bugs, and thought it must be something akin to the bond between himself and Akamaru, just on a much higher level, since Akamaru didn't actually live inside of him.
"Only with people I have come in contact with, so I imagine this scroll was designed specifically for this task, tracking down and neutralizing other members who had split off from the clan, without their knowledge," Shino explained.
"Oh. But how much range does it have?"
"Well… I believe it's about ten miles, but the Land of Stars isn't very large, so that should be a problem," the Aburame replied, tucking the scroll into one pocket, the book in the other. "I've also been learning more secret jutsu of my clan, so I think it would be a good time to test those out as well."
Kiba nodded and stifled a yawn. He glanced outside and realised it was pitch black outside.
"I'd better go, early to bed, early to rise and all that," Kiba said, standing. He stifled another yawn. "What time is it anyway?"
"About nine. And I wasn't aware you used proverbs," Shino remarked.
"Oh, well-" Kiba could feel his cheeks heating. Again. He'd actually looked a bunch of proverbs up to impress his friend with a while ago and they'd stuck in his memory, "-you know, I do pick up a book, once in a while." He laughed a little uncomfortably, but Shino just studied him gravely.
They stayed like that, Shino sitting and watching Kiba, the Inuzuka shifting a little uneasily beneath his friend's scrutiny. Akamaru barked and broke the uncomfortable silence.
"Right. I was leaving. Bye, Shino," Kiba muttered, following his dog to the door. Shino rose as well, walking beside him all the way to the door.
"Four-thirty, right?" Kiba clarified as he slipped on his sandals.
"Hai. Do you know the way out of the compound?" Shino asked.
"Uh… No…" Kiba sweat-dropped. Akamaru gave a soft whimper and thumped his tail against the ground.
Shino nodded, apparently unsurprised. He slipped his sandals on and slid the door shut behind him. A little light spilled out of the window, illuminating the lane about them, but not enough to really be useful.
"So, um, there's really nothing more about them in the book?" Kiba questioned softly as they moved silently along the still lanes of the compound.
"There's a family tree at the back, but other than that, nothing," Shino replied. "I'm descended from the Shino mentioned in the text, actually."
"Wow, well I guess that's not too surprising, since your dad's probably going to be the next clan leader," Kiba said quietly.
"…That branch of the family descended from Shino fell out of favour after his death. It has taken my father a long time to regain our status."
"…Oh."
"Hm."
They reached the gate to the main part of Konoha several minutes later.
"I trust you know the way back to your own compound?" Shino asked dryly.
Kiba's eyebrow twitched and Akamaru gave a soft 'woof' or appreciation. "Yes, I do." He opened the gate and stepped out onto the lit street.
"Oh, and Kiba?"
The Inuzuka turned. "Hai?"
"Gomen." The Aburame closed the gate softly.
"Uh, what for?"
But Shino was already gone.
"Weird… He's been acting strange since we got this mission," Kiba mumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Akamaru's tail wagged in agreement.
"Well, whatever. Maybe his bugs are sick or something. C'mon, we wouldn't want to be locked out, eh?" He grinned slightly, remembering the time he'd been out past curfew and his mother had made him sleep outside. He'd just climbed the wall and went inside.
Master and companion turned and disappeared down the street, leaving the Aburame compound dark and silent behind them.
Sometimes he wondered how Shino survived in such an alien (to Kiba) atmosphere.
Day 0 - End
Word count: 6962, discounting this, the disclaimer, the author's notes, etc.
Author's Note:
(1) Yeah, it's a land I made up, because… I needed to. :P Pretty lame, ne? ;)
(2) Pretend that would be possible, a Village Hidden in the Sun… It'll make more sense later, I promise.
(3) I've always wanted to write 'children's children':3 I'm just nerdy that was xD
So, did you like all the lame names I came up with? I'm quite proud of them xP I'm hoping that they won't be glaringly wrong or something lol
Yeah, and if you're reading this? Leave a comment or something, because they encourage me to write more. I take anon. reviews, anything. Leave something like 'cool' or 'I liked it' and I'll be happy. (Although I prefer long reviews.) I guess I'll even take flames, because it's not like I can stop you from flaming anyway.
What did you think of my attempt to write from Kiba's point of view? I thought I'd done that pretty well, but there I go, tooting my own horn or whatever. Floating my boat. Any feedback on that would be appreciated as well. J
-Unrelated- My spell checker thought 'Inuzuka' should be 'kebab'! Hahaha… ha… Funny… -trails off-