Author's Note – So here's my one-shot for today. I love NaruHina, but I like ShinoHina as well, so I figure I could do some sort of mini-triangle story that satisfies both of my tastes. I did an experimental narrative style, so I hope it works out.
Oh, and this is my entry for DateMe's June contest. it's supposed to be ShinoHina, but I threw in a little bit of Naruto in there too. Hooray for the power of friendship!
Pairing – ShinoHina, NaruHina
Rating – T, I suppose.
Disclaimer – the Naruto franchise is property of its original owner. In no way is this story meant to be distributed for profit.
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Hinata is the heiress to the Hyuuga clan, perhaps the most respected family in the entire hidden leaf village. Shy, quiet, outspoken, passionate, she is an unorthodox candidate for such a prolific title. Nonetheless, her strength and confidence is brought out in the presence of those she respects and admires most.
Shino is the prodigy of the Aburame clan, a fearsome group of warriors notorious for their use of insects as weapons, particularly those that are capable of draining a man's chakra empty. Intimidating, stoic, cool, he carries with himself an aura that strikes fear into the most formidable foes. Yet, he is always willing to go out of his way to protect those he cares most about.
With Kiba Inuzuka, the three are best friends.f
With the hound ninja absent for the day, Hinata and Shino are left to their own musing. They hang out; they talk about their ninja arts; they essentially do what the average growing teenager does. Under previous similar circumstances, the environmental conditions were ideal for the kikai-using male to pursue the Byakugan-bearing female. Unfortunately for Shino, such attempts were in vain, as Hinata had already chosen a prospective mate: the gold-haired loudmouth ninja, Naruto Uzumaki.
The day is a stark hundred degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 37 degrees Celsius). The pale-eyed female approaches the sunglass male. Aware of the male's previous attempts to woo her, the female knows quite well that he is willing to help her with anything, even acquiring the gold-haired loudmouth as a mate. Her approach is calm, collected, and prompts Shino with her request.
Still intending to claim her as a mate, the bug-using male has ulterior motives: to delay the pale-eyed female's mate-selection, thus improving his own chances of being selected. As a result, he reluctantly accepts her proposal, intentions set on increasing her affection.
However, Shino is not the most knowledgeable ninja amongst his peers regarding the concept of mate selection. To help Hinata, he must assert his dominance and feign knowledge with social matters, which is exactly what he does. The two make their way outside of the village into the wilderness.
An expert on insect ecology, the male shinobi instructs the female to observe a variety of insects in their natural habitat, in the process of mate selection, with the intent of applying natural principals to human intra-species interaction. Having earned the female's trust, Hinata accepts the idea, and together, they begin to monitor the activities of a pair of preying mantis.
The male mantis is much smaller than the female, due to millions of years of sexual selection and gender-specific evolution. Today is the day the female ovulates, and begins to search for a prospective father for her children. Agatha, the female, approaches Stuart, the male, and presents herself to him. Stuart accepts Agatha's proposal, and they begin to copulate. Once the ordeal is over, Agatha finds no further need for Stuart's services, and quickly decapitates him. Killing two birds with one stone, Agatha finds herself pregnant, and with a hearty meal, which will nourish her up until she gives birth.
Back at the village, the blond haired loudmouth, Uzumaki Naruto quietly eats ramen at a local restaurant. Hinata, supposedly aware of the requisites for mating success, sneaks up behind the blonde male. At the moment of highest level of stealth, Hinata punches him in the back of the head. Naruto knocked out cold, the female quickly steals the ramen for herself before the male gets a chance of noticing her presence. She runs away with a hearty meal, but not the boy.
Having already failed once, the quiet heiress remains steadfast in her attempts to acquire Naruto as her mate. Shino, benefited from the failed attempt, remains by her side in her moments of weakness, and encourages her to observe more insects in their natural environments. They don't have to travel far this time, as they notice a group of pests hovering over a slice of meat left on the ground of the local marketplace.
The fruit fly is an insect of general nuisance to the human population. But like many others, this species undergoes complicated social rituals during the mating process. One such ritual, as observed by Hinata and Shino, is unofficially known as the Sex Conga. Due to the uneven male-female ratio in fruit flies, the more numerous males gather together in a collective group, and begin to form a conga line in front of the picky females. By dancing in sequence, the females are able to distinguish individual males from each other, and select the most appropriate mates from the group. When males are selected, individual pairs fly off into secluded areas and copulate, and the conga process repeats again until all females have selected a mate.
Now knowledgeable of the fly mating process, Hinata and Shino sneak into the village's local hospital, where a semi-unconscious Naruto rests in bed. A large stereo in hand, Shino nods at Hinata, signaling that he is ready to begin. The female nods, and presses the power button of the stereo. Loud calypso music blares throughout the hallways. Shino stands behind Hinata and puts his hands on her waist; a two-ninja conga line forms. The blonde prospect is woken up by the loud music, and curiously inspects the hallway outside of his room.
Seeing a pair of ninja dancing in line with the music, the prospect of enjoyable recreation overwhelms the injured blonde, and begins to join the line. Soon, the line grows into a giant train, consisting of a large number of individuals, patients and nurses among them. Noticeably present is the beautiful green beast of the hidden leaf. With unlimited energy of his springtime youth, Rock Lee congas furiously, opening a few of his chakra gates in the process. Unfortunately, the loss of chakra combined with his already frail state renders the green uniformed male incapacitated.
Disrupted both by loud music and violent shaking of the hospital's structural foundation, the village's queen, Tsunade bursts into the scene, and shoots rage-filled glares the chaos abound. Yelling, screaming, and projectile furniture commences amongst at staff, patients, and of course, Naruto. The current queen, threatened by the blonde's aspirations to one day become the leader of the village (and in essence, replace her as the "queen"), reprimands him, and puts him back into his place in the social hierarchy of the village. Defeated, Naruto returns to his room, hunger, migraine et al.
Another attempt foiled, the bug male and the Byakugan female retreat to the latter's mansion. In her room, the female begins to cry. Surely, this would mean victory for the shades-clad male, but the sight of a defeated Hinata evokes guilt in him. His chances of being selected may have risen microscopically, but the blonde's chances of selecting Hinata have been reduced astronomically. Upon realizing this, Shino speaks to Hinata with utmost confidence and dominance. He tells her not to give up, not to abandon her way of the ninja. Hinata smiles, and they try for one final attempt to gain the clueless ninja's affection.
The sun begins to set, and the final insect studied by the pair today is found in the basement of the female's mansion. The June beetle, also known as the June bug, is common relative of the scarab beetle, and can be found in many locations throughout the hidden leaf. Judy, the female, anxiously awaits her mate as she begins to lay her eggs. Mark, the male, returns to the nest, carrying with him an ample supply of dung.
"Shino," the kunoichi cries, "I'm not giving Naruto dung!"
The boy in glasses raises an index finger to his lips. Shhhh. They continue observing.
Mark lays the dung on the floor of their temporary home. The heat of the dung increases the ambient temperatures such that baby June bugs emerge from the eggs, with a very ample supply of food waiting for them. Mark and June celebrate their offspring, and remain together until the larvae mature.
Nighttime arrives, and Naruto is still hungry, not having eaten anything all day. He has every right to complain. His lunch was stolen; he was bruised by a stranger; most importantly, he was berated by his superiors. He is indeed exhausted. The blonde ninja sighs, and sits down by a tree at the top of a mountain bearing the queen's likeness, and he looks up at the stars, pondering his destiny.
Awkwardly, the heiress appears in front of him, expressing a look of concern on her face. She is blushing profusely, but refuses to back down from her goal. She reaches out her hand to him. On her palm rests a steamy bowl of pork ramen, and two tickets to a movie from the local theatre. She cordially invites him to watch with her, her words evocating a strong sense of nobility and confidence.
The blonde, although enthralled and hypnotized by the prospect of his favorite meal, is more appealed by the female's sudden appearance and request. Smiling from ear to ear, he accepts her invitation first and foremost, before accepting the food. He consumes the bowl faster than what the female's Byakugan can detect, and perks up with a sense of fullness and romantic opportunity. He holds her hand, and together, they walk back to the village.
From a distance, Shino observes with warm intent. Having lost out on a potential mate, he feels defeat. However, seeing his best friend happy fills him with youthful energy, giving him confidence that the future will be filled with opportunities to experience the same thing.
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Author's Note - The facts about mantis and fruit fly mating rituals are a hundred percent true. the june bug ritual is not exactly true, as the ritual applies to scarab beetles more, but i used june bugs because they live in the basement, and because of the contest's namesake. Reviews are welcome!