Chapter 1
The two who sat opposite each other were a perfect contrast. She was talkative, impulsive, and short-tempered. He was silent, passive, and patient. She wanted someone by her side to comfort her. He couldn't care less. She expressed her emotions freely, but he was a stolid stone. Together, they highlighted each other's personality and made a perfect, though unexpected pair.
It was a quarter past nine. The bustling diner had long ago been relieved from its continuous stream of customers, leaving the diner alone to the two of them. Outside, the cloud-filled sky sent teardrops splashing against the softened soil roads and made faint thuds as it hit the glass of the front window. Occasionally, a brightly colored umbrella would pass by as its holder hurried home. Shino Aburame, peering out the window, raised his hand to his face to adjust his black-tinted shades.
Ino Yamanaka, who sat across from Shino propping her head up with her left arm, which firmly rested on the table, peered into her lover's glasses, trying to look through them as if she were trying to read his thoughts.
One of the waitresses passed by the table and placed a milkshake in the center of the table, then handed Shino two straws in exchange for a handful of yen. Ino's eyes brightened as she squealed in delight. It was chocolate, her favorite flavor. She tried the other flavors before, but she developed a particular addiction to the chocolate.
She had only called Shino out to be with him, and he had bought her something. She always thought of him as being cold and unemotional, but now she felt regretful that she had judged him before getting to know him.
He passed her a straw and stuck his own into the frothing cup. He watched as the moisture that had formed on the outer surface dripped down and combined with the other droplets. Ino also broke the surface of the milkshake and took a long, pleasurable sip.
Just then, the door swung open and Shino quickly grabbed his glasses to prevent them from blowing off. Drops of rain flew onto the couple, soaking their clothes and hair.
"There you are!" came a familiar voice from the doorway. It was a loud annoying voice, which sent a shiver down Shino's spine. Kiba Inuzuka ran into the diner with his adorable little puppy, Akamaru, desperately hanging onto the top of Kiba's head as he jerked it back and forth. Hinata Hyuga hesitantly followed him in and blushed when she saw Shino, quickly looking down and playing with her index fingers.
"C'mon, Shino! Kurenai-sensei wants to see us!" Shino winced as he heard Kiba's annoying voice again. Shino swiftly got up from his chair and turned towards Ino, who had also risen to her feet.
"But what about…" Ino started, but was interrupted in mid-sentence.
"It's for you. Enjoy it." Shino then embraced Ino and held her, before joining his squad members as they exited the diner. Ino sat back down. It was one of the few times she had gotten to hear her lover talk, and it filled her with a sense of joy. She sat alone in the diner for what felt like an eternity before she focused her attention back to the tempting dessert, which she was sure she could hear calling out her name.