Reviews make the story world go around so don't think twice about reviewing, thanks
Don't own Naruto, a tarantula or religion...but we can all dream: )
...
Silence tends to travel and unlike noise, it makes everything seem louder. Like the heart monitor that beeped, I found myself staring at it trying to find a way someone could have invented this machine. "Do you ever wonder how something's came to be?" Shino looked at me in silent questioning. "For example: a heart monitor. I know that the inconvenience it would have been to check their pulse every ten minutes, but wouldn't you think they would have adapted to it?" He thought for a moment before answering in his bass voice. "Their adaption was the heart monitor." I nearly fell off the bed at his logic.
"I know that something's I say are extremely basic and not thought out, but please don't think I have the intelligence of an 8 year old." I really didn't want to be thought of as an unintelligent person. "Some 8 year olds are geniuses." I looked at him and lightly chuckled. "I was not a genius; I used my 'aid' to assist me in completing tasks while I was at school. I always got top marks, so did this other girl I shared the class with, unfortunately she left and I was thought to be very intelligent. No, I was just sneaky and manipulative."
The light atmosphere dropped a little, I had a habit of killing a light hearted moments. "Why am I still in this hospital? I don't have any injuries, just as little head bump." Shino looked in my direction, but not at me. "I know I don't have a concussion and even if I did, it's been days, by then a concussion wouldn't be dangerous. What do you think?" Shino shifted his gaze from the heart monitor to my face; I couldn't be sure though with his glasses and all. "I believe you ought to leave the diagnosing to the doctors, Sakura will be here in the moment." I nodded and returned to the thick book that had been holding my interest, just barely.
As if it was timed, someone knocked on the door. Sakura slowly made her way next to my bed and check my vitals once again. The usual questions were asked and the usual small talk was exchanged. "When am I going to be able to leave?" Sakura looked over her chart and eyed me. "You will be discharged in the next hour or two; the Hokage would like a few words with you in relation to the incident the other day. Shino will be escorting you to the Hokage's tower." I nodded and said thanks as she walked out the door without another word.
"She dislikes me quite alot, doesn't she?" Shino stood and walked to the door. "Sakura has a very particular taste in people; your stuff is in the bathroom. I will be waiting outside." I stiffly got out of bed as Shino left the room; I spent a good 5 minutes on stretching my muscles out and proceeded to walk to the bathroom.
The short shower was relaxing to say the least, I wanted to stay there longer but I knew Shino was waiting. I got out and dried myself off; I saw my clothes on the edge of the bath tub and began to get dressed. I put on my royal blue dress with two slits of the sides. It was tight fitting and went down to my ankles; I slipped on my sandals and tried to tame the thick curly hair that I had inherited. It had a gold tinge to it in a certain light, my eyes were darker than usual and I had a tinge of darkness under my eyes.
I observed myself for a little while longer and then went to meet Shino, hopefully, he wouldn't be too withdrawn. I exited the hospital room and got to see the lay out better. Shino was standing against a wall; he seemed to find a shadow in a fully lit hall. "So where to now?" he moved off the wall and began to walk to the exit. "The Hokage wanted to speak with you, I will be taking you straight to her tower. "Thanks." I mumbled as I followed after him.
I noticed that Shino had a very tall figure; he looked taller when a small group of children playing ninja ran past him. I walked faster to meet his long strides. "This is a lovely village." Shino nodded and continued to walk towards a large building. "What is the Hokage like?" I wanted to know what I was in for. "Lady Tsunade isn't what you would expect, but she does her job and to a standard that is expected." We continued to walk into the building without saying a word, it wasn't until we reached her office door that shino spoke.
"It is still early in the morning, so keep your voice down and don't argue with her." I nodded and went into the office. The walls were a simple cream and in the centre in front of the window was a large desk with a woman face down on a pile of papers. I cleared my throat causing the woman to stir. 'Hello?" The lady sat up, the first thing I noticed was her shirt. The tightness of it to be exact, she seemed a little too old for those sort of clothing.
"Kaida, you're here. Right, let's begin." Tusnade rubbed her temples and yelled at her assistant to get her some water. "What was it you wanted to speak to me about Hokage-sama?" Hopefully she wouldn't talk with me for too long. "Don't play coy Kaida, I'm interested." I smoothed my hair back and exhaled. "Interested?" Tusnade rolled her eyes and put her fists on the desk with an audible bang. "I am interested in what mind jutsu you use in order for you to access people's minds."
"I don't use a jutsu; it's something I've had for a while. I'm not sure how I do it." Tusnade nodded her head and it appeared she was in deep thought. "What exactly do you see when you enter someone's mind?" I took a seat in front of her desk when she motioned for me to. "I see everything they've seen, I know what they know and their memories are permanently in my mind." Tusnade opened her eyes wider and it seemed she had a good idea.
There was a long moment of silence; it went from comfortable to awkward. "How are you dealing with your loss?" Tusnade reflected something of concern. "I can't sleep properly and I can't stop thinking about them, I'm always thinking what I could have done to save at least one of them." I blinked my eyes and held the tears back. Tusnade nodded her head, knowing I didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Kaida, I don't know you're fully trustworthy, I cannot have you interrogated because you can tell what they're thinking and you would know how to trick them. If you wish to leave, then I will allow you to go. If you wish to stay then there will be tests, do you understand this?" I nodded my head vigorously.
"I wish to stay; my family and I travelled alot so we have no certain home. It is not safe for me to travel alone, so where am I going to go? I have nothing; I will do whatever you need." Tusnade smiled and leaned on her desk giving me a view of the things that should not be seen. "Good, I will assign someone to keep an eye on you and I want you to report back to me every 3 days."
"If I may ask, who will be monitoring me?" She looked up from her paper work and smiled. "The same person who has been monitoring you in the hospital, Aburame Shino. Now, get out of my office." I bowed and rushed out the door. I came face to face with Shino; my expression was the complete opposite to his. It seemed this man had a nick for being indifferent and stone like. "Sorry, I didn't see you." He nodded and walked down the hall.
"You will be staying in a guest room in my house; Lady Tusnade said it was recommended so I know where you are 24/7. Follow me." I rushed up beside him and we walked in silence. It took us 45 minutes to find the entry of his house; it was quite large but not ridiculously big. It was a classical styled Japanese house with large sliding doors and a wood structure. The trees at the front were huge; they would have made a perfect place for a cubby house. "This is your home?" Shino nodded and walked to the front door. "This is beautiful." He opened the door and led me to the foyer. I placed my sandals on the rack alongside Shino's and we walked through the house.
The kitchen was large and spacious; a woman was cutting some vegetables on a board. Her dark brown hair hung at the nape of her neck, she looked up and smiled. "You must be Kaida, The Hokage told us about you and your arrival, my name is Taeko, I'm Shino's mother." I couldn't help but smile, her eyes were dark brown and her skin was tanned. She was very pretty although she looked a little stressed. "It is nice meeting you Taeko-san; I believe the Hokage also told you about my supposed mind jutsu, as believed it was to be. I've had it since birth." She nodded and looked troubled. "You will not have to worry; I will respect your privacy Aburame-san."
She smiled and nodded. A man came around the corner, he looked incredibly like Shino. "Kaida this is my father, Shibi, Father this is Kaida." Shibi turned his head to the side and surveyed me. "It's nice to meet you Aburame-san." He nodded and looked at me through his dark glasses; he turned his gaze to Shino. "Shino we have some training to complete, 5 minutes and I wish to see you on the training ground."Shino nodded and went to grab his training sandals from the back door, Kaida would you like to watch?" I didn't think he would ask me.
"If I'm not too much of a burden, of course." Shibi shook his head and opened up the backdoor. He motioned for me to go outside; I walked barefoot out onto their back patio. The wood was a rich caramel brown; it complimented my blue dress very well. I watched as Shino and his father went out into the yard, and stood a few metres apart. I could hear a light buzzing and looked around to see where it was coming from; suddenly a trail of blackness came from the sleeves of Shibi's long coat.
I squinted my eyes to try and see what it was that had come out of his sleeves, in a matter of seconds my mouth was hanging open. Shino saw my reaction and almost seemed reluctant to follow with what he was going to do. Before I knew it Shino reached his arms out and a line of bugs came buzzing out of his sleeves. They battled for a while, saying jutsu's that I didn't understand. After an hour or so, both men had calmed their breathing and wiped their brown. "I am happy with your progress, keeping in mind that you still have an injury. We will continue tomorrow."
With that Shibi just walked away, but before he could go out of ear reach I couldn't help but tell him what I thought. "That is so cool!" For the first time I thought I saw his face change to something other than unconcerned, I thought it almost looked like surprise. "Can I see one?" His face changed once again. He simply stated. "No." My smile sank away into a pout. "Alright, but eventually I'm going to see one of them up close." Shino shook his head lightly. "Curiosity killed the cat." Before I could ask him why he referred to me as a cat I answered. "But satisfaction brought it back." I smirked and sat on the ground at the base of a tree, that shadows made me feel relaxed.
I noticed Shino hadn't taken a seat or made any attempt to move. "I know you have to monitor me, but do you have to stay near me 24/7, or are distracted by something?" Shino moved his head jaggedly and blinked a few times. He silently walked into his house without saying a word. "Unusual child..." I murmured hoping he heard but knowing he probably didn't.
The sun got lower and lower over the hills and I could feel a presence behind me. "It's beautiful isn't it?" The orange and pink glow radiated off my face, I closed my eyes and exhaled loudly. I rested my head against the tree and let my eyes shut. I felt movement to my side, a small buzzing noise made my eyes fling open. It hadn't been anyone but a something that I had felt. I looked closer and I noticed it was beetle, a small, black beetle.
"What the..." I paused when the beetle stopped his buzzing noise and started to make a clicking noise, it seemed loud to me but I knew it was just because of the distance. The bug raised its front legs and it looked like it was waving. "Either you're trying to ward me off or you're actually waving...I'm going to go for the first." I quickly got up leaving the bug on the trunk, I started walking back to the house and then I heard another clicking noise on my shoulder. I jumped when I saw the black beetle.
I left it and walked into the house, as I got into the house I saw Taeko's eyes widen. "Shibi that better not be your clicking bug." Called Shino's mother as her face turned to something of rage. Shibi walked calmly around the corner and started to laugh; well I thought he was laughing. "It seems Shino's Kikaichu have taken a liking to Kaida." I was really confused.
Shino came dawdling down the steps; he moved closer and froze when he saw the clicking bug. "Shino, what is it doing?" It looked as if he had a blush on his face. He didn't reply so Shibi began for him. "It means Shi..."
"Enough." Shino spoke in a firm tone. "Kaida I will speak with you upstairs." I smiled and lightly grabbed the bug on my shoulder. "Can I bring buggy?" Taeko had a sudden burst of laughter and then she tried to cover it up with a cough. "Don't name it." Shino simply said as he walked back up stairs. I followed him to find the walk away empty, I saw him sitting on the couch in my room, and he had a look that made me concerned.
"Shino, what is wrong?" He looked up at me and he rubbed a hand through his hair. "My Kikaichu have started creating a bond...with you, I find it impossible seeing as I would never wish to create a bond with you." I didn't know if I felt reassured or upset. "A bond, what do you mean?" He rubbed his temples and sat up straighter. "A close bond, the same bond my mother and father have, the same bond as my auntie and uncle. It is a bond of attraction which eventually is made stronger by love." I gaped and quickly shut my mouth.
"So if your bugs are creating a bond with me that means you are attracted to me, even if it is in the slightest." I smiled internally. "It is not one sided, don't be flattered... you are nothing special." He mumbled, I didn't care if I didn't have any feelings towards him. It still hurt when he said things like that. "Yeah, well..." I wanted to say something that would sting, even just for a little while. "...whatever, just cause I'm not freaked about your damn bugs." I stormed out of the room and down stairs to the tree outside.
"Stupid damn bug boy..." I could hear some trees rustling in the background as Shino got into my view. "Dinner is ready." I frowned. "I'm not hungry." I blinked my eyes to keep back tears of anger. "Grow up Kaida, you need to eat." I stood up quickly and faced Shino with glassy eyes.
"I don't give a damn that you don't want any bond with me, but when you say 'you are nothing special' that hurts, it doesn't matter who you are talking to." I turned away and walked into the house. I met Taeko near the dinner table; she opened her mouth to say something and noticed my eyes. She gently grabbed my hand suddenly my mind went spinning and things went dark.
"Taeko, you are beautiful." Shibi stood there smiling proudly at his new wife. She smiled back and ran her hand through his hair. "Thank you Shibi, you are perfect." He leant in and passionately kissed his wife. "Taeko, what do you think about children?" Taeko's eyes began to tear up. "Do you want children?" Shibi nodded and Taeko lunged at him kissing him again. "What are we waiting for?"...
"Shino get down here." A 10 year old walked down the stairs, messy hair in tow. "Yes mother?" Taeko rushed up to her son and kissed him on the cheek; he got embarrassed and rubbed his cheek. "You've been down for a little while Shino, what is wrong?" He shuffled his feet and fixed his big dark glasses. "Same old, same old. Other kids cry when they see my bugs, a pretty girl said she liked my bugs and then when I went for a walk with her, she laughed and said that no one could like some bug boy." Little Shino has tears welling up in his eyes; he walked over to his mother and hugged her.
"I have seen everything I need to see..." I soon came back into the real world. "Kaida you need to remember Shino isn't a very social person; human interaction hasn't been a strong point over the years." I understood just a little. "I need to apologise to you Taeko-San." She furrowed her brows in confusion. "When you grabbed my hand it created a connection, I was brought into your mind. Don't worry I didn't search through your thoughts, just some memories." Her mouth went into a thin line. "Sorry." Taeko walked back into the kitchen without saying a word.
I passed Shibi on the way to my room. "I would like to apologise in advance if I accidentally enter your mind, Shibi-san. Your wife grabbed my hand and I connected with her mind, I think she is angry with me." He kept his face still and he nodded in thanks. "I don't feel well; I think sleep is needed for me. Please excuse me." I calmly walked to the base of the stairs and sprinted up them to my room.
By the time I was in bed to the time I fell asleep, tears kept on falling down my face. I didn't even need to cry, it's not like I wanted his approval or that I needed anything he had to offer. "I don't care, I don't care." I silently chanted it until darkness took over. That night I dreamt of the person I didn't want to even think of.
The morning met me with pain in my head from unnecessary crying. I rose from my bed and wiped my sore eyes; I quickly grabbed my clothing and rushed into the bathroom. I nearly screamed when I saw my reflection, my hair stuck up on all angles and my eyes were red along with my nose. I stripped and went into the shower, I usually get out after a few minutes but I couldn't help but stay there a little bit longer. I relaxed completely and managed to feel more ready and fresh than I had in a while.
I came out of the bathroom and placed my undergarments in the washing basket. "Kaida." I jumped slightly as I reached my bedroom door; I hadn't even heard him coming. "Yes, Shino-san?" I used a pleasant tone. "I would like for you to have some breakfast this morning, my father had mentioned that you were not feeling well yesterday." I exhaled and rubbed my forehead. "Alright, I will thank your father later for his concern." I said this in a toneless voice, almost sounding like him.
I walked down the stairs to be faced with Taeko. "Kaida, I am not angry about what happened yesterday. I just never realised that someone touching your hand could make a 'connection', I am a very private person." I kept my blank face and nodded. "Private, I guess you have a right to not trust me." Of many of the things I had seen, I knew that she didn't trust me.
Taeko stood there with her mouth light agape until she came to her senses. "I'm glad you understand." Shino spoke from behind me, I felt like someone had kicked me in the gut. "Shino would you like to spar with me today?" He came into my view, and frowned. "You cannot fight." I frowned and looked away from his dark glasses. "Then what are you worried about." I whispered as I grabbed an apple and went outside to enjoy the morning sun.
The apple was refreshing and a nice change from the boring meals in the hospital. It filled me slightly but I found myself wanting more food, preferably something not healthy. My body needed salt, so salt was what I was going to give it. I walked back inside after throwing my apple core on the ground and swiping some dirt over the top.
"Shino are you going to be going into town anytime soon." He shook his head and proceeded to read a book, with his glasses still on. "Where would you like to go?" I smiled internally, he could have just told me to wait. "I heard about a place which makes ramen to die for, I think it is called Ichiraku Ramen bar." Shino frowned in confusion. "At this time of the morning?" I didn't want to explain why I needed salt, I needed chocolate as well, and I could get that later.
"Yes, at this time of the morning. Is that an issue?" I made my mouth into a thin line and raised my eyebrows to glare with royal blue eyes. "I guess it isn't, do you need money to buy anything else down there?" I shook my head and walked out the door grabbing my shoes and putting them on before I reached the other side of the welcome mat. I thought back to what he said, I think he just made a PMS joke.
"It's this direction." He walked down a few side streets and across the street. A small shop with a bright sign sat in between two larger shops. I walked in and sat at the front next to a blonde headed kid that I had seen in the hospital. He turned slightly and looked back; he did a double take and smiled. It was fake but at least he was trying to be nice. "Hey, you're...that girl in the hospital that is a mind reader." I laughed lightly laughed and touched my forehead. The man behind that counter looked at me; I smiled and asked for ramen.
"My name is Kaida; it is good seeing you again Naruto." I received my bowl of ramen and began to eat at a slow even pace, Naruto kept on staring. "Is everything alright?" He nodded and smiled. "Yeah, it's just that you have a bug on your shoulder." I blinked and looked down; I could see the edge of one of Shino's Kikaichu beetles. What was weird is the fact that I could see another one on my thigh; I don't think Naruto had seen that one.
Thank you for telling me, I grabbed it and pretended to throw it on the ground but placed it back on my thigh. I looked at Shino from the corner of my eye and he was slightly distracted by my leg. "Shino are you alright?" He absently nodded his head and looked me straight in the eye. I could feel something that stirred inside, but I shook my head and went back to eating the rest of my ramen, I finished the bowl and gave the man money for the food and extra.
I stood and waited outside, Shino joined my side. "Is he one of your team mates?" he shook his head. "My team mates are Hinata Huuga and Kiba Inuzuka." He thought of them quite highly by the look on his face. "Can I please meet them?" I raised my eyes hopefully. He seemed to be thinking, and then he shook his head. "No, they wouldn't want to meet you." He walked in the direction of his home. "I need to train with my team, I will walk you back home and then I can have my father look after you."
As I walked after him I felt like my stomach was splitting and my heart was aching. I could feel a lump in the back of my throat, for once I couldn't speak.
We reached the house and he stopped in front of the gate. He looked at me and nodded his head in the direction of the house. I walked to the front door and went upstairs to take a breather, on the way I passed Shibi. He saw my state and raised his eyes expecting a flow of emotions; I simply walked past and went into my room. I sat on my bed and stared at the window.
I remembered a song that my mother used to sing to me and I began to hum it as I lay down on my bed. I started singing it, remembering all the words that used to grace my ears by my mother. I raised my voice on the higher pitches and gently sung the low notes; I stayed in tune remembering what my mother had taught me.
She would make me do exercises to help my vocal range, along with playing guitar and piano. I sang the whole song and lowered the tune into a very nice finish if I say so myself. I felt a light rapping on my door, I wondered if someone had heard me. "Yeah?" The door slowly opened and Taeko was standing there with a slight grin on her face.
"Is something the matter Taeko-san, sorry if I was making too much noise." Her eyes saddened a little. "Kaida I heard what Shino had said to you, I haven't heard him be so..." I looked at the ground. "Rude?" I added, she shook her head. "...protective." I scrunched my eyes together not understanding what she meant.
"But he was so rude, why wouldn't his friends want to meet me. I'm not good enough to be in the company of his friends, I guess." I blinked my eyes to keep back tears of annoyance. Taeko stood up and went to the door. "Think of it this way Kaida, how many Kikaichu beetles have you seen surround you? I bet the numbers of growing." She walked out of the room and lightly shut the door.
I remember him saying the amount of beetles increase when the bond is getting stronger, does that mean he likes me? I heard a clicking next to me and once again I saw a Kikaichu beetle. I counted this as the fourth one, including another one I had found while I was singing. I picked it up and placed it on my leg.
All four of them were on my leg making a light clicking choir; I laughed lightly when they crawled higher up my leg and began walking in circles. I kept of laughing and giggling until I heard another knock on my door. Shino walked into my room without me even letting him and he stood there staring at my leg and the Kikaichu.
"Can I help you?" He nodded and moved closer, he held his hand out. The bugs started to stir and move towards him, they went onto his arm; they sat there for a moment then started clicking loudly. Shino squinted his eyes in agitation. He let them go and immediately they flew back onto my leg. The circled a bit, and soon were joined by another two beetles.
He grumbled and moved in closer until his chest was pressed against my knees while I sat on the edge of the bed. "Shino..." My breath was rapid and my chest was shaking. He moved in closer and brushed a piece of hair behind my ear, I felt like I had been electrocuted. He pulled a bug that had been on my neck off and put it on his shoulder. He stood up slowly, still keeping eye contact and walked very quickly out of the room.
I let my breath go, and smiled to myself. It seemed their bond was getting stronger, she didn't know whether to be happy or sad. At this moment she was very angry at him for being a jerk, but she remembered back to the memory she had seen in Taeko's mind and realised he was different than most.
