Coccoon

Chapter 3

When Hinata went back up to the living quarters, she still found absolutely no sign of her love. The bed had been neatly made and everything was put away and dusted. Had the Hokage Tower not have a cleaning service, this room would no doubt be a pig sty.

But the neatness of it was rather eerie, only because it seemed like Naruto never once set foot in the room. It felt...foreign.

She looked around for a note, but none could be found. Defeated, she plopped down on the edge of the futon and buried her face in her hands. She finally had a moment alone to think, but where to even begin?

Naruto...secret meeting...Sasuke...C rank mission...snowy mountains, Kiba...Naruto, Ichihokage, Shino...

She tried to form in all in her head. Why would Naruto leave...why would he not tell her? Why did she have to go on this inane mission? Why now? Why wouldn't he of told her?

She looked at the door, and imagined Naruto walking through, looking at her with his bright blue eyes and his charming smile.

"Sorry, Hina-chan. What a day! I tried to get to you but you were out. It was an emergency! I hope Sasuke told you everything. Oh, he didn't? That jerk! I told him that is was okay to tell you. Oh, I'm so sorry Hina-chan...let me make it up to you with a bowl of ramen at Ichiraku, huh?"

Oh Hinata, you're so silly. This is probably all a huge misunderstanding and you're just getting paranoid. He'll be back in a few days, and in the meantime you get to do a nice easy mission with your friends. It'll be fun! What are you so worried about?

A brief memory flashed by of Shino hugging Hinata under the streetlight, along with an intimate moment that followed...

Oh, right...

~o~

Hinata arrived at the training grounds a little while later, finding Shino and Kiba already engaged in a sparring match. It immediately occurred to her that the two men were dressed in much less than their usual garb. But of course, it was a hot summer day...why wouldn't they be fighting in only a pair of pants and sandals? Still, two men in peak physical condition with sweat-glazed muscles glistening in the sun was not helping the itch she'd been having. Hell, even Kiba looked appealing, if it wasn't for that sweaty dog odor that could be smelt from twenty yards away. No wonder he was seldom assigned to espionage missions.

But Shino, down to nothing but his black pants, sandals, and goggles, was a sight to behold. It was strange thing to Hinata...he was certainly fit, but no more than Kiba. He even had a bit of a tummy on him, but there was something about seeing him shirtless that was driving Hinata mad.

Again the palm of her hand dug its way into her temple. She almost considered turning and walking away, maybe finding an empty training ground on her own, until she was pounced on by a massive hairy beast.

"Akamaru! Down, boy!" she could hear faintly under the sound of heavy panting and barking. An enormous tongue dragged a thick layer of slime across her cheek. She winced in disgust, but a moment later the weight was yanked from her.

"Sorry about that, Hinata-chan. Akamaru just has a big crush on you...literally, it looks like! Haha!"

She slowly sat up and wiped the saliva off on her sleeve, then looked up to see Shino reaching out a hand to her, while Kiba was busy holding Akamaru off by his scruff. The whole situation just irritated her. She ignored Shino's offering and got to her feet herself, then placed her hands defiantly on her hips.

"Why are you training with no shirts on? Are you trying to impress me or something?" she quipped, moving forward with a teaspoon of courage that her irritation granted her.

"Has it impressed you?" Kiba replied with a grin. Hinata crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air like a spoiled little princess.

"You forget my boyfriend is the Ichihokage!"

Kiba rolled his eyes, and finally shoo'd Akamaru away.

"Yeah it's really easy to forget when you announced it every single day for the past three years."

Hinata huffed and turned away in a pout. Of course, this is what she got for being snooty.

Shino finally broke his silence. "No one's trying to impress anyone. It's hot, and weather like this makes my beetles itchy. A few minutes of sparring and you'll want to be rid of that jacket as well."

Hinata's eyes widened. It was true that the day was particularly hot, and already her trusty lavender jacket was getting stuffy. But, she was never very fond of being in public places without a decent method of covering her bosom. It was terribly huge and inconvenient, and her sports bra often had trouble keeping it under control. Having to fight in just her bra would be a tremendous embarrassment for her.

It shouldn't have...the boys had seen her in less than this plenty of times before, especially during a mission that resulted in a cracked collarbone. The pain of it was enough to make her forget the ogling expression on Kiba's face. Regardless, her inconvenient itch for Shino made the situation terribly uncomfortable for her. To make matters worse, the moment she decided to remove her jacket, Kiba couldn't keep his mouth shut. Not about her breasts thank goodness, but about something else that had gotten a little too big.

"Look at those love handles! You've gone soft on us, Hinata! You trying to store up some meat and give Naruto a couple of kids?"

At that point, she wasn't sure whether to kill Kiba or herself. The fact that Kiba even had the nerve to reach out and pull at the bit of pudge on her hips practically had her in tears. Fortunately, Shino stepped in and yanked Kiba away by the greasy shoulder.

"That's enough. It doesn't matter how she's changed, she is still our team mate and still deserves our respect."

Shino's single eye glared at Kiba for a moment, but then he turned to Hinata with the same look. Had she had cat ears, they would have surely been folded back.

"However, I am disappointed that you haven't kept up your training to the point that you may not be in physical shape to carry on a mission properly. You really have been spoiled by your position."

Today just wasn't Hinata's day. Regardless, she wasn't about to give up on herself or her team. She had been through far too much to be brought down by some snarky commentary. She stiffened her shoulders and heightened her neck, and put on the kind of expression she usually wore when she meant business.

"I won't let it get in my way," she stated firmly.

Shino didn't smile at her, but his face softened, which was essentially the equivalent of a smile for one such as him.

"Alright, then. Let's get started."

~o~

They trained harder than Hinata ever remembered training. Or perhaps it was the same training and she simply didn't have the body for it...it was difficult to tell. All she knew that by the time the sun was setting, she was so winded and dizzy that she could hardly tell one teammate from the other.

"Hinata..." a voice called out. She could feel her body falling forward.

"Hinata, are you alright?"

Then she was on the grass. The nice, cool grass. There should have been pain, she thought...but she was too numb for pain. Then she was being lifted, and something wet was touching her lips. A kiss? No...too wet...a canteen.

She sipped tenderly at the stream of water, but most of it dribbled uselessly down her chin instead of nourishing her. The voices continued.

"I think she's had enough for now..."

"This damn heat. Poor thing...you should take our little girl home and make sure she gets rest."

Then, she was being carried. At least she thought she was being carried...she could have been floating for all she knew. This went on for an undetermined amount of time, until finally she felt herself being gently lowered into the cool sheets of her own futon. After a few moments of rest, she opened her eyes hazily to find Shino sitting neatly at the foot of her bed. She began to sit up to see him better, but he lightly touched her shoulder to halt her.

"Don't get up if you're still feeling unwell."

"I'm alright," she replied while sitting up completely. "What are you doing here?"

"You almost had heat stroke from all that training. I wanted to stay and make sure you were alright."

She sighed and treated him with a half-smile. That was her Shino, always looking after her no matter what. Not that he didn't have confidence in her ability to handle herself, by all means...but if she needed a leg-up, he was the first by her side. She certainly appreciated that about him, but having him so close in her private quarters was more than a little awkward, especially with her boyfriend still missing.

"Naruto still hasn't sent any word..." she thought out loud while giving a glance around the room for any of his notes.

"That seems to be so." Shino remarked. Hinata looked at him, hoping that mentioning her boyfriend would encourage him to leave. No such luck.

"Well, I really am feeling fine now. Thank you for looking after me."

"It's no problem at all."

He remained seated.

"I...I think I'll just go to sleep...big day tomorrow."

"Indeed so. Rest well, Hinata-san."

Finally, he began to take his exit. But as he faced away from Hinata, she was suddenly overcome with the cold, clenching hand of panic.

"Wait..."

He halted, and looked at her over his shoulder.

"Yes?"

She wasn't sure what to say. Anything to get him to stay a little longer...but why?

"I...w-was I...I mean...d-did I do well today?"

Shino's expression softened, then he went to her and knelt down to her level.

"Despite the circumstances, you did better than I expected. I'm confident that you'll do well on our mission tomorrow...as long as it isn't too hot."

Hinata bit her lip and looked at the floor. She then heard a noise that was rarely came from Shino...a soft chuckle. For a half a second, she thought she'd imagined it, but then she felt her chin being lifted up by a finger to face him. Her cheeks flushed a bright crimson, now realizing how close she actually was to him.

"I understand your fear, Hinata. It is painful to be away from someone you care about."

She looked at him curiously. He looked right back through those ominous goggles of his, and then proceeded to do something he had never done before. She almost didn't believe it was happening, but when he pressed his lips against her forehead, it was as if she had been kissed by the soft, fluffy wings of a flannel moth. It couldn't have been more gentle and delicate. When he pulled away, she was so confused by the gesture, her cheeks almost forgot to blush.

"Sleep well, Hinata. We have quite a lot of travel ahead of us tomorrow."

He left before her body could be released from its paralysis. When it did, the first thing she did was touch the spot on her forehead where the kiss had been planted. It was odd...although she should have been frothing with anxieties and confusion, all she felt at that moment was peace. She held onto that peace, knowing it was the only chance she would have of falling asleep that night.

When she closed her eyes, she dreamed of nothing.

~o~

End of Chapter 3