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The Worry Bug
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The streets were buzzing with the sounds of people chatting and laughing as Hinata made her way around the different stalls and shops. Shino and she had joined forces in the quest of finding the perfect birthday present for their 3rd team member and they had agreed it would be quicker if they started from different ends of the street and joined up in the middle to discuss their findings.
As Hinata left another stall, full of knick-knacks, she found herself making eye contact with a man across the street. The man smiled and walked closer, "Excuse me Miss, may I ask you a question?" he said once he stood in front of her.
"H-huh? Oh, s-sure" Hinata answered kindly.
The man continued to smile and took one of her hands, "Do you believe in love at first sight?"
Hinata frowned at her hand in his, unsure of the meaning behind this action, but blinked surprised up at him at his question. It was an odd thing to ask a perfect stranger, she thought, but she was a shinobi and a shinobi always helped those in need. If her answer to his odd question could be of any help to this man, then she would do her best to answer truthfully without judgement.
"L-love at first sight? W-well, I suppose it is possible, but I believe it is a rare thing which only very few will truly experience or understand" she explained gently.
The man's smile widened and he began to move slightly closer, "Indeed? Then maybe this could be my lucky day?" he said.
Just as Hinata was about to ask what the man meant, her hand was released from the strangers' and her fingers were entwined with those of a much more well-known hand. The hand was warm and soft, despite the randomly littered pattern of tiny round scars, and most of all the hand was comforting .
"You should leave Hinata alone," a low and monotonous voice spoke from her left, "Why? Because she is in a relationship with me"
The skin of Shino's hand vibrated almost unnoticeably against her hand, a feeling she had come to recognise as a sign of the bugs, which dwelled inside the man, responding to his unease. Hinata let the bugs feel her chakra, in hopes that they would be calmed and in turn help whatever unease Shino was struggling with.
"Shino-kun, have you finished already?" Hinata asked gently. When Shino gave a curt nod in response, she smiled warmly.
The man in front of them frowned before he inclined his head slightly, "My apologies. You are a very lucky man," he told Shino before walking away.
Now that the most recent threat towards Hinata's innocence had been dealt with, the worries in his mind had been soothed and the bugs in his body, which had begun to calm the moment they had felt Hinata close, were now completely at ease.
"Hinata, you should be more careful" Shino said as he led her down the street, hands still clasped together.
"What do you mean Shino-kun?" Hinata asked as she began seaching the stalls of the street again.
"Because, that man was another would-be suitor" Shino said matter-of-factly.
"E-eh? No, no Shino-kun, he only wished for my opinion on a matter" Hinata assured her friend.
"Which matter?" the bug-user inquired.
"Love at first sight" Hinata answered.
Shino stayed silent for a moment before he began leading her in a different direction.
"Shino-kun, where are we going?" the pale eyed girl asked curiously.
"We are getting you a book on the commonly used wooing procedures" her friend stated. (Shino to English translation = a book on pick-up lines)
"What? Why?" Hinata asked, a soft blush appearing on her cheeks, what was she supposed to do with such a book?
"Research," Shino answered seriously.
"But what about Kiba-kun's present?" Hinata motioned at the shops behind them, "We still haven't picked anything out for him"
"It can wait," Shino told her. There was no doubt in his mind that Kiba wouldn't mind if his present was delayed when the reason for it was the protection of their beloved friend's innocence. In fact, Shino thought, to keep Hinata's innocence intact would surely be much preferred to any other present Kiba or himself could ever receive.
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Author's note: Thank you for reading, I hope you are enjoying the story so far.
The story was supposed to be a tiny oneshot but I kept adding to it and now it's already twice as large as originally intented, with more to come.