Thanks loads to Akatsuki's Hinata-hime and kRaZyChangeoFHeArt for reviewing! This chapter is for them!
Disclaimer: Hey, you want to do this one, Hinata?
Hinata: Nyuu! Jade not own Naruto!
The next few chapters, including this one, will be about Hinata and her friends. No mystery pairing yet!
Kiba decided to play Scrabble with Hinata to increase her vocabulary. After teaching her the rules, which took a few minutes, Hinata was doing very well. Right now, she was stuck on a few words.
Hinata stared at the seven letters, 'b-y-o-j-n-h-s'. (How many letters can you have in Scrabble? It's been six years since I've played it. I'm just guessing seven letters.) She finally put down the word B-O-Y. She smiled at Kiba and pointed at the word.
"Nyuu?"
"That's a word, Hinata. Good job."
"Nyuu, yay!" said Hinata. She pulled four letters from a bag. Kiba plunked down L-I-F-E and Hinata beamed at him. Then she turned her attention to her own words.
Kiba had liked Hinata for years. He knew she had adored Naruto, but now Hinata, or Nyuu-Hinata, seemed to think of Naruto as only a friend. Competition eliminated. Could he have a chance with Hinata?
"Hinata..." he began, "I've always liked you, but I've never had the courage to tell you… because I'm probably a coward inside. Will you accept me, Hinata?" He looked at her. She didn't answer, she was still staring at the Scrabble board. But it looked like she was listening. Kiba leaned in to kiss Hinata.
Hinata punched her arms in the air, accidentally knocking Kiba to the floor, and yelled "Hinata spelled S-H-I-N-O!" Apparently she hadn't been listening to him at all.
Kiba was dumbfounded. He had just confessed his love to her, and all she thought of was Shino? Why Shino, of all people? Akamaru barked at him.
"Are you jealous?" Akamaru asked in doggy language.
"Damn right I am," replied Kiba. While Hinata was cheering for herself, he peeked at her words. J and E were left. She could have spelled Neji! Or Ino! Why Shino?! He had to do something about this romance injustice.
"Uh, Hinata?" Hinata stopped cheering and looked at him. "It doesn't have to be Shino. See? Take away the O and use your E and you get Shine." Hinata looked confused. "Yeah, Shino can become Shine really easily because uh… in reality Shino is very Shiny. Yup. You don't want a boyfriend like that, Hinata."
Later, they walked to the training grounds. Hinata seemed to have forgotten about Shino and his so-called shininess. Until she saw him, that is. He was examining something in his hand.
"Shino-kun!" Hinata yelled. "How is Shino-kun today, nyuu?" Kiba glowered in the background. Shino didn't notice that.
"Hinata-chan. I am fine, but one of my kikkai insects has not found a mate yet. During this season, when less missions that show opportunities for bug reproduction, it is critical to kikkai insect survival that they find a mate to conceive a new generation of kikkai insects." Shino looked, no, sounded worried. Hinata looked sad, too. Kiba was making faces at Shino's back. All the talk about insect mating made it sound like Shino (in Kiba's mind) was hinting that he (Shino) might need a mate too.
Hinata tilted her head to the side. "Shino not worry! Hinata fix bug, nyuu!" She hurried off into a nearby forest, leaving a bug-nin and a dog-nin staring after her.
Hours later, a muddy, exhausted, and hungry Hinata jumped out of a bush, only to find her teammates taking a nap on the ground.
"Hinata is back, nyuu!" She exclaimed. She ran over to Shino and pulled at his arm.
"Nyuu! Shino look!" Hinata unfolded her cupped hand and presented to Shino a small, black, but definitely female, kikkai bug. Shino pushed up his glasses.
"Thank you, Hinata-chan," he said quietly. He took the bug, and Hinata smiled.
"Hug!" she said to Shino. He sighed, but hugged the girl. Hinata walked over to Kiba and sat on his lap (Kiba is still lying down).
"Kiba-kun, Hinata tired. Go home?" she asked him. Hinata poked Kiba in the nose and smiled. Kiba resisted the urge to smirk over at Shino.
"Alright, Hinata," he said. Shino and Kiba both walked Hinata home. She's cute, they thought.
Drumroll! So now Kiba and Shino both like Hinata! I actually came up with the Shiny Shino idea on a highway in Hawaii. Random, no? Thanks for reading and please review! By the way, I do take pairing and idea requests for this fic. But the main pairing is set, sorry!
-J.D.
