A/N: And I'm back. I cranked this bad boy out, so hopefully there are few, if any, mistakes. I'm reminding myself while I write why I started this crack pairing in first place. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter Four: Shino and the Seeds
Should he ask Kiba for advice?
The question whirled around in his brain since Ino scuttled off the other day like some shy, rare hive queen. She had said she was late to her appointment with Master Ibiki, but he understood the hidden meaning. He had frightened her into a hasty retreat. Her hand in his had felt so right, so good, he wanted to cling to the warmth in those delicate fingers. Holding her hand in such a manner had been a mistake as it is what he believed had scared her.
Kiba, he presumed, would understand best how to woo a woman from a defensive position; he was Shino's best ally when it came to romance. However, Kiba and Ino were not known for getting along well. They tolerated each other at best. At worst, they would murder each other. Perhaps Kiba would not be in an objective state of mind if Shino revealed his own plans for courting Ino. So where did that leave Shino?
Currently, it left him staring across the street at the glass display and stenciled door of Yamanaka Flowers in the midst of a private crisis. He had taken a position half-hidden around the corner of an antique shop. It was late afternoon going on evening. Ino was in there, behind the counter. Though he could not see her with his eyes, his mind conjured her up in the shop apron, her gold hair streaming in an excessive ponytail, her blue eyes cheerful and attentive, her smile pure sunshine.
It was not because of insects that his stomach felt skittish. The uncertainty of the near future caused this vacillation. Even though he had planned out the coming interaction in his head, his success depended on what amounted to good luck. Shino didn't believe in luck. Hard work, patience, and a plan allowed a shinobi to live longer. Not luck. But romance was a new experience for him, so perhaps he should allow such a thing as 'luck' to guide his hand.
Well, there was no point in stalling further. Ino would agree or Shino would convince her to agree or he would mangle it and cause her to reject him and he would have to start again from square one. He ducked his hand into the deep recesses of his coat pocket- -ah, good. The invitation was tucked there, nice and safe. Then with a confidence he did not feel, he walked across the street and opened the door.
"Hello, and welcome to…Shino! How are you?" Ino smiled, as he'd imagined, from where he knew she'd be, behind the counter.
He sauntered up to cover how breathless she made him. "I am well. And you?"
"Just great, thanks. May I help you with something?"
Go on. Ask her. Don't wimp out, came Kiba's brash voice. Shino did not appreciate Kiba's voice telling him what to do inside his own mind. "I was wondering about your hours next week."
"My hours next week?"
"Yes. What would they be?"
Her mouth affected the tiniest of quirks in the corner, and he was enchanted by it. "Now why would you want to know my hours?"
Here was his opportunity, and Kiba, again, told him to stop stalling, dammit! "I…"
But he got no further because Ino's head jerked to the side, her gaze faded far away, and the atmosphere increased as her aura focused - -Shino's kikaichu rustled and hummed in response to the sudden influx of chakra which had charged the air. It was a moment, no longer, and then Ino planted her hand on the counter and vaulted it in one smooth movement. Her face told him of a sudden anxiety.
"Shit! Shit," she said as she brushed past him to sprint down the aisle.
Shino followed after her, even as she banged out the glass door and hurtled to the rooftops. He spoke to her whipping ponytail. "What has happened, Ino?"
"Big, big disaster," she said. The wind half carried away her words. "One of the carts carrying a shipment of seeds overturned in the market. Seeds have spilled everywhere!"
They negotiated a tricky terraced roof in a flash. Shino knew they headed toward Canal Street, the busy avenue which ran parallel to Konoha Canal- -a broad, man-made waterway which connected the heart of Konoha to the Fire River. Fire River, in turn, emptied into the South Sea. Merchants and traders of all kinds used these waterways to ship goods to multiple parts of the continent. Understandably, the Yamanakas retrieved and delivered shipments on the canal and river as well.
She did not need to say more as Shino understood the implications of the spill. They were the same as if a foreign insect were introduced to Konoha. The wind or birds or water could carry the foreign seeds to unmonitored parts of Fire where they would take over native species- -an invasive plant species could wipe out a whole ecosystem given enough time. The spill would also impact the Yamanaka-Aburame business since depending on the type of seeds, a financial loss could result.
With the sun slung behind Hokage Rock, its final rays cast a deep red and orange on the village. The trees seemed crowned with the light as he and Ino blazed through the distance, heedless of height or speed. They crested one final apartment building overlooking the blue ribbon of the canal and the street huddled beside it. A large cluster of frantic movement drew their attention.
"There," Ino said.
"I see it."
Together they dropped to street level. Ino paused, and Shino witnessed a flashing sequence of hand seals. Then she waved him to a crowd of people who had gathered around the cart crash. They were in the way, but as soon as Ino stepped up, the villagers dispersed as one body. It was an odd occurrence- -they had been enthralled by the mess, clumped together, and the next moment, they had lost interest and separated out in ones and twos. Had that been Ino's doing?
Shino stored the question at the back of his mind, as he took in the scene in front of him. The cart had lost its wheel. It had tilted and crashed to its side. No one was hurt, but the great clay pots storing the seeds had shattered when the cart overturned. Seeds had gathered in large mounds; seeds had scattered across the street, in bushes, dirt, and grass; and worse, the different kinds of seeds had mixed together.
Three other Yamanakas stooped at various points with hand-brooms and dust pans, sweeping up the seeds to the best of their ability. Without warning, Ino jumped forward, yelling "Get! Get!"- -half a dozen pigeons had descended, were pecking at the free morsels. At Ino's wild gesticulations, they escaped on the light beats of their wings.
Before Ino could say anything to him, Shino understood how he could help. He called forth his kikaichu in a seething, nebulous mass, and gave them the simplest of instructions- -they were to search out and pick up what seeds they could find. His will was their command. The black cloud dispersed in a thick wave that rolled like an ebony tide over the ground. They spoke to him, presenting pinpricks of information to show him they were good insects, and they did as he wished.
Ino stepped up beside him. She watched his insects at work for a moment, then said, "Dad and some of the others are gathering what containers they can find. We won't worry about sorting through the seeds until we've gotten them to the flower shop."
"I understand."
"I'm going to see if I can't help fix the cart or if the cart is beyond repair, then I'll try to procure another one," she told him. "I've already told my father you're here helping with your bug friends."
He nodded as his concentration remained absolute. Ino left to inspect the cart with the cart handler. Five or ten minutes later, Inoichi arrived with a contingent of Yamanakas. They carried various burlap sacks, vases, and jars. Shino waited until Inoichi and the others had opened the containers. Afterwards, his tiny friends complied with his directions. They deposited the seeds into the vessels, filling each to the brim within seconds. Thus, an activity which would have taken hours to complete took a little under thirty minutes.
There was the suggestion of light left in the sky when they finished cleaning up. Ino had helped the handler repair the wheel and replace it on the cart. It rolled without a wobble, but creaked loudly enough to wake the dead. Inoichi and the rest of the Yamanaka family secured the containers in the cart with twine. They had worked without words, relying on their clan's Mind Transmission jutsu, and Shino appreciated their decisive, silent actions.
Shino used his insects to conduct one final sweep of the street and surrounding area to ensure no seed had been overlooked. None were found. No longer needed, he recalled them into the hidden depths under his clothes. "My insects can no longer find loose seeds," he said to Ino and Inoichi. "I believe they have all been collected."
"Okay, I think we're good," Inoichi said at last. He patted the side of the cart. "That made for an interesting evening. We'll escort the shipment to the flower shop and sort everything out tomorrow. Great hustle today, everyone!"
The Yamanakas bobbed their heads, their tired smiles flashed in the fading light. Then Inoichi pinned Shino with an intent gaze. "We all appreciate your help, Shino. You Aburames are truly amazing. We would love to show our gratitude, so why don't you come have dinner with us tonight?"
"It is not necessary to repay me," Shino said. He stared from behind his dark goggles at Ino, who stood beside Inoichi. He would have agreed without hesitation if she had asked him.
And by some small iota of luck, Ino put her hands together in the imitation of a prayer and said, "Please, Shino? You've done so much for us today. Come eat with us."
He was powerless. "Very well. I accept."
Though the other Yamanakas hurrahed, it was Ino's wide grin, the celebratory bounce on her toes, the girlish clapping, that garnered a blush along his neck and cheeks. As one large group, they walked along the intersecting streets to Yamanaka Flowers, where the seed containers were placed in the back of the shop 'high and dry,' as Inoichi said, and as everything was locked up, Shino stood with Ino next to the counter.
"Don't forget your apron, Ino," called one of her cousins in passing. He vibrated with energy, with reddish brown hair in the traditional glossy ponytail and a sweep of bangs tucked behind his ears. Freckles and snapping, mischievous green eyes completed the picture. "You know you mustn't wear it home again."
"Ha, ha, very funny, Takahino," replied Ino. She reached behind her back to untie the strings holding the apron around her waist. "Forget to take off your apron one time and you never live it down. Tch, I can't get this!" She presented her back to Shino. "Would you unknot this for me, please?"
Shino's mouth dried almost the instant she turned. She shifted her stream of hair over her shoulder, and a wonderful scent perfumed his space. It was the tinge of sweat clinging to her skin, the floral notes of her shampoo, and an undertone of something much more sensual. Or was he imagining it? He fumbled with the knot.
"Is it loosening at all?" she asked.
She would tell him not to worry about it and find some other way of shedding the apron; it would break this spell he was under and he did not want the spell broken. "Please be patient. It is a tight knot. I almost have it undone."
His reply had been the correct one, he reflected. She held still. He had time to admire the loose, curled strands at the nape of her neck. They decorated where her spine met the base of her skull, and an immense urge to kiss the knob there rushed through him. What…what was happening? He could not stop noticing the muscles in her shoulders seemed tight, and he would gladly knead the stress from them given half the chance. Yes. The idea appealed to him. His hands on her bare skin, her back, her arms, her neck…hips, thighs…a tension seized him from nowhere and everywhere.
"Shino?"
Get a grip, loverboy. His insects chattered with the change in his energy. "One more moment, if you could."
Forcefully, he gathered his wits. When he cooled off the taut heat in his veins, his insects calmed some. At last, he untied the knot. As he predicted, she stepped away from him as soon as the apron slackened. He recognized the nerves in how she paid minute attention to the apron, folding it, refolding it, brushing not-there dust off it, setting it on a shelf under the register. She hesitated a moment- -he tracked the long breath she drew into her lungs. Her eyes were contemplative when she looked at him.
"Thanks," she said.
"You are very welcome."
She fiddled with the end of her ponytail. "So, Shino. Um, is…is there anything you want to tell me?"
He had forgotten the invitation to his jonin exams up to now. It would be most advantageous to his designs to ask her at this time. "Yes."
When he didn't continue because he found it hard to swallow, she prompted him. "And that would be…?"
"Your hours next week. Will you tell them to me, please?"
"My…" Ino tossed her head back and laughed. He reveled in her laughter even though he knew it was at him and his awkwardness. "What is so important about my hours next week?"
Did she have to always answer his questions with another of her own questions? To his surprise, he felt some mild aggravation that she could not simply answer his question in a straightforward manner. He framed the response in his mind, the one he had planned since the last time he saw her, got up the courage to speak, but again, could get no further. The shop bells jangled.
"Hey, are you two coming or what?" interrupted Takahino's loud voice. "Uncle Inoichi wants to lock up shop!"
Ino called back, "Yeah, we're coming! Hold your horses!" Then she motioned Shino with her chin. "Let's go. We'll talk outside."
Damn.
A/N: I'm laughing my head off. Shino's too slow to get to the point; Ino's picking up his brainwaves; and now he'll have to survive dinner with her obnoxious, telepathic family. I'm so, so evil. Until next time, dear readers and lurkers!
