A Fairy Tale Moment...
Hinata glanced in the direction that Shino had gone some time earlier, before giving her attention back to Naruto, who was frantically telling her of a time when he beat an army a hundred to one... a story she could easily see coming from Kiba as well. Knowing the truths behind his tall tales, she laughed and giggled with him, blushing when their eyes met...
But eventually Sasuke showed up; that was why Naruto was hanging around. Waiting for Sasuke so that they could train.
Sighing, Hinata didn't bother watching them leave. Instead she pushed her fingers together nervously, trying to think over what to do.
I was rather rude to Shino... she thought. Ignoring him during the entire conversation... but he was the one who left. I didn't tell him to. She sighed again, feeling guilty. Then frowned. Why should I feel guilty? He's the one who showed up at my door with my... well... yeah, showed up at my door with that, she couldn't even think the word without blushing, so of course I'm not going to feel comfortable and talk to him... I'm embarrassed...
Mind-trickery didn't seem to work. She still felt guilty.
A third sigh, and she dropped her gaze to her lunch that Naruto had eaten... and spotted Shino's mostly-still-there lunch next to it. He left without eating..?
She carefully wrapped up his lunch, remembering how good it had tasted, and feeling even more guilty that she had given all of hers to Naruto. He made it for me, and only for me... because I missed breakfast...
Something clicked in her mind. I wouldn't have missed breakfast had I not have left, and I left my... well, I left that there... he felt guilty, too, I guess... we're both being driven my guilt.
That thought depressed her.
Walking where Shino had disappeared, she made sure not to make that much noise. She noticed things as she moved along, like little flowers that grew between tree roots, and butterflies that drifted up in the leaves... but what really caught her attention were the kikai bugs.
The closer she got to the clearing that she had seen the bug clones fighting in earlier, the more of the kikaichuu that she saw. But when she took that final step into the clearing... none were around. It was just Shino, lying there on his back.
His jacket had his discarded and balled up into a makeshift pillow, letting her see clearly his sweat soaked skin; it make his muscle shirt stick, outlining his figure. She blushed, but for reasons far from embarrassment.
"Sh-Shino-kun..?" she muttered softly, taking a step closer to him. He didn't answer. She took another step, then another, until her shadow fell over his face. "Sh-Shino?"
He still didn't answer, so she sat down beside him. Shaky fingers put his lunch down beside her, and hesitant eyes traced over his face... it was pale, as it always had been. Not even the sun seemed to be able to darken his skin, but she didn't really mind.
"Shino..?" she asked even as her hand moved, as if on it's own accord, to lightly touch his face. She never really got to see his lips that often... not how he smiled or how they looked when he spoke. For a moment, she wondered what her name would look like on his lips... What am I doing..?
She pulled back a moment, not certain if she should do anything else... then giggled childishly. I'm already acting like a stalker... might as well see behind his glasses...
Her fingers had only just brushed across the rim of his sunglasses, when she found her wrist caught in his hand. "Don't." He said in his regular, monotone drawl. "The glasses stay on."
"Sh-Sh-Shino-k-kun..?" Hinata pulled away from him, backing up as far as she dared before looking away.
"Yes, it's me," he responded. "What is it, Hinata-san?"
"I... I..." she couldn't find the strength to look up at him. "I... y-your lunch..."
------
Shino watched her as she stuttered, her blush as pretty and pink as her bra... Damn stupid teenage hormones... He started to pull on his jacket, wanting to hide the smile that found it's way onto his face.
"Hmm..?" he asked, looking at his lunch that she had put down beside him. "Oh... thank you, Hinata-san. Did you enjoy yours..?"
"I..." she chewed on her bottom lip, and he guessed what happened.
"You gave it to Naruto..?" She nodded slowly, and Shino rolled his eyes. He looked at his lunch for a moment, before picking it up and walking over to the pale-eyed girl; he sat next to her, watching carefully as she tensed, then looked up at him shyly. "Here," he placed the lunch between them. "We'll share, okay?"
"O-okay..." she nodded, but didn't take anything.
Will she ever learn..? Shino thought to himself, and handed her a rice ball. She blinked up at him, but after that they both ate in silence.
Shino found himself watching her as she ate, and tried to stop himself to no avail... after all, just because his father accused him of waiting a relationship with the Hyuuga girl, didn't mean that he actually did... Definitely don't. It would be useless. A waste of time. Besides, she likes Naruto...
"Sh-Shino-kun..?" He blinked, focusing his attention on her.
"Yes, Hinata-san?" He hoped that she didn't suspect anything behind his over-politeness...
"W-why..." she chewed on her bottom lip cutely again, pushing her fingers together as well... he found himself watching her again, and made himself stop. "Why w-won't you... won't you l-let me s-see y-your e-eyes..?"
"They're different," he shrugged. He saw her confused frown, and answered her next question... "Not different like yours... something unique to the Aburame Clan."
"B-but..." she pouted, still not understanding. "You... you took off y-your gl-glasses, yesterday... wh-why..?"
"You weren't trying to look into my eyes yesterday," he shrugged; but it was the truth.
"Oh..." she looked away from him again, nervously pushing her fingers... he quickly grew tired of it, and reached out to stop her.
Her head snapped up to look at him as his hand closed overtop of hers, stopping her nervous movements. "It's a bad habit," he told her, secretly enjoying her blush as he took his hand back... What's happening to me..? I'm thinking like Kiba.
"Sorry..." she mumbled.
"Don't be," he shrugged, but she didn't look up to see... so instead they slipped into an awkward silence.
Shino could wait patiently all day for her to speak if he had to... it was just something he could do. But somehow... he knew that she would bring up the nerve to brave a sentence soon enough.
And she did.
Looking up at him with something akin to determination in her eyes, she folded her shaking hands in her lap. "Y-you s-said that... you said that y-you'd tr-train with me."
"I did, didn't I..?" Shino agreed with a nod. "But our plans seemed to have changed back there... but I tell you what. Ask me without stuttering, and I'll give it all I've got. Deal?"
"D-deal.." she nodded, the determination shining brighter.
She closed her eyes and took a breathe, steeling her back and straightening her shoulders... and when Hinata opened her eyes again, she appeared to him no longer as the shy, blushing team mate who always doubted herself, but as Hyuuga Hinata, future leader of the Hyuuga Clan.
He didn't know if he felt proud... or scared.
"You said that you'd train with me." She said flawlessly. Shino frowned. There's no emotion in her eyes... this is what her father wants her to become?
"I take it back," he sighed, but still stood up. He helped her up as well. "Stutter all you want; just don't go emotionless on me again. It... isn't you." She blushed, and he smiled at her. "Shall we train, Hinata-san?"
------
She had lost track of time... the only thing certain was that it was hours past dark. She used Byakuugan to manoeuvre her way through the darkness, trying to find Shino. He stepped within her range of vision, and she whipped around to throw a shrunken at him, which he caught easily.
"It's getting late!" he called to her. She paused, not really wanting to stop... instead she looked at him for a moment, Byakuugan letting her see the kikaichuu within him. Bigger clusters of the insects were gathered around his heart, his lungs, his eyes... and constantly they were moving and squirming. "Come on... I'll walk you home."
She released Byakuugan, standing still until Shino stepped back into the illuminated clearing. The moonlight shone off his sunglasses as he continued to walk closer to her... she took a step to meet him, but exhaustion hindered her, and she tripped over her feet.
For the second time now, Shino rushed and caught her... and just like last time, gravity shifted just long enough to send them both to the ground. Unlike last time, neither of them was winded, and both of them laughed.
"It's getting late," Shino repeated. His arms felt warm around her waist.
"Yeah..." Hinata said tiredly, but didn't bother to push away from him. "Hey... Shino-kun... could you... could you do me a favour..?"
"Hmm?" She could almost feel his kikaichuu humming beneath his skin... "Anything within my power, Hinata-san."
"That... thing you d-did yesterday..." she mumbled out, pulling away from enough to look up into his sunglasses. "Wh-when you... when you summoned those f-fireflies... do it again..?"
He chuckled, his head hanging down in front of her. "I'm too tired, Hinata-san... maybe another night."
"Th-then..." she frowned slightly. "Then we'll h-have to... have to t-train again... together, tomorrow..?"
"Of course, Hinata-san..." he nodded, and she swore he was smiling. I wish... I wish I could see him smile...
Her hands moved on their own accord again, reaching up to Shino's high collar; he didn't stop her... rather, she heard his breathing slow, and felt his arms loosen around her waist.
She folded down his collar, cocking her head cutely to one side. "... Shino-kun..?"
"... yes, Hinata?" he asked. Her hands moved up, brushing over her glasses... he didn't stop her from removing them.
"Smile..?" She asked desperately, trying not to be disappointed that the moonlight shone in such a way that she couldn't see his eyes properly.
He frowned at her, his eyebrows drawing together neatly. "Why would you need to see me smile..?"
"B-because..." she looked away from him, blushing. "Because... I... I've n-never s-seen y-you smile... before..."
He didn't answer her, and she was starting to feel silly for saying anything... but then, she felt startlingly warm fingers lift up her chin, forcing her to meet his moon-glazed eyes. He's so warm...
"Well, Hinata..." he muttered; she noticed with a blush, that he was closer to her... closer to her then he'd ever been... "It's within my power, so how could I not..?"
And he smiled. A smile that put butterflies in her stomach, and a blush on her cheeks. A smile that had her leaning forwards, to feel how that smile said her name...
It was afairy talemoment, the one that she had only dreamed about. Butfairy talemoments end... and usually tragically.
