Tenten dropped her "everything is okay" face and settled for sighing as soon as she entered the bathroom and listened for Shino's footsteps to fade. The bathroom wasn't as big as she expected. It had a nice bathtub to it, enough to soak properly, yet not too big as to feel guilty for filling it up just to bathe herself. She decided to rifle through the contents of everything that she could possibly get her hands on, just to pass the time while the tub filled. She found some standard issue soap in a medicine cabinet and placed them on the edge of the tub.
Further investigation revealed some colored soap in a small plastic tub filled with bath toys and brightly colored washcloths. If she wasn't mistaken, the toys were the same ones that she had given Kurenai for her baby shower. That must mean that Shino somehow got a hold of them so he could partake in the joys of bathing little Asuma Jr. the times that he served on babysitting duty. She herself bought a similar set for her apartment, and the last time that she had the little tike over, she was pretty sure that more water ended up on the floor than in the tub. Asuma Jr. had finally gotten clean, and she smiled at the memory of getting nearly just as wet herself. Perhaps Shino had just bought the same repeat set she had as to keep some kind of consistency between sitters, not that he knew that she had bought another set for her apartment, right? She wouldn't have put it past him to think of keeping the same toys that Kurenai used at her place, so she chalked it up to great minds think alike and left the plastic tub to check out the well-stocked medical cabinet.
The tub was nearly full when there was a firm but soft knock on the door.
Noticing she was still in the hideous hospital gown, she quickly ditched it for a soft and fluffy robe hanging on a nearby hook by the door. She turned off the water, just to be sure that it wouldn't overflow during the sudden visit and cracked open the door with curiosity.
Shino's visage appeared, and the sudden movement of his over jacket by the neck area made her realize that he had probably just swallowed. He had put on his annoying overcoat, making it hard to distinguish his features. He looked tense, which made her self-consciously pull the robe around her tighter. Her eyebrows arched upward, asking the question for her why he knocked. When he didn't reply to a reason for the interruption she decided to tease him once more. She very carefully schooled her voice and asked as if she was completely serious, "Did you change your mind about joining me or did you just want to see how I looked in your bath robe?"
The taller shinobi looked like he wasn't breathing for few beats, or perhaps he was considering one of the two.
Had she gone too far? Was the teasing on her part all that bad?
"Look, Shino, I wasn't trying to upset you…"
"Take this," he suddenly spoke, and thrust a set of bath oils in her face.
"I can't use these," she spoke with awe at the luxurious bath salts and perfumes. "These aren't regulation." She shook her head and handed them back.
Shino didn't even bother to look down to take them from her. "They are part of your cover for our mission."
Tenten retracted her out stretched hand to take a better look at the package. The bath soaps were opium based and the oils were just as expensive and laced with citronella. The mineral salts came from what she could only imagine was some place exotic, and the thought occurred to her that she had always wanted to have a set as extravagant as the one she was currently thumbing through.
"These are way too expensive, Shino, even for a cover. Unless I am posing as a Kage's daughter or something, I don't think I can accept these." Her voice was small and quiet, like she was suddenly humbled by the idea of not ever being able to afford such items. She offered out her hand again, and was shocked that Shino had sandwiched his large hands over hers and the gift.
"I do not feel that the items are too opulent. Why? Since you are posing as my fiancée, I would not want anything but the best for my future wife." There was a sincerity and genteelness of his voice that had her throat trying to swallow itself as she dumbly stared back at him. She was suddenly aware of how warm his hands were as they held hers, and the sudden shift of his inner jacket around his face had her thinking that maybe he might have been smiling at her.
The overwhelming feeling of completeness that she shared with Shino was suddenly washed away by the fact that this was going to be just and act and that someone like her would never be allowed to marry into a prominent clan such as the Aburames. It left her with a saddened feeling, one that was probably written all over her face.
"Do you know what my cover story is? I am sure that I would have to be a part of a wealthy clan in order have the honor of being your wife."
Shino cocked his head slightly to the side as if asking a question he couldn't yet formulate with words.
"It doesn't matter," she smiled a fake smile up at him, "Thank you for the oils. Your future wife is a very lucky woman to be so spoiled." And at that she slipped her hand and the oils from his and closed the door.
She finished filling the tub, adding super hot water to top it off before adding some of the pink mineral salts that smelled laced with some kind of citrus scent. As she slipped into the tub she was able to pinpoint the smell to grapefruit and some kind of flower that had a delightfully delicate sweet smell that complimented the subtle hints of the pink fruit. After a thorough wash and some squirts of some bath soaps that bubbled up into a rich lather, she left the tub feeling silky smooth and feeling like she smelled cleaner than any other time she had taken a long soak.
The amber perfume she used sparingly, only dabbing the opiate scent a drop at a time behind each ear. The citronella based oil she knew was normally worn by nobles as an insect repellant, which seemed ironic to her, and so she placed a small amount on each ankle and left it at that. She certainly felt like she smelled more girly than she had in her entire life. She wondered exactly how long they were going to leave for their mission if she was told to use them at this point. It thrilled her and caused her great apprehension to know so little of the mission at hand, but that she would be acting in part as the betrothed future Mrs. Aburame, heir to the mighty and secretive Kakkai using clan of Konoha, it caused an indescribable feeling of pride, nerves and giddiness that she hoped the eventual real fiancée would have at the very prospect.
Indulging herself in some fabulously silky lotion, she carefully placed the bottles of the oils, salts, soaps and lotions in the small pouch and headed out to get dressed.
She was starting to think that the overcoat had some kind of jutsu on it to conceal how loud the kakkai became once stirred into a frenzy. Even as exposed as he was during the mission she had with him, it must have taken nearly all of his control and chakra to keep the humming of the insects down so that the others couldn't hear it.
Somehow, that left her feeling urked that he felt had to hide that part of himself, and that he would choose to hide that part of himself from her. After all that they had been through, it kind of hurt that the guy wasn't comfortable enough in front of her to let a little of his guard down. Hadn't Shino figured out that she like him for who he was, bugs and all?
Well, she wasn't about to stand around and not tell him so. She was determined to put a stop to it all, as she entered his room. A pair of capris and a shirt lay on his bed neatly folded for her to get dressed into, so she thought it best to put some clothes on before telling him off. She was carefully untying the robe when two shaky hands came over hers, and a very tall figure pressed against her back, as warm as the water in the tub, but much more firm and pleasant than a hot soak.
"I wish to leave before you get dressed," the heady voice explained in her ear, "Why? Because I believe I would be more of a hindrance than helpful in the task of putting your clothes on." His nose ran over the outside of her ear, tickling the sensitive skin while his hands tied the robe back together for her, but not without him touching as much of the backs of her hands as possible with the tips of his fingers. "For the record," another husky whisper in her ear, his lips grazing the shell of it as he spoke, "you've always smelled divine." As if to confirm what he was speaking about he took a long deep breath of her neck before stepping away from her and vanishing through the doorway.
Was every encounter she had with the man going to be so damn sexy? She wasn't sure her raging hormones could handle him in close proximity like that without at least getting to nibble on those full lips of his. She slipped the robe off and reveled in the fact that she would be surrounded by the man's scent as she put on his clothes. Obviously they had come out of his genin days, but they smelled like they had been freshly laundered and still held on tight to the smell that was masculine and pleasant and Shino that she had a hard time not smiling as she continued to smell the shirt in deep breaths.
Then she noticed the mission scroll lying innocuously on his pillow, her name scrolled out in big letters meant for her eyes only. It was an official document given from the Hokage herself. No more personal favors, this meant business, and perhaps it meant that Shibi wasn't willing to take the chance that she would say no.
The better part of her self preservation must have been tapped out at the moment, because all she could think about was getting more skin to skin contact with Shino and as much as she could during the upcoming mission.
She wasn't going to go out without a fight.
(o)
A/N: This took too long to update. My apologies for the wait. More to come soon! Thank you to all who reviewed! I have 28 people who have alerted this story, so I didn't want to keep my loyal fans waiting any longer! Thank you! Thank you! For all of your support and love!
Cheers!
Jaggedjacket
