"This is not good." Shibi paced slow circles around the table, "Did Hanabi say anything else?"
"No." Shino replied, "Just the fact that ever since Hinata was thrown out, she had seen her father act strangely."
Shibi exhaled. "It makes no sense."
"Agreed," Shiva piped in, "The man's a stiff. He would not let his guard slip even if it was walking on an oil soaked tile floor."
The males nodded their heads simultaneously. They knew that after his wife's death, Hiashi was always on the lookout. He was always vigilant, even when his senses told him there was nothing to worry about. Whoever was behind this had to either blind-side him, or make themselves seem very convincing to where they managed to slip something to knock him senseless without his notice.
Moreover, their chakra control had to be well above the most skilled Jonin if they were able to hold their assumed pose for that long without having it falter by more complex movements.
"It could be a Face Copying Technique." Shimuro spoke, "It explains as to why Hanabi-san could only tell him apart from the real Hiashi because of his behavior, rather than his look."
"Yes, but the transformation can only last for three days at the most." Shibi countered, "Unless he has Hiashi hidden inside the Hyuuga Compound, he wouldn't be able to renew the jutsu." He looked at Shino. "Did Hanabi ever say how long he had been acting strange?"
Shino shook his head. "No."
The adults sighed.
"Even if it was a Face Copying Technique," Shino began, "It is highly improbable. The technique is exclusive to only the Kedoin Clan, and from what I hear, Kaisen is still very loyal to Lady Tsunade."
"That is true." Shimuro mused, "Though it is also probable that someone may have taken the masks used for their jutsu."
Shiva looked at him. "Also true… Can those masks be altered?"
"They could. If they are, then it would have aided just about anyone that could use the Transformation Jutsu effectively."
"We should intervene." Shibi stated, "Get the impostor alone and prod around for answers, but that would not bode well for neither Hinata nor her kinsmen."
"It still makes no sense." Shiva said, "Obviously, they're targeting the Hyuuga Clan. Why would he exile Hinata? Seems to me that he would want her and her sister close if he was wanting to get rid of them. Why would he throw one out and make things hard for himself?"
"That is the one question we need answers to." Shibi replied.
Shino submerged himself in his thoughts.
If I was an outsider, for what reason would I want to take over the head of a clan? What can I accomplish by that?
His mind muted out all conversations. Even the hum of his kikaichu seemed far away.
There is the family riches, but it is clear that that is not what this person wants… There could be a grudge involved, and the possibility of him wanting the clan destroyed is more than likely, but then, why would you exile a Hyuuga? Granted, Hinata may have not been involved in whatever skirmish took place with Hiashi, but Hanabi does not seem likely to have been involved either. Why exile one, but not the other?
There had to be something he was overlooking, because the evidence was not adding up.
"Shino?" Shibi asked.
"What?" Shino replied.
"What do you think?"
"I..do not know." Shino ran his fingers through his thick hair, "Apparently, this is a strong shinobi we are dealing with, and so it cannot be something as small as a mere prank. Somehow, we are not seeing the bigger picture."
"That is true." Shibi crooned, "A grudge, maybe?"
"That was my second guess." Shino answered. "From what I have learned from Hinata on the history of their clan, grudges bear deep within the main and side branches. If it were a Hyuuga-to-Hyuuga rooted grudge, the impostor would have annihilated the entire clan the first chance they got."
"True, again." Shiva mused, "So, it is safe to assume that the impostor is not a Hyuuga."
"Yes." Shimuro spoke, "A Hyuuga would have wiped out the clan by now, considering how they are already knowledgeable about the clan's techniques. From the information we have, it looks like this person is hoping to isolate them so that they will be easier to dispose of."
"And that explains why he threw Hinata out." Shiva added. "He is probably not strong enough to take the entire clan out. So the isolation strategy is also probable."
"That could also mean that there are others involved." Shino stated.
"Right," Shibi agreed, and stopped his pacing. He turned to Shino, "She will not go anywhere without your companionship, Shino. We cannot risk her safety at this point."
Shino nodded. "Understood."
"What of the rest of the Hyuuga Clan?" Shimuro asked.
Shibi shook his head, "We cannot speak of such matters to them. If the impostor finds out that they know of his disguise, it would ruin the little chance they have on finding the real Hiashi."
They all nodded. Silence was key in situations like these.
"I will try to get a hold of Hanabi-san and see if there is any way we can help." Shibi continued, "In the meantime, everything is to go on as if we have no knowledge of it."
The meeting adjourned as they stood from their places and headed to their respective rooms. Shino sprawled on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. It was still raining outside. Though he was slowly drifting to sleep, he was determined to keep Hinata by his side at all times. He was not going to put her safety in jeopardy.
Hinata sighed in her sleep. She knew she was a heavy sleeper, but for some reason, she had awoken at least three times during the night. The final attempt she made to get some rest seemed to have worked, because she felt well-rested. Slowly, she opened her eyes and gasped. There were four pairs of concealed eyes looming above her. The bearers of the eyes gasped as well and moved away. As she sat up, she saw four children cower under the foot of the bed.
"U-um…" Hinata began, "It's… okay. Y-you guys can come out."
Three heads slowly rose to peek at her from the end of the bed, followed by a fourth, rather shy, head.
"You're not mad?" asked the sheepishly bright voice of a girl. "But we woke you."
"It's quite…alright. I was already waking up." Hinata smiled.
As if on cue, the four children slowly rose. Hinata recognized them from last night's conversation.
"By nature, they will not be able to resist their curiosity once they find out we have a guest."
She gazed at the four children. There were three boys and a girl, all with the trademarks of an Aburame: short, thick hair, dark-lensed eye-gear, and the upturned-collar coats. They all seemed to be cut from the same piece of cloth because they all wore mint green coats with brown pants.
The only one that stood out was the girl. Whereas her companions wore black glasses, she wore plum colored goggles with black lenses. Her hair was a bit longer than the boys, but instead of falling down in thick bunches of curls, it remained erect on her head in two sections that were restrained by two thin blue ribbons.
"Who are you?" spoke one of the boys.
When Hinata's eyes landed on him, he jolted slightly and lowered his head further inside his collar. She smiled kindly as she sat closer towards them and patted his head, causing him to look up at her.
"My name is Hinata." Hinata answered him. "Who are you?"
The boy blushed slightly. "M-my name is Shima." He replied sheepishly.
Hinata smiled. "That is a very nice name." She turned to the other three. "What about you three?
The girl, who was standing next to Shima, was next to speak.
"My name is Makuro." She said, though she had more confidence in her voice than Shima.
"My name is Shoma." Said the boy to Makuro's left.
"My name is Matoro." Said the tallest boy.
Hinata smiled at the children. "Shima, Makuro, Shoma, and Matoro, right?"
They all nodded. Hinata giggled slightly. "Pleased to meet you all."
"Likewise." They said in unison.
"I'm guessing you three," Hinata looked at Shima, Makuro, and Shoma, "are the triplets I've heard so much about."
The phrase brought the triplets to attention. Hinata could have sworn she saw their eyes sparkle from behind their eye-gear.
"You have heard of us?" Makuro asked.
Hinata nodded, making the triplets huddle and murmur excitedly amongst themselves. Hinata turned to Matoro, who looked as if he felt left out.
"And what about you?" Hinata asked him.
Matoro turned to her. "You have not heard of me? ..." he asked disappointedly.
"No," Hinata said, still maintaining the smile, even though it confused the boy, "But you know what? That's a good thing."
"How…come?"
"If no one has heard of you, then they will not know what to expect from you." Hinata smiled as she patted his head, "It keeps people guessing."
Matoro gazed at her and smiled shyly.
"You're very pretty, Hinata-san." Makuro piped cheerfully.
Hinata blushed at the young girl's compliment. "Thank you, Makuro."
Makuro smiled. Shima twiddled his thumbs. The gesture almost reminded Hinata of herself, whenever she couldn't figure out how to ask a question or state an opinion. So, she turned her attention towards him.
"What is it, Shima?" she asked.
Shima twiddled his thumbs a bit more. "Well… if I may ask, Hinata-san…" he began slowly, "What… brings you to the Aburame Manor?" He gulped, "We…don't usually receive visitors…"
Hinata's smile softened. "Well… I… have nowhere else to go." She answered, "So, my friend Shino welcomed me here."
She saw their eyebrows rise in awe.
"You are friends with Shino?" Matoro asked with wonder.
"Oh!" Makuro gasped, "You must be the pretty friend he always talks about in his sleep."
"W-what?" Hinata asked, her face turning a deep shade of crimson.
The boys looked at their sister.
"Shino-san talks in his sleep?" Matoro cocked an eyebrow.
Makuro tapped her collar. "Well… I do not know for sure, but Shiva-san always speaks of it to mother. And she always mentions that it is about a pretty friend he has." She smiled, "So, she probably means you."
Hinata blushed deeper. Shino talks about me in his sleep? ...
"It is a probability." Matoro spoke, though Hinata could hear the uncertainty in his voice. "She could have been referring to any girl, though."
"No other girl in the village would dare talk to an Aburame…" Shoma sulked. "Hinata-san is Shino's friend. She talks to him, so she must be referring to her."
"N-now, l-let's not jump to a-any conclusions." Hinata stammered.
The children stopped their chatter and looked at her. They were sure they had never heard someone trip over their words or phrases as bad as she had just done.
"I-…I-uh… I'm sure Shiva-san meant someone else." Hinata smiled nervously. She couldn't have possibly meant me…could she?
In that instant, Shiva came in. The children gasped and gulped audibly as they turned to face their aunt. Hinata looked at her and shivered. Though her eyes were obscured by her goggles, she could feel her eyes throwing daggers at her visitors.
"It would have been expected from you three, but not from you, Matoro." Shiva scolded, "I thought I told the four of you to stay out of this room."
The triplets lowered their heads. Matoro looked like he wanted to disappear. He rose his shoulders so that the collar came up over his eyes.
"N-no, Shiva-san," Hinata pleaded, "It's okay."
"Hm?"
"They were not being troublesome at all." Hinata continued, "In fact, I was really intrigued…They… they just came to ask if I would like… to go to the garden with them."
Shiva looked at the children. They all nodded their heads. Shiva placed a hand on her hip and shook her head.
"Are you sure they did not wake you?" she asked.
Hinata nodded. "Yes, Shiva-san… I'm sure."
"Well, alright. Breakfast is ready. Now you four leave so that Hinata can change." Shiva ordered.
The children nodded and filed out of the room. Shiva smiled.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked.
Hinata nodded. She looked outside and saw that the storm had subsided, but it was still raining.
"Good. I'll leave you to it, then." Shiva stated as she exited the room.
Hinata watched the door click as it closed. She stretched, got up on her feet, and walked over to the dresser. There, she noticed that her face was still red from her earlier discovery.
Shino… talks about me?
Her mind drifted off to the night before. She had seen a side of him that no one knew. For once, he was not stern, or taciturn. Though she doubted that she would ever get to see that side of him again, she knew that deep down inside, Shino cared for her. He was definitely not the person that others perceived him to be.
Hinata's face darkened with another blush. Shino had kissed her last night. She never imagined something like that would happen to her, much less with Shino, but the moment was as perfect as it could have ever gotten. His lips were soft and smooth, yet firm against her own. A smile crept upon her as she mercilessly nibbled on her lower lip.
She patted her cheeks and looked through the suitcase that Hanabi had packed for her and picked out a knitted plum colored sweater with a pair of black pants. As she put them aside, she found the note that Hanabi had told her about. Hinata opened the note and began to read.
Hinata, please forgive Father for what he has done. I just don't know what is wrong with him. Just the other day, he was talking to the elders about how much you have improved, and now this. I have a feeling someone is pulling a very bad prank, but I can't be sure. Haizo and I have been watching him. He is acting so strange… as if he doesn't know us.
We will keep investigating, but for now, it is best if you find a place away from the Compound. I will try my best to get one of your teammates to inform you of our findings.
Be careful, please…
Hinata sighed as she placed the note back inside the suitcase and began to dress. She hoped that it did not involve anything bad.
Shino rubbed his eyes. The triplets were jumping up and down on his bed as Matoro shook him gently.
"Okay, okay…" groaned Shino with a smile. "I'm awake."
"What do you want to do today, Shino-san?" Makuro asked excitedly.
"I don't have the slightest idea." Shino answered. He smiled, "What do you have in mind?"
"We can go looking for more insects for your specimen collection!" Makuro exclaimed.
The boys nodded at her suggestion. Shino chuckled.
"Alright." He scratched his stomach. "As soon as breakfast is over, we'll get the jars and head out."
The four children cheered. Shino shook his head with a grin. They were quieter and more reserved than he was out in public, yet they were twice as loud as Kiba when they were at home.
"Now, would you please let me get dressed?" Shino asked.
Makuro placed her hands over her goggles. "I won't look, Shino-san."
The boys followed her gesture. Shino rolled his eyes.
"Out." He ordered, much to his cousins' dismay.
They made their way out of his room and closed the door. Shino sighed and got out of bed. Stretching, he walked over to his closet and dug around for a change of clothes. As he slipped into a fresh pair of pants, his mind traveled to last night's events. A faint blush rose over his cheeks.
He had kissed her. He had finally brought forth the courage to kiss her. His kikaichu hummed excitedly, and as his heart fluttered and increased its speed at the memory. It was an unusual feeling, but a good one nonetheless.
Once he put on a green sleeveless shirt, he walked over to his dresser and dug around for his comb. His hair was the absolute worst in the mornings, though he thanked his lucky stars that it never tangled. Slowly, he ran the comb through his hair. He was almost done when a slight knock resonated from the door.
Shiva poked her head inside.
"Good morning." She chirped.
"Good morning." Shino replied. He still faced the mirror as he managed to get his hair the way he wanted it.
Shiva raised her eyebrows and grinned. "Ahh… your hair's giving you problems?"
"Not really."
"That's…quite funny actually."
Shino turned to his aunt. "What seems to be so funny about it?"
"Oh, I don't know..." Shiva rocked back and forth on her heels, "It looks to me as if you're spending a little longer on your hair than usual. Trying to impress a certain guest?"
Shino blushed madly as his aunt quirked her eyebrows. Shiva laughed as she entered and sat on his bed.
"Shino, you make this too easy for me!" she giggled.
Shino exhaled sharply and turned around. He dug around in one of the drawers once more and pulled out a container of hair gel.
"Oh, come, now, Shino." Shiva cleared her throat, "It's not like she hasn't done the same."
Shino froze in the process. "What are you talking about?" he asked as he coated his palms in a light amount of gel and ran them through his hair.
"I am saying, she spend quite a while getting ready." Shiva smirked as she leaned forward, "Did something happen last night?"
Shino blushed. "No." he answered.
"You hesitated!" Shiva exclaimed, slamming her palm on the foot of his bed.
Shino groaned with embarrassment. "She asked me if I could stay with her until she fell asleep." He replied after a pause. "That's it."
Shiva rolled her eyes. "Are you sure, Shino?"
"Yes, Shiva-san, I'm absolutely sure." Shino replied blandly as he put his comb down after running it through his hair one last time.
"Alright, then." Shiva said simply as she got up and walked towards the door. "Oh, one more thing."
Shino sighed. "Yes?"
"Your cousins are very observant." She said, tapping her head.
Shino raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, you will see!" her voice rang out as she closed the door.
He shook his head and put on his glasses before following his aunt out of his room. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he met Hinata, and was completely mesmerized at what he saw. Hinata stood in front of him, clad in a purple sweater and black pants. The clothes hugged her form snugly, outlining her hourglass shaped body.
It took him a while to notice that she was also gazing at him, her creamy skin flushing slightly in red. A moment passed as he cleared his throat. The noise made her jump slightly.
"O-oh… Good morning, Shino." Hinata spoke with a shy smile.
"Good morning… Hinata." Shino replied.
The two blushed slightly as they descended the stairs together. Despite the rainy weather outside, the kitchen was bustling with all sorts of cheerful activity. Hinata blinked. It was so hard to believe that this was the same clan that were praised for their ruthlessness in the battlefield. Then, she saw what was causing the commotion. The four children were flocking over to Akamaru's large form, staring at him in awe, whereas the adults conversed with Kiba. His eyes then landed on Shino and Hinata and grinned from ear to ear.
"Good morning, love birds!" he greeted cheerfully.
Hinata blushed and Shino sighed. Sometimes, he just wanted to punch Kiba in the face. In the midst of the commotion, Shimuro approached him and whispered in his ear.
"Kiba has to talk to the two of you after breakfast."
Shino nodded.
"W-what brings you here, K-Kiba-kun?" Hinata spoke.
Kiba hesitated and scratched his head. "I'll, uh, get to that. Yeah. In a bit."
"Yes, we will all get into the discussion later." Shibi added with a nod.
"Would you like to join us for breakfast? You look famished." Shiva asked Kiba with concern.
"Ohhh, don't mind if I do!" Kiba smiled wolfishly.
Akamaru piped in with a bark, enticing giggles from the children. After simple chatter, they all sat down and ate.
"Shino-san." Said Shoma, his mouth full of eggs.
"Shoma, remember your manners." A woman spoke. Hinata realized this must have been the children's mother, "Swallow first before you speak."
Shoma nodded and swallowed. Shino smiled and shook his head.
"Yes, Shoma?" he asked as he took a sip of his herbal tea.
"Is Hinata-san the pretty girl you talk about in your sleep?" Shoma asked.
In an instant, Shino spat out his tea and began to cough relentlessly. Kiba, Shimuro, Shibi, and Shiva roared with laughter as a rather flushed Hinata and the woman tried to get him to breathe. The children just looked at each other in confusion as they tried to decipher what was so funny about Shoma's question.
"The cat's out of the bag!" howled Kiba as he fell over.
"What did I say?" Shoma asked. Matoro shrugged.
"I… I haven't… laughed… so hard in… decades!" Shibi laughed. He leaned over, wrapping his arms around his torso.
Shiva and Shimuro were leaning against each other, completely hysterical. Hinata gasped softly as Shino struggled to breathe. The woman, whom she assumed to be Shimuro's wife, had the coldest look in her eyes as she marched over to the laughing lot and knocked each person over the head, respectively. The children winced at the sight of their mother's physical abuse.
"What was that for, Minara!?" Shiva raged.
"Your nephew almost suffocated and all you could do is laugh!?" Minara responded with equal volume.
As Shiva and the rest furiously rubbed their aching heads, Minara gently patted Shino on the shoulders.
"Don't worry, Shino. All of us talk in our sleep." She smiled unsurely, "Well… your uncle does, anyway. At least you mumble about meaningful things."
Shino was twice as red as Minara's gown as he coughed. Shimuro looked at her, motioning her to keep quiet.
"I do not!" he said defensively.
"You talk of ramen bowls fixing the water pipes." Minara replied crossly, which managed to bring a blush to the Aburame's face as his siblings snickered. "At least those ramen bowls seem to make much more progress with the pipes than you."
"Quick, call Sakura-chan," Shiva cackled, "That one was a third degree burn!"
Shibi was thrown in yet another fit of giggles along with his sister. Kiba grinned.
"Mommy, did I do something wrong?" Shoma asked again.
"No, sweety, you did nothing wrong." Minara replied soothingly. "Your father and his siblings are just acting childish."
"You do not have to be so cross." Shimuro pouted.
By this time, Shino had regained his composure. He cleared his throat.
"You should watch where you get your information, Shoma." He said simply, "Shiva-san is not exactly a reliable source."
"I have no idea of what you are talking about." Shiva smiled.
Hinata was already blushing madly, even though Shino's own was starting to subside. Shino exhaled sharply.
What a dreadful start to a dreadful day…
