Chapter 10
Kiba waited calmly for Sheeva and Eva; they were taking forever to reach the gates of Sunagakure. His mother and father were traveling along for reasons unknown to him. They said that they had a surprise for him. He guessed that they were going to do something crazy, like throw him in the Konoha River and then stand by and laugh at him while he dripped dry. But he didn't have any objections. And neither did Baki.
Sheeva ran out of the village, huffing like mad. Kankuro came in second, Temari third, and Gaara was slowly walking at a leisurely pace.
"What are you three doing?" Baki questioned. Gaara glared at Baki.
"We're coming with you. Gaara has something that he has to talk with Naruto about, and besides, the Fire and Wind Kages always watch the second portion of the Chuunin Exams." Kankuro explained. Sheeva sighed and stood by Kiba, muttering a "Good morning."
"Your parents are tagging along too?" She joked.
"Yup." He replied.
"Hey." Eva muttered as she stood next to Sheeva.
"Hey." They replied.
Baki, Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari led the way as the three Sand-nin followed behind. They could already tell that this was going to be a long trip…
"Open up the gates! The Wind contestants are here!" Someone called up above. The towering gate slowly creaked open, and the three young ones watched in awe. Even Kiba had his mouth open.
They all walked within the walls of Konoha, and the massive gates slammed shut behind them. People were busy as usual, going about their daily business. Farmers were chatting, trying to sell their produce to the noisy passerby. Jewelry makers were also there, coaxing the females to group around the booths, "ooh"-ing and "ahh"-ing at the expensive authentic jewels.
"Kiba… we have something that we want to tell you." Kiba's parents said, pulling him aside. Sheeva stopped, wondering what they were stopping for.
"Kiba, choose who you want to go with first. Me, or Shino." Hinata said quietly.
"Mom, I'll go with you." He replied. She smiled, and bit her lip as she stood and faced a large complex to the west of the gates.
"Kankuro!" Hinata called after him. He stopped and turned around.
"Can we take Sheeva with us? We're going to go look around." She asked.
He nodded, and then turned to leave.
"Come with us." She beckoned. Sheeva smiled and ran to catch up with them.
"Where are we going?" They asked.
"To the Hyuuga Estate. My old home." She smiled, but then her smile faded.
Who's the leader now? Is it Hanabi? Or did my father live? I hope it is Neji.
They reached the gates to the estate, and she nervously opened them. They creaked open. Walking up the trail, they reached the front door. Hinata hesitatingly knocked on the door. One of the maids opened the door.
"Yes? May I help you?" Hinata hid her eyes.
"May I speak with the Leader, please?"
"Yes. Hanabi-sama should be in her office. Let me take you there." The maid replied. Hinata's heart ached. Hanabi is head of the Hyuuga Clan! Oh, no… what happened to Nii-san?
Kiba noticed his mother's tension, and he set a hand on her shoulders.
"Mom, are you okay?" He asked. She nodded.
The maid knocked on a door.
"Hanabi-sama. Someone is here to see you."
"Show them in." Came a voice from inside. Hinata swung open the door and stepped inside. Hanabi was sitting in a chair, faced away from the three.
"What is it that you want?" She asked, still not turning away.
"I came to see my younger sister, Hanabi." Hinata said. Hanabi's eyes widened, and she turned around, shocked.
"Hinata! I never thought that I would see you again!! What… what on earth are you doing here?!" She cried, standing and hugging her older sister, who hugged her back, tears forming in her lavender eyes. Kiba filed what had just happened.
"This is my Aunt?" He asked. Hanabi broke away and stared at Kiba. He stared back.
"This is… your child? How old is he?" She asked.
"Thirteen." Kiba replied.
"And his name?"
"Kiba Aburame." He answered. Hanabi stared at her sister, outraged.
"You married him?! You married that boy?!" She screeched. Hinata grimaced.
"I will tell you the same thing that I told my father. Don't insult anybody that I care for. Especially my husband and my son." She growled. Hanabi backed away, remembering the events from before.
"Exile. You were in exile! Get out! Get off this estate! You are no longer allowed in the Hyuuga Estate!" She yelled, pointing her to the door.
Hinata sighed and took Kiba and Sheeva's hands, walking with them out of the mansion.
"Hinata-sama!" She heard a familiar voice calling after her. She turned; Neji was running for her, smiling greatly. She smiled too, hugging him as he approached.
"Nii-san!" She cried happily.
"Hinata! Off! Go! Get out!" Hanabi ordered, running them off the estate.
She walked on for a while before stopping, wiping away the tears in her eyes.
"So… That was my Aunt, and my Uncle… Why did they push you away?" He asked. She sighed.
"Because I love you and your father." She replied. Shino rushed for Hinata, scooping her up into his arms.
Kiba shuddered and walked away from the complex. Sheeva walked after him.
"Kiba?" She set a hand on his shoulder. He ignored her.
"Kiba? You named your kid Kiba? I feel so honored!" A voice yelled out. A man atop a large white dog bounded into the scene.
"Kiba!" Hinata and Shino exclaimed. They rushed to say hello to their former teammate.
"Kiba, come over here!" Shino called to the younger Kiba. He advanced, hands in his pockets.
"Wow. Spitting images. Hopefully you're a little more talkative than your father was? How are you?" He asked. Kiba scoffed, ignoring him.
Kiba smiled and shook his head. He then noticed Sheeva.
"Hey, there! Who are you?" He called. Sheeva shrank back as Akamaru bounded up to her, sniffing her.
"Akamaru! Back off!" Kiba yelled, pushing the large dog back.
"Arf! Rrrrarf! Ararararararf!" He continued to bark at Sheeva. Kiba was finally able to flip the giant dog on its back, and Hinata ran over to give it a good belly rub.
"Thank God he's easily distracted… Sorry about him." Kiba said, scratching the back of his head nervously. Sheeva stood, brushing herself off.
"What did he say?" Shino asked. Kiba stared at Sheeva concernedly.
He pulled him aside.
"She's a demon vessel. You know. Like Gaara, and Naruto." He hissed. Sheeva caught their conversation, and immediately felt guilty.
"I'm… I'm going to go find… Kankuro." She whispered, walking away. They watched as she began to walk off, head hung low.
Kiba Inuzuka ran up to her.
"Hey, now, don't go." He said, grinning. She stared at him.
"You probably hate me, now that you know what I am." She growled before walking on. He ran in front of her and stopped her again.
"That's not true. First, I just met you, so I can't judge you, and second, our Hokage is a vessel too. Don't worry. I'm just fine. I'm sure the others are too." He said, pointing back at them. She stopped and turned around to face them. They were all staring at her as though pleading for her not to leave.
She softened, and slowly walked back to them, apologizing.
Changing the subject, Shino suggested that they visit his home instead. Hinata readily agreed. Kiba Aburame didn't care; he was too tired to fight. Sheeva didn't mind; she had grown attached to the bug users, and wanted to know more about them.
"I've got to go, actually. I have to find Kurenai and give her something." Kiba announced jumping on the massive dog and bounding off towards town. They waved at him, and then walked back to the town, heading in the opposite direction of the Hyuuga Estate.
"Kiba. Come back here. I want to talk with you." Shino called to his son. Kiba stopped and waited for Shino to catch up, while Hinata and Sheeva walked ahead.
"I'm sorry for the impression that you got on my family." Hinata apologized. Sheeva shook her head.
"It's fine. Why aren't you allowed to love other people?" She asked. Hinata smiled.
"They frown upon ninja with other kekkai-genkai. For instance, the Aburame clan. They can't stand them because they live and work with bugs. But I love them for it. I think that they're fascinating, and really, the Aburame clan is highly misunderstood. Despite the cold exterior, they're very emotional and caring on the inside." She explained. Sheeva felt a new hope arise.
So then… Kiba really doesn't hate me, or have just contempt… He does value me.
As though reading her mind, Hinata smiled and whispered to her: He does like you, you know. You're not just his friend to him. Even though he doesn't show it.
Sheeva stared around her as they walked to the Aburame compound. There were many shops open, and a very aromatic flower shop stood along the road. She hadn't smelled very many flowers; the only flowers she had smelled were the medicinal ones in the greenhouse.
They reached a large walled off portion of Konoha. The giant gates weren't as tall as the front gates to Konoha, but they were about half the size. The stone was a light blue. Shino opened the door, and let them in, looking around outside before he shut it again. On the inside there were many houses lined up along a single road leading to a larger house. They all advanced, ignoring the whispers of the other Aburames peeking out of their house.
"Shino Aburame. Hinata Hyuuga. Long time no see!" A man greeted them, walking out of the house at the end of the road. He looked exactly like Shino, except he had grey streaks in his hair.
"Father." Shino replied. The older Shino ran for him, encasing him in a hug, laughing. Shino was laughing too. Kiba was shocked. He hadn't seen his dad laugh like this before. Usually it was a soft chuckle, or no sound at all.
"Hinata! How are you?" he boomed, hugging her as well.
"F-fine, Aburame-sama." She muttered, paling.
"Please, just call me Shibi. You're family! And this must be my grandson!" He grinned, giving Kiba a crushing hug as well. Kiba grunted and coughed as he set him down, shocked. This guy cannot possibly be my grandfather!
"Are you his girlfriend?" Shibi asked, grinning at Sheeva. Sheeva blushed and turned away, whispering a "No, sir."
He laughed.
"She's like you were, Hinata." He smiled. Hinata giggled, and set a hand on Sheeva's shoulder.
"She's my teammate… and my friend. We're just friends." Kiba retorted. Shibi smiled.
"Sure…"
Shino joined hands with Hinata.
"Dad, can you show them around? I have to talk with Hinata." Shino asked. Shibi nodded.
"Sure. Give you some time to reminisce… Come with me, Kiba. And…?"
"Sheeva, sir." She replied. He smiled.
"That's a nice name. Never heard it before. So, do you know about the Kikaichu, Sheeva? Of course you know, Kiba." He asked her, leading them into a room. There were millions of bugs lying around, some on flowers and trees, others on the walls.
"All I know is that they need a host, and that they use the chakra from their host to live. The host can use them at will. I spend a lot of time with Kiba." She said. Shibi was pleased.
"Very good! Yeah, that's pretty much it. I'm glad that you understand that the hosts are humans too. Most people think that we're walking bug vessels or something, so they stay away from us." He said sadly. Sheeva nodded.
"I understand, sir…" I'm like that too. She added silently.
Shibi raised an eyebrow at her comment, feeling that there was something else that she wasn't telling him.
"So… what are your abilities?" He asked. She smiled.
"I'm a puppet master. And I can attack with a gigantic fan. And… I'm really good with my chakra." She bragged.
"Kiba? Do you have both the Kikaichu and the Byakugan? Maybe you both can train here. I can hone your abilities as a bug user, and you can practice with Sheeva. Good idea, no?" He smiled. Kiba shrugged.
"Sure. I guess."
Shibi sighed. You're EXACTLY like my son… I guess growing up in a different country had something to do with it, though.
Sheeva had amused herself by staring at the bugs, letting them crawl on her. Shibi and Kiba stared at her, amused.
"They tickle! Is this what it's like? Living with the Kikaichu?" She giggled. Kiba shook his head.
"You get used to it." He stated, picking one up. A few of his Kikaichu crawled out to explore the place that sensed of many other bugs like them.
"Does it hurt when they crawl out?" She asked. He sighed and sat down next to her.
"No." He replied. Shibi saw this as a perfect chance, and so he sneaked out quietly, leaving them alone… (A/N Ha ha ha… I will have to change the category…)
Sheeva noticed Shibi's absence immediately, but didn't say anything. She was enjoying this, relaxing with Kiba, and especially being able to see him in a relaxed state as well. He was much easier to talk to this way.
"Can you talk with them?" She asked. He nodded.
"Look. My bugs are the same as them… that's… pretty neat." He whispered, staring in awe. She giggled a little bit, and he gave her a look.
"What?" He asked.
"You're… different." She was at a loss.
"…"
"You don't have to change back! I like it…" She blushed and scooted a little closer to him.
He sighed, annoyed with him self. Sheeva felt his tension rise, and, thinking that it was because of her, she scooted away. He frowned behind his high collar at the sudden loss of warmth.
"I'm going to go. You should go back to Kankuro. He's probably worried about you." Kiba announced, standing and calling his bugs back. They zoomed back into his jacket, and he shuddered as they sank back into his body.
Sheeva stood, hiding her eyes from his view as she walked by. He ignored her and his Kikaichu, who were protesting leaving the area, and also leaving the strange warmth. Shino and Hinata met up with the two and led Sheeva to the Hokage's Mansion, where Gaara and Naruto were talking.
Kiba, Hinata, and Shino left, walking back to the Aburame Household.
Sheeva was falling asleep in a chair. Gaara smiled and picked her up with his sand, moving her to the hotel room that the other Sand-nins were staying in.