"It won't be long before Iruka-sensei knows we're gone," she puffed, sitting next to Shino. They had taken shelter from grown-ups in a tree, of all places.
"Why're we doing this?" Her partner in crime asked, leaning against a branch.
"Because we need to get money, Shino! I've heard it's lots of fun."
"From who?" Madoka stuttered her answer, unsure of how to lie herself out of this one.
"Uh... um... my dad."
"You're lying."
"How'd ya know that?"
True, while this wasn't how Madoka normally acted, it was nice to actually do something with a friend, even if that friend was just as withdrawn as her. Unknown to both of them, they were being watched.
The Third Hokage's office:
Hiruzen Sarutobi observed the children with a reminiscent look in his aged eyes. He remembered the trouble he'd gotten into when he was a child, and could see it in these two as bright as day. He was glad he'd gotten the glass ball that showed where everyone was.
The bright redhead was the mastermind behind the plan. Along with an amusing source of entertainment, this also provided some insight to the Niotomi clan. He'd been informed of some sort of assault on Fugaku's youngest, but he'd never expected it to be a Niotomi.
In fact, he'd never heard of such an instance until now. During all his years as Hokage, Hiruzen hadn't had any incidents with the Niotomi clan.
So, for the young girl to insist on skipping the Academy, it was something of a breakthrough in the Professor's research on the clan. Or, it could be the inexplicable, and she just wanted to skip school.
He'd just have to sit and watch.
Madoka's Perspective:
"Say, Shino..."
"Hmm...?" They were both growing tired of sitting in the tree, but both didn't have a problem with it, so they'd stayed in complete silence till now.
"How do you propose we go about gambling?"
"I haven't the slightest clue."
"Say, why do you suppose we're both speaking very formal?"
"I haven't the slightest clue."
Maybe both children wanted to sound grown-up, or maybe both had read lots of books regarding the topic, but they seemed as though they were content with their speaking patterns, and continued on with the patterns.
"Maybe we ought to find a place where people gamble?" She suggested, nudging his shoulder with a foot. Shino allowed this, simply because she was his first friend and vice versa.
Maybe this was how they communicated so fluently to each other as well. Maybe the two introverts had become intertwined in each other's life?
Nah, that sounded stupid, Madoka decided. Too cliche.
"I know where people gamble," Shino added, lost in similar thoughts.
"Where?"
"I believe it's called a saloon."
"Shino..."
"Yes?"
"What the fuck's a saloon?"
"I'm unsure. I read about it one of my father's old books. I believe it is where people go to auction off their ryo?"
"..."
What a revelation, Madoka thought. If they could find a 'saloon,' then they'd be golden. Wait...
"Shino, do you have any ryo?"
"No, do you?"
"Fuck."
Aburame Shibi's Perspective:
The Clan Head of the Aburame didn't know what to think when he opened his door to two very different kids. One of them was his son, Shino, and the other was a redhead with messy hair that nearly rivaled Shibi's own locks.
Neither father, nor son spoke to the other, opting to stare at each other with some sort of silent communication. The redhead coughed, twice, before interjecting herself inbetween the pair.
"Hi, Aburame-sama, is it?" She only got a slow nod for an answer.
"Well, I'm Niotomi Madoka, nice to meet you." It made her nervous when he didn't reply to her for a while, and then...
"Why aren't you two in the Academy?"
"Father, we require..." Shino tilted his head to own side, as if puzzled, then glanced to his companion, "how much ryo?"
"11,500." Shino's eyes went wide behind his spectacles, as did his father's.
"Oh, 11,500 ryo," Shino finished, glancing back to his father. That was a lot of ryo.
"Do you..." Shino racked his brain for answers, "Would you please lend us 11,500 ryo?"
Shibi knew childhood innocence when he saw it and this was...
Adorable.
"Can I have a reason as to why I ought to lend you this money?"
Madoka's Perspective:
Her father had taught her that the one thing that didn't abide by any rules was a person's conscience. Now, she wasn't sure what hat meant, but she knew what rules were, and so far, she knew how to break them. How would she proceed though?
"Abur-"
"Father, please give us half of what we've asked. We'll repay you." Her head snapped to her partner in crime with shock. She didn't know Shino was so... forward. In fact, Madoka wasn't too sure she'd ever be able to say that to someone; after all, this was her first friend, and her first time breaking rules. But it was Shino's too, so how had he been so straightforward?
After being taught how to read people, after being taught never to show emotion, the Niotomi was doubting herself for the first time in her existence. Why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she speak? Why were her thoughts running wild with the notations that her clan would forever exclude her for making a friend? What had that white-haired nin said?
"You've got your whole life ahead of you."
He was right. He was right.
He was right.
She had her whole life ahead of her, so why couldn't she make a friend? It didn't really matter if there was only one, because she'd read in a book that all you needed was a friend to rely on and a daddy's shoulder to cry on.
"Why are you still standing there?" Turning, she spotted Shino a couple of paces behind her, eyebrow raised in confusion. If she squinted, she'd spot a stray bug on his shoulder, watching the conversation with innocent interest.
"What...?"
"We got the money, now let's find a saloon."
She was about to say something when she realized that she'd been caught up in her own thoughts. The door was closed, and there wasn't any going back.
The duo stalked off in search of a saloon, unaware of the father behind the door, almost in tears from the sheer innocence of children.