Short Chapter! Sorry :)
Well there it was! The confession. Time to ride off into the sunset? I don't think so.
I do not own Naruto.
As I thought, the rumors Ino had spread had all but disappeared three days after my confession. It was very nice to be able to feel like I could walk down the street without being whispered about. I was actually surprised Shino hadn't forced Ino to make a public apology like you see presidents do on TV. Everything seemed normal after that day in the hospital. Sounds great, huh? Well it wasn't... Shino hadn't kissed me, or even mentioned feelings since that day! Not to mention, taken off his glasses. It was so confusing to tell someone you're in love with them, and then have absolutely no reaction. Not even the negative kind!
"Hey, Hinata! Wait up, girl!" I turned to the particularly feminine voice of, Tenten, my only female friend that wasn't family, or the start of vicious rumors.
"Hey Tenten-chan." I smiled sweetly trying to forget my previous thoughts.
"You, me, sleep over, my apartment?" Her smile was so contagious. Neji-nii often referred to her as 'Panda', and with her buns, cute voice, and over all sweetness with intent to kill it worked.
"Sounds great! I have a lot to talk about." I laughed lightly. Tenten would always keep secrets. To the grave.
"Same. I'll see you at 9! No boys, you know the rules." She winked before rushing off. She always seemed to be in a hurry.
After seeing Tenten my day was pretty mundane, so I had counted the minutes to our amazing sleep over Now, at 8:57, I stood at the door of her small, yet cute apartment. We seemed childish to have a sleep over at our age, but it was the only way either of us ever got any girl talk time. The guys, and Tayla, were not good material for such conversation.
"Okay, Hinata, spill!" Tenten snickered as she plopped on the bed hanging off the side a bit. Her pink flannels matched my lilac ones. Very sensible.
"You first!" I giggled as I laid on my big fluffy pillow.
"Well... Neji made our relationship public!" Tenten squealed with glee. She was never much of a girly girl, but we all have it in us when it came to men.
"Oh my goodness! Really? Was it sweet?" I was just trying to imagine my cousin on one knee asking a girl out.. In a suit! Oh, impossible.
"Well, being Jesus-with-a-Stick-up-his-Ass, no. It wasn't sweet, but he did it! He did it via Lee." She smiled brightly at the thought of Lee telling everyone of her taken-ness.
"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Tenten-chan!" I clapped my hands with joy, and smiled at her brightly.
"Now spill. Is there really anything between you, and Shino?" My face flushed slightly at his name. "Ohhh, there so is!"
"W-Well, I-I... There isn't..." My head dropped, and I frowned at her. Tenten knowingly patted my hand.
"Please, don't tell me Shino's stupid. That would go against everything I know." Tenten was referring to my nack for liking men who don't notice me.
"No, I even told him... I-I told h-him." I repeated a bit louder.
"He's a retard! Is he avoiding you?"I shook my head now trying not to laugh at Tenten's confusion, but it mirrored my own.
"I don't understand it at all, Tenten. I could have sworn that in the hospital he returned my feelings..." I began to trail off, but Tenten burst out laughing.
"Oh, Hinata! He was higher than a kite! Probably messed up on morphine. He doesn't remember anything! Tell him again!" Tenten was laughing uncontrollably at my plight.
It was like that for the rest of the night. We laughed, we gossiped, and fell asleep painting our toes (that turned out disastrous). The thought of our love life conversation stuck in my head though like how the most annoying songs seem to do. I definitely was going to try and heed Tenten's advice.
Shino, and Kiba were training when I arrived the next day at training. Kiba was taking the blows like a champ, and when he saw me he began to push himself ten times harder. I smiled at his efforts. If it weren't for the fact that he was just like Naruto, I would have really considered Kiba as an amazing boyfriend.
"Hello Hime, how did you sleep?" Shino asked as he deflected Kiba's blows. He was a bit breathless from the two to three hours of training than they had already put in.
"G-Good, thank you. I had a sleep over with Tenten." I smiled as I watched the two men throw punches with deadly force.
"Hot! Panda-chan on Hina-hime action." This was Kiba. He had stopped his onslaught of attacks to smile at me with his big hazel puppy eyes, but Shino hadn't ceased, and landed a punch right on his chin. An uppercut, and boy let me tell you, those sting.
"You're distracted." Shino stated simply before turning to me. "I expect you had fun?" Kiba came at him yelling 'surprise attack'... I doubt I have to explain the utter stupidity of that. Shino turned, and knelt down grabbing Kiba's left leg, and hurling him towards me. At my feet Kiba smiled up at me.
"What you talk about?" He gave me his big wolfy smile as if I was about to spill juicy gossip.
"I did have fun, and you know... Girl things." I held my hand down to Kiba, helping him up with ease.
"Girl things like... Guys?" Kiba's eyebrows moved up and down in a suggestive manner.
"Yes, Kiba, like guys." I giggled, and stole a sidelong glance at Shino.
"Do tell, girrrrrl!" Kiba drawled out the word trying to sound like Ino.
"Kiba, do you really want to know?" Shino asked as he loomed in the shade of a tree next to us.
"Oh yeah! I know they were talking about my sexy body." Kiba laughed in a cocky way.
"Not to ruffle your feathers, Kiba, but we didn't." I laughed lightly, and patted Akamaru's head in a absent manner.
"Kiba, they talk about men's feelings, not bodies. They're women." Shino offered as We all sat in the shade. Kiba was on my left, and Shino on my right, Akamaru at our feet. We felt at peace sitting there with each other. There was a security in knowing you were part of a group. You'd never be alone.
"Exactly, Shino-kun. Feelings." Shino chuckled softly at my confirmation. Even as I spoke Kiba, and Akamaru were already fast asleep. Kiba's head on my lap, and Akamaru's on my legs.
"They're big puppies." Shino observed as the two mutts started to dream.
"Shino?" Now was as good of time as ever.
"Hm?" He had laid his head back against the tree obviously ready for a nap himself.
"Do you remember our conversation in-in-in..." My stutter came back, fierce.
"In the hospital?" He turned his head to look at me with his shaded eyes.
"Yes." I felt something well up in my chest. My heart fluttered against my rib cage, it's wings tickling me insides.
"Of course. You said that you're in love with me. I could never forget that. Not with all the drugs in the world." I saw a smile on his face, and his voice seemed softer than usual.
"Oh... D-d-d-d-o y-y-you love m-m-m-me?" My stutter was just annoying now.
"Yes." As he said this he turned to me, and allowed his glasses to drop slightly. The chocolate brown orbs peering into my soul. I felt my breath escape my chest.
"Oh, but..." I began, but Shino cut me off slowly.
"I've not acted on it. Of course not, Hinata. We're teammates, and the heirs of two very different clans. Even if it were good for team dynamics, it'd be horrible for clan politics. Hinata, I love you, but... This sounds like one of those 'forbidden love stories' doesn't it?" Shino's abrupt stop at the old time cliche made me giggle lightly.
"Yes, it does." I smiled, and leaned my head towards his.
"You won't kill yourself will you?" Shino smiled as our lips began to slowly close the distance between them.
"No..." My voice came out very breathy, and I could feel his smile as we kissed. We ended quickly, and sadly I didn't hear church bells or see fireworks, but I did smile widely.
"Does that mean..?" Shino began.
"Yes." I was now dating Aburame Shino!