Photograph

I bet that I know what one of the presents is... Shino thought, edging away from the maniacally grinning blond. Kind of predictable.

"He w-wasn't hitting on you," Hinata told him easily. A glance told him that she was fiddling with the hems of her jacket. "So... what are these presents..? You didn't have to get us anything..."

"But I did," Yukio was still grinning, and winked at Shino. "Or else he'd think I was some twisted, scum bag."

"Too late."

"Shino!" Hinata turned to glare at him; she froze for a moment, before her eyes went wide and she looked away, a blush on her cheeks and her hands shaking. ... still with the shaking... why is she like this if, apparently, she's getting better? "D-don't say stuff like that..."

"Yeah Shino," the blond teased. "Don't say stuff like that... I might not give ya your present!"

"Hurry up then," the Aburame heir sighed, trying not to be bored. I just want to go home... even my father would be a welcome sight at this point.

"I would like you both to notice..." Yukio rumaged in his cloak for a bit, before pulling out a scroll. "This rather pretty marriage contract," he unrolled it, allowing the two of them to see the neat letters and golden emboss, as well as the two fancy signatures on the bottom. "That both Hinata-darling's father, Hiashi-sama, and my Otosan have signed."

Shino blinked several times. "You want me to be your 'buddy', and yet you remind me that you're engaged to Hinata..?"

He saw her blush again before Yukio spoke. "I'm not finished yet, Bug-Freak."

"Only Kiba can call me that."

"Ooo... is he cute..?"

"Creep."

"Freak."

"Both of you!" Hinata spent a moment glaring at both of them, before settling on Yukio. "Is there any specific reason why you're showing us the marriage contract, Yukio-san...?"

"Hai, hai..." the blond nodded vigoriously, before fishing his lighter out of his pocket. He's not going to- Yukio lit the corner of the scroll on fire before Shino could finish his though. Hn. So he is. "Now you can't call me scum!"

"Stop trying to flirt with me." Shino stated, rolling his eyes... though on the inside he was beaming. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Still not going to let you kiss me, but thank you.

"Ch, you wouldn't know flirting if it bit you on the ass," Yukio mused, dropping the scroll as the fire licked up towards his fingers. "... now I don't know if I should give you that special present..."

"I'm not letting you kiss me."

"So you've said," Yukio drawled out, digging around inside his cloak again... when he found what he was looking for - a small square of paper - he tossed it towards Shino carelessly. "Stole that awhile back."

He caught the paper automatically, and after a moment realized it wasn't a piece of paper... it was a photograph. More specifically, it was a photograph of his mother and father, and himself.

------

It felt good, seeing the contract burn... like there was a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. Then she felt guilty. Extremely guilty. She looked up at Shino, hoping to find some condolence before she could look away... it was rather surprising for her to see him so emorsed in the photo he held in his hands.

"Sh-Shino..?" She muttered, feeling some of her tell-tale nervousness coming back; her hands still shook. He looked up at her, and it proved to be too much. She looked away again. "... what is it..?"

He handed her the photo as a response, and she was surprised again.

The man in the photo was deffinately Shino's father; even without his jacket and sunglasses she could recognise the man from the few times she'd seen him. He had this certain air that you just never seemed to be able to forget... thelady beside him though, she didn't know.

The lady had dark red hair and smiling blue eyes, complimented with the fairest white skin Hinata had ever seen. She could easily see this woman being the dansel-in-distress of the fairytales she used to hear as a child... and the woman had her arms wrapped around a smiling young boy, no older than three. Turning over the photo, she looked at the names on the back; 'Emi, Shibi, and Shino!'.

"Th-this is you!" She stuttered out before looking at the photo again. "And your mom!"

She looked up in time to see Shino nod. "That's the only photo of the three of us before she died... which reminds me," he glared up at Yukio again, and Hinata tried not to groan. Not again... "Why did you steal it..?"

"BecauseShibi-sama had something I was envious of," Yukio shrugged. "It's also why I agreed to the engagement-thingie." Shino gave him a blank look. What did Shino's father have that Yukio wanted..? The blond sighed. "Happiness, a family that accepts him, if only in photographs... and lets not forget this all deprived from an arranged marriage."

------

"No it didn't." Shino glared. What the hell is he talking about... arranged marriage? Ha. That's a laugh. Father makes it sound like a conquest.

"What are you talking about..?" The blond laughed."That perverted guy wouldn't stop talking about how he was glad his parents set him up with your mom. Classic arranged marriage; you're his son, you should know this."

Shino snorted. "You'd think I would."

Yukio blinked. Rather stupidly, too. "Um... this is a big coincidence... kinda like a conspiracy theory... so why aren't you laughing..?"

"It's not a conspiracy theory," he rolled his eyes. "And I don't laugh." At least not for you. "And my parents didn't have an arranged ma-"

"Shino," a tug on his sleave stopped him. Shino looked down at Hinata, who was sill looking at his boots. "Lets get going... you can always ask your father when we get home."

"Very diplomatic of you, Hinata," Yukio chuckled. "They'll make a leader out of you yet."