Under the Yoshino Tree
Chapter 21
The Mission
"Welcome to Kamimura Plantation," said the plantation manager, "My name is Dai Kamimura."
The plantation manager was a dark haired man with honest but strict eyes who appeared to be in his mid thirties. The older man standing next to Dai greatly resembled him.
The stout older man had a commanding aura that compensated for his short stature. He had greying hair and blue eyes, carried an air of influence and seemed to be in his late fifties or early sixties. He wore a disarming smile but a formidable shrewdness resided in his eyes.
"This is my uncle, Kenzo Kamimura. He's the man who owns this land. He started this thriving empire with nothing but eight cows, ten goats and the humble plot of land my grandfather bought him. He's a true legend in these parts."
Kenzo laughed heartily. A multitude of workers were toiling in the vast fields.
"Me ? A legend ? You're overselling your uncle, Dai-kun."
Kenzo's humility was as inauthentic as the counterfeit currency that had flooded the streets of Tanzaku Gai in the past few months.
"I'm flattered that Konoha sent a member of its upper echelons to deal with our little problem. A Hyuga from the main house ? I'll be damned."
Hinata bowed in a display of pristine manners.
"My name is Hinata Hyuga. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
"A lovely name for a lovely young woman. It's a pleasure to meet you, Hinata-san."
Shino bowed his head.
"Shino Aburame. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Dai-san, Kamimura-sama."
"The pleasure is all ours."
Kenzo had never set foot in Konoha but he was informed enough to identify Hinata as a Hyuga from her eyes and to identify her as a member of the main house from the absence of a cursed seal on her forehead.
"I trust you'll handle our problem effectively," said Kenzo.
"The bandits will be dealt with," answered Shino.
Kenzo Kamimura, a wealthy commercial farmer who supplied produce to a number of surrounding villages, had contracted Konoha to suppress a group of bandits that was targeting his plantation.
The bandits had arrived three weeks ago from parts unknown and had demanded that Kenzo pay them for unsolicited protection services. Kenzo Kamimura had refused to relinquish a single cent to them. Since then, the bandits had been paying regular visits to the plantation, causing all sorts of havoc to pressurize Kenzo Kamimura into paying for their so-called protection services.
The bandits often terrorised the staff - hurling threats at them and forcing them to stop working. They had beaten workers. Stolen cattle in the middle of the night. They had even set crops on fire. The flames had fortunately been extinguished before the plantation had come to ruin. The bandits had even seized produce that was being exported.
Some of the male workers had futilely attempted to fight off the bandits. The bandits only attacked small groups of workers to avoid being outnumbered and were more skilled in combat than the farm workers. The bandits also employed underhanded tactics, such as holding a female worker at knifepoint, to come out on top despite their small numbers.
The wealthy plantation owner with an obese purse had decided to commission some of the best manpower in the land - Konoha shinobi. Mission Allocations had decided that a single jonin would be more than capable of dispatching a group of less than ten civilian thugs. Two jonin were honestly excessive.
"Excellent. Dai-kun will escort you to our house. You'll be staying there with us. We have more than enough room for two guests."
Dai escorted them to the farmhouse. The simplest way to describe it was that it was a grand display of wealth and excess. Everything about the home, from the exterior to the interior with its expensive carpets, premium furniture and fancy decor, was a display of great wealth.
The house had six bedrooms. Kenzo and his wife, who was currently visiting relatives, occupied the master bedroom. Two of the bedrooms were occupied by Kenzo's son and daughter. Dai had also occupied a room before relocating to the house on the other side of the plantation after getting married. Dai had been taken in by Kenzo after the passing of his father twenty years ago.
Shino and Hinata were escorted to the bedrooms they had been allocated and left their belongings there. They came across Kenzo's daughter in the kitchen soon after.
Kenzo's daughter had snow white skin. Her long blonde hair, eyebrows and thick eyelashes were so pale that they were nearly white. Shino suspected that she had albinism. Her small face, small nose and petite frame were so delicate that she seemed angelic. She was profoundly beautiful.
Shino was slightly surprised to discover that the delicate young woman was Kenzo's first born since she was only eighteen. Her sharp eyes locked on to his as he pondered her age.
"I know what you're thinking, shinobi-san. Why is Kenzo Kamimura's eldest child so young ? Well, let's just say my father was a bit too obsessed with building an empire to worry about romance in his youth," she said in a voice that rivalled Hinata's voice in softness.
"I'm Niko by the way."
"Shino Aburame. This is Hinata Hyuga."
Hinata waved at Niko.
Niko began chatting with Hinata. Their chat was interrupted by a man who dashed through the door madly. The man was dressed in the khakhi uniform the workers wore. He was sweating, panting heavily and panicking.
"The bandits have Akanari-san and Kenzo-sama !"
The man's panic infected Dai and Niko.
"Tell me you're joking !" responded Dai. The worker shook his head.
"Those lowlifes were hiding in the wheat !They ambushed us and snatched Kenzo-sama and Akanari-san ! They're waiting for you to come and discuss a payment for Akanari-san and Kenzo-sama's release."
"Damn it ! It's my first year on the job as the plantation manager and the plantation gets caught up with these sons of bi-"
"You have to do something !" cried Niko.
"Those men are unpredictable. What if they hurt my father and my brother ?"
"Calm down," Hinata soothed Niko. "We'll free your brother and your father. It's going to be okay."
"I'm assuming you're going to solve our bandits problem right here and now ?" Dai asked hopefully.
"In which direction did you come from ?" Hinata asked the anxious farm worker.
"East."
Shino turned to Hinata. Anticipation filled his stomach.
"Shall we ?"
Hinata nodded.
"Be careful," Niko told them.
"Don't worry. Common bandits are nothing we can't handle.
Dai wished them luck as they left. Outside, workers had stopped working and had gathered in clusters. There was a growing sense of unease circulating as frenzied voices passed on the news. Hinata smiled despite the mounting tension.
"Doesn't this remind you of our first C-rank, Shino-kun ?"
Shino smiled as a wave of nostalgia swept him.
"Good times," he answered as they hastened to face their adversaries.
In the end, the bandits were defeated and Kenzo and Akinari were freed without a hitch. The group of rowdy men would most likely never return after being mercifully spared from death. Shino and Hinata had never intended to murder the bandits but they did not need to know that.
The fact that Shino told the bandits that he had cast a never-ending jutsu that would alert Konoha if they ever set foot on the plantation again and that shinobi would arrive on the scene in the blink of an eye pretty much ensured that the thugs would stay away for good.
Hinata and Shino settled on using the time that they still had left to complete their mission as a vacation rather than rush back home after the unexpectedly early completion of their mission. This was largely due to the insistence of Niko and Akanari who were eager to host guests who were not only their peers but, better yet, shinobi.
Hinata found herself reclining in a navy swimsuit on the afternoon of their second day on the plantation. She was proud of how she was coping with her current predicament. She had been partly convinced that appearing before Shino and Akanari in a swimsuit would lead to her premature death.
A disastrous amount of anxiety had possessed her when Niko had mentioned the word swimming. Hinata had tried everything to wiggle out of having to wear a swimsuit but all her efforts had failed dismally. Her greatest defense, the fact that she had not brought along a swimsuit, had been easily bypassed. Niko had simply told Hinata that she would buy her a swimsuit.
Niko had intended to purchase a bikini set for her. That was where Hinata had drew the line. In the end, they had agreed on a one-piece. It left her legs, arms and some cleavage exposed. Despite that, it was less scandalous than the skimpy bikini set Niko had tried to persuade her into buying.
The Kamimuras had built an outdoor recreational area. It was a lovely place. She had instantly been smitten with it. The place had a grand, circular swimming pool with pure blue water that sparkled when sunlight touched it. Exotic resort chairs sat under collapsible canvas umbrellas not too far away from the pool. There was also an impressive grilling area.
Hinata was relaxing beside Niko on the resort chairs. They had been enjoying themselves for close to an hour. She was not yet ready to venture into the water. She was content with being submerged in her book.
A smile was on her face as she read about the antics of the protagonist who always seemed to get herself into wild situations.
She looked up at the sound of Akanari doing a battle cry and diving into the swimming pool. A thundering splash followed.
Her eyes shifted to Shino and Chiyo who were sitting at the edge of the pool with their feet submerged in the water. They were engrossed in a conversation. Chiyo was Dai's wife's youngest sibling. The nineteen year old with brown hair, freckled cheeks and a gap in her smile had come to visit her sister for a week.
Hinata refocused on her book. She would have giggled at the paragraph she was reading if Niko had not been lying next to her. If Sasuke had been there, she would have stopped reading so she could tell him what had happened to the protagonist this time around. He would have shook his head at the silliness of the story or perhaps even smiled at her giddiness.
She reprimanded herself for thinking about him again. She was trying not to think about him or the looming decision she needed to make about their relationship just for a few hours. He was often so close to her thoughts. Never wandering too far from reach.
"Looks like Chiyo has taken a liking to your partner, Hinata-san," said Niko.
Niko was clothed in a black bikini set that was strikingly similar to the purple one Chiyo was wearing. Her eyes were on Shino and Chiyo.
"Chiyo keeps her distance from people she's not used to. Especially guys. You might not have noticed it but she's practically all over him by her standards."
Hinata had not seen Chiyo lean towards Shino, touch him or even toss him a flirtatious look. There was very little that suggested that she was romantically interested in Shino.
"Look at the way she's smiling. You'll rarely find her smiling at a guy like that. It usually means she has a thing for him. She sort of has a reputation of being an ice queen."
Niko sighed in pleasure as she arched her back and stretched. She tossed Hinata an apologetic smile.
"I hope you're not offended that I shared my observation with you. I sometimes just blurt out my thoughts."
"Why would I be offended ?"
"Because I was discussing how Chiyo might have a thing for your boyfriend."
Hinata was tackled off her feet. This was a shocking misunderstanding. No one had ever mistaken her and Shino for an item.
"N-no. I-it's not like that. Shino-kun and I are just friends."
Niko's delicate eyebrows inched towards her hairline.
"You're just friends ? Nothing more ?"
"We're just close. He's almost like a brother to me," she insisted.
"Oh..."
"What made you assume we are an item ?"
Niko stared at Shino thoughtfully.
"So that's how it is," Niko muttered to herself with a faint smile.
"What made me assume you're together ? I just see things differently, I guess."
Hinata did not understand what Niko meant but she had the feeling that Niko knew something that did not. Shino rose up and offered a hand to Chiyo. Chiyo smiled at him and pulled herself up. Shino looked peculiar in his pair of borrowed yellow swimming trunks. He dived into the water and Chiyo followed him
"I don't blame her for being attracted to him. He's not bad looking. He's got good height too. And a good head on his shoulders. Who doesn't like a guy with a good head on his shoulders ? I personally find intelligence very hot."
Hinata had never really weighed her teammates in a sexual context - probably because she tended to have tunnel vision when it came to that aspect. She tended to be so fixated on the guy she liked that she never thought about other guys.
Niko's words forced her to look at Shino from a perspective that she had never viewed him from. Thinking about him like that felt bizarre but she could not help but size him up as a potential romantic partner.
No matter how odd a realisation it was, she could not deny it. Shino ticked most of the boxes in terms of what she desired in a partner. He was in her opinion, as Ino would put it, a great catch.
Shino sat on one of the hanging sofas on the veranda. The olive green sofa was suspended on either end by broad ropes that were anchored to the ceiling. He massaged his sore neck. He had fallen asleep with his neck in a haphazard position.
Discreet footsteps tapped the floor. Hinata stopped before him, dressed and ready for action. Her hair was tied in a loose bun. A few, unbound indigo strands framed her ivory coloured face. The affection that erupted inside him made him feel like she had bewitched him.
"What's wrong, Shino-kun ?"
She was worried. He had sent his kikaichū to wake her and lead her to him. She was likely under the impression that there was a serious threat that had forced him to wake her at this time of the day.
"Take a seat."
She shot him a bemused look but complied with his instruction.
"Calm down. There's nothing wrong," he told her.
Her bemusement only grew.
"So why did you wake me up in the middle of the night ?"
"It's technically morning now."
"It's too early for you to be correcting my language," she grumbled.
"I just wanted to see you. I missed you."
Hinata's irritation disappeared. She blushed under the dim orange glow that illuminated the veranda. He forced down a smile. He knew her too well. He knew the right words to say to neutralise her volatile mood.
"But we were together just hours ago."
She attempted to appear still irritated but he could see through the act.
"There are 3600 seconds in a single hour."
"You're making it sound like an eternity."
"What if I told you that you just have that effect on people ?"
Hinata rolled her eyes as she shook her head. He smiled.
"Did you enjoy yourself today ?"
Hinata yawned.
"Yes. Although, I felt a bit apprehensive about being in a swimming costume at first."
Her cheeks were bleeding crimson. He chuckled at her confession. She was too cute.
"I can imagine."
He wanted to tell her that she had looked mesmerising but he stayed his tongue. As always.
"It's good that you enjoyed yourself. Were you adequately distracted from whatever it is that you've been agonising over since we left Konoha ?"
Hinata sighed.
"Am I that easy to read ? I was trying to not let it show. I'm the one with the Byakugan here. You're not supposed to see through me so easily."
"It's not that you're too easy to read. It's just that I pay a lot of attention."
"I guess that's true. You always observe everyone and everything closely."
Especially you, he thought. An owl hooted. It's call sounded as lound as thunder in the dark and still morning. He surveyed the fields. They looked beautiful in their vastness.
"That's one of the things I admire about you, Shino-kun. Many people are often too engrossed in their own tiny little universe and, to an extent, become blind to what's going on around them. I think most of us are too self-absorbed to truly, truly pay attention to those around us."
"Maybe my tiny little universe just isn't that interesting."
"I'm not sure I agree. Anyway, it's bound to become more interesting with Sakura-chan now in the mix."
Thoughts of soft pale flesh, excited but inexperienced touches, tender lips, unexpected fragility and green eyes came to him.
"And we're back to the rumours," he sighed.
"I'm just excited by the idea of you being smitten with someone. I want to see how you behave when you're smitten."
"Sakura is amazing," he said."She's talented. She's pretty. She's intelligent. She's so full of spirit that she sometimes reminds me of Naruto."
Hinata was paying an incredible amount of attention to what he was saying.
"Look at the way you're sitting up, you shameless gossip monger," he teased.
"Can you blame me ? I've never even heard you calling anyone pretty."
He sighed again.
"Go on. You were saying that Sakura-chan is pretty and that your heart melts every time you see her."
"I don't recall saying anything about my heart."
"Shino," complained Hinata.
"Relax," he replied. "Sakura is amazing but... There's already someone else I want."
"Who ?"
You, he so desperately wanted to say. He wished he could take her into his heart and show her how her name was tattooed on it. He wished he could transfer all the thoughts he had about her to a notebook. So that she could take her time and read about what he felt for her.
His heart thumped violently as a part of him considered confessing in that very moment. His anxiety was monstrous but the part of him that wished to reveal his feelings was winning. He braced himself as he decided to confess.
"I..."
As always, his confession remained trapped inside him - unable to break free and escape through his throat. An invisible glue sealed his lips.
Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. Say it. He pushed himself to no avail. The words refused to come out. Fear refused to allow him to tell her that he loved her.
Fear was pressing a knife to his neck and warning him that there would be dire consequences if he dared to open his mouth. Fear reminded him that his friendship with Hinata was at stake.
Fear's sickening voice whispered in his ear. She will reject you and distance herself from you, fear told him. Your relationship with her will become nothing but a pathetic shadow of what it used to be, it whispered. His bones turned to ice.
His eyes never shifted from Hinata. There was something tragic about her beauty. Was it not tragic how she would possibly never know how beautiful she was to him ? How, in his eyes, she was ten times as beautiful as others perceived her to be ?
He had no choice but to hide his feelings. Hinata would never accept his affections.
He was not of the caliber of men that would satisfy her. He was not attractive enough. He was not accomplished enough. He was not wealthy enough. He was not talented enough.
He fed himself with all sorts of reasons why she would never give him a chance. Reasons that sounded baseless even to himself. Perhaps he was trying to find an excuse to justify his cowardice.
"I can't say."
Hinata accepted that she would not yet uncover the identity of his love interest. They never pushed one another to disclose personal matters. That was simply how their relationship had always functioned.
"I haven't found the courage to tell her how I feel."
"I can relate to that. Courage is ridiculously elusive at times."
She gave him an encouraging smile.
"Just know that I'm cheering for you from the sidelines."
"Thanks."
The irony of her words was painful.
"I hope things work out between you two and that you'll someday introduce me to her."
What a laughable situation. Life was one cruel joke at times. He hated how his own cowardice was to blame for this humiliation.
He was still recovering from his humiliation when Hinata abruptly switched topics and told him something that made him ill.
"Sasuke wants us to be lovers."
Hinata's gaze was fixed on her lap. That was the only thing that prevented her from witnessing the panic, outrage and jealousy that flickered on his face.
"That's what I've been agonising over. That's why I had to escape Konoha."
Minutes passed in silence. Hinta finally looked at him.
"You don't seem surprised by what I've said."
"I'm not surprised that he wants you. I've had the feeling ever since Shikamaru's party."
He kept staring ahead to avoid her eyes. He was afraid of being discovered. He was not certain if his eyes were capable of hiding his feelings at the moment.
"Why did you feel the need to escape ? Is he harassing you ? I can deal with him if that's the case."
"No, it's not like that. It's more complicated than that."
He clenched his jaw. His heart sank as his mind interpreted what she had said. He exhaled deeply and looked at her. Hinata looked up. She seemed so tiny and vulnerable.
"I'm conflicted, Shino-kun."
"Conflicted about whether or not you want to be with him ?"
That question left a horrendous aftertaste in his mouth. She nodded.
"You have feelings for him.
She bit her lip nervously.
"Yes."
It took every drop of restraint that he possessed to remain outwardly calm. He surprised himself by being able to disguise the fact that he was utterly crushed. Despite being strong enough to maintain a calm facade, he was not strong enough to continue looking at her.
"My heart is telling me to be with him. My head is telling me something else," she said. "That's why I felt the need to get away from him. So that I could try and resolve my feelings."
She explained why her heart and her mind were in conflict. She told him about the darkness inside Sasuke. She told him about his depression. She told him about how badly they fought at times and how their relationship had nearly ended on numerous occasions.
She revealed why she believed that changing their relationship would be reckless. She also revealed how deep her feelings for Sasuke ran. He did not utter a single word throughout the ordeal.
"What do you think I should do, Shino-kun ?"
He had been playing along, pretending to be unaffected, but even he had limits. How could he possibly give the woman he loved objective advice about her romance with someone else ?
"I don't know," he lied.
The sound of music, loud cheers, carefree laughter and singing was abundant. Happy people, most of whom were so elated because of the alcohol in their systems, danced around a bonfire.
The older men were singing at the top of their voices. A group of middle aged women was shaking theirs hips so fervently that even the young women paused to stare at them in amazement. Young couples stood further away from the bonfire, preferring to be alone instead of among the crowd.
It was a night of celebration on Kamimura Plantation. There were numerous reasons for the celebration. It was a celebration of the eldest member of the staff. He had been with the Kamimuras since the plantation's humble beginnings three and a half decades ago and was going into retirement.
The night was also a celebration of the end of the bandits' short but significant reign of terror. It was also Kenzo Kamimura's birthday.
The Kamimuras had supplied a bountiful amount of food and drinks. The workers had also been given the following two days off. Needless to say, everyone was in high spirits.
Hinata laughed as she danced with Akanari. Kenzo's youngest was a passionate dancer despite having been born with two left feet. Rhythm was a concept that was foreign to him. He also seemed to be inventing dance moves on the spot. He was hopelessly terrible but his sunny and carefree personality was beyond enjoyable.
Hinata saw Shino and Chiyo out of the corner of her eye as Akanari haphazardly twirled her. The retiring worker shouted something to Shino and slapped his back in encouragement. The shirtless man's large potbelly was exposed for all to see.
Niko was dancing with a handsome young man with shoulder length dark hair. He was the village head's son and apparently kind of dating Niko. They clearly liked one another and acted in a way that was fitting for romantic partners but were not quite dating because neither of them had yet touched the topic of their feelings. It seemed as if both of them were waiting for the other to confess.
Hinata knew how it felt to be in that space with someone. There were times, long before she and Sasuke had admitted the truth to one another, where things had not been entirely platonic. Many moments where touches had been too intimate and embraces too affectionate. Moments where eyes had made contact and said things that had no place in a friendship to each other. She had just not wanted to admit it to herself at the time
Akanari stopped to catch his breath. He grinned at her and said something that was deafened by the man who had been shouting while running past them.
She turned just in time to see Niko calling Chiyo and Chiyo leaving Shino's side. Shino's eyes found hers and she waved at him. He looked interestingly different in his colourful patterned shirt.
Shino walked over to them and said something to Akanari. Kenzo's son grinned and flashed them a thumbs up before leaving.
"Dance with me, Hinata."
Shino led her to a quieter place. They were still within the vicinity of the festivity but no longer at the heart of it. Shino intertwined his left hand with her right and extended their arms so that they jutted away from them. His right hand settled on her hip.
"I've never danced much. I guess the few moves Chiyo taught me and my instincts will have to guide me."
Hinata laughed despite there having been nothing funny about what he had said. She was merely in elated spirits because of the celebratory atmosphere.
They stepped to the left, stepped to the right, stepped backwards, stepped forward and repeated. They settled into a rhythm that matched the tempo of the music.
"You're not bad," she complimented after being twirled.
"You're not too bad yourself."
Shino was immersed in the blissful moment he was sharing with Hinata. Nothing besides dancing, broad gleeful smiles and laughter mattered.
He was intoxicated with Hinata - shamefully drunk off her existence. Everything in the universe besides the woman in front of him was irrelevant.
He eyed her as she spun around - eyed the little curve-hugging black dress that she had on. The dress was uncharacteristically short for Hinata but still dignified. It had thin, sexy straps that looked as if they had been designed for her shoulders. The cleavage it showed was enticing to say the least. She was unknowingly making him burn. She was too potent a drug.
The carefree and jubilant atmosphere was steadily infusing his blood with boldness - making him fearless. He felt like he could dare Rock Lee into a Taijutsu fight or take on Naruto in a ramen eating contest.
His fearlessness permitted him to make the decision to express himself to her the way he wanted to. He decided to let loose and listen to his heart's desires. He would forget about keeping up appearances. Just for the night.
He encircled his arms around her waist and drew her closer. Her addictive warmth seeped into him as he embraced her. He rested his chin on her head and closed his eyes. He would lie to himself and pretend she was his. Just for the moment.
She melted into Shino's embrace as she strangely began to recall the lullabies her mother had often sung to her. She could not remember the words but she remembered the tunes. She painfully wished she could remember the words.
Her heart began humming one of the beautiful lullabies. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes as bittersweet emotions welled up in her chest. She slung arms around Shino's neck and felt the urge to shiver.
They way Shino was holding her made her want to shiver. There was something deep and moving about the way he was holding her. Something she had never felt from him before. A powerful something that she had never experienced from him.
She would have been uncomfortable if a random member of the opposite sex had been holding her so intimately but this was Shino. His embrace was inspiring feelings of such safety and security inside her that she was recalling her mother's lullabies.
Shino moved once again. They rocked forward and backwards. Side to side. Forward and backwards. In the end, they were just drifting in circles. They ignored the tempo that had been set by the music as they slow danced.
It was only Shino that was capable of making her feel this way. No one else made her feel so confident that she had nothing to fear. No one else made her experience such an acute sense of safety even. Not even Sasuke.
The sense of safety that Sasuke made her feel paled in comparison. It was often so fleeting. Instead, she could recall countless occasion when Sasuke had made her feel a sense of danger. He sometimes made her fear for her own mental and emotional well-being. Most of the time, he made her fear for his own wellbeing. Sasuke gave her a sense of comfort and contentment more than that of safety and stability. Contrastingly, Shino was always a constant pillar of stability.
The scent of Shino's cologne swirled around her as he tightened his grip on her waist. It had a pleasant woodsy and earthy aroma. She felt so at ease that she leaned her forehead on his chest as they swayed in an imperfect and yet perfect dance.
She recalled the first time she had confided in Shino. It had been a windy day in the autumn after their graduation. He had found her crying at one of the training fields. Despite her distress, he had never attempted to press her into talking about what was bothering her. Instead, he had merely sat next to her on a patch of yellowing grass - conveying his support.
She had eventually stopped crying and explained to him how she was frustrated with herself for not being powerful enough or confident enough. Shino had not been pretentious by claiming to understand how she felt. He had said nothing in response. Strangely, she had felt like he understood her even in his silence.
He had then invited her to his home for lemonade. He had asked to clean her bloodied fingertips, which she had cut while training too aggressively, when they had arrived at his home and she had not objected. Thereafter, he had poured her a tall glass of lemonade.
She could almost taste the sweetness of that refreshing citrus drink and hear his voice passionately telling her about what he had come across in one of his father's books. He had made her feel as though everything would fall into place and that she would be alright despite him not being able to really help her with her problems.
That was the day when they had really connected. To this day, Sasuke was the only male who she had connected to on such a level.
A pang of regret struck her as she realised that she was no longer as close to Shino as she once had been. The diverging of their shinobi careers had put some distance between them. Her closeness to Sasuke in the past months had only made things worse.
"Hinata."
"Yes ?"
"Can we get out of here ? I want us to talk."
She saw no reason to refuse. They separated and departed from the festivity.
They went to recreational area where they had spent their previous afternoon. The water glowed even in the dead of night.
The nights were strangely warm where they were. In Konoha, the season no longer permitted them to be outside without the protection of warm clothing at this time.
Shino contemplatively gazed at the water with his hands buried in his pockets for some time. The distant sound of music flowed around them. She wondered what he wanted to discuss. He faced her at long last. He was still exuding an intense, indescribable something.
"Do you want my honest opinion on your situation with Sasuke ?"
She struck by how out of the blue the topic was. It was strange how the matter had occupied his thoughts in the midst of a celebration. Still, she saw no reason to dismiss the conversation.
"Yes."
"I don't want you to be with him."
Her heart sank in disappointment just a tiny bit. The part of her that wanted to be with Sasuke was disappointed because Shino, a voice of reason, was against her being with Sasuke.
She did not dwell on her disappointment. How could she when there were other things to dwell on ? Such as how the intensity of Shino's eyes was burning hotter than smelted metal or how his jaw was clenched so tightly that his molars would have cracked from the pressure if they been slightly less durable.
"You think it would not work out ?"
She waited for him to validate her concerns. She waited him to list all the reasons why it was a bad idea. She waited to hear all the factors that he had weighed in order to reach his judgement.
"It's not because of that."
What did he mean by that and why was he so reluctant to speak ?
"Why then ?"
All signs of hesitance disappeared. A determination made of titanium materialised in his eyes.
"Because I'm in love with you."
Joyful music continued playing in the distance. Loud, happy, intoxicated voices shouted to the heavens. She heard none of it. Her mind was too preoccupied with scrambling to find a different meaning for the phrase Shino had spoken. In her mind, it was simply absurd that Shino had meant that he was in love with her.
"What do you mean by that ?" she asked.
He must have meant something else. Or maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. Perhaps it was one of those times where her mind misinterpreted what her ears had heard. Where someone would say something but she would hear something else entirely.
Shino stepped closer and took her hands into his. His hands were trembling.
"I mean that I don't want Sasuke to have you because I'm in love with you."
A shocking realisation occurred to her. She had not misheard anything. Shino was really saying that he was in love with her. Her jaw went slack as she struggled to make sense of such an inconceivable turn of events. Shino tried to smile but the smile failed to take shape.
"Like you said the other night, courage is elusive at times. But I've found the courage to say it."
He was clutching her hands so tightly that she felt like they would crumble into powder. There was desperate yearning in his eyes. What in the world was going on ? Shino ? In love with her ?
"You're m-mistaken. You can't be in l-love with... me..."
Shino's eyes brightened as he chuckled.
"Why not ?"
"It's too... sudden."
"It seems sudden to you because you didn't know about it. I didn't just fall in love with you overnight."
"But..."
Shino's hands remained tight around her own - anchoring her to him in such a way that surely even death would doubt its ability to separate them. His hands comforted her as her world spun like a tornado. He was anchoring her to the ground - keeping her steady - even though he was to blame for the pandemonium inside her.
The look in his eyes gave her the urge to shudder. She knew that look. It was the look of someone who was prepared to move mountains for what they desired.
She had never imagined that he would find her appealing in that way. In her mind, she was merely a broken doll. A pretty doll with an internal defect that was so ugly that no sane person would ever want it. She could understand why Sasuke would want her. He possessed the same ugliness. No, he was even uglier. Shino was beautiful. So why ? Why want someone so worthless ?
No, that was her old way of thinking that was speaking. She was not undeserving of his affections. She needed to squash such thoughts. She was worth loving just as much as anyone else.
"Why me ?"
"Why not you ?" he replied playfully.
"I'm serious. Why me ?"
"You're asking me why I fell in love with the only girl who never treated me like a freak in our first year at the academy ? While all the girls kept their distance because of the rumours that I ate bugs ?"
There was an endearing softness in his tone as he spoke.
"Why did I fall in love with the most compassionate person I know ? Why did I fall in love with one of the few people I feel like I can talk to for hours ?"
He rubbed circles on her hands with his thumbs.
"Or maybe I should discuss why I fell in love with a girl who displayed an incredible amount of resilience ? Why I admire her so much for rising from the ground, dusting herself off and marching on no matter how much her clan beat her down ?"
He licked his lips and paused for a lengthy moment.
"Why did I fall in love with the personification of growth ? Have you ever stopped to think about how much you've grown from the girl you were ? Do you realise what a formidable, confident woman you've become ?"
She was certain that her cheeks were bright pink.
"Perhaps as someone who is fascinated by the phenomenon of growth in nature, I'm also fascinated by women who demonstrate growth," he said.
"Last but not least, you're beautiful Hinata. What kind of guy does not appreciate a beautiful woman ? Especially one who carries herself in such an inexplicably sexy manner ?"
She was too embarrassed to continue looking at him.
"Does that satisfy you or should I carry on ?"
"No, it's fine. I think I understand," she whispered.
She was overwhelmed. She did not know what to say to him. She did not even know how to feel about this. She just...
"I don't expect you to suddenly love me back, Hinata. I'm not foolish enough to think that love can materialise out of thin air. Love develops over time. What I am asking for is a chance."
"A chance ?"
"Give me a chance to try my best to make you fall in love with me. I'm asking you to give us the benefit of the doubt," he pleaded. "Spend time with me. Go on dates with me and so on. Just give me a chance."
She started envisioning things. Things that made her feel like she was betraying Sasuke. She had feelings for Sasuke so why was the idea of falling in love with Shino so... appealing ?
"If you grow to reciprocate my feelings, I will hold on to you and cherish you until the day I die. I'll be your peace. I'll give you stability. I'll annoy or anger you at times but I'll never bring you grief. Not like him."
His hazel eyes were getting wet. His words touched even the deepest depths of her heart. She was astonished to discover that she could see herself falling in love with him. Something inside told her that she had the potential, the capacity, to love Shino not as a friend or a brother but as a woman who loved a man.
Shino pulled her hands to his chest as she grappled with her thoughts. His eyes were pleading with her. He spoke with such raw emotion that the hair on the back of her neck stood.
"We could build a little piece of paradise together."
She saw that piece of paradise in his eyes. She saw it all - a love free from darkness. It would not be a perfect paradise, utopias were nonexistent in their world, but it would be peaceful.
They would fight, like all lovers fight, but their arguments would not leave the future of their relationship hanging in the balance. Unlike with Sasuke, she would never lose sight of who she was. There were times when Sasuke's toxicity infected her to the point that she would find herself saying terrible things to him just so she could hurt him as much as he had hurt her. She hated that.
There would be times when Shino would be downhearted but she would never have to fear about finding him having taken his life with his own katana.
She was the future through Shino's eyes. She saw a stable home. She saw little children that would grow up with reserved but loving grandparents. She desired to have children in a few years. If she chose Sasuke and their relationship lasted, would Sasuke even want children ?
Revive the clan ? Me ? I can't revive the clan. Just look at me
The Uchiha clan is cursed. It would end in blood and tears again.
She remembered Sasuke saying those words as if it was yesterday. She hoped he would change his mind about having children. She wanted to be optimistic but ,sometimes, she was only human and she wondered if Sasuke was even capable of changing.
Sometimes, hope was a dangerous thing to have but damn it he could not resist being hopeful. He knew Hinata better than most. He knew when she was seriously considering something.
She was entertaining the idea of a relationship between them. He could see it in her eyes. He could nearly feel it in his bones.
"Will you give me a chance ?"
She remained quiet and it pained him. He could not pretend that there wasn't a gigantic obstacle standing in the way of finding happiness with her - her feelings for Sasuke. She was seriously invested in Sasuke.
Would she be willing to allow her existing feelings for Sasuke to gradually die for the sake of a hypothetical outcome ? Or was that too much to ask of her ?
He resented himself for keeping his feelings a secret for so long. If only he had confessed before she had grown attached to Sasuke. The words Kiba had said to him months ago crossed his mind.
Sometimes playing it safe or waiting for the right moment leads to nothing but missed opportunities. Sometimes the right moment never comes and you end up being too late.
Was he too late ? Was she going to crush his heart ? The fact that she had entertained accepting his advances would be the most heartbreaking part of it all.
Would he ever recover if the woman he had loved for so long tore his heart to shreds ? He shuddered to even imagine it. He squashed the negative thoughts that had infested his mind when his heart began to hurt.
"Will you think about it ? You do not have to give me an answer immediately."
She nodded. He cracked a smile.
"Thank you."
The fact that they would begin the journey back to Konoha in less than two days tormented him. He did not want to return to reality. He did not want to return to a reality where Sasuke existed.
He wanted the beautiful illusion that had formed when he had decided to pretend that she was his to endure forever. He wanted to be able to hold her like that everyday. He wanted that precious lie to last.
Hinata was silently watching him with those beautiful big eyes of hers that were saturated with emotion. He looked at their intertwined hands.
He wanted to lie to himself for just one more moment. He wanted to pretend that she belonged to him for just a fleeting moment.
He released her hands, cupped her cheeks and pressed his lips against hers. Her mouth tasted like the grape juice that had been circulating amongst the nondrinkers. Her mouth was a soft, moist, warm refuge that he never wanted to leave
She pressed her palm firmly against his chest and pushed him away. The kiss had barely lasted four seconds.
She did not tell him why she had pushed him away and neither did he ask why. He licked his lips and faced the pool. His heart was racing. He longed to kiss her again. He saw Hinata bite her lip nervously and stare at her shoes from the corner of his eye. Her face was bright pink.
They stood in a tense silence for a minute or two before he decided to return to the party. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away without a word. He did not apologise for kissing her. He was not sorry.
Hinata was strolling in a meadow. Violet, orange and purple wildflowers were abundant all around her. The sky was pleasantly blue and decorated with soft, snow-white clouds.
Her chest was swollen with contentment. A masculine hand was interlaced with hers. The man strolling with her down the neverending paradise had beautiful black eyes and long raven hair.
The young man smiled at her and a twinge of excitement coursed through her when she recognised him. It was Sasuke.
The meadow vanished. They were now standing on a cliff. Sasuke began caressing her cheek. His touch felt like home.
Sasuke whispered sweet nothings to her. His eyes were so tender, so loving. It did not take long for him to kiss her. The sensation was strangely dull, distant. It was as though it was not really there.
He abruptly stopped kissing her. All the warmth drained from his eyes. He violently seized her by the neck before she could ask what was the matter.
"You pathetic little thing," he spat. "Did you think anyone would love you for long ? Just look at yourself."
Tears slid down her cheeks as Sasuke held her in a chokehold. It was not the physical pain that made her cry - the pain of being suffocated felt oddly distant - it was his words that made her cry.
It was astonishing how coldly he was staring at her considering how warmly he had looked at her just moments ago. An ominous glint manifested in his eyes.
"Goodbye, princess."
Panic flooded her heart - threatening to clog up her arteries - when she remembered that they were standing on a cliff.
"Please. Don't do this to me. I beg you."
"I have no use for you."
Sasuke pushed her off the cliff - too swiftly for her to react - and she began plummeting. She was too frightened to even scream.
A pair of arms grabbed her and the plummeting stopped. She found herself back on the mountaintop. She inwardly rejoiced as her heart gradually calmed down. Her saviour did not release her.
Sasuke seemed haunted by his deeds. He seemed so feeble in his state of remorse.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what possessed me. Forgive me."
There was so much sorrow and regret in his voice. It fractured her heart just a tiny bit and diminished her anger.
She uttered something. Words of forgiveness, perhaps ? She wondered whether she was a fool for forgiving the unforgivable.
"Thank you," said Sasuke.
Sasuke collected himself little by little. He eventually stood tall and settled his gaze abover her head - on her saviour.
"Let her go. She's mine," warned Sasuke.
Her saviour did not budge. Hinata was indecisive about whether she wanted to be separated from her rescuer or not. His aura possessed a distinct steadiness that Sasuke profoundly lacked. A steadiness that she appreciated tremendously.
She realised that she had not taken note of the identity of her rescuer. Why was she so inattentive ? She looked up at her unwavering saviour and recognised his hazel eyes and dark brown hair.
"Hinata, stay with me," pleaded Shino, "I'm better for you."
"Come back to me, Hinata," countered Sasuke.
"Stay with me."
"Come back to me."
"Stay with me."
"Come."
"Stay."
The tug of war between Shino and Sasuke endured until she finally decided who she wanted to remain with. Her choice remained a mystery to her even as she departed with the one she had chosen. The impenetrable fog in her mind made it impossible for her to determine who it was.
A coughing fit woke Hinata. She sat up and groggily realised that her saliva had went down the wrong pipe.
Her mind replayed the events that had occurred in her dream. She hated it when matters that were pressing on her mind followed her into her dreams.
It was almost hilarious how her love life had changed from being nonexistent to being so messy in a single week. First, there had been that night where she and Sasuke had gotten carried away. Then Sasuke had confessed his feelings for her and made his intentions clear. Then they had shared their first kiss. She preferred not to acknowledge their truly first kiss. She cringed whenever she thought about it.
To make matters worse, Shino had suddenly told her that he loved her the previous night. Not to mention that he had kissed her
How was she supposed to cope with all of this ? She was only one girl. A conflicted and frustrated girl who was on the edge of having a nervous breakdown at 2 AM instead of sleeping.
"What is it going to be, Hinata ? Are you going to choose Sasuke ? Or do you want to see where things go with Shino ? Or are you going to say no to both of them ?" she whispered.
She was sick of the horrible instability that had plagued her life from an early age. She was sick of the strife that had been in prominent throughout her life. Shino was a gateway to a peaceful love life. She knew very few people who were as sound, stable and unproblematic as Shino.
And yet despite all the unhealthy conflict that often plagued her relationship with Sasuke, she could not ignore the power of their connection. Sasuke was the reason she now nearly believed in soulmates.
It was as though she and had Sasuke had bended the laws of reality and nature so that they were no longer separate entities but akin to a single being. Would she ever reach that point with Shino or anyone else ?
She sighed. They would be traveling to Konoha after sunrise. Her reunion with Sasuke was looming over her like the labour of a heavily pregnant woman. She was running out of stalling time.
What would this situation boil down to ? Would the connection she had with Sasuke prevail over everything else ? Would she choose Shino and his stability ? Would she reject both of them ? She honestly did not know. The only thing she knew was that she would have decide. Quickly.
A knock disturbed Sasuke from his nap. His rritation rapidly rose before he recognised the chakra of the person at the door.
He was in such a hurry to answer the door that he carelessly threw aside the novel he had been reading before dozing off without even bothering to mark the last page he had read
Hinata was wearing a dress. A long sleeved, immaculate, grey, tweed dress that ended just above her knees. The dress was sitting quite nicely on her figure. Her dark hair was tied in a ponytail.
She was a sight for sore eyes. When their eyes met, he felt like the dark clouds had parted for the sun after the dreary, despondent rain. The ache in his heart softened.
She was nervous. Incredibly nervous. Discomfortingly nervous.
"Hi," she whispered.
He was so happy to see her that he wondered what he would do with himself if she rejected him.
"What is your answer ?"
His patience had been far too exhausted for him to waste time on sweet hellos.
Sakura's doorbell rang just as she finished drying her hair. She tossed her damp towel on the rail and glanced at her reflection in the mirror to make sure that everything was in order before exiting the bathroom.
She had planned on quickly eating dinner, that consisted of leftovers that she was not excited about, before climbing into bed with a book. All thoughts of climbing into bed early had vanished.
She opened the door and was greeted by the savoury and mouthwatering smell of food. Shino's eyes settled on her face for a moment before trailing down her body. She blushed. Her black fleece shorts did not leave much to the imagination as far as her legs were concerned.
She was relieved that he had not caught her in her previous state of sweatiness that had resulted from her training session with Naruto, Yamato and Sai. Her aversion to being in that state around him contrasted with how unbothered she had been by being all sweaty and dishevelled around her squad members.
Shino tore his eyes away from her body - embarrassed to have allowed his eyes to wander. The thickness in the air made her gulp.
This was not the first time that a stifling sexual tension had settled between them. Tension was bound to develop when two people who had nearly slept together not so long ago were alone in an apartment.
She wondered if he also experienced the urges that she experienced in times like these. Did he also want to reacquaint himself with the feeling of her skin, the contours of her body, the warmth of her flesh ? Did he also want to share the same breath with her ? Did he long to be in her arms ?
"Hey," she said, trying by all means to act casual.
"Hi."
"Welcome back."
The tension began melting. Thankfully, these tense moments never lasted for long.
"I kept my promise," he said, lifting the parcels in his hands. She cracked a smile.
"I'm glad."
Thank you for reading. Thank you for the encouraging reviews.
I missed posting a new chapter. I had writer's block for about a month. I knew where I wanted the story to go but the words just wouldn't come. Thereafter, I had a lot going on in my life and couldn't find the time to write. I had to deal with things like moving to a new place and so on.
I'll try to update sooner next time around : ) I've already written about a third of the following chapter so I doubt it'll take three months for you to hear from me again.
To the reader who called my story trash because it glorifies abusive treatment and toxic relationships and all the others who feel the same way :
I am not romanticising abuse or toxic relationships. I am merely portraying the effect that poor mental health and trauma can have on relationships with the level of realism I aspire to achieve in my stories. I am not advocating for people to stay in unhealthy relationships nor am I saying they're cool. I'm just telling the story of two very scarred people.
As such, I will stay true to my vision and tell my story how I want it to be told. No matter how much Hinata and Sasuke's relationship may upset you at times.
The chapters I've posted are slightly more than 2/3 of the story. So yeah, our love story is sadly drawing closer to the conclusion with each chapter I post.
Until next time. Keep well.
{The Immortal Sage}