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Chapter 6

All for the Best

Sachi's internal alarm clock woke her around 8 am. Her tangible alarm clock usually woke her before 6 to get ready for work but on her days off she enjoyed sleeping in a little. Sachi knew it was morning; she didn't need sight to tell her that. Mornings had a unique feel to them and a unique smell. Some said she was crazy when she said it smelled like morning, but it was just that.

Morning smelled like morning. She could stick her nose out of her bedroom window and smell the dew drops on the grass and the fog still low in the air. She swore she could even smell the sunshine on her face as it warmed the earth and dissipated the fog.

Sachi was undeniably a morning person. While she couldn't see the sunrise she could perceive it with her other senses. Nights and sunsets weren't so riveting. They didn't have the same smells or induce the same feelings.

She reached her hand out for the alarm clock. It was an older one that clicked a new number in place every minute. The front had been removed for her to feel the rough numbers against the smooth background. 8:07 am, it read. What a perfect time to sleep in too.

While there were some time-telling products for blind people Sachi usually had to special order such things from other countries. Which could be a very expensive option, but there was simplicity to her improvised method that she always enjoyed.

She stretched out in bed, groaned and sat up with another groan. Her body felt like it had been exercised thoroughly yesterday. No doubt the sensory training with Shino had done this.

She ran her fingers through her short hair when something on top of her head gave a disgruntled buzz. She scrubbed her hands through her hair attempting to dislodge the foreign something. The insect was thrown free of her hair and landed on the bed where it gave a worried set of chirps for its mistress.

"Wait, that sounds..." She stopped scrubbing at her hair. "I know that. Are there some of Shino-kun's bugs here?"

It responded with a single chirp.

"Just one?" she questioned. "Well, you can't stay here. You need to go back to Shino-san." The two chirps that responded were low, as if in disagreement. "You need to go back to your master." A much higher pitch answered her statement and the insect flew back to her head, settling down with the contentment of the cat that caught the canary. She sighed, strode over to her window and opened it.

"Go on back to Shino-san, then." It chirped twice, the second pitch lower than the first, another disagreement.

"Are you doing that twice for no?" It chirped once. "Yes? Well, you're smart. I'll give you that. Fine," she said, shutting the window, "if you won't go back I'll have to return you."

She could feel the insect opening and closing its wings like how a bird ruffled its feathers with discontentment. She dressed in a hurry, throwing on her sunglasses and grabbing her old cane before she left her room. Just before she reached the landing to the stairs the kikai buzzed loudly on her forehead just under her knitted hat. She paused.

"Hey! What?" It continued to buzz gently as it crawled distinctly from the middle of her forehead to the right. "Are you trying to tell me which way to go?"

One chirp, it sounded like an affirmation.

"Look bug," she began with a tone of strained patience, "I'm sure you're trying to help but this is my house and I know where the stairs are."

Two chirps.

"No? Now what?" It crawled from the center to the right again and she scoffed in frustration. "I'm talking to a bug," she whispered to herself.

She stepped forward and her foot met a tinkling sound of hard plastic blocks.

"Kaito-kun left his blocks out again," she groaned. "And right in front of my door this time. He's not even being subtle. Wait," she addressed the insect, "Were you trying to warn me about that?"

If insects were capable of being snarky this one was definitely buzzing in that tone.

"Alright, alright, you did good Kai-san. But you are still going back to Shino-san."

She descended the stairs and passed her father having a cup of coffee on his day off.

"Where are you off to so early?" he asked curiously.

"I have to see a man about a bug." Sachi closed the door and left her father to ponder over her strange words.

"Alright Kai-san which way is it to Shino-san?"

Nothing but silence met her question.

"Let me guess. You don't want to go back so you won't help. Is that it?"

She received a single stubborn chirp for her troubles.

"Fine," she ground out.

She was forced to ask for directions to the Aburame household. Asking for directions was always a hit or miss for someone that was blind. Some didn't quite understand and gave directions that required reading signs or unfamiliar landmarks. Others would treat her like a lost toddler, wanting to lead her by the hand every step of the way. Though she tried to word her questions carefully it was hard to convey a polite request while trying to make it clear she needed help but not too much help.

In a hit or miss game, it was usually a miss.

It took her nearly an hour to walk a laughably short distance to the gates of the Aburame compound. She should have realized Shino was from a clan. She had heard of the Aburame clan before. She didn't have time to wonder if she could just go through before she heard footsteps on the other side.

"Do you have business here?" an unfamiliar voice asked from the opposite side.

"Yes. I need to see Shino Aburame. He doesn't know I'm coming."

"Why do you need to see him?" the man asked.

Sachi wasn't sure if this particular man was nosey or if this was standard procedure for every visitor. Either way, she didn't think it was a good idea to tell this man about the insect Shino had misplaced.

"He left something with me that I need to return as soon as possible. I don't need an appointment to visit a friend do I?"

"Hardly," he responded. She thought that response was strangely contradictory to all his questions. "The Aburame are a private clan. We don't like intruders."

"I'm not intruding. I'm visiting. There is a big difference." She felt slightly affronted. If she was invading wouldn't she have walked in without permission?

"Just a moment," he said. She stood patiently waiting for whatever the guard was waiting for. After a moment, he opened the gate. "They will be expecting you now. Do you require any help?"

"Actually, if you could just lead the way it will be easier, thank you."

In the quiet of the compound it was easy to follow the man's footsteps as he led her down a few alleys left and right and right again. Her mental map kept up fairly well.

"Here it is, just in front of you."

"Thank you." She heard the man departing the way they came as she made her way up the front steps to the door and, though she raised her hand, she didn't get the chance to knock when the door swung open.

Her ears were met with the familiar sound of buzzing from the individual in front of her.

"Hello, can I help you?"

Though she had assumed this was Shino, the rich baritone so similar to his was clearly a different person. Sachi had rarely met with two voices that she could confuse. She was sure this was not Shino.

"Hello, I'm Sachi Hara. I was hoping I could see Shino-san."

"He's off training with his team. I'm his father, Shibi. Is there anything I could help you with?"

"Shino-san left something of his yesterday. I just wanted to give it back."

"You could leave it with me. I shall return it to him."

"Well, if you can take it that's fine with me. It's being remarkably stubborn." She pushed back her hat and fluffed her hair where the kikai rested. "I tried to tell it to go home, but it won't listen to me."

Shibi lifted his arm and called the insect back. Curiously, it buzzed angrily in the negative and buried itself deeper into her hair. Shibi hummed and let his arm drop back to his side.

"You should come in. We will need to talk." He stood aside and reached a hand out to her shoulder to guide her inside, hoping to direct her to a seat. The instant his hand brushed her shoulder the kikai emerged from its hiding spot and buzzed fiercely at him. He retracted his hand quickly.

Being the insect master he was he could understand the insect just as well as any human. If it were capable of verbal speech it's words would have been 'Do not touch the mistress! The mistress does not like you touching!'

Upon its communication, he reluctantly obeyed the singular insect of the species he commanded.

"Follow me." He led her to the sitting room not far from the door. "Please have a seat. Shino-kun should be back within the half hour. "After finding the couch with her cane, she sat on the right side and folded it up, stowing it in her jacket pocket until it was needed again. Shibi sat in an armchair to her right.

"Who was it?" A female voice called as it approached the scene.

"Sachi-san one of Shino-kun's friends. There is a complication with a kikai that won't leave her." Shibi continued addressing Sachi again, "this is my wife, Youko."

The woman sounded surprised at the news. "And the first thing you thought of was to return it? That's very kind of you. Most would rather get rid of them than return them."

"Well, I didn't think about it." Honestly, that didn't even occur to her that it would be easier to squish the insect than to go to all the trouble to return it. But as she thought of it now it seemed like a terribly cruel thing to do; ending a life merely because of the inconvenience it caused. "I just thought I should return it. Does this happen often?"

"Insects are everywhere," the woman stated, "on occasion, some will be lost. They rarely ever find their way back." The woman parted from the conversation politely, mentioning she had things on the stove that would burn if she did not attend to them.

"What happens to him if he doesn't go back? He won't get hurt will he?"

Shibi understood her worry. "We won't need to kill the insect, no. It seems to have chosen you as its new host. It cannot return to Shino-kun as it has claimed you as its new home."

"So, do I just keep it?"

"It will not willingly leave you. It seems to have taken a particular liking to your chakra and it will no longer accept any other master or any other food source. If you would like to keep him he is yours."

"Will I be able to control him?"

"Actually, you already are. He couldn't obey your words to go home as he already was. It will react based on your words and emotions. You may never fully understand it like we Aburame do but it will communicate when necessary in ways you will understand."

"I know what you mean. He's been chirping once for yes and twice for no. But earlier," she thought back to when it tried to direct her around the blocks outside of her room, "can he tell that I am blind?"

"Yes, he senses your emotions as well. We Aburame remain calm, even stoic as some say, to keep them in check. Earlier in the entryway, it informed me that you do not like to be touched. You have my apologies. It sensed your desires and reacted accordingly to your wishes."

"It's alright," she dismissed his apology politely. "It's just part of being blind. I can make it through the day just fine without help. It gets old when people try to help too much. But earlier today it tried to tell me there was something in my way. It saved me from possibly falling down the stairs."

Shibi nodded. "It will do everything in its power to keep you safe. If that is seeing for you then that is what it will do."

"How do I keep it fed? You said it feeds off my chakra but I don't know how to control it much."

"You won't need to worry about that. It will be able to access your chakra when it needs it. With only one to feed you won't notice a large drain on your chakra."

"Is there anything else I need to know to take care of it?"

"It should be very self-sufficient."

The front door opened and Shibi called for Shino to join them. Sachi mused that with all the insects surrounding her she didn't even notice Shino approach the house.

"Sachi-san, it's a surprise to see you here," Shino mentioned as he came upon the scene.

"I'm sorry for popping up unexpectedly," Sachi said with a modest amount of discomfiture for intruding upon her new friend's home.

"It seems one of your kikai escaped and made a new home with Sachi-san. I warned you to be careful, Shino. Now you have to deal with the consequences."

"What consequences?" Sachi asked with worry. She hadn't wished to get Shino in trouble for this.

"I will have to teach you to control your chakra so more do not follow the first," Shino explained.

"It's lucky the kikai was male. If it were female, others may be tempted into following by the dozen."

Shino's mother approached again. "Will you be staying for breakfast, Sachi-san? I have more than enough for everyone."

"That would be nice. Thanks. I left in a bit of a hurry to get here."

The Aburame household was a lively one. Obviously, this was not based on the humans in the house but rather the insects that inhabited the area. She could hear gentle clicks, chirps, and hums from insects all around. It was pleasing, like hearing crickets at night. Now that she thought about it, she could hear them too.

It helped her map out the house just by sound alone. It was as if the insects were echolocating for her. It told her anything from the position of the stairs and table to where the carpet to the sitting room ended. It was strange to suddenly know where everything was. If this was similar to how others saw with their eyes she could see the convenience. She followed the two men to the table and sat down at a spare seat, marveling at the lack of need of her cane in unfamiliar territory.

"Sachi-san, would you mind removing your sunglasses? I have a rule never to wear them at the table," Shino's mother asked.

"Kaa-san-" Shino began.

"It's alright. It's more a comfort for others than myself," she stated without real confidence. She closed her eyes and removed her sunglasses, tucking them in the same pocket as her cane.

"I'm sorry, Sachi-san. I didn't realize. You could keep them on if you would like."

"It's alright," she repeated. "I don't mind. I wouldn't want to break your rule."

Sachi wasn't as comfortable as she let on. Good manners had taught her to respect the rules in another's household and she was loath to deny them. Though she had lied about her glasses, they were just as much a comfort to her as they were to others. Kai-san hummed from atop her head, sending a message to the others to stop staring at her closed eyes. Each of them listened and they dug into their food.

They ate silently. Sachi had the impression that the Aburame family was generally silent and disliked unnecessary conversation. She let her mind wander and she paused in her eating as she arrived at a curious thought.

"Why do you always wear glasses if not to see well?" She reasoned that if the family wore glasses to improve their vision they wouldn't remove them for mealtimes. Therefore, she was left to question why it seemed there must be a rule to remove eyewear. They must have worn them constantly to require such a rule.

"The kikai are sensitive to light," Shino answered. Excessive exposure to the sun can make them irritable."

"Is that why this one has been hiding? I just thought it didn't want to leave."

"It would be best to keep it out of the sun," Shino added.

"Is there anything else I need to know?"

"It would be best to keep it a secret," Shibi answered. "Keep it tucked away and out of sight. Others might not understand. Our clan is generally avoided because of our use of insects. It is best not to advertise your possession of the insect as they may find it distasteful."

"That's a shame," Sachi mused. "I'm really starting to like them."

Breakfast had finished with little else to discuss and Shino led her outside to the yard to practice with her chakra.

"Yesterday you learned to sense using chakra. This time, you will learn to suppress it as well as use less chakra to sense your surroundings. It takes years to hide it properly as high-class shinobi do. But you should be able to learn to hide it enough to draw less attention from the insects."

"Alright, just hiding it a bit doesn't sound so hard."

"You should use this technique while you are around insect users like me."

"Is it difficult to control them around me?" She asked.

Shino paused as he considered his words. In truth, it was a bit difficult at times. He would never admit he had lost control of them just yesterday. "It is not as easy as I would care to admit."

"Sorry," she muttered quietly. She didn't realize being around her was an inconvenience. He seemed to be fine with it, though. He wouldn't have come to see her all week if he didn't want to be around her.

For the next few hours, Shino worked with her to repress her chakra. Like before she had shown a natural aptitude for it. With such an excellent teacher, learning a simple technique didn't take her long. It was sometime after lunch when she could finally mask her chakra signature well enough to take the edge off the insect's attraction to her.

She still had quite a ways to go to perfect it to seem like any other civilian to the insects. And this technique wouldn't even stop her from being detected from even a lowly Genin, but it suited her just fine. She wasn't out to learn how to be a shinobi but rather to make it easier for Shino to be around her.

"There is no need to hold it all the time. But it would be wise to do so when you are near one of us," Shino explained.

"Got it, I should get home. Kaa-chan is probably wondering where I am."

"I'll walk you to the gate."

"You know, you're very quiet except when you talk about chakra or insects," she mentioned idly. He hummed in response and she chuckled. "I like hearing you talk about the things you like. You have a nice voice."

They stopped at the gate.

"I imagine you can make it from here."

"I was fine on my own before and now I'm all the better for having my Seeing Eye bug." She smiled. "Goodbye, Shino-san."

Unknown to Sachi, Shino had cracked a small smile, a Seeing Eye bug? She was definitely an interesting one.

Someone mentioned that since we don't know much about Sachi yet she is appropriately mysterious. I'm glad you are pleased with this story. I dislike throwing a character's whole background at readers before they are ready. You will learn more about Sachi in the coming chapters. One of them even has a flashback to her childhood.

Till tomorrow, loyal readers!