a/n: I'm back again for the second installment of one of my favorite stories that I've even written, and I hope I did Gemini justice with its long-awaited epilogue, Dragonfly. Here it is.
d: I don't own Naruto, the anime and manga, nor do I own the song Dragonfly by the awesome OPM band Spongecola. I highly encourage any Filipino reading this to buy their album Palabas; all of the English songs are beautiful and inspirational.
Now, go read. Now.
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Free your mind
Don't let me down
We'll find a way to make it go away
Oh, I'll make it go away
-
Why can't you see me like I see you?
Can't you feel me like I feel you?
Can't you be with me tonight?
-Spongecola, Dragonfly
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FIVE YEARS LATER…
The pale, raven-haired girl gently laid the white daisy on the heroes' memorial, amidst a background of silver skies.
His name was carved on the obsidian stone, blending in and yet standing out among countless others.
Inuzuka Kiba.
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"Aburame Shino. The Hokage-sama asks for your presence at her office." Said the man, beckoning towards the said place. After he left, Hinata leaned closer to Shino. Shino had been walking her home after training when a strange man interrupted them.
"Shino-kun? Why do you think you're being called for?" She whispered. She had become more withdrawn and soft-spoken lately. Fortunately, everyone around her understood why.
"I don't know, Hinata-chan," he said gently. "But I do hope I passed the exam."
She gave him a small smile. "I do not doubt it, Shino-kun."
He smiled, a rare occasion, in return. "I apologize, but I must leave you here. The call sounded urgent." He coughed into his hand, sounding quite pressured. .
"If you don't mind, I would like to accompany you, Shino-kun."
He nodded in relief. "Arigato."
They walked in silence until the reached the door to the building. Shino looked at Hinata uncertainly.
"Go ahead, please. I will wait here."
After he disappeared inside, Hinata leaned against the wall, crossing her fingers nervously.
"Kami-sama…" she prayed fervently. More than half an hour later, the door opened. She stood up abruptly.
"So… how was it, Shino-kun?" She clasped her hands expectantly.
He looked over his shoulder, which to her seemed like a head shake. Her face fell, until she saw the green leathery material he took from behind his back.
A Chuunin vest.
He smirked at her, and she drew nearer and hugged him happily.
"Your family, Kurenai-sensei, and our comrades will be proud of you, Shino-kun. I am proud of you…" Her eyes suddenly drifted upwards, to the sky, and her voice dropped low.
"Kiba will be proud of you too." She spoke with the semblance of tears in her tone. It was not unfamiliar, to both of them.
"Come," he said comfortingly, putting an arm around her shoulders as he escorted her outside. "I shall walk you home. And Hinata-chan?"
"Hai?"
"I miss him too."
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"Father?"
Hiashi looked up from his table at his eldest daughter. "Yes, Hinata?"
"I… I…" She stammered, never failing to feel intimidated by the presence of her father.
He raised an eyebrow. "Hn?"
"I… I have decided… to give up being a fighting ninja. I have already sought the approval of my sensei, and I… would like to pursue being a medic. Shizune-san, the apprentice of the Hokage-sama, has already offered to take me in… as her student… Tha-that's all…"
He stared at her intently, and Hinata felt like she was going to shrink in size.
"You do know that in doing so, you will relinquish the title of being the heiress to the Hyuuga, don't you, Hinata?"
"Y-yes, father."
"Are you sure of this?"
"Yes, I am sure."
"Very well. Your title will be passed to your younger sister, Hanabi. You are dismissed."
She bowed briefly, beginning to leave the room.
"And Hinata?"
"Father?" She turned back.
"I must let you know that I do think you made a wise decision. The entire clan knows your abilities as a ninja was never sufficient to become the Hyuuga head, and…
"And I wish you the best of luck in the profession you will pursue, in being a medic."
It was a compliment, she knew, coming from Hiashi-sama, to which only one word can serve as a proper reply.
"Arigato."
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"Hinata! Shino! How great it is to see you!" Kurenai greeted as soon as she saw her former pupils enter the familiar training grounds.
Kurenai gave Hinata an embrace and shook Shino's hand. She then pointed to the three children who had been training with her.
"Team Eight, this is Aburame Shino-san and Hyuuga Hinata-san, my old students." She paused. " Shino, Hinata, they're my new genin team. This here is Reddo, and his animal partner Urufu…"
She gestured to a boy with messy blonde-brown hair and baggy clothes. He grinned toothily at them, waving his hand. A small monkey clung to his arm, and he whispered a few words to it before turning to the newcomers.
"Konnichiwa!" He saluted them playfully. "Nice to meet you, Shino-san!" He took Hinata's hand and kissed it lightly. "And you look very lovely today, Hinata-chan!"
Hinata smiled at him. Kurenai, however, thwacked his head.
"Red-ddo! I told you to behave yourself! You be polite, young man!" She ruffled his hair as he scowled. She laughed and gestured to another boy, who had his hands in his pockets and a mask covering his face, except for his eyes.
"This is Kuro..." Unlike Reddo's loud and rowdy introduction, Kuro merely acknowledged them with a slight nod and a quiet repetition of their names.
"And finally, this is Hisakata," Kurenai gently put her hand on a little girl's head who was trying to hide behind her. Instead, the jounin pulled her from behind her back and out right in front of the two. Hisakata had straight, ebony hair that reached her knees, her long bangs falling over her wide eyes. She was slender and seemed awfully fragile. She gave the two a small wave before going behind Reddo, who was the closest to her. He grinned at her kindly, chuckling.
"Aw, come on Hisakata-chan, they won't bite. Right now, Kuro?"
Kuro just stood there like a statue, making Reddo look like an utter fool. The enraged boy stuck his tongue out at him.
"I hate you, Kuro! You really think you're all that, don't you?"
Kurenai put her hands on her hips. "Reddo! Stop starting fights!"
The team and their new sensei argued among themselves for awhile Shino cleared his throat to indicate that Hinata and he were still there.
"Oh! I'm sorry about that." Kurenai said, scratching the nape of her neck. "Heh. I almost forgot you two were there."
Hinata nodded. "It's okay, Kurenai-sama."
Kurenai paused, sighing. "Coming from you, I think I liked the suffix 'sensei' much better than 'sama' better." She then motioned to a corner of the grounds.
"Shino? Hinata? May I speak to you guys a moment?"
They nodded, allowing Kurenai to lead them to the spot. When she turned around, she noticed that Reddo had followed them too.
"Reddo? I meant to speak with them in private." Kurenai wagged her eyebrows suggestively. Reddo pouted, stuck his tongue out and stormed off, muttering something close to 'meanie-headed woman sensei…' as he left.
Silence.
"They're quite… special." Shino remarked, referring to the new Team Eight. Kurenai followed his gaze.
"Yeah. They're one hell of a team. In fact…" She looked at them again, a twinkle in her red eyes.
"They remind me of you guys. You know, Kuro, with his… calm demeanor and overview on things, is just like…"
"Me." Mused Shino.
"Yeah. Very much like you, Shino. And Hisakata is a splitting image of you, Hinata."
Said kunoichi blushed. "I can't disagree. She's… a lovely girl."
"Indeed she is. And with Reddo… he's exactly like… well… you know…" Kurenai shook her head feverishly.
"Um… It's great to see you two… moving on… too…" She blinked several times. "Aw, crap, I miss that thick-headed rascal! Things have been quiet in our district since he left…" She laughed softly. After a few more moments of silence, she regained her upright composure.
"Anyway, I just want to see say, again, how great it is to see you two." She said, eyes softening. "You've gone rather far since you left my care, and I couldn't be prouder." Kurenai couldn't seem to have been able to hold it back any longer and she hugged both teens briefly.
"Hope to see you guys soon enough. I missed you." Kurenai then grinned, realizing that she couldn't look down at them anymore. Shino was even taller than she was now. It seemed that many things changed as time passed…
"Bye!"
Kurenai then ran to her new team again, leaving Shino and Hinata by themselves.
"Goodbye, Kurenai…
"--sensei."
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"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, INO!"
The cheers and laughter of the old Rookie nine, plus the former Gai Team, was heard in the restaurant, with the birthday celebration of Ino also serving as a reunion. They hadn't seen much of each other in a while, except during missions, and their senseis were immediately assigned to new teams once their students were promoted.
Which meant that it would be a memorable party for all of them.
After the meal was over, most of the present shinobis went straight to partying.
"Happy birthday. Ino-chan," greeted Hinata as she gave the blonde girl her gift.
"Arigatou, Hinata-chan." The celebrant gave her a hug as she took the neatly-wrapped package. Even though the four girls of their batch became better friends over the years, the two had become considerably close because of some things they had in common.
"I didn't think we would ever be happy again… you know, ever since Chouji died on that mission," Ino commented shakily as the two watched their friends having fun on the dance floor.
Ino turned to Hinata. "Only 'til last year did I find out how hard a blow losing Kiba must have been to you… and Shino, of course. Shikamaru was hysterical the first few days, and I've never seen him like that before…" She laughed a little. Hinata smiled too, recalling the first time she saw Shino actually cry.
Ino sighed, taking a drink. "Sometimes I don't think I want the life of a ninja anymore… It hurts to see friends leave, just like that." She snapped her fingers for emphasis.
"Same here," Hinata replied quietly, absently stirring the ice in her glass.
They remained silent for a while, until Ino stood up and stretched her arms.
"Well, no use for nostalgia to attack right now, especially on my birthday! Come on, Hinata! We can't let them have all the fun!" She exclaimed contentedly, grabbing Shikamaru as her dance partner.
"At least everyone else is happy," Hinata bowed her head.
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"Hey, Hinata, can I trust you with a secret?" Tenten asked her, the weapon master's cheeks tainted a soft pink.
"Of course, Ten-chan. What is it?"
Tenten leaned closer and whispered something in her ear.
"Neji asked me to the Shinobi dance."
Hinata looked at her friend with amusement, though it didn't come as much of a surprise. "Really? When did he do so?"
Tenten withdrew, throwing her head back to laugh. "Oh, just last night. Jeez, if only you saw how embarrassed he was. He was so red! Took him a while, too."
Hinata remembered. Neji-niisan was out pretty late the previous night. "I see. I'm happy, for the both of you, Ten-san."
The older kunoichi nudged her elbow. "So, how about you? Who are you going with? I heard Shino's been thinking…"
She lowered her face. "Shino-kun… invited me. I… declined."
"Aw, why is that?"
"I… I'm afraid I'm not ready… to move on yet. But there are no worries. Shino-kun… is a good friend to me. He understood."
"I see. Well, I understand. I'll see you at the dance, Hinata. Bye!"
Hinata watched her friend leave, still not abandoning her blissful and carefree mood. She sighed.
Did anyone really understand?
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He left, she knew, but he would never really be gone.
Until now.
Bitter tears that had been repressed for so long. coursed down her ashen cheeks. It had been seven years of denial, seven years of refusing to move on. She fell to her knees and one hand fingered every inch of the gravestone that was one of the symbols of his legacy.
She knew no matter how hard she tried, or whatever she did, she will never go about another day without thinking of him.
"Gomen, Kiba-kun. But I do not know how not to cry." She choked out.
She pulled her jacket, actually hisjacket, closer to herself to prevent the cold from getting to her. It was the one he always wore in their genin days. After his death, his family gave it to her as a gift, knowing how much it meant to her, and she accepted it gratefully. She always wore it whenever she could, because felt like him, and reminded her of him, even after days on end. It was like having Kiba-kun hugging her all day.
She would cherish it forever.
She pulled the hood over her head as she saw a single raindrop make its way to one of the lily petals. Seconds later, it began to rain.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her, and she stopped feeling the cold rain crash into her.
She looked up, only to see who else but Aburame Shino, holding an umbrella over both of them.
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"Hey, Shino! Catch!"
Shino whirled around just as a fist-sized rubber ball hit him squarely in the face, right between his eyes, in fact. His sunglasses fell to the ground. One hand reached up to his face, only to mutter a quiet "Ow."
In a second Kiba, Hinata and Akamaru were there beside him.
"Sh-Shino-kun, are you alright?"
"Ohmigod, I'm so sorry Bug Frea--, I mean Shino! I didn't mean to hit you! I told you to catch! I really didn't! I swear!"
"Bark bark!"
Hinata stepped closer to peer at the bridge of his nose. "I-I think it's broken, Shino-kun."
Shino nodded. It really did hurt. Quite a lot, actually.
Kiba started to holler, flailing his arms around.
"Oh no! Shino! We have to call someone to fix your nose! Ohmigod! Quick, Akamaru! Call Kurenai-sensei! Call the ANBU! This is an emergency! No! Call the Hokage-sama herself! Should I get my sister? Oh, wait, she's a vet! No! Call…"
He was stopped by a light punch directly at his own nose, provided by Shino.
He crossed his eyes to look at his aching part, using both hands to rub it. "Hey, Shino! What did you do that for!"
"To shut you up."
"Oh."
Hinata giggled softly. "You two must stay here while I call a medic. Hai?"
"Hai hai."
"Demo, Hinata-chan…"
"Kiba, if you don't shut up, I'll give you a broken nose of your own too." Shino said.
The canine ninja crossed his arms, pouting. Shino shook his head, trying to hide a smile, while Hinata didn't even try to suppress hers as she ran towards the hospital.
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It only meant one thing whenever Hinata arrived at training with red-rimmed eyes.
Kiba caught Shino's gaze, even behind the sunglasses. Both sighed wearily, turning to their teacher.
"Kurenai-sensei…" Shino began.
She nodded instantaneously. "Yes, I understand. Team Eight, training is cancelled for today. Kiba, Shino, please kindly escort Hinata home." Kurenai gave another solemn nod and disappeared.
It was Kiba who approached her first. "Hey, Hinata-chan! I'll treat you to ramen, okay?" He said kindly.
"No, Kiba. You did that last time. I'll pay for it today. Is that alright Kiba, Hinata?" Shino offered.
"A-ariga-tou…" Hinata choked, before bursting into well-worn tears, hiding her face in her pale, tiny hands. Kiba wrapped his arms around her in a sort of awkward hug, but his intentions were welcomed. The three stood there for what seemed like hours, Hinata crying, Kiba gently patting her back or stroking her hair while continuously whispering "Don't let your father get you down, Hinata. Me and Shino will help you train, hai?" and Shino watching them, giving her his support by his mere presence.
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"Let's go home, Hinata-chan." He said silently. Hinata couldn't have been more surprised. She took her face from her hands but didn't face him yet.
"You've always been there, haven't you, Shino-kun?"
There was a silent pause. "Of course.
"That's what I'm here for."
She inched closer to him, a grateful smile on her lips.
"Thank you. And Shino-kun?"
"Hmmm?"
"Will you promise, that whatever might happen, to us, in the future, that you and me, we will never, never ever forget?"
He put his arm around her shoulders, giving her better shelter from the rain.
"I promise."
It was then that she remembered one particular memory, one sunset years ago, in a small playground just outside of the village. It made her brave a smile through her tears, as rain fell poured down incessantly on her and Shino
'Will you still come back for me?'
Yes…
… Yes, she would.
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OWARI
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a/n: Once again, I hope I did the first chapter justice with this. This time, I included Shino in the plot, gave it more structure, and made it more of a Team Eight fic as well as a KibaHina/possible ShinoHina.
Please, because I did work hard on this ficlet and I feel that I deserve a few minutes of your time by giving comments and con-crit, do
REVIEW!