M/n: This is my third Shino/Hinata shot. And it's one-sided again. I wonder if that means anything.
Nah.
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Lost For Words
By kinokokichigai
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I watch from behind my tinted lenses as Hinata taps her index fingers together, a familiar sign of nerves. She sees me watching her, and puts her fingers to rest quickly, folding her pale hands across her lap. Then she smiles wanly at me.
She is dressed in a traditional Hyuuga wedding kimono, a secret gift from her younger sister. It is a deep blue, with cranes stiched along the bottom in pale silver thread. Her obi, too, is of a pale silver in hue. The woman looks resplendent.
There is a necklace of polished stones around her neck, a gift from the other women. It glints in the dim light. On her wrist is a bracelet made of fangs, a gift from a certain dog-man. On her hand….
I clear my throat, feeling I should say something. Hinata looks at me expectantly. The words I wish to say, however, do not come out. Instead, this:
"You look beautiful, Hinata-san." There. That is all I can say. I wish I had my collar.
She blushes, the color of fresh rose-petals spreading across her fair cheeks.
"Thank you, Shino-kun…" she says quietly. "You look very nice too."
I look down at my own outfit in distaste. For once, I am without my high-collared coat---instead, I am in a simple black kimono. My sunglasses, however, I have stubbornly kept on.
Her face lights up she hears a tune being played, and she turns towards me, her pale eyes sparkling eagerly. "Shino-kun!" she whispers happily, "It's time!" Hinata slips her slender arm in mine, and once again, I am wishing that I had my collar. My heart is beating erratically, and the few Kikai Bugs that I have allowed in my body on this day are stirring anxiously.
Hinata looks up at me, and moves her face near mine. I begin to feel sweat trickle past my hairline as she kisses me gently on the cheek. Quickly, I order the bugs to stop the impending blush that will soon be gracing my cheeks.
"Thank you, Shino-kun," she states simply. Then the doors open.
I begin to escort her down the aisle slowly, in the place of her father who had refused to come. I see a yellow-haired man turn around, flashing an ecstatic smile reserved only for her.
We walk the last few steps together, her small form shaking with---what? Fear? Happiness? Most likely both. I stop in front of the dais, making Hinata pause in concern. I see her mouth shape my name questioningly.
"I give this woman, Hyuuga Hinata, to you, Uzamaki Naruto. Treat her well," I say quietly, repeating the customary words that her father would have said. I look at Hinata, bowing deeply to her as she blushes a bright crimson.
And oh! How I am longing to say the words that are deep inside my nest of a body, then to sweep her off her feet and have her as my own, for her to have me as her own, for us to be content and peaceful together for the rest of our days.
But for this woman's deaf ears, 'I love you' would never be enough.
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Now I cannot speak, I've lost my voice,
Speechless and redundant,
And I love you's not enough,
I'm lost for words
---Green Day, "Redundant"
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Angst. Song quotations. Shino.
What else would you expect from me?
-kinokokichigai