The Little Things

A short little one-shot.

This is post-timeskip, so Shino and Kiba are 15-ish.

Naruto characters © Kishimoto, I just borrow them on weekends.

…….

….

…

"Arf!"

"Hehe, I know Akamaru, a chance of pace isn't it?" Kiba smiled at his large canine companion.

Team 8 was one of the closest of all the teams that graduated from the ninja academy. Who would have thought that a loud-mouthed dog-nin, a shy Hyuga girl, and an introverted insect-user would become such close friends. Even now 3 years later, all of them chunins, they still went on missions and trained together. It was a daily routine for them to meet at a large oak tree adorned with a shimenawa rope near the center of the village. Shino would always arrive first, followed by Hinata and Kiba.

However, this morning was a little different. For a change of pace, one of was assigned to make a lunch-break-snack for the three of them each day they went to train. Then, that person would go and gather the others at their homes before going out to train. Today it was Kiba's turn. A bento wrapped in a paw-print-patterned cloth handkerchief was strapped to Akamaru's shoulders.

Kiba walked up to the familiar bamboo doors of the Aburame clan, and rang the large, jingle-eske bell that was hung next to them. Within a minute, the doors slowly opened, and a darkly clad figure with an encompassing gray hood over his head walked out.

"Ohayo Shino!" Kiba grinned.

"Ah…Ohayo," the Aburame calmly replied with a nod, as he put his hands in their pockets.

Despite his apparent lack of emotion, Kiba knew full well his teammate was not a cold block of stone. Kiba always did his best to get a rise out of him, even if it meant annoying him or pushing his buttons. However, Kiba still thought of Shino as pretty inhuman, be it his smell or his actions. For Kiba, it was mostly the smell…which was that of dried leaves and hordes of insects…something no one except for him could detect with his acute nose.

They walked in silence. Striking up conversations with Shino could be a difficult task. Kiba tried to think of something to talk about that morning.

"I made seaweed-wrapped salad balls with chicken for our lunch, I think you'll like them!" he said finally.

"That sounds…exotic…" Shino voiced.

"I made it up myself. Akamaru doesn't like the seaweed tho, so you can have the seaweed from his one if you want."

The other nodded.

Kiba put his hands behind his head.

As they rounded a corner, just 2 blocks from the Hyuuga clan doors, they saw a gaggle of noisy children in the street.

"Heaaaha!"

"Hey, let me see!"

"I'm the one who caught it!"

The two passed them, "What noisy kids," Kiba muttered.

Shino stopped, and turned his torso around.

"Ewwww!"

"Oooo!"

"Hey-!"

Kiba blinked, and stopped, "Shino, what is it-"

He turned to see Shino already gone, running up to the group of kids, who all were already darting away.

Kiba and Akamaru walked up next to their teammate, who was looking solemnly at the ground. "Shino, come'on we need to get Hinata, what are y-" He stopped, and saw what he was staring at. On the ground was a large, yellow, swallow-tail butterfly. It flapped around helplessly, its two right wings ripped off, tattered, and lying next to it on the cobblestones.

Kiba went to say something, but didn't. The expression on what he could see of Shino's face was not something he had seen before. His eyebrows were lifted up in an emotion of sadness. The high-collared ninja bent down slowly and took up the delicate creature in his hands.

"I was too late," Shino said softly.

Kiba followed his comrade to a grassy patch of flowers that was next to the walkway of the road. He placed the butterfly down amongst them, and then put his hand gently over the suffering animal. When he lifted it a few seconds later, it was motionless. He had given the order to his kikaichu insects to take all of it's chakra at once, painlessly killing it.

Shino stood up, hands going back into his pockets.

Kiba stared at him for a long time. Neither of them moved.

"It was the least she deserved," Shino said.

Kiba adjusted his leather coat in a fidgeting manner, "We…should go meet Hinata."

"Ah…"

"…"

They began walking again on their way.

"Shino…" Kiba spoke up, "You are the most inhuman guy I know…But…heh…" he smiled and shook his head, "You are one of the most humane."

Shino tilted his head beneath his thick hood, brushing against the side of his high collar; acknowledging his words silently with an unseen, gracious smile.

…

…