Chapter 14: Risking Life and Limb

Airi didn't move fast enough and Shino fell on her. "Shino? Shino, what's wrong!"

"Airi…" He held out his hand.

"Are you sick! Are you hurt!" She felt his head. "My God, you're burning up!"

"A-Airi…It hurts…my whole body…"

"What did you do!" She grabbed his hand. "Shino!" She began to unbutton his coat. "I have to get you out of this!"

"Ughn…"

"Don't go anywhere Shino! Keep your eyes open!" She removed his coat and the first thing she saw was blood. His left arm was bleeding. "How did this happen!" She pulled her ribbon off and tied it tightly above the wound.

"AH! Dammit! Airi, what're you doing?" Shino screamed.

"Shino, I have to get you to the hospital!" She struggled to pick him up. "Agh! I can't do it!"

"Airi, not only must you give up your soul, but you need to pay for these damages."

"How do I do that?"

"Do what you do best. Use your charms."

"Of course!" She pulled out a charm from her pocket. "Strength charm!" She put it around her neck. "Okay Shino!" She picked him up and put his arm around her neck. "Let's-"

"It hurts! Don't move me!"

"But I just can't leave you!"

"Airi…I…have to tell you something…"

"Not now! You're gonna have to fight the pain!"

"But Airi, I lo-" He fell unconscious.

"Shino!" I have to save him! She slowly made her way down the hill. I swore that no one would suffer around me anymore! I swore! Once she was back in the village, she looked around. "And where the fuck is the hospital again!"

"Airi!"

She looked back. "Hinata! Kiba!"

They ran up to her. Kiba let out a strange sound. "I finally found you! Please, please don't do something like--!"

Hinata gasped. "Shino! What's wrong with Shino!"

"Airi, I know that you said you hated bugs and Shino, but was this necessary!" Kiba asked.

"It's not like that! I don't know what's wrong with him! Please, take me to the hospital! Shino needs to see a doctor!"

"Alright!" Hinata said. "Follow me!" All three of them headed for the hospital.

"Can I help you?" asked the receptionist with a curious look.

Airi pushed Shino onto Kiba. "Hold him!" She faced the receptionist. "Please! We need to see a doctor!"

"I'm sorry, but the offices are now closing. It's Christmas night and-"

"I don't care if the world's ending! We have to see a doctor!" Airi shouted.

"Please!" Hinata cried.

"I'm sorry, but you don't have an appointment! And the offices are closing!"

"I don't give a shit!" Airi screamed. "Just let me see a doctor!"

"Now listen here young lady-"

"What seems to be the problem here?" A doctor came out into the lobby.

"It's our friend!" Kiba said. "Something's wrong!"

"Oh?" The doctor walked over and she looked at Shino. "Oh dear! This young man is sick! Come with me!" They went up one flight of stairs and into a room. "Put him on the table!" Kiba obeyed and the doctor immediately began to check Shino's vital signs. "This is not good."

"Please tell me you can help him!" Airi said. "You have to! Please!"

"I'll have to do some blood tests. I have to ask you three to wait outside please." They walked out.

"Oh dear, I hope Shino's alright," Hinata said sadly.

"Yeah," Kiba added. "We might have had our ups and downs, but he's still my friend."

"He's our teammate," Hinata said.

"It's like…It's like he's a part of us now…"

Hinata began to tear up. "Shino, please be alright."

"He…He risked his life for me…" Airi began.

"What? What do you mean?" Kiba asked.

"I'm…I'm atrocious person."

"Oh, don't say that!" Hinata pleaded.

"Yeah, you shouldn't say stuff like that," Kiba finished. They all sat silently for ten minutes praying for Shino's safety.

The doctor came out with a gloomy look. "Ah, kids?"

They all looked up. "Where's Shino!"

"Is Shino alright?"

"How's he doing?"

"His name is Shino?" She asked.

"Yes, Aburame Shino."

"I see, it all adds up. I should have known…" She sighed. "Listen, my name is Doctor Naomi. Your friend, Shino, is very ill. He's got an infection that just might cost him his life-"

"WHAT?"

"No! He can't die!" Kiba shouted.

"This can't be happening!" Hinata exclaimed.

"Isn't there anything you can do Doctor Naomi!" Airi asked urgently.

"Calm down! I'm not finished!" They all stopped shouting. "Thank you. The infection that he has is common in the Aburame Clan. You see, he used a large amount of the Kikai bugs at once. There is a limit as to how much an Aburame can use. He apparently exceeded this limit. Not only that, but he almost exhausted his chakra."

"But how do you explain the bleeding?" Airi asked.

"When the bugs were returning, Shino had to have been under great emotional stress. Since it was a large number returning, they all scrambled to return inside of the body at once, so they wounded Shino's arm. Once they were back inside, they continued to feed off the host body's chakra like always, except this time, the host body was low on chakra. With all of the emotional stress, the release of a massive amount of bugs, the minimal chakra, and the wound, Shino developed an infection."

"But is it deadly!" Hinata asked.

"Yes-"

"Then how do you plan on treating him! Are you just gonna let him die!" Kiba barked.

"No, of course not! I have the skills to treat this! I know what to do! Your friend will live! But it's a good thing that one of you tied that ribbon to his arm. If you hadn't stopped the bleeding, then that wound would've been really infected. I probably would have had to amputate it. But everything is under control. He'll be fine." Hinata began to cry of relief. Kiba forced a smile. "But can I ask you one thing? How did this happen? What do you three do to him?" They all looked at each other.

"I didn't do anything to him the last time I checked," Hinata said.

"I didn't do anything either…I think," Kiba added. They looked at Airi.

"St-Stop looking at me! It's not my…I-It's not…" She sighed. "My fault. It is…my fault." She began to cry. "Why can't I do anything right?" She dropped to her knees. "Why dammit? I'm the epitome of regret, failure, and sin! I can't I prevent suffering! Why do I cause it instead! What the hell is wrong with me!" She began to calm down a bit.

"Don't worry Airi, you're not completely worthless."

"Sh-She was wrong. I am worthless…"

Hinata held Airi's shoulders. "Airi, please don't say such things! We know what kind of person you are and-"

"You don't now me!" She snapped. Everyone blinked in shock. "Er, I'm sorry."

"I'm going to help the Aburame." Naomi went back into the room. I couldn't bring myself to tell them that I have no idea how to help this boy.

"Airi, are you alright?" Kiba asked caringly.

"Please, just…just leave me alone."

X-X-X-X

It was just another boring morning in Konohagakure. One of those repulsive mornings where the birds would not take a break to breathe and the sun refused to hide behind a cloud. This was all too infuriating for Aburame Shino who hid under his bed sheets, praying for any sort of relief. His sixteenth birthday had just passed, but it seemed just the same as it had before. Hinata and Kiba came to celebrate his birthday, but it hadn't felt like anything special. Nothing at all had change, nothing.

"Damn it all!" Shino yelled as he threw his sheets off and peered out the window, "Can't the sun be somewhere else!"

'What am I looking at?'

"Shino huh? That's a cool name!" She smiled. "I hope we can become friends Shino!"

'What is this?'

"Erm!" Shino looked down at Airi, then over at Hinata who was giggling quietly.

"Shino, thank you for-" He blushed and dropped her. "OW!"

Hinata gasped. "Oh!"

"Hey Shino!" Kiba yelled. "Don't just drop her!"

'Kiba and Hinata? Airi too?'

"Just look at them. They're a perfect match! Kiba's bossy and impatient and he's loud. Airi's not shy and she's a loudmouth too. Not to mention that she's forceful and very patient. When they're together, their personalities seem to compliment each other and they balance each other out. It's funny, I've never seen such a perfect match…"

"Are they really that much alike?"

'Why is it that I can see everyone? Even myself?'

"You like me too much not to forgive me."

"L-Like? I-I never said-"

"Besides, my heartfelt apology was moving, wasn't it? It got to you, didn't it?" She giggled. "I always get my way."

'These are my memories! But…why?'

"I see…" He crossed his arms. "Shino, listen up. I know Airi is your friend, but I'm going to have to ask you to keep your hands to yourself."

"What? What're you talking about?"

"Airi's special to me. I treasure her and care for her deeply. We both have so much in common. And I can't help but feel that you're to blame for Airi's sadness."

"Kiba, I told you what happened."

"I know, I know. I just want to give you a fair warning."

'Kiba! That damned Kiba! I know he's my friend, but he took Airi away from me!'

"As a matter of fact, I like you Shino."

Shino whipped around. "Y-You…like me?"

"Uh-huh." She smiled.

'Airi…Where is Airi? I miss her and I want to tell her how much I love her.'

"I…I hate you Shino!" She ran out of the shop.

'Airi has given me painful memories and good memories as well.'

Airi got up and spun around. "Shino!" She backed up. "S-Stay back!"

He winced at her words. They cut through him like the sharpest of swords. "Must you avoid me so earnestly!"

"What choice do we have! We're harmful to one another!" she yelled.

'She was so serious and she was crying. I know that she's suffering so much on the inside.'

"Don't make the same mistakes I did! I…" She looked down. "I'm the epitome of regret…"

'What is she hiding that's making her suffer so much? How can she just smile and keep going like nothing's wrong!'

She looked back at him. "Shino…I show remorse to you. I apologize for what I said to you. I didn't mean it. What Kiba said was just so sudden…I don't hate you Shino. I really don't. You're my friend, yet those bugs live in you…I'll try to get used to it, okay?"

'Did she really mean what she said? Can we still be friends?'

"Shino, thank you."

"Huh?" He looked at her through the corner of his eye. "For what?"

'Wait, why am I remembering all of this? What's going on? Why can't I see anything but memories! I'm sick, but with what? I can still feel pain. I think this is the sickness that took a few people of my clan. Am I remembering all of this because I'm going to…to die?'