A/N's: I've got 10 chapters thus far! Woot woot! So at the very least, if things go south I'll be sure to have posted 10 or more chapters if it'll be the death of me! Please let me know what your thoughts are through your reviews! I do take the time to read them and think about them for a hot minute, and how your ideas would help my story!

Chapter 2: Honey for Your Tea

He was enjoying a cup of tea.

The Aburame clan heir was seated inside a spacious room painted a rich golden hue, vague hexagonal shapes scattered about its walls. The scent of honey surrounded him at every corner, and warm air wrapped around him like a soft blanket as a quiet buzzing faintly echoed in the room's background. His fingertips tingled where they met the surface of the ceramic tea cup.

His body felt slow and lethargic, as if he were swimming in the sweet liquid itself. Eyelids heavy, the man was tempted to lose himself in the warm haze.

As he refocused, a strange woman appeared. He blinked slowly.

Had she always been there?

She sat before him dressed in elegant yellow and black silk robes that pooled around her like water. Flowers were intricately braided into her long hair, which framed the sides of her face. Though he could see the woman's hair and frame clearly, he couldn't discern the features of her face. It was as if her eyes and mouth and nose were blurred away in streaks of orange and yellow.

He ever-so-slowly looked down towards the woman's hands, finally noting the spoon and jar being held by the delicate fingers. She stretched her arms towards the dazed Aburame, offering him the viscous liquid for his drink.

He reached out for her as she beckoned to him. The distance between the two was a chasm of empty space, forming a barrier. Shino felt garbled words leave his mouth, as if he was choking out foam with every word.

Though he was sure the woman was speaking, the gentle buzzing from the room's background seemed to grow louder and louder. Shino was unable to make out a single word of what she was saying.

"What?" he finally managed, his words echoing back and forth in the spacious room.

As the noise grew to a deafening roar, the room began to shake. Still she continued to reach for him.

"Huh?"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Aburame's shoulders jumped as the walls shook with each loud banging noise. The woman continued to hold out the proffered honey, her actions seeming tinged with desperation.

"Wait!" He reached out for her, their fingers almost meeting. "Wait..."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Shino!"

"...What?"

His eyes startled awake.

"Oi, Shino! Wake up, sleepyhead!" Kiba called loudly from outside, hitting the Aburame's door with his palm. "I know you're in there! Shino, Shino, Shino, Shino, Shi-"

The Inuzuka's loud yelling came to a screeching halt when the door was slammed open and a swarm of parasitic insects lifted him into the air. The Aburame slowly emerged from the front door, eyes still tired with sleep.

"Woah, woah! Hang on, pal! C'mon, I'm sorry I knocked so loudly!" Kiba pleaded. "You wouldn't kill your best friend, would you?"

"I'm seriously considering it," Shino yawned. He wavered slightly as he steadied his feet in the real world. He adjusted his sunglasses to fit comfortably on his face. Despite his groggy state, he wore the faintest of smiles on his face as he noticed the Inuzuka's terrified expression.

A bug crawled across Kiba's forehead and the ninken user whimpered.

"Please put me down."

Sighing tiredly, Shino summoned his beetles back to the warmth of his body. He made sure to do it quickly so the Inuzuka landed on the ground with an 'oomph'.

Once he got up, Kiba glared at him. The bespectacled man was currently leaning against his front door with a sleepy look of satisfaction on his face.

"You could have just let me in normally," Kiba grumbled under his breath. "Or have left your door open. I'm here for the juicy date details, just like always! You'd think you would learned by now."

"And you should have learned by now that the least volatile option would be to call. I'm pretty sure you woke up my neighbors."

Regardless, Shino opened the door and invited the other man in without a word. Despite how odd it looked for those who didn't know the two, this was a fairly common practice. The Aburame was rather uncomfortable with his neighbors (also close family relatives) knowing that he had a date of some kind the night before if the Inuzuka came barging in at an unimaginably early time the morning after.

As per usual, word would eventually reach to his father. Shino groaned quietly as he went inside.

He stared at the Inuzuka's back with a passive glare. The man was practically a flashing neon sign.

Kiba happily made himself comfortable on one of Shino's high chairs. He yawned, watching as his quiet friend moved around the kitchen to prepare morning tea. Shino held two cups in his hands.

The Aburame leaned against the kitchen counter, waiting for the water to boil as Kiba stared at him expectantly.

"Well?" he pressed. "How'd it go? Any juicy details? Don't leave me hanging here."

The Aburame shrugged cryptically as he poured the hot water. He opened up his pantry to get the tea leaves when he saw the jar of honey waiting there. It immediately reminded Shino that he needed to give Mitsumi her umbrella back sometime today.

After mixing the powder into the hot water, he stared at the unassuming jar again. The Aburame thought back to his strange dream, of which the concrete details were readily escaping him.

He never did get to try that tea, did he?

A few moments later, he called out, "I'm going to put some honey in my tea. Do you want any?"

"Ooh, I didn't know you had honey," Kiba replied. "Sure. I'm not too keen on the grocery store kind, but I could use the sweetener."

Shino placed the hot cup of tea in front of Kiba, taking a seat on the other end of the table across from him. He hesitated before mixing the gold liquid into his drink. The Inuzuka eyed the jar curiously when he held it in his hands.

"Woah," he took a habitual whiff. "Hey, where'd you get this? This doesn't smell like the usual honey product here in Konoha." He added a few globs of the yellow liquid into his own drink.

The Aburame blew into his tea before taking a sip. His eyes widened in surprise at how good it tasted. He took another sip, appreciating how the sweetness of the honey paired excellently with the bitter taste of the tea.

"A new honey store opened near the compound a few days ago," Shino answered. "I stopped by yesterday to take shelter from the rain and ended up buying some."

The Inuzuka whistled his appreciation as he took a sip. "Wow, this is the good stuff. A new honey place, huh? Mind telling me where it is? I think I'll go buy some for our own pantry. Tamaki always complains about how we never have any for her baking."

Shino nodded, quietly taking another sip. The warm liquid seemed to do just the trick of easing the surprising amount of tension he felt.

"So now that you've had you've had your tea, Shino-sama, mind telling what happened yesterday?"

"... She didn't come," Shino answered plainly, as if they were talking about the weather.

Kiba choked on his drink. "Wh-uh-WHAT! What do you mean 'she didn't come'? Like she just didn't go? As in you never even met her?"

"You answered your own question," Shino replied. "I waited at Ichiraku's for about one and a half hours until Naruto came. He felt bad for me, so he bought me dinner."

Kiba inhaled through his teeth. "Ouch, that's rough. I'm...I'm so sorry, man."

Shino looked down into his tea cup, peering at his reflection in the dark liquid. "I suppose it could have been worse. I did get a free dinner out of it, at least. And I also found that honey store."

"But still," Kiba replied sadly, "I'm really sorry that happened to you, Shino. I would've never made you go if I knew that would happen."

"I feel like you would say that about every date you set up for me, Kiba. It doesn't matter, in any case. That's because what's done is done."

The Inuzuka looked down into his mug, disappointment evident in his sharp eyes.

"It's alright Kiba," Shino assured. "My evening could have been much worse, in all honesty. No need to dwell on it too much."

Taking a brief glance at the clock, the Aburame quirked an eyebrow. Not that he didn't enjoy the other's company, but he had been in his home for longer than he expected. Kiba was usually out by now. Was he working today? The trek from the Aburame compound to the police station was at least a 10 minute journey. Shino quietly questioned the other man.

"Oh crap! That's right!" Kiba exclaimed frantically, ripping his eyes away from his tea cup. "What time is it?"

Shino glanced more carefully at the hanging analogue clock. "6.43."

"Damn, already? I have to get to the office by 7!" The Inuzuka finished the last of his tea and quickly got up. After putting his cup in the sink, he gently patted his friend on the shoulder before heading towards the door.

"Thanks for the tea. Tell me where you got the honey later, would you?"

"Will do," the Aburame replied calmly before taking another sip. How the ninken user hadn't burned his tongue downing his drink was beyond him.

Kiba paused at the door. "And… And I'm sorry, again."

"You know," Shino said, undisturbed by the other man's sympathetic apology, "I'm beginning to think Tamaki is making you soft, Kiba." A light smirk made its way to his face.

The other man blushed as he put on his sandals. "Shut up, Shino!"

Once Kiba left, Shino closed the door. He relished in the peaceful silence of his house once more. He found himself absentmindedly staring down at his empty tea cup, the faint remnants of tea leaves and honey sitting at the bottom.

Glancing at the clock, he began to get ready for work.

"Bye, Shino-Sensei! See you tomorrow!"

His group of students said their goodbyes, rushing to exit the classroom now that the school day was over. Feeling motivated to work, he made his way towards the teacher's office, a thick stack of papers in hand.

After a few hours, the instructor leaned back from his desk and sighed contentedly, taking in the sunlight of the pleasant summer day. He had just finished grading half of the short essays he had his students write on why they wanted to become a Shinobi. Uncharacteristically, he had been putting off grading these for awhile. He tended to give full points as long as the student actually wrote something, but this was always a good assignment for understanding a student's hidden motivations and aspirations.

Most of the time, answers typically fell along the lines of wanting to be Hokage, or wanting to be famous, or wanting to be able to earn more money. All valid reasons to become Shinobi of course.

One answer, however, made him smile in particular:

'My dad is a strong Shinobi, and I want to be just like him one day. He taught me everything I know!'

The young boy then continued to write about the amazing feats of his father, in truth, straying from the original prompt. The passion in the student's essay made Shino feel inclined to let it slide.

That was one of the reasons he himself wanted to become a ninja after all.

He thought about his father. Shibi wasn't called the "Pride of the Aburame" for pleasantries. His father was a strong and capable leader, even now. Shino had always looked up to him and his ability to not only be a strong Shinobi, but a loving parent as well. When Shino mentioned his desire to become a teacher, his father gave him all of his support despite the backlash it received from a few clan elders.

"Maybe I should go visit dad," he thought to himself as he paused his work. "It's been awhile."

Though he never verbalized it, Shino had a feeling his father felt a bit lonely these days. His mother passed away when Shino was barely two, leaving the house empty ever since he decided to move out. His new home was only about three minutes away, but still…

He read through the student's essay once more, having never given it a proper score.

Circling the score at the top of the page, the man thought back to warm childhood memories of his father introducing him to various insects and hidden niches within Konoha's forests. Ever since his last birthday, the man would get hit with sudden bouts of nostalgia and find himself pondering past moments and long-since-passed interactions.

He supposed that was an ultimate product of growing up. He was already 33 after all.

As of late, one other person began appearing in his thoughts every so often.

"I'm glad you made friends," the words echoed in his mind.

Shino eventually leaned back in his chair as he thought about his deceased older brother. A fond memory of them as children crossed his mind.

Torune had wanted to go searching for insects after curfew, and Shino followed despite his reluctance. Shino was always quite the stickler for rules, but his older siblings had always managed to bend Shino's morals if only for a little bit.

Shibi ended up scolding the two when morning came, but it had been one of the most thrilling nights of Shino's childhood. He sighed as he looked at the empty classroom before him.

Shino couldn't have been happier with the life he lived. He made lifelong friends like Torune wanted and found a job he loved (despite its ups and downs). He glanced around, feeling so much older now that he no longer sat in those tiny chairs, but gave the daily lessons up front.

The Academy teacher shook his head. Perhaps his bouts of nostalgia regarding his brother were a sign?

"Maybe," Shino hushed, "Maybe I'll go visit you sometime, too… Torune."

After another hour, the Aburame finally closed his binder. He exhaled in satisfaction, happy to have gotten all of his grading done. He exited the Academy and bid a good evening to Anko and a few other coworkers. By the entrance of the school, he saw a familiar tuft of unruly dark brown hair laughing next to a shorter brunette woman. She looked tired of the other's behavior.

He waved to the two familiar faces, greeting them politely and asking how their days were.

Kiba grinned. "Hey old buddy. And great, thanks for asking."

"Work was tiring today, but otherwise I'm fine! It's really nice to see you, Shino," Tamaki answered, giving him a warm smile. "How about you?"

"Oh, I'm alright. Just finished up my grading, actually. Did you need me for something?"

Kiba's face flashed for a quick millisecond before he gave his friend a comforting pat on the shoulder. He held an especially wide and toothy grin on his face as he offered to take the man out for dinner.

The Aburame quirked an eyebrow in suspicion. "Is it for a special occasion?"

"I just felt like going out tonight," Kiba replied, something hidden in the tone of his voice. "So let's just grab a bite to eat! I'll pay for it! Anywhere you wanna go! Really! Any place is fair game."

Shino shifted slightly in confusion. He looked to Tamaki for clues on Kiba's strange behavior, but the woman stared at her boyfriend empathetically, remaining quiet. When she looked back at Shino, a sad expression briefly crossed her features before she straightened them out.

"Yeah," she quickly repeated. "We'll treat you, Shino. Really. It's no problem!"

The Aburame stared at the two for a few moments. It wasn't that they sounded sad, more so that they sounded… guilty.

Ah. So they still felt bad about the date. He understood why Kiba would be upset, but Tamaki also helped set up the meeting. She was probably just as disappointed as her boyfriend.

Shino adjusted his work bag and cleared his throat. "If this is about the date, I've already told Kiba that it's alright. The woman must have had her reasons for not showing up, whether they were ill-intended or not, and I've come to terms with it."

Kiba tsked and slowly ran a hand through his hair, unable to drop the guilt he felt. It had been eating away at him all day at work.

"Sorry for trying to hide it from you, Shino," Tamaki sighed. "I found out about it from my coworker, and Kiba told me right after his shift at the police station. I feel horrible about it, and Kiba feels even worse. Please just let us treat you to an apology dinner, ok? Like Kiba said, anywhere you want to go is fair game. You can absolutely break the bank if you want."

The Inuzuka groaned loudly. "I know you said that it's alright Shino, but I can't just let it go. I couldn't think of another way to apologize, so just let us take you out to dinner. Plus," Kiba grinned, "You just said that you already finished up your grading for the day, so there's not really any excuse not to go, right? It's a free dinner. What kind of madman refuses a free dinner from his friends?"

Shino focused on the couple. He really didn't enjoy the roller-coaster of emotions he felt last night waiting for his mystery woman with hydrangeas, but he knew that was completely out of Kiba and Tamaki's control. They really didn't need to go this far.

Two pairs of eyes glistened, staring dramatically at the Aburame. The two pursed their lips at the taller man.

"Are you both giving me puppy eyes right now? Really?" Shino sighed.

His only response were harder pouts. Kiba even went as far as to make a childish whimpering noise. It seemed that neither of them were going to take 'no' for an answer.

"...Fine," Shino finally said. "I need to drop off a few things first though."

"Yes!" Kiba grinned. "I knew you'd cave! No one can resist my puppy eyes."

Tamaki laughed and jokingly hit Kiba on the arm. "Hey, who said it was yours that got to him?"

"I'm just cuter than you."

Shino readjusted his work bag and gave the couple a smile. "I borrowed something from the person I bought honey from the other day," he explained. "I want to return it before I forget."

"Oh, perfect timing then! Do you mind if me and Tamaki tagged along? I wanna check this place out, maybe buy a jar."

"You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find decent honey around here," Tamaki added as she walked alongside her boyfriend.

"Alright," Shino nodded. "It's close to the Aburame compound so I can return the umbrella and then drop off my work bag. It also looks a bit run down at the moment, but I wouldn't say anything about that to the owner. Because—"

"—Yada, yada! We won't!" Kiba interrupted excitedly. "What are we waiting for then? Let's go, I'm starving!"

"So how exactly did you find this place, Shino?" Tamaki asked pleasantly.

Despite the Inuzuka's earlier excitement, the three were taking a casual stroll towards the Aburame Compound. The cat woman resented the mere thought, but all three of them were getting older. The energy to run for small tasks like returning an umbrella just wasn't there anymore.

"On my way back from Ichiraku's, it began storming. The shop was the only place within a close distance, so I went there for shelter. I ended up striking an… interesting conversation with the store owner and bought a jar of honey."

"Woah, the smell of honey just picked up a bunch," Kiba commented. "Is that the store over there? Jeez, you really weren't kidding when you said it was run down."

As the three moved closer, the image of a person hunched over in the dirt greeted them. They wore a large gardening hat that obscured part of the face, and seemed to be planting small, golden flowers into the soil. Kiba's sensitive hearing allowed him to distinguish that the person—a woman—was humming.

Shocking the two of them, Shino walked closer and greeted the figure.

"Mitsumi-san?" he questioned carefully. "Is that you?"

The woman looked up from her work, surprised for a moment. She relaxed immediately upon recognizing the tall man. "Oh! Shino-san, it's you!" she exclaimed happily. "It's so good to see you again! I almost didn't recognize you with that visor."

Quickly, she rose from the ground and brushed the dirt off of her pants. She took off her hat, allowing the afternoon sun to shine down on her long russet-brown hair.

She beamed up happily at the man, giving him a bright smile. The action caught him a bit off-guard, but he returned the woman's gesture, albeit a bit more reserved.

"So what can I do for you, Shino-san?" Her smile faltered. "... Please don't say you want a refund."

"No, no I stopped by to return your umbrella," he chuckled as he took out the item from his bag. From a distance, Kiba silently quirked an eyebrow at the item, stifling a laugh as he imagined his stoic friend walking home in the rain with an umbrella made for kids.

"I would like to thank you again for letting me borrow it," Shino continued.

The woman's eyes widened. "Oh wow, I almost forgot about this! Thank you for bringing it back so soon, now my other one won't be lonely," she said with a light hum. "Hopefully your sweater stayed dry last night, or my little umbrella here didn't do much."

"Your 'little umbrella' thankfully saved my cashmere," he replied with a slight lilt in his voice. "How are you doing?"

She placed her hat and gloves, along with the returned item, on the counter, responding to the man's question with a light sigh. "Things are still a work in progress, but I feel much better than yesterday. I decided I wanted to bring more life to the store's exterior, so I'm planting flowers to add a bit of color to the place! Look!"

Shino turned his attention towards the brightly colored plants as they basked in the sun. He tilted his head. "What kind are they?"

"The big, golden ones are marigolds, and the smaller budding ones are chrysanthemums," Mitsumi explained excitedly, gesturing to the various flowers. "I didn't plan to buy the mums, but they looked so unhappy in the pot they were in at the market. So... I guess I caved and transferred them here!"

The Aburame—not much of a plan expert—wasn't sure how a plant could look unhappy, but refrained from commenting. He watched as she quickly knelt down to remove a dead-head next to a budding pink chrysanthemum.

Shino found himself quietly observing the honey vendor. He was glad that her demeanor had improved significantly from yesterday. He had only encountered the woman a grand total of two times, but the Aburame decided he liked it much better when she was jovial.

"Hopefully I can keep these little guys happy until they're fully in bloom," she quietly commented, brushing her knuckles against the prospective buds. Seeing the caring look in her eyes, Shino had no doubt that the plants would grow to be as happy and upbeat as their owner.

"Anyway!" Mitsumi continued, rising back up. "How about you? How are things? Oh! How did classes go today?"

Shino was slightly taken aback by the woman's interest. In retrospection, it was rather sad how unused to talking about himself he was. He cleared his throat. "I'm doing fine. Work went by rather fast today, so I was thankfully able to finish up most of my grading."

"Actually," he continued, gesturing towards to the surprisingly quiet couple behind him, "I've brought two close friends of mine that were interested in buying some honey from you."

"Really? That's wonderful!" She looked straight at the couple. "Hello, I'm Mitsumi! It's very nice to meet the both of you."

The ninken user, who was quietly observing the two, gave the woman his signature toothy grin. "Nice to meet you! I'm Kiba! You may have heard of me as Konoha's famed dog breeder or police force officer before?"

"Ignore him, Mitsumi-san," Tamaki said, brushing off the Inuzuka. "He's just trying to make things awkward for you. I'm Tamaki. It's very nice to meet you."

Mitsumi let out a quiet breath of relief. She didn't know anyone from this village besides Shino—who she had only met yesterday— and the nice elderly woman that owned the antique shop down the street. The honey vendor laughed to herself when she saw Tamaki pinch him on the ear.

"Ow! I'm just kidding with you, Mitsumi-san," Kiba finally said. "Like my old pal Shino here mentioned, me and Tamaki were hoping to buy some honey from you!"

"Oh yes, of course!" She happily swayed behind the counter. "Did you have a specific size you wanted?"

"Hm… Could we see the sizes and prices you have?"

After she showed the couple the honey jars she had for sale, as well as some extra products at the cat Kunoichi's request, they ultimately decided on a large jar of honey. Tamaki also bought a cookie for herself and stored it for later (apparently she was an avid fan of sweets, and was 'sure to come back if the cookies tasted as good as they looked!').

Thanking the two for their patronage, the honey vendor could have cried tears of joy. Three whole customers! Kiba had even told her to keep the change with his order! Her mind brushed at the idea that her chance meeting with Shino was a sign of good things to come for her store. He was like the first bloom after a long, depressing drought.

Though he probably wouldn't think of himself akin to something like a flower. Mitsumi glanced at him from the corner of her eye, smiling as he dug something out of his work bag.

"No problem," Kiba replied as he took the goods. He turned towards his girlfriend, "Babe, I'm gonna go with Shino to drop his stuff off and then we can all go," he said, giving her a wink. "Do you wanna just wait here with the stuff?"

The cat Kunoichi understood the secret message immediately and nodded. "Sure," she replied before turning towards the honey vendor. "That is if you don't mind me hanging around your store, Mitsumi-san."

"Not at all! Stay as long as you need," she chirped behind the counter. Tamaki nodded in thanks.

"Don't take too long," the cat Kunoichi called out, "... Or actually! Take as long as you need Kiba!"

Once the two men were out of view, she turned her attention back towards the other woman. The cat Kunoichi observed as the honey vendor moved about the store, swaying in a little dance as she organized items behind the counter.

Mitsumi looked up from where she was polishing a few jars. "So," she began, "How long have you and Kiba-san been dating?"

Tamaki gave a relaxed smile, a light blush forming on her cheeks as she answered. "10 years."

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Mitsumi cupped her cheek. "I had a feeling you two had been together for a while, but 10 years? Wow!"

The cat woman tilted her head, curious to know how the other woman could tell her and Kiba had been together a long time. Sometimes, she worried that they seemed too much like an old married couple.

"You two just seem so natural around each other!" Mitsumi explained with fervor. "Earlier, Kiba-san winked at you right? That sounds creepy, but I just happened to notice. Anyway, it wasn't a flirtatious wink or anything, more like a secret message wink. And you immediately understood what he meant!"

Tamaki tsked and playfully rolled her eyes. "Well, Kiba's never been the best at being inconspicuous. And c'mon, that's not that impressive; a lot of people would be able to get the message, Mitsumi-san! If you knew the context…"

"Mhmm," she replied in a singsong tone. "Trust me, I've seen it in puh-lenty of love stories. It's like you guys have been around each other for so long that you don't need words to convey your thoughts. Like a well-oiled machine, you just work so well together! It's so romantic…"

"I guess I never really thought of it like that before. I should probably keep him around for a bit longer then," Tamaki chuckled, a warm feeling spreading across her chest, "Right?"

Mitsumi laughed. "I think he would really appreciate that, Tamaki-san."

After a few minutes, Tamaki cleared her throat. "So," she began inconspicuously, "I was wondering… Shino told me you two met the other day and that he bought honey from you?"

"I-yes! Yes, that's correct…" Mitsumi looked down at the note she was in the middle of writing. A fond expression crossed her face. "It took me completely by surprise. In all honesty, I wasn't doing very well the other evening and Shino-san took the time to talk to me and helped me sort things out. I'm sure it was probably just because he was stranded by the rain, but he didn't even know who I was."

The honey vendor paused. "...Can you believe that?" she asked aloud, somewhat in disbelief herself. Truth be told, when she returned home the night before, Mitsumi had slight doubts that the tall, mysterious man she met during the thunderstorm was even real.

Tamaki grinned. "He's a nice guy, isn't he?"

Mitsumi pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced to the side. "He's very kind."

The cat Kunoichi fought the urge to squeal at the darkening red on the other woman's cheeks. It was so cute! Shino's strike-out yesterday may have just been the stroke of luck he needed!

"You know…" Tamaki began, "me, Kiba, and Shino were planning on getting dinner! Why don't you come with us, Mitsumi-san! It'll be so fun!"

The other woman tilted her head in confusion.

Tamaki shook her head excitedly. "Yeah! Come with us! We'll go to a really good place here in Konoha!"

"Oh no, I'm alright!" Mitsumi replied quickly. "I still have some things to do at the store, and I don't want to intrude on your evening. Thank you for the offer though, that's very kind of you."

The cat Kunoichi stubbornly moved closer to the counter. "Me and Kiba wouldn't mind at all! And I'm sure Shino would love the extra company. I try to be as friendly and open towards Shino as I can, but sometimes I get this feeling that he feels like a third wheel. Plus it would be great to have another girl for me to talk to! Please come with us?"

The cat Kunoichi's eyes glistened as she looked at the honey vendor. When the other woman looked torn, Tamaki even threw in some fake whimpering sounds for extra effect.

Mitsumi's eyebrows pinched together. "Are… are you giving me puppy dog eyes, Tamaki-san?"

"Pleeeaaase?"

"Ok, ok," the honey vendor laughed, finally relenting. "I guess if it's alright…"

"Of course it's alright! It's more than alright! We'll have such a blast!"

"Most of my stuff is at the apartment I'm staying at," Mitsumi explained slowly. "But I have some spare clothes in the back. I'd hate to go out all dirty."

"Perfect! I'll wait for you here!"

"Are you sure you don't want to change into something nicer?" The Inuzuka was currently waiting outside of the Aburame's bedroom, waiting for him to finish.

"I'll change out of my visor Kiba, but I'm not going to change my whole outfit. That's because I'm just going to be with you and Tamaki. There's no need for me to dress up."

"Sure," Kiba replied, hoping not to sound too obvious. He was hoping that Tamaki would have convinced Mitsumi to go by now. Obviously he was gonna try his luck setting the Aburame up with the cute honey vendor. It's what a good friend would do.

And he was a great friend.

"But what would happen if you were to, I don't know? Meet a nice lady on our night in the town?" he continued subtly.

"I highly doubt that," Shino's muffled voice replied.

The Inuzuka grinned. "You never know! There's a lot of people in this village, and … heeeey, I just got an idea!"

"That's never good."

"Shut it in there!" Kiba banged on the door. "Anway I was thinking, what if we invited Mitsumi-san to go out with us, huh?"

Shino slowly opened his bedroom door in response, still dressed in his regular work outfit. He stared at Kiba from beneath his sunglasses, having changed out of his usual work visor.

"What's with the sudden interest, Kiba?"

The Inuzuka pouted stubbornly. "She just seems like a nice character, is all! She's probably been busy and hasn't really seen a lot of Konoha's sights either, what with her just having started the shop."

Shino mulled it over in his mind, rubbing his chin in thought. He voiced his concerns if the woman would want to go in the first place. In the Aburame's mind, Mitsumi was simply showing extra kindness to one of her first customers.

"Why not? She seems to like you well enough, old buddy."

The Aburame cleared his throat. "We may be taking time away from her schedule, though. She's going through a lot at the moment, and I don't wish to intrude. Because—"

"—If she's going through some stuff, what better way to take her mind off it then having a nice dinner with the three of us? C'mon! If she says no, she says no, and you didn't have to worry about your outfit after all," Kiba grinned. "But if she says yes…"

After a few minutes, the Aburame responded.

"... I'm not going to wear anything too extravagant," he said quietly. "Simply a sweater and pants."

"Hey, as long as you didn't wear it for work today, it's A-OK with me," he said with a wink.

"And I'm sure it'll be fine with Mitsumi, too."

AN's: Hopefully y'all liked this chapter! I wanted to incorporate more of Shino's work/social life in this fic, so definitely look out for an appearance from Shibi sometime in the future. And I honestly get sad sometimes remembering how Torune died like that. He was such an interesting character, and cool Aburame.