AN's Hey, guys! Fair warning: This chapter's a bit heavy in the beginning, but it lightens up towards the end. Sorry if it feels like it's taking forever for Shino and Mitsumi to spend quality time together. They will end up together, rest assured! This fanfiction was written by my desire for more Shino-centric content, and I wanted to delve more into his work/home life. I'm also going to be taking creative liberty when writing the relationship between Kiba and Tamaki because there's so little content on it. I like to include these two when I can to keep things fun. Onto the reading! :)

Chapter 6: Friends

Shino made his way outside of the large house, deep in thought. His stomach churned nervously as he thought back to his conversation with his father.

While a part of him was glad to spend time with the kindly honey vendor on Sunday, he knew he had to tell her about his clan. It was the correct thing to do, after all.

He mentally played through the various ways he would tell the woman, and the possible outcomes of each imaginary encounter.

With a sigh, Shino attempted to imagine a scenario where Mitsumi is fine with the information and they carry on about their merry way. He would walk her back to her apartment, and she would brush her hand against his arm in a gentle goodbye.

Imagining that the woman would want to see him again, however, did not come without its difficulties. Multiple failed dates and fearful glances from promising young women before made sure of that.

He thought back to one particular date that Kiba had set him on a few months back. It had been going well enough, he supposed, but one thing the woman said to him, or rather didn't say, hurt the Aburame more than he cared to admit.

...

"... I apologize if I've made you uncomfortable," Shino had said awkwardly. He and his date, Shiratori, stood outside of the seafood restaurant, trying to draw conversations out of thin air.

She was a very charming, and rather beautiful, young woman who worked at the library near the Konoha police department.

Apparently Kiba struck up a conversation with her one day, and managed to convince her to go on a date with a 'good friend of his.' From what Shino gathered at the beginning of their date, Shiratori had hoped Kiba himself was going to be the one to take her out.

He felt bad for the woman, even though he had no particular reason to. She expected a date with someone like Kiba: extraverted and charming and friendly, with no insects crawling underneath his skin.

It was too bad she was unaware that the Inuzuka was completely loyal to his cat-loving girlfriend.

In all honesty, things had been going relatively well until the topic of his clan came up. Which brought them to the awkward conversation they were having now.

"No!" she said, unable to look at him directly. "No, you haven't done anything wrong. I just… Kiba-san never told me about your clan! I've never actually met an Aburame, so this is a first for me."

"No, I imagine he wouldn't have," Shino replied quietly. A tired ache crept through his body, and he longed to return home with each passing second.

"... Maybe we could do this again?" Shiratori-san had said, looking down at the floor with sparkling blue eyes. She tucked a stray black hair behind her ear. "It's alright if you don't want to, though! I'm sure you're busy with teaching and such."

Shino's eyebrows raised in surprise, a nervous flutter moving through his chest. She wanted to see him again?

"I can find a way to make time, Shiratori-san. I'm simply surprised you wanted to meet again."

Shiratori flashed him a charming smile, something hidden beneath the pearly whites. "I really do think you're a wonderful man, Shino! You're handsome, responsible, passionate, and you're dedicated to your… family."

The way her tone changed upon the mention of his clan made Shino pause. After a few moments of silence, he finally noticed how the physical distance between them had grown, and how she was physically shirking away from him.

"Would…" he reached out a hand to the woman, not missing how she subtly jerked the other direction. "...Would you like me to walk you home?"

Shino's shoulders sunk, knowing now that this would be the last time they saw each other.

"Oh, no!" she said immediately, her smile becoming more uneasy. "That's alright! I'll be fine. I'm sure you're busy with things, and I was planning to just take the train home. You have a good night, Shino-san."

Quickly turning on her heels, Shino was left alone underneath the halo of a solitary lamp post.

He didn't even have a chance to say goodbye.

...

The Aburame sighed.

He disdained the way Shiratori attempted to hide her repulsion with fake words of kindness. In all honesty, he would have preferred she had called him 'freaky' and left immediately, not shirk away from him like he wasn't even human.

He felt a pang in his chest.

Mitsumi openly admitted she liked insects, that was true enough. But would finding out of his abilities prevent them from being friends? Saying one liked insects was one thing, but accepting a person who was a literal human hive was another. Building relationships, not even ones of the romantic nature, had always been hard for him because of his abilities.

He was lucky that he even made friends in his life. Friends that learned to accept him for who he was, ninjutsu and all. Part of the reason he even became an instructor was to repay the Academy for preventing him from ending up a loner.

He could be glad and relish that fact, at least.

Deep in his thoughts, Shino hadn't noticed that someone was calling out to him from a distance.

"Shino-sama?" The voice said, snapping Shino out of his slump. "Is that you standing there?" The Aburame focused ahead of him and noticed that the voice belonged to his younger, distant cousin. Though the man standing before him was quiet by regular standards, he was definitely loud by Aburame standards.

"Hello, Shunji," Shino replied. He noticed the worn condition of the other's dark gray jacket. "Did you have a mission?"

"Yeah. I just got back from Suna, actually. Our younger relatives are a bit too eager to take on these lengthy recon missions if you ask me," the younger answered. "It was nice running into you, Shino-sama. It's been awhile." With little care, he removed his sunglasses and wiped them against the surface of his jacket.

Shino quirked an eyebrow. His cousin seemed to notice and stared at him, hazel eyes unfaltering. He shrugged nonchalantly. "What? We're in the compound."

"Irregardless, we're still in public, Shunji. Sachihiro-san would be displeased if he saw what you just did."

"The old man's not gonna do anything. And I don't understand why it's such a big ordeal," he snorted. "So what if others outside of our clan see our eyes? Have you heard the rumors? People actually believe that we have compound eyes like an insect. As if acceptance from others wasn't hard enough to earn with the way we dress."

Shino frowned, although he understood where his cousin was coming from. "It's tradition. We are Aburame and should behave as such."

"And there's the future head of our clan. I swear you're becoming more like Shibi-sama everyday," Shunji said, placing a friendly hand on Shino's shoulder. "Look, I'll put my sunglasses back on. Please don't tell my grandfather."

Shino nodded quietly, not saying another word. He had no desire to go home just yet, and it seemed his younger cousin was going to be a tag-along on his impromptu walk at night.

The two made their way leisurely around the compound, greeting various family members they passed along the way. Shino was content to stroll in silence, but the hushed words from his cousin broke the light atmosphere.

"Are you happy, Shino-sama?"

The older Aburame paused at the question. "... Why do you ask, Shunji?"

"With the clan, I mean," his cousin explained. "We stand out by not standing out. The way we dress, where we live, the isolation. Don't you ever get tired of being looked at differently?"

The clan heir remained quiet, thinking of an answer. His cousin's words were uncharacteristically emotional for an Aburame, but that didn't make them untrue. Not in the slightest.

"... I hate the way people look at me," Shunji eventually continued, with an air of simplicity. "And the way they walk around me on the street. It's like being born into this clan came with warning tape." He laughed dryly.

Shino's heart clenched with those words. While he wanted to say that he was fine with the way things were, the truth was—on more than one occasion—he had wished he was born into different circumstances. Into a different clan with different practices.

Maybe he would have gotten to second dates, and had made more friends. Shiratori's pretty blue eyes would have looked directly at him that night, and not turned away.

The clan heir shook his head. He shouldn't fixate on what could have been. Shino was born into the Aburame clan, and nothing would change that.

"... While I can't say I haven't thought about how my life would be if I wasn't an Aburame," Shino answered quietly, "I would say… that I am happy." The younger Aburame craned his neck to look at him, silently questioning his relative.

"Not with the way I receive those looks in the streets, or the way people make uncertain circles," Shino explained. "I won't deny that making friends and starting relationships has always been difficult for me. I used to quietly voice my frustrations by isolating myself, particularly when I was younger. Eventually, I realized … that the friendships I've fostered thus far have all been genuine. Those that avoided me made me treasure those that didn't."

"Because there are good people in the world that accept us unconditionally, Shunji," he continued. "It just takes a bit longer for us to find them, I think."

The younger Aburame didn't say anything in response as the two continued walking, but Shino could feel his cousin's frown shift slightly upwards with his spiel.

"Wise words, sensei," Shunji commented. "Wise words, indeed. I get what you mean, I just… I wish it were easier. Not even for me, but for Fuka. I'm worried she's not making good friends."

Shino tilted his head as he pondered Shunji's younger sister. "You're not alone in that regard, Shunji. Believe me. It may be hard for Fuka now, just like it was for you and I, but she'll find those that accept her with no question, that love her without fear. It only takes time."

Before Shino knew it, he was standing in front of the home of Sachihiro. While the house's layout was relatively simple, the outside porch was adorned with wind chimes that sang peacefully in the breeze.

"I guess this is my stop, Shino-sama. It's a bit late, but you're more than welcome to come inside."

Shino shook his head. "... No. I really should be getting home. Thank you, Shunji. Give Sachihiro-san and Fuka-chan my regards."

"Sure," Shunji gave him a pointed look. "But only if you agree to stop by in the future for dinner."

The Aburame clan heir smiled. "I will. Have a goodnight, Shunji."

"You too, cousin."

As Shino entered his home, he was surprised to hear his phone ringing. He quickly walked towards his kitchen and answered.

"Hel—"

"—There you are! I've been calling for like 10 minutes!"

The man shook his head with a smile as he heard the annoyed voice on the other end.

"Hello, Kiba," Shino replied calmly. "What can I do for you?"

"I just had an interesting talk with my mom earlier. Apparently your old man called my old lady to ask if I could help you pick out an outfit-Ah! No, don't chew on that! Hang on a sec." Shino heard loud barking and shuffling noises as Kiba left the phone. To do what, the Aburame wasn't sure.

After a few minutes of sitting through random barking and meowing sounds, Kiba finally returned. "We're going to the Konoha shopping district tomorrow, not buts about it! We're gonna dress you up so good for Sunday, Mitsumi won't be able to take her eyes off of you!" Shino could hear the smirk where he stood.

"Thank you, Kiba," he sighed. "I don't know how much my father told you, but I'm fully capable of dressing myself, however. You really don't need to waste your time."

"Oh, no! I don't think so! I know what you'll do! You'll wear a green sweater and black pants like always! From what my old lady said, this is date date! We wanna dress to impress, pal. We're getting you new, fancy digs, and maybe even a nice cologne."

The Aburame's lips curled into a pout. "I can hear you frowning from over here," Kiba snorted. "Sorry, old buddy. These are Shibi-sama's orders!"

"Alright, alright," Shino finally relented. "What time?"

"I knew you'd come around! I'll be there around 11 am!"

On the other end, the Aburame heard Tamaki's voice greeting the Inuzuka in the background. Despite the ninken user being a good distance from the phone, Shino could still make out everything he was saying.

"I'm on the phone with Shino!" he heard Kiba yell over the continuous barking. "We're going shopping at 11 tomorrow for his date on Sunday! What? Yeah, it's with Mitsumi! I know I have to dress him nice! Huh? Oh, ok. Yeah, I got it! Wait, where are you going?"

Shino heard a muffled, feminine voice answer loudly, but he couldn't quite make out the words. Something about buying more cat food?

"Do you want me to get dinner while you're out? What? You're too quiet!"

The Aburame heard Kiba leave the phone. He thanked the heavens his home wasn't as loud as the Inuzuka's. Kiba was already loud enough by himself, partner that with a multitude of house cats and dogs, and you'd have Shino's personal version of hell.

"Tamaki says hi," Kiba finally said as he returned to their conversation. "Remember! 11 am! You better be ready to shop like your life depends on it."

"Sure, Kiba," Shino replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Right, see you tomorrow," Kiba answered before the line hung up.

It looks like Shino's previously free Saturday of rest just became a day of shopping and stress. He pondered on what sort of outfit Kiba would inevitably force him to wear, but brushed off the thought before it could cause him worry.

Tamaki sighed as she lugged around her bag of cat food. It was more of a sack than a bag, in all honesty.

And it was heavy!

She should have just swallowed her pride and asked Kiba to come with her earlier so he could carry the heavy stuff. He was the man in their relationship, it was only right! Feeling sweat begin to drip down her shirt -which had an affectionate picture of a kitten with the words NEKO underneath - Tamaki took a seat on the nearest park bench.

The cat Kunoichi pushed her hair back in irritation, fanning at her face. She was not a fan of summer. It was too hot and there were too many bugs (she would never tell Shino that last part, though).

Tamaki smiled at what her boyfriend told her before she left for the supermarket. She really hoped Shino's date with Mitsumi on Sunday would go well. The honey vendor was so endearingly sweet and lighthearted, and the two of them looked so cute walking together the other day!

It was too obvious that Mitsumi felt some sort of attraction to the quiet Academy Instructor, but Tamaki wanted to see how things played out without meddling too much. Oh, she'd still meddle of course.

Just not too much.

Content to sit by herself, Tamaki quietly watched people exit in and out of the large grocery store. She pouted as her foot brushed against the large cat food bag she placed on the floor. After a few more minutes of rest, she moved to get up and leave before one particular person walking on the street caught her attention.

"Mitsumi-san?" She called out, causing the other woman in the distance to stop and turn her head in confusion. "Hey! Mitsumi-san! It is you! Over here!" Tamaki waved her right arm in the air as the shorter woman approached.

"Tamaki-san!" The honey vendor smiled as she quickly made her way towards the park bench. She sported a loose white shirt that had a few dirt stains on it and dark green shorts, lugging around a small basket. From the looks of it, the woman was doing a lazy grocery store trip too.

"How are you?" Mitsumi greeted her. "I didn't even notice you were sitting there until you called out to me!"

"Oh, I'm fine," Tamaki answered. "Just did a quick grocery store run to buy some more cat food for my babies at home. Although I think I made a mistake buying in-bulk. And you?"

"Aw, I didn't know you have cats! You and Kiba-san really are a cat and dog couple then, huh? I wanted to look around Konoha a bit more, but honestly I just wanted to be away from the store for a bit... " she said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "Anyways! I bought myself some ribbon and gardening materials, and I was just about to make my way back before you stopped me."

"Right, you're a gardening fan! That's so cute," Tamaki commented, patting the open spot next to her.

"I think it's relaxing," the other woman replied as she took a seat. "But it does get annoying when I run out of clean clothes to wear. Like, look at this!" she pointed to her shirt. "I look like I rolled around in a pig sty. I love gardening, but I hate doing laundry."

"I guess we're opposites in that regard. I'd take doing laundry over gardening any day. I wish I had a green thumb," Tamaki said with a sigh. "But in all honesty, I'm kinda bad at taking care of plants."

"Oh, I'm sure you're not that bad…"

"I once killed a cactus Kiba bought me for my birthday."

The honey vendor's eyes widened. "That's… that's pretty bad, actually," Mitsumi said, covering her mouth to stop herself from laughing. "You know you're not supposed to water them too much, right?

"I know! Nobody told me that, though! Certainly not Kiba! He'd kill a fake plant if you gave him one and told him to look after it," Tamaki groaned. Perking up, she leaned closer to the honey vendor. "Anyways, enough about me! A little birdy told me you and a certain Academy instructor are going out on Sunday?" The cat Kunoichi's eyes glittered.

Mitsumi paused, caught off guard by the question. She looked down bashfully as a tinge of pink blossomed on her cheeks.

Tamaki leaned in closer and proceeded. "Are you excited?"

The other woman exhaled and looked away coolly in an effort to conduct herself. Tamaki internally snorted at how unnatural the feigned expression looked on her more lively features.

Not too long after, Mitsumi turned around, a brightness in her eyes. She clasped her hands together with the largest smile on her face. "I'm so excited!" she bounced on the park bench animatedly, causing it to move. "I didn't think he'd say 'yes' when I asked! But he did! I'm so happy!"

"I know, I'm so proud of you!" Tamaki exclaimed, joining in the other woman's bouncing. The two women bounced up and down on the bench, cheering loudly. A few passerby's even stopped to look at them.

"So what are you gonna wear?" Tamaki asked, shaking her hands happily. "Tell me!"

"Oh, I... I don't know what to wear." Mitsumi's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and she paused in her animated glee. "Oh, I don't know what to wear!" She exclaimed, her voice rising. "Should I wear something fancy, or something casual? I only asked him if he could go with me to look around Konoha! What are you supposed to wear for something like that? Should I do my hair?"

She leaned towards Tamaki with a dramatic look of panic on her face. "That makes me look desperate, right? Right," she rushed out. "But if I come in looking too casual, and Shino-san wears something nice, it'll seem like I didn't care..."

"Deep breaths, Mitsumi. Deep breaths," the cat Kunoichi said, placing comforting hands on the other woman's shoulders.

The woman slouched forward, her elbows resting on her thighs to prop her up. She cupped her face in her hands, causing her next words to come out slightly muffled. "I didn't even think about my outfit. I just wanted to spend time with him."

"I know, and it's ok! Tell you what?" Tamaki placed a friendly hand on the other woman's shoulder. "How about you and I visit Konoha's shopping district sometime tomorrow! We'll look around some nice shops and pick out an outfit for you!"

"You'd really do that for me?" Mitsumi's eyes glistened as she gave the woman a tight hug. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Of course!" The cat Kunoichi patted her back before the other woman released her. "And I'll let you in on a little secret, ok?" She motioned for the other woman to come closer. Mitsumi leaned in.

"Kiba and Shino are planning to go shopping sometime tomorrow too! Shino needs a wardrobe update, in my wholehearted opinion," Tamaki said. "They're gonna have a guy's outing, so why don't you and I have a girl's one? It'll be fun! We can buy clothes, have lunch, and gossip!"

The cat woman was absolutely elated at the prospect of having another female friend around her age to talk to. Sure, there was always Hinata (who was one of the sweetest women alive), Ino, Sakura, and sometimes even Temari and Karui.

But it was hard to let loose and have fun around women that were already married parents. The energy was just a bit different, and relating to their conversations was honestly a bit difficult for Tamaki.

"Yes! Oh, I owe you big-time for this, Tamaki-san," Mitsumi exclaimed. "From here on out, you get a permanent friend's discount from my store, no questions asked!"

"Oh, I'll hold you to that one. And yay! How does 11 am sound? I can meet you at your shop, and we can go from there!"

"Yes! Sounds good! I'll see you then, Tamaki-san!"

The cat woman patted the honey vendor on the shoulder. "Just call me Tamaki, would you? We're friends! No need for the 'san'! Plus it makes me feel old," she sniffled.

"You are not old," Mitsumi playfully rolled her eyes. "You're still as fresh as a spring daisy in my book, Tamaki."

"A spring daisy that's gonna get a back problem lugging this sack of cat food home," Tamaki grumbled under her breath. "In any case, Mitsumi!" she continued, "Kiba told me he was going to try and cook dinner tonight, so I wanna make sure he hasn't burned the house down yet."

"Well please don't let me keep you, then!" the honey vendor exclaimed. "I still have to do some light shopping at the market on my own, so I will leave you to it Tamaki! Have a good evening, and thank you so much again!" She rose from the park bench and adjusted her shorts.

Tamaki rose up, following suit. She gave the other woman a thumbs up. "Of course! Thank you! Now I have a good reason to go out and shop without feeling guilty! We'll shoot for 11 tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok! I'll see you at 11," Mitsumi replied with a grin.

The cat Kunoichi observed the woman's figure happily strut away into the distance, her twin pigtails flouncing a bit with the pep in her step.

"Alright, Shino-sensei. You had better not mess up this date," the cat woman said to herself, watching the other woman's figure fade into the distant crowd.

Her happy grin quickly faded as her foot brushed up against the large cat food bag. She groaned loudly, not wanting to lug this thing to the Inuzuka compound. It was a good 15 minutes away!

Shrugging her shoulders in accepted defeat, she retrieved her cell phone from her pocket and hit her emergency contact #1.

"Babe?" the line picked up. "What's up? Everything ok?"

"Hey, sweetie! Everything's fine," Tamaki answered, glancing down at the large cat food sack. She put on a cute voice.

"I just need your help with something…"

AN's: Ok so truth be told, I actually think Kiba and Tamaki are v cute together! Their interactions in Boruto are so fun to watch/write about. This chapter's a bit short, but mostly because I wanted to divide up the reading. See y'all next time!

Also! I want to give a shoutout to Yakitori-chan, bc you've really been a real MVP with your reviews (even since my first writings for this story) and it's really touched my heart. If loyalty was a glass of water, you'd be the whole ocean :)