A/N's: Some drama buildup in this chapter! Sorry I can't cut straight to the romance y'all. I wanna be faithful to this story's bio and add as much drama as I can :)
Chapter 13: Knowing Me
The following week had been rather uneventful, if the Aburame were being honest with himself. No major tests or physical examinations; simply a normal week of teaching, which always came with its fair share of exhaustion.
Shino adored each and everyone of his students, but he would be lying if he said they didn't wear out his patience every now and then.
At the moment, he was leisurely making his way home, thoughts preoccupied by the notion of giving his students a pop quiz tomorrow. Everyone seemed a bit too keen on chatting during today's lecture, their focus more on the new release of the X-Cards series than his teaching of electro-mechanics.
While the topic wasn't exactly the most engrossing, his students did need to understand the concepts to do well on their next exam. With a mental shrug, the Aburame decided to let his mood later on determine sympathy towards his batch of rookies.
Outside of work, he often found himself stopping by Mitsubachi's store, either to quickly say hello or to strike up a conversation if neither were too busy. His visits were becoming rather habitual at this point. It seemed both of their lives had returned to some semblance of normalcy moving forward from their week of dramatic revelations, and Shino enjoyed the companionable atmosphere between them.
Describing their days, grading and gardening, little talks of small—perhaps maybe insignificant—interests one might have and want to share. From all the excitement Shino experienced during work, his visits to the little honey shop were something of a respite. A splash of sociable pleasantry outside of work between friends.
As the path began to diverge into the forestry area that defined the man's home, the pace of his heart quickened ever so slightly.
The bubbly honey vendor was at her usual spot behind her store's counter. This time, however, her usual smile and relaxed countenance were replaced by furrowed brows and intense focus. She hadn't even noticed Shino approaching.
Observing her from a distance, he decided that he wouldn't bother her. If her mind was preoccupied with something else, who was he to distract her? They saw each other almost everyday, in any case.
As the Aburame began to walk away—not without a tinge of reluctance—a familiar voice called out, effectively stopping him in his tracks. The way she said his name, the bell-like lilt always so bright and full of welcoming recognition, never failed to make him feel distinguished, as though Shino was was a man that could be noticed and remembered from a crowd.
With bright steel-grey eyes, Mitsubachi beamed at him. A light smile slowly crept its way onto Shino's expression.
"You didn't stop by to say hello this time," Mitsubachi commented. "Busy day?"
Shino gave her a small nod before making his way back.
"I apologize," he said as he approached. "You looked like you were in the middle of something; I didn't wish to bother you. Is everything alright?"
The woman immediately waved off his concern as a light blush colored freckled cheeks. Though they had only known each other a short amount of time, the Aburame was confident in his notion that disguising truths were not the Kamizuru's strong suit. Mitsubachi was rather easy to read, in fact. One could only imagine her performance at a game of poker.
"You don't need to worry about that! Anyway, how was your day?"
His eyes slightly narrowed. "... Fine, thank you for asking," came the somewhat hesitant answer. He raised a brow in curiosity, taking a seat. The last chair from right—slight more worn than its counterpart through repeated use—had become his regular seat. "What was that, if you don't mind my asking?"
She hummed quietly to herself. There was no doubt that she had heard his question. "Well," she eventually began. "Do you remember the day you were able to create those shapes with your insects? When you showed me your kikai, and I got to meet your cousins?"
"I do recall that event, yes."
"... I was actually trying to do that too," she admitted bashfully. "Embarrassing, right?"
Shino straightened his posture, leaning forward with interest. "You were? With your own insects?"
Mitsubachi picked at the countertop. "I've been thinking about it for a while now. I know you're probably an insect-handling genius and everything..."
Shino perked up at the unexpected ego-boost.
"... But that sort of made me realize that I've… really fallen behind with utilizing and handling my own insects. And I suppose I wanted to try and practice, while I have the free time at least."
The Aburame considered her words with a deep hum. Behind his sunglasses, narrow eyes shifted to consider the kindly woman herself.
The Kamizuru shifted uneasily and gave the man's arm a slight nudge from across the counter.
"Don't stare at me like that!"
He smiled inwardly. "Who said I was staring?"
"Your facial expression," Mitsubachi answered with fingers pressed against her temples like a mock-psychic. "I could feel your eyes judging me beneath that visor, Shino-Sensei."
His eyebrows raised in amusement. What a perfect situation for that form of address.
"Would you like me to train you?"
For how reserved and pleasantly cordial the Academy instructor was, the man was surprisingly good at finding ways to throw her off guard. Only one question—said in the most casual of tones—was enough to make the honey vendor's mind malfunction for the briefest second. It was like microscopic whiplash. Hesitation behind her words, she asked him to repeat.
"Would you like me to train you?" He reiterated. The corners of his mouth slightly raised. "To have better chakra control to better utilize your insects."
Steel grey stared focused on the man before her. Mitsubachi blinked a few more times, still unsure if she had heard correctly. "You would do that for me?"
"Of course, Mitsubachi. The reason I would like to aid you is because we are friends. And friends help each other."
Such a simple reasoning. The Kamizuru wiped her hands against her apron before moving to the other side of the counter where the Aburame sat. He rose from his seat and faced her, surprised even now of their height difference.
"You aren't required to say yes, of course," he clarified. "The choice is entirely yours."
Mitsubachi hummed in thought. "I would love to say yes, Shino. Really I would! But you already seem so busy." She shook her head. "I don't want to distract you from your work. I probably already do with how much you like to visit."
He deflated. "Do you not like when I visit you?"
Noticing the slight drop in tone, she considered her friend. The Kamizuru was confident in her belief that the Aburame was more sensitive than he liked to let on. Steel-grey eyes warmed as an elbow lightly nudged his side. The affectionate action sent flutters of relief through his system.
"I look forward to your visits every day, Shino! You are, by far, my favorite loiterer. I just feel bad because you're probably swamped with work most days of the week. I don't want to distract you from your other priorities."
"Well..." he voiced carefully. "Truth be told, I've been meaning to train more as of late. While you may not believe it, I've fallen somewhat behind. And I... well, I wouldn't mind the company."
Your company.
"You'd be seeing more of me than you already do," she pointed out. "Are you sure you're ok with that?"
His immediate thought was how that wasn't (or would ever be an issue), but he brushed it aside.
"I wouldn't stop by here almost everyday of the week if I weren't, Mitsubachi. I enjoy spending time with you," he wanted to say, "Probably more than I should considering the agreement we've made. This is by far the only place I would willingly choose to loiter in."
"It's really not a problem, Mitsubachi," he assured. "I promise."
"Well... ok! It's settled then," she beamed, lifting her heels in joy. Her eyes crinkled in delight. "We'll train together! Ooh, how does this weekend sound? Or... sorry, that sounds a bit too soon, right?"
Shino took a seat, giving the woman a light smile. She certainly was of the more excitable sorts. Anticipation wormed its way into his chest.
"This weekend sounds perfect."
Mitsubachi swayed happily as she returned to her spot behind the counter. "I'm so excited to train with you," she stated. Her movements paused. "... But please go somewhat easy on me, Aburame-Sensei."
The slight lilt to his words perfectly accompanied the somewhat cryptic response. "Hmm… I suppose we'll just have to see about that, now won't we?"
"Picture the image you want your insects to form in your mind," Shino ordered again.
Mitsubachi exhaled, eyes closed in concentration as she held out her arms.
The Aburame had led the woman to one of his old training grounds. Technically, it was within the borders of the Aburame complex and thus Aburame territory, but hardly any of his clan members used it because of its distance from the rest of the village. Shino enjoyed this particular spot above the others because of the privacy and mostly for the fact that it was far more scenic, especially around this time of the year.
A small cloud of honeybees emerged from her long sleeves, buzzing energetically as they moved about the open glen.
"Now," he said, releasing a small amount of his kikai and forming a simple ball. "The trick to forming images with your insects is simultaneously morphing that image you've created in your mind with a heightened level of chakra. You have to utilize more chakra than you originally used to summon them forth."
Mitsubachi's eyes were tightly shut in concentration. The insects darted about her hands, but refused to morph into the desired shape.
"Remember," Shino said clearly. "Your chakra and will is what controls the insects. They won't cooperate if you don't will them to."
The woman narrowed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she willed her bees together to form an uneven ball.
"Good. Now you're getting it."
The woman's eyes widened and the ball quickly dispersed back into a storm of bees, circling around their handler in a small halo.
Mitsubachi sighed before ordering them back to her. After she felt the insects settle into their place near her back, the honey vendor dramatically plopped onto the grass. She laid down, russet-brown hair pooling around her in waves.
"You broke concentration," Shino stated as he calmly sat down next to her.
"It was supposed to be a flower," she mumbled.
His pause said enough. "It was... a very unique flower," he commented unhelpfully.
Mitsubachi ran a tired hand through her bangs, taking in the warmth of the afternoon soon. Had it not been for the training, she would have loved to explore the nooks and crannies of this beautiful training ground more. She had a feeling that Shino specifically chose this area because of all of the nature around them.
"You really are a saint for helping me train like this, Aburame-sama," she said with a long sigh. "We've spent all this time focusing on my training that we haven't been able to work on your own..."
Shino smiled at the nickname. "It's really not an issue, Kamizuru-sama. After all, I was the one that agreed to help you in the first place. And you did well. The ball-flower you created earlier was an excellent start."
Refusing to call it a day just yet, the Kamizuru heiress shifted into sitting position, closing her eyes as chakra flowed throughout her system.
She inhaled and exhaled, focusing her chakra to summon forth her insects once more. Her back tingled as they quickly made their way to the surface, and it dawned on the woman that it had been far too long since using them so actively.
A palm held out, she ordered the tiny swarm to her. Chakra continued flowing throughout her body as the image of a simple flower ran through her mind. She sensed the tiny creatures move about, mind honed in on the buzz they emitted.
She was the rightful heiress of the Kamizuru clan. She was their handler. With the strength of her will, the insects would do as their handler bided.
Memories of watching her mother diligently training flashed through Mitsubachi's mind. The woman's mere presence and the royal aura she emitted was enough to flock wild bees to her, constantly circling around her in a halo. Her mother was a living embodiment of the title 'Queen Bee.' It was incredible how with just the wave of a hand, insects would follow her orders without hesitation.
Taking a deep breath in, she focused harder.
Mitsubachi was her mother's daughter. If Shino and her mother could wield their insects with such ease, then so could she. As they felt the growing will and heightened chakra of their handler, the fuzzy pollinators complied without haste and moved towards her hand, carefully flying above where she wanted. Once Mitsubachi had her bees in position, she pictured her flower.
A simple—rather cartoonish— flower with a circular center and teardrop-shaped petals.
It was the image of the first picture her brother had ever drawn her. Maru had looked so proud, so youthfully joyful, of what he had made.
Opening her eyes, Mitsubachi gasped at the clear image that floated above her palm.
"Congratulations." Shino looked at the woman with a light smile.
The honey vendor bounced happily in her spot, continuing to order her insects until the flower was just right. Steel-gray stared in awe at the shapes her insects made, almost as if she were seeing snow for the very first time.
Once she was finally satisfied, she summoned her insects back to her with a look of giddy.
Mitsubachi shuffled towards her temporary Sensei for the day and sat up higher on her knees, giving him an unexpected hug.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you," she said energetically, tightening her squeeze on him. "I couldn't have done this without you, Shino!"
The Aburame hesitated for a very long moment before carefully wrapping his arms around her and returning the action.
"... You're welcome."
He felt her head finds it way to rest in the cook of his shoulder and the Aburame was briefly reminded of the couple he saw a few days ago outside of the Academy. His fingertips brushed along the soft material of her sweater, feeling some semblance of the heat of the skin underneath. A feeling of lightness and warmth pooled in his chest at how wonderful it felt to return a simple hug. A hug initiated by someone else. Someone that wasn't afraid to be near him because of his appearance or recoil at his touch because of his insects.
Someone so bright and warm and... lovely. The Kamizuru heiress smelled like the sun, with a lingering sweetness of honey encapsulated in the hair tickling at his face. Shino could feel his heart race at the contact, feel the notion sparking in his mind that he could embrace Mitsubachi all day if he were given the chance.
But that wouldn't work, would it?
Hearing the honey vendor let out a sigh of content, becoming all too comfortable, Shino gave a small—disappointed—groan before pulling away.
Taking the hint, Mitsubachi released her hold on him. "... Thank you again, Shino," she said, a new dusting of red coloring her cheeks. She laughed nervously before shuffling away to maintain the previous distance between them.
Shino quietly observed the honey vendor, noting how her eyes looked away from him in a show of bashfulness and how she began to chip away at a spot on the ground. She had a habit of doing that when she was nervous, he had noticed sometime ago.
The Aburame exhaled before rising on shaky legs. He offered his hand.
"Would you like to go for a walk?"
Mitsubachi blinked and looked up at him. She slowly took the offered hand and lifted off the ground. "What about your training?"
"I'd... rather we just skipped it for today."
"Shino," she addressed, moving to place a comforting hand onto his shoulder. "Are you ok?"
The man inched away before she could reach him and the honey vendor quickly dropped her hand. She blinked with surprise at his action. He nodded.
"I'm fine," he managed to say. "Although, I feel like a walk would do me good. Perhaps we could train some other time?"
"Oh... well ok," Mitsubachi answered with unease before shaking her head. "Let's go for that walk then! I would love to see more of this beautiful training area."
The honey vendor's smile had returned and Shino exhaled with relief. There was no denying that he liked seeing Mitsubachi happy, but the growing closeness between the two of them could compromise what they were striving for. And above all else, it could compromise his conscious. Compromise his engrained desire and responsibility to please his family.
He couldn't allow himself to indulge in the feelings he had for her—feelings that seemed to be growing more and more every time that they were alone like this.
He wasn't a fool. He knew Mitsubachi was fond of him.
He was very fond of her.
What worried the Aburame was the fact that he was starting to grow more than just fond of her. If he continued to let himself get closer and closer to the Kamizuru—outside the boundaries of friendship—it would only lead to disappointment for the both of them.
A tiny voice in the back of his mind echoed that it was a mistake offering to train her.
It was a mistake allowing himself to become so attached to his new friend.
He stayed quiet as they approached a grassy trail and, ever so subtly, he moved further and further from her side.
"Hey... is everything alright? Shino?"
Mitsubachi glanced at the man walking next to her from the corner of her eye. He hadn't said anything since they began their walk through the forest, and she felt the sparks of anxiousness begin to ignite. It was hard for her to tell what he was thinking. His eyes were always covered, and his usual countenance leaned towards reservation and preferential silence. Most signifying to her were the movements of Shino's brow and the occasional light smile.
But right now? Shino's eyebrows were low and he certainly wasn't smiling.
"Why do you ask?"
"You've been so quiet since we started walking. It's different from your usual quiet."
Shino quickly turned his head to glance at her before focusing back on the path. "... I apologize, Mitsubachi-san. I have a lot on my mind."
San?
Her shoulders sagged as dejection began to settle in.
Just as the Kamizuru heiress was about to say something, a large butterfly with striking black and teal wings flitted about right in front of them.
"Oh, how beautiful," Mitsubachi quietly gasped as she inched closer. She knelt a good distance away and took a seat, watching the insect rest on a grassy patch in the trail.
The Kamizuru heiress cooed praises at the small creature as it rested, its iridescent wings glowing in the warm summer light. It was certainly one of the prettiest insects she had seen since arriving in Konoha. She wished she had brought her camera.
"Papilio maackii," Shino said quietly as he moved next to her. "Or the alpine black swallowtail butterfly."
"You certainly know your stuff, Shino-san," she said in a more reserved manner. Something flashed in the Aburame's face with the Kamizuru's comment. The slightest raise of his brows and perhaps even a lowering of the corners of his lips. She glanced over at the man, considering him for a few moments, before patting the spot next to her. After a long pause, he took a seat.
The two sat in a delicate silence, observing the butterfly before them.
Resting her head against raised knees, Mitsubachi mumbled, "Was it my hug that made you uncomfortable? Is that it?"
"... No, I simply..." He stopped to think how he would phrase his response. It wasn't that her hug made him uncomfortable. Not in the slightest. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he was much too comfortable returning it.
He glanced at Mitsubachi, disliking the sad frown on her lovely face. His sudden distance was obviously weighing on her mind.
"... I apologize for worrying you, Mitsubachi," he finally said. "The reason I've been distancing myself is... well to put it simply, I've been doing so to avoid crossing any boundaries between us."
"Oh..." Mitsubachi said as she blinked in realization. "Oh, I see."
The sigh he released and the lowering of his brows was as clear as day. The man wasn't angry, nor was he exactly sad. If anything, disappointment seemed to be the closest match to his current state.
"I'm worried... about overstepping the lines of friendship with you," he said with a slight exhale. "I want—no, I need—to take actions that are in the best interest of my clan and, of course, of my own conscience. Even if that means sacrificing my individual happiness."
Mitsubachi slowly blinked as she looked up at his final word. "Happiness?"
He carefully turned his head and the two of them locked eyes with each other. An uncomfortable pressure settled within the Aburame's chest begging to be released. She deserved the truth. It wasn't as if his words were likely to lead anywhere.
"... I like you quite a bit, Mitsubachi Kamizuru," he finally admitted. No use in allowing that thought to brew in his mind any longer.
"I would like nothing more than to hold you and be with you and kiss you, if you'd allow me to. You're a beautiful, kind young woman that deserves nothing but the best. Someone young and full of energy. Someone who can love you completely without the complications of clan duty and responsibility in the way."
His mind envisioned the future of their clans. They would finally be at peace with each other. She would marry a very lucky man and have a beautiful beautiful child with them and successfully lead the Kamizuru clan as its future head.
He would marry another—realistically an arrangement set up by his family—have a child as expected and every so often, when they would have meetings between members of their respective families, the two of them would look back on these quiet moments with a tender fondness.
The Aburame found that to be the most comforting thought, at least.
In response to his words, Mitsubachi closed her eyes, feeling the shade of the forest canopy cool her skin once warmed by the summer sun. She laid down onto her back with a tired sigh of acceptance.
"You know," she giggled quietly. "It's funny. I have the strangest feeling of déjà vu right now. Like I had a dream about this exact moment."
With the distance between them in mind, Shino quietly laid down alongside the woman, observing the peaks of sunlight creeping through the leaves of the trees.
"... I know I shouldn't act so comfortably with you, Shino. I'm sorry I haven't been thinking about this as much as you have," she said with a tone of melancholy. "It's just a shame that the one person I think could fully understand the situation that I'm in... that could really understand me is the one person I can never be with."
Her eyes fluttered open and she turned her head towards the wonderful Aburame man next to her. With glassy eyes and a light smile, she voiced her final thought.
"...Your future wife is going to be the luckiest woman in the entire world, Shino Aburame."
Shino turned his head and beautiful steel-gray met the reflective surface of dark sunglasses. "... And one day, your future husband will be the happiest man across all the Five Great Nations and then some, Mitsubachi Kamizuru."
The two insect handlers laid quietly on the grassy trail, observing each other with twinges of regret heavy in their hearts.
Ahead of them, the resting black swallowtail spread its wings and flew away.
Shino stretched in his seat, letting out a satisfied stretch as he finished the last of his grading. He was glad to mark one particular paper a 100/100 in red. Sora was certainly turning his grades around and seemed to be in much higher spirits since his father came home from the hospital.
Taking a long glance around, he noticed that he was the only teacher left in the teacher's office.
Had it really been that long since Anko bid him a goodnight?
Shrugging off the fact that he was likely using work to cope with his emotional turmoil, Shino organized his papers into his work bag and left the Academy evening for the day.
At the entrance of the building, one familiar sight and one unfamiliar sight greeted him.
"Hello Kiba," Shino said politely, his words laced with a bit of confusion. "What can I do for you?"
He looked to the young woman standing next to the Inuzuka. What first caught his attention was the way that her dazzling emerald green eyes were focused almost entirely on him. The Aburame almost did a double take.
Shino looked back at his old friend, eyes slightly narrowed. "… And exactly where is Tamaki, Kiba?"
Kiba blinked, eyes furrowing in defensive confusion. "Huh? She's out doing stuff? Why does that matter? You know what, whatever! Doesn't matter. I got a little surprise for ya, buddy!"
"Surprise?"
Next to Kiba, the young woman giggled before politely introducing herself. "I think Kiba means me, Aburame-san. My name is Kaede Maeda. I don't know if you remember, but we were supposed to meet at Ichiraku's... hm, about a month ago, if I remember correctly?"
Shino's eyes widened. This was the woman he was supposed to have a date with on the night he got caught in the rain and met Mitsubachi. Pushing his pettiness at being stood up aside, he greeted her. He hoped she couldn't detect the slight strain in his words.
He bowed politely. "It's very nice to meet you, Kaede-san."
"Likewise, Aburame-san," she said. Shino made a noise of satisfaction at how the woman—noticeably very pretty—didn't seem bothered or surprised with his surname.
"I just wanted to formally apologize for having left you that night," Kaede said with a sigh. "I caught a stomach bug the night we were supposed to have our date, you see, and it was hard for me to leave my bathroom, let alone leave my own house!"
Glancing between Kaede and Kiba, Shino nodded in understanding. "I see. That really is unfortunate, Kaede-san. I'm glad to see you're back on your feet and feeling better."
"You and me both, Shino-san," she said with a flutter of her long eyelashes.
Kiba interjected with a laugh. "Ha! You mind if me and Shino talked for a bit, Kaede-san? Just for like 10 seconds?"
The woman tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her head, and Shino swore she even gave him a wink. "For you two, I can give you 20 seconds." She walked a bit further with a slight sashay, and Kiba shook his friend's shoulders.
"So? Whaddaya think? Kaede's pretty cute, huh?"
"Yes, she's very attractive… and bold," Shino said with a slight shuffle of his feet. "Very bold."
"So? You think you'd wanna go on a date with her?"
"Tonight?" He groaned. "Kiba, you know I like you to tell me about these blind dates in advance. Kaede-san seems like a very nice woman, but…"
"C'mon, Shino! She showed up at the Police Station today and practically begged me to introduce the two of you the other day. I think she feels really bad about having to skip out on your steamy ramen date that one time and wants to make up for it!"
The Aburame remained quiet, focusing on his friend's words with a flat mouth.
"...And plus. I mean, this might help you take Mitsumi-san off of your mind, right?"
Shino was almost tempted to ask who that was before remembering that Mitsumi was a fake name. With how busy everything's been, it slipped the Aburame's mind that Kiba and Tamaki knew little to nothing about Mitsubachi's true background outside of Iwa honey vendor that ditched him on a date to the market.
"Oh. Right," he replied lamely.
Kiba's eyes narrowed. "You haven't seen her in awhile, have you? Has she talked to you?"
"Well, actually—"
"—Hi, boys!" Kaede suddenly interrupted. "I'm sorry to cut your chat so short, but I don't think I even asked you, Aburame-san! Were you free sometime this evening? I wanted to treat you to dinner! Make up for my entirely rude absence those few weeks ago."
"I suppose..." Shino glanced between the two of them. Hoping to ease the tenseness in his shoulders, he relaxed ever so slightly. The disappointment of the past weekend briefly crossed his mind.
A very lucky man and a beautiful beautiful child.
"... I suppose that would be fine, Kaede-san," he finally said. Suddenly, she slipped her arm into his, locking them together. He almost jumped from the unexpected contact.
"Perfect! I know just the place! I get a discount on their dinner meals because I'm friends with the owner..."
Shino shuffled awkwardly. "Would you... like me to change out of my work uniform, Kaede-san?"
"Oh no! You don't need to worry yourself about that, Aburame-san! Besides," she said with a eye-catching smile. "There's something very sophisticated about a man in uniform."
Kiba placed a friendly hand on Shino's shoulder.
"You two have fun, yeah? And try to have him home by a reasonable time, would you Kaeda-san?"
The young woman giggled again into her free hand as they began their walk.
"I'll try, Kiba-san!"
"Hey, babe!" Kiba greeted the pretty brunette woman. He glanced around. "You're still here?"
Tamaki gave a long sigh. "Look, I didn't want to confront Mitsumi alone, ok? I feel like I'd crack under all the pressure! We were supposed to be friends..." She sighed dejectedly.
The Inuzuka gave his girlfriend's hand a squeeze. "Look, we're not gonna do anything serious, ok? Just give her a little greeting and ask what's up! Shino's already on his way to his date with Kaeda. It looks like it should go pretty well, but you never really know with that guy sometimes," Kiba said plainly.
As the couple walked towards the Aburame compound, a light illuminated the trail in the distance, and the image of the young honey vendor came into view.
Tamaki and Kiba observed as she hummed behind the counter, taking a glance about before returning her focus to something else. She looked so pleasantly contect. So pleasantly unaware of what was about to happen.
The ninja cat user whined. "Oh god Kiba, I don't know if I can do this!"
"You don't have to say anything, alright? Just let me handle all the talking," Kiba said comfortingly. He gave her hand another squeeze.
The young honey vendor noticed their approach, and quickly focused on the two of them.
She gave them a bright smile. "Kiba! Tamaki! It's been a long time, how are you?"
The Inuzuka narrowed his eyes. "… Fine," he said in a clipped tone.
"Kiba-san?" Mitsubachi's eyebrows raised in concern. "... Is everything alright?"
Her eyes turned towards his female companion, but she gave nothing away. It almost looked like Tamaki was glaring at her too, and the thought made the young honey vendor's nerves shoot up.
"Are... you two mad at me?"
"Well, yeah! I'd say we're pretty peeved off on behalf of an old friend of ours!" Kiba explained. "So you better come clean, Mitsumi!"
"Come... clean? I'm so sorry, I really don't know what you mean," she admitted.
"Don't play dumb," Tamaki said, barb in her voice. "Where do you get off ditching Shino after everything that's happened!"
The young woman blinked in surprise. "Oh! You mean for the market date..."
"Well, duh. We were planning to come sometime earlier this month, but our schedules didn't really align and all that. In any case, I was surprised to see you were still here. Y'know this place is super close to the Aburame compound, right? Shino was pretty heartbroken about everything that happened, Mitsumi," Kiba explained, a touch of sadness in his voice now. "It hurts to see your best friend like that, it really does."
"But! You know," Tamaki said emphatically. "He's supposed to be on a pretty good date right about now! And now we are digging for answers."
A long silence sliced through the air, and the cat and dog lovers began to look at each other uneasily.
"He's..." the honey vendor began in disbelief. "... He's on a date."
Kiba and Tamaki looked in confusion at the sadness etched into the honey vendor's eyes. She took a brief exhale and put down her cleaning rag.
Forcing a smile, she spoke and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"I think you two might want to sit down for a little bit."
"Kamizuru?" Kiba said, eyes comically bulged out of his head. "You?"
"So let me get this straight," Tamaki said, still processing everything. "You are a member of this insect-handling clan from Iwa… that hates the Aburame? Am I getting that right?"
"That's correct," the honey vendor said plainly. "Our clans have been rivals since around the time of the... Second Great Ninja War I believe? I think maybe even earlier..."
"So that's why you ditched Shino at the market," Kiba said guiltily. He inhaled through gritted teeth. "Oh, man."
"I really didn't want to," the honey vendor said with a sigh. "It was kind of instinctual. All of my life, I've been taught to fear and hate the Aburame without ever having met one. Shino and I worked everything out, so..."
"Wait, so!" Tamaki said with hope in her voice. "Is there still anything going on between the two of you?"
Her eyes shifted downwards as she picked at the countertop. A familiar heaviness settled on her chest as she remembered the events of the other day. She quietly shook her head.
"Why?" Tamaki almost whined. "You two are so good together! Shino was so happy when he was with you!"
"Yeah," Kiba said energetically. "He really likes you, Mitsumi! I still think he does, so! Forget everything we just said, ok? All of it. Just... Y'know! Get in there!"
"I can't," she said as her voice raised with finality, shaking her head. "Shino has his work and his responsibilities to his clan. He's slated to be the next head of the Aburame. Getting into a relationship with me? If his clan elders are anything as strict as mine are, they might never forgive him. He could be exiled."
"I mean, sure, he's basically royalty, but Shino still has a life outside of his clan," Kiba barked. "Whether he likes to admit it or not, he can have happiness outside of what his dumb clan destined for him!"
It always somewhat bothered the Inuzuka at how much Shino's life had to be regulated by the expectations of his clan. Of course, Shino never seemed to complain and accepted things as they were, but his love life too?
His eyebrows furrowed. Shino would wind up a lonely workaholic or in an arranged marriage or maybe both if he didn't do anything! Kiba would fight the Aburame's clan elders and Shibi if that's what it would cost to ensure that won't happen to his best friend!
His head swayed in consideration.
Ok, maybe not Shibi.
The honey vendor shook her head once more. Tamaki looked her friend in the eye, hoping she could reach her.
"Well, what about you, Mitsumi?"
"Actually, It's more complicated than you both think. I suppose I should have told you earlier, but my real name is Mitsubachi Kamizuru. I'm slated to be the next head of the Kamizuru clan after the retirement of my mother. Shino's not the only one that would be acting outside of strict clan responsibility."
Kiba slouched forward. "Well, great. This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"
"I mean," Tamaki began. "You two could have some sort of forbidden romance! Like Romeo and Juliet!"
Mitsubachi managed to smile at how dejected Kiba and Tamaki looked. She knew they were acting out of the interest of their friend. Loyal friends like that were one in a million.
"I really appreciate how much you two care," she admitted, newfound energy in her words. "But until Shino and I are able to make a successful settlement between our two clans, we're just going to stay friends. Plus I think Romeo and Juliet both die at the end, right?"
"Well, yeah..."
"You said Shino's going on a date!" Mitsubachi said excitedly, coming to terms with that fact. "This'll be good for the both of us. To give us more distance, I think. Please... don't worry about it so much, ok?"
The cat and dog lover could only accept their friends' decision, but it was etched plain as day that Mitsubachi still had feelings for her Aburame counterpart. And Kiba was quite certain it was the same in reverse. He slouched forward, regretting with every fiber of his being that he had told Kaede where Shino worked and stressed the fact that the man was a nobleman.
For once in his life, Kiba hoped Shino's date would go badly.
A/N's: This was a pretty simple chapter, I think! I don't have any particular music recommendations/songs I was inspired by while I wrote this chapter, but I did listen to a lot of Sufjan Stevens. As always, I love reviews and I love everyone that takes the time to read :)
RyleeWyatt: Truth be told, I haven't even finished all of Naruto LOLOL. Shino Aburame and fanfictions are the glue that keeps me in this fandom. I watched all of the beginning of Boruto because he was so prominent in the Academy Arc and dipped once they graduated.
Nolwe: I wanted to develop the establishment of family relatives and specific personalities pretty early on since this story is centered around family disputes (and lowkey some generational trauma). I didn't want to have the dispute just be Shino, Shibi, the unexplained council, and etc. I want to give life to their families, which will be the biggest point of contrast and contention between the Aburame and Kamizuru. And there will be a Tybalt-esque character I'm introducing later in the fic ;)