Chapter 23
Shino and Hinata took a breath in tandem, as they stood before the closed doors to the library.
"I suppose it doesn't really help to put it off, does it?" Hinata asked quietly.
"We're going to be okay." he echoed back to her, then pushed the doors in, without bothering to knock. They were expected, after all.
The room was dark, the main source of light being a roaring fire in the largest fireplace Shino had ever seen. The spines of books lit by the flickering flames, the shelves extending to the ceilings, requiring rolling ladders to access them all. There was a wall of windows on one side, Shino saw the pale light of the moon and stars, visible in the bare expanse of sky surrounding the estate, free from the tree line, but where they would be seated was far from the windows, a grouping of chairs surrounding the fire. Lady Natsuki was seated in one, Torune and Kiba were seated opposite her, next to each other. There were only two more available seats, one on either side of Lady Natuski. Shino shook his head. How much of this had Lady Natsuki planned and why?
"Welcome, welcome." Lady Natsuki greeted them. "The group is together at last. Though of course, we have been having lovely conversation in your absence, haven't we? Kiba?"
"Oh yeah, we're just having a fucking ball here. Shino, you okay, man? I've only been here… how long have we been here? Feels like days. Fucking days. It's only been, what, an hour? And I'm already this close to climbing the walls. Or stabbing someone. Preferably you, Lady Natsuki. Like get this, I ask her if fire kills vampires, since for some goddam reason we are sitting here in this giant-ass library next to this giant-ass fireplace, and she says back to me, 'Who wants to know?' Who wants to know! Can you believe this shit?"
"Torune? How about you?" Lady Natsuki questioned.
"Kiba summed it up pretty good."
"Hey, there's a silver lining in all this, Torune, we're getting along better than ever in this nut-house! We should do this more often. And say, speaking of silver, Lady Natsuki-"
"It does not work."
"Hey, where's your manners? Ya interrupted me!"
"Please you two, take a seat, wherever you would like."
"That ain't true, Lady. They've got to sit next to you, they can't sit wherever."
Shino wasn't sure if it was because of his link or simply his knowledge of her, but he could sense Lady Natsuki's patience was thinning, and knowing Kiba, he had probably been doing this awhile now.
"I'm alright, Kiba, but be careful. Hold your tongue."
"… Did she make you say that?" Kiba asked, cautious.
"No, it's me. Now that we're all here, maybe she will tell us what she wants." Shino answered slowly, realizing there was really no way to prove this to Kiba, to any of them, but still feeling the need to relay this warning.
"Alright, I'll tone it down some. So, Lady Natsuki, why are we all gathered here tonight?… Oh God, saying it like that sounds like a wedding, this ain't a wedding, is it? Or… oh fuck, you ain't gonna turn Shino, are you?"
Shino thought because this was an actual question, Kiba was serious, this was just how he expressed himself, that Lady Natsuki would answer, and she did.
"No, I have already told Shino I have no intention of turning him, and will further that by saying I have no intention of turning any of you."
"You gonna bit us then?" Kiba asked.
"No."
"Okay…I ain't complaining, but if it ain't that, what are we doing here?"
"You already said it, Kiba, earlier: entertainment. We're the entertainment." Torune answered.
"Correct. And you can imagine what I want to talk about next, since you already know I am quite the skilled matchmaker."
"This was… to get Shino and Torune together?" Hinata asked, incredulous, filling the silence no one else had wanted to.
"I admit, there were other ways I could have gone about it. Mainly though, I wanted to lay all the cards down on the table, for us all to be on the same page. Did you enjoy my pun, Kiba, given our current location?"
"Hilarious."
"Though of course, the only thing we're waiting on about that is you, Shino. Unless of course, your feelings have changed, given Shino's circumstances, Torune, his current relationship with me. You two have much to discuss. How about this? Hinata and Kiba will stay here with me, and you two can go off on your own? Come back and let us know what you decide? We are of course dying to know."
"Lady Natsuki, I assume what you said when we first agreed to come in is true? One wrong move and you will start killing hostages?" Torune asked.
"Yes."
"I'm also assuming you can just make them kill themselves? That is how you will go about it?"
"My methods do not concern you, but yes, I do not have to be physically present to cause their demise."
"How can you do that though?" Kiba asked. "I mean, do you hate these people? Is that why you've got them here? They all people you've got a personal grudge against?"
"Circumstance brought us together. Nothing more. It is just, though I disagree my humanity died long ago, it is true I myself did die once, to become what you see before you, and I am afraid after that, combined with then killing others myself, death simply does not effect me the same way. Life and death… are simply two sides of the same coin. So, do the two of you accept my gracious offer?"
"Where?" Torune replied. "I don't want you killing anyone because I don't know the rules."
"Shino will lead the way."
"You've sure got Shino runnin' all over the place, tonight." Kiba added, seemingly despite himself.
"I am concerned about that too. It was a struggle just to get here to the library. You are linked to him. Surely you know that." Hinata furthered.
"See, Shino? How concerned your teammates are for your welfare? But do not fear, I will lend him some of my strength. Like I said, he is alright."
"That another trick up your sleeve?" Kiba said, nonchalantly.
"Why would you share that you can do that?" Hinata asked.
"It makes things more entertaining for me. Torune, keep that in mind, as you two go off together. Not only do you need to worry about the welfare of the hostages and Shino himself, but your own as well: I can have Shino attack you at any time, with skills that may just surprise you, if push comes to shove. I am not guaranteeing he would win, and of course you could simply infect him with your beetles, he would be dead in seconds. Oh, that is another thing I wished to discuss with you all, and since you have expressed a desire for Shino to rest and remain with us here for a moment, now is a fitting. Shino has had a pet project he has worked on quite relentlessly, since the two of you were separated, Torune. I call it a pet project, because there is something quite endearing about it, but I do not mean to deny the skill required, for it is ambitious, and would have had interesting implications if he had managed to succeed. Alas, sometimes there is a reason something does not exist. Would you like to share yourself, Shino? Or are you too fatigued."
Shino noted his teammates' discomfort: Kiba shifting in his seat, rubbing Akamaru's head; Hinata continually interlocking and unlocking her fingers; Torune's posture growing more and more rigid, and he realized with a start it was in sympathy for him, to have this woman airing his secrets, and knowing none of them were in a position to do anything about it. Only to play along – talking with Lady Natsuki often felt like a chess match, and he also realized his teammates had taken on the bulk of the conversation for him, which he appreciated, but Shino decided to answer this himself, to not drag this out. He also decided to address this to Torune, but he made the mistake of looking to Torune before doing so, and finding Torune looking back at him, the first time here, the first exchange between just the two of them, after Torune giving him that gift, the gift he hadn't been able to think about, hadn't been ready to think about, it made him freeze, with anticipation, with fear, he wasn't sure, yet Torune gave him a small nod of encouragement, which helped, as he found this surprisingly painful to admit:
"I tried to breed a line of beetles that would have immunity to yours. As Lady Natsuki stated, it didn't work."
"A fascinating line of reasoning for an eight year old, beyond the obvious, a way of feeling close when there was distance between you. An interesting merger of beetles, I imagine difficult for any outsider to your clan to truly appreciate. But also odd, in that you were attempting to neutralize Torune's abilities, making him less of a threat to you, to your clan even, perhaps even negating the need to hide him away, but also potentially endangering Torune, weakening him by taking away his greatest strength. Any thoughts on this, Torune? How would you feel if he had succeeded? In a way, I imagine it would be frustrating. All you have had to give up in your life because of your birthright, and Shino coming in, erasing it all."
"I always wondered if such a thing were possible. If anyone in the clan had ever tried." Torune answered evasively.
"But you enjoy your power, do you not? Just another thing the two of you can discuss, for I believe that is enough of a rest. Go now. We will be waiting. I am sure it will be a load off all our hearts, to see what happens here. I imagine you will be particularly relieved, Kiba, if this match holds. You will no longer need to worry about Torune seeing your sister."
"Don't worry about that, Shino. Just… I'm sorry it had to be like this, I really am."
"You both deserved better." Hinata continued, anger and sadness combined.
"Life works in mysterious ways, though, does it not?" Lady Natsuki finished, grinning from ear to ear.
