Author's Note: The following snippets are "deleted scenes" from my Animal Instinct story. Sometimes when I write, I get a little ahead of myself and have to write out a scene that's burning in my brain and distracting me from what I'm currently writing. So I write it down and set it aside until its time to use it. That being said, sometimes the story goes into a different direction entirely so it can't be used anymore. I don't consider that a waste though. Normally they just get deleted but there's a charm about these two versions that I find so endearing to who Shino and Isae are both individually and as a couple.

In my original story line, Isae and Shino do not reconnect after he nearly killed her in Akiyama Village. It did serve as a turning point for her that sparked her betrayal to the Ebony but Shino remained in the dark about any of this for another year until she was summoned home by the scroll Akihiro left him (an idea I may up using or not, still undecided). Upon reflection, it felt like they were apart for too long to still be realistically in love. I also loved the idea of Shino rejoining her and the two of them working together to save the world. After all, why should Naruto be the only hero and have all the fun? So please don't judge these scenes too harshly, just enjoy them for the potential they once had and be grateful I changed my mind after all lol!

In this version, Isae arrives in the Real World unconscious and badly injured. He brings her somewhere to recover in solitude. You may also recognize the reference to Kaneko Village from my Hearts Obsession story. I like to sneak in connections like that.

Isae frowned as she viewed her surroundings with a critical eye. She was lying in a large bed with silk sheets and softy, downy blankets. Through a set of open double-doors, she could see a small living room with small, cozy furniture. This wasn't any house she recognized, but even she had little to actually compare it to. Asides from her Sensei and teammates, she didn't receive a lot of social invites. "Where are we?" She asked warily.

"We're not in Konoha," Shino reassured her.

It did nothing to relief her suspicions. He was stiff in posture and awkward in movement, his hands twitched in hesitation. Something else was going on. "That doesn't answer my question."

"We're in Kaneko Village."

She blinked in surprise. She was familiar with this area though not personally. She was well aware of the touristy place, especially when it came to teenagers whose hormones raged out of control. "Why here?"

A bead of sweat trickled down his high collar. Even with his back to her, he felt the intensity of her stare. Could she hear his racing heart too? "You were unconscious upon arrival and I thought that-"

"Instead of taking me to some place practical like a hospital we should check into a private resort?" She asked dryly. "I don't buy it." He cringed under her reproach. "You told Kiba-kun about us, didn't you?"

"Our relationship isn't a secret," he huffed in mild offense.

Our relationship, the phrase sent a pleasant shiver up her spine. "And this was his suggestion, wasn't it?" She pressed. He didn't respond at first, he was in a state of shock. How did she know? "Fess up," she prompted. "This was his idea."

"I agreed with it," he conceded.

With a sigh she leaned back against the soft pillows. "And why would you do something stupid like that?"

He bristled at that and turned to face her. "What is wrong with following the advice of a friend?"

Her long hair fanned out beautifully behind her. "And just what advice did you need?"

He felt a little tongue-tied. "How to be a satisfactory boyfriend."

She snorted. "And you asked Kiba-kun? That idiot doesn't know anything about dating." He opened his mouth to protest the defamation of his teammate but she continued on. "And what makes his definition of an ideal boyfriend more valid than your own? Since when do you need anyone to tell you how a boyfriend should be?" He suddenly felt unsure of himself. Was that why he felt so restless? So uneasy? Kiba had said how relaxing this should be and yet he continued to feel awkward all the way around it. It felt so…so forced.

She gestured for him to approach her with a gentle smirk. She grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him down for a kiss. It was tender and yet enticing as it drew him in closer. His heart swelled as his arms wove round her. The feeling of her in his arms once more felt right. Her gentle touch overcame his insecurity and replaced it with reassurance of her love for him. The stubborn, prickly Inuzuka who softened for him only.

When she broke the kiss, she held his face close, resting her forehead against his. "What I admire most about you is how genuine you are. You don't change who you are to fit the standards of others. You don't need Kiba-kun's advice, or anyone else's for that matter when it comes to us. Let's make our own rules."

He was intrigued by her words. "Such as?" He prompted.

"No over-the-top phony romantic gestures." She pulled away and carefully sat up, pushing aside his helping hand. With her returning strength came her stubbornness. He took it as a good sign.

"This may not have been my original idea, but it was never meant to be phony," he grumbled resentfully.

Her smile was a kind one. "Perhaps, but it's not your style Shino, so ditch it." She giggled softly as he bowed his head in a dejected manner. "No need to pout over it. I'd rather you just be yourself." She sighed as she pressed a hand over her face. "That's something I'm still trying to figure out for myself," she confessed.

"In what respect?" He asked curiously.

She lowered her hand as she slowly turned towards him. "You know that the girl you love is dead right?" She asked in a haunted tone. "She was murdered during The Ordeal. This is only a recreation, an assumed form." With a ripple, she transitioned back to her thick, shimmering shadow form. She removed the shades and looked him straight in the eyes. They glowed silver as starlight. "This is who I am now. Perhaps it's time that we…" her voice caught in her throat as she wavered for a moment. "Perhaps we ought to reconsider…"

"Don't," he said firmly as he shook his head stubbornly.

She gently stroked his cheek. Her touch was as cold as ice. "For what it's worth, you were one of the best parts of Isae's life."

He grabbed hold of her shoulders, ignoring the icy pain that stung his skin. "You are Isae! Regardless of the form you possess, your essence remains the same!"

"You can't seriously suggest that nothing has changed!" She protested.

"Of course things have changed," he concurred. "But my feelings for you are just as sincere now as they were then." He hugged her close to his chest, stiffening slightly from the chill. "I didn't just bring you here for romantic sentiment, I had another reason."

"Oh?" She asked softly.

"I wanted to be the first person you saw when you awakened," he confessed. "That was selfish of me, I know. I've missed you Isae. Without you…I felt…incomplete."

She slowly slipped her arms around his waist. "I missed you too," she whispered. "I regret…leaving you behind, even if it was to save you." She sighed. "Does that make me selfish?"

"It makes you human."

She giggled softly. "Perhaps old habits die hard." She solidified into human form once more and her heart beat against his own.

"Not that I necessarily have a preference, but it is easier to kiss you in this form."

She laughed as he pulled her in for a kiss.

This scene was closer to what I would have used, even though their separation would have been from right before The Ordeal instead of later at Akiyama Village. So even more time apart than the shorter time gap. But this is where I got the line Torune used when he turned on her. I think I may use more parts from it later on but obviously not in its entirety. This time, instead of bringing to her Kaneko Village, her brought her to his grandparents cabin in the mountains.

Shino paced back and forth as his hands twitched in his pockets. What am I doing? She doesn't belong here. Her injuries would best be treated in a hospital. Just because I can't detect anything serious doesn't mean that something may have slipped my inspection. I should tell the Hokage about this. I should most likely tell Morino-san too. At that he halted. His skin crawled at the memory of the strict interrogator. No. If he got his hands on her, he'd just as soon dissect her as save her. He cares nothing for her humanity. All he can see is the demonic. She is safer here with me, he tried to reassure himself as he resumed his pacing. But guilt gnawed at his insides. If she really thought anything of me, she wouldn't have abandoned me so easily, he thought bitterly. And yet, as he paused at the foot of the large bed, his resentment was replaced with fonder emotions. Something hesitant and yet tender. Even in shadow form, her jawline—the gentle curve of her face was as elegant as he remembered. It was hard to imagine her as a violent monster when she looked the picture of innocence.

He sighed. What must she think of me now? Three years was a long time to be apart.

He sank wearily onto the bed across from her, his shoulders hunched as he continued to brood.

A soft groan, a gentle stirring behind him alerted him to her presence once more. He turned round to see her blink slowly. Soft silver eyes that glowed in the darkness, there was a haunting beauty about them.

"Isae," he whispered breathlessly.

Her smile was a sad one, wistful even as tears filled her eyes. He leaned over, resting his hand upon her shoulder. His gentle touch sent a thrill through her as it always had. "At last I dream," she mumbled as if in a trance as her eyes slid closed once more.

"This is no dream," He whispered in the stillness.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. She looked up at him again, hesitantly with a hint of hope in her silvery eyes. She cautiously reached up and her fingers flinched slightly on contact with his collar. Her mouth quivered as her fingertips trembled against his neck. He was real! He was here! The joy that brought her soon put her to shame. After their last encounter…how could he ever forgive her? With a choked sob, she struggled to keep her regret in check.

The sight of her stubborn refusal to cry endeared him once more. Some things never seem to change, and in this moment he took comfort on that sense of familiarity. He hugged her close to his chest; she easily succumbed to his embrace and sobbed into his jacket. He gently shushed her as his hand ran along her spine, oh he loved its curve. She was too distracted by his scent to cry for long. While she had always enjoyed it, this time it was intoxicating! She breathed it in and allowed it its familiarity to wash over her. But in this too she began to get carried away. It wasn't enough to simply smell it; she longed to taste it as well. He stiffened as her lips sucked along his neck. He pulled himself free for it was too soon, too sudden. She protested with a soft groan as her eyes gleamed lustfully. He hesitated at the sight. It wasn't everyday a girl looked at him with such desire…in fact no girl ever did. He swallowed hard as her mouth angled to meet his. Despite his devotion he hesitated. Did he want this? The second her mouth pressed against his, he no longer doubted. There was eagerness in the kiss and a hunger for more that thrilled him. He pressed her back into the pillows, relishing the closeness once more. Surely nothing would come between them now. Fate couldn't be so cruel as to separate them once more. She groaned as the kiss pleasurably deepened. If she had a heart surely it would have burst! His taste was even more delicious than she had remembered. Her hands desperately wandered around; through his thick hair, his sturdy shoulders, along his slender sides, and squeezed his hips possessively. His warmth was both reassuring and encouraging. Shino too found himself unable to restrain himself. Once ignited, his passion too longed for release. Her cool form simmered against his flushed skin; taking the edge off the heat. He felt the urge to copulate but this time…it wasn't purely a biological impulse. It also served to satisfy an emotional one. It wasn't something he was confident that he could put into words. It didn't make any sense but instinctively, intrinsically, it felt right.

Then all too soon the spell shattered. Her eyes widened in horror and she pressed a hand against his bare chest to gently push him back. When had his tunic been removed? He frowned in confusion at her expression. "What's wrong?" He asked breathlessly. Why did she look so sad?

"I'm sorry Shino," she whispered regretfully. The last time she'd said that…

He shook his head stubbornly. "This isn't goodbye." He said firmly.

"That remains to be seen," she said sadly. "But that's not what I meant."

His brow furrowed. "Explain."

"I don't want to take her place."

"Whose place? You're not making sense," he huffed impatiently.

"Your girlfriend's. I'm not trying to come between you two. It was a moment of weakness."

He bristled defensively. "I don't know which is worse. That you think me unfaithful or that I am your weakness." He turned away in disgust and snatched his tunic from the floor and yanked it back on. "Do you truly think I'm that cowardly?" She watched him hunch his shoulders in a horrible sulk. "Is that why you left me behind?" He grumbled as he shifted uncomfortably due to the mounting pressure in his pants. Not wanting her to see, he grabbed a pillow and rested it on his lap. His cheeks burned at the awkwardness of it all.

"The alternative was leaving you to die in the middle of nowhere," she said dryly. "Are you saying you would have preferred that?" He didn't answer and she sighed in exasperation as she turned her back to him in turn. "You are as impossible as ever." She grumbled in turn.

The silence stretched on as each nursed their sense of pride in spite of the heartache they shared. She lowered her head in resignation, her gaze softened. "You're not my weakness Shino. You were my strength."

He lifted his head at this, intrigued.

"I am the one who is weak," she confessed in a still, small voice. "I failed The Ordeal. I succumbed to the darkness of my heart, to the pain I refused to deal with when I should have. I surrendered to His offer of protection because I couldn't handle it on my own. I was the coward."

He turned towards her.

"In my anger I nearly killed Dad. And I…I…wanted to so badly." Her voice trailed off regretfully. "But when I saw you lying in your own b-blood…something changed. I changed. I found my resolve, my purpose, and I was willing to save you at any cost."

"At the cost of your freedom?" He whispered.

She chuckled grimly. "I was never free Shino. Even now, I'm not sure I am." She looked nervously around the room. She wrapped her arms around herself as she trembled fearfully. "He may come for me at any time." Instinct took over and he immediately wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened at first but soon surrendered to his comforting embrace. It warmed the chill in her soul with its familiarity. "And I wouldn't call it unfaithful to move on. I had hoped that you would."

"You wished for me to replace you?"

"You make it sound like it would've been hard," she smirked to herself.

"It would have been impossible." He stiffened as she laughed. Why did she laugh at inappropriate times? "You doubt my sincerity?"

"No but I do question your reasoning. I thought Aburame prided themselves on their intelligence." She said dryly.

"Again you doubt and mock me," he huffed.

"I just figured that you would have moved on by now. That you would have found someone better. Don't you deserve that? Don't you deserve a normal life?" She looked at him from over her shoulder. "My curse doesn't have to be yours." He considered her for a moment. This didn't sound like the Isae he knew, this one was more…selfless. Her gaze softened. "While it's ideal to die with no regrets, no one should live with them either."

He frowned. "Do you regret me?"

She silently shook her head. "Not for my part. But it's ok if you do. Really it is."

He sighed. "You just don't get it, do you?"

She scowled at that as she pulled free. "There's a lot you don't seem to get either. I'm not the same person Shino. I'm a murderer, a true traitor. You can't seriously forgive or forget that easily."

"We all make mistakes Isae. You protected your own kind from those who sought to exploit them. I wouldn't have hesitated to protect those I cared about either."