"WHAT?"
Shino looked up from the ant colony under the tree nearest the Academy main building. Naruto, Minako, and Sasuke had just exited said building, on the tail of a group of kids giving the noisy blond dirty looks. Shino shifted his weight, hesitated, then stayed seated. It would be odd to stand to greet them, right? And yet, greeting one's peers was expected, right?
His kikaichu began to hum to the melody of Confusion and Anxiety.
"How come Min'ko's been to your house but not me?!" Naruto continued, almost bouncing in his indignation. Minako rolled her eyes, then met Shino's gaze. She shot him a quick smile, then reached out a hand and ruffled Naruto's hair. Hard. Hard enough to force Naruto to bend over, yelling 'tetetete' the whole time.
Shino's kikaichu quieted.
"What did we talk about back home, Naruto?" she asked sweetly.
Naruto paled. "Minako! I meant Minako, dattebayo!"
There's a story behind that. Humming to Curiosity, Shino settled into a more comfortable position in the grass. Maybe Minako will tell him about it later. For now, he was content to wait for them to approach, watching as Sasuke scoffed and crossed his arms.
"I didn't invite her, idiot! She just showed up!" He glared at Minako, only to get that sweet smile turned on him. He spluttered.
Shino had been glad when Sasuke came back. It's difficult for him to interpret emotions from non-clan members without a hive for him to listen to. But even he could tell that Minako had become more and more distressed in the days before that, and that it had something to do with her frequently-absent brother. And from her reaction when Sasuke reconciled with Naruto, Shino had been right. It meant that their area was back to being noisy, but for some reason Shino didn't mind so much.
"Did something happen? I ask because Naruto-san is more excitable than usual," Shino spoke up, as soon as they settled under the tree with him. Minako brought out the bento she had made for her and Naruto. Her brother, meanwhile, turned his enthusiasm on helping Sasuke open his mother's large bento.
"Sasuke said Minako went to his place last Monday!" Naruto told Shino. His grabby hands got in Sasuke's way more than they helped. The dark-haired boy scowled and swatted them away, unwrapping his mother's work with more care. Naruto didn't even pause. "Minako said she went to ask Sasuke something, but then Sasuke's nii-san invited her inside! It's not fair! I was his friend first, dattebayo! Why didn't he invite me?"
"I told you, I didn't invite her!" Sasuke all but shoved an onigiri at Naruto's face. "Will you shut up about it already?"
Monday… four days ago? Shino blinked and turned to Minako. "Would this happen to relate to Sasuke-san's retu—"
"Shhh!" Minako crossed her index fingers over her lips, looking up at Shino with wide blue eyes. He resisted the urge to fidget. He wasn't sure what that expression meant. Had he made her sad? Afraid? Her posture implied a level of urgency, at the very least. He decided not to press it.
He took Minako's answering smile as approval. As was her habit, she offered him a bite from her sandwich. He shook his head. His parents had drilled into him the risks of eating in front of non-clan members. He had no wish to alienate the few friends he'd managed to get.
She tucked her hair behind her ear and shrugged. "I was having trouble with some of the new exercises Hiro-sensei taught us, so I thought Sasuke-kun could give me some tips. That's all." She bit into her sandwich, not looking at anyone.
"Hey, hey! I wanna train too!" The first onigiri was gone, and so was his second. Naruto beat his hand against the ground, as if his point needed any further emphasis. "How come you let Minako train with you and not me, huh? Huh?"
"I didn't—" Sasuke glanced over in Shino's direction and blanched. Shino blinked, then glanced beside him. Minako was busy picking at her food. "Just a little!" Sasuke amended.
"Me too! Me too!" Naruto insisted. He had moved from pounding the ground to shaking Sasuke by the shoulders. Sasuke twisted out of his grip, yelping, and scrambled to his feet, all while trying to protect his half-eaten onigiri. "I wanna train too!"
They devolved into a twisted game of tag, where Sasuke balanced on the balls of his feet as he twitched and stepped in response to Naruto's feints from the other side of the bento. Then Naruto let out a gleeful yell, and darted for Sasuke.
They ran around the bento, Naruto trying to catch Sasuke as Sasuke clutched his food to his chest and finally burst out laughing. Beside him, Minako didn't even look up from her food. She just raised her hand, holding a sandwich out. It was snatched from her fingers, and reappeared in Naruto's mouth as he dashed after Sasuke with a muffled attempt at a roar.
Their behavior had confused Shino at first, who found himself both wanting to join in and reluctant to run around for no reason. Minako had tried to explain it to him—that it was the boys' way of bonding with each other, much like friends would spar, but without the skill involved. She had also reassured him he didn't have to join in if he didn't want to, because friends bond in different ways. She must have noticed his cringe. She'd nudged him then, a small smile on her face.
Even today, Shino recalls the bright, near-painful spike of joy it brought him, realizing he had a friend.
"Why don't we all go train at Sasuke's place?" Minako said suddenly.
Shino stared at her. Sasuke stared at her, stopping so abruptly that Naruto crashed into his back. They tumbled to the ground with a cry. She snorted at Sasuke's dumbfounded expression. "What? It's a good idea. We're all good at different things, so we can help each other get better at the things the other person's not as good at." Her tone was light, casual. But there was an odd glint to her eyes, twisting her innocent look into an expression Shino hadn't seen on her face before.
Naruto lit up. "That's a great idea!"
It made sense, Shino admitted, his hands curling into his knees. It made logical sense. And yet, his gaze meets Sasuke's, whose new frown mirrored Shino's uncertainty.
"You can't just go inside the clan compound," Sasuke said, squirming away from Naruto. Naruto sat back on his heels, letting his friend crawl out of their little pile.
"Why not?" Naruto demanded.
"Because—you just can't!" Sasuke crossed his arms, scowling. "Outsiders aren't allowed inside the clan compound!"
Naruto crossed his arms back. "Says who?"
"Says—people don't have to! You just know!"
"My clan compound does not see many outsiders inside as well," Shino offered. "Why? Because it is not a good idea to let people we do not trust near our homes." He tugged on the hem of his sleeve, trying to keep his hive's buzzing down. Minako glanced at him, her head tilted. She scanned him from head to toe, before turning back to Sasuke.
"The guards said I just needed an invitation from a clan member to go inside," she pointed out, packing up their empty bento box. Shino hesitated, then stood up to help her pack up Sasuke's. "As soon as Itachi-san and Shisui-san picked me up, it was fine."
Naruto poked Sasuke in the arm. Sasuke hissed, rubbing the offended area. "You're a clan member. You can let us in!"
"Hn." If anything, Sasuke's scowl just grew. Turning away from Naruto, he pointedly pushed Shino and Minako's hands away and finished packing up his own bento. His cheeks were puffed out, bright red. Shino backed away, dusting his hands off on his shorts. Minako settled on her heels, bouncing a little as she watched Sasuke.
"Hey!" Naruto scrambled around to face Sasuke, forcing Sasuke to at least have him in his field of vision. "Don't ignore me!"
"Leave me alone, idiot! No means no!" Sasuke shoved Naruto away, sending the boy on his back with a yelp.
It would have probably devolved into another wrestling match if Minako hadn't spoken up.
"Well, if you don't want us to, then I guess you don't have to." Shino shot her a wary glance. Minako's tone had changed; still light and casual, but with a bit more weight to it that Shino…recognized. She winked at him, before schooling her face. "I mean, if my training grounds weren't as good as I said they were, I'd be scared of showing them off too."
It took Sasuke a second to understand. "What?" he cried, leaping to his feet.
Naruto caught on quickly. Whenever one twin took the lead, the other was never far behind, in mischief and in perceptiveness. "Yeah! No way you've got a part of the forest for your training area! I bet it's just a teeny park or something." He huffed, crossing his arms.
"We do so have a forest! It's big enough to fit forty clan members training, all at the same time!" Sasuke turned on Minako, the one who started all this. "You were there, you tell him!"
Minako spread her hands. "It was dark, and I mostly kept my eyes closed when Shisui-san brought me home." She shrugged, a frown overtaking her face for a moment before it cleared. "For all I know, there is no Uchiha forest."
"There is too!" Sasuke stomped his foot, seething.
Naruto grinned, his chest puffing out. "Prove it."
Sasuke looked between them, his frustration obvious to even Shino. Sasuke wasn't stupid; he knew he was being played. Now it was a war between his clan customs and his pride.
Their eyes met. Shino looked away, unable to do anything but shuffle in place. He was reluctant to enter the fight, as he had nothing to offer. It's not like he's ever seen the inside of the Uchiha compound. And the Aburame had their own reasons for being picky about who they let into theirs.
"I bet your nii-san would think you're really cool, getting so good at throwing kunai that you're helping me and Minako out," Naruto said.
Sasuke's gaze snapped to him, and Shino knew the boy had lost. Minako's smile flared, mirroring Naruto's toothy grin. Shino shook his head, hiding a small smile of his own behind the high collar of his jacket. The two never looked more alike than when they pulled off something together.
"Fine. But you better not wreck anything!" Sasuke crossed his arms, scowling. Shino could tell by how the twins' grins widened—Sasuke wasn't fooling anyone.
"Great! Now we have a play date!" Minako hefted her bento box under her arm, and nudged Shino with her free one. Shino blinked, turning to her in surprise.
"Me too?" he asked. His hive stirred, buzzing to the melody of Excitement.
"Of course!" Minako scoffed, and bumped him, shoulder to shoulder. Used to her antics, his side facing her was as clear of any surface kikaichu as he could make it. This time, none got crushed. "It's because you're one of us too." Her words came out thoughtlessly, without hesitation or struggle. "Right, Sasuke?"
Sasuke's nose wrinkled. He tilted his head, squinting at Shino. "…Right."
Shino's cheeks hurt. He prodded them with a finger, and found them flushed with heat. He didn't know how Minako could tell he was beaming. His jacket and sunglasses covered most of his face. But she giggled anyway. Somehow, hive-less or not, Shino knew it was because she found joy in his joy.
"I must ask my parents," he said, Anxiety and Excitement rising and falling in counterpoint to each other under his skin. "Why? Because they will want to know before I enter another clan's compound."
"I'll ask too," Sasuke mumbled, hunching into his shoulders. Shino wasn't too worried. Sasuke had said he would take them, and Shino has yet to see the Uchiha go back on a promise. "Just so okaa-san knows."
"Why? You scared?" Naruto slumped against him, making them stumble. Sasuke growled.
"I'm not sneaking you into the compound!" he said, adamant.
"Naruto," Minako said at the same time. Catching her brother's attention, she nodded towards Sasuke's bento, still on the ground. A moment after, a sensei stepped out of the Academy building and rang a bell. Everyone glanced at the sensei and grimaced. No one was looking forward to going back inside on such a nice day. But if they didn't start moving, they were going to be late.
"Okay, okay." Naruto bent down to pick it up, only for Sasuke to shove him again and take it himself. "Oi!" He scrambled to his feet. "Don't push me!"
"You pushed me first!" Sasuke retorted over his shoulder, walking for the door.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
And there they went again. Shino watched them head for the doors, arguing, before turning to Minako. He didn't know what she saw on his mostly-hidden face, but it made her laugh.
"Guess we're going training together tomorrow." She brushed her bangs out of her face, then tilted her head back. She sighed, taking a moment to enjoy the sun. Then she opened her eyes, and grinned at Shino. "Exciting, huh?"
Shino looked at his feet, focusing on his hive. They still sang to Anxiety and Excitement both, but Excitement was definitely overwhelming the other. "Yes," he said, and tugged the neck of his jacket over his smile.
After class, Shino waved goodbye to Minako at the Academy doors and headed home. He found himself walking faster than usual, almost running. The thrill that's been tugging at him since lunchtime danced through his bones like lightning.
An invitation! An invitation, no matter how reluctantly given, to go over to a friend's house! He knew such a thing should not be taken lightly. Being invited inside the clan compounds was a sign of trust. Minako and Naruto had essentially nagged Sasuke to let them in… but Shino hadn't expected to be included too. That Sasuke trusted him so…
He bit his lip and ran past the compound gates, sparing a wave to the guards. They watched him go, hives humming to Confusion, then Amusement. Shino bit his lip, hoped his jacket hid his flushed face, and just tried to run faster.
He was young yet, so he had little control over his hive. It meant that every house he passed on the way to his home could hear his hive singing his Excitement. A few of his clansmen stuck their head out their windows or turned to watch him pass by. Songs of Amusement and Affection hummed in his wake. There was also Exasperation and Happiness as a thrumming undertone. By the time Shino made it home, his hive had switched to humming Embarrassment.
He stopped right outside his front door, and took a moment to smooth his jacket down and try to quiet his hive. He took a deep breath, and walked in.
"I'm home," he called out, kicking off his shoes. Just outside the genkan was a coat hanger, holding up a large, gray coat, and a slightly smaller brown one. Shino shed his jacket and hung it up. So Okaa-san and Otou-san were home?
"Welcome back," his mother replied, from out of sight. Shino tilted his head, listening. He could hear her hive in that tingling spot at the base of his skull, where he would always hear the kikaichu's song. To his left… The kitchen?
She smiled at him as he rounded the corner. A white apron and rubber gloves shielded her shirt and pants from the open faucet. Shino had to stand on his toes to see the lettuce she was washing. Without her long coat to hide them from sight, her kikaichu were free to crawl out from under her ear, and over her legs and ankles. They avoided her wet arms.
Shino twitched as one of his own kikaichu crawled near his eye. He gathered chakra in his hand to lure it away from his face, like he'd been taught. "Shouldn't you be downstairs, okaa-san?" he asked, peeking over the table this time. Ooh… sandwiches. His mother nodded her permission. He grabbed a piece and bit down. Jam! He began to eat faster. Kikaichu crawled out of his wrist and elbow holes. One poked his sandwich from the safety of his little finger. The others crawled under his shirt or landed on the table, exploring his surroundings.
"Everyone was talking about Shino-chan, so I came to see what the fuss was all about," Okaa-san said cheerfully. Shino's cheeks pinked behind his sandwich. He could hear his mother's laughter in her kikaichu's song.
Taking pity on him, she took off her gloves and apron and hung them up. "Come." She dried her hands, patting down the more sensitive skin around the holes near her wrists. "Let's bring these sandwiches to your hard-working otou-san, then you can tell us all about it."
"Okay," Shino said, cheering up a little. His father must have returned from the weekly meetings between the clan heads. Otou-san preferred to spend a few minutes of meditation afterwards, then headed back to work based on the conversation of the day. Sometimes he'd let Shino hang around his office, so long as Shino kept quiet and his buzzing to a minimum.
Shino always enjoyed those moments. He'd do his homework, or read a book. But mostly he'd watch his father shuffle through his work, and listen to the crinkling as pen moved over paper. His father's hive was quiet, much quieter than Shino could make his own yet. The humming would settle over his skin like a thin blanket, comforting with its presence.
His mother handed Shino the plate of sandwiches. He held it with care as they walked to the inner part of the house. They entered the miniature hall meant for hosting guests and formal meetings. Shino's feet rasped against the tatami, though his mother's never made a sound. Sunlight shone through the shoji doors on his left, casting an orange hue over the room.
At the end of the hall was a carved replica of a leafless tree, tall enough to reach his mother's knees. In front of the wooden ornament was a tray with a single stick of unlit incense. A decorative scroll hung upright on the wall behind both, depicting a single cherry blossom tree overlooking a valley.
Okaa-san lifted the wall hanging, revealing the plain wood behind it. She nudged the wall, pushing the whole panel of wood to reveal a revolving door. Shino stepped over the threshold and waited for his mother to follow.
He glanced above the hidden door. A deep violet beetle rested patiently on the lintel, with not even a twitch to give it away.
Genjutsu would only bring attention to the hive entrance, his father told him once. So the Shihari were bred to guard the entrance to the hive in every Aburame home, to attack anyone unmarked by kikaichu who tried to enter. Its death immediately after that would alert the hive, and the whole clan, of the intruder. Like a soldier bee, but deadlier than any wasp.
It always fascinated Shino, how kikaichu could be bred to almost any purpose. Maybe, one day, he'd be able to breed strains just as specialized as that of the Shihari.
The door shut without a sound, cutting out any light from the setting sun. Shino heard his mother sigh. He saw her take off her sunglasses as the moss on the walls began to glow a soft blue. Parts of it flickered, as kikaichu (both hosted and free) flitted and crawled over the walls, disappearing into the dark.
News traveled fast in the Aburame compound for a reason.
"Okaa-san," Shino called.
"Hmm?" She looked down at him and smiled. "Ah, forgive me, Shino-chan. Just a moment." She tucked her glasses into the pocket of her pants, then took his off for him. She poked his nose with it, before tucking it into the neck of his shirt. She laughed as Shino pouted. His hands were too full for him to poke back. "Come," she said. "Let's go find your otou-san."
They walked along the tunnel, skipping the parts where it branched out into Shino's room, his parents' room, and the tunnel that led to the rest of the hive. The ground was smooth and cool under Shino's bare feet. A bright light shone from his father's office. Shino glanced up at his mother, his hive's song changing to quiet Concern. If his father had turned on his lamp, then he must be very busy.
She ruffled his hair, singing Comfort.
"I'm home, otou-san," Shino said, walking into his father's office. His father looked up from his papers, blinking. His reading glasses flashed in the light.
"Welcome home, Shino." He accepted a sandwich with a nod of thanks. Shino reached up and placed the plate on a small table next to his father's desk. "I heard you got some good news today." His father's tone never changed, but the soft buzzing of his kikaichu shifted to Amusement.
Shino shuffled in place, his Embarrassment loud and clear. His mother's Amusement rose to join his father's, her laughter as the counterpoint. "It's alright, Shino-chan." She sat down on the small couch pushed up against the wall and drew him close. "Now tell us. What happened to make you so excited you ran all the way home?"
Shino stilled any instinct to fidget, wary of crushing a stray insect on his mother's lap. He bit his lip, then spoke. "My friends invited me to train together." He couldn't quite keep the glee out of his voice.
His mother's Amusement changed pitch, rising to Joy. She leaned over him, her teeth flashing in the lamplight. "Do you mean Minako-chan?"
"Yes, and Naruto-san and Sasuke-san." Her Joy sparked his. He smiled up at his mother, letting his song ring loud in the safety of his own home. "We're going to train together and help each other with schoolwork. Minako-san said…" He tried to remember her words. "We're good at different things, so we can help each other improve at what the other isn't good at."
"Very logical," his father said. His approval made Shino beam.
He nodded vigorously. "That's what I thought!"
His mother ruffled his hair. "Not even a month in school and making friends already. I told you, you had nothing to worry about."
Shino flushed at the reminder. He'd grown up listening to cousin Shima complaining about her guard team and how they refused to listen to her. The adults would always nod and smile in response. But even Aunt Sen would talk about how her old genin team would get into fights over misunderstandings. Information that Shino could just send via insects, pheromones, and chakra went unnoticed with non-clan children. Or worse.
Shino learned very quickly to keep his kikaichu to himself.
The closer the Academy had neared, the more nervous Shino felt. He searched through the books he could read, and listened in on conversations, trying to learn more words. He didn't want to run out while trying to explain himself. He saw that on TV once, when a kunoichi stammered as she tried to talk to the daimyo's son. It scared him enough to send him scrambling for a dictionary.
His mother had caught him at the height of his panic, practicing in front of a mirror. He must have rehearsed introducing himself a dozen times at that point. He'd stared up at his mother in the bathroom door, stammered, and found that the words to explain would not come to his lips. Tears sprung to his eyes. What use were words if he couldn't say them?
Okaa-san had fallen to her knees and pulled him close, much like how she held him now. "How did you know?" Shino asked, looking up at her. "You were so sure I'd find good friends. How did you know?"
She grinned, and tapped her nose. Her hive whispered Mischief. "A mother always knows, Shino-chan."
"Where do you plan on training?" Shino's father spoke up. He lifted his glasses, rubbing the corner connecting his eyebrow and nose. "Has the Academy started opening its training grounds to students outside of class?"
Shino shook his head. "Sasuke-san invited us to train with him on his clan grounds."
His father stilled. Shino glanced at him, then at his mother's crestfallen face. "…What is it?" he asked, Anxiety humming through his bones. His father's hive had gone silent, and his mother had changed her song back to Comfort. His parents shared a look. He could hear kikaichu flying between them, but couldn't tell what they were sharing. He clenched his fists. He hated it when his parents talked over his head like this. "What's wrong?"
His father sighed. He lifted his chair and turned it to face Shino. "I'm sorry Shino," he said, clasping his hands together and leaning forward. "But I cannot let you go."
"Why not?" Dismay made Shino's voice rise. It sounded like a whine. It was embarrassing. He simmered into silence, his song the only thing he couldn't control. Confusion and Anxiety buzzed.
Shino's parents glanced at each other again. Shino could see the unhappiness in his mother's face, even if her kikaichu kept humming Comfort. She held his hands, enclosing him in a loose embrace from behind. "Are you sure?" she asked his father.
His father shook his head, rubbing that spot above his eye again. Kikaichu buzzed. Okaa-san covered her lips. Her gasp escaped anyway. "It's gotten that bad?"
"What has?" Shino's grip tightened on his mother's hand. She rubbed her thumb over his fingers, trying to soothe him. When she didn't answer, he turned to his father, pleading. "Otou-san."
His father took a deep breath, then looked at him. His expression was solemn. "Shino." Shino's back straightened at his tone. "Remember when I told you about your duty as clan heir?"
Shino bit his lip. "You told me to take care with what I do, because it reflects on the clan more than anyone else." It took no effort to remember these words. His father had told him again and again, and he'd told it to himself when his father didn't. Sometimes it felt like it haunted him in his sleep. Despair welled up inside him as he put it together. He asked anyway, in a silent plea that his father would answer no. "Is this one of those times?"
Otou-san reached out and placed his hand on Shino's knee. "Yes."
Okaa-san's Comfort grew louder, as if her kikaichu were trying to embrace him as well through sheer volume.
Shino kept his eyes on his father's hand, wrestling with his feelings. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to give up. His chest burned. His friends. His friends had invited him, and now they were going without him because his father had said no.
"Why?" he asked at last.
His father withdrew his hand. "There is conflict within the council at the moment," he said, his words gentle but firm. "If our clan heir enters the Uchiha compound in this time, it will be taken as a sign of trust and support. Even if it isn't your intention."
Shino shrank into himself. "Sasuke-san trusted me enough to invite me," he said. His hive would not stop buzzing his distress.
"Sasuke-kun has that freedom precisely because he is not his clan's heir." His father ran a hand over Shino's hair. "As clan heir, your actions represent the clan to some degree. The older you get, the truer this is." He hesitated, then added, "I'm sorry, Shino."
And he did sound sorry. But sorry didn't change the fact that he had said no. Otou-san turned back to his work, signaling the end of the conversation.
"Shino-chan," his mother said. He looked up. The corners of her lips were turned downward. Her brow was wrinkled. She rubbed his hands again, soft caresses that helped Shino relax, even just a little.
"It's okay, okaa-san. I understand." It hurt. He sank into his mother's embrace, unable to smoothen the frown on his own face. He wished he wasn't clan heir, but not really. If he could not be clan heir and still be his parents' son, then maybe, he'd be happy. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard then.
But he was who he was, and so the responsibility was his.
"What's on your mind, Shino-chan?" his mother asked, nudging him gently. His father's hive hummed. But when Shino looked up, he was busy poring over his papers.
Shino twisted around, so he could meet his mother's gaze. "Do you think Minako-san and the others will be mad that I can't go?" he asked. His song dipped into the low thrum of Fear.
Okaa-san brushed the hair from his face, then cupped his cheek. "True friends don't get mad over things like that."
Shino thought it over, then nodded. It made sense, in a way. But he'd always thought he was lucky to find someone like Minako, who just took his silence and his explanations at face value. She didn't mind explaining things back. If Minako wasn't his true friend… Would he be able to find someone else like that?
Okaa-san gifted him with a small smile, before drawing him close again. He listened to the humming under her skin, and the beat of her heart in his ear.
He hoped his mother was right.
He did his best to focus in class. He was too distressed to control his kikaichu properly, to the point that even his civilian seatmate could hear the buzzing. Shino could tell from the way she edged her seat away from him. The more he tried to quiet his hive, the noisier they got, so he just gave up and waited for the clock to tick towards lunch.
He found Minako, Sasuke, and Naruto already seated under their tree by the time he gathered the courage to leave the building. To his surprise, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chouji were there as well. Naruto was on his feet, waving his arms as he spoke.
Minako glanced up as Shino approached, then looked down, biting her lip. Shino's hive felt ready to to crawl out of his skin with their buzzing. What would she say now that he couldn't go?
He forced himself to walk over to them.
"—gonna show them how cool we are—Hey!" Naruto whipped around and pointed at Shino. "You're late!"
Shino adjusted his sunglasses, then shoved his hands into his jacket. Late? To what? Lunch? "I am not. Why? We have not set a time to meet at this place, so I am not required to be here at a specific time."
Naruto scrunched up his nose, then turned to his go-to translator. Minako scrunched her face back at her brother. "He can't be late if you never gave him a time to be here in the first place," she explained.
"Oh." Naruto floundered. "W-well, now you gotta be here when lunch break starts! It's in the rules!" He pointed at Shino again, nodding decisively.
"Said who?" Sasuke asked. He leaned back on his arms, giving Naruto a disbelieving look.
"Said me, dattebayo!" Naruto jabbed his thumb at himself.
"Who made you boss?" Kiba demanded, rising to his feet. The puppy on his head barked in challenge.
Shino took one look at the Inuzuka and Uzumaki raring to go and stepped towards Minako. Better to deliver the news to her, than to those who would make a scene. He stopped beside her and tried not to shuffle. Off to her left, Chouji sat, nibbling on some jerky. Beside him lay Shikamaru.
"Heya, Shino," Chouji said, waving. Shino returned his greeting with a nod.
Shikamaru cracked open one eye. He looked Shino over, before turning over and going back to his nap.
That meant disinterest, didn't it? Shino took the implied privacy and spoke up before he could chicken out. "Minako-san." She looked up. "I cannot train with you in the Uchiha compound." He tugged at a stray thread in his pocket. "Why? Because my father will not let me go."
She didn't look surprised. If anything, her frown grew. She stared at the ground, her long ponytail shielding her face from sight. "Okay."
Shino's heart dropped into his stomach. "You are angry."
She shook her head, red hair whipping. "No. It's fine. I understand. You gotta do what your dad says, right?" She brushed her hair back and smiled at him. It was nothing like his mother's wide smile, nor was it anywhere near Minako's usual secretive ones. She turned back to studying the ground.
Shino knew something was off, but not what. And he wasn't sure if he should press. If he asked, would she get angrier? Unable to choose, he sank to the tree roots instead. Maybe silence would be better. He couldn't force Minako to explain if she didn't want to.
His feet scraped against the earth as he sat down. Minako jerked, turning to face him. "You're staying?" she asked. Wide eyes… surprise?
Shino froze. "Do you… not want me to?" His kikaichu sang his Fear.
"No, I do!" Minako blurted. She still looked surprised, but she hadn't hesitated. She wasn't lying.
Shino relaxed. "Then I am." Minako looked so relieved it melted Shino's nerves away. He settled into his seat.
"But won't your dad be mad?" she asked.
Shino tilted his head, baffled. "Why would he be?"
Minako brushed her bangs back. She was frowning again, but it was more like her frown when she was puzzling over something. Confusion, then. "I thought he didn't want you to play with us anymore?"
Shino hadn't said that. Right? "Maybe you misheard," he suggested, playing with the hem of his sleeve. "Why? He said nothing of the sort. It's the Uchiha compounds I'm not allowed to enter. That's all."
Color flooded Minako's cheeks. Her jaw dropped, her lips forming a small "Oh." Shino watched as the 'o' slowly widened, until her smile was brighter than any other Shino had yet to see. "That's—that's great! My bad." She laughed and leapt up, arms wide.
Shino flinched before she could slam into him with a hug. Minako stopped, leaning forward at an awkward angle. "Oh!" She drew back. "Sorry, do you not like hugs?"
"No." He rushed to correct her. "I simply prefer to be warned before you do. Why? I must ensure my kikaichu are not on me, so none will be crushed." Last time, she had slumped on him with a sigh of relief, crushing eight. He couldn't breed his insects as fast as an adult yet, so his hive was still recovering from that.
Understanding dawned. Minako sighed, ending it with a small laugh. "Oh okay. Sorry! I'm glad it wasn't anything serious." She slowed her approach, holding out her arms. She waited for Shino to close the distance, before enveloping him in a careful embrace.
He patted her elbow. His kikaichu calmed as he did, their song slowing to gentle Joy and Relief.
"It's too bad your dad won't let you go," she said, pulling back. "We've been planning what to practice first and—"
"Wait, Shino can't go?"
Shino jumped. He hadn't noticed Naruto and Kiba near. Naruto grabbed his water bottle from his sister, but his attention was on Shino. "Why not? Even Kiba and Shikamaru won't go!"
Sasuke had invited the others as well? Shino glanced at Sasuke. The Uchiha joined them at the tree, dusting off his knees. "It was Minako's idea," he grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I don't think I'll be allowed to go either," Chouji admitted. The plastic bag where his jerky used to be crackled as he crumpled it into a ball. He stuffed the end result into his pocket.
"Whaaat?" Naruto whirled on him. "What are you, chicken or something?"
"Of course he wasn't allowed to go, idiot." Kiba scoffed. "Everyone knows the Uchiha are in big trouble right now." Akamaru yipped. The dog nosed his owner's head, then began chewing on his hair. "Ow! Hey—Akamaru!" Kiba pulled his dog off, wincing in pain.
Kiba's comment didn't escape Sasuke. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded, whirling on the boy and his dog.
To Shino's surprise, it's Shikamaru who replied. The boy didn't move from his position, other than to roll over onto his back. "Tou-san says the Uchiha are making a lot of unreasonable demands," he said offhandedly. "He says that your father stirs up trouble every meeting."
Sasuke bristled. "Yeah well my otou-san said it's you being unreason-bull!" Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the stutter, which only incensed Sasuke further. "Our clan works even harder than yours, and we're the ones not getting acknowledged!"
Shikamaru's expression flattened. "Of course he'd say that."
Naruto glanced between the two. He wasn't so dense as to miss the sudden tension in the air. Chouji was frozen in place, too scared to finish opening his next bag of chips. Kiba smirked, putting his arms behind his head. "Fight, fight, fight!" he chanted.
"Kiba-san," Shino said, his hands tightening on his knees. Kiba snorted, but stopped. No one else paid attention to them.
Sasuke, used to Naruto's more straightforward style of confrontation, had no outlet in the face of Shikamaru's impassivity. At this point, his face was so red Shino could imagine him steaming from the heat. Sasuke wasn't able to compete on the level Shikamaru brought his fights. So he did what any ninja would do—he tried to drag Shikamaru to his.
"Everyone knows the Nara are lazy," Sasuke snapped. "Your dad's just stupid!"
Shikamaru sat up. It was the first time Shino saw that dark a glare on the otherwise quiet boy. "My tou-san knows more than your father ever will," he said. He never raised his voice. Somehow, that did more than Sasuke's yelling did. "Your father's the one who's so focused on his own pride that he demands more than what other clans get like it's his right!"
"My otou-san is protecting my clan's pride!" Sasuke stepped forward, his hands clenched into fists. Shikamaru rose to his feet, staring him down. Sasuke didn't falter. He kept going, saying, "Your dad and the other clans won't listen! You're the ones who want to bring the Uchiha down so you can—"
"Stop!"
The cry jolted Shino out of his frozen state. He moved his fingers, suddenly aware of the tension in his back and shoulders. His hive's buzzing filled his ears.
Shikamaru and Sasuke faced off in front of him. Minako planted herself between them, arms open wide. Chouji stood close to Shikamaru, just a little ways behind him. His eyes were wide open, flitting nervously between Shikamaru and Sasuke. Naruto was the same, only he stood at Sasuke's side, chewing on his cheek.
"No government in school!" Minako blurted.
Everyone stared at her. It was enough to break the tense atmosphere, if not clear it. Shino glanced between his friends. (They were all friends… right? Right?) He could see the line drawn on the sand, separating the two pairs. Only Kiba stood separate, eager to see a fight.
No one seemed to know what to say, or was willing to speak. So Shino swallowed, and said, "Did you mean clan business?"
It seemed to break whatever had frozen them in place. Shikamaru grunted and crossed his arms. "Politics," he corrected.
Chouji sighed, and immediately opened his bag of chips. He stuffed an entire handful into his mouth with a loud, relieved, crunch. Naruto had relaxed as well, his bright eyes on his sister. If Minako was on it, then Minako had it handled.
Minako didn't move. "Right," she said. She kept her eyes on Shikamaru, her back to Sasuke. "New rule: no politics on the playground!"
"He called my otou-san incompetent!" Sasuke yelled.
"You called my tou-san stupid," Shikamaru retorted.
"Let it go!" The fearful look on Minako's face was slowly morphing to anger. She glared over her shoulder, making sure to include Sasuke. "I mean it! Let the adults figure out their own problems!"
"Troublesome." Shikamaru shoved his hands into his pockets. He almost spat the word out, instead of his usual drawl. Chouji shuffled closer. He chewed through chips so fast that he barely gave himself space to breathe. But Shikamaru's shoulders lowered slightly at Chouji's touch.
"Hn." Sasuke crossed his arms and turned his back on Shikamaru. Shikamaru sneered.
"Man. And just when it was getting good too," Kiba complained. Minako and Shino turned to him. He blanched, almost choking on his own tongue. Akamaru whimpered and crawled under his hood. Only his snout was left sticking out.
Of course, this was the moment Naruto exploded. Shino was surprised that it took him this long to speak up. "Seriously, why don't your dads just talk to each other?" he cried. His frustration burst out of him like sparks on the ground as he hopped from one foot to the other. "If Sasuke's dad knew what Shikamaru's dad knew, and Shikamaru's dad knew what Sasuke's dad knew, then it'll be alright, right?"
Kiba rolled his eyes. He pretended to act casual, his hands in his jacket pockets, but his gaze went everywhere except Minako and Shino. "They already talk in the council, Naruto."
Naruto just stomped his foot, scowling. "Then do it properly!"
The bell rang. Minako spared her brother a fond look. Sasuke ignored them, just snatched up his bento and tramped off on his own. Naruto was still muttering under his breath about how he talked to Minako and they always sorted things out. The rest of them packed up their things in silence.
They were halfway to the door when Minako spoke up. "Well, we're still going to Sasuke's house," she declared, her eyes on Shikamaru.
All he did was shrug. "Suit yourself."
Shino couldn't read his expression. He shared a glance with Chouji, who seemed to mirror his distress. Their group had never had a fight like this before. Hopefully things would smooth over after a while. They would, right? It's what friends do. Right?
A/N:
edited: 01/15/2020
I promised politics, and we're getting politics! It's fun showing it through how it affects the children. Much more interesting than 7k words of adults arguing. We'll get enough of that later.
Aburame communicating through their kikaichu's songs was inspired by Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight series! And the Aburame living underground was adapted from One Eye, Full of Wisdom with permission. When MrBright01 wrote the Aburame's hives, I couldn't believe no one ever thought of it before. It made complete sense — sunglasses to shield sensitive eyes; completely covering oneself up to protect pale skin. Hiding the kikaichu holes are already a given, but it really added to the worldbuilding, so I joyfully adopted the idea into my own headcanon.
Shihari literally means Death Stinger. I got practice naming things with kanji from Bleach (die, new zanpakuto names, die,). I didn't have to put effort into this name at least.
Yes, I just explained away Shino's verbal tic. And yes, I did it by giving our dear baby Shino social anxiety. So sorry bby, I wouldn't wish it on anyone. But I like how it gives him more character, instead of making "talks like a robot" a quirk to distinguish him. A writing crutch a major character doesn't deserve. To be fair, he wasn't exactly a major character when he was introduced.
I kinda hate this chapter, coz I struggled so much to keep the narration in Shino's voice, which in turn was difficult because he's a lot more advanced, vocabulary-wise, than Naruto or Minako. So I had to balance kid thinking with his more logical and formal language. Relative to the kiddie perspectives we've had so far, at least.
Thanks for your support, sorry for the long A/N, and please R&R!
