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EUTRIV A SI ECNEITAP
Shino looked about the dim room. Pakin Tlip had taken Hanna to a medic hours ago and he still had no word of her condition. Donym had come to him and had advised him afterwards to leave if he wasn't going to stay and help. Shino had absolutely refused to depart until he was positive Hanna would be alright.
Soon after, a kind young family had taken Shino home with them to feed him, let him bathe and rest. He found out later, in a conversation with the parents, that they were in fact younger than he. Most of the couples in the village were given arranged marriages when they were young in order to increase the dying population.
He sat at the low table drinking tea and let his large, spiky afro dry from his bath. Behind his sunglasses, he watched as the couple's little children chased a fly around the room, until their father, Jin, scolded them and pulled their son into his embrace.
The wife, who had introduced herself as Saki, handed him some soup as she sat down,
"So, you are from Konoha. Tell us what it is like there." she said, pulling her small daughter onto her lap.
"It is... more... dry there… and… there more people." He said simply and took a sip of tea.
Jin laughed,
"So are you going to stay for awhile and help rebuild here? I'm sure Konoha wouldn't miss one Chunin like yourself. I'm sure there's tons more-- you even have your own nin academy there still, ne?"
Shino only grunted and sipped his tea.
Saki ran her fingers through her daughter's tangled hair, "Well, I for one think--"
"Aburame Shino." The five's attention snapped to the door, where Hsuo Donym stood with her arms crossed and a scowl on her old face, "You come with me. Now."
Shino rose to his feet and obediently followed the woman outside.
Hsuo Donym handed him a loaded backpack and pointed to the trees outlining the city, "You can leave now. Mori-sama is fine condition."
Shino stood still, "Ever since I came, you've been trying to make me leave. Why?"
The old woman turned her eyes to the sky. A cold breeze blew through the streets and dark clouds began to blow in with the promise of rain... and perhaps even a storm,
"She's far too… too attached to you. If you will not stay to help, you must leave now… or…" The woman sighed and rubbed her forehead, "Or… I am afraid that… she'll leave with you."
Shino chuckled dryly,
"Is that what this is all about? I am… I am only her escort. I am just her escort… not her love. Besides, she's only here to deliver the plans to rebuild the community, right? Why are you so afraid of her leaving?"
The old woman looked toward the ground, "Aburame Shino... you do not understand... Mori-sama will stay here forever."
The beetles in the young man's stomach skittered down to his feet and made him feel sick,
"Does Hanna-cha-- Mori-sama, I mean-- know this?"
"Yes."
?REHTEGOT EB REVE EW LLIW
Hanna tried to jump to her feet, only remembering her hurt foot and sunk back down into the old plush chair,
"I-- I don't understand… I thought that you would choose someone else to execute my plans-- someone older-- wiser-- I…"
"Miss Hanna Mori-sama, we believe it would be best for someone young like you to lead us. We will find a nice young man for you and in a few short years, you'll have some children and…"
Hanna blinked,
"M-Married!? Children!? With a man I barely know!? But-- but, I'm far too young… besides! What about Shino!?"
"What about him, dearie?"
"Where is he!? I must speak to him immediately!"
The old woman folded her hands and sadly averted her eyes,
"Dear, Donym is telling him… as we speak… to leave. He will be gone within moments."
Hanna's heart dropped as she felt tears well up in her eyes and became choked up,
"But-- But I thought he would-- I thought he would stay to say goodbye!"
Old woman Pakin shook her head slowly,
"No, dear."
Hanna put her face in her hands and began to cry quietly. The old woman smiled knowledgeably,
"I'll leave you be for a while. I'll come back later, and then we'll talk, dear." With that, the woman left the room.
The first clap of thunder that signaled an oncoming storm shook the room. Hanna looked up from her hands. She knew that she would be asked to stay indefinitely. She had planned for it, packed for it. But when it came down to it… Could she handle it? She was overwhelmed when she saw the place-- such despair, such need! She had planned, but… but the job was so big! She just wanted…
What did she want? She sat in the silence for a few moments. She didn't want to be alone. She didn't want to fail. She didn't want Shino to leave.
Shino. It came like a blow to her heart. Shino.
What had she felt-- what had gone on-- or almost happened-- between them? Hadn't they-- hadn't they almost--
She lifted her fingers to her lips. Had they almost kissed? Her heart fluttered as she conjured up the courage to even think the word.
But had he almost k-k-kissed her? If he had… why would he leave? She rubbed her forehead. It was all terribly confusing. She sighed to herself. It wasn't like this hadn't happened before.
She thought a man actually could love her, she thought that he did like her… but in the end… he had never seen anything in her. She felt so-- so ashamed. Had there really have been anything between she and Shino? It was probably only her imagination… as it had always been.
But-- but he had been so caring, so sweet… yet so shy… almost as if he had never acted that way before… He had been so quiet, so silent in the beginning but… he had flourished… his words were kind and eloquent, his voice kind and smooth… always encouraging…
"I believe in you, even when you don't believe in yourself." another wave of tears came as she pictured him in her mind. He was so handsome-- in a pale, buggy, afro-freak kind of way.
It was so much like a dream, Hanna thought. But, in the final moments, it would end as a nightmare. What irony.
Or should I say, what dramatic irony.
Suddenly, she felt so shut in, so claustrophobic; almost sick to herself. She needed some air-- even if it was storming outside. She carefully hobbled over to the window with her new makeshift crutch and limped over to the old, dust-covered pane.
She heaved with all her strength and the window finally opened with a loud crack. The afternoon breeze blew through her office and she sighed a breath of relief.
And for some reason, also unknown to her, she began to cry... and she began to sing. The song that her mother had sang to her so long ago twittered from her lips,
"B-be at peace… be at p-peace… fear no more… let the M-Mist take your fears…you will be sa-safe… hide in the Mist… She will p-p-protect you in your darkest hour… do not fear… do not fear… there will be n-no more tears… be calm, be c-calm my ch-child. The mist will dry your t-t-tears… you will be safe… let the M-Mist take your f-fears…"
STIAW EVOL EURT
"Just do us all a favour and leave… it will, in the long run, be better for Mori-sama." Donym said sternly.
Shino nodded slowly,
"Yes. I suppose it is better this way." He made a slight bow to the elderly woman and turned toward the forest, "If it's truly better for Mori-sama... I will go. Goodbye, Donym-san."
Shino began to walk and didn't dare look back. He felt a rain drop on his face and soon, from under an overhang, he was watching a full blown storm.
He emptily watched the pouring rain and reflected on the past few of days.
Hanna had begun as a stranger-- a client. But soon… soon she was something… something… She was so caring; always smiling. And although it was apparent that she wasn't perfect, he felt so attached; as he had never felt before. In a few long days… she had become…
Everything.
He had grown so fond of her that he had all but forgotten what was in Konoha for him… but… what was there is Konoha for him? A small dorm-like apartment, lectures, training, and the Aburame clan…
The accursed Aburame clan… those imbeciles who dared run his life-- dared to tell him what he could and couldn't do all these years. Surely if he returned to them, things would go on as usual… and eventually, he would be told what he could or couldn't be… who he could be… who he would marry… how many children he would have… how he would die.
Back there; back in that life, there was really nothing for him. Why… why had he been so attached? Comrades, events, yes. He was also very nationalistic. But… here…--he looked around-- here was where a beautiful woman-- inside and out-- was giving her life to.
He looked up, over the rooftops and spotted the old Kage tower.
With dragging, reluctant footsteps, he made his way through the drenching rain to the tower, toward the exit of the Mist. As he approached the tall, cylinder-shaped Kage Tower he paused. Someone inside was singing. He finally spotted where-- the top floor; it had the only open window in the entire building.
Such a sweet, sad melody. He could vaguely recall the words and as he listened intently to the song, he barely noticed the sun as it broke through the clouds.
"Be at p-peace… be at peace… f-f-fear no more… let-- let the Mist take your fears…you will be safe… hide in the M-Mist… She will p-protect you in your d-dar-darkest hour… do not f-fear… do not fear… th-there will be no more t-t-tears… be calm, be calm my child. The Mist will d-dry your tears… you will be sa-safe… let the M-Mist take your fears…"
He knew those words-- he knew that voice-- although, shaky,
"Just like a bird…" he breathed as the song began all over again.
"Hey." Shino turned and found Pakin embroidering a hanky in a rocker on the other side of the street. He grunted a greeting and looked back up longingly at the window.
"You know," the old woman said as she rocked back and forth, "You have a mission to fulfil."
Shino raised an eyebrow,
"But, Ma'am… my mission is complete… Han-- Mori-sama, I mean-- is safely here in the Hidden Mist… that is what I was assigned to accomplish."
The old woman chuckled softly,
"Not the mission of Konoha, a man's mission."
"A… a man's mission?" Shino asked as he crossed his arms.
"A man's mission," she leaned back into her rocking chair, "Is a once in a lifetime opportunity. A man's mission to love and be love." Shino said nothing and gazed down at his sandals.
"You love her, don't you?" Shino's gaze snapped up to the old woman.
"I-- I--" never before had his cheeks reddened so or the bugs in his stomach danced before.
Love? Could he--? Could he love her?
"You love her, yes?"
Shino felt tears come to his dark eyes,
"Yes."
Pakin smiled,
"Then, doll, don't pass her up. Love her like she deserves."
Shino swallowed. Yes, yes… the woman was right…
A man's mission.
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Don't worry, I'll try and get the next (and last) chapter out soon.
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Thank you!
Mysteria Pearl