ShinoXHinata fanfic
All the characters belong to (c) Masashi Kishimoto
Ages: Hinata- 16; Neji- 17; Shino- 16
A/N This is more of a mission to see if I'll ever get this story rolling, I do enjoy the idea, but I can't connect one thing with another...
"Hinata, you're late."
"I'm sorry!" She was flustered. She couldn't remember the last time she was late. It had to be a year ago when they all were still Chuunins. She had grown up so much from then. Back when she was still fainting whenever she saw Naruto pass her by.
She also noticed she had developed strong feelings for her old team. Kiba and Shino were like the family she never had. They cared and looked out for her. Kiba had finally moved on, after discovering he really just cared for Hinata in the sister sense. Hinata was relieved and the tension had vanished from their group. But she couldn't help but fall for Shino, he was always there for her, but she wanted more for some reason. Her sister suggested that perhaps she was just wanting his attention because Kiba stopped looking for hers? But Hinata knew that wasn't true.
Coming back to reality, Hinata questioned, "Where's Kiba?" looking around the field wondering where he was at.
"Kiba and Akamaru are sick, the Inuzuka clan has some dog flu." Shino replied, watching Hinata think.
"What did you want to go over, today?" Hinata asked, getting ready to train. "More Tracking?"
"I was thinking we could practice finding my family's summon bug. He's a tricky one to track." Shino offered. He produced a scroll from his pocket.
Hinata nodded and watch Shino bite his thumb and drag it along a scroll. Out poofed the giant destruction beetle and Hinata gasped.
Shino looked at her, worried she was afraid of the bug, but the though vanished when she saw her run up to the bug and hug it.
"It's Neji-kun!"
Shino was silent, wondering how Hinata remembered the bug so well from her childhood, but not that day they spent together? It just showed she'd never think of him that way.
Hinata then remembered, it was like it was always in the back of her mind but she just never revisited the though. Shino. She met him when we was little girl, that day she had her first and last kiss from her long time crush Naruto. She blushed a deep red. "I can't believe that this bug was actually real, I thought I dreamed up that day..."
Shino felt awkward, but moved on. He could not be as reckless as he was when he was four years old. He would not be so irrational.
"Shall we search for the summon kikaichu?" Just like when we were kids, Shino added in his own mind.
Hinata nodded in approval and released the bug. The bug chirped and cockly spoke to Shino.
"My, my, found your princess little boy?" He flew in the open stretching his wings and insect appendages.
Shino responded to the bug so that Hinata would not hear, "I don't wish to speak of the subject. Go fly off and hide yourself. We are training to find you."
"Oh, you're no fun Shino..." The bug taunted and took off to the perfect hiding place.
Shino nodded to Hinata and they waited a few seconds for the bug to get going and then they begun the search. Hours passed and there was little evidence to even say they were searching in the right direction.
Hinata sighed, "He's a tough one to find."
Shino gave a nod in agreement. And they continued well into the late noon hours.
Finally, Hinata caught something. She took off in the direction of the movement, it was just like the kikaichu bug to taunt them and come back to where they were. Shino followed Hinata closely as he discovered the bug's location as well.
Soon they found themselves just outside the Hyuuga Complex.
"Clever bug." Shino heard himself say out loud, knowing that the bug was setting him up.
"It seems he missed the chakra regeneration plants," Hinata mentioned finding the bug on one of her plants leaves. She had been tending the garden for a long time, making tons of healing ointments from it over the years.
Shino nodded and retrieved the scroll to return the bug, but Hinata's hand stopped him, "Wait, how about we let him out for a while. We can have some lunch in the garden. You can let your bugs run out too if you want..." Hinata stumbled out quickly, hoping and somewhat knowing Shino would say yes.
He hardly refused her such simple things.
Shino and Hinata talked quietly while they ate their homemade lunch. Neji-kun buzzed around trying all the plants in the Hinata's garden. They quickly found themselves on the topic of the oversized destruction bug.
"Well 12 years ago I thought anything small was cute, and that kind of helped later on in my life so I wasn't so creeped out by bugs."
"Hn."
"But, it's really only the cute bugs that I can handle crawling on me...if I see something huge and furry and millions of eyes crawling on me, I probably would pass out." Hinata laughed.
Shino chuckled lightly. She was setting him straight that just because she was okay with some bugs didn't mean she was a bug lover like himself. He felt a bit sad but ignored the clench in his stomach.
"oh, sorry, Shino...I didn't mean to say you creep me out. I was jus-"
He held his hand and shook his head, "I think nothing of it."
They smiled together, enjoying one another's company, though Shino's smile was hidden in his thick jacket. The sun shined brightly on the two sitting on the soft grass in Hinata's mother's garden. Neji-kun landed silently on Hinata's lap and instantly she went to pet the large beetle. "You know, I really missed you Neji-kun."
"Yeah, you cried a whole week when the damn bug didn't come back." A dark voice said from the shadows.
Shino watched her change from pale to red, liking the transformation very much. Hinata blushed madly, her face becoming a pretty cherry color. Shino then turned away from Hinata and looked to the new voice. "Hello Neji-san." He nodded his head and proceeded to stand, calling his wondering bugs back to him, they all seemed to enjoy the plants that helped chakra renewal.
Hinata stood and greeted her cousin, wondering why he would interrupt her on her 'free' day. She was confuse, showing rather than speaking with words the question.
Neji answered her silent question, "Hanabi is causing some trouble and the servants cannot retain her. She is going on about a 'bug freak' stealing her innocent sister." He gave a light glare towards Shino at the bug freak part.
"Oh! Neji-nii-san, please don't be so rude, even if you are repeating Hanabi's words." She quickly bowed to Shino, "Sorry, Shino-kun. Thank you for lunch."
"No, thank you Hinata. I'll be off then." Shino said, not quite understanding the glare. Remembering what an ass Neji could be, Shino decided to ignore the unfriendliness.
"Nii-san, can you escort Shino-kun to the gates?" Hinata asked, hoping Neji would agree.
He nodded his head and walked off to the exit as Shino went in step behind him.
Hinata was about to turn to find her sister when she realized she forgot to say good bye to Neji-kun.
"Wait, Neji-kun!" She shouted running back to Shino and Neji.
Neji stopped, a light blush tinting his cheeks, Neji-kun? She never called him that before, well except in those weird dreams. Stop thinking about that, he commanded himself. He turned around, fully composed ready to ask Hinata what she wanted, when he saw her kiss Shino's shoulder.
Shino himself was barely holding back the blush threatening his face, Hinata was so close to him, her body pressing lightly against his in a feather-like body kiss. He froze and then she leaned on to him more, like she was going to kiss him but instead kissed his shoulder. He then realized that she was kissing the oversized destruction beetle and felt a bit more tense.
Hinata backed away a light blush donning her cheeks and she waved good bye, and went off to find her sister.
The two teenage boys stood quietly, each berating themselves for getting so excited by Hinata's actions.
Neji did not like Shino. Shino did not like Neji-kun. Neji-kun was one damn lucky beetle.
The bug spoke to Shino in the language of insects, "You're jealous." The bug was chirping happily.
"I'm not." Shino swiftly replied to the insane bug. He kept pace behind Neji and spoke in the language of the insects and it was ever so quite even his own kikaichu bugs could not hear.
"You're jealous I was kissed by 'your' sun princess who has eyes like the moon." He emphasized the 'your' and the bugs voice was clearly taunting him. He was intentionally trying to pester Shino.
"It is useless to have such feelings like jealously." Shino calmly replied. He would not give in to emotions so easily. He was a ninja after all.
"The evil bug hater is jealous of you." The bug resorted to changing the topic, he was this wishing to cause trouble but Shino had grown out of the easily amazed boy he used to be. He now was so calm and collected.
"Neji?" Shino questioned, a bit confused but now of it showing in his voice or facial expressions. Of course his heavy jacket and glasses covered the latter.
"Hai. He looks ready to rip off your head." Shino glanced up, sensing Neji's killing aura, luckily his back was turned and he was walking towards the Hyuuga's main gates. Shino's chances of living were very likely, even with the killer's aura.
"He always looks like that, to anyone." Shino defended, trying to lessen the bug's story.
"Except the Sun princess, he looks ready to ravish her, if you know what I mean." The bug quickly got back to his goal and was working amazingly hard to upset Shino in any form or way.
"You spend too much time with my father." Shino stated and finally decided to ignore the bug.
The conversation ended as they reached the gates. Neji grunted a fare well and Shino was off. Neji watched the retreating back of the bug user. He was upset the boy was so close to Hinata, but reminded himself he was just a teammate. Then he realized how much he despised the bug on the boy's shoulder, the bug that shared his name. He blushed, remembering childhood memories with Hinata. The bug was her favorite. He was her best friend. But what was he now?
Meanwhile Hinata had finally caught up to her sister, who was in fact causing an uproar. "Hanabi!"
The small girl froze, her sister's words were not harsh like her father's but held that strength and disappointment in them none-the-less.
"N-nee-chan?" She stumbled, very unlike Hanabi.
"What are you doing?" Hinata demanded a small sigh escaping her lips. She was relieved that Hanabi wasn't causing the damage she had imagine she was.
"I was trying to notify everyone, like Neji-san told me, that a bug infestation had occurred, but no one would believe me...so I tried using force..." She trailed off mumbling her apologies to her beloved sister.
"Nii-san? He told you that we had a bug problem?"
"Hai, there was an ant infestation in Hanabi-sama's room. But we took care of it, but Hanabi-sama kept saying that you were in trouble." A servant replied.
It clicked. Neji had told Hanabi that her room had ants in it and that she couldn't go in. Hanabi interoperated it as, bugs equal danger and when she saw Hinata with her bug user teammate the alarms went off. She laughed. Everyone froze, they enjoyed hearing their heiress's laughter but they were confused why she was laughing now. Hinata grabbed her sister and hugged her.
"Hanabi, would you mind if I bring a guest on our date tomorrow?"
Hanabi's eyes lighted up like firecrackers. "Not at all Nee-chan...Do you forgive me then?"
"Hai. Now be good, I have had a long day of training and am off to take a nap before doing so."
"Hai Nee-chan!"
Hinata was sleeping soundly in her futon. Her short hair fanned about her head in messy knots. She had one hand curled at her mouth and the other hanging loosely on her side. She was adorable. Neji paused in the door way taking in his cousin. She just made everyone want to protect her. But in the last year she had improved drastically. It was almost an overnight transformation from the weak, shy girl to the strong, stubborn woman. She lightly turned in her sleep, making Neji enter her room, carefully closing the door behind him. He didn't want to wake the heiress.
Hiashi had said to Neji that he was proud of his daughter, proud her fighting was slightly above average and her medicinal skills were closely matching the Hokage's expectations. But he had never repeated those words to the girl before him. Hinata was a jounin now, and working on becoming an ANBU. Neji was already an ANBU captain and he was silently cheering for his dear cousin to join the ANBU team. So much had changed in the last few years. Neji wondered how Hinata felt towards him, she always seemed distant, something that came with her new strength. It sadden him to see her lose her child-like innocents, he had grown to love her adverting stare and blushing cheeks. Though she did still blush, but now she kept her eye contact making it slightly harder to read the once open book.
"Hinata-sama," he called softly to her as he sat on the end of her futon.
She rolled over on her stomach, masking her head with her hands, "Is Kiba still sleeping?" She mumbled out into her pillow.
Neji silently chuckled to himself, she thought she was on a mission with her team. "Hai."
She turned on her side facing him, her eyes still closed and she opened the blanket to him, "Let me have five more minutes...join me?"
Neji looked down to the newly exposed Hinata, she had gone to bed in a t-shirt and panties. He began his retreat but strong hands pulled him in, not that he tried that hard to escape. Her warm body entangled his and she now laid on top of Neji, her head resting on his chest. He felt himself burning up slightly.
"Shino-kun, what mission are we on again?" Hinata opened her eyes slowly at she pulled her hands into Neji's hair. She froze. Shino's hair was not so...silky. Not that she really touched Shino's hair... minus a few times on missions or to pull out leaves.
Her eyes shot open the rest of the way and found them meeting equally white eyes. Hinata felt her stomach drop. Neji looked piss. She shot off of him and pulled most of the blankets with herself as she stifled a small gasp. "Nii-san! What are you doing in my bed!"
He stared at her shocked. "I came to wake you up and then you pull me into your bed thinking I was Shino." He spat out Shino's name. He was pissed that Hinata did such actions with her teammate, and even more that it wasn't him. He paused, wait what? He told himself over and over he was just her protector nothing more. He began to scowl himself as Hinata finally composed herself.
She was red as a lobster. "Neji-nii-san...please don't misunderstand..."
He came out of his idle thoughts, his attention fully on the now blushing heiress, "What is there to misunderstand." He demanded.
"It's...it is...only one-sided..." She trailed looking away from her cousin. "I was just dreaming..."
"Well good thing it was here and not out on a real mission." He spat out to the girl, getting up quickly. He somehow felt relieved it was only one-sided. He paused, "What happened to Naruto?"
"It was as you said, just admiration for traits I wish I had. I've improved, and grown out of my childhood ways." Hinata mentioned, going back into her own thoughts... what had she meant by only one-sided?
"Hn." He was pissed at himself now, he could compete with the blonde idiot who never saw Hinata, but Shino? He didn't even know the boy that well.
"You won't say anything to father?" Hinata begged, worried that somehow his approval for her would drop if she had another crush on a boy who didn't love her or see her in that light.
"Hm..." He smirked at her, turning the mood to a more playful one. Hinata and him got along but they still had their tense moments.
"Neji...please..." Hinata begged, worrying he was now planning something devious.
"What do I get in return?"
"Uh, medicine supplies for a week?"
"You do that anyways."
"Training?"
"That'd be a gift to you more than me. Besides we already do that." He smirked.
"Fine! An-anything you want, just tell me." She pleaded
He liked that answer and his face changed looking at Hinata. Hinata felt her stomach sink, what did she just do? She then saw the time, she was going to be late, again.