Knock, knock.

She heard a shuffling sound a moment later from behind the door as someone approached it. She heard a click, the door opened partway, and she was greeted by yet another pair of dark glasses. These were the ones worn by Shibi Aburame, Shino's father.

"Please come in, Nirika. We've been expecting you."

He opened the door all the way, allowing her to step inside. She politely took off her shoes at the entrance and looked up, stunned by what she saw.

Plants. Everywhere, foliage was everywhere. The floors were coated with a vibrant green moss, a natural carpet that you could easily find in the woods surrounding Konoha. On the walls, she could just make out the tiny forms of bugs moving in and out of the thick ivy that protected the dark wood paneling underneath. Insects were bobbing up and down the halls, either to the living room to feast on the nectar the gigantic flowerpots provided, or the sunroom to bask in the warm glow of the red light, or the kitchen to see if any food had been left out for them. Nirika was amazed. It was an enchanted forest, pure and simple, straight out of the picture books she had read as a child.

From somewhere far away, she heard Shibi's deep voice call, "Shino! Your friend has arrived!"

Nirika was confused. Friend? She wasn't Shino's friend at all; she was just a guest in his house, a guest that had offered her time to help out with a problem she didn't know anything about. How dare his father think that there was something more between them! Shino was just…

"Good evening, Nirika-san."

Shino appeared quite suddenly in front of her, and solemnly extended his hand while bowing slightly. He looked so different from the boy she had bumped into that afternoon that she had to stop herself from gasping with surprise. Instead of his long, white, cocoonish coat, he had on a simple black t-shirt with fishnets covering his arms underneath. His black dress pants had subtle gray pinstripes etched within the fabric, which looked like silk. He was…handsome. And, dare she say it, quite sexy. Those sunglasses were still on though…Did either of them ever take them off?

She caught her breath and took his pale hand in hers, allowing him to lead her into the dining room. A full dinner for three was set on the table, which included a tossed salad in a gargantuan bowl, a basket of dinner rolls, and a plate of smoked salmon covered in cracked pepper and lemon.

"I hope you haven't eaten yet," she heard Shino murmur.

"Oh no, not yet anyway. I just wouldn't want to impose…"

"Don't worry about a thing. Please, allow me to seat you."

He promptly walked over to a dining room chair and pulled it out, again gesturing with his hand for her to sit. What a gentleman, thought Nirika. He must be really smart, too.

As soon as she was sitting, Shino and Shibi went to the head of the table and stretched their arms out. What are they doing? Nirika wondered. No sooner had she thought this than a cloud of Kikaichu bugs was released from each of their arms and immediately flew over to the large salad bowl.

As Nirika gaped at the sudden appearance of the bugs (now feasting voraciously on the salad), Shino said, "Sorry you had to see that. But our Kikaichu have to eat too."

"Bu…but, the salad…"

"Don't worry," Shibi grinned. "There's another one in the kitchen that I made especially for us."

Nirika nodded her head, indicating she understood, but still couldn't pull her gaze away from all those ravenous bugs. Shino caught her staring and snickered, which was about the only thing that could have, and did, pull her out of her trance. Shino could laugh?

"Are you scared of them, Nirika?"

She decided it was best not to answer. "Could you please pass the salt?"

Still no reviews...but I'm hoping that there will be a few after this chapter. There are two more chapters, and I promise that they will be the best ones (I just have to finish editing them). So for now, please keep reading, and please review! I'm not asking for much, just a little feedback on what you think of the story so far and my OC character. The fourth chapter will be up very shortly!