Koishii (Beloved) Part XVI

By: Rylolynn

This is the sequel to Shadow of Hinata continuing after Shino and Hinata's first kiss.

Summary: Hinata and Shino share an empathic bond that is tied to their feelings for each other. (If the premise sounds familiar it is loosely based on Imzadi.)

Team 8 are now all Chuunin ranked ninja. (Timeline wise, Tsunade is Hokage, Naruto is away training, Sauske is a expletive who ran away with Orochimaru—basically a little before the Shipuuden series, pre-time-skip.)

Warning: lovey dovey fluff, WAF (warm and fuzzy) prolly a little angsty too. Takes a different direction then the canon and now an OC.

A/N: Imzadi belongs to Peter David, Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

Italics: Thoughts

Koishii (Beloved/yearned for)
Kuso (curse word)

Previously

"Our life" The kikaichu spoke to him, but the young insect wielder was having difficulty understanding them.

"Your mate…"

"Hinata…"

"…save her."

"I wish I knew how."

Ch 16

The pressure that he felt in his chest had not lessened.

"Does it feel this way to you? Does it hurt so much that it's hard to breathe… Which is ridiculous really, what does the heart have to do with the lungs?" Shino ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm glad that you're with me, otherwise I'd just be talking to myself."

The kikai hummed softly in reply.

Sure… because talking to a hive of destruction bugs that live inside your body is so much better. The kikai wielder snickered to himself.

Really? Is this what I have become? A walking cliché, the Byronic hero to my own tale…

Boy meets shy girl, falls-head-over-heels in love and is brought out of his stoic shell. Yes it would be a best-seller, better then Make Out Paradise

Well, maybe not completely hackneyed. It would be more like bug-boy meets white-eyed princess intent on changing her destiny…

The tightness returned to Shino's chest. It was an agonizing hurt filled with the sharp feeling of fear and the dull ache of sadness.

Save her. The kikai responded to their master's inner turmoil.

Through the private files and scrolls of the Hyuuga library Shino could find nothing regarding Hyuuga Haruhi's condition.

He could not find anything in the Kohona Hospital records. From what he could gather, she had never even been seen by a medical-ninja, not even for the birth of her daughters.

Shino's last resort was to search through the most renowned medical-ninja of Kohona.

Shino's blank face hardly registered the Hokage's presence. She had asked him what he was doing and all he could think of was the truth.

His hand gripped the scroll he was holding even tighter before his posture relaxed.

"Failing her."

"You know before you go un-announced through someone's things… have you ever thought to ask for help?" The blond Hokage's gaze found her desk.

Shino saw medical records and old Hyuuga family scrolls. The realization that the things he was looking for was in such an obvious place hit him.

"You already know about Hinata's… condition" Shino found it hard to utter a word that would make Hinata's illness more real.

"I came to her as soon as I found out."

Aburame Shino did not have to turn his head to know whose self righteous voice it was.

"Aburame Shino. I have told you that if you are unable to protect Hinata-sama, then you are unworthy of her. I see now that you truly are incapable."

"Oh, I see… so Neji-san, try to kill your cousin lately?" Shino rose his arms to release his whole hive on the long-winded hypocrite. Just a little trim of his shiny girly locks….or better yet…

Neji was already in his fighting stance.

Before Shino was able to finish what he was thinking, Hinata was standing in front of Neji with her open palms toward him.

"STOP!!!!" The scream that came from the new Hyuuga Clan leader was hardly recognizable as the quite Hinata everyone knew and loved. She was clearly enraged.

Several of the Shino's scout beetles (who are by nature faster then other types of kikai) were already entangled in Neji's raven mane and were dutifully ridding him of his feminine tresses.

The remainder of Shino's hive had stopped advancing and was completely still.

While it was possible (among other Aburame's) to communicate with a hive that was not one's own, it was not possible to control a hive that was not connected to their chakra system.

Shino's jaw dropped and his hazel eyes widened behind his dark glasses. He then closed his mouth, only to have his jaw drop again as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.

Once he was done making a very good imitation of a gaping fish, Shino recalled his hive to him.

The scout beetles were the last to return, with long chunks of hair trailing behind them.

Several strands landed softly on Hinata's shoulder. A small hand slowly fingered the unidentified thing that had landed on her. Hinata took in a sharp breath before spinning around to face her older cousin.

When she finally faced her cousin, Hinata's pale lavender eyes doubled in size at the sight of Neji's new… "haircut."

Shino was once again imitating a fish out of water, and Neji was frantically running his fingers through his butchered mane.

Tsunade's roaring laughter was choked with sobs. "I bet…Hi…hicc..inata's… gonna kill…hahahaha…y-you!"

Caught between rage, shock, absurdity and the Hokage's cackling laughter, Hinata made her own impersonation of a tomato.

The heat flooded from her face to the rest of her body while a small sigh escaped her.

Here we go again she thought, wondering mildly if she would pass out before or after she would hit the ground.

She never felt the darkness claim her or felt the hard impact of cold ground.

Hinata collapsed into soft thick green fabric.

"Koishii." She whispered. "Can we go home?"

A/n: I don't completely see Shino as the "Byronic Hero" that he might imagine himself to be. But there are similarities: a loner that is moody (well internally moody and externally stoic), self-critical and introspective. All things that I love about Shino, that and his deep voice.

This chapter is dedicated lonleystar, for the bit of comedy I just had to add. She patiently (or not so patiently waited since chapter 11 for it)

Hope you enjoyed. Leave a comment and brighten my holidays!