Okay! Don't have much to say, so let's speed through it! As usual, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys are great! Also, to whoever cares...BLEACH OMG a;knghtnklfwg

And just a sidenote to this chappie—when I first mentioned this couple in Into the Future, it was mostly for comedic purposes. But as I started writing this, I honestly started falling in love with them and the paring. Go me, I guess. Hahaha

There are many timeskips in this chappie—line break equals timeskip. Hope this doesn't confuse anyone.

I don't own Naruto, peeps.

"Kiba." Hana's voice dripped with sweetness, but her eyes looked anything but. "What are you doing?"

Kiba glared at her from his seat across the small room. "Watching."

An eyebrow slowly went up. "I was the one who helped birth Akamaru." The eyebrow twitched. "I am also the one who has mended every single one of his legs after you broke them. I am the one who meticulously created an antidote for him when he was poisoned." Her second eyebrow joined the first in rising defiantly. "And now you suddenly feel the need to watch me remove his fleas? Are you doubting my abilities?"

Kiba audibly swallowed. His sister could really be scary when she wanted to, and now was apparently one of those times.

But he couldn't leave! He had complete faith in Hana's skills; that wasn't the issue. The issue was—

"It would be best if you left now, Kiba," Shino said quietly. "It is time for the annual ninken flea removal. Akamaru is not our only patient, and we need to start the procedure if we are to be on schedule."

Kiba growled a little, a small vibration in his chest. Shino was his teammate, as well as one of his best friends. He trusted him with his life.

What the youngest Inuzuka didn't trust Shino with was his sister.

Look at her, smiling at him, he thought disgustedly. A glance at Shino showed no visible change, but Kiba sneered anyway. I bet he likes her acting ridiculous! He didn't understand how Shino could do this to him. What happened to the Bro Code? You don't go after your bro's sister unless he's cool with it, and Kiba was anything but.

"Kiba!" Hana growled, a canine showing menacingly. Akamaru whined, fearing for his master's life. "Get. OUT."

"Fine!" He was practically pouting. Backing toward the door, he mouthed to Shino, I'm watching you.

Their eye-contact was only broken when Hana slammed the door in her brother's face. Turning back to her assistant, she snorted in amusement. "I'm sorry. It's just too fun to rile him up sometimes."

She couldn't completely tell because of the hood he wore, but it seemed like Shino was just as entertained as she was.

Hana readjusted her ponytail, making sure her long hair was well out of the way."Let me know when it starts to bother you. I can break up with you or something. He'll leave you alone."

"That will not be necessary. Masquerading as your love interest is of no consequence to me." Pretending to be interested in Hana was perfect payback—Kiba had stolen his glasses on the last mission. He had been forced to wear another pair, strategically placed, the entire trip home. Traveling for two days wearing bright pink glasses with star-shaped lenses made him look—and feel—ridiculous, and poor Hinata couldn't help but giggle every time she looked at him.

Shino put on his gloves with an audible snap. Perfect payback indeed.

Hana grinned at his reply, both of her canines showing this time. "Kiba's right, kid. You do need to loosen up."

But if she was being honest with herself, she didn't mind the Aburame's sophisticated manner of speech at all. He was soft-spoken and always spoke formally, but Hana found this refreshing. It spoke volumes of his maturity level—he was the same age as Kiba, and yet on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.

Shino didn't respond, instead focusing his attention on Akamaru.

"You know, I don't think I've ever mentioned why I need to pretend to be interested in you," Hana mused. Their patient, a little black dog, wiggled impatiently.

"You have not," Shino answered, carefully sealing off a small jar containing flees. He would study them at home, figure out how they were evolving as a species, and report back to Hana the best way to protect the ninken from them.

Hana lifted her arm, using her shoulder to wipe at the sweat beginning to pool at her brow. The air conditioning was broken, and the exam room was starting to get sticky. "Kiba is really protective of me. Overprotective, you could even say." She laughed affectionately. "It's weird, because I'm the oldest—I should be protecting him. But after Tou-san left…"

The sudden change in mood was obvious, and Shino wasn't sure how to respond. Fortunately, Hana shook her head, seemingly shaking her thoughts with it. She glanced at him. "Aren't you hot?"

He was practically being cooked alive in his coat. Forgoing sharing this sadistic imagery, however, he merely replied with a curt nod.

"Well, why don't you take off your coat?" she asked incredulously. "I'm sweating just looking at you."

"Thank you," he responded, "but I am fine."

"I don't see what the big deal is." Hana combed more fleas into the jar she was holding. She winked at him. "Unless you're completely naked under there."

He could feel the flush creeping up his neck, but it luckily stayed hidden under his collar. "The kikaichu roam," he muttered, not looking at her. "Some people find it unsettling to see them moving under my skin."

Hana raised an eyebrow, correctly deciphering the some people to mean girls. She scoffed. "That's ridiculous. We're ninja, for kami's sake. We've seen worse."

Shino started, surprised. But he really was hot, and he could feel his chakra slowly dissolving—extreme temperatures caused the kikaichu to go into survival mode, making them feed off of him more than usual. So, even though he knew what reaction it would invoke, Shino wordlessly took off his coat and set it on the chair.

At first Hana didn't react, too interested in what had just been revealed. Shino was wearing a sleeveless undershirt that displayed his lean body and muscled arms. She never would have guessed that this was what was hiding under that coat all this time. Unconsciously, she stared at his arms.

And was surprised when the skin above one of his elbows rose, twitching before returning back to normal.

"Wow," she said, astonishment clear in her voice. Her eyes were wide, still staring at the same spot.

Shino felt a pang of disappointment. He had known this would happen—that she would see him as freakish. He longed for his coat. Without his coat as a security blanket, he felt utterly naked, and vulnerable. Despite this, he made no move to put it on.

The door opened and Kiba entered, a pitcher of ice water in his hand. When he saw that Shino's muscles were on display, however, his neutral expression quickly morphed into one of rage. "Dude, what the hell!"

"Oh shut it, brat," Hana snorted.

And then she smiled at him, genuinely, eyes warm.

He attributed the sudden rush of heat to the broken air conditioner.

The pug whined pitifully, his eyes begging for someone to come to his rescue.

Unfortunately, the roseate-haired girl he was looking at was immune to puppy-dog eyes. "No, Pakkun," Sakura sighed, readjusting her long hair into a bun at the nape of her neck.

Pakkun's face fell into a doggie pout. "But you know I hate the vet, Sakura-chan."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Of course you do," she muttered under her breath. "You have fleas," she said louder, "and you've met Hana-san many, many times. You like her, remember?"

"Well, yeah," the pug retorted, "but that doesn't mean I like the vet."

"You're not alone in that, Pakkun," Hana laughed. "But if I may ask, Sakura-san...why do you have one of Kakashi-san's dogs?"

Sakura's face soured. "Shishou lost a bet," she grouched. "So of course I'm the one that has to deal with it."

"Sakura-chan—"

"I said no, Pakkun!" she growled. "I tried giving you a bath like the other ninken, but your fleas are persistent, so we're just going have to let Hana work her magic, okay?"

Pakkun gave her a long look. "Kakashi was right. You are scary," he mumbled to himself.

A vein in her forehead twitched. "Say what you want," she said through her teeth, "but if you think I'm letting you sleep in my bed with fleas, you're out of your mind."

Shino raised an eyebrow.

Sakura went as red as a tomato. "It's not what you—it's just—well, we're friends."

Shino wasn't sure whether she was referring to Kakashi or the dog, but continued to stare at her questioningly through his shades.

Sakura sputtered a few more incoherent sentences before deciding on "Shut up, Shino," and abruptly leaving the room.

Hana laughed. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know," Shino replied, fighting the smirk that wanted to take over his lips.

Hana scratched Pakkun behind the ears, instantly calming the dog.

"Who is he?" Shino asked quietly.

Hana froze at the question, not looking up, and Shino's suspicions were confirmed.

"His name is Akihiko," she said softly, still not meeting his eye. "But we just started seeing each other, so nothing is set. I don't want Kiba to get upset and worried over nothing."

Shino nodded. Strange, his stomach was knotting up. His breakfast must not be agreeing with him today.

She finally looked at him, a tight, forced smile on her lips. "Let's not keep Sakura-san waiting."

The air conditioning was fixed. Even though his coat was back on, his hood was down, setting his unruly brown hair free.

Hana chewed thoughtfully. They had had a lull between patients and it was getting close to lunch time, so she had whipped up a couple sandwiches in the Inuzuka vet building's small kitchen. Now, as she ate, her gaze focused on Shino's glasses.

She understood his reasons for wearing the coat, but the glasses were a different story. They could, she mused, be used for missions. They hid emotion, made it hard for the enemy to read him. And then there was thought that wearing them, along with the oversized coat, was just what the Aburame clan did. But walking around that way, covered head to toe and wearing sunglasses, screamed, "Look at me! I'm up to no good!" and did nothing for the stealth factor.

"Is there something on my face?" Shino asked.

She blinked, startled out of her thoughts. "No, it's just…"

A slight movement under his collar caught her attention, and it was then that she realized he was messing with her, laughing at her. How could she possibly know if something was on his face if he kept it covered all the time?

Instead of elaborating, she leaned over the table, slowly reaching out. She waited for Shino to stop her, to say something or to move out of the way, but he didn't. And when she finally slipped those shades off, revealing the pretty gray eyes underneath, her breath caught.

They were close, her breath fanning across his cheeks and nose. Hana finally seemed to find her voice. "They say that eyes are the windows to the soul."

Shino blinked, and Hana was fascinated by the sight of his dark eyelashes fluttering. Regaining her common sense, she leaned back in her seat, no longer invading his personal space. "You always get to look at my soul," she continued, setting the sunglasses on the table. She winked. "It's only fair."

Hana opened the door. A look of surprise crossed her face. "What are you doing here, Shino?" she greeted, sounding pleased. "We weren't supposed to meet today."

"I know," Shino replied quietly. "But it is past lunch time, and I knew you probably hadn't eaten yet."

For the first time, Hana spotted the picnic basket in one of his hands. She grinned, delighted. "You made this?"

"I am sure it will not be as delicious as your cooking"—he fidgeted a little—"but I hope it will be adequate."

He had taken time out of his day off to make and bring her lunch, and had even brought a blanket for them to sit on. Hana flushed happily, putting a hand on his arm. "It is more than adequate," she said firmly. "I don't need to taste it to know that."

Hana didn't bother looking up from her paperwork, a small smile gracing her lips. "You're a little early today, aren't you?"

"Sorry," an unfamiliar voice answered.

She looked over her shoulder, startled. A female Aburame looked back at her from behind her dark specs. "Where's Shino?"

"On a mission," the woman answered, surprised. "I'm supposed to help you in his place. Did you really not know?"

Hana shook her head dismissively, feeling like an idiot. Of course he was on a mission. Kiba was on a mission. Shino was on the same team as Kiba. One plus one equals…

She shook her head again. At some point, she had stopped thinking of Shino as her kid brother's teammate. At some point, she thought of him as more.

She just wasn't sure what yet.

"Hmm." Kiba paced around the campfire, apparently deep in thought.

Hinata, sitting on a log, looked on worriedly. "Is everything alright, Kiba-kun?"

Kiba stared blatantly at Shino, a calculating look on his face. He kept pacing.

Shino pretended he didn't notice.

Hinata watched as Kiba continued his tread, ignoring any attempts she made at pacifying him. Finally, he made a dead stop in front of Shino.

Shino looked up at him from his seat, acting as if Kiba's antics hadn't effected him in the slightest. "Is there something I could assist you with?" he asked pleasantly.

Kiba's face was blank. "My dad walked out on us when I was six," he said matter-of-factly. "And my mom's never been the same. She acts tough, but she never recovered from that."

The mood was immediately tense and serious. Neither Hinata nor Shino said anything.

Kiba ruffled his hair distractedly. "I don't want that for Hana. She deserves so much more." His eyes were sharp, determined. "So I approve."

Shino blinked, confused. "Sorry?"

"You're one of my best friends," Kiba elaborated. "My teammate, a member of my pack. If there is anyone I trust to love her, and to treat her the way she should be treated, it's you."

If it weren't against his nature, Shino's jaw would have touched the ground. Instead, he sat there, stunned mute.

"I trust you." Kiba was turned away now, embarrassed. He paused, looking at Shino over his shoulder.

"If you do hurt her, though, I'm kicking your ass."

As he lay in the grass, coat off and eyes cast at the sky, Shino suddenly understood Nara Shikamaru entirely.

"Why are we here again?" Hana asked. Her long hair, free of restraints, ruffled gently with the breeze.

She was so beautiful, so relaxed and carefree, that Shino was almost distracted enough not to answer. "You have been overexerting yourself lately."

Shino's job was done—he had found the strand of DNA that had mutated. Now, it was all up to Hana to use this information to make the vaccine. Even though he no longer needed to, Shino still showed up every day, sometimes with lunch, sometimes just to talk or to force her to take a break.

Hana raised an eyebrow, amused. "I don't know what else you want me to do. The repellant vaccine needs to be done."

"The dogs are already itchy; they can wait another afternoon," he replied. "Now lay down."

The corner of her mouth twitched in amusement as she lay down next to him, sighing as if what he asked of her was difficult.

For a while, neither of them spoke, watching the clouds lazily crawl by. Then, softly, Hana broke the peace.

"I'm getting married."

Even as his heart sped up and his throat started to close, Shino didn't understand. He turned his head to face her. "My apologies. I did not quite understand your meaning."

Abruptly, Hana sat up. Her hair had pieces of grass in it, and she no longer looked carefree—she looked more like a caged animal, nervous and ready to lash out. "You're the first person I've told," she continued quickly, the words involuntarily spilling out like vomit. "Not even my family knows. Akihiko asked me last night."

Shino sat up as well, much more slowly than she had. "But you have only been dating for a few months."

"Three!" she said defensively. For some reason, she needed Shino to be okay with this. "He is a Chuunin, so I know that we could support ourselves. And he really loves me."

"What about you?"

"What?"

If his glasses were off, she would be able to see the swirl of emotions in his eyes. "How do you feel?"

"I care about him too!" she snapped.

"And you do not feel like you are moving too quickly?"

"Shino." She took a breath, slowly letting it out between her teeth. "We're shinobi. There is no telling how much time we have left." Her eyes softened. "You have to live, Shino. Live while you're still alive."

And oh, did he want to live. His body was no longer a host to just the kikaichu—a whirlwind of emotions was now there as well, enveloping him. All he wanted to do was say what was threatening to explode out of him, what had been bubbling and growing in him the past few months.

But if she was happy, he was not going to ruin it for her.

He managed to get a "Congratulations" to pass through his lips. Mechanically, he stood.

He walked away.

Shino stopped visiting after that.

Hana studied the tomato, judging whether it was ripe enough to buy. The market bustled around her, civilians and shinobi alike all trying to get a great deal.

It was a little hard, but Hana figured that since she was going to make a sauce anyway, it wouldn't matter much. Just add more seasoning, she reasoned with herself. Besides, Kiba would eat it no matter how hard the tomatoes were. In fact, she had just seen him eat a discarded sandwich off of the side of the road the other day. The boy was disgusting. He does have a pretty good immune system, though.

Chuckling to herself and satisfied with the quality of the tomatoes, she looked around for the old woman who owned the cart. Instead, she was greeted by the sight of Shino.

He had been walking by, only a few feet away from her. She smiled, giving a little wave. "Hey."

But instead of stopping to talk to her, he kept walking, nodding at her in acknowledgement.

Hurt burned through her, and she dropped her hand, embarrassed.

I thought we were friends.

"Can I help you, dear?" the old woman asked kindly.

Hana just handed her the tomatoes.

"Man, I'm starving!" Naruto moaned, clutching his stomach with both hands for emphasis. "Let's go to Ichiraku!"

Shino sighed internally. He was not in the mood for ramen, but going out with Naruto always ensured it. He should have seen this coming.

"You always go to Ichiraku," Choji argued. "I want barbeque!"

"And you always get barbeque," Shikamaru pointed out.

Choji puffed his cheeks out, annoyed. "Why are you here again?"

Shikamaru looked at the sky longingly. "I was going to go cloud watching, but when I got to my favorite spot, Kiba's sister was already there."

"What's the matter, Shikamaru?" Naruto teased. "Don't like sharing your hill?"

Shikamaru sighed. "It's not that. She was crying. I don't think she wanted company."

Choji nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I probably would have left too. I never know how to handle it when a girl cries. Wait...Shino, where are you going?"

Shino didn't answer. Instead, he continued running in the opposite direction.

"Man that kid is weird," Naruto muttered.

She was right where Shikamaru had said she would be.

He had been very careful to stay out of her way these past few months, knowing that he might say something they would both regret should he be around her too long. She was happy, and she certainly didn't need him and his feelings screwing everything up.

But just the thought of her being unhappy was all it took to bring him to her.

She didn't even react as he sat down next to her, her red-rimmed eyes staring out into the distance.

Shino sat quietly, pretending not to notice when she wiped hurriedly at her eyes.

"I am no longer engaged," she announced, still not looking at him.

He felt conflicted. Although this new information caused hope to trickle into his system, it was bittersweet. It hurt to see her hurting. "What happened?" he asked quietly.

She chuckled bitterly. "He got a civilian pregnant, is what happened."

He was suddenly enraged. He had never even met this "Akihiko", didn't even know his last name, and yet he was filled with the overwhelming urge to kill him. He turned to her, his body rigid with fury. "Would you like me to send him to the hospital?"

She laughed—a small laugh, but a laugh nonetheless. She wiped her eyes again. "You're a little late. Kiba already sent him there." She finally turned to look at him, her eyes glinting mischievously. "And I may or may not have convinced Sakura-san not to give him any pain medication."

He smiled at her, amused, and was once again struck by how beautiful she was, even now. "That is unfortunate. I may have to pay him a visit."

Hana smiled back, a sudden shyness causing her to avert her eyes.

And the words bubbled up in him again, threatening to spill out. He tried desperately to swallow them, but some still burst forth.

"Hana, I—"

She turned to him again, and the sight of her puffy eyes was enough to halt any more words. "I apologize," he said instead.

And, smiling, Hana accepted the apology, along with all of its meanings. Reaching over, she once again removed his glasses, looking straight into his eyes. "It's only fair," she whispered.

He nodded, a visible blush on his cheeks. There was a time and place for his feelings, and now was neither the time nor place. So, looking deep into her soul and allowing her the same privilege, he asked quietly, "Deworming season is coming up, correct?"

A hug was his answer.

A/N: Sigh. Possible new OTP? XD

Let me know. :)