I do not own Naruto
Thank you for your reviews Ox King, charmedbythedarkarts, shae, twiggy-shino, Logophobia, lele, db, jayanx. No apologies needed kaotic312, I'm just glad you like the fic. Aw gee, Darkmoon Knight, that's so sweet. And yes, I caught your review on AFF :-)
Dear Anon, no offense taken. When I first saw the term "Pinkette", I thought it was freakin' hilarious. Through time, I've found it grew on me and it's become one of my favorite ways of referring to Sakura. I'll try to keep the usage under control, but I hope you can stand it a few more times for the sake of the fic, because you never know when a good joke could come out of it.
Chapter Three
Kurenai fumed inside her tent, trying to understand how one tiny beetle got the best of her, "What in the world did that bug think it was doing? That Kikai must have been one of Shibi's beetles. Shino's Kikai never did that around me. If that's Aburame's idea of a prank, I'll kill him!" Kurenai felt Shibi's presence come up to her tent and brush his hand against the fabric then mutter something to a figure she surmised to be Shino.
"So he did have something to do with this crazy shit!" The kunoichi pounded her fist into one hand and a thousand images ran through her mind on how she'd get revenge.
In the other tent, Sakura searched for her spare shirt and shorts. Her body was shivering from the cold river water and she vigorously rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm up.
"I c-can't believe you made me j-jump into the river," chattered Sakura as she peeled the wet clothing from her body.
Inner just lounged inside Sakura's head and smiled in relief, 'Hey, it worked, didn't it? Besides you could've used a bath.'
The young Chuunin growled at herself and pulled the dry clothes on. After slipping on the black shorts, she sighed happily and snuggled into her sleeping bag for warmth. Then she heard footsteps outside her tent and a delicious aroma wafting through the air.
"Sakura-san," came Shino's voice, "Would you like some dinner?"
The young Aburame patiently waited as Sakura pushed aside her tent flap and peered up at him with disbelief reflected in her green eyes, "You cooked dinner?"
"My father and I did," He handed her a metal plate with fried fish fillet.
She held up the chopsticks already placed on one side and carefully lifted the fish up to her lips. When a blissful smile grew on the girl face, Shino felt a flutter that wasn't caused by his Kikai. Then he noticed an escapee try to fly out his sleeve. He quickly snatched the Kikai with his other hand and threw it into the zippered pocket.
"It's delicious, Shino-san! Arigato," Sakura dug into the dish with a little more enthusiasm, "Aren't you going to eat?"
Shino nodded and thumbed back at the campfire, "My plate is back there."
Sakura looked around the young man to see the older Aburame walking up to Kurenai's tent, "Oh, how sweet! Kurenai-sensei couldn't possibly be angry anymore with Aburame-sama after this."
Shino also waited on pins and needles to see how the woman would react to his father's peace offering.
"Sarutobi-san," said Shibi as he held out the plate to the tent's entrance, "I have some dinner for you. Do you like fried fish?"
The tent zipper was pulled down and the flap was held open. The man patiently waited for Kurenai to poke her head out. Instead of a beautiful woman appearing with an impressed smile, a flurry of shuriken flew out of the tent, making Shibi dodge and use the metal plate to deflect the flying weaponry.
Shino and Sakura hissed in sympathy as the man ducked a kunai that almost sliced his ear.
When the barrage stopped, Shibi lowered his impromptu shield and wiped off the food from his coat, "A simple 'No' would have done it."
Both Chuunin shook their heads and watched Shibi calmly return to the campfire to start in on his dinner.
"And we're right back where we started," sighed Sakura then she turned to Shino, "The dinner is quite delicious, Shino. Please, tell your father that for me."
He nodded and walked up to where his father sat by the fire, "You okay, Dad?"
Shibi looked up from shifting the food around on his plate, "Hm? Of course. Like I'd let a few shuriken hit me."
"I wasn't talking about that," The boy tilted his head towards his sensei's tent, "I meant Kurenai-sensei."
"Oh," Shibi stared at his plate and gave a tiny shrug, "Apparently, she's figured out the situation and isn't liking it." The older man was acting cool, but Shino knew better. His father was hurt from Kurenai's rejection of his apology.
Shino furrowed his brows and sat down to eat his dinner, "I don't think she knows everything, but she is blaming you for what happened."
"Perhaps," Shibi took an experimental bite, but it didn't settle the unease inside him, "I don't think I'm all that hungry. You can have my dinner. I'm gonna turn in early." He handed Shino his uneaten food and lumbered back to his tent.
After a few minutes, Shino saw his sensei stick her head out her tent. She looked around to see Sakura and Shino eating their dinners and bit her bottom lip in hunger.
Stepping out, Kurenai headed straight for the campfire all the while nervously searching the area for a certain Bug Master, "Hey Shino, is there some more food?"
With a hidden smirk, Shino handed his father's plate to Kurenai and watched the woman dig in readily.
"Arigato, Shino-kun. It smells really good," she savored every bite of the dish, forgetting all about the Chuunin watching her carefully.
Sakura gave Shino a great big grin with a happy thumbs up, who blushed under his hood, when she stood up and walked over to sit next beside him. His zippered pocked jumped a few times until Shino gave the Kikai a warning slap.
As the last of the sunset melted into the starry night sky, the three shinobi sat around the campfire and enjoyed a quiet evening before Sakura yawned and stood up.
"I think I've had it. Good night, Kurenai-sensei," she gave the older woman a nod and looked down at the young man next to her, "Good night, Shino-san."
"Good night, Sakura-san," murmured Shino then placed one hand on top of his vibrating pocket.
One of the benefits to wearing shades all the time was girl watching without them knowing, which was wise when dealing with volatile kunoichi. His eyes followed Sakura as she walked back to her tent. Without her medic apron, Shino could get a good look at her sylphlike curves, perfectly rounded fanny, and drop dead legs. The young man started to entertain thoughts of those gorgeous legs wrapped around his waist, when he found a handkerchief pushed into his hand.
Kurenai smirked as she pointed to her student's nose, "You might want to take care of that before Sakura sees you."
Cursing his nose, the boy wiped up the blood and babbled his apologies to his chuckling sensei.
"Relax, Shino," Kurenai gave his shoulder a gentle shove with her own, "Why don't you head to bed. I'll clean up and keep watch for a while."
The young Bug Master nodded and wandered over to his tent, then pausing for a moment to watch Sakura's shadow before she turned off her light. With a sigh, he ducked into his tent and stretched out on top of his sleeping bag. Sleep was going to be difficult tonight.
After washing the plates in the river, Kurenai fed the fire with a few more logs and looked up to gaze at the stars. Her mind wandered back to Konoha and figured little Asuma-kun was going through his bedtime routine with his older cousin.
'Cry, bubble bath, cry, story time, cry, night-night kiss, cry...', The brunette chuckled as she imagined Konohamaru tearing his hair out trying to get the mommy-missing toddler to sleep.
She fiddled with a stick then threw it on the fire. A rustling from ahead made her look up to see the Aburame stepping out of his tent.
Neither shinobi moved as they stared at one another, tensed for any hostilities coming from the other person. Shibi was the first to break eye contact and coldly walked away to the riverside. Kurenai watched him walk past her and for some reason, she felt incredibly guilty.
'What the hell is going on? I'M the one who should be getting an apology,' But in the back of Kurenai's mind, a part of her pushed to run after Shibi and make everything right. She had done more than insult him, but she wasn't sure what.
Kurenai shook her head and stood up, "This is crazy." She followed Shibi's trail to the river and waited next a tree for him to acknowledge her.
"What is it, Sarutobi-san?" He didn't budge from his spot. He didn't even turn around to face her. He just kept looking up at the stars with his arms crossed.
The brunette took a deep breath and stepped out from under the tree, "I'm sorry about ruining the dinner you made me, Aburame-sama. I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me."
Shibi shrugged, "If you wanted to take a food pill, that's fine with me. Just don't take too much. It's not good for you."
"Actually, Shino gave me some food," she thumbed back to the campfire with now scrubbed clean plates lying next to a backpack, "They were pretty good for leftovers."
The Aburame's surprise was hidden by his loose trenchcoat and glasses. There wasn't any extra food from what he remembered, except for the plate he handed to Shino. Shibi twisted around and studied the brunette carefully. A small smile appeared from behind his high collar and he walked up the tree to where Kurenai waited.
"Apology accepted. Now please, accept my apologies for my Kikaichu's bad behavior. That one tends to go against orders from time to time."
Kurenai peered at him suspiciously for a moment then shrugged, "All's forgiven. Though I must say, I've never seen any of Shino's Kikai act like that before."
"Not all Bug Masters are alike, Sarutobi-san," He walked closer and watched her cheeks glow red in the moonlight.
He was sorely tempted to take the woman by the hand and pull her into his arms for a kiss, but he knew very well, she would either run away or give him a painful slap.
'No,' he thought as he sensed his little Kikaichu in the gourd react to her scent, 'Now is not the time.'
"You should get some rest," He motioned for her to head back to the campground, "Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll stand guard."
She nodded at his suggestion and walked away, "Good night, Aburame-sama."
Kurenai crawled into her tent and settled into her bedding. With a full stomach and a clear conscious, she fell asleep comforted in the knowledge that Aburame Shibi was keeping watch over her.
The morning sun broke over the horizon and the Leaf Shinobi broke camp to start back on the road to Tanzaku Gai.
Shino and Sakura gaped in wonder as Kurenai walked right next to Shibi without a hint of last night's hatred. For hours they conversed easily, even sharing a laugh once in a while, which made Shino a little uneasy whenever they glanced back at him.
"Did I miss something," whispered the young medic nin.
Shino just shrugged, "I'm as stumped as you are, Sakura-san, but I admit it's a relief they're getting along."
Sakura had intently studied Kurenai's body language all morning and furrowed her pink brows, "I think they're more than getting along," she hypothesized, "At least from Kurenai-sensei's end."
The young Bug Master nervously cleared his throat as he tried to change the conversation, "So Sakura-san did you have any plans for when we arrive at Tanzaku Gai?"
The girl blinked as she realized that she never thought about that, "Ano, I thought we would just stay at an inn then head straight for the River country."
Shino nodded, "Yes, that is the plan, but we should arrive very soon and we'll have nothing else to do until tomorrow morning. Was there anything you wanted to see while we're there?"
Sakura took a minute to think then turned to Shino, "Well, I heard there were fabulous restaurants or there are the castle ruins from when Tsunade-shishou fought Orochimaru."
"Very well," concluded Shino, "As soon as you are ready, we'll head to a restaurant then see if we can find Tsunade-sama's old stomping grounds."
Shibi and Kurenai looked over their shoulders to hear Sakura talking happily with Shino.
The brunette smiled as she watched how the young girl felt so comfortable with her student when most girls cringed at the thought of dealing with the Kikaichu. In fact, she couldn't help but notice how Sakura accepted Shino's Kikaichu as another entity to be treated with respect.
This Sakura was different from the girl she saw at the first Chuunin Exams and thank goodness. She not only grew stronger, but wiser. The way she and Yamanaka Ino obsessed over that Uchiha boy years ago was disturbing. Thankfully, Ino had started dating her teammate, Akimichi Chouji. It was only a matter of time before Sakura's affections moved on, but who was the question all the Konoha kunoichi wondered.
"I think young love is in the making," she whispered to Shibi, who smiled along with her, "I know for a fact that he's smitten with her, but I wonder if Shino knows that Sakura might like him too."
Shibi mulled whether or not to tell the woman then shrugged, "Well, since you already know that he likes her, than 'Yes'. His Kikaichu can detect that she is attracted to him."
"Well, that's a nice dating convenience," mused Kurenai and she chuckled in amusement until her brain waved frantically inside her head and pointed out a very disturbing thought.
Shibi watched the brunette from the corner of his eyes as she realized that the same convenience was applying to her right now. With a growing smirk, he saw Kurenai lower her head and a deep blush rise up from pale neck up to brow.
"Aburame-sama," she murmured softly for his ears only, "Is that why you wanted me to bow out of this mission? Because of my attraction to you?"
The Aburame Clan Leader slowed to stop before they stepped foot onto a stone bridge and he turned to Kurenai, "Not exactly, Sarutobi-san."
There was a sudden burst of smoke and loud clacking of stamping sandals on rock, "Ooooh Aaaahhh! Here comes the man who commands the vast armies of mighty toad warriors. The great lover that sends the beautiful ladies running to his skillful arms! Maaake way for the fabulous, mysterious, and powerful Sanin of the Hidden Leaf Village, Jirai-
"Hello, Ero-Senin," droned Sakura as she and Shino coolly walked around the man frozen in the middle of his dance.
Waving his arms, Jiraiya angrily hopped around while tears streamed down his cheeks, "How many times have I told you not to call me that, Sakura-chan!? You interrupted my chance to impress Kurenai-chan!"
Both Shibi and Kurenai stiffened as the pervy sage spun back around then circled the crimson-eyed beauty like a hungry wolf.
"Fancy meeting you here, Kurenai-chan," drooled Jiraiya, "Tanzaku Gai is one of my favorite places to visit. I would be honored to show you all the sights and we can spend a romantic evening alone together."
With one hand, Shibi snatched the back of the man's collar before the horny Toad Sage jumped Kurenai, "I'm just as familiar with the city as you are, Jiraiya. We'll not be needing your help for the duration of our stay."
Then Jiraiya and Kurenai heard a strange hissing rise from the Bug Master's body.
The other man coughed and shook off Shibi's hand, "Oh! I see, " He leaned into the Aburame's shoulder and whispered, "If it's a competition you want, kid, it's a competition you'll get!" Jiraiya gave Kurenai one more leering grin with a bow before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Shibi turned to the see the brunette shuddering in disgust, "We better catch up with the others."
"Yeah, let's get out of here," she picked up the pace with Shibi right behind.
Soon they walked under the city gate of Tanzaku and entered the tourist district. The streets and building were filled with twenty-four hour casinos, flashy nightclubs, and numerous stands full of useless knick knacks.
Sakura was amazed that this place still doing brisk business without their famous castle to bring in the tourists. Thanks to a venting Orochimaru, the city lost their major attraction then had another section torn apart from Tsunade-sama's missed strikes.
"How is this place still going after what happened five years ago," she asked out loud.
Shino looked around and noticed the souvenir stands filled with toys and postcards with familiar faces.
He held up a packet of postcards and showed it to Sakura, "I think this answers your question."
She looked down and saw pictures of the epic battle between the two legendary Senin, Kabuto and Naruto's skirmish, and the three giant summoned beasts rising into the air.
"Oi! Are you gonna pay for those," demanded the vendor.
Shino handed the man some yen and gave the postcards to Sakura, "Here you go. You can keep them."
With wide eyes, she flipped from one card to the next, "I wonder if Tsunade-shishou knows about this. She should be getting royalties."
Sakura came across one hastily taken picture of the Slug Princess' famous cleavage at a revealing angle,"Especially for THAT one!"
"Which one," asked Shino as he leaned for a look, but she quickly crumpled up the postcard before popping it over her shoulder.
"Just a bad angle," she laughed nervously then pointed up ahead, "Oh look, there are some hotels!"
Once they decided where they would stay, the Leaf Shinobi split up with Kurenai and Sakura taking one hotel for women and the Aburames going to the men's only hotel across the street.
"I'll see you in couple hours, Sakura-san," said Shino as he walked away with his father.
With a small goofy smile, the girl stood in the middle of the road and continued to wave at the disappearing Aburame heir, until Kurenai tapped the girl on the shoulder.
"Our hotel room is this way, Sakura," she grinned as the Chuunin blushed and scurried inside their hotel.
As Shibi led the way up the stairs, he looked over his shoulder at son, "Are you taking Sakura-san on a date?"
"Wh-what," The young man sputtered under his father's gaze, "It's not a date, Dad!"
Shibi opened up the door with a key, "Are you going to get something to eat?"
"It's almost dinner time," Shino threw his pack on one bed and pulled off the hood from his bushy hair.
"Are you going to enjoy some entertainment afterwards?" Shibi took off his gourd then his trenchcoat before stretching.
"We're going to do some sightseeing, yes."
The older Aburame gave his son a pat on the back, "That qualifies as a date. Don't worry, if you need help, I'll be right beside you."
"You wouldn't," said Shino when he realized that Shibi intended to chaperone the Chuunin's special evening.
"It's my son's first date," Shibi smirked as he headed for the bathroom, "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"
Growling, Shino opened up the curtains to get some more light and stumbled backwards to see the Toad Sage standing on the balcony and grinning down at him.
The young man cautiously opened up the window, "Jiraiya-sama, what are you doing here?"
The Sanin stepped into the room and shrugged, "I was going to have a talk with your old man, but I overheard that you were planning on taking cute Sakura-chan on a date!"
Shino sighed and nodded, 'What is it with everyone sticking their noses in my business?'
"If you need any advice on how to handle the ladies, don't hesitate to ask," Jiraiya wiggled his eyebrows, making the boy cringe.
Desperate to get the man to leave, Shino did ask an innocent question, "Sure, I could use some info. Do you know a good place to get something to eat?"
Jiraiya rubbed his chin in thought, "Hmmm, there is this one place I go to that has fantastic food... At least, I think. I know the drinks are to die for!"
"I wasn't asking for a bar," said Shino.
The Sanin waved his hands, "No! No! Not a bar! The place is called The Lucky Star. The classiest establishment I've ever been in!"
The young man shrugged and waved for the Sanin to leave, "Alright then Jiraiya-sama. Thank you for the recommendation."
The Toad Sage walked through and turned around, "Are you sure there's nothing-"
Shino slammed the window closed and drew the curtains over a frowning Jiraiya, "Absolutely."
Inside Kurenai and Sakura's hotel room, the young girl was sitting on a bed and running a brush through her short pink locks for the hundredth time.
"You know that hundred brush strokes is just a myth," said Kurenai as she lounged in the window seat. The older woman had been carefully watching Sakura for the past couple of hours. The Chuunin had commandeered the bathroom then fussed over what to wear. Kurenai shook her head at the poor girl and wondered if Shino was just as nervous.
"Huh," Sakura broke from her trance and put the brush down, "Oh right, sorry my mind was elsewhere."
The brunette smiled, "Thinking about your date with Shino?"
"Date? What date? What are you talking about," Sakura crossed her legs and twiddled her thumbs nervously on one knee.
Kurenai sighed, "Did you put on your favorite lip gloss?"
Sakura's mouth twitched slightly, "My lips were chapped."
"Are you wearing perfume?"
The girl sniffed indifferently, "It matched my soap and body powder. I was merely layering my scent."
Shaking her head, Kurenai smirked at the stubborn girl, "Is he picking you up after sunset?"
They both looked out the window where the sun was dropping behind the city skyline.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Hah," Sakura sprang from her bed and sneered at Kurenai, "It's only sunset. In your face!"
The medic nin opened the door and was shocked to see Shibi standing right behind his embarrassed son.
"Hello, Aburame-sama," After nodded at the elder, she glanced at the younger, "Shino-san?"
"My father will be accompanying us on our dinner, Sakura-san," Shino muttered darkly.
Kurenai walked up behind the surprised girl and raised her eyebrows at the Aburame Clan Leader.
Shibi cleared his throat, "Since, the three of us would be going out for dinner. It would be a shame to leave you behind, Sarutobi-san. Would you like to join us?"
Kurenai saw how Shino was fuming and nodded in understanding, "Why not. Just give me a minute." She walked back into the room to freshen her make up while the others waited at the door.
Shino turned around to glare at his father, who had manipulated his evening alone with Sakura into a double date with Kurenai.
The older Aburame just smirked back at the boy's frown and whispered, "Watch and learn, son. Watch and learn."
The four of them walked out of the hotel and into the nightlife offered by Tanzaku Gai. Neon lights and brightly colored lanterns enticed tourist eyes with various distractions and promises of a fabulous night to be remembered.
They passed several eateries, but Shino didn't see the one the Toad Sage recommended. He stopped at a toy vendor, and once he bought a stuffed dog, got directions to the elusive restaurant.
Since it was originally Shino's date, Shibi and Kurenai let the young man lead the way and wondered what the boy had planned. When Shino returned from asking directions, the older man walked up to his son's side.
"Was there a particular place you wanted to go, Shino," he asked, "I could be of some help."
"No need," Shino pointed up ahead, "We're almost there."
Shibi looked to see where Shino was pointing and recognized the bright pink neon sign flickering above the curtained entrance.
"I... uh," Shibi tried to think of some excuse, but gave up before it was too late, "I'm going over there!"
Shino was surprised to see his father body flicker away from the rest of the group then reappear in a nearby corner.
Wondering why the Aburame disappeared, Sakura and Kurenai walked up to Shino's left and all three stared up at the suspicious 'Establishment'.
"The Lucky Star? Are you sure this is a restaurant, Shino-kun," asked Kurenai as she and Sakura gave the confused boy questioning looks.
"This is the place Jiraiya-sama recommended."
An elderly lady peered out from the curtain and gave the Leaf Nin strange glances, "The young master is quite welcome to enter, but I'm sorry, the only women allowed inside are employees."
Shino frowned, "EM-"
Sakura gasped, "-PLOY-"
Kurenai snarled out, "-YEES!"
The mama-san walked out of the kyabakura, "Yes, young master. This is one of Tanzaku Gai's best hostess clubs and I'm sure we can find you a lovely lady to entertain you. YUMI! GET OVER HERE!"
A young woman squeezed into a tight dress came trotting out and smiled at the blushing Shino, "Hai, Mama-san! So what's your name, cutie?"
Sakura and Inner both went off the deep end, "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, HUSSY!"
Yumi jumped back when the green-eyed girl shook a threatening fist at her, "Uh, I think I'll go back to our other customer, Mama-san." And she took off back inside the club.
"OH LOOK! YUMI-CHAN HAS COME BACK," came a familiar voice from deep inside the establishment.
Aghast, Kurenai and Sakura lifted the curtain to see the Toad Sage laughing and drinking happily with several young girls.
"Oh hello, Kurenai-chan, Sakura-chan! And there is young Aburame Shino! Didn't I tell you this place was classy!"
Cracking their knuckles, Kurenai and Sakura put their game face on and stomped into the club.
Shibi cautiously sidled up to where his son stood calmly watching the two kunoichi beat the pervy Sage to pulp.
"Are they done," He asked while standing in the shadows of a nearby souvenir stand and trying to look as innocent as possible.
"Just about," said Shino clinically, "Sakura-san is holding Jiraiya-sama in a reverse headlock while Kurenai-sensei is working on his kidneys."
The Aburame Clan Leader dared to peek inside and noticed how the Mama-san and her girls huddled in a corner, covering their eyes in horror.
Shibi was impressed at how well the kunoichi worked together, "Sarutobi-san could use some more fine-tuning in her taijutsu, but Sakura-san is stronger than she looks."
Dusting their hands off, Kurenai and Sakura walked out of the club and left the bruised Sanin on the floor.
"N-Not to worry, girls," The man wobbled as he picked himself up, "Those were just Leaf kunoichi love-taps! I told you I was popular back at my home town!"
Kurenai walked up to Shibi and gave him an accusing poke, "What happened to you? Do you realize your son was just bamboozled by that pervert?"
"I was asking for directions to a real restaurant. We should leave before it gets too crowded," He waved for everyone to get a move on, but then a hostess peered out from behind the curtain.
"Aburame-sama! Aburame-sama," the girl named Yumi rushed up to the red-faced man, "I thought I recognized your voice!"
Shibi took out ten thousand yen and whispered to the girl, "Here's some money. Forget you ever saw me."
Kurenai was quick to pinch Shibi's ear and pulled him away before the hostess could grab the yen, "Save yourself some dough, Aburame-sama!"
Shino and Sakura grinned as they walked behind Shibi, who was being painfully dragged away by a furious Kurenai.
"I must say, Dad," said the young man, "I'm watching and learning A LOT!"