Thanks to everyone who gave me a review! Warning: This chapter contains high concentrations of cuteness. You'll know when you see him.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. So if you recognize anyone or anything from the anime, I'm just borrowing.
Takes place sometime before Shippuuden
OOOOO
Chapter 2
"Hi, Hinata!" shouted Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Ninja.
"Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled shyly. "How are you doing today?"
"I'm doing great! I took your advice about asking Sakura out and it worked great. She said yes!"
"That's wonderful, Naruto-kun. I'm really happy for the both of you."
"Do you think I should get her a present or something?"
"Hmm…maybe you could get her a flower, but nothing too fancy. Ino could probably help you pick a good one."
"Mm, Mm," he nodded, committing this vital information to memory. "Hey, where are you going?"
"I was heading to the market."
"I've got to do that sometime. I'm all out of food," Naruto grinned sheepishly. "But I've got a mission, so I'd better be going."
"Bye, Naruto-kun." Hinata gave a little wave.
"Bye, Hinata! Thanks again for the advice!"
Hinata clutched the handle of her basket and swung it back and forth thoughtfully as she watched Naruto leap between the buildings of Konoha. Then she looked a little higher. It was really a beautiful day, if a little chilly. The sky was a brilliant, crisp blue. It actually looks as blue as Naruto-kun's eyes, Hinata thought to herself. I hope their date goes well. I hope Sakura-san isn't trying to make Sasuke-kun jealous again. It didn't work very well with Kiba-kun…
"Hinata."
Hinata turned abruptly to find her teammate standing rather uncertainly behind her. Shino was never uncertain.
"Shino-kun? Is something the matter?" she asked quickly.
"I…have a favor to ask of you," the reserved shinobi admitted.
"Of course! Anything," Hinata reassured him.
"Will you walk with me?" Shino requested.
Hinata nodded and the two continued down the street together.
OOOOO
Kinako and Kaoru, the wife of Shibi's brother, stood chopping vegetables for lunch that day. Kaoru's son had recently received his kikaichuu, and she was having trouble adjusting to the changes in her son.
"Ne, Kinako? How did you deal with it?"
Kinako shrugged. "I knew from the beginning that it would happen, so it wasn't really a surprise. Are there any particular problems that you are having?"
Kaoru sighed, "It's nothing in particular. He just seems so much more closed off than before. On my husband the sunglasses seem perfectly normal, but…"
"So is it mostly just the Aburame outfit?" Kinako grinned. "It takes awhile to get used to the sunglasses, but it's nothing to worry about."
Kaoru shook her head. "It's other things as well. He doesn't play anymore like he used to. He doesn't even like going to the playground, though he used to love it there."
"It just takes time, but everything will turn out fine," Kinako assured her.
After lunch, the men washed their dishes and the women began cleaning the kitchen.
Kaoru's son, Shinomaru, stood around uncertainly. He wasn't big enough to have important missions to do and it wasn't his time to train with his father.
"Shinomaru, why don't you go outside and play?" his mother suggested.
He didn't really have friends to play with. Shinomaru was normally shy around strangers. And ever since he'd received his kikaichuu hive, it seemed the neighborhood children didn't like him. They would look away when he came close, and he could hear them whispering about the "icky bugs" when they thought he was out of earshot. Cousin Shino, who was already 16 years old, was the youngest Aburame besides him. He was a good cousin, often taking him to look at interesting bugs and teaching him about things. But he was often busy with his missions. The rest of the Aburame children were small babies. He thought about his mother's suggestion for several more moments. The rest of the women watched him curiously. Finally, he shrugged.
"Is there anything you would like to do, Shinomaru?"
"I suppose I will train."
"Shinomaru, you're still a little boy. You don't need to worry about training yet," his mother sighed.
Shinomaru was already walking out the door.
"See, Kinako? I just don't know what to do."
"There's no use fretting," Kinako reminded her. "Just be patient."
OOOOO
Kinako hefted her shopping basket against her hip. There was so much to be done before the omiai. Why did Shibi have to go and receive a mission now? Especially with such a strange omiai coming up. The girl and her guardian would actually be spending the night. Though Shibi and Shino could conceivably arrive before the visitors left, there was no way they'd be back before the family arrived this evening. There was also the family reunion coming up at the end of the week. Kinako sighed and placed several more items in the basket.
"Aburame-san, it's not good for the baby if you carry too much!" exclaimed a gentle-sounding voice.
Kinako turned around to see a familiar-looking girl approaching her quickly. She had those unusual eyes, pale lavender without any visible pupil. Long, dark hair cascaded over her shoulders. Kinako had seen her around the village quite often. Oh yes, she was one of the Hyuuga girls, of course. Usually the girl gave her a shy smile in passing. What was her name again? Hanabi? Hanata? Hinata.
"Please allow me to help you." Hinata gave a little bow.
"Oh, I don't want to cause you any trouble. It's really not very-"
Hinata had already gently removed the basket from her and stood waiting with a patient smile.
"Thank you."
"It's no problem at all."
Hinata and Kinako finished the grocery shopping for the upcoming dinner. Then Hinata cheerfully carried the groceries for her and even came inside to help put them away.
The Aburame compound was large and beautiful. There were enormous gardens and little streams in the courtyard, presumably to provide a habitat for bugs. Hinata had never been inside of Shino's home before, so she couldn't help sneaking an occasional glance out the windows.
"Kinako, you have a cute helper," Kaoru smiled as she walked into the kitchen. She was rolling up her sleeves in preparation for the work that needed to be done before dinnertime.
"Hinata, this is Kaoru, my sister-in-law."
"Pleased to meet you," Hinata bowed.
"And so what brings you here today?" Kaoru inquired.
"Shino-kun asked me to help out this week because Aburame-san has so much to do."
Kinako blinked. "Shino asked you to help me?"
"Mm-hm," Hinata nodded. "He never asks for anything, so I know this is especially important to him.
"How do you know Shino?" Kaoru asked. She was surprised that Shino knew any girls. He seemed like such a self-contained boy.
"I'm one of his teammates," Hinata explained.
Kinako wanted to hit herself in the forehead. Shino spoke of his teammates often, but for some reason he always referred to them as "my teammates" or "my teammate." She must have learned their names at some point. Yes, she knew there were a Hyuuga and an Inuzuka. Over the years she had come to imagine his "teammates" as two boys.
Hinata was slicing ingredients to make dumplings. Kinako studied her again in this new light. So this was one of the infamous "teammates." Shino had even pointed her out once. She must have confused her with the long-haired boy standing next to her.
"Mother, I have done the tasks you asked of me," informed a polite little voice.
Hinata looked up from where she was folding napkins. Then she gasped and both hands flew to cover her mouth.
There, right next to Kaoru-san, stood a small perfect copy of Shino. The boy was no older than three, perhaps even as young as two. He wore small brown pants and a smaller version of the oversized, high-collared coat that Shino always wore. A mop of unruly black hair and a pair of tiny sunglasses perched on a small, straight nose completed the picture.
The boy's small hands slipped casually into his pockets, and Hinata struggled with the urge to pick him up and squeeze him.
"Do you have any other tasks for me, Mother?"
"No, that's alright."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, thank you, Shinomaru," Kaoru-san huffed as she struggled with the roast and managed to get it on the serving platter.
Shinomaru looked around curiously at the women doing their tasks. His aunts were all busy with one thing or another. There was one girl, a stranger, who was staring at him with pale, wide eyes. She was covering her mouth. Sometimes girls on the playground would cover their faces if he was too close to them. It was because that boy had told them the "weird Aburame kid" would send bugs into their eyes and mouths if they didn't cover them. Of course, this was foolish. Why would Shinomaru want to put his bugs in someone else's mouth? What if they accidentally ate them?
Hinata and Shinomaru stared at each other for a while. He cocked his head to the side. Finally, Shinomaru asked, "Did you want to say something to me?"
A tiny squeak escaped her lips. It was exactly the way Shino would have said it.
"Why are you covering your mouth?" he asked.
Hinata realized that she might seem a bit rude, so she lowered her hands.
Shinomaru was surprised when the girl's hands revealed a big, beautiful smile. She crouched in front of him. The corners of her eyes were crinkled with amusement.
"You look very happy," he commented. "Is there a special reason?"
"It's because you are so very, very cute," she answered, unable to keep from leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on his smooth little forehead.
The small, precise eyebrows arched in surprise. Then his shoulders hunched a little and the corners of his mouth rose upward to form a shy, little smile.
Suddenly, he looked livelier. "Do you want to see my bugs?" he asked eagerly.
"Shinomaru," his mother said as she sweatdropped.
Hinata didn't miss a beat. "I would love to see your bugs."
Shinomaru puffed out his chest proudly. Then he deflated a bit. "I cannot show them to you here."
"Why not?" Hinata wondered.
"I am not supposed to. No bugs in the kitchen. That is one of the rules," he informed her seriously.
If possible, Hinata's grin widened even more. She reached out a hand and suggested, "Let's go outside and you can show them to me there, ne?"
Shinomaru nodded his approval of the plan and slipped his little hand into hers. He took her to a little bench in the courtyard and called one of his bugs onto his finger.
"See, see! This is one of mine."
"It's beautiful," Hinata agreed.
"It's a kikaichuu, just like the bugs my father has, but mine are very different."
Hinata studied the bug closely. "I can see that. There is a tiny white spot on the back, and the coat is different. It has a sheen that makes it almost look dark blue."
Shinomaru looked absolutely delighted. "You can tell! My mother can't even tell the difference. Want to see me do a trick? Cousin Shino taught it to me."
"Yes, please," Hinata giggled. The idea of Shino teaching chibi-Shino bug tricks was just too cute for words.
Shinomaru sent a small line of bugs into the air and lined them up to form a ring.
"Wow! That must have taken you a long time to learn. Weeks and weeks, I'll bet."
"I learned it in half an hour!" Shinomaru beamed proudly.
"That's amazing! You're going to be a great bug-using shinobi very soon."
Several anonymous Aburame (men with high-collared coats and sunglasses) studied Hinata and Shinomaru curiously as they passed the duo in the courtyard.
"I'm going to be a great shinobi just like my father," Shinomaru nodded solemnly.
Hinata grinned at him and affectionately ruffled his hair, a quirk she'd picked up from Kiba, though it didn't come out often. But Shinomaru was just so cute.
