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.
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Chapter 6
Hinata carefully stowed her special package in the seat compartment of the carriage before moving to stand next to her teammate.
"Will the jolting of the carriage really be alright for Kinako-san?" Hinata asked worriedly.
"She'll be fine. The road to the reunion site is wide and well kept," Shino assured her.
"Hinata-chan!" called Shibiki's voice.
Hinata glanced up at the top of the carriage where Shino's older brother was tying down the luggage.
"Hai, Shibiki-san?"
"Are you sure you don't want to put your backpack up here? There's plenty of space. Even Shino's bag is up here."
"Um…" Hinata pondered. She never traveled by carriage and was accustomed to carrying all of her things with her. The Hyugas didn't believe in being pampered, and the only time a member of the clan left the village was when there was business or a mission. On missions you took what you could carry. If you forgot to carry it, you lost it.
"As long as you've got your shinobi gear with you, you can probably stow your clothes and other things up there. You won't need them until we get there," Shino offered as his aunts piled their children into the carriage.
"True," Hinata nodded. With a graceful leap she landed on the roof of the carriage with a delicate tmp.
"Here, hand me your pack," Shibiki directed. "I'll tie it next to Shino's so you'll know where it is."
"Arigatoo, Shibiki-san."
"Hinata-chan, I'm not that old," Shibiki chuckled. " You don't have to call me –san."
Hinata's cheeks turned pink, and she smiled sweetly. "Hai, Shibiki-kun."
"Shibiki, where are the other carriages?" Shino inquired. The women, children, and older folk were all planning to ride in the carriages, and only one had arrived.
"Anata!" Kaoru called to her husband, Shiribi, "where's Shinomaru?"
"He's coming," Shiribi huffed along with his nephews. Shiribi was much younger than his older brother, Shibi, closer in age to his three nephews.
"What is all of that?" Shibiki wondered in awe at the dozens of suitcases and boxes being dragged out by the men.
"Sori! Don't forget the diaper bag!" Karika yelled from an open window.
"Hai, hai," her husband replied.
"Sora! Don't forget the wipes!" Karimi added.
"Hai, hai," her husband replied.
"Soru! Don't forget the spice rack!" Karime called.
"Hai, h-…spice rack? What do we need a spice rack for?"
"Just go get it! It's packed up on the kitchen counter."
"Hai, hai," her husband sighed.
"Maybe…I should carry my bag after all," Hinata chuckled at Shibiki's dismayed expression.
"Hinata, your one small, efficiently-packed backpack isn't going to make a difference compared to all of this," Shibiki said pointedly in his cousins' direction.
"Don't even bother, Shibiki," Sori shook his head. "It's useless to argue. Just figure out a way to strap it all on."
Ten minutes later, Hinata glanced up at the top of the carriage. A single drop of sweat appeared on her forehead. By then the other carriages had arrived.
"Ano…" she trailed off. The bags and boxes were crammed haphazardly. A stiff breeze or a sharp turn would surely topple the entire carriage. "I'll help. Shino-kun, you help, too, okay?"
Shino nodded. Between the three of them, they repacked the carriages, distributing the weight as evenly as possible. Now and then, Hinata would make an alteration, claiming that certain bags needed to be on the carriage with the babies. Twenty minutes later, all the luggage was neatly strapped down and all of Shino's elderly relatives were piled in safely.
Hinata and Shino heard the sound of soft panting coming from the entryway. A small mop of unruly black hair popped into view.
"Shinomaru," Shino asked. "What are you doing?"
"Mother wanted to bring this rice, too, but father forgot to pack it," the little boy explained as he heaved once more at a 40 pound bag of rice that he'd managed to drag from the kitchen by pulling and pushing it over the smooth wooden walkways.
"I see," Shino nodded seriously. "It is good that you are so responsible, or surely we would have starved our first night. Good work, Shinomaru."
Shinomaru beamed happily at his role model, who deftly scooped up the rice and lashed it to the nearest carriage.
"All of this includes a whole week's worth of food for your entire family? No wonder it's so heavy," Hinata nodded.
"Chigau. The food is only to cover the first day or so. There are plenty of stores nearby. I have a rather large family. There are others that are on long-term missions in other villages, not to mention my grandmother's side of the family. They will be meeting us at the reunion site," Shino added.
"Oh. I didn't realize the Aburame Clan was so large."
Shino seemed hesitant all of a sudden.
"Shino-kun? Is something the matter?"
Shino was silent for several moments. "There is no good way to put this."
Hinata stared at him with concern in her eyes.
"Some of my family members are…strange. I just wanted to warn you."
Hinata's pale eyes widened before she burst into a small fit of giggles. "I'm sure they're all lovely people, Shino-kun. They're related to you, after all."
Shino seemed skeptical of her optimism. After all, Hinata hadn't met his Great Aunt yet.
OOOOO
Once the caravan was underway, the morning craziness subsided for a time. Hinata walked next to Shino to the left of the front carriage. Various Aburame men of assorted ages were sprinkled among the other carriages. Shibi and Shoromaru led the way. It seemed the carriages had to stop for bathroom breaks every hour, and sometimes earlier.
"We'll be stopping for lunch at a teahouse on the way," Shibiki informed Hinata. "It has very good food. We stop there every time we have our family reunion. It's right up ahead to the left."
"Will they be able to accommodate such a large party?" Hinata wondered.
"Not with seating, but we don't mind being served outside. We're an outdoor picnic sort of family. More natural."
"Oh! I see."
Half an hour later, the members of the caravan stood in front of a boarded up shop.
"Closed for renovations," Shibiki read sadly.
"Shibi, what's the matter?" Kinako poked her head out.
"The tea shop is closed. We'll have to stop later on."
"Closed?" Kinako asked worriedly. "But there aren't any other shops until we get to the retreat area. That's many hours from now."
"Ano…" Hinata attempted shyly, thinking of the provisions she'd packed out of habit.
"There's a stream and a clearing in about fifteen minutes. We'll stop there and forage for food," Shibi decided. Shinobi were accustomed to finding their own food during missions.
"Forage?" one of the women murmured. "Oh dear."
Hinata quickly scanned the surrounding terrain with her Byakugan. Everything seemed perfectly safe.
"Shino-kun, since we'll be feeding a large group of people, why don't we run ahead and start fishing?" she suggested.
"Good idea, Hinata. Father," Shino called. "Hinata and I are going on ahead to start getting ready for the meal."
Shibi nodded.
"Where are they going?" Kaoru wondered as she poked her head out the window, but there was no trace of the two young shinobi.
Hinata and Shino returned moments later.
"There is another restaurant that has opened up down the road, so we won't need to hunt for food after all," Shino informed the group.
"Oh good," Kaoru sighed. "I wasn't sure about this whole 'foraging' idea."
"Mm," Kinako drooled as the pungent aroma of spices drifted down the road, "I've got a sudden craving for tempura curry with lots and lots of green onions."
The carriages trundled up to the small brown building. A wizened little old man stepped onto the porch and rocked back and forth on his heels.
"Welcome to Ochi's Curry Shop! We've got everything from spicy curry to super-spicy curry to super-super-super spicy curry," the little man informed them. He rubbed his hands together eagerly. "I'll be taking care of you now."
Shino's older relatives piled happily into the shop to place their orders, followed by his cheerful Kari, Kari, Kari aunts.
Shino and Hinata filed in last, waiting patiently as the others crowded around the counter.
Shinomaru sat on a bench beside his mother and father, a small bowl of bright red curry in front of him. Ochi apparently didn't know the meaning of the word 'mild.' The little boy took a deep breath before quickly placing a small spoonful into his mouth. As soon as the spicy foodstuff touched his tongue, his eyes began to water.
"Shinomaru, is it too hot for you?" his mother asked with concern.
Shinomaru guzzled his small cup of water and bit his lip. Even the mildest curry at this restaurant was too hot for him, but he didn't want to inconvenience his mother.
Slowly, he shook his head, but he didn't move to take another bite.
"Shinomaru, we could get you some plain rice," his father offered.
"Ano," Hinata whispered to Shinomaru and his family, "I actually made some bentos, but there's no way it would feed everyone, so I felt bad about offering. Now, though, it seems like everyone is taken care of, so I think we could slip outside and have a picnic without hurting anyone's feelings."
"Hinata-chan, that's so kind of you!" Kaoru exclaimed.
"Come on, Shino-kun," Hinata whispered softly, keeping an eye out for the zealous Ochi-san. "I made one for you, too. I know you don't like strong smelling foods."
Shino and Hinata each reached over casually and took one of Shinomaru's hands before leading the little boy outside. Shino selected a private grassy spot rather far from the view of the restaurant as Hinata pulled out the bentos from the seat compartment of the main carriage and began unpacking the lunch on a picnic blanket.
"You've packed quite of bit of food, Hinata," Shino noted as he evaluated the stacks and stacks of boxes.
"Some of those are a surprise for later. I wanted to thank your family for having me along."
Shino's lips quirked slightly. Trust Hinata to feel the need to bring a thank you gift to the people she was sent to protect. He was glad to have her along. Her presence was always very…soothing. That's what he told himself, anyway. He observed his sweet teammate as she presented little Shinomaru with a bento box and smiled at the boy's ecstatic grin.
There were hot dogs cut to resemble little octopi, various dumplings, side vegetables, salmon onigiri (rice balls), and folded omelet rolls.
Hinata had a way with young children. She was kind, patient, and encouraging. The future Hyuuga Clan leader took a small bite and chewed slowly as she watched Shinomaru happily devour his bento. The small boy really had been hungry. Hinata took another bite, and Shino's eyes drifted to settle unconsciously on her lips. They were small, soft, and moist. Briefly, Shino wondered what they would taste like before Shibiki's voice startled him out of his strange thoughts.
"Well, don't you three look cute and cozy," he grinned. Not just cozy, he thought wistfully, they look like a perfect little family sitting there. I wonder if Shino even realizes how lucky he is.
"Shibiki-kun, I've got an extra bento if you'd like to join us."
The older boy nodded happily and sat beside his brother.
"Wow, Hinata-chan, this food is incredible. You made all of this?"
Hinata nodded happily.
"You're going to be a great wife someday."
Hinata turned pink all over in response to Shibiki's compliment. She turned her face shyly to the side and realized Shinomaru was about to fall asleep over his empty bento box.
"Shinomaru usually takes a nap around this time of the day," Shino explained quietly.
With a smile and a nod, Hinata positioned the small boy so his head was pillowed on her lap. Her gentle fingers brushed through his soft, dark hair.
"He really is very cute."
"He looks exactly like Shino did when he was three," Shibiki offered.
Shino felt a faint flush tint his mostly hidden cheeks when his teammate grinned widely at him.
Author's Note: This chapter was full of family and love (and the logistics of moving several dozen people of all ages). The non-shinobi Aburame don't get out of the village much, if at all, so I wanted to highlight how their views on travel and accommodations would differ from the battle-hardened, carry-only-what-you-need, "No food? I'll eat this shrub, then!" mentality. Ninja action will appear eventually, I promise!
