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. Technically, it takes place in the Naruto world, but without regard to Shippuuden. The Konoha 11 are now 16ish, but I wouldn't call this AU, so I'll call it OS (for Outside of Shippuuden).
Once more, thank you for all of the lovely reviews!
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Chapter 17
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"Where are you heading?" Shibiki grinned as he finally caught up to Hinata.
"I was just heading into the forest to pick some berries," she answered with a little swing of her basket.
"Would you mind if I joined you?"
"Of course you can join me! I'd be glad for the company."
"What sort of berries are you looking for?"
"I've spotted some blueberry bushes about half a mile into the woods. It's near a little stream to the northwest," she explained as they walked.
"Why didn't you ask anyone to come with you?" he asked casually.
"I j-just thought people might be a little t-tired of having me around every second, so I thought I'd go and do something useful, give people a little space."
"Hinata-chan, we love having you around. We'd never get tired of you."
"Arigatoo, Shibiki-kun," Hinata replied with a pink-faced smile. "That is so kind of you to say."
"It's true!" Shibiki frowned as he turned over the past day's events in his mind. "Is there a reason you thought you were getting in people's way? You're not bothered by what that girl said, are you?"
"Mm-mm," Hinata shook her head. "Nothing like that. It's just…well, I know Shino-kun sometimes likes to have quiet time, and he seemed a little unhappy with me, so…. I thought maybe he'd like some contemplation time when he doesn't have to entertain me."
"Shino isn't unhappy with you," Shibiki assured her.
Hinata shrugged politely, unconvinced but not wanting to argue the point. "He just seems a bit unhappy today. Do you…?" Hinata trailed off as her faced darkened and she nibbled her bottom lip.
"Hm? What is it? You can ask me anything, Hinata-chan."
"Ano…Do you think I did the right thing?" Hinata asked worriedly. "Wh-What if…wh-what if Shino-kun was really looking forward to seeing that girl…? M-maybe I m-made him…? I didn't actually ask him if he'd made a d-d-date with her. D-D-Do you think I've made him s-sad by turning her away?"
"Hinata-chan, you definitely saved Shino. He really disliked that girl. Trust me on this. You did him a big favor. Besides, we could never accept someone who would actually hit Shinomaru. It's really easy to determine what kind of person someone is if you look at the way they interact with children."
"That's true," Hinata nodded. "Neji-niisan can sometimes seem like a cold person to people who don't know him, but he's actually very good with small children. He's very patient and perceptive with them."
Shibiki glanced at Hinata out of the corner of his eye and gave a little smirk. He hadn't been referring to her cousin when he'd made that comment. Hinata was a little too good at deflecting praise from herself. He wondered if she did it unconsciously.
With Shino clamming up recently, Shibiki had decided to give his brother a hand by assessing Hinata's feelings directly. The two were so perfect for each other. They just needed a push in the direction.
"Shino is pretty good with kids, too," he added off-handedly.
"Oh, yes!" Hinata nodded vigorously. "We had a special baby-sitting mission once. The client actually labeled it as between B and C rank. Apparently, many others had tried and failed. The kids were pretty wild, but Shino-kun had them under control almost immediately. It was actually very cute…." Hinata trailed off with a huge grin on her face as she revisited that fond memory. She swung her basket gently as her thoughts drifted farther into her daydreams. "I think Shino-kun will be a wonderful father."
"Maybe," Shibiki offered. "He's not really a ladies' man, though, so he might not ever get married."
"Oh, no!" Hinata refuted with an adamant shake of her head. "He will definitely start a family one day. And I'm sure he'll have no trouble finding someone. He's so kind and generous, so sweet and caring, so brave and strong, so loyal and encouraging. And he's also very handsome," she added with a pretty little blush.
Shibiki eyes grew wide and a silly grin erupted over his face. It looked like Shino wasn't the only one who had it bad.
"What about you?" Shibiki asked gently.
"Oh, um…maybe. I hope so. I'd really love to have a family one day, but…"
"But?" Shibiki inquired.
Hinata flushed and her gaze dropped to the ground. "I think it will be very hard, but I'm going to try."
"Why do you think it'll be hard for you?"
"I-I'm not p-pretty. And I'm d-d-definitely not very c-confident."
"Hinata-chan, you really are very cute," Shibiki insisted. "You mustn't put yourself down. Besides," he added slyly, "Shino definitely thinks you're beautiful."
Hinata blushed an entirely new shade of red and started fiddling furiously with her fingers. "D-Did he really…?
"He's very fond of you. He really likes having you as a teammate, too. Shino knows you're really capable."
Hinata nodded. "Of everyone in my life, Shino-kun is the one that has never doubted me or ignored me, not even when I was pretty weak and useless," she smiled affectionately.
Shino had made him promise not to tell Hinata directly that her team leader had a crush on her, but he'd never mentioned asking her questions about how she felt. Shibiki took a deep breathe and decided to go for it. "Do you love him?" he inquired softly, fully expecting Hinata to blush, stutter, and prevaricate.
"Of course," she answered without pause, shocking Shibiki to no end with her simple, honest reply. "Of course," she repeated to herself.
"Have you ever told him that?"
Hinata flushed and looked away. "No, I couldn't."
Unseen, Shibiki frowned.
"I…I couldn't do that to him," she whispered with a shake of her head. "It wouldn't be fair."
Shibiki turned to her with a puzzled look on his face. "Fair?"
"Shino-kun is so kind and honorable. If I told him such a thing…he would feel obligated…even if he only cares for me as a teammate and a good friend. When I asked him to help me train so that I could become stronger, he never once told me 'no.' He always makes time for me and does kind things for me, even if it means going out of his way. Shino was always the one encouraging me at every point. I…I wouldn't want him to feel like…. I wouldn't want him to pity me or…feel like he needed to go against his feelings in order to be kind. And he is so very kind."
"But, Hinata-chan, it's even more unfair if you feel that way about him and never tell him. Like I said, Shino isn't a ladies' man. Perhaps in such a thing, he's the one that needs a little encouragement."
"Shino…need encouragement? B-But he doesn't doubt himself the way I do. I'm sure if he f-f-felt such things a-about m-me, then he would tell me himself. He's such a direct person."
"Maybe he thinks you have special feelings for someone else," Shibiki shrugged, knowing full well that's what Shino believed. "He may have mentioned that you have someone special…"
"Really?" Hinata frowned and twiddled her fingers as she puzzled out this new information. "I don't have a boyfriend or anything like that. I-I've never even been on a date before."
"Maybe someone that he knew you liked?" Shibiki knew he was desperately fishing for a name, but he didn't care.
Hinata nibbled her bottom lip as she thought. The only person she'd ever liked besides Shino-kun was… "Oh. Maybe…?" But that doesn't make sense. Naruto-kun is just a very good friend now. Besides, he's going out with Sakura-chan now.
"Hm?" Shibiki kept his voice gentle and patient, but he could hardly contain his curiosity.
"I…I used to like someone for a very long time," Hinata explained slowly. They arrived at the blueberry bushes, and she continued her quiet explanation as they gathered the plump, ripe berries. "I still greatly admire him and consider him to be a good friend. Actually, it became easier to think of him as just a good friend when I got to know him better. He is also a very kind and encouraging person, though he is much more energetic than anyone else in Konoha. Actually, it made me really happy when he came to me for help recently."
"What about?"
"He's been in love with a girl ever since we were at the Academy together. He had asked her out many times, but she always turned him down. Recently, he came and asked me for my advice, and I was able to help him," Hinata explained with a proud little smile.
"So, this guy that you used to like but now think of as a friend has a girlfriend?" Shibiki asked carefully.
"Mm-hmm," Hinata nodded, surprised at how easily she managed to share all of her inner thoughts with Shino's big brother. Her own father didn't even know this much about her.
"Did you start thinking of him as a friend because he was taken?"
Hinata shook her head. "B-Before that. I-It was when I r-realized that I l-l-like…" Here Hinata's courage failed her and her face turned bright red.
Shibiki watched with growing alarm as Hinata seemed to sway. He swore he could feel the immense heat radiating from her burning face.
"Hinata-chan? Hinata-chan!" Shibiki leaped up and caught both Hinata and the basket of berries before they fell. He shook his head in amused bewilderment as he lifted the slender girl into his arms. She'd so sweetly and honestly told him that she loved his brother, and then she'd somehow managed to embarrass herself into unconsciousness by thinking about him. Shibiki raised a single eyebrow. Hmm…if she already told me she loved him, what was she thinking about before she fainted?
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Shino toweled off and dressed. The shower had helped. He felt more relaxed, and the headache had temporarily abated. It was so hard not to think about her, though.
He wanted so much. Too much. He wanted to hold her against his chest and feel her heart beat against his. He wanted to kiss her awake from a nap, to watch her beautiful eyes blink open slowly, and to see her sweet smile when she noticed him gazing at her. He wanted to bury his face in the hollow of her neck and inhale her scent. He wanted to…
Every muscle in Shino's body tensed at the sight of his older brother carrying an unconscious Hinata into the compound. In an instant, he was in front of them, arms out to take her. "What happened?" His voice was harsh with worry.
"She was talking about something when I think she got embarrassed and fainted," Shibiki shrugged.
Once he'd inspected his teammate, Shino gave a sigh of relief. "What were you talking about?"
"Oh, you know. This and that. She was telling me about this boy she used to like. Apparently, she recently helped him get a date with the girl he's always liked," he threw out nonchalantly. "We talked about other things, too. Quite interesting things."
Shino froze completely. "What?"
"Things," Shibiki grinned evilly. "We talked a bit about the boy she likes now."
"Hinata…told you who she likes?" Shino frowned in consternation. "I'm her teammate and friend. Why didn't she tell me?"
"I wonder if maybe she's been trying to," Shibiki mused thoughtfully.
"Shibiki?" their mother called from down the hallway.
"I'm here, Mother," Shibiki called back.
"Will you run into town and pick up some things for me?"
"Of course, Mother," Shibiki replied. "Shino, just talk to her. Tell her how you feel. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."
"You didn't…?"
"I told you I wouldn't. But just talk to her, okay. I've got to go. Mom's waiting."
Shino didn't know what to say as Shibiki dashed away. He gazed down at Hinata's peacefully sleeping face and felt the overwhelming urge to…just hold her.
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During missions, he always woke up before his teammates. On easier missions, sometimes he would even wait a few minutes until Hinata woke up before rising himself. She looked so cute when she slept, curled on her side with her hand tucked near her smooth cheek. Sometimes if he watched her for a few minutes, she'd smile in her sleep. He always wondered what she thought of right before her eyes fluttered open, for she looked so sweetly contented with the world.
Once, in one the balmier countries, it had been so warm that all three of them had doffed their jackets and slept on top of their mats. During the early morning hours it grew chilly. Hinata had unconsciously snuggled against him, her left arm draped affectionately over his torso. He'd woken to the feel of her delightful weight pressed against him and her silken hair caressing the underside of his chin.
These thoughts and the memories of many other affectionate moments ran through Shino's head as he laid his precious friend down on the couch. He leaned forward, and his lips almost brushed the delicate shell of her ear as he whispered, "Hinata?"
She stirred and yawned as if she'd only been taking a nap. "Hmm…" she sighed with her eyes closed. Hinata was still a little sleep addled. "Shino-kun…"
"Yes?" he asked.
Hinata suddenly bolted straight up, and her wide and confused eyes darted around the room. "Wh-What happened? H-How did I get here?"
"You and Shibiki were discussing something when you fainted in the woods."
Hinata recalled what she'd been thinking about, and her face ignited even as she stared at the object of those thoughts. A tiny squeak escaped her throat.
"Hinata, what were you and Shibiki talking about?" Shino asked her seriously. He was hurt that she had gotten over Naruto only to fall for another man. He was upset that she hadn't told him—her friend, teammate, and team leader—about the new person she'd allowed into her heart. Though he tried to keep his voice even, it was clear that her answer really mattered to him and that this was no idle question, not that Shino had a tendency to ask idle questions.
"I-I-I-I-I…" Hinata's unconscious form slumped back onto the couch.
Shino sighed and tucked a strand of Hinata's hair behind her ear. He would have to wait until later to interrogate her about this new love interest, but he was determined to find out who had supplanted Naruto's place in Hinata's affections.
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"Shino?" Kaoru called as she stepped in from the hallway. "Have you seen Hinata? The girls and I are going to start dinner."
Kaoru started as Shino immediately straightened from where he'd been kneeling on the floor. The back of the couch faced the doorway, so from where she stood she could only see Shino. She walked around to see what he was doing and gasped. Shino had been leaning over Hinata's sleeping form. Oh no! Did I interrupt him kissing her?
Shino straightened his glasses nervously. "I'll just wake Hinata then."
"No, no! If I'd known she was taking a nap, I'd never have interrupted. Uh…"
With all of the commotion going on above her, Hinata finally stirred. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and blinked up at them.
"Wh-What? Did I faint again?"
Shino nodded down at her. "Hinata, what were-?"
"Oh!" Hinata suddenly exclaimed with a hint of panic in her voice. "Kaoru-san, I'm so sorry! I was supposed to help with dinner! I'll just go wash my hands and meet you in the kitchen." With that, she jumped off of the couch and raced away.
Silently frowning, Shino walked out the door. His aunt stared after him and wondered what had gone wrong.
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Kinako's smile grew and grew as Shibiki related his conversation with Hinata. Her sister's-in-law listened in eagerly as they unpacked the provisions Shibiki had brought, and the girls shared a knowing look when Hinata bustled in with a stuttered apology. They would work on her. Shibiki winked at his mother and let himself out.
It started innocently and indirectly. Karimi teased Karika about the first time the youngest sister had hugged the man that would become her husband. In her exuberance and gratitude, she'd slipped, and what had meant to be a warm gesture had turned into an awkward tumble of limbs and misplaced hands.
"Hinata, who gave you your first hug?" Karimi asked slyly.
Hinata's busy hands stilled, and she appeared to be lost in thought for several minutes. The girls sweat-dropped as the silence drew on. Kinako briefly wondered if Hinata had hugged so many men that she couldn't remember her first.
Shibi stood just outside the doorway with his chakra repressed and listened carefully.
"I think," Hinata replied quietly and with a hint of nostalgia in her voice, "that it must have been my mother. I don't really remember a first hug, but she was always very kind to me."
Was? each of them thought.
Shibi arched a single eyebrow when his son stealthily mimicked his position on the other side of the door.
"Uh…" Karika chuckled. "I think she meant what boy gave you your first hug, and don't say 'your father!'"
Hinata smiled wistfully. "Well, my father doesn't do things like that anyway."
Hinata's mentioning of her mother had tugged at their heartstrings, but her honest confession that her father had never hugged her in her life made each of the women want to cry. They'd all grown up in very loving families full of hugs and kisses from both parents. No wonder Hinata was so shy and unsure of herself.
Unseen and unheard, Shibi frowned in the hallway. He would be honored to have Hinata as his daughter and was displeased to hear that Hiashi did not treat her with the love she deserved.
"Um…I suppose that it was Kiba-kun. It was right after we passed our Genin test." Hinata giggled at the memory.
Both Shino and Shibi tensed respectively. There, Shino thought. That must be it. Kiba was much more outgoing and energetic than himself. In many ways, he was a little like Naruto. Kiba was also the only other boy that Hinata interacted with on a regular basis.
"What about Shino?" Karimi threw out.
Hinata giggled again. "Judging from his reaction, I think that was also Shino's first hug from a boy."
Shino swallowed an embarrassed groan and studiously avoided his father's curious gaze.
"I mean…do you think there might be feelings there that aren't…quite appropriate for a teammate?" Karime explained as delicately as possible.
"Oh, no! No, no, no! Not at all! Kiba-kun is very physically affectionate, but he just thinks of Shino-kun as his teammate. Plus, I know he definitely thinks some of the village girls are cute. Also, Shino has never mentioned liking a boy."
Swing and a miss for sweet, little Hinata, Shibi chuckled to himself as he watched his son pantomime hitting his head against the wall.
Shino really did want to hit his head against the wall, but he couldn't afford to give away his position. He would just have to live with the mortifying reality that Hinata had just defended his sexual orientation to his mother and aunts. He supposed that's what you got for "gathering information." Sometimes you gathered things you wish you'd never known.
"How do you feel about Kiba?" Kinako asked directly.
"He's a very loyal teammate and a good friend," Hinata replied.
"Yes, but if he had to pick his favorite teammate, who do you think he would pick?"
"Akamaru, of course. Kiba-kun cares very much for Shino-kun and me, but Akamaru is his best friend. They eat, train, and sleep together. They even take baths together."
"Well, I suppose if you take a bath with someone, that automatically makes you closer to them," Zuruiko-baasan chimed in as she sauntered in through the other doorway. She turned her full attention to the young kunoichi and waggled her eyebrows lasciviously. "Hinata, since Kiba has to bathe his dog, does that leave you to give Shino a bath?"
Out in the hallway, all Shino and Shibi heard was silence followed by a very loud THUMP.
