AN: Okay, please review. I want 10 reviews before I post chapter 5. Which I know it took me a long time to get this one up and I'm sorry. I had trouble with it. (Writer's block, you know.) And I did say review if you feel like it…. Well, now it is review if you want another chapter. Not in a mean way because I don't like it when people demand reviews, but I would really like to have some. It makes me feel better about my writing. Even if all you say is good chapter. (And thanks watergoddesskasey and Kitko for the reviews. Another thanks to those who are "watching" this story.) Sorry for the long note and please enjoy Chapter 4 of The Bird And The Bug.
Sono Tori Ken Sono Konchuu
Chapter 4: Sudden Mission
Shino could not sleep. He was restless as he roused himself from the deep navy colored sheets. Their cool, silken feel did little to soothe him. He crossed to the window and pushed it open. He braced himself for a gush of cooler air. It buffeted his naked body with chills. Shino never liked to wear clothes at night it was the only time when he did not even bother to wear his dark glasses. It was the time when he was at his most vulnerable.
His kikai were not fairing much better than their master. They hummed and droned beneath his skin. The object of their discomfort just down the hall. He sighed heavily. If this continued on he was going to suffer and he knew it. A survey of the quiet compound outside calmed him to some extent.
The simple yet delicate architecture of the buildings reminded him of the structures that colonies of insects make. They are so similar to us yet people fear, hate, and kill them senselessly. Shino shook his head and retreated back to bed. He would need to be up early to take Mizuki to the academy. A small wave of kikai subconsciously pulled the sheets up to cover his naked body before taking up their residence in his body to rest. Shino hoped he would be able to get at least a little sleep.
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Mizuki was awake long before dawn. She took a long bath in an attempt to ease her troubled mind. She was nervous about her first day at the academy. She did not have a normal education about the basics of being a ninja. She also worried that the young students would laugh at her for having to take classes with them. Not that she cared, but she did want to be the laughing stock of the whole academy. She sighed and began to organize her things.
She laid out her violet and black outfit and then went back to the wardrobe for her weapons. She took a pouch and placed a few kunai, shuriken, and exploding tags in it. Mizuki then grabbed her bow, quiver, and a blank scroll. She stored the bow and quiver in the scroll and placed it in the pouch with the other weapons. After checking to make sure she would not need anything else Mizuki went back over to the bed and picked up her black undershirt and put it on.
It was sleeveless and solid until the shirt covered her breasts. At that point it was fish netted down to her waist. Her violet over shirt hung off her shoulders and covered the top of the black shorts she pulled on. Her thigh high black boots came next before she strapped the pouch to the left side of her shorts and pulled her hair up with her violet ribbon. She then pulled on her elbow length gloves in the same purple hue and looked herself over in the mirror.
Today was going to be a long and trying one. That she could already tell.
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Shino woke as the rays of first light pooled into his room through the window. He put on his dark shades and rose from his bed. He opened his wardrobe and pulled out a fishnet undershirt and navy boxers. Shino then switched his shades for his wrap around glasses and he put on his navy regulation pants. The black undercoat and beige overcoat followed along with his regulation footwear. The finishing touch was to put on his headband and raise his hood.
Now completely clothed he was ready to drop Mizuki off at the Academy and carry out his plan. He had decided to go ask Tsunade for a mission. He needed time to clear his head of Mizuki. She was very near the point of constantly being on his mind. Shino shook his head and sighed. He did not even know the girl. Enough!
He stormed out of his room with a scowl already fixed to his fine features. The halls of the house were scattered with servants cleaning the walls and floors. Shino stiffly nodded to those who bowed in greeting.
As he approached Mizuki's door he felt a wave of foreboding wash over him. A muscle in his jaw ticked. This was not a good sign. His frustration only heightened when he caught himself gripping the door with too much force. When his view landed on her she was standing motionless as if she had been waiting for him. The thought warmed his blood.
"You are ready. Follow me." His voice remained cold. Do they truly hate me for my opinions of bugs. Surely they can understand… Mizuki sighed inwardly. She knew that her mood swings had left the wrong impression but she did worry about it for long. What had caught her attention was the fact that this mysterious boy did not hold the same allure that she was sure she felt earlier.
The only thing was that she was not sure whether or not that was a good thing. It's not wise to allow a stranger to have too much power over me. Mizuki concluded that it must be a good thing for her to have been released from whatever hold he might have had. Now she could focus on getting through this academy as quickly as possible.
On their way out they met Shibi in the central corridor. "Have a good day. Good luck at the academy Mizuki." Mizuki bowed to him while Shino nodded. "Oh and Mizuki," he added before they could leave. "Here is a bento for you. It will make lunch easier on you." Mizuki took the wrapped box from his large hand. She blushed lightly.
"Thank-you, Shibi-kun." She replied before exiting into the compound outside. Shibi smiled lightly as he watched the flustered girl. Her new name for him was cute. He then fought to control his blush. He looked over at his son and wondered if it were harder for his son to control himself around her than him. By the hard expression on his son's face he concluded that it must be so.
Shino pondered why she had called his father by his first name. He wondered how many different moods she possessed as he followed her to the gate. Once they left the compound he took over the lead. As they walked through the village Mizuki was continually stared at by many of the men and women. The children paid less attention but even some of them could not help but stare at her.
He was not too worried but slightly irritated. He knew how it felt to have eyes boring into him and so he looked over his shoulder to make sure she was handling it well enough. Mizuki's gazed flittered from one thing to another. She wanted to make sure that she could remember the way there and back. It was a little more difficult due to the fact that she could feel the stares she was getting.
It did bother her as much as the awareness that it was happening. She looked up and met Shino's gaze. Even him…Am I so obvious to everyone? Do I truly look like a normal girl playing dress up? A blush grew in her cheeks and she looked away again.
Shino watched as her eyes grew large and a warm blush crept into her cheeks. Even then he did not look away. If it embarrassed her then that was fine. She needed to get used to the stares and learn how to ignore them. Though he was not completely sure that was the reason for her blush.
Not much later they arrived at the academy. Shino spotted Shikamaru standing out front and brought Mizuki over to meet him. Shikamaru raised and eyebrow at the pretty young girl. "Who is she?" He asked Shino.
"This is Hatake Mizuki. She will be attending the academy from today until the Hokage is ready for her." Shino kept his voice level even though he knew Shikamaru was going to get the wrong idea.
"Hatake?! So she's…." Shino mentally groaned. She was obviously too old to be Kakashi-san's daughter.
"I'm his cousin. It's nice to meet you…" She smiled and waited for his name.
"Ah, Nara Shikamaru. I'm a teacher here." Mizuki assumed that meant he was a chunin. The ninjas here seemed to climb the ranks quickly even without a war. It could be because they are just that talented. Did Hatake-san not come from this village. She pledged that she would soon become a chunin as well.
"I will leave her with you. I must see Tsunade-sama." Shino made his way to leave.
"Wait, why?" Shikamaru asked bored voice. She knew it was just a cover to mask his curiosity.
"I am going to request a mission." With that he left Mizuki standing there with Shikamaru.
"We should head in now." She agreed and followed him inside the building. Once they got into the classroom she felt sorely out of place. Everyone was at least a foot shorter than her. The seats were built on steps growing higher in the back of the room. Mizuki decided to sit in the last row so she wouldn't hinder anyone's view.
After she was seated Mizuki surveyed the room around her. The walls were an off-white color and the front on the room held a very large chalkboard. The children around her all had some form of scroll or data book and a writing implement. A few glanced her way but most looked as if they wanted class to hurry up and start just so it could be over. She smiled. It was a feeling she was very familiar with.
As a child she was always lectured as she worked with her mother and grandmother. They taught her all they knew of the basic of stealth, espionage, and teamwork. She listened without complaint but her restlessness was obvious to the older women.
Shikamaru stood alone in front of the long cedar desk. He looked as bored as his pupils but he did try to give Mizuki a slight smile. He thought she must be uncomfortable being at least 5 years older than most of the students. He looked over as a taller and older ninja walked in. "Yo, Iruka-sempai. You're late. Kakashi is wearing off on you." The older man blushed.
"He's not…We don't even hang out anymore. Am I really that late?" He looked around the room before his eyes lingered on Mizuki. Mizuki noticed the ninja as soon as he came in. He was taller than Shikamaru with lighter brown hair and eyes. The only mark on his tanned skin was a single scar on his nose. "Who is she? A new student?"
"She is Kakashi's cousin, Hatake Mizuki." Iruka's jaw dropped.
"I never knew he had any other relations. Well, Let's get this class started." Shikamaru nodded his agreement. "Okay students today we will go over the Bushin no Jutsu, or the Clone Technique." There was a groan from most of the students. "I know we've gone over it but this will be part of the exam. So, who knows the hand seals for this technique?" A few students raised their hands. Iruka called on a girl with blonde pigtails.
"Ram, Snake, and then Tiger." She answered confidently. Iruka nodded and grinned. "That's right. Very good, Kitko. Now, Benjiro, what type and rank is this jutsu?" The boy in question had dark short-cropped hair and was short in comparison to his other classmates.
"It's a E-rank and supplementary or a general skill." Iruka nodded. Then he began to go about telling how it would be used in battle and the different situations where the clones are a necessary skill. Mizuki paid close attention even though she had heard a similar explanation many years ago. After he had finished Iruka ordered to the students to line up. Mizuki was the last one in line.
"We are going to have you demonstrate this technique one by one." Shikamaru informed. The room became eerily quieter as the first student stepped forward. The boy created three copies of himself and the others followed suit. It took a while to get to Mizuki but she didn't falter when her turn came around.
Bushin no Jutsu! She replicated herself five times. Even though it went smoothly she checked over the clones to make sure she hadn't made a mistake with anything.
"Okay, that's it for morning classes. Lunch break." Shikamaru stated. Mizuki's clones dissipated and she turned to get her bento. "Ah, Mizuki. We would like to talk to you before you go to lunch." She looked over the two chunin hoping the talk would not take long.
Iruka waited until the other students were out of the classroom before talking. "So, Mizuki-chan, you do know the basics, right?" Mizuki nodded with a slight blush.
"Did I not pay enough attention, I apologize." Iruka laughed and shook his head.
"No, that's not it. You handle the demonstration very well and you have an alertness to you."
"To get to the point we were wondering if you just wanted to take the exam later today. There's really no reason to put you through the hassle of listening to the lesson for the academic year. Tsunade figured that you knew this already so she can make plans about your possible transition to the chunin rank. Class ends after three so come in then." Mizuki nodded.
"Okay, thank-you, Shikamaru-kun, Iruka-sensei. See you then." Mizuki quickly retrieved her bento and hurried out of the school. The school yard itself was buzzing with children eating their bentos out in the sun. Should I go back to the compound and tell Shibi-kun or explore the village and tell him after I get back from the exam.
Mizuki set out for the Aburame compound. The feeling of watching eyes was still there but she found it did not bother her as much as it did before. She held her head high and allowed an air of confidence to surround her.
The gatekeeper at the compound was new and did not want to allow her entrance. "I told you my name is Hatake Mizuki. Please just ask Aburame Shibi-sama. He will tell you that I am staying here in the compound in his house. The Hokage will tell you this is so. Why won't you let me in?" Mizuki pleaded with the stony face Aburame but the man did not budge.
"Shibi-sama is out for the moment and I doubt the Hokage will come to confirm you're story. If you want to get in so badly you can wait or leave if you are through with this charade." Mizuki kept her face calm. Why should he believe me? I'm new and he does not know me. Even with the respect of Hatake-san's name…It does not matter. I shall wait for Shibi-kun. She smiled at the cold man.
"I will wait if you do not mind." A few moments after Mizuki sat down on walk outside the compound Shibi came into view. His face held a frown.
"What are you doing out here, Mizuki?" She stood up and bowed slightly to him.
"I wanted to get back into the compound but I was not able to gain entrance. I believe there are some who do not know that I am staying here." She smiled slightly. "There reason I am here so early is because the academy teachers are just going to give me an exam later today at four because they believe I know the curriculum already. Whether it is true are not will be realized with the results of my exam. "
Shibi nodded. "It would be best if you pass." He replied before he turned to the Aburame. "Hama, It will be your job to make sure that everyone knows Mizuki before the end of the day. If she is kept waiting outside again you will face the consequences." Hama nodded and bowed as Shibi and Mizuki passed.
"So how was the academy? Are the lessons good? And how well do the children know the basics?" Mizuki's eyes widened at the barrage of questions.
"The academy was fine and the lessons are very good. The children are also very knowledgeable and have no problem with demonstrations. They seem able to retain information after only hearing a few times." Shibi nodded.
"Would you like to have lunch with me then. Don't worry about the bento. You can save it for breakfast tomorrow." Mizuki conceded and followed him back to the main house.
Lunch was quite but relaxing. The only thing that bothered Mizuki was the whereabouts of Shino. "Shibi-kun, where is your son, Aburame-san?" Shibi looked up at her surprised.
"I guess he did not tell you. He was given a mission by the hokage this morning. He left as soon as he returned from her office." Mizuki nodded but didn't say anything. "Why don't you go take a rest after you finish. A servant will come and fetch you."
"Okay, thank-you for lunch." Soon Mizuki was settled in her cozy bed for a nice nap before her exam.
-To Be Continued-
AN: Well, 10 reviews and I'll put up chapter 5. I'm thinking the title will be Chapter 5: Exam! Pass or Fail? It's so lame I had to go with it. Oh, and if you can imagine Naruto saying that then tell me in your review because that is why I'm using it. So anyway, look forward to it and review.