Chapter 5 – Once in Five Blue Moons

…

It was five days after the attack. It had been known for three days now the Hokage, the fourth, was dead. The whole village mourned his loss…but a funeral was not scheduled as of yet. The third took ove, and a proper funeral would take place as soon as everyone was settled once again.

As for this process, there was one matter that needed to be settled for Shen…so on that evening of five days after the attack…

…

Knock knock

Kuroji looked up from the book he was reading, "Enter."

A cloud of kikai bugs following him, Shen walked through Kuroji's front door, carefully avoiding the spider webs in each corner. He was holding his gigantic pear-shaped kikai gourd by its strap.

"How are you recovering?" Kuroji asked, seeing the bandage around his torso just visible from under his jacket (whose front was open).

Shen cracked a worried smile, "I'm not dead yet, It was just some scrapes and a broken rib or two…some rest and hot tea and I should be back to work again in no time."

Some scrapes indeed, I heard you got stabbed quite badly with some wood shrapnel flung by the Kyubi's thrashing…Kuroji nodded and cocked his head at the hole in Shen's kikai gourd.

"Yes, I'm here about that," Shen understood what he meant through his non-verbal cues, "They burst through it again."

"This will be…the fifth time?" Kuroji sighed, not including the times my father fixed it for you, he thought to himself.

"I've had it since I was 15, what do you expect?" (((making it 35 years old)))

"Why don't I just make you a new one?" Kuroji said in such a way that sounded like he was saying 'You NEED a new one'.

"You've asked me that before, and the answer is still no. It wouldn't be the same, my back has practically curved to its shape, I am rather attached to it."

"Humm…" Kuroji got up and looked down at Shen, "About that…" Kuroji motioned for him to follow and walked out back behind his house.

Behind Kuroji's house was a lattice-work of pergolas, from which the vines of over-sized gourds grew and dangled just above the ground like beads hanging on a necklace. The butterflies and beetles that lazed about the garden looked therefore almost like a garnishing of jewels. Their size and shape was totally up to nature, so no two gourds were exactly alike.

They walked under and through the garden, the sunlight just barely able to shine down through the thick covering of vine leaves. Shen's eyes lit up when Kuroji pointed to a particular gourd.

"Oh my,"

Kuroji nodded.

"It looks just like," Shen walked up and smoothed his hand over it. His swarm of extra kikai bugs that normally lived in his gourd (equal to that of over two humans-full worth of insects) buzzed around with interest, as if looking over his shoulder.

The gourd hanging from the vine was practically a duplicate of the one he had.

"I've been waiting for one to grow like that. Finally I can make you a replacement, if you still want me to that is." Kuroji smirked.

"Of course! By the time another one grows like it I'll be in my grave!" Shen looked down at his old gourd, before handing it slowly over to him, "But I want to keep the old one after you're done…I couldn't bear to get rid of it."

Kuroji nodded, "I'll get to work right away."

"Are you up to it? Didn't you get injured at all from the attack?"

"I was fortunate, I had no serious injuries. By time it dries out my chakra should be back to normal. I'm sure your kikaichu want their home back as soon as possible."

"It is getting chillier out. Thank goodness it's not winter yet." He smiled gently, "But yes, in the meantime they've taken to nestling under blankets, in my bed, and in my clothes hanging in the closet."

Kuroji couldn't help but smile ever-so-subtly at the image that generated in his mind.

With a deep bow, Shen bade him thanks and went off to his home to rest.

Kuroji got right to work.

It would take over a week and a half to finish a gourd of this size, so he wanted to get working as soon as possible.

He was disappointed Yusuro was still recuperating. This would make fine practice for her training to carry on the family legacy. Tesuro had been training as well, but his tattoos were not complete enough yet to actually make one on his own. Yusuro herself just had them completed upon her graduation from the academy.

He clipped the gourd off the vine and cut a hole hear its top. (It would be for the kikai to get in and out.) He scooped out the insides and seeds, scraping it down to the hard walls so they were smooth. It was then laid to dry over a heater (which speeded the drying process). It sat for five days, the gourd's walls hardening as the water evaporated.

Yusuro was actually feeling a bit better by the time he took it down to get to the actual process of turning it from an oversized, dried vegetable into a kikai gourd. That afternoon, with Tesuro tending to his studies and not around, she got herself out of bed and came downstairs for some hot chocolate. She saw her father leaning over something in the side room.

"You didn't tell me you were working on a new gourd!" she came up behind him.

"WHY aren't you in bed?"

"I'm feeling better." She sipped her hot chocolate.

"…" He lowered his eyebrows.

"You said I could help make the next one."

He stared at her.

"I need to train father."

"…That's true, and you've actually been coming along nicely in your training, but with your chakra circulatory system in repair it's not a good idea to stress it."

She sighed, he was right. And she knew it wasn't worth arguing with him, he was like a brick wall on things like this.

"I'm at least going to watch."

"…That's, fine."

"Good."

He removed his coat and undershirt, so that his upper body was completely exposed. It was rare for Yusuro to see him completely topless, even around the house when it was just family around in the dead of summer. However, when her mother, Hamitsu, was still alive he had been known to do so quite often. Nowadays, it was only when he was working that you could see all of his tattoos.

Every generation of their family line got the body markings. They were applied gradually. A few of the red swirls were needled into the skin every birthday, starting at the year you receive your kikaichu. By the time you graduate from the academy, you have them all. They were never exactly the same on each person, the pattern of swirls was unique but similar, like a human fingerprint. They traced along the lines of the tenketsu and chakra flow of the person on the left side of their body, which also accounted for their slight variability.

On Kuroji, the red swirls of varying sizes and directions went from the left side of his face, down his neck and left side of his chest and trailed off just above his hips. Some also spilled over onto the top of his shoulder and bicep.

With the large gourd on the table in front of him, he bit his right hand's fingertip and swiped a thick line of blood over the tattoos, starting at his face and then all the way down to his hips. The tattoos seemed to absorb the blood, as it slithered across his skin and seeped into it. His kikaichu underneath vibrated strongly enough for it to be visible to an onlooker. They broke out from his skin and crawled over him, stopping at positions they had trained to go to on the right side of his body. They had mirrored the tattoos patterns on the opposite side using their bodies. Subsequently, both the red ink and black 'kikaichu tattoos' glowed blue with chakra as he extended his fingers and hovered them just above the outside of the gourd.

The purpose of all this was to infuse the skin of the gourd and tune it to accept chakra. When the process is complete, the gourd is transformed; its outer skin mirrors the properties of that of animal / human skin. It is given its own chakra circulatory system, so that the wearer's chakra system can flow through it like an extension of themselves. It can also 'breathe' like silk fabric, allowing exchange of air, yet it also insulates as well as dense cotton, allowing for the kikaichu inside to stay warm even in winter (as the wearer can charge their chakra sent through the skin to heat it up and make it act like an electric blanket).

It is a thing easier said than done.

Creating a chakra circulatory system takes enormous amounts of chakra; especially on a gourd as large as the one he was making for Shen. The tattoos were actually a seal that corresponded to a jutsu for molding chakra, allowing for this process.

Starting at the top, he ran his fingers along the gourd, one hand inside and the other outside opposite it, and he weaved the chakra pathways like spider webs through its shell.

After three hours, he was completely exhausted and out of chakra, and only 1/5 of the skin had been completed. It was a painstakingly slow process.

"It's such a large gourd…" Yusuro sighed, "It's for Shen, isn't it?"

Kuroji looked at her, he was too tired to speak. He poured the boiling water from the kettle he had on the stove into his tea mug in front of him.

"It's not too hard to figure out. I know the second you saw that gourd grow out back that you were going to give it to Shen. It looks just like his, and he's needed a new one for a while now, with how vigorous his kikaichu can be."

He nodded.

"I think I'm going to lay down as well. I'm feeling lightheaded again."

Both went off to bed, Kuroji taking his steeping tea with him upstairs.

…

Each day he worked for as long as his chakra could hold out before he had to stop and rest till the next day to continue. As he got lower on the gourd and couldn't reach far enough inside (as the gourd was taller than a human's arms could comfortably reach lengthwise) he had to work only on the outside, which slowed the process by half from that point on (as he had to double his chakra output to penetrate all the way through the skin). On the fifth day, he was in the middle of working when Shibi walked in, son in arms.

"How did I know you were working on a new kikai gourd?"

"…" Kuroji gave him a look. With his sunglasses off it was easier for Shibi to get the sarcastic "Yes Shibi-sama" from it.

"Every time you disappear we always know where to look."

"Ga," Shino reached out towards the shiny blue chakra on the gourd. Shibi seemed to pay no notice and simply held him firm from going anywhere.

"How are you recovering?" Kuroji asked softly.

"It hurt every time I breathed in, but it lessened a bit each day. I'm fully healed now."

You always did heal quickly, Kuroji thought, your kikaichu are skilled in tissue repair and removing toxins.

"Kaho made me take Shino out, he said he needs some change of scenery… stimulation, or something."

"Children should be exposed to new things, it helps their brains develop."

"…Ah." He blinked.

"Gaa!" Shino struggled.

Kuroji stared at him, "Like father like son."

"Excuse me?" Shibi seemed to threaten.

"You were a rather misbehaved baby yourself."

"I don't remember being like this at all."

"You were too young to remember. Up until you were about 3, you were quite a clan dissonant. Then all of a sudden you turned into an Aburame."

Shibi nodded slowly, not knowing if he believed him or not.

"Visitors?" Yusuro walked downstairs. She was almost fully recovered herself., "Oh, Shibi-sama, nice to see you."

"How are you feeling Yusuro?"

"Better," she nodded. The seemed to startle as if she got an idea, "I'll be right back," she ran upstairs again.

Shibi stared, confused. Kuroji ignored them and just continued working.

She soon returned, hands behind her back.

"It's a little early, but I figured he'd enjoy it more the younger he was," she pulled her hands out and in them was a stuffed animal; a cicada to be precise. It was sewn from various fabrics and was obviously hand-made. The best touch had to be the button eyes.

"For Shino?" Shibi blinked.

She nodded.

"Thank you,"

She handed it to Shino, who became intently interested in the brightly colored plushie object ever since she pulled it out from behind her back. He hugged it close and buried his face into it.

She smiled.

Just then, Tesuro came in from the front door, looking a little worn out (obviously he had been training), "You gave it to him already?" He sounded disappointed. He came up and playfully poked a finger in Shino's face. Shino pulled the plushie closer as if saying, 'my plushie!'

"Oh, sorry Tesuro…" I forgot he wanted to see his reaction to it…

"I hate to sound like an ornery old man, but could you all please get the hell out of my house so I can concentrate?" Kuroji voiced.

Every one complied.

…

"What is that?" Kaho asked as Shibi came into the living room.

"Early birthday gift from Yusuro."

"Oh! She made it, how cute!" She said after seeing it closer up. Shibi placed Shino on the couch and he rolled over and played with the insect-shaped plush.

"Was he okay for you?" She asked.

Shibi looked down, and removed his sunglasses, rubbing his face, "He seemed to behave. I was…worried about dropping him."

"Baby's are not that delicate; besides, aren't I supposed to be the one always worrying? You seem to think you'll break him. You're his father, be more tough with him."

Shibi looked at her, paused, and then nodded once in agreement.

She smiled and shook her head, "You'll get used to it. Before you know it we'll all be training together."

Shibi glanced at his son, who at that very moment lost grip on the plushie and it fell off the couch. Shino went to follow it, much to Shibi's dismay. His bugs swooped out faster than he could dart to catch him.

"…" Kaho stared as Shibi's bugs brought the boy over to him; upside-down. Little Shino squealed with delight and Shibi took him up in his arms, re-righting him.

…

"…what?" Shibi gave her a look, "Would you rather I had let him fall?"

"No." Kaho smiled.

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"…nothing," she just kept smiling, holding back a laugh.

"…" Shibi stared.

She sighed and came forward, putting her face in his hair. You're a good father and yet you think you still are inadequate, she thought.

"I love you…" she said to him softly.

She could feel his eyelashes against her collarbone where his head had come to rest; giving her butterfly kisses. "Oh my, look at that," she pointed.

Shino was trying to grab at the dangle hanging from Shibi's glasses that he was still holding in his hand. They both withdrew a little and stared. Shibi twitched his hand so the beaded decoration 'jingled'. Shino giggled happily.

"Don't tease him."

"He likes it."

"You like it too."

"…maybe."