Chapter 19 – Amiable
Chapter 19 – Amiable
"Hello little Shino-sama, how are you feeling?"
It wasn't unusual for someone in the clan to come up to him and ask such a thing. He had only had his kikaichu for a fortnight, the first brood of eggs had not even hatched yet. However, being the clan heir everyone was always protective of him.
This time it was Sakuya, who came up to him as he was playing in the clan courtyard. Laid out in front of him were some sticks, branches and leaves; he was stacking them into a little structure the way you would use blocks.
"Fine," Shino replied to her inquiry.
Sakuya nodded and took her hands from behind her back, gathering up her long sleeves, "What are you making?"
"Tweehouse."
"Not bad. I'm sure some beetles would love to live in it."
"Maybe."
"…I have something for you."
"Mmm?" Shino looked up, interested.
"Sorry this is so late," She moved her sleeves and hidden in them was a bundle of dark gray fabric, "Stand up." She commanded.
He complied.
She unfolded it and showed that it was a high collared gray jacket. As was usual with Aburame children's jackets, it had large buttons, three of them down the front. She held it up in front of him, and pouted, "The sleeves are too long," She sighed, "Oh well, you'll grow out of it soon anyway. They sleeves will be perfect in a year." She handed it to him.
Shino smiled in his subtle fashion, he loved the look and feel of the fabric. It was matte and soft, but smooth, not fuzzy like a blanket. Yet it had the same comforting feel. The fabric also had a sort of sheen to it on the outside. He didn't know it, but it took Sakuya extra time because she had to special order the soft thin suede fabric from another village.
He took off his jacket and put on the new one. Sakuya took the old one in her sleeve-draped hands; it was getting small for him anyway, "Arree-gat-ou." Shino said.
She smiled behind her collar, "Your very welcome."
Shino sat back down and continued with his stick building.
"Hey Mom," 7-year old Yesetteru came up, then saw what Shino was doing, and got distracted.
"Can I try?" She sat down across from him.
"Sticks put in th' ground like this," He stuck a twig in the ground and then began poking leaves onto its branches, "Makes a roof."
"Well, I have work to do, you two behave and have fun, okay?" Sakuya went off to file some mission reports.
Not too long later, Fu came up. She was twelve years old now, and starting to get taller. She was a bit out of Shino's and Yesetteru's age range now when it came to activities. She liked interacting with others, but she was very shy with outsiders…and Tesuro, the closest to her age in the clan, was often away. (As he was 15, and recently became a chunin). So she often was stuck without 'playmates'.
"Want to help?" Yesetteru asked. The small construction was turning into a mini mansion.
"Could I?" She sat down on her knees very proper like, "What exactly are you…doing?"
She tilted her hooded head inside a wide, low collar. She took to wearing medical-nin like hoods and whitish-blue high-collared coats. It was her dream to be a medical ninja, so emulating their style of dress was something she liked to do. She had grown her hair out since she was six years old, and it was now in two curly, poofy braided plaits that came out from the side of the hood and fell over the nape of her neck.
"Just making stuff," Yesetteru answered.
"It's a beetle howse." Shino said.
"Oh," Fu nodded, and smiled gently.
Yesetteru concentrated, and sent her kikaichu to go grab some more twigs and leaves. Even though it did get colder in winter in Konoha, it was never long-lived and many trees would not lose all their leaves, and those that did always began leafing out again by mid-February (the time it was at that point in the year).
Her insects dropped down some leaves and twigs in front of Fu.
"Oh! Thank you," Fu blushed.
"Your welcome."
"Hey, why do I always miss arts and crafts time?" Tesuro walked up to the three.
"Tesuro!" Fu looked up and seemed startled.
"I'm tired, our sensei has had us running B and C rank missions all week."
"You're a chunin now, so that means you are busy." Fu replied.
"A little bit, yes."
"Humm."
"I have to make time though. Father and I need to train together. I…still am a bit behind in learning the family art." He furrowed his eyebrows into a slant over his sunglasses, putting on a stereotypical Aburame expression.
"Making gourds for kikaichu?"
"That's right."
"I see."
"Yusuro had pretty much mastered it by my current age." She's a genius really in the art.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you will do fine." She smiled.
Shino called to some butterflies and they came right over, adding a nice finishing touch to the 'house'. Bugs came easily to him, he was very gifted in insect language, a fact the whole clan knew by now.
Yesetteru darted her head and looked in-between from Tesuro to Fu, and back again. Her sunglasses catching sunlight as she did so.
"I should go see if mother needs help," Yesetteru got up, "Thanks for letting me play Shino. It was fun."
He nodded.
Yesetteru walked off.
"I bet father is wondering where you are," Tesuro told Fu, "He can be… testy at times."
"He's away on a mission,"
"Oh…that explains it."
Fu looked at him.
"Tesuro," a deep voice calmly said. Kuroji had silently walked up, looming far above the sitting children like a dark cloud.
"Father! Hey," Tesuro seemed surprised.
"It'd your turn to make dinner," He said in such a way that he was accusing him of avoiding his chores in standing out here chatting with the clan children.
"…thanks for reminding me father," Tesuro groaned. He's still in a bit of somber mood from two weeks ago…
"Hum," Fu hung her head.
Kuroji looked down at her, she seemed to startle as if his gaze had reached out and physically struck her somehow.
"Something the matter Kuroji-sensei?" she asked carefully.
He shook his head.
"I best get home myself," Fu stood up.
As she was leaving, "Fujita-san is away…is he not?" Kuroji asked.
She stopped, "He is….Why?"
"You would be at home all alone. With Yusuro away we always have leftovers, come have dinner with us."
"I wouldn't want to intrude-"
"An invitation is not intruding."
She bit her lip.
Tesuro smiled, surprised at his father's offer, "Yea, I can make dinner for you, come by,"
"…A…arigatou." She replied, bowing.
"Ja ne!" Shino waved to them.
…
Fu sat poking her steamed cauliflower and salmon sushi nervously with her chopsticks. The room was very silent, even for an Aburame household. She had never been over to Kuroji's before, despite them being practically next door. There were spider webs everywhere, much like outside the house, where she could see his large spiders making webs on the bushes and pouch railings. Some drying kikaichu gourds were hung from the ceiling beams in the living room and baby pictures of Tesuro and Yusuro were on the hallways' wall.
"Is it alright?" Tesuro asked.
"Oh! It's very good! Thank you."
Tesuro smiled.
Kuroji darted his gaze between the two of them from behind his sunglasses.
"Since when were you two so congenial?" he said, just before tipping back his glass to drink.
Fu almost chocked on a bite of cauliflower.
Tesuro looked up, "Father! Why do you say it like that?" He rebuffed his father's 'teasing'.
"She's a little young for you, don't you think?" he said nonchalantly, "But I can overlook that."
"FATHER!" Tesuro uncharacteristically raised his voice.
Fu blushed, her kikaichu buzzed as the blood rushed to her skin.
"Apologize to Fu! That was rude!"
"Did I say something untruthful Fu?" Kuroji asked her.
"Go on, don't be afraid to talk back to him Fu," Tesuro said, "He deserves it."
Fu stayed silent.
"Go on."
"I …" She swallowed, "He didn't say anything…that was a lie."
Tesuro's jaw loosened.
Kuroji smirked, and kept on with dinner like nothing had happened. Meanwhile Fu and Tesuro kept having their conversation,
"Fu do you…like me?"
"Umm…well Kuroji-san is right, I am really young…you are almost 4 years my senior."
"You didn't answer my question."
She blushed again, and then nodded gently.
Those two would make a nice match-up in the clan, Kuroji thought to himself, if I can't count on Yusuro to pass on the family line I'll have to rely on Tesuro.
Tesuro smiled nervously…this is awkward... "Fu I am very flattered….but," He swallowed, "I will have to decline."
Fu lowered her head.
Kuroji stopped mid-bite of cauliflower and frowned.
"It's not because of your age, and you're really nice. I haven't had much of a chance to talk to you because you are always busy with your studies…so please, don't feel bad, it's not you."
"Not…me?" She looked up. What is it then…?
I don't want her to feel like t here is something wrong with her, Tesuro thought nervously, she is so nice…but I can't…I can't tell her THAT can I…
I have to though, otherwise this will end badly, and she may keep trying to win my affections…or we could never be friends if I'm not truthful with her.
"It's…" he hesitated, then paused seemingly collecting himself, "I'm not interested in people like…you."
"Girls like me?" She seemed to be hurt again.
"No! No, I…worded that improperly." He put his hand up, "I'm not interested in girls in that way."
It was Kuroji's turn to almost choke.
Here it comes…Tesuro thought, and prepared like a beetle readying itself for a strong gust to hit by hunkering down.
"Not interested in women…as in all women?" Kuroji turned towards him.
"I was meaning to tell you father. But after I heard what sis said, I -"
Kuroji put down his fork and stood up, a rather displeased pillar of black embroidery. The low hum of his kikaichu could be clearly heard, meaning they were riled up in some way. Tesuro was scared to try and say anything unprompted. Any wrong move could cause the spider to strike.
Kuroji turned his head towards Fu, who cowered down in her chair slightly. When he looked back at Tesuro, he said "Thank you for the dinner Tesuro, please be sure to show our guest home when you are finished. I'm taking a walk." And he was gone.
There was an interminably long period of silence.
"Tesuro-san, I'm…so sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"Don't apologize." He said quickly, "I have been too worried to tell father it on my own. I'm glad this happened. I, in fact thank you." He smiled at her.
She smiled slowly.
"The look on his face was pretty interesting," Tesuro grinned.
"He's…frightening like that." Fu shuttered. Her kikaichu doing the same.
"I'd figure you'd be used to it, with how your father is."
"Kuroji-san is a different kind of frightening than my father."
There was a pause.
Then Tesuro smiled and laughed a little.
"What?" she blinked confused.
"You're pretty cool, we should hang out more and train."
She stared at him.
"Want to be friends?"
She slowly absorbed his words, then nodded, a smile just creeping over her whitish-blue collar and hood.
…
Tesuro showed Fu home, and then cleaned up to distract himself. He nervously awaited his father to come back home. His kikaichu could feel his apprehension, they didn't like it. They did not fully understand why he felt as he did. They fretted as his worry increased only making him more tense.
"I don't know if it's something you can understand, don't worry about me I'll be fine." He told them softly, trying to quiet then down.
He waited for a while, then as his apprehension grew in the time ticking by longer and longer…and his father still not returning….he couldn't wait any more. He walked outside; and saw it was quite dark. He sat at a corner of the tree groves. He'd have to face his father in the morning.
He heard Shibi and Kaho walk by, most likely returning from dinner, talking softly about topics he couldn't pick up, subtle humm of their kikaichu reacting to one another's affections drifting through the air. He was so distracted by eavesdropping that he didn't sense someone come up behind the tree he was sitting against.
"Tesuro-san?"
He whirled around. Standing there was Genjo, clad in his hakama training clothes.
The young tattooed-nin stared and could not reply.
"Is something the matter? I could easily hear your kikaichu buzzing restlessly all the way from my training area."
You wouldn't have heard that if you were not already listening for it…he thought. Then said, "There is just something making me apprehensive."
Genjo walked around and sat neatly cross-legged across from him.
"You've barely conversed with me since I retuned. We used to spend time and train together…I feel a bit sad we did not keep in touch. I was so engrossed in my training and meditation I did not talk to much of anyone."
Tesuro appreciated his reconciliation, and nodded, before replying, "I was a bit shocked with your sudden return, please forgive my rudeness in not speaking to you as well."
Genjo smiled subtly, his small round blue sunglasses gleaming, "It's forgiven."
There was a pause.
"Please tell me about your time away. Your training, I'd love to hear about it."
"I'd rather hear about what is troubling you first."
Tesuro looked away, "It's…a private matter."
"Oh?"
"…father."
"AH not getting along with Kuroji-kun?" He grinned.
"…I feel like I'm not living up to his expectations."
"I talked with Yusuro-san,"
Tesuro looked up at him suddenly.
"What's with the look?"
"Nothing." Tesuro darted his gaze away once more.
"She told me about how you were a bit behind in your kikaichu gourd training."
"That's not what's bothering me." He said, feeling a bit less tense.
"And that you wanted to welcome me back but were a bit apprehensive."
Sis should butt out of my business, he thought, even though I'm fifteen she treats me like I'm five. His kikai nudged at his skin, noticeably pressing their carapaces up against him, "I'm sorry if I made you feel like I was avoiding you."
"Since she told me I understood. I took no offense after that." He shifted his position and sat down on his knees, removing his two sword hilts from his waist, placing them with care on the ground. Tesuro watched him carefully from over his blackish collar. In the dim light, all Genjo could see very clearly were his crimson red tattoos and sunglasses catching light more than his skin was.
Tesuro had never felt his kikaichu act so out of control. They weren't listening to his orders to calm down at all. He felt like he was not in a good place to make confrontations right now, and Genjo's ambiguous replies weren't helping. He wanted to go back to the house…but that could mean facing father. Here talking to Genjo in his already apprehensive state, he wasn't doing so well either.
"I'm sorry, I think I'm not feeling well, I should retire…" Tesuro stood up, thinking he'd risk returning home over embarrassing himself in front of Genjo.
The kendo-trained Aburame stood up as well. He silently walked with Tesuro back to his home stoop, "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask for assistance," Genjo said in a concerned, but perfectly composed Aburame tone.
Tesuro could only nod, and went to grab the railing as he walked up the stairs, however he misjudged how riled his kikaichu were (a fact he was keeping very well hidden) and the pressure on his skin screamed out, causing him to stumble. Genjo reacted like a ninja would be expected to do, catching him. A flurry of kikaichu fluffed out from Tesuro's collar as if Genjo had caught a downy pillow.
Just at that moment Kuroji opened the front door.
He stared, backlit from the light inside; neither boy moved, frozen, looking right at him. Tesuro was very neatly crooked in Genjo's arms, kikaichu not-so-quickly buzzing back to him.
After an interminable silence, "Is everything…amiable out here?" The silhouette with gleaming glasses asked.
Tesuro forced composure on himself and stood up, his catcher letting him go as he shifted, "I tripped coming up the steps…"
Genjo bowed, and respectfully said without a waver, "Konbonwa Kuroji-sama."
"Ah…" He bowed back carefully, and then bid them goodnight, walking back inside, leaving the door open for Tesuro.
"If you need anything, don't hesitate to come by."
"Arigatou and Oyasumi Genjo-san," He walked inside and quickly as possible slunk into his room. His kikaichu feeling his hold relax, they freely tore out from his skin to escape from the nervous chakra. Crawling into bed, ignoring any small amounts of blood staining the inside of his already black jacket, he pulled the covers over the back of his head and buried his face into his pillow. Small swooshes of kikaichu followed lazily after to get away from the cool night air.
In light of the evening's events, what would have normally seemed to be rather innocent to Kuroji…did not look so innocent.
Tesuro wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.