Cocoon

Chapter 12

Shino was sitting cross-legged in a level of quiet contemplation he had not known before. Although his hive-less moment had been short-lived (the hive awoke not long after Hinata had gone out of ear-shot), the phenomenon had, for lack of a better phrase, blown his god-damned mind. So much that he barely noticed Kiba approaching with a plastic bag full of various goods.

"Alright, well I got what you asked for, but I swear this soap isn't gonna do a lick of good around this place," he muttered while pawing through a variety of scented bath products. When Shino didn't answer, Kiba raised a brow.

"Yo Shino, you look like you just fell out of a black hole, dude. You feeling okay?"

Shino didn't look up, but he did manage to acknowledge Kiba's presence by leaning in his direction.

"Hinata's hive is talking to her...and...she seems to have a kind of control over it that I can't say I'm familiar with...it's...well, her hive had some sort of effect on my own. Perhaps because they are in the same family? But..."

Kiba cocked his head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about man, but if it's freaking you out then it must be pretty important. Where is Hinata, anyway?"

"In the toilet area...she wasn't feeling very well."

"Oh man, I better go check on her..."

Shino finally looked up and reached towards Kiba abruptly. "No, don't...she likes her privacy in these moments."

Kiba shrugged him off. "Says you. Last time I saw her puking her guts out she ended up practically on her death bed. Privacy or not, all bets are off when her health is concerned."

Shino sighed with irritation and got to his feet. "She really won't appreciate this..."

The two wandered off in the direction of the cavern, but Kiba stopped short when he caught wind of a scent.

"Oh fuck me...that better not be..."

Shino looked at him with slightly concerned "hmm?". Kiba then darted off towards the cave without responding. Shino, now with metaphorical alarm bells going off, quickly caught up with him to see what was ruffling his feathers. When they reached the entrance to the cave, Kiba was staring wide-eyed at the ground, and Hinata was nowhere to be found.

"Oh no...Oh no no no no no no..." Kiba mumbled to himself, fingers clenched in his messy hair. Shino immediately called out for Hinata.

"Hinata?! Where are you? Are you alright?! Hinata!"

Kiba continued to mutter in panic.

"Oh shit...shit shit shit...Shino...Shino we gotta get Wolfmother..."

"What are you talking about? Where is Hinata?! HINATA!" he yelped, his hive now starting to swarm around him.

"Shino, these tracks...see these hoovemarks? These belong to the Inoshishi..."

Shino turned to Kiba. "The who?!"

Kiba gnawed on the side of his lip. "They're an ancient tribe that have lived in these woods for centuries...the Inuzaka have been in a territorial war with them as long as I can remember. I don't know what they want with Hinata, but it looks like they've taken her..."

Shino was suddenly stricken with an abrupt rage. "You told me this place would be completely safe! You're telling me some assholes from some nobody tribe just snuck in here and stole Hinata from right under our noses?"

Kiba looked at Shino with fret. "Listen, the Inoshishi aren't nobodies! Know one knows about them because no one WANTS to know about them. They're like the Inuzaka boogeymen...they ride these huge, terrifying boars and drink blood and all sorts of shit...I heard they even eat people alive..."

Shino scoffed. "Why does that matter? Have you even paid attention to the last several years? Did we not participate in a war against the greatest ninja ever to walk the earth? Did we not fight an army of the undead? We are the ninjas of Konoha! What's stopping us from just going in and destroying them all?!"

He did have a point, Kiba had to admit. But this reaction was unusual for Shino. Shino was the type of person to remain calm and collected in all circumstances. Kiba had personally witnessed Shino's eye brutally ripped from its socket, and Shino had barely flinched. It wasn't like him to suggest such a brutal and ham-fisted method of dealing with an enemy. What had Hinata done to this man?

"You...do realize the state Hinata is in, right? I mean, she's a strong girl but...we can't just barge into the Inoshishi's territory guns blazing...she could get seriously hurt...your kid...could get seriously hurt."

Shino was still. His hive swarmed around him violently, ready to rip apart whatever they came in contact with. But, upon hearing Kiba's words...Shino looked...broken, somehow. He appeared as if he might fall to his knees and weep, but all he could do was stand there, frozen. His eye was hazy, unfocused.

"Look I know you're mega pissed dude, I am too...but these guys are really fucking tough. We will get her back, I promise, but it's gonna be a pain in the ass and we have to be subtle about it...which...I'm not...really great at being."

Shino seemed to release his tension, but no words came from him. Kiba always saw Shino as pretty unreadable for the most part, but all he could feel from him was intense, profound, sorrow.

Kiba sighed and rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "C'mon, let's go speak with the Wolfmother..."

~o~

Hinata slowly blinked awake, still imprisoned by grogginess, nausea, and abdominal pain. She certainly didn't feel any cleaner, either...in fact her smell seemed to have somehow gotten even worse than before, which she didn't believe was even possible at this point.

"Shi...no?" she squeaked, her throat still sore from the vomiting.

"She wakes!" a voice in the dark called out. It was an elderly voice... but sharp, and crackly. Not at all like the warm, grandmotherly voice of the Wolfmother.

Something glowing approached Hinata. She wanted to sit up, but her body forbid it. Through clouded vision, Hinata managed to make out a ghastly face illuminated by the strange ghostly light.

"Rest, girl. Our ritual is soon to begin, and you must be alive for it."

That certainly didn't fill her with confidence.

"Wh...what? Rit.." She could barely speak.

"Don't worry, you can die as soon as we have the child. But for now, you must live...drink this."

Something pressed against Hinata's lips. The liquid was thick, and bitter to a point that it had no business being. She pinched her lips together to try and cease the vile batter, but a cold hand latched around her jaw and forced the concoction down her very dry throat. Another movement of the invasive clutch, and she was forced to swallow. The audacity of the action filled her with frustration.

I'll kill you, Hinata thought. Rage...anger...I don't know who you are...fear...hatred...or what you want...anger...rage...confusion...but I'll kill you...if you hurt my child...fear...fear...hate...

A wave of exhaustion suddenly rolled over her, and it wasn't long before her rage was overpowered with an urge to sleep. Against her will, Hinata succumbed to unconsciousness once more.

~o~

"The Inoshishi are not familiar with much of the outside world...they rarely leave the woods, but somehow, they must have caught word of the importance of Ms. Hyuuga..."

The Wolfmother's voice was stricken with woe. News of Hinata's kidnapping had greatly shaken her. While Hinata Hyuuga was no Inuzaka, she had grown quite fond of her and her stubborn spirit.

"You don't think..." Kiba started.

"That they believe the child is the Ichihokage's? It is all but certain, my child. Even the most feral and remote tribes of this world have heard stories of the great ninja who wielded the the might of the nine tailed fox and all the forces of nature against the great evils that threatened to destroy us. That the offspring of such a being exists within a weakened girl, nearby what they would call their 'territory,' well, that would be hard to resist taking for yourself, would it not? Especially for aggressive and greedy beings such as the Inoshishi."

Kiba sighed. "Boy are they in for a disappointment..."

"That is what I am greatly afraid of," the Wolfmother said without humor. "If they find that the child is not the fox child they are searching for, they will surely kill her. They do not take pity on anything they find useless."

Shino made a grunting noise. It was the first reaction he had had since he entered the Wolfmother's den. He had spent most of the conversation cross-legged and cross-armed, buried in his goggles, his hood, and his thoughts. Kiba and the Wolfmother turned to him.

"What do you think, Shino?" Kiba asked, a bit timidly.

"I think we are wasting time."

"You heard the Wolfmother, if we make the wrong move, they'll kill her. This is a very delicate operation."

"Then start...planning...an operation..." Shino replied through gritted teeth.

"Aburame-san..." the Wolfmother said calmly.

Shino looked up sharply. "What? What?! I can't take this. I don't care how dangerous they are. Even if these savages have the strength of a hundred Uchihas, I will fight them until Hinata is safe. I will sacrifice every beetle, I will go blind, deaf...I'll lose every limb I have and I won't stop fighting until Hinata is safe."

A moment of silence passed between the three, then Shino quickly got to his feet and left the shack without another word. Kiba grumbled and dug his thumb into his temple, then looked to the Wolfmother.

"I guess we need to borrow a couple of wolves, then." Kiba said with a sigh.

~o~

Author's Note: I really do appreciate all the reviews, guys. We Shinohina shippers may be small in number, but your dedication is definitely the driving force behind this fic getting finished. Thanks so much for continuing to read my weird little story.