Author's Note:

This story is dedicated to Deserter, Blaze Da Dragon, The Cyckest, Thunderwolf16 and Oxygen Pirate.

Many thanks to the readers and those brave enough to leave reviews.

Special thanks to A true dreamer for the delightful and rather nice PM. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

Ohhh… the drama of it all. This chapter is primarily devoted to the scheming wiles of those two Aburame charmers: Shibi and Shino. Nothing like a good old fashioned boy chat to liven up the proceedings.

I tried to make it less…fluffy for my male reviewers… hopefully, I have succeeded. :D

This is the raw chapter and like all things in life, is subject to revision at a later date.

Disclaimer: I so do not own Naruto because if I did, Shibi Aburame would be my pimp!
Yeeehaw!
Sadly, Shibi and I do not make a profit from this story or... anything else for that matter. Enjoy, my beautiful people, enjoy!

It's so strange
the way our paths have crossed
how we were
brought together
hmmm
it's written in the stars it seems

flying high - Jem

Chapter four – A long overdue chat

Shino sat at the kitchen table with his head in his hands, his sunglasses sitting on the table beside him. The low humming coming from his Kikai bugs was the only outward sign that he was worried about his lover.

"Shino, relax…she's going to be fine. She's safe now." murmured the elder Aburame as he came back into kitchen.

Shibi placed a large bottle of whiskey on the kitchen table and went to a nearby cupboard to fetch a couple of glasses.

"I just quickly checked on her and I think the stress of whatever that poor girl has had to deal with in the past few months has finally caught up with her though… it looks like she's going to be out like a light for a few hours at least," continued the Aburame Clan Leader.

Shino looked up at his father when he heard that comment, still a little shaken by the events of the last two days.

He felt his father's hand on his shoulder and murmured, "Shino, you didn't lose her… don't beat yourself up."

The younger Aburame felt his father move around to the other side of the table and watched him sit down.

"Father, she honestly thought I would leave her if she had mentioned her suspicion about the pregnancy and I was worried that she was planning on leaving me because she'd been so secretive lately," replied Shino bleakly, his destruction beetles hissing and revealing his agitation.

"Shino… let me ask you a question..." murmured Shibi.

"What's that, Father?" asked the younger man, glancing over at Shibi.

"Son, do you two love each other?" asked the Aburame Clan Leader.

"Yes, we do… very much," replied the young bug wielder softly.

"Will she marry you when the time comes?" continued the elder Aburame.

"Yes… She says she still needs a little more time but she's sure about marrying me." said Shino with a smile.

"Hn… I'm not surprised to hear she needs a little more time…" muttered the Aburame Clan Leader under his breath.

"Father?" asked Shino.

Shino watched his father unscrew the cap of the whiskey bottle and pour two glasses of the dark liquid.

Shino raised his eyebrow and asked, "Father, what's the whiskey for?"

Shibi raised one of the glasses to his lips and took a small sip. "Son, we need to have a long over-due chat and I have a feeling that you're going to need some of that whiskey later."

--------------------------------

Shibi watched the whiskey swirl hypnotically in his glass. The first order of business his son and him needed to discuss was that marriage contract. It had broken his heart when he felt the young woman clutch at his arm like that. He had known that she loved his son unconditionally at that moment but he still felt the need to hear it from his own son's lips.

He also knew what she was truly asking when she said that one word. She was currently in no condition to effectively protect herself if she needed to do so and she was clearly scared about the welfare of her unborn children. He had also known in that moment that he would do what was needed to protect his grandchildren and the marriage contract would effectively prevent anyone harassing her, especially when it finally became known who the father of her children was…

Shibi was shrewd enough to know that his son's relationship with the beautiful young kuniochi was going to cause a scandal of epic proportions.

He had to admire the spunk of the young woman though. There were not a lot of females out there willing to be intimate with a man who was in effect a walking beetle nest, much less be proud of carrying two future beetle nests within her womb. This clan relied heavily on arranged marriages with other bug clans but there was always the occasional rare individual who was willing to enter into such a relationship without that duress.

Shibi shot his son a look of admiration at his luck. The blonde beauty had definitely changed from the twelve year old little shrew she used to be and mellowed into this confident beauty. It was just a little unfortunate about the whole mess involving the Sand kuniochi and Shikamaru. He had heard from the village grapevine that she had taken the breakup with the Nara Heir extremely hard but he had to admire her ability to overcome heartache and move on with her life.

Shibi knew he wasn't seeing the young woman in her full glory at the moment but he knew that she would be back to her fiery self once her nasty morning sickness settled down.

It was nothing that a little Aburame style pampering couldn't fix...

Shibi looked over at his son and addressed the first issue of many that they needed to discuss.

"Shino, I want you to go get the contracts as well as the seal from my study. They're sitting on the table. The sooner this is taken care of, the better the situation will be for you and that young woman in your room."

He watched his brat son push away from the table eagerly and trot off in the general direction of his study.

Shibi grinned at his son's obvious haste in returning with the contracts. He had drawn up the majority of it this morning when Shino had mentioned that he was bringing someone home to meet him but he needed to talk to his son about his chat with the Yamanaka family before finalizing the paperwork.

"Son, you mentioned that there were some issues when you went over to the Yamanaka household this morning. What were they?"

He heard his son's destruction beetles buzzing loudly before he got them under control.

"Inoichi isn't thrilled at the prospect of me courting his daughter. He rushed out of the house trying to warn us off" began Shino.

Shibi scoffed at that one, "Too damn bad! She's of age and you're her choice…I personally don't see the problem here... I take it he changed his tune once his daughter's current condition became known?"

The younger Aburame nodded and continued, "Yes but not before we got up and threatened to tell my clan first our good news."

Shibi frowned, "The man was being difficult, hn?"

"Worse…" grunted his son.

The Aburame clan leader raised an eyebrow and asked, "How so?"

"He was rude to his women." responded the younger male in a disgusted tone.

Both men's destruction beetles hummed ominously in the otherwise silent kitchen as they privately agreed that there was no excuse for being mean to the ones you were supposed to adore with every fiber of your being.

"I take it her parents were eager to know when the wedding would take place then?" replied Shibi with a small bite to his voice.

The Aburame Clan Leader watched his son nod curtly.

"You mentioned the clan requirements and our compromise to shorten the waiting period?" asked Shibi.

"They agreed to our conditions, albeit reluctantly…" murmured Shino.

"Excellent, son….Good job." smiled the Aburame Clan Leader.

"Okay, then… The agreement will be that Ino will stay in the Aburame Compound for the duration of her pregnancy. She's to be treated with the utmost dignity at all times since she has agreed to enter into this arrangement of her own free will. In doing so, she will be given the opportunity to marry prior to the full waiting period if that is her wish. Any influence from her parents or anyone else, to force the issue of marriage will force the contract to run the full six months. Is there anything else, son?" murmured Shibi, giving the document in his hands one final perusal.

Shino frowned, "Nothing that should be on the marriage contract, father… more of a safety concern."

Shibi grinned at that comment, "Son, I wouldn't worry about her safety… those little terrors of hers will take care of anyone foolish to threaten her."

The elder Aburame watched his son start slightly at the mention of someone threatening Ino.

It seemed that someone had done exactly that to the young woman in the past… interesting. He would need to ask his son about that later…

The younger Aburame watched in silence as his father completed the official documents and affixed the Aburame seal to them.

"Okay, apart from delivering the paperwork to the Yamanaka Clan to sign – it's a done deal!"

Shino smiled at that small comfort. Ino and their unborn children were now officially under the protection of the Aburame Clan.

--------------------------

Shibi thought of Ino's little pit bulls with wings and was intrigued about something, "Son, I'm curious as to when two of your destruction beetles developed an attachment to your woman."

Shino found himself reaching for that glass of whiskey now and his father raised an eyebrow at the telling action.

"Well, to tell you the truth, Father… I noticed it a couple of weeks or so after that day in the cabin." replied the younger Aburame highly embarrassed.

"I see…" murmured the Aburame Clan Leader under his breath.

So much for leaving the young rogue enough condoms to sink the Titanic!

"Shino… you remember when I said the last time I saw a Kikai form an attachment to someone outside of their bug host, it was with your mother. It too happened shortly after she became pregnant with you. Brewster was the name of your mother's little protector and he was an ornery cuss."

Shibi took a sip of his whiskey and continued, "Those two Kikai of your woman's are the most ferocious destruction beetles I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. I'll warn you now, those little bastards of hers are going to get nastier as her pregnancy progresses and when your children are finally born."

The Aburame Clan Leader gave his son a look of consideration, "I noticed when your mother had Brewster, she knew the Kikai was a male and you turned out to be a male child. I have noticed that Ino's spoilt little watchdogs are both male …"

Shino looked at his father in shock as this thought absorbed into his brain. "I'm curious then, father. The way she treats her Kikai beetles… is that an indication of what type of mother she will be?"

Shibi grinned at his son's comment.

He was indeed a sharp young man!

"Yes, son… it's an excellent indication of what type of mother she will be to your children. You're a lucky man… she's going to be a wonderful mother."

---------------------------------

Shibi looked at his son thoughtfully as he digested the little revelation that the young woman must have conceived during that first time and with twins no less!

The Aburame Clan Leader couldn't help but be impressed with his son's potency.

He smiled slyly then, the timing brought to mind a rumor he had heard roughly four months ago. The pieces of the puzzle finally slipped into place now that he figured it out.

"Son, I heard a rumor roughly four months ago that I think may have, in fact - been based on a grain of truth…" murmured Shibi with a sly tone in his voice.

"What's that, father?" asked a suddenly curious Shino. He never listened to the village gossip, not like his father who enjoyed a good wild rumor from time to time. He had a funny feeling that he would be interested in this one though…

"A beautiful blonde woman, matching Ino's description, managed to stop every male in his tracks within a six mile radius as she walked by…" replied Shibi, suddenly finding the swirling dark liquid in his glass, infinitely fascinating.

"It was said that she was so preoccupied that she hadn't noticed when she had walked past her ex-lover that she normally avoided like the plague without even batting an eyelash in his general direction…" continued the elder Aburame.

Shibi waited for his son's reaction. He hated asking in such a way but knew it would be brought into question and bandied about by the village gossips unless otherwise proven, especially given that these two chose to keep their romance under wraps for this long.

He heard the chair clatter on the floor as Shino stood up in a rush of fury, his Kikai pouring out of him in a cloud and buzzing dangerously.

Shibi watched nonchalantly through his whiskey glass as his son placed his palms flat on the kitchen table, his eyes flashing brilliantly and hissed in a low voice through clenched teeth, "He was never her lover!! Ino has known only one man in that way!"

Shibi had suspected that was the case but having it clarified in such a spectacular fashion never hurt.

"Well, son… I'm rather relieved to hear that, especially when the village gossips try to elude to the contrary…" murmured the elder Aburame, then continued, "Relax, son… your woman's medic nin friend, the Haruno, has the Hokage's ear, hn? I'm sure she would be more than happy to help prevent unsavory gossip from spreading?"

Shino nodded, finally understanding why his father was pursuing this line of questioning.

"Shino, why don't you calm down your kikai and take your seat. I will tell you another interesting rumor I heard a lot older than that one…"

The younger Aburame sat back after retrieving his abandoned chair from the floor and frowned slightly at his father's comment.

"Now, son… I know you've never asked your woman why she's extremely commitment shy." murmured the Aburame Clan Leader and then continued, "The fact that she has promised to marry you when she's ready is commendable and a testament to the type of relationship the two of you have…"

Shino didn't like where this was heading, not at all. "Father, what was this rumor you heard and how does it relate to Ino?"

---------------------

"There was talk amongst certain circles that Ino had inadvertently seen something she shouldn't have… something that destroyed her trust in relationships so completely…" murmured the elder Aburame, taking a sip of whiskey.

Shino stared at his father in stunned silence, his mind reeling at what his father was alluding to.

"Father, are you suggesting that Ino has somehow stumbled upon Shikamaru and Temari in a compromising position?"

"Yes, son - that's one way to put it. One of the rumors going around at the time did suggest that Ino had caught Shikamaru Nara in bed with the sand woman in the process of exploring each other's souls as it were…" replied the elder Aburame.

"I don't understand…" started the younger man.

Aburame men were not known to stray once they set their sights on a woman, so he could see why his son would be perplexed by all this.

"Son… it's quite simple. Shikamaru Nara found himself torn between two women. Ino was reluctant to consummate her relationship with the Nara because she felt she wasn't ready…so, Shikamaru pretty much chose the one who didn't have such reservations."

"Oh my god…" whispered Shino.

It suddenly made too much sense; her resistances to being open about their relationship, her unnecessary worries about what other people would say about them, her terror about his possible reaction to an unplanned pregnancy… everything!

The younger Aburame raised his glass and took a sip of the whiskey, welcoming the slight burn as it slid down his throat.

"Now, the Nara Heir and Ino still managed to stay friends even after this unfortunate incident, which was commendable… then something happened to change even that fragile bond." murmured the Aburame Clan Leader in a conversational tone.

Shino nodded thoughtfully at his father's comment. He knew what he was referring to…

"The engagement party." He murmured softly.

Shibi looked up at his son with surprise then.

So his son did know something about this… interesting.

------------------------

It was Shino's turn to now lift his glass and swirl the whiskey in its depths hypnotically. He knew his father was curious about what had happened between the two beautiful blondes too but he was torn between not wanting to betray his friend, now lover's confidence or telling his father what he knew and effectively unloading a mental burden he had been carrying for a long time.

"Shino…" murmured his father's voice, causing the younger man to look up from the whiskey glass he was contemplating.

"Son, I know what you're thinking… and you're wrong." replied Shibi. "You won't be betraying her trust. She needs to be protected and you're going to need help from the Clan once the entire village is aware that she's pregnant. I can't provide that assistance if I don't know what we're dealing with in terms of the threat."

The younger man gave a deep melancholy sigh at this logic.

He hated when his father was occasionally right!

"Okay… I will tell you what I know about that night, father but I don't think even you are going to like what I am about to divulge," murmured Shino.

---------------------------------

Nine Months ago…

Ino was running – she was too scared to figure out where she was running to… all she knew was that she needed to get away from that woman.

She could feel the flesh around her throat still stinging from where Temari had forcibly pinned her to the bathroom wall. She knew that she had no choice – she had to do what the awful woman demanded from her or she would make good on her threat!

Her body felt like it was on fire and her heart felt like it was about burst out of her chest any moment. Ino slumped over in the middle of the dark road, extremely exhausted from her efforts to escape. She took a couple of deep breaths to try to calm down her raging heart beat and finally looked around the countryside, trying to get her bearings.

Ino's eyes were beginning to well with unshed tears.

Great! Just great! She didn't know who she could talk to about this mess she found herself in and now – she was lost in a part of Konoha she wasn't familiar with!

The blonde despondently thought, "This just isn't my night to catch a break…"

She was beginning to think what else could go wrong when she felt another chakra signature near by.

Oh God – I'm going to die!

Ino tried to calm down her mass of nerves to focus on the prospect of having to protect herself when she saw them – fireflies. The night air was suddenly filled with an abundance of them. She was hopeful that it was him but she wasn't sure… Ino was too wound up emotionally to get a proper read on the approaching chakra and her throat was too sore to call out the name that had come to her mind when she first noticed the glowing bugs in the night sky.

A hooded figure appeared just then out of the darkness and the young woman felt trapped by the fear starting to rise up within her, keeping her rooted to the one spot on the road.

"Ino? Are you okay?" murmured a familiar honeyed masculine voice.

There was no answer from the young woman who had finally given into her extreme exhaustion and collapsed in the dust.

--------------------

Shino felt something close to pity tug at his heart and had a strange overwhelming urge to protect his friend now stretched out unconscious on the bed. He wrung out the cloth and placed it back on the blonde's forehead. The young man was secretly relieved that his father was away on a mission for the Hokage at the moment. Shino really didn't feel up to giving his curious father unnecessary hopes regarding their lovely female guest. True – they were the best of friends but that's all they were. Ino had never given any indication that she would welcome his attentions beyond what they currently shared and he was reluctant to risk ruining what they had. Yes – he had thought about it many a time but until three months ago – the beautiful blonde had been hung up on Shikamaru Nara.

He wrung another cloth from the bowl near the side of the bed and gently wiped at the patches of dirt around her throat… only – it wasn't dirt. Ino flinched from the gentle contact and moaned pitifully before lapsing into silence once more.

Shino frowned slightly and looked closer at the strange markings before his eyes widened to the size of saucers behind his glasses.

Oh God! Someone had tried to choke the daylights out of his dear friend!

The Kikai buzzed dangerously inside him as he tried to get his emotions under control. Whoever had done this to her wasn't playing games. This person was dangerous and it was clear that they saw Ino as a threat to them.

He was tempted to wake the young woman from her exhausted slumber but realistically knew that she needed the rest and answers to his questions would need to wait until later.

Shino felt a little bad about scaring her like that but that hadn't been the plan originally.

He had been taking a stroll when he had felt a faint but extremely familiar chakra signature nearby. The bug wielder had broken into a trot as he headed closer when he realized that the approaching person was highly agitated. Shino had been shocked when he finally figured out that the individual was Ino and that she was terrified out of her mind about something. He had thought that the sight of the fireflies would put her troubled mind at ease but he was dismayed when she had collapsed at his feet.

Yes – he could wait until she was awake to have a chat.

--------------------

Ino was having the most wonderful dream. A mystery man had emerged out of a sea of fireflies and came to her in the middle of the night. He had the most beautiful voice she had ever heard. It had been velvety smooth with a soft sexiness to it.

She turned in her sleep and frowned slightly when she recognized an oddly familiar smell coming from the soft pillow under her head. The scents of lilac, sunshine and sandalwood mixed with a distinctive masculine undertone that was comforting and yet, at the same time strangely arousing and familiar...

"Mmmmm…" murmured the blonde with a soft smile on her lips.

The smell made her feel…safe. It also made her think of one man in particular.

"Shhiiiinnnoooo…" mumbled Ino before she fell back to sleep.

The man in question stood frozen in the doorway, stunned by what he had just witnessed.

He felt like a pervert, just standing there and watching her roll around in his bed but he had to admit that he rather liked the idea that she seemed happy to be there. His face was still burning up from hearing his name on her lips and a part of him was starting to have ideas of a decidedly sexual nature.

No. Things were best the way they are…

While Ino was an exception, he had long since come to the conclusion that no half-way decent woman would want to voluntarily share their life, let alone a bed - with a man who had bugs living inside of him.

He had vowed to himself, however - if ever the day did come that he found such a paragon of a woman, he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers so easily.

Shino took another longing look at the beautiful blonde looking extremely content sleeping in his bed, before silently slipping out the room.

No – it was best that they just stay friends in the long term…

-------------------------------

The soft sunlight streaming through the high window alerted Ino to the fact that she'd been sleeping for sometime. She turned over in the incredibly soft bed and stretched slightly before frowning as her eyes got used to the light.

This wasn't her bedroom…

She sat up and quietly surveyed the room to see where the nearest exits were, just in case she needed to get away. Ino dealt with her share of crazy people last night… she didn't want to deal with any more of the same if she could help it.

The room was decorated with a couple of cases filled with butterflies and beetles, a desk, a bookcase full of botany and entomology books and a long tank that contained quite a few well-fed silk worms.

Insects of all varieties flit in and out of the windows and were resting in various locations around the room. The whole scene made her think that she had inadvertently stumbled into the Garden of Eden.

Ino was still trying to figure out exactly where she was when she saw one thing that cleared up the mystery for her. On the desk sat a single wild daisy in a bud vase with a lady bug happily crawling all over it.

Shino…

"Yes?" murmured a masculine voice.

The young woman looked over to the door where a familiar man in glasses stood, carrying a glass containing some sort of concoction in one hand.

She was going to talk when she felt Shino's firm fingertips against her lips and saw him shaking his head slightly.

"Ino, drink this… it will help with the sore throat." murmured the bug wielder gently, wrapping her fingers around a glass.

She took a sip from the proffered glass and she felt the cool liquid coat her swollen throat.

The young woman winced slightly, a hand clutching at her bruised neck as she tried to swallow. A tear slipped down her cheek as the sudden pain sharply brought to mind last night's events in vivid detail.

"Shhh, Ino… it's okay. You're safe here." murmured Shino in a concerned tone.

"Shi...no…" began the blonde, the muscles in her neck protesting, her fingers touching the side of his face.

The Aburame Heir put a comforting hand on his friend's arm and murmured, "Shhh... Ino, you can give me an explanation later. You need to rest and let the medicine do its job."

The young woman's hand dropped away from the bug wielder's face as she began to feel the effects of the medicinal draught flow throughout her body.

Shino continued to lightly stroke her arm until he was sure she was deeply asleep before tenderly placing his lips on her temple and leaving her in peace.

He walked out of the room without a backward glance and did not see the little smile that came to Ino's lips.

------------------------------

Shino was sitting at the kitchen table sipping his green tea and occasionally taking a bite out of the piece of toast sitting on the plate nearby.

He was writing the latest results on his silk worms into his notebook when he felt someone watching him from the doorway.

"Good morning…" murmured the bug wielder, smiling gently at the woman standing in there in one of his mother's old robes. "How are you feeling?"

"Better…thanks." croaked the blonde gratefully.

Shino watched as one of Ino's hands fluttered around her throat before she asked, "How long… was I… asleep… for?"

"You slept the day away yesterday… your chakra was pretty depleted when I found you." replied Shino before he added in a gentle tone, "Why don't you take a seat and I will fix you some breakfast, okay?"

The young woman slipped into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and watched as her friend got up and walk over to the fridge.

It was the first time anyone had offered to make her breakfast and she was delighted at the idea of someone else cooking for a change.

"Ino…" asked the bug wielder not looking up from his perusal of the fridge as continued his question. "Is your throat still sore?"

"Yes… a little." admitted the young blonde embarrassed.

Shino looked up then, seeing the blush on her face and correctly interpreted the reason, "Ino, there's no need for you to be embarrassed. I just wanted to know so I could make you something easy for you to eat, that's all."

She suddenly felt foolish.

Oh course Shino would care about something like that…

He had always struck her as being a pretty considerate guy.

Ino watched him in silent fascination as he got the ingredients together to make her a simple cheese omelet.

A plate slid in front of her and Ino looked up in surprise. She had been so busy staring at those hands of his, that she hadn't noticed when he had finished cooking.

"Take it easy, Ino… it's still hot. Why don't you have some juice while you wait for it to cool down?" murmured Shino, now sitting down across from her.

He was being so nice to her...he was always nice to her.

All the time she'd known this man – not once had he ever judged or criticized her. Even now – he wasn't pushing her for answers, but rather waited for when she was ready to tell him and yet… she knew he was curious. Strangely enough, she really did want to tell him what happened.

"Shino…" began the young woman.

"Ino… this can wait if you're not ready…" gently cut in the bug wielder not looking up from his notebook as he continued to scribble in more notes.

The blonde reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his; effectively halting his writing and Shino looked at her then.

"No, Shino… I want… to tell you." replied the young woman softly.

Shino gave Ino a long look of consideration before finally nodding slowly. In her current state, a strong gust of wind could blow the poor girl over. He was reluctant to tire her out just to get all the gory details.

"Okay… you can give me the shortened version, alright?" murmured the bug wielder finally.

Ino nodded gratefully and smiled her thanks.

"So, what happened? It looks like someone tried to choke you, Ino…" replied Shino in a concerned voice.

The blonde nodded again and chuckled lamely, "Well... you could say that, Shino… I got pinned… to a wall …by my throat."

She heard the clatter of a chair on the floor and felt his hand tense up under hers.

"What the hell?!" murmured the bug wielder in a dangerously low voice. "If that's meant to be a joke, then it's not funny, Ino."

She looked up then and was shocked to see how furious Shino was by this news.

"Shino, it's alright… really. She was just… trying to scare me away… from Shikamaru… and you know what… it worked." replied the blonde sadly.

The Kikai master's brain stuttered to a halt at that little revelation.

"She?"

"Yes… Temari did this."

---------------------------

Shibi swirled the whiskey in the glass and sighed sadly. His son was right about one thing. He didn't like it – not one bit. In fact, now that he knew the reality of the situation, it was infinitely worse than the rumor.

He looked up at his son, giving him a measured look before responding, "You know, son… women can be highly unpredictable and dangerous creatures if they don't know where they stand with the men in their lives. As sad as this is, I'm really not surprised to hear that the sand woman did this to her. Shikamaru is as much to blame for this sad state of affairs. He should have been upfront with his woman about his friendship with Ino."

Shino looked at his father, mildly surprised by the older man's observation. His father was correct though – a person who was comfortable in their relationship with their lover wouldn't act like this.

"You know, son… I'm thinking once people start hearing about your relationship with Ino, Temari isn't going to be bothering your woman. I think the problem was more the fact that she was still single for so long, hn?"

He nodded thoughtfully, staring at the little patterns on the table but looked up when he heard his father's sly chuckle.

"So, my son…" began the Aburame Clan Leader.

Shino narrowed his eyes at his father then. He had a feeling that the old bug nest was going to spring something rather unpleasant on him.

"How long did Ino end up staying in our home that first time?" murmured the older man snickering.

"Five days? Why?" asked Shino, clearly puzzled.

"Did she stay in your room for the entire time or did you put her in a guest room?" asked Shibi not bothering to keep the curiosity out of his voice.

Shino flushed slightly and replied, "I had offered to put her in a guest room once she was well enough to be moved...but...she preferred to stay...where she felt...safe."

"Will she feel the same way if we offer to move her into a guest room tomorrow?" asked Shibi slyly.

Okay... he was now confused... he honestly didn't know where his father was going with this line of questioning...

Shino frowned thoughtfully over at his father before replying after much consideration, "No, father... I know that she would probably still prefer to stay in my room."

"Well, that's most interesting, son… you realize that this will then be the second occasion she has voluntarily slept in your bed, right?" replied Shibi now openly grinning.

The second… oh good lord!

"Father – you can't be serious! That's such an old clan law… no one has put it into effect for who knows how long." protested the younger man.

"It's actually been at least two centuries since the last time we had to enact this particular law but it's still recognized as binding today." replied Shibi casually, now enjoying his son's discomfort.

Shibi was secretly thrilled by this news. This couldn't have worked out better if he had planned it! What made it even better was the fact that the young woman in question had willingly sought refuge with them! His son and Ino didn't know it yet but this new situation was better than a contract because they wouldn't need the Yamanaka's permission if the young woman decided to take this option... He had a gut feeling that the man was already having regrets about agreeing so readily to a union with this family.

"Yes, Son – I'm serious… the next time you carry that woman to your bed, I will follow through on that old law and use my authority as the Clan Leader to marry you two on the spot! I suggest you tell Ino this as well." murmured the older Aburame, the evil glee evident in his tone of voice.

Shino looked over at his father then and sighed. He saw the old bug nest was extremely delighted by the unexpected turn of events but he could also see that he was very serious about this.

"I will tell her in the morning, father." murmured the young man and continued, "…but I don't know how she is going to take the news."

Shibi reached over and gave his son a comforting pat on the arm.

"Don't worry, son… I think it will be okay. Why don't you go and set up the guest room? I've a feeling that you are going to be staying in there for a while."

Shino took a large swallow of the forgotten whiskey and got up from the table.

"Son?"

The younger Aburame looked over at his father then, one eyebrow raised.

"We'll finish the rest of this discussion in the morning when Ino is awake, okay?"

Shino nodded his agreement and left the room, a little confused to how he felt about this change of events.

Shibi left the kitchen with the contracts and the clan seal in hand. It looked like he had a couple of additional scrolls he needed to write this evening in light of the new information.