Beetle In The Shadow (A Shino Aburame love story)

It's just a feeling

Shino's Pov

I walked with Shikai to the training grounds, my thoughts still on the feelings I had felt earlier when she had simply smiled at me. It was strange, and I had never felt something like that. I didn't have a word to describe it, and I was not often at a lost for words.

"Okay students!" Our sensei said, and I looked at her without an emotion on my face. Around Shikai, sure I could try to use more emotions, but around everyone else I could not risk it. "Today, we are going to spar. I want Shikai and Hinata to spar first, for Kiba and Shino, you two can sit back an watch! Alright, you two come on up."

I watched Shikai as she stood up, her hair blowing back slightly in the wind. She moved to where our sensei stood, and glanced over at me. She gave me a smile, and it caused my heart to start racing again. What is this feeling I am feeling when I look at the Nara girl?

I looked over at her best friend, and sighed softly. "Kiba. Can we talk." I said, it was more of a statement than a question, as most things I said were. He looked at me curiously before he nodded and scooted closer to me.

"What is it, Shino?" He said, and I looked at him with the same seriousness as always.

"I want you to tell me more about Shikai. She's too hard for me to pick apart by myself as I normally would with people. I know you two are best friends. So tell me what you know about her."

"Well, what do you want to know?" He asked, and I looked over at Shikai slowly, before looking back at Kiba.

"Everything and anything you know."

"Alright! Well, her birthday is September 22nd. Her favorite color is purple, her favorite book is Romeo and Juliet... She loves to cuddle. It is her favorite thing in the world to do! She likes hugs a lot, and making people smile is her speciality. She loves ramen and BBQ. Her favorite flowers are white roses, with red roses ever few flowers in a bouquet. She's a lot like he mother, and if you annoy her she is going to nag you for ten years. She has a tendency to smack people when she's angry, but typically she'll cry and hug you and apologize about ten times once she cooks down. She's really good at hiding her emotions, always making sure that no one sees that she's really sad a lot. Her home life isn't great. Her father is always comparing her to Shikamaru because Shikamaru is typically just a step ahead of her. Shikai is amazingly smart, one of the smartest people I know, but Shikamaru has always been slightly smarter. It bothers her more than she'll let on around almost anyone else, Um... that's about it really." He said, and I nodded my head.

"Thank you Kiba. The information is greatly appreciated." I said emotionless, and he smiled, nodding his head.

"Welcome, Shino!" He said, nodding his head just as Shikai and Hinata stopped their spar. I looked up to see that Shikai had won, and Hinata was congratulating her. Shikai ran over to us, but landed beside of me and threw her arms around me tightly. "I did it Shino! I won a battle!" she exclaimed happily, and it caused my stomach to begin to get what I could only describe as butterflies.

"I am proud of you, Shikai." I said with a nod of my head, wrapped an arm around her loosely. She snuggled into me for a moment before she let me go. Kurenai was currently talking to an ANBU officer, so we all just chatted among ourselves.

Finally, she came over to us and informed us that we had to cut practice short today, because she an a mission to do. We all nodded and said our farewells, Kiba and Hinata walking away together, while Shikai and I walked together as had become
accustom.

"Shikai, would you like to join me for a bowl of ramen?" I asked, allowing a little bit of emotion to slither into my voice, and Shikai looked over at me with wide eyes before nodding her head quickly.

"Oh please, Shino!" She said, smiling with all her teeth at me. I have a small laugh and we walked to Ichruka's Ramen together. Shikai went on about random things, and as normal I listened to everything she had to say because for some reason, I wanted to know everything she had to say.

When we got to Ichruka's Ramen, Shikai and I took a seat at the only booth in the shop. The daughter of the man who own the place came over to us, and she took our order. "Hmm.. I want one bowl of beef ramen and one bowl of chicken!" She said, and I took a note of the kind of ramen she liked.

"One beef for me." I said, emotionless, and Shikai looked at me when she walked away.

"What?" I asked, allowing the confusion to slip into my voice.

"You lost the emotion in your voice when you spoke to her. Why?"

"I will show emotion around you. No one else. It's too different." I said, shrugging, and that was the truth. I had become so good at masking the emotion in my voice, that I had to slowly come into this new feeling of showing my feelings.

"Alright. As long as you use your emotions with me, I'm all good!" She said smiling, tapping her fingers nervously along the table, until she saw one of my bugs crawling along the table, and a smile spread over her lips. She extended a finger to it, and I watched as it slowly crawled up her finger. She put her hand closer to her face, and studied the bug before she giggled. The laugh she had given the bug, caused me to laugh quietly.

She looked at me with curious eyes before she extended her finger to me. "I believe this little fella belongs to you!" She said happily, and I nodded extending my finger towards her, watching as the bug crawled off her finger and onto mine. Once our food came, we are in silence. But, it felt like a comfortable silence.

We finished at about the same time, and we paid for our meals before getting up and walking towards our houses together. We began to come up on her house, and she sighed loudly.

"I don't want to go home. Not yet." she said quietly, and I nodded as I grabbed her hand with mine, and pulled her along down to my house.

"You can stay at my house again tonight." I said, nodding my head and she looked at me with wide eyes, before nodding her head and smiling.

"Thank you, Shino." She said, and I nodded as we walked inside my house. My father looked at Shikai, and nodded his head at her.

"Hello, Shikai. Will you be spending the night again?" He asked, kindly.

"Only if that's okay with you, sir." She said, smiling and my father nodded.

"Of course, Shikai. Stay as long as you need." He said before we left the room, and went to my room. I got in my dresser and pulled out an over sized shirt, even on me, and a pair of ninja pants and handed them to Shikai.

"Get changed. I'll be outside." I said as I walked out of the room, standing outside until she gave me the okay, and we switched places. I went into the bedroom and undid my jacket, leaving me in my fishnet shirt, and my ninja pants which I slept in.

"Alright, Shikai. You may come back in now." I said, and she came back in, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Shino, I'm sleepy." She said quietly, and I chuckled as I took off my glasses and put them on the desk by my bed.

"Lay down then." I said, smiling at her weakly. She laid down on the bed, and closed her eyes slightly, but extended her arms to me. I laughed at her childlike behavior, and laid down beside her. I pulled up the blanket around us, and began to play with her hair until she fell asleep in my arm, her hand placed gently on my chest, her nose nuzzling against me slightly.

"You care about her, don't you Shino?" I heard my father ask, and I nodded her head.

"I strangely do." I replied.

"She's an interesting character, that much I can tell. Just be careful Shino. I do not want you to get hurt." He said, and he turned around, walking out. I nodded my head slightly as I looked down at the Nara girl, and a couldn't help the smile on my lips. She had this effect on me that I was not use to, but I could get used to it.

Maybe this feeling wasn't that bad.