Mother Nature's Flower

Chapter 21

*** Hey guys! This picture is a layout of Aiko's apartment. I changed the television consols to a love seat and bookshelves, and that's pretty much it. I hope you enjoy! ***

(Sorry if Shino is a bit OOC)

After talking over with Team 8 and the Hokage, Aiko was on her way to her new apartment. She was so excited that she was practically jumping for joy.

Her green eyes seemed brighter as they took in everything around them. They were zipping from one thing to the next, taking in as much as they could.

Then, they were there.

Aiko took in the building as Kurenai went to talk to the landlord about them and Aiko. Aiko looking around the front of the building, noticing the plant in the window sill. They looked kind of droopy, but still alive.

Aiko tilted her head, before looking around. She didn't notice anyone looking at her. Hinata was watching her sensei, Kiba was playing around with Akamaru, and Shino seemed to be looking at a bug.

But what she didn't know, was that Shino was also keeping an eye on her. He knew his teammates were going to get distracted by something, so he kept his eye on her.

Aiko quietly walked over to the plants and cupped her hands underneath the wilting bud. She kissed the petals then gently brushed her fingers down the stem. The flower straightened up and the petals were a brighter color.

Aiko smiled at her work before moving on to the other flowers. After she was done, she turned around - only to freeze.

She finally noticed that Shino had been watching her the entire time. He was staring at her but she couldn't see what he was thinking. Then he raised his hand and beckoned her over to him.

She listened and was soon in front of Shino, nervous. She didn't know what he was going to do or say. She couldn't see much of his facial expressions because of the collar of his large coat and the sunglasses.

Once she was close enough, Shino leaned down more to her height.

"How long have you been able to do that?" He asked in his quiet, steady tone of voice.

Aiko looked down, suddenly shy, "Well, I don't really know, but I found out about it once when I had to go and gather some food for Kaijū and his men. I felt bad for a baby tree that Mara had stepped on, so I kneeled down and touched the stem, wanting it to be better. Then, it just happened. It started to fix itself until it was back in its original state before Mara stepped on it."

Shino nodded, "Well, that is very cool and might come in handy. Does the Hokage know?"

Aiko shrugged, "I don't know. He knows I am the child of prophecy, but I don't know if he knows the extent of my abilities. I don't even know the extent of my abilities. I just learned along the way."

Aiko looked down, "No one in my clan knew. There has never been anyone like me before, and it's kind of scary."

"Why?" Shino asked patiently.

"I don't know what to expect or what will happen to me. And now I don't even have a clan to help me through any of it," Aiko started to tear up.

Normally, she wouldn't let the loss of her clan get to her, but sometimes, it hurts when she couldn't talk to someone who would get her problems. Someone that loves her enough to worry about her well being. Her family.

Aiko didn't notice that the tears had escaped from her eyes until Shino had wiped them away. She looked up, her green eyes shining with tears and her cheeks a slight red. Shino's hands were resting on her cheeks, his thumbs catching the stray tears that continued to fall.

Her face seemed to crumble as more and more tears fell. Shino tried to wipe them away, but they just kept falling. He sighed as he tried another tactic.

What worked once is worth repeating, Shino thought as he pulled Aiko close to him. With a hand on the back of her head, he pushed her face close to his chest. She didn't resist as her face buried within his coat.

The hand on her head began to stroke her hair, while the other wrapped around her waist to keep her close and steady on her feet. Her arms wrapped around his torso underneath his coat since it was warm.

They stayed like this. Not moving. Not talking. Just standing there. And Shino didn't try to rush her once or try to get her to talk. He was just there to offer a comforting presence.

Aiko started to calm down but just stayed in Shino's arms since it was warm and comfortable. The sound of his heartbeat was steady and calming.

After standing there for a few more minutes, they separated. Aiko was wearing red on her cheeks from the contact while Shino just looked passive and his cool persona was back in place.

Aiko smiled at him, "Thank you, Shino!"

He nodded his head to her before looking over in the direction of footsteps coming towards them. Heading in their direction was Kurenai with Hinata right behind her.

Kiba was still messing around with Akamaru in the forest near the apartment. They were chasing each other around, almost like they were playing tag.

When Kurenai reached Aiko and Shino, she raised up a set of keys.

"There are two keys that you need to keep track of. One to your room, and another to your mailbox," she said as she passed the keys to Aiko.

Aiko smiled as she took them. When they were fully clasped in her fist, she held it close to her chest, beaming.

Once the rest of Team 8 -Kiba and Akamaru- were together, they all started to head up to her room.

Her room was on the top floor with access to the roof. As they walked down the hall, she took notice that the doors were someways apart from each other and were a deep blue and the walls were pale, sunshine yellow. The numbers and letters on the doors were an ornamental gold.

They walked a few more feet before stopping in front of a door with the number and letter D9.

Aiko was excited as she opened the door. When it opened, she walked in and the first thing she saw was the living room with a three-window sliding glass door that leads onto the balcony. The living room was fairly decent sized with a three-person couch against the left wall and five pillows on it. An end table was on each side of the couch each with a lamp on it.

Next to the end table closest to the door was a chair made of the same material. In front was an oval end table with some candles and a small flower centerpiece. Along the other wall was a loveseat that was just like the couch. In the corner near the loveseat was a mini potted tree only about as tall as Aiko herself.

In the kitchen, which was to the left when you enter the door, everything was modern and up-to-date with plenty of room. Down a little hallway, there were three doors. The one that was directly in front leads to a bathroom that was also up-to-date and had plenty of room.

The door to the right lead to a laundry room that held a washer and dryer. The last door, the one on the left, lead to the only bedroom in the apartment. The bed was against the left wall with a nightstand closest to the door. On the far wall was a pair of sliding glass windows that overlooked the balcony. One the right wall was nothing but bookshelves. Not all of them were filled, but some were filled with books on how to better oneself as a ninja, some cookbooks, and others were just for leisure. The only thing left was a large closet that would be more than enough for her small stash of clothes.

Aiko was so happy as she looked around her apartment. Team 8 also checked out her apartment with her.

When Aiko was done flopping and rolling around on her bed, she walked to the living room and to the sliding glass doors. As she stepped onto the balcony, she realized that she had a beautiful view of the forest.

She smiled as she listened to the sounds of nature. Birds chirping, squirrels chattering, leaves fluttering. As she looked at the sun that was starting to set, she made a wish.

I hope you are doing okay Shiko. I can't wait till you are able to be here with me.