Miscommunication.

Chapter 1: I promise.

Hbiki slowly slid into the hot water of the bathhouse making himself comfortable. The hot epsom salt water made the aches of his tense muscles nearly disappear. He sat there enveloped in the steaming bubbly water he was so comfortable he nearly fell asleep. He was snapped out of his trance by a familiar face. Shinki slowly got into the other side of the bath. Though now he looked much different as the face paint he normally wore was gone showing his bare and rather handsome face. Hbiki shrugged it off and went back to relaxing. He had again nearly fallen asleep. He felt a tap on his shoulder. He jolted awake to see that Shinki had made his way next to him. "If you fall asleep you'll drown." He said cooly. "Ah. thanks Shinki." Hbiki said smiling at the brown haired boy. "No big deal I just didn't want to have to deal with saving you from drowning thats all." Shinki said turing away from Hbiki. "I thought you never cared about me?" Hbiki said a cold tone slipping into his honey sweet voice.

"Come on. You can't just treat friends like that!" Yodo spoke looking at Hbiki who was laying injured under the shade of a rock. "Our mission has nothing to do with saving him. If we lose him along the way its something we must sacrifice." Shinki said coldly. "And? Its not like us helping Hbiki will slow us down? So what if we're late delivering the scroll? He's your friend you care about him." "No. I don't care about him and never have. He's just a fill in till Araya is better." He said turing his back to Hbiki.

"I would have died there if Yodo hadn't helped me." He said still smiling slightly. "I was being over zealous. The scroll mission wasn't urgent, I'm sorry Hbiki. I do care about you as a fellow sand shinobi." Shinki said crossing his arms and closing his eyes. He had to confirm with himself that he had read Shinki's lips right Hbiki's mouth dropped slightly but went back to a smile. "I care about you too. As a friend." Shinki's eyes opened and he turned his head to the smiling boy next to him. "You've always tried to encourage and push me to my limits. To my potential, I will admit you were rather cruel to me in the academy I know it came from a place of frustration and determination, for that I forgive you. You showed me compassion when I spilled my heart to you when we became Genin. You even wanted to learn how to sign. Which more then surprised me, You did learn and actually quite well. You showed me respect when it came to my deafness. You keep pushing me to be the best I can be and face the truth of my handicap and overcome it. Beacuse of that I will prove myself to you and everyone else. So I do view you as a friend Shinki." Hbiki said. A determined tone filled his normaly kind voice.

"A friend? I suppose I think of you as a friend too. You frustrate me beyond belief but I couldn't seem to push you away no matter how hard I tried. I think its how determined and stubborn you are. You push yourself to achieve what most think you cant do, For example youre deaf yet youre one of the best Genin in our village. You have a Kekki Genki but you can barely use it. and what hemojutsu and other jutsu you can do isn't that strong but your Taijutsu and strategizing is impeccable I'll give you that. For a long time I just saw you teaching me sign language as something that would improve me. But spending that time with you became enjoyable. Even though you are naìve as hell you keep drawing me in, You're charismatic. I respect you Hbiki, But that doesn't mean I dont know Im much stronger. But I care for this village and my fellow shinobi." Shinki said speaking directly to Hbiki who had a bit of a hard time relying on his lip reading. "Sounds like a crush." He giggled slightly. "I don't have time for a crush." Shinki said flatly. "Oh come on you've had to have a crush on someone!"

"No. It's a waste of my energy, If someone wants to pursue me they better be ready to run. I don't like wasting my energy on trival things." Shinki replied "Have you even had a first kiss?" Hbiki asked tilting his head. "No but I doubt you have. " Shinki said slyly. "No. But I do have a crush on someone honestly it doesn't ever get in the way it actually motivates me more then anything to prove to them that I am more then they think I am." Hbiki said "Who would that crush be?" Shinki asked "No one you'd know plus its a secret. Im sure he hasnt had a first kiss either so maybe I'll be his first." Hbiki said grinning. "He?" Shinki said taken aback slightly "Oh.. uh yeah he's a boy." Hbiki said quietly. "Oh okay. Just thought I misheard you. thats all." Shinki said trying not to sound too judgemental. "Well we both have never kissed anyone huh?" Hbiki said a small grin on hus face. "And?"