Shimmering Fireflies

Fireworks

It was a day of celebration in the hidden leaf village. The spring festival has been the subject of many conversations for the past two months. Mizuiro felt ecstatic about spending the day with her friends... especially one of them. Since her own teammates had plans, she didn't feel bad about accepting Hinata's invitation to spend the day with her team. This event had its own way of bringing everyone together. Last year, she missed it because she was on a mission. She couldn't wait to enjoy each one of the activities.

Mizuiro thought that, just maybe, she could admit her feelings towards her friend today. In this relaxed, yet quite hectic environment, the spring festival always brought warmth between people. Even though she couldn't even think about gathering enough courage to do so, she just wanted to catch his attention a bit more... hoping the mellow atmosphere would give her the time to open up.

She was putting lipstick on: Nothing too extravagant, just a faint peachy color to match with her pink and gold yukata. She had put a lot of efforts into the making of her outfit and added special details on it. She couldn't wait to show it to Hinata. In fact, imagining all of her friends in such a beautiful traditional attire made her blush. It would sure be a change from ninja clothes.

The young girl placed a golden flower clip in her hair, put her things in a small pouch and went off to meet her friends. Mizuiro reached them after a couple of minutes. When she saw them from afar, she couldn't help but smile. She noticed how good everyone looked in their yukata and hurried her steps towards them, noticing Shino had switched his goggles for a pair of round sunglasses today.

They all greeted her while she began to observe Hinata's yukata more closely.

"Hinata, pale blue suits you so well!"

"Th-thanks!" she replied.

"So, are we going!?" Replied Kiba. "I'm hungry, I can't wait to taste all this food!"

They began walking towards the heart of the village's festivities. Kiba kept talking to Hinata about setting a new record to the traditional fishing game.

"Mizuiro", Shino changed subject. "Are those cicadas on your yukata?"

She blushed happily while placing her hair.

"Yes."

Two big cicadas were delicately hand sewn to her sleeves with a golden thread to fit the whole look. She made a big deal about accuracy. Every detail was thought of, of course.

"They're very nice."

"I'm glad you think so," she replied.

Mizuiro felt really proud, but her face could only express shyness at this moment.

The day went on beautifully. They started eating tons of food and admiring artists' work in the street. The specialties of Konoha were always really diverse. They took the time to walk around the whole village to seek for various activities. From writing wishes to noodle catching, this day couldn't have been more filled with smiles and fun.

When the sun slowly began to let its place to the stars, everyone started to install their lanterns to their kiosks. There were small dancing lights all around the village. It was Mizuiro's favorite moment of the festival. In addition to this beautiful scenery, the young girl knew they would also watch the fireworks later. The group of friends had planned to sit on top of a hill to watch the show.

~

Hinata had brought a blanket for them to sit on. They installed it on the ground, the grass feeling fresh underneath. All sitting side by side, Mizuiro made sure to be near Shino.

"It really was a beautiful day," said Hinata.

They all agreed silently, and it was like they shared the same peace of mind for one moment. Mizuiro kept looking at the sky while thinking about how happy she was. The four of them shared a smile before hearing the first fireworks. They turned towards the bright lights in the sky. Beautiful shades of colors were caressing their faces. The whole show was very soothing, as if time had stopped just for them.

Since Mizuiro was close to Shino, she thought it could be her chance to find a way to tell him how she felt. After this wonderful day, she was somehow more confident about this. Since she has been able to see his traits, she had figured out some details; the way he slightly blushed when she smiled at him or how he immediately twitched after accidentally brushing her shoulder made Mizuiro questioning herself. Although maybe it was, again, just her imagination.

Torn apart between making a move and simply appreciate this moment, she decided to go for it while staying subtle. She slowly put her hand on the ground between them and played with the blanket, twisting some parts of the fabric around her fingers. After a while, she looked in his direction. He seemed quite enchanted by the show. Seeing all of those lights reflecting on his glasses made her smile. It reminded her of the mission they did together. Her hand was so close to his... It was now or never. Mizuiro dared to think her friend was feeling the same way towards her, but she couldn't just assume right away. What if she took his hand and he didn't want to? What an awkward situation that would be. She had to make it look like it was semi unintentional and wait for his reaction. She replaced a strand of hair with her hand and put it back where it was on the blanket. This time, she made sure one of her finger touched Shino's hand. She had stopped breathing despite herself, carefully caressing her friend's skin. Mizuiro was glad the dark night was hiding the more than apparent redness on her face. Her hand was shaking so badly she suddenly wanted to disappear. How could she have been so straightforward? It was not her type, but her feelings had taken advantage of her.

She was about to remove her hand from his when she felt a small resistance. Shino had put his hand on top of her fingers, still looking at the sky. The young woman felt a shiver going through all of her body. Wondering if it was really him, she peeked in his direction, speechless. He was really holding her hand. Mizuiro had a hard time containing her delight and surprise, but she was so feverish she preferred to simply enjoy it while it lasted. She never would have thought that one day, she'd be watching fireworks while holding hands with Shino Aburame.

Everything about this moment was perfect... except the fact that it didn't last long. When the big finale of the show happened, Kiba started to stretch himself, ready to move. Immediately, Mizuiro removed her hand from the ground, still incredibly shy from what just happened.

"It was so beautiful!" Said Hinata.

Shino nodded.

"It really was", Mizuiro replied, trying to calm herself by nervously holding her hands together behind her back.

"I'm still hungry", added Kiba while stretching his arms. "Wanna get more takoyaki?"

"What do you want to do, Mizuiro?"

Shino asked that question while getting up. She wondered why her specifically.

"Hum... I think I'd like to eat onigiris instead..."

"Ok, I'll come with you."

"But I'd like takoyakis too, added Hinata."

"Just let them go", Kiba said, "we'll meet up later!"

While they all went to their respective destinations, Mizuiro couldn't believe what just happened. After this, she'd be alone with Shino for a walk under the stars and the festival lanterns.