Ruminant

xix

19.

Kyoya woke to the sound of bugs gently fluttering on a figure not far from him.

Opening his eyes calmly, Kyoya trained his eyes on the faintly agitated kid in front of him and yawned. The boy was a bit older than her - comparable to the dog-girl's age at least and seemed to be part of one of the clans from this place that piqued his interest some time ago.

The Aburame - his pet said, a clan specializing in using bugs for infiltration, assassination and front-line combat.

Remembering this, Kyoya's form stiffened as he scrutinized the figure in front of him properly - languidly adjusting himself into a more comfortable position.

Such a deceptively small frame. Kyoya eyed in fascination, conveniently forgetting his much smaller figure at the moment. He hadn't been able to properly observe this group yet since the Aburame liked to keep to themselves and the guards the omnivore assigned to him prevented Kyoya from sneaking into other compounds. It was only due to chance encounters with returning shinobi when he was patrolling around the village that he had been able to encounter these type of carnivores.

Their dark shades and high collars were quite interesting - covering half of their faces until only a little of their features could be seen. Yet, despite their heavily covered up forms, it couldn't mask the danger they naturally exuded.

The sound in Kyoya's ears when he passed by them bespoke of barely leashed lethality wrapped in a rhythm that didn't quite feel right.

This little one followed the same clothing style, but in spite of the buzzing faintly ringing in Kyoya's ears, the child in front of him was still too weak.

Kyoya wondered why this child approached him.

The little animal, after several minutes of standing like a statue, fidgeted slightly - the small part of his face that Kyoya could see, a pair of cheeks cushioned in baby fat, gradually turning pink in the face of Kyoya's silent scrutiny.

Hn. Kyoya lips twitched slightly.

How adorable.

Kyoya wasn't usually this amenable to people interrupting his naps. Although he was curious about the child, sparring with this one wouldn't be enjoyable at all.

However, for a small animal with vicious potential-

Kyoya could give an exception and take the time to graciously indulge this little one for a bit.

Raising his eyebrows lazily in question, he finally prompted the small animal in front of him to speak.

"Nara-sama," The small animal obediently squeaked out, straightening his posture in an attempt to look more dignified. He coughed to clear his throat and continued firmly, "I want to follow you."

Kyoya paused, tilting his head.

"I've heard from Hana-san that you're protecting the village and I- I-" The boy stuttered, his pink cheeks turning into a deeper shade of red. "I want to help in any way I can, Nara-sama." He averted his eyes from Kyoya's side shyly. "I don't know if you remembered, but you helped me before when some of the village kids were teasing me. You stood up for me, along with Uchiha-sama. I also watched how you tried to save other people too and-" He paused for a second - catching his breath, visibly flustered. "I want to help patrol the village and discipline people so they won't do bad stuff anymore and be he'bivores?" The small animal's blush spread to his ears as he used the unfamiliar term. "Her'ivores." He repeated.

"Are you sure?" Kyoya asked, his half-lidded gaze measuring.

"Yes." The little one affirmed, puffing up his chest - the bugs on his skin buzzing stronger as if in support of his determination. "I will do my best."

"Okay." Kyoya nodded blandly, waving his hands before turning back to lean on the tree once again. "Go to the Uchiha compound and ask for Uchiha Itachi. He'll guide you on the basics."

"Really?" The small animal looked stupefied for a moment, before nodding excitedly. "Un. I won't fail, Nara-sama."

Kyoya just yawned and went back to sleep.

-----

"Who is it this time?" Uchiha Mikoto asked, amused, as her nephew, Uchiha Shisui, who was tasked to watch over her son for this week sat in the backyard and looked at the spectacle in front of him baffledly. Kagami had finally let her little nephew take a break from training and Shisui, with nothing better to do with his time, volunteered to watch over Itachi while she was busy with managing the affairs of the clan.

Her nephew looked at her complicatedly - a look that she grew increasingly familiar with during these past few weeks from Itachi's babysitters. Ever since her son recovered from the accident, it took time before some people could adjust - especially to those that were quite close to him.

It looked like the change did some good, at least. It was relieving to see the stress that had been apparent in Shisui's eyes lessen a bit as he kept an eye on her son's antics.

Shisui smiled helplessly. "It was an Aburame this time, Obaa-san." He shook his head. "One Aburame Tatsume, to be exact."

"Ah." Mikoto nodded knowingly. "Tell Itachi to take it easy for a bit. I'll prepare them some snacks."

Shisui stared at her, bewildered. "Is this really okay?"

Mikoto smiled, entertained. "They're just playing, Shisui-kun."

Shisui turned back to the sight of Itachi sternly educating a small group of toddlers about upholding the dignity of their organization and the value of disciplining herbivores. The toddlers' backs straightened and their countenance turned grave as they stood in a line facing Itachi.

"Hai!" They replied seriously with tender, milky voices.

"Are you sure?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Mikoto asserted. "It's good for Itachi to have friends during these troubled times."

"Okay," Shisui replied weakly, training his attention to Itachi's surprisingly rousing speech. "If you say so, Obaa-san."

-----

Author's Note: I'll try to make up for this late chapter by updating this story more regularly this month. Ko-fi? Or reviews? Both would make me more motivated, yeah?

More of both means double the chapters, ah, so don't be shy. Thanks for reading!