Why Me? || Shino Aburame x OC (Naruto)

2 : Watch Your Step

Many of the students had run out of the classroom, doing whatever shennanigans they wanted to do while on break. Hisako turned to Mikoto who, after a few pokes, she deduced had fallen fast asleep on his desk. She sighs, getting up and slowly walking down, her hand gliding across the desks as sure guidance of where she was going.

"Naruto, don't pull that kind of thing again, I'm serious!"

She giggled, hearing Iruka's voice followed by a saddened groan from Naruto. She stopped in her tracks, realizing she probably shouldn't interfere, and eventually turned her heel and left the room as well.

As she walked, Hisako could feel the walls whenever they got too close to her, nearly bumping the door frame before reaching the hallways. It wasn't too crowded, but it wasn't too empty either. She could hear some girls whispering in the corner, but Hisako only shrugged and went on her merry way. To where, though? She didn't know just yet. She just wanted to do something, anything.

The group of three girls watched the lonely girl as she walked, one of them scoffing as she spoke to her friends in an agitated whisper.

"Hey, isn't that the girl that lives with Iruka-sensei?" She muttered as the other two nodded. Her eyes watched as the peace-haired girl stopped every now and then, still unsure of what to do. "I've heard he exempts all her written works, and that's why her grades are pretty high!"

"What, cause of her eyes?" Another one smirked. "That doesn't make her any more special! I bet she wouldn't even get in here if it weren't for him."

"Hey, let's go see her for ourselves." Another added, gesturing to her friends who slowly approached Hisako.

The blind girl stopped in her tracks once more, this time turning behind her as she heard a few pairs of footsteps come up behind her. She tilts her head curiously, her vision more white than anything as the light was bright in the halls.

Hisako smiles at the group as they almost jumped in shock.

"She turned in time to see us."

"Maybe there is something special?"

"No way. She just has sharp hearing, nothing else."

Hisako blinked a few times in confusion. She had no idea what these girls were talking about, nor why they even approached her. She had started to get anxious and way over worried. She gently held her braided hair, fiddling it with her fingers as she bit her lip. One of the girls seemed to notice her subtle movement, then walking beside her and slightly tugging at her braid.

"Hey look, people were right to call her a peach!" She snickered as the other two laughed as well. Hisako frowned. She always thought her hair was a bit too orange to be peachy.

"Aww, what's with the look, Peach Head?" Another laughed, pinching her cheeks incredibly hard.

"Cut it out!" Hisako pushed the girl away, trying to make a run for it, only to bump head first into the wall. She rubbed her head in pain as the three girls burst into laughter.

"To think for a moment I thought she had some ability or something!"

"See ya soon, Peachy!"

The three girls looked down at her once more before they walked away, leaving Hisako on the floor as she groaned in slight pain. She forgot how difficult it was to sense objects around her when she didn't focus enough.

"D-darn it..."

She muttered, picked herself up and dusting off her skirt. Hisako frowned, then shaking her head as she tried to focus. She still had time to look around, and surely other people were friendlier than those three girls.

After managing to get her head focused, she could once again sense the hall around her, allowing her to navigate through with no problem. She could hear more people around the halls, but decided to make detours to avoid people as much as possible. Eventually she found herself outdoors, feeling the wind against her skin and the smell of leaves still fresh with morning dew.

"Now this..." Hisako muttered to herself, taking a few steps forward. "This is more my style."

"...Watch your step."

Hisako stopped in her tracks, staying completely still when she heard the voice. She felt a little scared at how calm the voice was, as it felt condescending to her. After gulping down the lump in her throat, she decided to talk.

"W-what was that?" Hisako grumbled, her body still tense. She couldn't sense anyone near her, meaning whoever was speaking had at least been standing a few meters away. "D-did something happen?"

The boy who spoke stayed quiet for a bit, and Hisako didn't try to speak any more. The two stood in silence, both completely still as they faced in each other's direction. She gulped once again, now getting more and more worried at what was happening. Finally, the boy let out a sigh. Hisako raised an eyebrow, but still awaited his words.

"There was a beetle in front of you. It moved away."

Hisako let out a sigh of relief. All that for a bug?

"So... I can move now?" Hisako looked at the direction the voice came from. Her vision had turned completely white now that she was outdoors with all the light, but could also very very vaguely see a tall blob in front of her.

The boy stayed completely silent again. Did he not hear her? Hisako frowned. She thought that maybe he gave her a nod, seeing as his tone was calm and straight to the point. It seemed in character for whoever this guy was. The girl just chuckled, slightly shaking her head before looking back in his direction.

"I'd really appreciate a verbal response. I can't exactly see you." Hisako gave a small shrug as the boy awkwardly tugged at his jacket.

"Ah. In that case, yes, you can walk now."

Hisako let out another sigh in relief, walking up to the boy with a grin. "So... Whatcha doin' here? You seem to be the nature-loving types!" The girl giggled as the boy gave his response.

"I found an interesting range of insects somewhere in these bushes yesterday, so I came back to observe them."

Hisako blinked a few times before just laughing and giving a nod. She was a little distraught with how blunt and straightforward his responses have been so far, but she didn't think much of it. There was a few moments of awkward silence as he observed his bugs and Hisako tries to find a conversation topic.

"Hey, bug guy!" She spoke, turning to his direction once more. "Can you say something again?" She looked excited to hear him speak.

He turned to her direction, raising an eyebrow and very obviously confused despite the shades and coat hiding most of his face. "Like what?"

"That will do." Hisako giggled, smiling brightly. "You know, your voice is pretty deep. It's not a bad thing, though. It sounds really nice, and take that from someone with really good hearing!" She gave him a thumbs up, seeming proud of her sharp hearing.

He continued staring, puzzled by the situation, eventually giving another nod along with a short response. "Thank you."

"Well, that ends my break time adventures!" Hisako proclaimed, stretching her arms out with a yawn. "See ya some other time, bug guy!"

The girl waved before turning around and skipping past the grass back to the entrance of the school. As she thought a bit more about the boy she just encountered, she lost focus and bumped into a wall.