Falling For Bug Boy? (Shino Love Story)

Chapter 6. The Optimist and the Pessimist

My face was red in embarrassment as Shino carried me to Eri and Kiba. As soon as he had helped bandage my wounds, I was picked up and put on his back. I was not embarrassed because Shino had to wrap the bandage close to my chest, but because of how much his point was proven that night. 

I still believe in the goodness of people. However, it might be smart of me to acknowledge that there are bad people in the world. I pondered to myself as I laid my head on Shino's shoulder in exhaustion. My breathing was a bit heavy since I could feel my wounds throb. 

"How are you feeling?" he asked me in his usual tone of voice. 

"Let us just say, that I am not worried about your bugs at the moment." I replied and rested my eyes. "I am sorry that I yelled at you like that Shino. I was mad at you, but I think I was more mad at the fact that I was deceived. Sometimes things become so hard to be this optimistic." My voice had gone weak and I was even more embarrassed than before. "I am giving it my all though because I truly believe I will make a difference." 

To think that a simple battle like that could cause me so much damage. Iruka Sensei would have been disappointed to see how much I stunk at telling if the enemy was lying or not. I wondered and buried my face in Shino's shoulder. Despite how uncomfortable it was, it was better than risking him see the red shade of shame on my face. 

"If you are an optimist, then I think it is possible for me to be a pessimist." Shino said to me and had my full attention. "At a young age I have accepted that some people will dislike me. Even if they have no reason."

I wanted Shino to say more. My ears were ready to be filled with a life confession and a life story from him. Sadly, Shino must have thought that was enough to say or immediately regretted saying it. After that, he said nothing else to me. Part of me wanted to push him to tell me more things. The other part of me knew it was best to let him have his space. My second part had won over my conscious and I kept quiet. 

After a few more mintues of Shino jumping from branch to branch, a group of bugs emerged from Shino's jacket and went ahead of us. The bugs did not make me jump in the slightest. That made me realize how exhausted I was. My wounds had been pretty deep, but I had had wounds as deep as those before. It made me question the battle a bit. Was it my mentality at the moment that was making me feel as crappy as I was? 

As soon as I coughed and some blood came out, I realized that I was not as well as I thought I was. 

"Shino, I just coughed up some blood. This does not seem alright." I said in a bit of a worried tone. Then, my eyes widened in horror as I realized why my blood had come from my mouth. "I think they hit some of my vital spots." 

"You did not notice?" Shino asked me and I shook my head. "You need to pay more attention." 

"I-I had some things on my mind." I said and felt my face go red from embarrassment again. 

Shino seems to always be one step ahead of me. He had been able to defeat the enemy while I could not. I need to train more and become strong enough to protect myself and others. Or else all my training to become a ninja would have been a waste. I wondered and tried to ignore the pain that my body began to feel. 

"As soon as we reach the others, we can give you some more medical attention. Our objective right now is to regroup." Shino said to me and I shook my head in agreement to the plan. 

"Shino, thank you for being a good comrade and saving me." I said to him and breathed slowly as I felt more and more pain. Inside, I cringed as it began to sting. 

He nodded his head and thought for a moment before he replied. "That is the duty of a comrade."

He is such a splendid ninja. It is no hassle for him to follow the rules and fight enemies. Shino could go as far as he wanted for ranks. I pondered and smiled a slight bit. I guess I am lucky to be able to work with him. Maybe we even each other out with our thought processes. This just leaves me to make a moment of mine to show him the goodness in people. That way even the moments are balanced out.