Chapter 19: Finally
Still Shino's Pov
How could everything have turned out this way? I would never have expected that I, Shino Aburame, would be in the Inuzuka compound. And I would actually live here for quite a while.
So why do I feel like running home again when all of these dogs are jumping at me and trying to lick every exposed skin of my body? Or maybe it's just me.
"Kiba." I stated calmly, even though I was panicking on the inside. A very large brown dog tried to jump at me and lick me on the face, but I pushed it away with my hand, only to have it lick my hand. Ew, disgusting!
Even so, I kept my composure and with a very calm voice, spoke to Kiba. "I would appreciate it if you would remove these dogs from me."
Kiba looked amused at the dogs, completely ignoring me. My eyebrow twitched. Really, if I weren't surrounded by dogs there were trying to lick me, I would had taken a revenge on Kiba right now. "It seems they recognize your smell. Seems I spend more time with you than I thought."
I frowned in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand, Kiba. How can they recognize my smell?" I asked him in a monotone voice.
Kiba blinked confused at me, as if it were the most obivous thing in the world. "Well, I'm around you most of the time and the dogs can smell that. Why do you ask? I thought it would be obivous with someone with your intellegence." Kiba said, smirking at the end.
I narrowed my eyes at him, but of course, he couldn't see. "Don't push it." I said, this time in a more angered tone, but it was kept somewhat monotone. Kiba widened his eyes, taking a step back by surprise.
"Wow - did you just... you know..." Kiba said, waving a little around with his arms toward me, like he wanted to pinpoint something without saying anything. "Growled? Like seriously?" Kiba asked, his expression turning into a grin.
I looked at him like he was an idiot, but he couldn't tell that. "No." I stated simply and tried to push some dogs away to get through, but they wouldn't let me. "Kiba." I said, looking at said boy. Man. Teenager. I'm not sure what I can call him...
"Yes?" Kiba said unsure-ly when I didn't continue. He had been petting those dogs there had been standing near him, but upon saying his name just before, he slowed down, looking at me with a slightly scared expression.
"Tell these dogs to get away from me. They are... annoying me." I told Kiba, watching with an unamused expression as Kiba scowled at me. Well, at least I didn't called them mutts as I wanted to.
I sighed inwardly.
What my sister sees in him is beyond me.
"Fine." Kiba growled at me, pushing past me as he dismissed all of the dogs, giving me sideway glances, scowling at me. When all of the dogs were gone and I could breath freely (it really stank with those dogs around - did the Inuzukas even shower them frequently?) and I were about to walk up to Kiba's bedroom, but Kiba stopped me with his voice.
"You know, you should be glad that the dogs accepted you so quickly. It's not often they invite strangers inside the house." he told me in a hurt tone. Guess I offended him too much. I could feel my eyes sting of tears of guilt, but I took a calming breath and turned to look at Kiba. He was looking at me like I was the one who caused the problems, but at the same time there were sympathy in his eyes as well.
I bowed low for Kiba and I could see he was looking at me surprised, shocked, unexpected. All kind of things. "I apologize for my earlier behavior, Kiba-san. I didn't meant to offend you." I apologized, still bowing.
"W-Well, oh..." Kiba said, not sure what to say. "Eh, whatever!" he exclaimed in defeat, pushing me upward by the shoulder. "Come," he said while pointing up the stairs. "I'll show you where you can sleep, 'kay?"
I nodded once, following Kiba up the stairs as he led the way.
Guess this was Kiba's way to forgive others... Though I would have been more happy if he actually said it.
Shinju's Pov
I inhale deeply through my nose while my head was turned toward the sky, my dark brown eyes closed behind dark lenses. I lifted my arms a little while I inhale and with a loud sigh, I relaxed in my body, opened my eyes and looked through the crowded streets.
The bussying sound of people chattering, walking and doing whatever you do in a village like Konoha, went into my ear, making me smile just the slightest. It has been two and a half year since I've been outside of my cell and I tell ya, it felt like heaven! Being around other, seeing other people, see them talk and laugh... I had missed it more than I thougt I did.
Finally.
I'm out.
I start walking, not sure where to go first. A thought of visiting Shino or maybe Kiba hit me, but I knew they were out on a mission, so that was out of the question.
It's been a long time since I've talked to Shikamaru and the others. Should I search for them?
I stopped up, looking back at where I just came from, just looking, not really seeing. I sighed silently through my nose, wondering whether or not I should go look for them.
I decided not to. I could always find them later on.
I turned around again, but as I did so, I bumped into someone tall, heavily built and with a strong chest. Just the small bump we had made me almost fall down on my butt, but the man I had been bumping into grabbed a firm hold around my arm, making me stand up again.
"Thank you." I said, feeling the man release his hold on me. I put my glasses back in place as they have been slipping down my nose and then looked up at the man I had bumped into and were about to apologize for bumping into him, but upon seeing who it was, I stopped myself.
It was him.
The very man I now dispise more than anything in this world.
My... erh, Father!
Flashback
The person in front of me sighed. I lifted an eyebrow though the other couldn't see it. "You can choose to not answer my questions if you want to. Everything you say can and will be used against you. You are -"
"Father!" I said, for the second time now. The first time was when I recognized his voice and unsure-ly asked him, but he kept talking, ignoring me. However the second time he stopped. Why did he ignore me like that? He never does that. And why did he sound like all of this was painful for him? He had a general voice, one you used when you ordered your soldiers (or in our case, ninjas) around, but there were an edge of sadness into it.
"Why are you treating me like this, Father? I've been forced into the Akatsuki, I got to fight against my fellow ninja and all you can say is 'everything you say can be used against you'? Not even a proper hello to your own daugther?" I say as calmly as I could, but the sadness could still be heard. I think it did, but it's hard to focus on when you have a broken heart.
"You are no daughter of mine. Not anymore." he answered, his voice cold and distant.
Flashback End
I narrowed my eyes at him and I could see he cringed by that. With that done, I pushed past him and walked long strides to get as far away from him as possible as fast as possible.
As soon as I couldn't feel his chakra signature near me any longer, I stopped up and sighed out of my mouth. Seeing my father after such a long time had been stressful. We're not on good terms so it's understandable, but still, I haven't expected to see him so soon.
I just hoped it wouldn't be like this everytime we met.
Kiba's Pov
Me, Akamaru, Hinata, Kurenai sensei and Shino walked through the Konoha gates, seeing a few people walking here and there, but since all of the shops and such were in the center of the village, there weren't so many around.
Finally!
I'm home!
I scretched my arms and take a deep breath of air. Man, I have missed the smell of this village, like they say, out is good, but home is best or something like that.
Anyway, since I stretched, the team had walked on, everyone except Akamaru of course, so I trugded my way back up to them. I had a huge smile on my face and I bet that Kurenai sensei an the others could tell that I was excited to be back.
"Excited, huh?" Kurenai sensei asked and looked back to face me while she's still walking. I only nodded and my grin grew wider (if that's possible). Akamaru barked, agreeing with me.
"You know, when Naruto said he was excited and happy about coming home, I didn't quite understand. I've been gone for over half a year and I have really missed and Naruto's been gone for three years! I don't understand how he could handle that." I said, groaning at the end. Just the thought of being out of the village for that long made me kinda depressed.
As we walked our way to the Hokage's office, we met Naruto and his team along the way. We greeted them and chatted a little before heading towards the office again. I noticed that Sai and the others, except Kakashi sensei (he always looks the same, no matter how much time passes), had gotten new clothes since we had left for the mission, but I didn't payed attention to it.
As we said our goodbyes to Naruto and the others, I noticed a smell there seemed familiar. A very faint smell. (After all, this is a village. It's hard to tell the differences about the smells if you don't have training in it.) The smell reminded much about Shino's smell, with bugs and all. I look around and saw a girl, around my age, with long loose hair whereas most of it were tugged underneath her shirt. The shirt had a high collar, covering most of her skin on her face. She had on dark sunglasses and a coat there covered the rest of her body.
I just shrugged it off, thinking that I didn't knew her and walked on with my team.
At the Hokage's Office
"Good. You are dismissed." Tsunade said and waved her hand dismissively at us after we had told her our report of the mission we have just returned from. It had been an hour long talk with questions from the old lady and us answering back. I swear my brain is stir fried by now...
"Hokage-sama." Shino said after Hinata and Kurenai sensei had walked out of the office. I stopped up at the doorway to find out what it is he wants. It's not like it's everyday he talks. He barely speaks after all, especially after Shinju got prisonered. That really took a toll of him. I know, I've been living with him these past few years.
"What is it, Shino?" Tsunade asked a bit of annoyed. She might be tired of something. Probably from all that paperwork she had finished. And still need to do.
"Has Shinju been moved to a different cell while we've been gone?" Shino asked.
"No. Actually, she's been realesed. Today, to be exact." she answered as she look down at her paper work and start reading them and signing them, silently telling us to go.
"What -" started Shino, but I just grabbed a hold of his sleeve and dragged him out off the office with Akamaru trudging behind us.
"Come on, we have to meet her and give her a proper hello and all. It would be rude of us if we didn't." I explained to Shino as we entered the streets of Konoha. I let go of Shino as I started searching for Shinju, both with my eyes and nose. Akamaru did the same thing, mostly searching with his nose, while it took a while for Shino to collect himself and start searching in his own way.
After a hour or so, I stopped up, groaning. "Where could she have gone?" I asked with a grumble, mostly to myself than the others.
"I do not know. Not even my scout bugs can find her." Shino stated matter-of-factually.
I groaned again and Akamaru whimpers. "I know, boy. I want to find her too. Hey, Shino." I turned my head to look at the bug man and saw that I got his attention. "How comes it that your scout bugs can't find Shinju?"
"It is a special ability within the Aburame Clan. We are able to send out a smell there hide our own scent and that way hide ourselves. We can also confuse the bugs by distracting them with our surroundings by using a special plant or anything else close by. I guess that Shinju is mad at me because of something, but I do not know what it is. That is why I can not find her." he says and cross his arms. I looked dumbfounded at him. He saw this and sighed. "I can not find her cause she is hiding her scent. Got that?"
"Right!" I say a little too excited, but I finally got the basics of what Shino told me. Sure, he hate explain things twice, but I have been his team-mate and room-mate for a really long time, so I don't think he minds anymore. Who knows what that bug man thinks inside his little head?
Akamaru barked. "What is it, boy?" I asked him. More barks. "What? You found her scent? Where is she?" Akamaru looked over to my right, a way there is leading to the forest. "Well, what are we waiting for?" I say and run in the direction Akamaru told me, with Shino right behind me.