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Reading Totems	By : GrizzlyTeddyBear Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1242 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Author�s pre-ramble:�
OK, for those of you who reviewed with questions�the answers to what Shibi thinks about Paige and Shino is in this chapter.� Possible OOC-ness
for Shino from this point on when he�s in private with Paige�but if you�ve been
paying attention to other author notes, you�ve already been warned.� There is also the answer to the question of
what the heck did the council decide.�
And to those of you who showered me with compliments� HumanInfiltrator, OX King, Lady Slave, kodama,
MsMina, eva24, Alaskantiger,
Darksteel1992, Pan12398, wildkit, Navygirl19999, Paintedbutterfly, Valla, Jess, Kilrath Sluzath, jewel, kimahrigirl, Incarnadyne Tears, CasaHouse�thank you!�
This would have been out sooner, but I really do work with inpatient
Schizophrenics�and it�s been a rough week.�

Title:� Reading Totems
By:� GrizzlyTeddyBear
Disclaimer:� I
don�t own Naruto, and this makes me sad.�
I do own Paige Stone, my OC!� All
information regarding animal totems was taken from the books Dancing The Wheel by Sun Bear and Animal Speak by Ted Andrews.
Main Pairings:� ShinoxOC, NaruxHina, SasuxSaku
Rating:� M for
mentioned adult themes
Warning:� AU,
Post-series start time.� Rookie 9 is
23-24 years old.� Fic
mentions pagan religions, if you can�t handle it, don�t read! Also is
OC-centric.� Hold your pants, all will be
revealed as the story progresses.� I like
to take my time.

Chapter Summary:� Paige
awakens and then hears the news of the council�s decision.� A secret plot is revealed to the council and
so is the identity of the mystery ANBU who has taken a liking to Paige.� In the hoop of life, all endings are
beginnings of something else.

***Chapter 14***

The first thing that she recognized was the ceiling.� She recognized the cracks in the plaster even
without her glasses.� Paige was back in
her own bedroom.� It wasn�t too big of a
surprise.� She figured Shino had brought
her home after she had fallen asleep with him in the tree.� Trying to blink the world into focus she
turned her head to the left and was greeted to Shino�s ANBU presence sitting in
one of her dining room chairs he must have dragged into her bedroom.� �Thank you for bringing me home.�

Shino nodded in reply.

A voice from her right spoke next, �You like to keep people
waiting, don�t you, Paige.�

Paige turned her head to see Sakura�s blurry form sitting in
another dining room chair on the right side of her bed and holding out her
glasses.� She accepted the glasses, put
them on, and immediately recognized Hyuga Neji standing in the corner of the room directly behind
Sakura, who was the one who had spoken and was currently helping her to sit up
in bed.

�Neji rushes to the hospital to
take me to see you, but first you make me wait here for your ANBU friend to
bring you home from wherever you two ran off to in a hurry.� And then you make me wait for you to
wake-up.�� Sakura looked slightly amused
at her own joke.

�Sorry?� Paige offered.�

Sakura rolled her eyes.�

�How long have I been unconscious?�

�Depends.� You�ve been
unconscious and in this bed for about an hour, but who knows before that.� Physically you�re as healthy as you were when
I did your physical.� He,� she pointed to
Shino in his ANBU uniform, �isn�t the talkative type.� He wouldn�t tell us where you were before.� Although he was writing in one of your
notebooks, which he then refused to let us see.�

Paige turned a raised eyebrow at Shino.� �Notes from the council meeting?�

Shino nodded.

�Notes from the ravens?�

Shino nodded once more.

Paige held her hand out for the notebook and received it
from Shino.� She flipped through the
pages in his handwriting and her eyes widened.�
He hadn�t repeated any messages she had previously gotten from the
ravens from her time at the monument, but there was still quite a lot written
down.� She said all of that?� More than half of it didn�t make sense.� �These don�t make sense to me.� Although I think some of it talks about
me.� Does any of it make sense to you?�

He shook his head no.

�Alright, I�ll have to show Tsunade.� Maybe with the note I passed her she�ll be
able to make more sense of it than I can.�

�Why can�t you make sense of it?� asked Neji.

She turned her attention to him.� �I�m only the messenger.� I don�t always get privileged with
understanding of the messages.� It�s up
to whoever is ultimately giving the message to the raven as to what is told and
how much I get to know.�

Neji questioned her further.� �What was in the note you passed to Tsunade�it wasn�t just medical questions.�

�No.� It was a code I
arranged with Jiraiya while I was at the library
yesterday.� If I needed to communicate
with her alone, I would pass her a note stating it was medical related.� And�I�m not sure if I should say what was in
the note.� It�s a hunch so far.� I don�t want to arouse suspicion if there�s
no reason to.� I want to wait until I
find the right time to give Tsunade the notebook.�

Neji nodded at this.� �I�m impressed with your ability to assess
situations and react accordingly.�

Paige smiled at him.�
She was guessing by the way Sakura�s attention had whipped around after Neji had said the words �I�m impressed� that he didn�t
often say such things.�

Shino was projecting amusement.� He was definitely enjoying his foreknowledge
of Paige�s abilities both spiritual and her general ability to adapt.

�Is the council still deciding?�

�As far as we know.�
No one has come to tell us otherwise,� replied Neji.

Paige looked down at the blankets covering her.� �I�m not sure if that�s good or bad.�

Assurance.� Calm.�
Comfort.� Protection.

She looked back at Shino.�
�Thanks for the vote of confidence.�

Sakura�s voice drew her attention again.� �If I didn�t know better, I would say you
were talking to yourself.�

Paige smiled and was about to reply when Shino became tensed
next to her and projected alarm.� Turning to ask him what the matter was, she
noticed him give a signal to Neji, who nodded his
head and walked out of the room.� He
returned shortly with Aburame Shibi
trailing behind him.� �To what do I owe
the honor of your presence, Aburame-sama?� she
questioned.

Shibi spared a glance to Shino�s
ANBU-clad presence to her left and then addressed Paige.� �The council is leading towards the decision
that you may remain in Konoha on the condition that you marry��

Paige didn�t hear the rest of his words.� All she could hear was the blood rushing in
her own ears as shock set it.� The
council couldn�t do that�could they?�
They had no right to take away her ability to chose who she
married�could they?� They couldn�t take
away her right to give her own consent�could they?

Sakura�s face swam in front of her own.� ��Paige?�
Paige!?...�� A warm chakra filled
hand pressed against her chest.�
Immediately some of her composure returned.� Her breathing which she had just noticed was
erratic, began to slow down.� Her own
heartbeat was fainter in her ears.� She
could hear Sakura once more.� ��it can�t
be all that bad to marry the heir of the Aburame.� Besides, I thought you liked Shino.� You have been spending a lot of time
together.�� She took her hand away from
Paige.

�Shino?� Heir to the Aburame clan?�� She
marveled at not knowing this about him, but supposed it didn�t matter too much.� Mentally backtracking, she turned to Shibi, �Aburame-sama�the council
wants me to marry into your clan?� To your
son?� Shino?� Can they do that?�

Shibi nodded.�

Evidently not being prone to idle chatter ran in the Aburame family.� Silence
stretched in the bedroom while Paige collected her thoughts.� The council was willing to let her stay, but
only if she married?� What could they
gain from a marriage?� �Aburame-sama�I apologize for the rudeness of the question,
but is your clan large or small?�

Shibi raised an eyebrow, but
replied, �Small.�

Paige nodded, and tried desperately not to look at
Shino.� She didn�t want his identity
revealed�although she had a hunch Shibi already knew�but
she wished she could somehow communicate everything she was feeling to him�to
make him understand what she said next.� �Is
there any precedence for refusing such a ruling by the council and remaining in
Konoha?�

Confusion.� Hurt.

Paige again fought the urge to look at Shino.� Instead she looked between Sakura and Shibi.� �It�s not a
good political move to give up so much control over my life to the council�at
least not without a fight.� I need
freedom to do my work.� And you�re
right.� I do like Shino.� But the council is wrong to force things that
should be left to go at their own pace.��
Turning to just Sakura she asked carefully, �I guess this confirms our
little secret has been kept?�

Sakura nodded.

Paige sighed.� Both Aburames deserved to know that particular truth in case she
couldn�t win against the council.� �I
can�t have children.�� She looked at Shibi to gauge his reaction to that statement.� Feelings of sympathy and pity were
coming from him.� �I�m guessing one of
the reasons they chose the Aburame clan is that you
are a small clan?�

Shibi nodded, �They also knew you
were spending a lot of time with my son.�

Paige nodded.� It
figured someone would report that.� She
was under surveillance after all.�

�The Aburame are also known
for�keeping to themselves.�

The last piece of the puzzle fell into place for Paige.� The council wanted her abilities, but only if
she was contained and controlled behind closed walls, within a marriage, and
producing babies they probably hoped would also have her abilities.� �What is your personal stance?�

�I refused to speak on behalf of my son.� It is his decision to make.� I left the meeting under the guise of seeing
if he had returned from his mission.� You
were not going to be included in the decision making process.�

�Do I have any allies?�

�A few.�

�Thank you, Aburame-sama, for
coming and telling me.�� Paige took a
moment to think again.� �I�d like everyone
to leave for a moment�and please be polite and not listen in.�� She noticed the tension in Shino.� �ANBU-san�please remain.��

He relaxed slightly.�

She needed to know that he understood.� That he was willing to back her in this.� After Shibi,
Sakura, and Neji left, she spoke to Shino while
looking down at her hands in her lap.� �I
need to know�that you understand what I need to do.� I want you to understand why I have to do
this.� I want to be with you because of
my own choices, not the council�s�� She
was about to say more when I hand lightly settled on her left shoulder.

�I understand�� Shino
broke his silence for her.�

Paige was touched, but shook her head with tears forming in
her eyes.� �I don�t know if you do�It
goes deeper than politics for me.� There
are more personal reasons than just my feelings for you�� And I can�t have children�� She trailed off as Shino sat on the edge of
her bed, reached over, and held her.

�I will stand by you,� was all he said, but to Paige the
words brought so much relief.� He would
back her.� He would stay with her.� He understood she wanted to keep her freedoms
to choose.�

�Thank you.� �She
wasn�t going to be alone.� She would tell
him the rest of the reasons later.

Shino gave her a light squeeze before releasing her.� �Get ready. �We are going back.�

She nodded and smiled at him.� �I think a wardrobe change is in order.� Red suits my mood right now.�� Shino nodded and left the room to let her
change.� Paige decided, also, to wear a
tank top to let her tattoos show.�
Reminders of her connection with the spiritual might serve her.� Scarab flew out of and then back into her bag
of medicine wheel items.� She had almost
forgotten about the little kikaichu, but it appeared Shino had not.� He must have asked her to go into her bag to
hide from Sakura�s medic-hands.� She
emerged from her room wearing her bag of medicine wheel items which also
contained the notebook she intended to give to Tsunade.� She looked around the room, �Where did Aburame-sama go?�

Neji answered, �He went back to
the council meeting.� He assumed you
wished to confront the council.� It would
not look good for him to return with you.�

Paige nodded.�
�Right.� Let�s go then.�� She turned to Sakura.� �You coming too?�

The medic-nin smiled, �Wouldn�t miss
this showdown for the world.� Besides,
some of the old farts might need reviving after you�re done with them.�

Paige smiled and nodded.

Shino walked over to her, calmly removed her bag to place it
over his own shoulder and scooped her into his arms.� Anticipation.

Paige grinned a little evilly.� She was going to enjoy her planned temper
tantrum for the council.� She turned her
head to Neji and Sakura who were looking at her a
little strangely.� Paige decided it was
because they didn�t know it was Shino who was holding her. �Although she did wonder why Neji hadn�t used his Byakugan to
find out�maybe it was a courtesy?� �We�re
taking the express route�try to keep up.��
They leapt over the rooftops of Konoha towards Hokage Tower when a thought occurred to her.� �Will Aburame-sama
understand what we�re doing?� she asked Shino.�

He looked down at her through his mask.� �Yes.�
He disagrees with the council.� He
also knew who I was.�

She nodded and before she knew it, she was once more
standing outside the door to the council�s meeting room.� She looked up at Shino and took her bag from
him.� �I�m getting too many jumbled
emotions and totems.� Think anyone is directly
in the path of the doors?�

He shook his head no and she could feel the raised eyebrow leveled
at her from behind his ANBU mask.

�Good.� Because I want
to indulge my anger a little and do this��
Paige gave the double doors a solid kick which sent them flying open
with a resounding CRACK when they hit the inside walls.� Stalking into the room with Shino trailing
behind her, she relished the dead silence she had created with her stunt.� Into this silence of tensed ninja�s startled
into half-crouched positions with weapons partially raised, she spoke with none
of her previous formality or humility.�
�I demand to know why I was not part of the decision-making process of
my impending marriage into the Aburame clan as the
condition to my remaining in Konoha�

Koharu spoke, �I don�t think you
understand, my dear��

Paige cut her off.� �I
think I do understand.� You fear me.�

Danzo scoffed at her, �Why would
we fear you?��

She sensed his rage
once more, but the ravens were quiet this time.�
It appeared they had delivered all of their messages before.� She fixed him with a glare.� �You think I�m weak because I�m only a civilian.� You fear the knowledge I can gain with my
abilities. �And because you don�t
understand me, you think I am a liability.�

Danzo let some of his anger into
his voice, �You are a liability.� There is more than refusing to answer our
questions.� If you were captured to be
used against the village there would be interrogation, torture�and rape.�� He smirked at her, thinking he had won.

Paige returned his smirk.�
�It would not be a new experience for me.� I have had to make such sacrifices.� And yet I have not broken.� I hold other secrets than those of Konoha and
her shinobi.�� The silence was deafening
to her ears and the room�s collective feelings of shock and horror slammed
into her, but she spoke with a steady voice.�
�You would use me and the Aburame clan to your
own ends.� They would gain someone
powerful to add to their small clan and the ability to add to their numbers
while the council gains me safety weighted down by marriage behind their walls,
and the possibility of future generations with my abilities they could more
easily control.�

A voice behind her spoke, �It would be a chance at having a
normal life.�

Paige whirled around to look the Inuzuka
clan leader who had spoken in the eye.� She
couldn�t really hold it against her�dogs were family oriented animals after
all.� But��Define normal, Tsume-sama,� she hated the word �normal.�� Two definitions of the word never matched.

Danzo�s voiced caused her to turn
around again.� �Do you intend to defy the
council?�

�I intend to live my life how I see fit to best serve Wakan
Tanka.� I am prepared to do what is
necessary to that end.�

Danzo�s face darkened, but it was Homura who attempted to reason with Paige.� �And the Aburame
clan�s position?� Do you not want to know
their feelings? �The council knows you
spend a lot of time with Aburame Shino.�

Paige turned to Aburame Shibi although she already knew his position.� �My son has not returned from his
mission.� I cannot speak for him, but the
Aburame would be honored to have Paige Stone among
us.�

She gave him a respectful bow since she considered him to be
showing her respect.� �I thank you for
your compliments.�� She then returned her
attention to Homura.�
�It is convenient that Aburame Shino is unable
to speak his own piece before the council at this time.�� Danzo looked about
to speak, but she cut him off.� �The
council is also acting without total information.� You would be interested to know two things.� My gift is spiritual.� It is not passed down to children like a
bloodline limit.� What is required is
belief, faith, and the blessings of Wakan Tanka.�� She let that sit into the silence for a
moment.� �It is also impossible for me to
pass my abilities to my children for the simple fact that I cannot have
children.� A more detailed look into my
medical records will reveal this.�� Paige
took her time in looking at the faces around the room and tried to sense their
emotions.� Pity was the strongest emotion.�
Shame directed at themselves followed
closely behind.� It looked like her
display and confrontation with the elders was helping to sway the rest of the
council.� She also noticed how many were
now unable to look her in the eye.� One of
the few exceptions was Danzo.� The feelings of utter RAGE and HATE were
radiating off of him to the point that Paige was wondering how anyone else
didn�t actually feel it.� She took a step
closer to Shino who was standing behind her and to her left.� He radiated of sympathy and comfort.

Danzo turned his hate-filled gaze
on Paige.� �You are an abomination!�� Slowly he stood up and pointed a finger at
her.� �It is fitting the kami took your future children from you!�� The rest of the council was now staring at Danzo in shock.�

Sadly, she had heard similar things in the past from her own
family shortly before they disowned her and kicked her out to live on her own.� �You feel of rage and hate, Danzo-sama.� Why do
you fear me so?�� Paige grabbed the
notebook containing the ravens� messages and held it up to Shino who calmly
walked over, handed it to Tsunade, and returned to
Paige�s side.� Tsunade
read with widening eyes while Paige spoke.�
�I received many messages from the ravens before I had to leave the
meeting earlier.� Ravens surround you Danzo-sama, and I wonder why.� Do you fear my abilities with the
ravens?� What do the dead have to say
about you?�

Danzo began forming hand signs,
the feelings of rage and hate felt like they were swirling around
him, and then several things happened at once.�
Tsunade cried out for the ANBU forms of Naruto
and Kiba to contain Danzo.� Naruto and Kiba appeared, knocking into Danzo, and performing their own hand signs.� The other elders retreated from the possible
battle.� Danzo
cried out in a wordless scream of fury.� Shino
dragged Paige down to the floor, covering her by using his own body as a shield
to protect Paige from any attack that might get through Naruto and Kiba.� Jiraiya also placed
himself between Danzo and Paige.� Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura surrounded the
huddled forms of Shino and Paige while the rest of her friends watched the rest
of the council with wary eyes.� A
struggle was heard, and then Paige didn�t hear anything else for several
seconds.

Tsunade yelled out an order, and
it was clear who was in charge after the confusion.� �Stand down.�

Paige looked up into the masked face of Shino as he got up off
of her and helped her up.

�Paige Stone, you make serious accusations in this notebook
in combination with the information you provided me earlier in your note before
you left.� Do you understand the weight
of these actions?� the Hokage looked at Paige with a
serious expression.

�In truth, Hokage-sama, I do not
understand what is in that notebook, other than a reference to me in one of the
messages.� The ravens did not tell me
anything more than what is contained within it.�� She looked down at the now restrained form of
the elderly Danzo between the ANBU forms of Naruto
and Kiba.

�The council will be pleased to hear that our dear former
leader of ROOT was selling secrets�including yours, Paige�to an enemy, and you
uncovered this operation.

There were murmurs of shock heard around the room.� Danzo�s shouting
rose above it.� �Her abilities are a tool
to be used, nothing more.� She is
dangerous and already has sway over an ANBU!�
If she cannot be contained she should be destroyed!� She�s not even human with what she can do!�

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her
nose.� �Someone gag him or something!�

Naruto obliged by tearing off a piece of table cloth and
shoving it in Danzo�s mouth.

Shino shifted beside Paige, and she looked up at him in question.� He returned the look through his mask, but
then slowly raised his hand to hover above it for a moment that seemed to
stretch for eternity.� Slowly, he removed
the mask and his hood before all assembled.�
He still wore his sunglasses, but Paige now had an unobstructed view of
his face before he turned a glare on Danzo.� Paige stared while she could.� He was very handsome�drool-worthy she
decided.� Her trance was broken when he
began to speak.� �What you do not
understand, Danzo-sama, is that Paige Stone is more
human than most in this room.� She feels
the emotions of others when some struggle to feel anything at all.� She looks into the souls of others to find
healing when others only wish to inflict pain.�
What I did here today was of my own choosing.��

Paige felt herself tear up, but this time in happiness.� She decided that while he may not speak
often, Aburame Shino definitely spoke from his heart
whenever he chose to do so.

Shino turned his attention to the rest of the council.� �I formally refuse the council�s plans to the
proposed marriage of Paige Stone into the Aburame
clan.�� He placed his hand in hers.� �We will make our own plans without
interference.�� He looked down at her in
question.

She nodded and took a breath to address the council as
well.� �I will serve Konoha of my own
free will and in accordance with the wishes of Wakan Tanka.�� She now looked up in question to Shino.

With a nod of understanding between them, Shino replaced his
ANBU mask, and they exited the council meeting, leaving those left in the room
to figure out how to clean anything else up without them.

***

Author�s post-ramble:�
So�OOC-ness or not OOC-ness.� I leave the question to the reviewers!� And yes, there�s tons more.� That promised reason behind Paige�s decision
to defy the council is in the next chapter.
- 13
- 14
- 15
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Reading Totems