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Koiuta	By : dragonslover1 Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1149 -:- 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
- 15
- 16
- 17
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto does. I am not profiting from this fanfiction.

Koiuta, Love Song

Fifteen Weeks Until Eighteen

Shino had never had such a hard time with a conversation before. Passion kept getting in the way. He wanted to talk to Tasha, but everything about her was a distraction -- distractions that always led back to the same thoughts. And then he was back to staring, touching, kissing.

Of all the ridiculous things! They made love in the bath not ten minutes prior, and yet it hadn�t given him a lasting reprieve. At the moment, yes, it had been incredible, being one with her again. He hadn�t realized just how much he really missed her until then.

And now, when he wanted to talk, it was proving to be an impossible feat. Hell, she wasn�t even naked anymore; she was dry, covered, even had her hair tied back. He would�ve thought the lack of sex appeal would have helped.

It didn�t. He was constantly forming half a sentence, losing himself to distraction, practically tackling her, and then fighting for enough control to back off. This happened several times before she started laughing.

�Damn it, Tasha, this isn�t funny!� he growled. He shook his head against waves of desire.

�I beg to differ,� she chuckled. She laid back in a way that was clearly an invitation. �Shino, if you want me so bad, just take me. I won�t deny you.�

He groaned, rubbing his neck and making sure he didn�t look at her. �I wanted to talk,� he pleaded to no one.

�What about?� she asked.

�You. How you feel for me.� He was surprised to find she�d moved to press herself to his back, arms around his neck. Either he was more distracted than he thought, or she was better at moving silently.

Probably both.

�I love you,� she murmured, near his ear. �What else do you want me to say?�

He figured he should start at the beginning -- before his senses could zero in on her breasts. �Tasha, I explained to you what I went through when you left, didn�t I?� He was referring to a talk they�d had a few weeks prior.

She gave a nod. �Why do you bring it up?�

He hesitated. It sounded horrible in his own head, to doubt her. But he wanted to know if she felt for him the same exact way he felt for her. �You never did tell me what it was like for you,� he hedged.

She was still. After a few moments she let go, dropping back to sit. He looked over his shoulder, saw her staring at one exposed knee, her eyes far away.

�I don�t like to think about it.�

He glanced away. �Please,� he tried, tentative. �It�s important to me.�

�To know?� She looked up. At his nod, she blew out a sigh. �Well. . . It was. . .maddening. Like time was out of my grasp. But as for feelings. . .� She paused. �There was none. I felt. . .empty. From day one to day fifty-nine, there was no improvement. That�s why I cried so hard, when you came back,� she said, meeting his gaze. �All the things I should have been feeling until then came back. It was. . .overwhelming. Completely.�

A question was on the tip of his tongue, fighting to get out. Despite his efforts to hold it back, it came anyway.

�Did it hurt?�

She squeezed her eyes shut with a flinch. �More than I could say,� she whispered.

That was exactly what he wanted to know -- but only one of the questions had been answered. He felt like a bastard, making her remember these things, yet now he couldn�t stop.

�Have I ever told you how much it hurts me,� he began, �to see you in pain?�

She regained control at about the same time his question ended. Looking up, she shook her head.

�When. . .� he paused, �the Insect Incident happened. . . It was like dying. I knew it had to hurt you, for my bugs to drain your chakra like that, but I also knew it was the only way to save your life. It didn�t help to know. I wouldn�t have. . .� His breath caught; he didn�t want to continue this subject anymore, even as he knew he had to finish. �I wouldn�t have begrudged you if you wanted to leave me after that.� His heart began an all-too-familiar painful throbbing.

She was shocked for a moment, and then her expression cleared. She smiled. �As if I could ever leave you,� she said softly. �I tried that once, remember? Didn�t work out as planned, did it?�

He gave a laugh despite himself, then sobered. �Why did you stay, knowing the danger?�

�What danger?� she retorted, turning her head to the side as if it were of no consequence. �Besides, you know the answer to that.� When he looked at her in question, she grinned, touching the pendant at her chest.

He felt as though an earthquake could have occurred just then and he wouldn�t have noticed. As if drawn, he leaned towards her, kissed her. She accepted him so easily. . .

It was unbelievable. He had put her very life in danger, more than once, yet here she was. The meaning, to him, was monumental. He had never once expected such patience from her, such unconditional love. Such forgiveness. Anyone else would have run from him and refused to ever return. Anyone else would have rejected him in an instant.

Not Tasha.

�Butterfly,� he murmured.

She looked at him then, her eyes full of love and acceptance, her face welcoming.

�Yes, darling?� she replied, just as quiet.

He couldn�t have resisted then, even if he�d wanted to. They made love again on their bed (he would never again think of it as his bed alone), but this time, it was different from all the others. Before, it had always been frantic, in a way. No restraint, just primal need. This time, it was slow, patient. He wanted to feel her, little by little -- wanted her to feel him, little by little.

She cooperated, moaned softly in a way he�d never heard before, moved with him, felt him. Her fingers skirted his wound; she kissed around the edges once. She found every scar on his body, most of which were tiny holes lining his arms and torso. She caressed them, lightly, as though she worried that they were as tender as his fresh cut.

Likewise, he started finding and kissing each of her scars, paying attention to the bites she�d received earlier. (He also filed it away in his memory that he was going to find out what happened, if not from Tasha, then from his father.) He sought out every part of her with his hands, watching her reactions, learning where she liked to be touched most. He tangled his fingers in her hair once or twice, and it never ceased to make him smile. He knew she could only keep it that long for so many years, though he hoped she�d put up with taking care of it for as long as possible. Even when each strand was gray.

And every so often she would breath his name. He shivered when she did, because there was always a moan spread through the word -- the kind of moan he was beginning to learn was a plea for more.

Afterwards, they lay under the sheets, pressed together. He had never felt more complete than in that moment, as she rested in his arms, smiling.

After a little while, he said, �Are you hungry?�

She grunted. �Not nearly enough to move.� Her breath fanned his chest when she spoke.

He chuckled. �Good argument.�

�What about you?�

�I�d rather stay here.�

She glanced up, resting her chin on his shoulder. �I don�t want you in bad health because of me.�

He laughed. �I never wanted you in bad health because of me.�

�That�s different. I�m not the one being sent on missions.� She had a point, though he loathed to admit it. �Besides,� she added, tracing her fingers across his chest, �you�ve been taking such good care of me, you could hardly say I�m in bad health. I doubt I�m even injured anymore.� She gave him a sly look as she said that.

It was too bad for him, he supposed, that he could read her so well. He groaned. �Tasha, don�t look at me like that. Not right now. I don�t want to hurt you.�

�You haven�t hurt me yet,� she countered.

�I might if you keep giving me those looks.�

�In which case it�ll be my own fault for giving those looks,� she grinned.

He groaned again. Then he sent her an impatient glare. �You�re going to be the death of me.�

�As long as it�s a pleasant death,� she offered.

He pulled her atop him, ran his hands up and down her sides. His lower half was already reacting to the places his thoughts and eyes were visiting. �You�re going to be sore tomorrow,� he warned.

Her smile didn�t let up. �I can handle it.�

- - -

She was sleeping regularly for the first time in her life, and lord, it felt nice. As weeks passed, she managed to make amends with Shibi, though he looked convinced before she�d begun. She figured Shino had beat her to the punch.

They made love almost every night, she and Shino, sometimes more than once -- and sometimes in the morning or middle of the day. They had restraint only when one of them didn�t look up to it, usually because the other was already asleep when they came to bed.

Shino had gone ahead and found Riku, the girl who�d attacked her before. Though she didn�t know what went on between the two, and Shino was hesitant to answer, the next time she saw the other woman, she�d apologized right out. So had a number of other girls Tasha had never met. Clearly something had been said to them -- to all of them.

And Shino shrugged it off, telling her that he�d just made it clear to the others that she was the one for him. Knowing him like she did made her suspicious, thinking that Shaniko and Shibi had probably also been part of the solution.

She was also training again, though it was slow going. Her chakra didn�t work the way it used to anymore, making it a learning experience for her. Tsunade informed her that, because she�d left and had missed the final part of the Chuunin Exam, she wasn�t given the rank, though she was accepted as a Konoha ninja. She kept the forehead protector around her waist -- leaving her pendant visible.

Occasionally she had an opponent to train with, and three out of five times, it was Shino. But he was more gentle with her than any of the others, making him a not-so-good sparring partner for her. Usually she resorted to going to the training field and asking for a partner, whoever was there. She came back with bruises and cuts after those days, which Shino was slowly growing accustomed to. He was still unhappy about it, though he never denied that he wanted her to remain capable of defending herself.

Time passed, and she was getting more and more excited about her birthday coming up. She was going to be eighteen soon! Her second-last teenage year. She promised herself that she was going to live it up. She also purchased the kimono in the shop window she�d seen so long ago, saving it for that day.

She had never been so happy before, smiling all the time. It had reached the point when her previous, Iwagakure life was a far off memory, where she couldn�t imagine a future anywhere else than with Shino, in his arms. In his room. In his bed.

Scratch that; their room, their bed. He had been stressing that point for a long while, though she was still having trouble adjusting to it. It made her giddy to think of it, never mind the fact that she�d been living one hundred percent in his (their) room since the day after the Insect Incident.

When her birthday was a week away, she could contain her excitement no more. She waited anxiously in bed for Shino to get back -- he and Kiba had been sent to a nearby farm for a mission he shrugged off the details for. A one-day thing, he�d promised. Just as he promised to be back before she was asleep.

As easy promise to keep, as she wasn�t going to sleep without him tonight.

She was grinning and hugging the pillow to her stomach when the door opened, contemplating what kinds of things she�d do for her birthday. Well, and what kinds of things Shino would be doing for her. To her. She quivered.

�You�re awake?� Shino asked, sounding surprised. �It�s after eleven.�

�I was helping you keep your promise,� she told him, getting to her feet. She hugged him with enthusiasm.

He gave a laugh. �What�s this about? You�re not usually this energetic so late at night.�

She smiled up at him, then frowned. �Why do you have to be so tall?�

His brows rose. �You�re hardly short,� he told her, reading into what she didn�t say. He was good at that.

�Head and shoulders,� she countered, referring to the fact that the top of her head didn�t reach his shoulders.

�Alright.� He pulled her to her toes, then lifted her up.

She wrapped her legs around him, he did the same with his arms. She was high enough now that her head was above his. In fact, she was almost touching the ceiling.

�Better?�

She laughed. �Absolutely. Now put me down, I have news.�

He did so, and she read the barely-visible intrigue on his face. She waited for him to strip off his face-hiding items first. He shook his head when he realized why she was just staring, then took them off. He looked amused afterwards, arms spread in an is-this-acceptable sort of way.

She grinned. �Thank you much.� She poked his chest. �Do you know what�s next week?�

His face suggested he knew. �The nineteenth?� he offered.

�Close. The eighteenth.�

�What�s the eighteenth?� He looked a little disappointed.

�My birthday,� she answered. �I�ll be eighteen -- argh, I can�t wait!� At his funny look, her enthusiasm faded a little. �What?�

�Your birthday is April eighteenth?� he repeated.

�Yes. Why is that surprising?�

He blinked, hesitating. �My birthday is the nineteenth,� he answered.

Her head spun. �Wait -- you mean April nineteenth?� At his nod, she shook her head in wonder. �Who woulda guessed. . ?� she said to herself. Then a thought came to mind -- �I know what we should do.�

His eyebrow quirked. �You�re full of ideas,� he told her. He went over to the bed, sat down, gestured her over. When she was within reach, he pulled her to straddle him. �Tell me.�

�We had to be like this for me to share?�

�Yes.�

She laughed. �Sure, whatever. We should have a joint birthday party at exactly midnight.�

�Birthday party.�

�Uh-huh.�

�And who�s invited to this party?�

�You and I.�

His eyes darkened.

�So you got the idea. Good. Less explaining.� She kissed him. And when the kisses started getting heavy, she drew back. �How old will you be?� she asked.

�Nineteen,� he answered, pulling her to him again.

She skirted the move, keeping their mouths apart. �Wait -- hold on a second.� He looked none too happy, but did so. �You�ll be nineteen on the nineteenth.�

�Where are you going with this?� he asked, impatient.

�And I�ll be eighteen on the eighteenth.�

�Tasha.�

She loved that warning tone. �Haven�t you ever heard of golden birthdays before?�

He didn�t look very interested. �No.�

�Well, being eighteen on the eighteenth is the exact definition. It only happens once, you know.�

�I�m not seeing the appeal.�

�Oh, come on -- we�re both having our golden birthdays this year. Aren�t you the least bit excited?�

�I�m excited for an entirely different reason,� he bit out. He jerked her mouth to him, kissed her hard.

She gave a moan, realizing that there was no talking to him for the time being. So she gave herself over to him, kissed him back, welcomed him. Afterwards, as they lay in bed, she wrinkled her nose.

She looked at him funny. When he noticed, he returned it with an inquisitive one.

�You smell a little weird,� she told him.

He rolled his eyes -- something he rarely ever did. �I was on a farm all day.�

�In which case you should�ve showered first thing.�

�You�re right. Except that you were awake, and you�re very distracting when you�re awake.�

�So this is my fault, is it?�

�Exactly. So you�re going to help make it better.� He got up.

She was surprised when he pulled her with him. �Oh, I�m showering with you, then?�

�You get to wash my back,� he said matter-of-factly.

�I�ll have a hell of a time reaching it,� she teased.

He laughed.

The following week, the eighteenth, at midday, she was sitting beside Shino, staring across the table at his parents and Tsuyana. They were in the same meeting room she�d been in before.

�Eighteen,� Shaniko cooed. She had never looked more motherly to Tasha. �You dropped this on us very suddenly. There wasn�t time to do anything --�

�I didn�t tell you looking for presents,� Tasha chided, rolling her eyes. �I just wanted you guys to know.�

�And tomorrow,� Tsuyana was saying, �Shino will be nineteen. It�s a curious coincidence.�

Shibi sat back. �That it is. I never saw this coming.�

Tasha gave a laugh. �I doubt anyone did.�

�We have to mark the occasion somehow,� Shaniko said, mostly to Shibi. He nodded.

�You don�t have to do anything,� Tasha denied, waving her hands. She was embarrassed; her birthday had never been celebrated before. She didn�t know if she could handle it.

Tsuyana was grinning, as though she couldn�t help herself. �Too late.�

Tasha had enough time to swing her gaze on Shino before the room was abruptly filled with other clansmen. Two of them were holding a huge rectangular cake between them -- enough to feed everyone present. Five silver-wrapped boxes of varying sizes were put on the table.

And a chorus of voices called out, �Surprise! Happy birthday, Tasha!�

Her face felt like it was on fire. She got to her feet with a jerk, knocking her chair over. Shino got up with her, but she had turned and dashed from the room before he could catch her.

She heard him say, �I�ll bring her back.�

The hell you will, she thought as she hurried down the corridors. She wasn�t surprised when strong arms stopped her dead, held her still.

�Where are you running to?� he asked.

She leaned back. �This was mean of you.�

�How? You were so excited about your golden birthday.�

She dropped her chin. �Between you and me, yes, I was.�

�What�s the problem?�

She hesitated. �I�ve never had a birthday party before.�

He was silent for a moment. �Then this is a milestone for you. Come on. At least open your presents.� He pulled on her.

She resisted. �I�m not going back in there,� she said with a humorless laugh.

�Tasha.�

�Don�t give me that. I know four people in that room, you included.� She turned a glare on him. �How many strangers are there?�

He looked grim. �How can I convince you to come back, to enjoy your party?�

Her words were hardly a whisper. �You can�t.�

He paused. �I could always blackmail you,� he offered.

Her eyes widened. �What!�

�Or deny �our� party later.�

She grit her teeth. �You�re serious? Why is this so important to you?�

�Because it should be to you.�

She had a burning glare now. �I�m getting you back for this,� she warned.

�I�ll be looking forward to it. Now come along.� He kept an arm around her, steered her towards the right direction. When they neared the doorway, he murmured, �I�ve never seen you so red-faced before.�

�Your fault,� she reminded him. She hid her face as best she could with his coat -- like a mask.

Everyone in the room looked chagrined now, as though her abrupt escape had knocked out all their enthusiasm. She felt bad that their effort was wasted on her, but couldn�t deny that she was excited. Most especially about the presents; what would complete strangers give her?

She glanced at the tags as they came closer and her blush went more under control. One was from Shino, one from Shaniko, one from Tsuyana, one from Shibi, and the fifth was from �Clan Aburame.� It was less personal that way. She was glad they�d done it like that.

When ushered into a chair, she sat. Shino remained standing just behind her, a little like a guardian.

Shaniko leaned forward, apologetic. �Sorry. We didn�t think you�d get so embarrassed.�

�That�s fine,� Tasha replied, her tone not quite matching her words. She glanced around the room. �Thanks, everyone.� It was hard to be polite.

A shuffle went through the crowd, a few laughs coming to her ears. She tried to ignore it.

�Have any wishes?� Shaniko asked.

Tasha rose a brow. �I�m not spilling my guts in a crowd.� The room gave a few more laughs.

�You still have to blow out the candles,� Shaniko told her.

Tasha glanced at the cake, seeing her name across the top in blue frosting. The rest of it was white, with tiny blue flowers and a few larger red roses on it. Eighteen candles were spread perfectly around the edges. There was no way she was going to be able to do it in one breath. Unless. . .

She didn�t see the point of the wish-making and blowing out candles, but she supposed it was tradition and that was reason enough. She leaned forward, one hand fisted, close to her mouth. I wish I never have to leave this place, she thought, then blew hard. She spread her fingers at the same time, and a wind circled the cake, snuffing out the candles her breath hadn�t.

Amusement went through the crowd, and someone murmured, �Cheater.�

�Well?� Shaniko pressed, nodding at the cake.

�What?� Tasha asked, wondering what they wanted now. Then she looked over her shoulder, aware of rapid movement. She saw Shino dropping his arm. He looked casual, but she pinned him with a suspicious gaze.

�Which piece do you want?� Shaniko asked, now holding a knife to cut it apart. Tasha had the distinct feeling that Shaniko was altering some plan.

She had never chosen a piece of cake before. She gave a shrug. �Whichever.�

Shibi started chuckling, though he regained control fast.

�Plates,� Shaniko said, and a stack of them were set on the table. Within minutes, everyone had a plate and a piece of cake, Tasha included.

Though she almost expected to find bugs in the frosting, there were none. She had to give them credit for that. There was a lot of happy chatting in the crowd, mostly about how well the cake turned out. She figured they were playing it up to keep her from being red-faced all over again.

Shaniko kept talking to her, which Tasha was thankful for -- it made the situation more normal. After a few people had finished their piece of cake, Shibi slapped his hand on the table for attention.

�Time for you to open your presents,� he told her.

Tasha felt her face freeze. After a moment she swallowed the bite in her mouth. �Okay,� she replied.

Shino handed her one. It was small, flat, rectangular, and the one from the clan.

She had to laugh when she opened it: a pair of sunglasses. Her laugh opened up the floor to more amused chortling from the others standing around. �Thanks, guys,� she said for the second time. It had more meaning this time; she felt more accepted, in a way. Sunglasses kind of were the thing about the Aburame clan.

Shibi�s was handed to her next. It as even smaller than the other box. And, she found, it was a pair of earrings, small gold loops leading down thin chains to a pair of gold butterflies.

She hoped it was coincidence that led him to the butterfly choice. �Earrings?� she asked him.

He shrugged. �I�ve never known a young lady to turn away jewelry.�

�You�re right,� she agreed, still entranced by them.

Tsuyana�s present followed, bigger than the other two, though not by much. It contained four ornate hair pins, a foot long each. A different design was set at the top of each one, all unique and beautiful.

�We�ve all noticed your hair,� Tsuyana explained. �That should help in the future.�

Help? Maybe. But she found herself loving them. Her hands itched to put them in where she sat, see what they looked like. It was a difficult thing, to hold herself back.

�Thank you,� she said to Tsuyana.

She was probably the most excited to receive Shaniko�s. It was large, square -- and full of candles, incense, general female bathing items, and a card. The card was blank on the front, but on the inside, it read, �To a wonderful daughter-in-law on her birthday. Shaniko and Shibi.�

Tasha had to cover her mouth to keep from crying. When she looked up at the pair, they were both wearing pleased expressions.

Shaniko lifted her glasses to wink. Now Tasha was grinning and couldn�t bite it back, keeping her mouth covered out of embarrassment.

�Thank you, both of you,� she told them.

Shino placed his present in front of her. It had roughly the same dimensions as the bath items, though much more flat. She opened it to find herself staring at what she guessed was a white vest. When she lifted it, arms unfolded from beneath -- and a good portion of it was still in the box. She stood up to pull it out, finding she now had a spotless white full-length trench coat, with long sleeves and a belt around the waist.

She glanced at him in question.

�Now you fit in,� he told her, and placed the sunglasses on her. It felt weird, since the tag remained.

She wanted to hit him. She wanted to hug him. She wanted to hug everyone in the room. She especially wanted to hug the presents. Instead, she grinned, dropping her chin.

�I�ll thank you later,� she told Shino. A few laughs and hoots went through the crowd.

All in all, her best birthday ever.
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Koiuta