Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

So Natural	By : t69 Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1435 -:- 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
- 1-Part 1
- 2-Part 2
- 3-Part 3
- 4-Part 4
- 5-Part 5
- 1
- 2
- 3
roxnroll: I'm glad you liked it so far. Rest assured that it'll only get better.

Ino closed the door of her apartment and promptly shuddered. “Why the hell does he have to sound so damn good?” She remembered how the very few sentences he had said to her felt like chocolate to her ears. The fact that he didn’t have his hooded jacket and was parading around in his high-collared sleeveless shirt only made it difficult for her to mask her overwhelming desire. “Damn, those arms look mighty fine!” she decided. She walked into her bedroom and unceremoniously dove into the lilac-colored, floral-patterned sheets, mentally berating herself for being unable to stop herself from giggling like the stupid fangirl she was for Sasuke almost a decade ago. Her mind began to wander, recalling the first time she saw the Aburame sans the multiple layers of clothing and the shades – the first time she saw him in a different light.

“So many celebrations, so little time,” muttered Ino as she began to pick out a present for the shady Aburame who was celebrating his twenty-first birthday with the other members of the Rookie Nine and Team Guy later that day. It hadn’t been a month since they celebrated Hinata’s twentieth birthday and her wallet hadn’t quite recovered from the pricey gift she bought for the Hyūga heiress. She snickered a little as she recalled the kinky present she had picked out for the pale-eyed beauty. “Had she been the same as she was all those years ago, she would’ve fainted on the spot,” she said, her head shaking a little and her brows knotting as she looked at the price tag on a pair of shades. ‘Damn it! Why is his brand of shades so damn expensive!?’ she mentally exclaimed. She sighed and scuttled over to browse another section of the eyewear store. ‘Come to think of it, he does come from an established clan so he’s fairly rich and can easily afford these.’

Nearly twenty minutes had passed and she was still browsing across the selection of eyewear. She would’ve given up and searched for something else had she known the Aburame enough to know what else to give, but she realized with a sheepish grin that she hardly associated anything at all to the tall ninja other than the shades, hooded jackets and bugs. She was at the verge of giving up and was considering just giving the guy a gift certificate when her eyes made their way to a pair of sleek, amber-colored sunglasses.

“Oh, now these are just smokin’!” she said as she surveyed the mix of elegance and masculinity present in the design. “Might not be his thing, since I’ve only ever seen him wear dark-tinted eyewear, but what the hell? He can just throw it away if he doesn’t like it. At least he can’t say I didn’t give him anything.” She crossed her fingers and, after taking a deep breath, peeked at the tag. “Wow! These are on sale!? Kami, thank you!” she exclaimed, eliciting a laugh from the two sales personnel. Oblivious, she rubbed her chin and addressed the said personnel, “Hey, surely you have a reason for putting these on sale. Are they damaged or anything? Please be honest because I’m gonna give these as a present.”

“Oh no! Of course not, ma’am. Sales of units with such design and tint are usually low during this season and peak during the summer months. That is why we put them on a discount. Our company is very particular about quality control, being one of the top eyewear companies in the five major countries. Any complaints and bad publicity would surely affect our sales. Defective units are shipped to the factories and destroyed immediately,” assured the saleslady.

“Oh, is that so? I never really noticed that. I just tend to buy stuff,” said the blonde with a grin. “Well then, I’ll be taking one of these. Please wrap ‘em up nicely, too.”

The saleslady bowed and went behind the counter to get a new pair from the stockroom as the ones on display usually have some scratches already. She showed the pair for Ino to inspect and, after the blonde nodded in approval, took the pair to the counter to be placed in a black, padded box with the store’s brand printed elegantly in bold, silver letters and wrapped it with a simple, silver ribbon. Ino paid for the item and hurried out of the shop, hearing the courteous farewells of the two personnel as she went past the threshold.

Ino ran back to her apartment and took a quick shower to freshen up. She may not be too close to the bug-nin, but she certainly didn’t want to smell like she sprayed herself with disinfectants. She was quite sure that her best friend was scrubbing herself like crazy right now to get rid of the hospital’s distinct smell of asepsis. After rinsing herself and removing the massive amount of suds from her moisturizing body wash, she dried herself up and wrapped the towel over her lithe body as she went out of the bathroom to get dressed.

The Aburame had written in the invitation that there was no need to dress up as he, himself, would probably be very casually clothed at the party. Apparently, the clan would hold a separate celebration earlier in the day which required Shino to be in very formal garments, and so he would change later as he would rather not be in such stuffy clothing the entire day. “’Wouldn’t want to be in such stuffy clothing?’ Hah, says the man who wears T-shirts and shorts all the time,” Ino snorted. Keeping the celebrant’s words in mind, she opened her dresser and picked out her usual purple attire that was neither too conservative nor too obscene. It showed off her assets nicely without making her look like an adult movie star. She dressed quickly and grabbed her blow-drier and brush to fix her hair. She decided to let her luxurious hair down tonight, so that she would at least look a little different. After she added volume and body to her hair, she powdered her face a bit and put on a small amount of make-up. She got some rose-colored lip gloss and put it on before taking her watch and spraying herself with a little floral-scented cologne. She did a few poses in front of her vanity mirror and, apparently satisfied with her looks, grabbed her gift and made her way to her tastefully decorated living room. She grabbed her weapons pouch and strapped it onto her right thigh. She took her sandals and strapped them on before looking at herself one last time at a mirror near the door. She winked at herself and then, was on her way.

Ino was walking fairly briskly now as she was already a few minutes late. She dared not jump across the rooftops lest she accidentally drop her gift and, more importantly, arrive at the party all sweaty and smelly. She mentally cursed. She didn’t expect that procuring a gift for the Aburame would take so long. ‘Now where’s Sonja again?’ she thought as she went past the different establishments in the high-end section of the food district, ‘If I remember correctly, it’s just a block past Senbon, so…’ A boisterous laugh and a flash of blond, orange and whiskers in her peripheral vision drew her eyes to a restaurant that she almost passed. ‘Ah, the fact that he’s returned to his usual noisy self means they’ve already started without me. Well, at least the drinking part, that is.’

“Hey, Ino-pig. You’re late,” said her best friend, who was currently sipping some sake as the blonde kunoichi took the empty seat beside her. “Shino sent a messenger to inform us that we can go ahead and order something to drink already as he and his teammates will be a little late from the ceremony at the Aburame Estate.”

The latecomer scanned the faces of the attendees, noting the significantly smaller number compared to what she expected. As if reading her mind, the shadow-nin seated across told her in his usual bored drawl, “Sasuke, Sai and Chouji still haven’t returned from their B-rank mission in Kusa. They’re a bit late, but the hokage’s sure that there’s nothing to worry about. Team Guy, on the other hand, just returned this morning from their A-rank mission in Kumo with quite a few injuries. Neji and Tenten said they may be able to catch after they get patched up and get some rest at the hospital. Apparently, Rock Lee sustained heavier injuries than the other two for attempting a head-on assault on the enemy leader. He’s stable now but he’ll have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. The thoughtful git still sent a present for Shino, though, and asked Sakura to give it to our celebrant in his stead.” Shikamaru gestured at the beige box near the blonde’s best friend.

The blonde kunoichi merely nodded, a little surprised that the shadow-nin actually conjured enough energy to say all that to her. She noticed that he kept staring at his drink, though, just as she was unable to hold her gaze at his face for a prolonged period. The two of them had tried dating after his near-death experience with the God Tree, but they eventually broke up as Shikamaru realized that he felt more strongly for the cryptographer he had worked with to decipher Jiraiya-sama’s dying message. The blonde kunoichi was deeply hurt at the time, but she’d learnt to be civil with him for the sake of their years together as a team. In time, she thought, they’d interact the same way they did all those years ago.

Ino’s thoughts were cut abruptly as an apparently indignant Sakura made a snorting sound, breaking off her conversation with her orange-clad teammate. She followed the pink-haired medical-nin’s stare to the entrance and found a limping Hyūga prodigy who was supported by Tenten, who was sporting a few bandages herself. It was obvious that the pale-eyed male was in pain and was having difficulty in maintaining his usual stoic expression. Nonetheless, he bowed respectfully before taking one of the empty seats on their reserved table, the brown-haired kunoichi taking the seat next to him. Sakura was beside the pair in an instant.

“Why the hell are you still limping, Neji?” Sakura began, obviously annoyed, “A ninja discharged from the hospital should look good as new, if not, a little weak because of chakra exhaustion. They should never be in pain upon discharge!” She quickly scanned the Hyūga and lifted his leg, placing it upon her lap and exposing it by cutting open his trousers with a chakra scalpel. The Hyūga’s eyes widened considerably but made no effort to stop the slightly drunk medical-nin. He knew he was going to benefit from this, anyway. Sakura made a few seals and wove her chakra into the ninja’s leg. As she was healing the leg, she continued muttering, her brows knotted while her eyes were closed, “Tell me the name of the medical-nin who fixed this, Neji, because she’ll be hearing a lot from me tomorrow. Kami, why’d she jut the deep peroneal nerve right through muscle, placing it so close to the surface where your wound site still has some inflammation? Putting a perfectly healthy nerve in a sea of cytokines, arachidonic acid derivatives and complements, didn’t she know she was risking causing nerve injury and neuropathic pain!? And it’s named deep peroneal nerve for a freakin’ reason! I’ll have her retake her anatomy test, particularly in the musculoskeletal module. They’ll pass anybody these days! The administrators should’ve known better than to have a junior medical-nin tend to one of Konoha’s finest.” Neji allowed himself to smile at the kunoichi’s praise, though he was uncertain if this was just the effect of alcohol swimming in her system.

The smile disappeared, however, when the said pinkette promptly divested him of his upper garments without warning to reposition his slightly anteriorly subluxed left humeral head and mend a few ribs. Quite a few females in the vicinity began eyeing his naked torso, toned from years of taijutsu use. He blushed despite himself, though the brown-haired kunoichi next to him was sporting a more brilliant shade. The pink-haired medical-nin, oblivious and apparently slightly out of her mind, took his arm and repositioned the joint with a sickening click. This earned a wince not only from Neji, but from everyone close enough to hear the sound Sakura had caused. Sakura, then, wove her chakra into the joint, mending everything damaged in the area. When she had finished, she told him, “Ah, you can make do with those little cuts here and there. Seriously, you need some scars on you skin, Neji. You make me jealous sometimes.” Sakura turned to face Tenten this time.

Ino could do nothing but shake her head in disbelief. Sakura and alcohol has long since been known to be a bad combination. ‘Man, she’s like Rock Lee, just less destructive,’ the blonde kunoichi thought.

“You have a small fracture at the spine of your scapula, Tenten. I’m surprised they missed it,” said Sakura.

Tenten nodded. “It does kind of hurt there and– What the hell are you doing!?” Sakura just attempted to grip the front part of Tenten’s dress. Tenten’s hands were quicker and she was now tightly cross-armed while staring wide-eyed at Sakura as if the latter had grown a second head.

Naruto’s eyes nearly came out of their sockets. “Whoa, Sakura! I never knew you were into that!” the blond shinobi hooted. Ino could’ve sworn she rolled her eyes so hard she tore one or two of her extraocular muscles. Shikamaru merely snorted.

“Don’t be such a conservative oldie, Tenten. We all know Neji has seen those, so what’s the use of trying to look all modest and acting like a virgin?”

“I– What– We–” Neji began uncharacteristically sputtering out virtually random single-syllable words. Usually, proverbs and words of wisdom escaped those lips. Tenten was similarly uttering noises. However, hers didn’t even remotely sound like words.

Deciding to save her friend from doing anything she was going to regret tomorrow morning, Ino stood and pulled Sakura to take a seat. “Whether Neji has or hasn’t seen… those, isn’t the problem, dear friend, but that fact that there are others watching,” Ino said, gesturing to the rest of the restaurant. This seemed to knock some sense into the pinkette, who resumed sipping some sake. Naruto began chatting with her again about how he thinks Ayame from the ramen shop might have a thing for him, as she’d been adding more and more toppings to his ramen lately. Ino just sighed and poured some sake for herself and addressed the brown-haired kunoichi, “Just pass by the hospital as soon as possible, Tenten, preferably tomorrow morning.” The kunoichi just nodded, loosening her grip on her dress.

After a few minutes of idle chitchat, Shikamaru moaned about how late the celebrant was. It had been nearly half an hour and there was still no sign of the missing trio. He mentioned about how he had a meeting with the Logistics Department early tomorrow morning and this was becoming troublesome.

As if on cue, Ino heard some “oohs” from the other customers, male and female alike. Her gaze made its way to the entrance and found a trio apparently searching for a table.

She recognized the Hyūga heiress immediately, garbed in an elegant kimono with cloth that changed from white to pale yellow near the edges of the sleeves and at the edge of the skirt. It has splashes of reds and oranges in the form of phoenixes, pomegranate fruits and fiery flowers. Golden accents were present at the phoenixes’ beaks and at the tips of each and every feather as well as near the edges of the cloth in the form of intricate, lace-like embroidery. Simply put, the kimono looked expensive enough to be worth a house. Her hair was held up into a bun with fine, jewel-encrusted golden pins, a few locks allowed to frame her breathtakingly beautiful face.

Kiba was looking positively drool-worthy as well in a navy blue kimono and a black-and-white-striped hakama. A black haori that he presumably wore during the ceremony was idly draped on one arm. Pale blue designs danced on the kimono’s normally plain cloth, proclaiming the wearer’s youthful exuberance. Pale blue was a good color for the man, Ino thought, as it accentuated his nice tan. It bore more geometric and angular patterns compared to the graceful lines of Hinata’s kimono, exuding a distinctly more masculine vibe. The top was a bit loose, allowing the handsome dog-nin to show off a sliver of his chiseled chest. Kiba’s hair was a bit more tame than usual, allowing him to appear more sophisticated and formal. He did have to attend a formal event after all.

Ino’s eyes focused on the man in the middle who was somewhat of a misfit. He was, in no means, unattractive, but standing between the two impeccably dressed people, he looked like a peasant. ‘A friend of theirs I don’t know about, perhaps?’ He wore a tight, black tank top, standard jōnin pants and dark blue rubber sandals. He had a handsome face and his torso looked positively luscious, the blonde decided. He looked impassive as the other two conversed with him, his bluish-gray eyes apparently scanning the restaurant for something familiar.

“Hey! Over here, Hinata, Kiba!” yelled the blond hokage-to-be. The three looked at the source of the voice and started to make their way over.

“We apologize for the delay,” said the Hyūga heiress as she made her way to take the seat next to her cousin, asking about the results of his recently concluded mission. Naruto moved to the seat next to Hinata’s and whispered something in her ear, causing the Hyūga to playfully hit the man’s arm and give him a peck on the cheek. ‘Cute,’ thought Ino. Kiba took the seat that Naruto left and began pouring himself some sake, offering to pour some for Sakura too, as she had just emptied her choko. Sakura poked the dog-nin on the cheek and asked him who he was, because “she thought he was really hot and that she wanted to date him.” Kiba just smiled one of those heart-melting smiles of his and shook his head, pouring her some liquor. The stranger took the seat next to Ino, causing the blonde to feel a bit anxious. ‘Sure, he’s good-looking and I wouldn’t mind looking at him all night, but one wrong move and he’ll find himself a eunuch in the morning.’ The man called for a waiter and began conversing with the one that approached.

“Where’s our celebrant?” Tenten asked Hinata, “Was he held up at the estate by the clan elders?”

Kiba let out a brief laugh, getting everyone’s attention. “I figured you wouldn’t recognize him. He’s already here.”

‘Don’t tell me–’ thought the blonde medical-nin, turning sharply back to the handsome stranger seated next to her whose eyes were still focused on the service personnel he was speaking to.

“Yes, Aburame-san. Ten minutes tops,” said the waiter, bowing before he scurried over to relay the man’s orders to the chef. Shino turned his gaze to find everyone staring at him.

“Yes?” he asked.

“Is that really you, Shino!?” exclaimed an unbelieving Tenten. No other question was raised. Apparently, this was also the sole question in everyone’s minds. Well, almost everyone’s minds, that is. Neji had known beforehand and Shikamaru apparently deduced everything even before the three latecomers went to the table, because the two merely made small bows at him. Obviously, Kiba and Hinata already knew. Sakura was too busy poking at Kiba’s chest and arms, muttering about how “hard” the handsome dog-nin was while giggling like a mad woman.

“Yes, it’s me. I suppose you’re quite surprised since this is perhaps the most you’ve seen of me for the entire time we’ve known each other. It’s a bit complicated to explain why we Aburame clan members dress the way we do and why some, like myself, choose to become a bit more… revealing. I suppose all I can say is that you’ll be less freaked out with me since I won’t be wearing the hoods and all that as often as before. By the way, I apologize if I have become rather loose-tongued. The ceremony earlier required me to take in quite a lot of alcohol and my destruction beetles haven’t finished detoxifying me. Also, I plan to make them let me get a bit drunk, since I’ve never experienced it before and I just thought since it’s my twenty-first birthday that I could go ahead and try it,” explained the birthday celebrant. Majority of the people were surprised not only by the length of his reply, which was easily the most words they heard from the usually silent bug-nin in a given period of time, but also because his usually stoic face held an earnest smile.

‘Kami, he’s actually smiling,’ thought Ino, ‘and by the heavens, does he look good when he does! His skin looks so smooth! No scars whatsoever!’ She mentally slapped herself for not having dressed up, even just a little.

Shino proceeded to look at the menu again, trying to pick an appropriate dessert for the bunch so that they could be prepared already and served at any moment he pleased without any delay. Feeling someone’s eyes on him, he looked up and saw the blonde kunoichi beside him staring intently at his face. Curious, he asked, “Why, Ino? Is there something on my face?” He started swiping at his cheeks to see if there was any dirt or anything.

‘The entire face is that something, bug-boy,’ the kunoichi mentally replied. However, instead of embarrassing herself by speaking her mind, she simply replied, “Oh it’s nothing, Shino. I’m just trying to remember your features. Who knows, you might change your mind and I might not be able to see your face again.” She elbowed him a little to indicate her jesting. The moment her elbow touched his muscular arm, though, she felt a spark ignite within her that left her with a warmth that refused to ebb. ‘Kami, I think I’m blushing! C’mon vessels, constrict a little for me, please? Okay, I just talked to my arteries. I’m really going crazy this time.’

“Ino, you seem a bit flushed. You haven’t drunk a lot, have you? Am I really that late?” asked the bug-nin looking at his watch.

‘It seems that ceremonial liquor has dulled his wit to some degree. Else, he would’ve already figured out that I’m blushing because of him. Thank kami for small favors,’ the blonde kunoichi thought. “Actually Shino, I’m… a fast acetylator. Yeah, that’s it. That’s why I get red even with just little alcohol,” she replied. ‘Tsunade-sama, thanks for the lecture on pharmacokinetics,’ Ino thought, mentally singing praises to the liquor-loving woman.

“Oh yes, I’ve read about that from somewhere.” Shino’s attention was apparently caught by something else. With a simply delectable fragrance becoming stronger as time progressed, it didn’t take Ino much contemplation to know what it was. “It seems the orders I made have been prepared already. That was a bit fast even by their standards. I might have to give them a big tip tonight,” Shino said, smiling at the first waiter who arrived at their table who looked simply thrilled, hearing about the tip comment. “From what I remember, only a few of you have dined here in Sonja before. Hinata and Neji have both dined here before. Kiba too–”

“Ooh, I have!” interjected the pink-haired medical-nin, raising her hand straight up like a student asking to be called by the teacher. The way she said it caused people to assume that she would say something more, making them lean forward subconsciously in expectance. However, she merely giggled a little and proceeded to bug Kiba some more. The dog-nin didn’t seem to mind the attention. ‘I know he’s handled worse situations with his fangirls,’ mentally added Ino.

After a brief chuckle, Shino continued. “Anyway, allow me to brief you a little about it. It’s primarily a vegetarian restaurant–” Shino was again interrupted, this time by a small groan coming from Naruto, making the Hyūga heiress elbow her boyfriend and give him a stern look. “Don’t worry, Naruto. I ordered a special bowl of tofu ramen for you. It may be lack meat, but I assure you, it’s certainly not lacking in flavor. Ask Kiba. He’s eaten here quite a number of times and he can attest that the food here is quite good despite lacking his favorite ingredient.”

“Hey Shino, you’re making it look like those times were the only times I’ve eaten veggies,” said Kiba.

“Well, I kinda assumed you’re an exclusive meat-eater like Naruto there. I mean, looking at both of you, I can tell you have protein-rich diets,” Ino said, “Also, your clan–”

Kiba huffed a little. “Hey, just because my clan’s affiliated with canines, doesn’t mean we’re all sirloin steaks and lamb chops. You think all of us would want to have colon cancer? Besides, tofu and legumes have lots of protein too.”

Ino raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay! White flag waving here! I’m sorry! It was wrong of me to assume so much. I apologize.”

Kiba chuckled, crossing his arms. “Hey, I’m not mad. I just wanted to clarify things.”

His intoxicated pink-haired seatmate apparently found this as the perfect time to wrap her arms around one of his and grope his biceps. “Mmm, so much protein,” she said while leaning on one of his deltoids, oblivious to the death glares some of the other “interested” parties in the vicinity directed towards her. She proceeded to enumerate the twenty amino acids after that. Kiba just sniggered and focused on his drink, allowing the kunoichi to do as she pleased.

‘This girl is smashed!’ Ino thought, ‘Maybe I should ask Naruto to take her to her apartment already… Ah, what the hell. She’s enjoying herself and Kiba doesn’t seem to be all too bothered by the attention. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he even likes it. Ah, he’s an attention whore anyway. I’ll just leave her be and let the hangover do the lecturing tomorrow.’

By this time, the table was full of a variety of dishes: a variety of salads, a vegetable platter with a tangy dip, fried potatoes with a garlic dip, vegetable tempura, beansprout rolls, cabbage rolls, there were even tofu burgers with a barbeque dressing made with molasses and a gamut of spices. As for drinks, the bug-nin asked for a specific blend of fruit juices. The sight was a vegan’s vision of culinary heaven. ‘Hell, even a non-vegetarian like me wouldn’t mind being offered such a selection for the rest of my days,’ thought the blonde, now very aware that she had entered the cephalic phase of gastric secretion.

“I think you know where to get menus, as you’ve been here for quite some time. If there’s anything you wish to order, do not hesitate to do so.” The others merely nodded, but most of them were convinced that they wouldn’t need to, given the sheer volume and variety of food the man had ordered.

“Well then, dig in, everyone!” said the slightly-drunk birthday celebrant, an uncharacteristic grin present on his face. Looking at him, Ino couldn’t help but let one grace her lips as well.

The group ate in relative silence, with the occasional bickering between Kiba and Naruto and comments from a thoroughly inebriated Sakura. Ino tried several times to start some small talk with Shino, but frequently found herself at a loss for words, a rarity for the beautiful blonde who always had something to say in most occasions.

While dining, the tall Aburame asked them to make their orders for dessert already, as he was unable to do so earlier. Shikamaru and Neji declined the offer and simply resumed drinking their sake. Hinata asked for apple tarts with an apricot and mint glaze. Naruto, unfamiliar with most of the selection, just asked for a slice of apple pie. Kiba ordered some fresh strawberries with a red wine sabayon. Sakura, despite her drunkenness, was able to make a coherent sentence and ordered for a cranberry and chocolate panini. Ino asked for a serving of warm apricot soufflé. It was only when everyone had made their orders did Shino make his own, asking for fresh fruit compote with wine. Within a few minutes, the group had resumed their chitchat while dining on their saccharine delights and drinking some sake as well.

“Their mapo tofu is as good as ever. I would’ve preferred a bit of lean pork in it, though,” said Kiba while biting into a strawberry slice. The others nodded, recalling how the spicy tofu dish single-handedly became the center of attention during the main course. Even Naruto, whose diet revolved around meat and ramen, nodded in agreement. Sakura had no response, for she was already asleep. The dog-nin had taken the pink-haired kunoichi’s head and placed it on his lap, lest she dirty herself by sleeping with her face flat on the table.

“I don’t know. It was certainly good, but I think it was a bit too spicy for me. I ended up eating more rice than I had intended just to get rid of the heat on my tongue,” said Ino while licking her fingers to rid it of stickiness. She turned to look at Shino for his opinion, only to see him staring at her, or more specifically, the index finger currently stuck inside her mouth. She licked it clean, making a subtle popping sound as it escaped the confines of her mouth, her brows raised in puzzlement. ‘Oh! Is he disgusted by my eating habits?’ she thought, quickly folding her hands on her lap and smiling at him demurely. The bug-nin averted his gaze and said that the dish in discussion had always been one of this restaurant’s bestsellers. He smiled and said that he was glad that his friends enjoyed it.

Without warning, Sakura’s head came zooming up from Kiba’s lap and would’ve hit the dog-nin’s chin had he not been fast enough to evade it. “Gift-giving time!” she screeched, before wobbling and falling face first into the table. Thankfully, alcohol had not dulled the dog-nin’s reflexes as he caught the medical-nin before she crashed and ruined her nose on the table. The entire group chuckled as Kiba replaced Sakura’s head on his lap, shaking his head at the drunk medical-nin’s antics. ‘Always the gentleman,’ Ino thought.

“I guess Sakura’s right,” said Shikamaru as he reached behind his seat and took out a rather hastily wrapped gift. “Here’s mine. I couldn’t think anything grand or unique, so I just got you something I know you’d find useful.” Shino opened the gift. It was a new weapons pouch. He thanked the shadow-nin, who greeted him again and said it was… no trouble. ‘Well, that’s something new,’ thought Ino.

“Neji and I decided to just give you a joint present. We hope you like it,” said Tenten.

“Sheesh, the two of you are already behaving like a married couple. Why not get hitched already?” said Kiba, earning a threatening look from the male Hyūga, which would’ve been threatening had his cheeks not been so flushed.

The group laughed at the expense of the two while Shino bowed and thanked them. He opened the box and saw a pair of black ninja sandals. He had heard of this brand and knew that it boasted such durability. Ino let out a low whistle as this brand was a bit expensive.

“Here’s mine! Here’s mine!” said Naruto, handing the Aburame an envelope. Ino and the others rolled their eyes, others made snorting sounds, while still others sighed.

“Let me guess, Naruto – thirty meal coupons from Ichiraku?” asked Ino in a bored drawl not unlike something that would escape Shikamaru’s mouth.

“Not just thirty, but sixty! You also get to choose from their wide selection and can even get the most expensive ones for free!”

“Thank you, Naruto,” said Shino, “I’m sure I’ll be able to use up all of these coupons at some point in time, as well as the ones you gave to me last year, and the year before that, and… You get the idea.” Naruto just gave him a thumbs up and said it was his pleasure, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm dripping from the bug-nin’s tongue.

Shikamaru grabbed the beige box in front of the snoozing Sakura. “This is Rock Lee’s present. He would’ve wanted to give it to you personally, but as you know, he’s still at the hospital.”

Shino took the box from the shadow-nin and opened it. The others leaned back a little, preparing to shield their eyes should the taijutsu expert’s gift cause corneal scarring. Shino lifted the contents of the box for all to see. It was a hooded jacket…

A green hooded jacket…

…that was made of spandex.

Neji and Tenten just dropped their heads in defeat while Kiba urged Shino to stuff it back into the box as quickly as he could. “How very… verdant. I suppose I could use it for camouflage should I get a mission to Kusa,” said Shino.

“Here’s Sakura’s,” said his best friend, reaching behind Sakura’s seat to get a neatly wrapped box with a yellow bow on top. “Hmm, it’s quite heavy. Must contain a lot of books,” said the dog-nin, already certain of the contents based on previous experience. Sure enough, the box contained several books on taijutsu. It had a note inside that read, “You told me before that you think your taijutsu needs some work. Here are a few books that Tsunade-shishō recommended to me. They contain mid- to high-level taijutsu techniques that complement you projectile type of attacking. Have fun!” Shino gazed at the pink-haired kunoichi’s sleeping form, whispering his silent thanks.

The Hyūga heiress rose gracefully from her seat and brought him a box. She was quite careful, indicating that the contents were fragile. Shino carefully opened the box and took out the contents. There were several “wows” and “oohs” from the group. Hinata’s gift was a porcelain tea set. The pottery was filled with exquisite hand-painted images of artistically rendered destruction beetles and some beige flowers. The fact that Shino had never seen any artwork with destruction beetles as the subject made him realize that this set was made specifically for him by a skilled artisan at the Hyūga heiress’s personal request. He was superbly touched by this gesture and bowed deeply to his teammate, voicing out his thanks. A flustered Hinata waved her hand at Shino, telling him not to bow to her like that.

“I suppose it’s my turn, eh, buddy?” said Kiba. He took a blue box from behind him dumped it in front of his best friend. “There. I think you’ll like it a lot. It’s very… cool,” the dog-nin said, a mischievous smile on his handsome face.

Shino opened one end and peered inside. He looked at Kiba, brows knotted, seemingly asking for a clue but receiving none. He looked back into the box. It looked like a flashlight, but was bigger at around one and a quarter feet long and was made of clear plastic. He tried to search for a switch but found none. Befuddled by his friend’s gift, Shino grasped it and began to take it out of the box. He examined the gadget, peering inside to see a clear, gel-like content. It was nearly out of the box when the Aburame saw the imprinted name, his eyes widening significantly in a flash of recognition. Swiftly, he chucked the apparatus back into box and stared at his friend with incredulity. Ino had never seen the bug-nin blush so hard!

“Kiba!” shouted the clearly uncomfortable Aburame.

“Well, I went to the company head personally to have one made for me since the ones they have on sale are inadequate for my, uh, possessions. They agreed to make a few units that would, er, fit me. Apparently, nobody had come to them bearing such a complaint. Geez, the female staff members were blushing like crazy at the time. The chief even pleaded me to model it for the company! It was quite funny, really. Anyway, since I know your, uh, possessions as you know mine, I figured you’d be pushing the limits of their regular units, so I went ahead and gave you one of the special units they made for me,” explained the dog-nin, apparently having difficulty in choosing his words in his effort to keep the conversation as vague as possible for the others.

It seemed that only Shikamaru was aware of the identity of the gift as he let out a low whistle, his brain deducing several facts about the two men based on Kiba’s statement. “Damn! A few men are just lucky, I suppose,” the shadow-nin muttered, a hint of envy lacing his voice. The others just shrugged and let it go because they couldn’t understand what the three were talking about no matter how much they tried.

Shino looked around nervously, assessing if Kiba’s words were heard by anyone who shouldn’t have. After a few moments, he sighed in relief. “Thank kami no one else heard your speech, Kiba. What were you thinking!? You know how gossip spreads like wildfire around here. I don’t want to be hounded by fangirls all over the place,” hissed the irritated Aburame.

“Then you shouldn’t have chosen to rid yourself of the shades and the multiple layers of clothes,” declared Neji, “Face it, Shino, you are an attractive man. I know several of your family members have told you so before just as I am telling you so now. Therefore, destruction beetles or no, you will start to have fangirls hounding you from now on.”

‘Damn right on all accounts, Hyūga boy!’ Ino mentally hollered.

“Er, thanks, Neji,” said the handsome bug-nin. Whether from a friend or not, it’s still quite awkward to be told that you’re good-looking by another man. “Well, I suppose I was only conjecturing that it wouldn’t grow as fast if nobody heard about what Kiba said.”

“What was it about, Shino?” said the blonde medical-nin, annoyed that she didn’t catch on as quickly as she usually does, “C’mon, tell me. And what was Kiba’s gift? Can I peek? I only saw that it looked like a see-through flash–”

“No!” Shino exclaimed. Seeing the blonde look upset at his outburst, he quickly revised it and said, “I mean, believe me, you wouldn’t want to, Ino.” The blonde girl pouted, unconvinced.

“Hey, you haven’t thanked me for my gift yet,” the dog-nin interjected, placing a hand upon his chest and feigning a hurt expression.

The Aburame remained quiet for a few moments, his bluish-gray eyes not meeting Kiba’s pitch black ones, before muttering his thanks, flushing as he did so.

“Well, tell me once you use it, okay? Tell me if you enjoyed it. I sure as hell did. Not a replacement for the real thing, though. I bet you’ll use it right after this part–”

“Shut it, Kiba.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you will, so you don’t have to report it to me,” said the dog-nin.

After a while, the Hyūga heiress was able to note something amiss. “Ino,” said Hinata, “you haven’t given Shino your gift yet.”

Ino paused for a while before smiling shyly. “Can I just give it to him personally later? I mean, you had a famous artisan hand-paint specialized pottery for Shino. Kiba actually went to a company’s chief to make several personalized… thingies for himself, one of which he ended up giving to Shino as it was ‘fit’ for him too.” Shino coughed uncomfortably at the aptness of Ino’s statement despite her lack of knowledge regarding the details of the matter. “My gift would seem so pathetic and insignificant,” finished the blonde, shrinking into her seat.

“Nonsense, Ino,” stated Hinata, “A gift is a gift, and it is never measured by its monetary worth but by how much of yourself you give with it.”

Ino thought really hard for some time. ‘Okay, that really didn’t help me much, Hinata. It only made me think about how lacking my knowledge of proverbs is,’ mentally ranted the blonde. She sighed and gave in. “Oh, alright! Here you go. Just don’t look too disappointed, got it? Dare to make a crestfallen face and I’ll switch bodies with you and– Oh, so help me kami, you’ll regret it!” The blonde medical-nin dumped the gift box on the bug-nin’s hands and turned away.

The bug-nin recognized the name on the box immediately and proceeded to open it. “Oh my,” he said.

“Whoa! Nice!” said the dog-nin.

“I applaud your taste, Ino,” stated the Hyūga heiress, “Very sophisticated.”

“Sleek!” shouted the blond hokage-to-be.

Hearing positive comments from the rest of the bunch, Ino slowly turned to see Shino’s reaction. She was quite relieved what she saw. ‘Well at least he doesn’t seem to hate it, thank kami.’ The handsome bug-nin unfolded the frame and slipped them on. She couldn’t quite assess how they looked on him because she was only seeing a side profile. She wished she could at least see if it didn’t make him look like a blind beach bum.

As if hearing her thoughts, Shino turned to face her. “How does it look on me?” he asked. Ino’s world went into slow motion.

It was like watching an advertisement. Ever so slowly, the handsome bug-nin went from a side profile, which accentuated his beautiful nose, to face her. Ino looked at his black hair that swayed briefly from the motion, carelessly spiked and wild as if he just had rough, passionate, untamed sex; at his intense and calculating eyes cloaked in amber; his nose; his luscious lips that were, oh, so kissable; his strong and masculine jaw; going lower to his neck that just begged to be licked and sucked; to his broad shoulders, toned arms, chest and back that boasted of enough power to lift you as he made passionate love to you against a wall, supporting you as he speared you with his magnificent length again and again; to his abs that would ripple and contract every time he drew his pelvis to slam against yours, filling the vacuum between your legs with the hard pillar of desire between his; to–

“It doesn’t look good?”

Silence.

“Wha?” Ino asked dumbly.

“It doesn’t suit me?” rephrased the Aburame, now completely pulling the blonde kunoichi out of La La Land.

“O-oh no! It suits you. It looks really good on you,” she replied more coherently this time. She placed her hands on her hips. “You’re questioning the fashion sense of the ever-updated Yamanaka Ino?” she inquired, an elegant brow raised in mock anger. Shino just smiled, leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before facing the others and asking the same question. ‘Did he just– Was that a– I think he–’ She could’ve sworn she felt as if she had a cardiac arrest. The blonde kunoichi began fanning herself and hyperventilating. Deep inside, she was squealing with giddiness from both the kiss and the scorching hot fantasy before that.

The bug-nin faced her again after a while, a smile gracing his handsome face. “Thanks a lot, Ino. I’ve always wanted one of these. I really like it.”

As she bowed slightly at the sexy bug-nin, a thought entered Ino’s mind. She rubbed her chin, appearing contemplative. “Well, I know you’re certainly not lacking in finances, so why haven’t you bought a pair yourself? You just said that you really like such designs.”

Shino paused and appeared as if he were thinking deeply about what to reply, or perhaps if he was to reply at all.

“Oh, it’s fine, Shino. Don’t worry about it. I can understand if it’s confidential,” replied the blonde medical-nin, waving a hand in front of her, signifying that it was indeed nothing to be guilty over. The bug-nin appeared as if he wanted to say something but was cut off when Naruto directed a question at him.

“Speaking of confidential stuff, I’m just curious, Shino, what exactly went on in that ceremony thing you had earlier?” asked the whiskered shinobi from across the table. “I mean, you said you had to drink a lot. What’s up with that? Hinata and Kiba saw it, right? I suppose that means it’s not top secret information.”

Hinata cradled her head in her hand. An intoxicated Naruto was always so nosy and obnoxious, just like he was when he was younger. What annoyed her was that she couldn’t help but be drawn to that naughty and impish side of him. The fact that the man was gorgeous as hell, very… gifted in more ways than one, and fiercely loyal certainly helped as well.

“I’m sorry, Naruto, but it’s a clan secret. They only allowed Kiba and Hinata to watch since they’ve been my teammates since I was twelve and are deemed almost part of the family. If I told you, I’d have to swarm you with destruction beetles and have them suck up your chakra ‘til you end up looking like a mummy,” said the Aburame, the smirk present in his lips indicative that he was merely gibing about the last bit.

Hinata briskly lifted her bowed head. “Not if I have anything to say about it, Shino,” said the Hyūga heiress, a smirk on her lips. “Do you think I’d just let your beetles suck my Naruto dry just like that? You’d have to get them past my Spiral Protection of the Eight Trigrams: A Thousand and Twenty-Four Palms first.”

A pregnant pause.

“Are you threatening my beetles, Hinata-sama?” the bug-nin said, taking off the amber-tinted sunglasses and staring straight into the pale eyes of one of the most powerful kunoichi in the five great nations.

“Well, you threatened my Naruto first, Shino-kun,” replied the heiress succinctly, her ivory gaze unfaltering, challenging, confident.

Naruto could never really pinpoint when exactly Hinata learned “the gaze” but it always made him swell with pride when entire enemy platoons backed down when she gave them one. Of course the pride thing didn’t apply when he was the one on the receiving end of “the gaze.” Well, it was true that he could still best her in battle, but it’s still scary as hell.

The two teammates stared at each other, gazes steady, unblinking, a physical clash imminent. Naruto was beginning to feel nervous as he felt the tension rise to dangerous heights. ‘What the hell are they doing!? And all this because I asked about some trivial thing!? Geez! And they tell me I’m shallow!’ “Hey, Shino, Hinata, c’mon, cut it out! I didn’t–”

The corner of Hinata’s mouth twitched, as did Shino’s. In less than ten seconds the teammates were already gasping for air as they proceeded to laugh their heads off. The rest of the bunch, excluding the Team 7 members, joined in with their various demonstrations of mirth.

“Kami, you two really scared me!” shouted an agitated Naruto, “I really thought I had caused you two to get seriously pissed at each other! That’s it! I’m not touching that tokkuri anymore, lest I become too smashed to realize that I’m already at the receiving end of one of your pranks.” The blond shinobi was now cross-armed and pouting – something that really didn’t fit a grown ninja, more so for someone considered to be the deadliest man alive. Hinata was quick to appease the man with a quick peck on the cheek and a whisper to his ear which caused both of them to blush.

The sound of Shino’s laughter, it was such a foreign sound to Ino’s ears. It was so deep and alluring, filled with such mirth and sincerity. She wanted to hear it more often, his laugh. She wanted to be there when he laughed, to be the one who would cause the sound to escape his lips…

‘It’s a shame he never really became as liberated as that again,’ the blonde thought, ‘Sure, he kept his word about the clothes and shades thing, and I’m ecstatic that he did, but sure I wish he kept on being less formal. It made him so much less boring and so much more… approachable.’

She sighed into her fluffy pillow. Ino never told anyone about this newfound obsession, not even her best friend. She had wondered why for some time, but she knew that she already had the answer…

She was afraid.

Every single man she had ever desired had always desired her first. ‘Save for Sasuke, of course, but that person’s asexual, so he doesn’t really count.’ Every man whose name she had asked at some bar had always known hers beforehand. No man she had ever been with dared defy her whims, for they knew there were many others who were more than willing to replace him.

But now it was different.

Now she was head over heels for someone she had never given a second glance to before. ‘Well, maybe once or twice. He does have a sexy voice, is tall and is an excellent ninja, after all.’ Never before had she felt so alive just being in a man’s presence, so inspired to improve herself so that she would be worthy of an elite ninja from a distinguished clan. She had never wanted a man so much in her entire life…

…and she didn’t know if he wanted her.

For the first time in her life, the gorgeous, irresistible Yamanaka Ino felt uncertain of herself as a woman. “How come the one time I really fall hard for a man, it turns out like this? Sure, he gave me a peck on the cheek and smiled at me, but that could’ve been just because he was drunk, or because he was happy with the gift, or maybe both. He never really warmed up to me again after that,” the blonde muttered to herself.

And so to protect herself, her pride, she decided that she would hide her feelings, at least until she was certain of how he felt. She interacted with him in her usual playful and flirty demeanor, while deep inside, hoping, pleading to the kami above that she could get the slightest hint that he was also interested in taking their relationship further. Much to her dismay, he had always seemed stiff and uninterested, but always cordial and respectful. ‘Damn it! I don’t want you bowing at me and inviting me to tea parties, you stupid bug-nin! I want you to kiss me, to ravish me, to… want me. Why are you so damn slow!? Why won’t you just confess already!? I know you want me! I… I…’

‘Don’t you?’

She rolled to the other side, and reached over, poking the stuffed cartoon butterfly near her lampshade. The toy began to wobble slightly, the force she applied causing the spring which attached the model to the base to sway slightly from side to side. A small chuckle escaped her lips at the adorable replica, a single tear running down to wet her lilac sheets. Her eyes wandered to her alarm clock, which read–

“Holy sh–”

The blonde kunoichi was out of her bed in a split-second. Having no time to think about her fashion sense, she dashed towards her closet and grabbed a random top as well as a random pair of pants. She pulled at one of the drawers designated for her underwear and took out a piece as well. She swiftly closed the closet and rushed to the living room, and from there, to the door. She put on her sandals using her right hand, her left already on the doorknob. After getting her footwear on, she opened the door quickly and slammed it shut, before jumping to the nearest rooftop.

As she was traveling, she let out a small laugh, wiping her left eye with her right hand, her left arm currently preoccupied with the bundle of clothes she got from her apartment. ‘Geez, dramatic moments really don’t suit me. Thank kami Sakura wasn’t around. She’d have laughed at her bubbly friend having an emo moment,’ she mused. ‘Anyway, I just gotta keep at it and stay positive. I’m sure things will turn out okay. Just stay focused, Ino, and you’ll get your prize soon enough, and what a prize it’ll be!’

Author's Comments: Here it is, the longest part of So Natural. By the way, for those who don't know Kiba's gift, search around and you'll find out about a certain adult gadget that looks like a flashlight. Also, there is a clear version, with a prefix of "Ice," hence Kiba's "cool" comment. Aside from the fact that I consider it kinkier, I chose the clear version because of the Violate Me sequel I have in mind. You'll see why eventually. I am not, I repeat, I am not advertising the product. I merely thought that it would be so characteristic of Kiba to give such a present. In all honesty, I am greatly saddened by the apparent lack of interest in this piece, particularly from those readers for whom I made the piece. But no matter, I shall finish posting the rest anyway. See you in a few days' time!
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So Natural