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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
- 22
- 23
- 24
Author�s pre-ramble:�
Alrighty!�
Here we go again!� At this point
in my story creation I took a look at my fic�s
timeline and decided I needed to speed things up a little.� Timetable-wise, things get a little choppy,
but I�m hoping my flow from chapter to chapter is still smooth�and if it
isn�t�tell me!� *pokes fan-base*� A giant continuous
thank you to all of my reviewers!� HumanInfiltrator, OX King, Lady Slave, kodama,
MsMina, eva24, Alaskantiger,
Darksteel1992, Pan12398, wildkit, Navygirl19999, Paintedbutterfly, Valla, Jess, Kilrath Sluzath, jewel, kimahrigirl, Incarnadyne Tears, CasaHouse, Onitsu Blackfeather, alexa ebonscathe, jadedkatrina, Ian
Sarver, BishiHunter123, & wastelandsofthemind!

And I�m continuing to plug CasaHouse�s
The Code�keep pestering him to post
more!�

On a slight side note�I�ve been invited to Youmacon in Detroit,
Michigan in November.� Anyone besides CasaHouse
in Michigan?� I�ll be traveling under my penname.� Find me at the con and win a prize?� *scratches head*� �dunno what
the prize would be though�

And now we see how life changes in an instant�

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:�
Eventual 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:� An
eventful week changes more than one thing in the lives of Paige and Shino.

***Chapter 23***

It was Monday.� Hinata
sat with her under a tree taking mutual a break which consisted of watching
Kiba and Shino spar.� Paige was amusing
herself by intently watching Shino move with all of the grace and poise that
was trained into him from his earliest years.�
She was staring, and she liked what she saw.� And while her half of her mind was on the
body in front of her, the other half was wandering down memory lane and listing
off all of the things Shino and the Aburame clan had done for her in the few
weeks she had come to live with them.�

There had been no other major attempts on her life and so, life
had settled into a routine between her and Shino over the weeks after she moved
in.� She had eventually convinced him to
let her share the chores of keeping a house clean and running instead of having
him dote on her.� It was decided that Thursdays
were the days that the �weekly meetings� with Shibi would take place, and they
would go over to the Aburame clan leader�s home to have dinner and talk.� One week she was surprised to find the rest
of the Aburame clan had turned out for dinner as well, and she was introduced
to all present�trying not to embarrass herself in front of the knowing eyes of
the clan members.

Eventually Shino had managed to convince her that she was,
indeed, allowed to add her own touches to the home she shared with him.� This occurred on a day that Shino declared a
�light� day, meaning they did their morning run, but none of the taijutsu
practice.� He then proceeded to drag her
to the market place in Konoha and ask her what items she liked in some of the
vendors� booths. �When her eyes lingered
on some items�he proceeded to buy them for her.�
Paige was astounded.� Shino was
definitely adamant about her feeling at home.�
Both of them walked home that day with random bear-themed odds and ends.� When the items were integrated into the decor
of the house, it made an interesting contrast with the insects.� The next �light� training day was spent in a
bookstore where Paige collected books on the different animals of Fire Country
along with a book on local myths and legends which were integrated into the
bookshelves in the office. �She joked
that all she needed now was her old collection of stuffed teddy bears and she
would never need to leave the house.� At
the scheming look she received, she was quick to comment that she was way too
old for that now�and that she�d much rather cuddle with him than a stuffed
bear.�

That comment turned into a heavy make-out/petting session
leaving Paige reeling and looking at a smirking Shino, vowing she would show
him how much he meant to her.� Their
physical relationship had progressed as her confidence in herself progressed.� They hadn�t gone much more beyond making-out
and roaming hands, but the hesitation slowly disappeared from Paige.�

With her mind wandering down adult rated mental paths, she
brought her attention back to watching Shino and Kiba spar.� Her mind was threatening to wander off again
when the soft voice of Hinata interrupted her daydreams.

�You love him a lot.��
Hinata�s eyes were open and understanding.

�Yes.�� Paige knew she
loved him.� She hadn�t said the words to
him, but she tried to communicate it to him in other ways.� Those words were being saved for the day she
knew she was completely ready to say them, and hopefully, that day was soon.� Paige was not a saint, and Shino�s hands were
extremely talented although they still hadn�t wandered below the
waistline.� She turned to Hinata with a
bit of mischief in her eyes.� �I want to
get Shino a gift, and I need your help to do it because I want it to be a
surprise.�

�How can I help?� Hinata had a slight smirk on her face that
showed she would enjoy this.

Deciding Naruto�s mischievousness was rubbing off on the
Hyuga, Paige let her in on the plan.� �I
have a very specific gift in mind.� I
just don�t know if it exists, and I need to know the meaning of the gift before
I give it�just to make sure I�m not stepping on any Aburame clan toes.��

Dark brows furrowed in confusion.� �Sounds like you might need more than my
help.�

�Oh feel free to include whomever you think can be�discreet
about it.�� Paige mused about the need
for such planning.� In truth it was
because she and Shino were hard pressed to be separated from each other�not
that she was complaining.� Maybe later
she would complain, but right now she was enjoying the attention and affections
of Aburame Shino.� �I�m gonna assume you
know what amber is?� she questioned the Hyuga.

�Oh yes!� It�s very
pretty.� I have a few pieces of it as
gifts from Shino actually.�� Hinata
blushed a bit.

Waving off the slight concern she felt from Hinata she said,
�Don�t worry about what kinds of
gifts they were.� I know he�s not
wandering off, and you�re not about to leave Naruto.�� She gave another conspiratorial smile.� �I don�t want just any piece of amber.� I would think it would be appropriate if I
gave him a piece with a kikaichu in it.�
I�ve read through some of the books in his little library in the office
to know the kikaichu used to be wild.� I
also know some of the symbolism of amber, but I don�t know if the Aburame clan
has their own meanings attached to it or what it means to them if a kikaichu is
in it.�

�I�ll help.� For them
it�s a symbol of romantic love, but I don�t know what it would mean that a
kikaichu is in it.�� Brows furrowed
again, but this time in thoughtfulness.�
Slowly her features blossomed into a smile �I�ll ask my father what he
knows, and if it comes to it�I think my father and I need to visit Shibi-san.� It�s been a while since the council meeting.�

�Thank you!�

***

Tuesday Hiashi had visited Shibi to �discuss inter-clan
relations� over dinner.� Since it was
business between clans, the heirs of each clan�along with their significant
others�were also invited to the dinner at Shibi�s home.� It was a rather odd affair.� Paige knew one of the ulterior motives of the
meeting and decided to help in getting Hiashi and Shibi some time to discuss
things without the heirs present.� She
insisted on having herself and Shino cook the dinner for the visitors.� Hinata, also knowing the ulterior motive of
the dinner volunteered to help with washing the dishes, which Paige politely
declined.� However, this gave an excuse
for Hinata to just gush over the unfairness of the situation and drag herself
and Naruto into the kitchen to help wash dishes.�

Although it was a rather large kitchen, fitting four people
around a single sink caused some logistical problems.� Elbows and other body parts kept getting in
the way of the task at hand.� After being
elbowed in the ribs for the second time and ducking a low-flying wok, Paige
just burst out laughing at the absurdity of the scheme she and Hinata had
concocted just to have her give Shino a gift.�
The laughter was contagious and soon the four of them were having
trouble washing the dishes because they were laughing so hard it was difficult
to focus on anything else!� The ruckus
laughter caused both Shibi and Hiashi to leave the dining area just to find out
what was going on.� The scene they walked
in on was one of Paige sitting on the floor gasping for breath with a chuckling
Shino standing over her and Naruto doubled over in laughter with a red-faced
Hinata smiling and silently laughing.

�I see my kitchen is still in one piece,� was the dry
comment from Shibi.

Hinata turned to see her father and Shibi looking at them in
puzzlement.� �Oh! �We�re sorry for interrupting, Father,
Shibi-san.�

Paige finally found her breath.� �The only one who needs to be sorry is
Naruto!� He started this by nearly
braining me with the wok!�� She started
to giggle again.� �I just started
thinking that I was preparing for enemy shinobi, but no one could prepare me
for Naruto in the kitchen.� It�s worse
than an enemy�s attack!��

�Hey!�� Naruto�s
response was in good humor.� He was
having trouble containing his own laughter.

Her laughter bubbled up further.� �And here I am on the floor!�� Shino�s hand suddenly appeared in front of
her to help her stand up on slightly wobbly legs.� �Well, I was on the floor.�� She made a show of walking to the other side
of the kitchen and gestured at the three remaining near the sink.� �I�ll stay over here while you guys finish
up.�

Shibi played along.�
�Perhaps I should escort you safely from the kitchen.�� He walked over and extended his arm to her.

�My hero!�� Paige
accepted his arm, hoping she was going to get the information regarding her
gift idea for Shino as he lead her out of the kitchen.

Hiashi appeared to be in on the conspiracy.� �I�ll make sure the assailants don�t escape
the kitchen.�

She was lead through the dining area and back into Shibi�s
master bedroom.� He motioned for her to
close the door while he looked in his closet when a thought occurred to
Paige.� �I have a kikaichu interloper
with me.� Do I have to worry about my
surprise getting out?�

He emerged carrying a small black box and placed it on his
dresser.� Opening it he answered her,
�No.� I�ve asked her to not tell since
you are not in danger.�

Walking over to the dresser to peer inside the box, she saw
many pieces of amber of varying shapes and sizes, but Shibi passed these over
to pick up a small red cloth pouch.� She
watched him open it to let yet another piece of amber fall out into his palm.

�This is what you are looking for.�

Taking the offered stone, Paige examined it.� It wasn�t large, but it was by no means small
either.� The piece of amber was about 3
centimeters in diameter, flattened on one side, and in its center, was a
kikaichu.� She held it up to watch the
play of light through the translucent stone.�
�It�s beautiful.�

�You came up with an interesting plan for it to be a
surprise.�

She looked now at Shibi.�
�I also wanted to find out its significance.� It would ruin the surprise to ask him.�

Shibi placed his hand on her shoulder to make sure he had
her full attention.� �He is my only son
and heir to the Aburame.� Although it is
more traditional for the man to give....if you give him this stone, you
announce your intension to marry him.�

Paige looked down at the stone in her hand and then back at
Shibi.� �Nothing would make me happier.�� Something made her add to the statement.� �Although, I think�� If no one is in a rush, I�m going to wait a
little longer.� The time doesn�t feel
quite right yet.�� She made to give the
stone back, but Shibi stopped her and handed her the red pouch.

�Keep it.� It is safe
with you.�� He watched her place the
stone within the pouch and tie the strings closed.� �Ask Shino not to pry, and he will honor your
request.�

Nodding, she placed the pouch in an inside pocket to Shino�s
jacket that she now rarely took off.�
Giving a smile she asked, �Shall we see if the perpetrators are done in
the kitchen?�� She returned to the
kitchen with a smile on her face and received an odd look from Shino, but he
didn�t ask her any questions until they had said their good-byes to everyone
and were walking back to their home.

�What were you and my father discussing?�

Biting her lip, she took a moment to figure out how to
answer the question without lying to Shino.�
She never wanted to lie to him.�
�If I tell you it�s a secret that you�ll get to know later, is that good
enough?� I promise it�s nothing bad�just
a surprise for later.�

�And if I try to make you tell me?� he said suggestively in
her ear.

Matching his heated gaze she gave her answer.� �You can try�� She enjoyed the �interrogation� that night,
but still wasn�t quite ready to take that last leap.

***

It was actually Thursday that brought the �honeymoon� to an
end.� Due to the dinner at Shibi�s on
Tuesday, Shino and Paige found themselves with extra time to spend training
with friends.� She was taking a break
again, watching Shino train with Neji this time.� It was definitely something to behold.� Neji fought in the same style as Hinata, but
he added an extra ruthlessness that his cousin did not seem to possess.� Paige sat musing that the two chose their
respective careers well with Hinata being the medic-nin and Neji going the more
combative route of being a shinobi.� A
familiar presence of peacock was
coming up behind Paige�s resting spot and she decided to have some fun with Lee
if he came close.� She had yet to test
her limited skills on him, and ever since the comment Shino made at the
beginning of her training, she had become curious.�

Lee played into her hand.�
Suddenly appearing crouched beside her, he started to speak,
�Paige��

She made sure to catch him off-guard.� With speed that surprised everyone, she
launched into a modified version of a counter-attack which Shino had taught her
if she ever found herself on the ground.�
Lunging, she grabbed Lee, attempting to use momentum to execute a throw.� His reaction was immediate and automatic.� Paige found herself wrapped in bandages in a
crushing bear hug and upside down.� The
world suddenly started to rotate with increasing speed.� Alarmed cries of �Lee!� and �Paige!� stopped
the motion and she was left on the ground gasping for air from the force of the
grip and bandages which were now receding.�
Tilting her head back, she noticed the concerned presences of Shino,
Neji, and Lee surrounded her.� She
attempted to sit up, but pain in her ribs and upper arms prevented much
movement.�

Lee looked stricken.�
�I�m so sorry!� Forgive me!� I will do any punishment you see fit to make
up for this!�� He bowed low to everyone.

Placing a hand on his head causing him to end his bow, she
wheezed, �My fault.�

�Lee could have killed you.�
What were you thinking?�� Shino�s
voice was low, filled with disappointment at her actions.

Breathing came a little easier now.� �Wanted to see if I could throw him�test
myself against him.�

�I thought you had understood his taijutsu exceeds the
skills of many.�� His brows furrowed in
concern and anger.

�I know.� It�s why I
did it.� Everyone dumbs down for me�I
wanted a more real reaction.� But I won�t
do it again without warning him.�� She
struggled to sit up against the pain of what promised to be heavy bruising in
her arms and abdomen later.� �I�m sorry,�
she spoke to everyone around her.�
Turning to Shino, she reached out to him.� �I can�t take it back.� I won�t do it again.� Can we�not fight about it?�

�You�re injured,� Lee stated as he watched her wince against
the pain of her bruises.

Paige poked gingerly around on her arms and abdomen, testing
how painful touch was.� �Bruising.� I�ll survive.�� She gave him what she hoped was an
encouraging smile.

�I don�t like seeing you hurt, Paige,� said Shino.� He finally accepted her offered hand.

�And I wince every time someone lands a blow on you when you
spar.� I don�t like seeing you hurt
either, Shino.�

Neji spoke up.� �Lee,
why did you come here?�

Lee stood up and struck a pose designed to make him look
more important.� �Paige-san.� Shino-san.�
The Hokage of Konohagakure wishes your presence immediately to discuss a
matter of utmost importance!�

Shino walked over to grab her ever-present bag of medicine
wheel items then returned to help Paige stand.�
Breathing deeply was still slightly painful for Paige.� She had to accept assistance from both Lee
and Shino to slowly make her way to the Hokage�s office.� When the group received the occasional odd
stare, she would just smile and wave off any questions.� Finally the group arrived outside Tsunade�s
office and Lee went inside to announce their presence.� When he returned to usher them inside the
office, he again helped Shino assist Paige.�

Tsunade took one look at the odd group and frowned at Paige.� �What did you do?�

She grinned sheepishly.�
�Um.� Something I shouldn�t have?�

Bowing low, Lee attempted to take full responsibility for
Paige�s condition.� �I nearly performed
the Front Lotus on Stone-san.�

Rolling her eyes, Paige provided the rest of the situation
to spare Lee, Tsunade�s wrath.� �What he
isn�t saying, is that I provoked it.� I
attacked him, to see what would happen.�

�And Shino?� questioned the Hokage.

�Wasn�t let it on my little plan.� And he�s already reinforced how big of a
no-no attacking Lee is,� she sighed.

�Let me look at you.��
The Hokage walked from behind her desk with a frown and conducted a
quick assessment of the damage done.�
�Bruising�mostly muscle and cartilage, but some of your ribs are bruised
as well.��

Suddenly breathing became much easier for Paige Stone.� After Tsunade finished healing her, she bowed
in gratitude, �Thank you, Hokage-sama.��
Straightening, she figured she should change the subject away from her
stunt to whatever the matter at hand was.�
�Can I ask why Shino and I were summoned?�

Tsunade gestured for Lee to leave the office.� Walking back behind her desk to sit down, she
answered.� �This year the Chunin Exams
are being held in Suna in four weeks.��
She gestured to the back of the office.�
�Paige Stone, I�d like to introduce you to Temari, our liaison with
Sunagakure.�

A woman rose from her seated position on the couch against
the wall, sporting her blonde hair in a strange fashion of pulling it into four
ties.� She walked towards Paige and made
no secret of giving her an assessing look.�
Turning to Tsunade she questioned, �She�s the one?�� At the nod of the Hokage she turned back to
Paige with a raised eyebrow.� �She�s so��

Grinning, the totem reader intercepted whatever comment was coming
next.� �Yes.� I am.��
She turned to Shino who handed over her bag.� �I assume you would like me to convince her
of my worth, Hokage-sama?�� Tsunade�s nod
of approval was again, the cue for action.�
�The medicine wheel is mostly for when I have difficulties.� I largely don�t need it to access my
abilities, but I like carrying it around.�
The bag also has my notebook.��
Paige decided to just sit on the floor instead of walking to the
couch.� She looked up at Temari, �You�re
mostly annoyed, but slightly curious.��

The Suna kunoichi�s eye�s widened.

�Please don�t let either allow you to be tempted to
interrupt me by touching me, you can ask me questions and talk to me, but
that�s it.�� While holding Temari�s
surprised gaze, she began her reading.�
�Butterfly.� Totem leader of the
Air Clan.� You are mistress of the wind,
subject to quick changing emotions, but keen of intellect and strategy.� You use the power of the wind to defeat your
enemies, both by itself and in the form of your ability to think like the
enemy.�� Refocusing her attention to the
physical plane, Paige scratched her head.�
�Have any questions?�

�Yes,� but instead of asking Paige, Temari turned again, to
Tsunade.� �And you just happened to find
her?�

�Actually, Paige found us.�

Accepting help from Shino to stand after she had completed
writing down the reading, she spoke up.�
�Paige is still in the room, too.��
She addressed the Hokage.� �How is
Suna now connected with me?��

Shino shifted closer to her, an action that did not go unnoticed
by Temari, who raised another eyebrow at Paige.

�I assume you know about the Chunin Exams?� questioned the
Hokage.

�Shino joked about signing me up once.�

Sighing, Tsunade explained.�
�Konoha and Suna have a treaty.� I
wanted the small demonstration to convince Temari of the benefits to both of
our villages of keeping you safe.�� A
serious expression was leveled between Shino and Paige.� �Many shinobi will be traveling to Suna
because of the Chunin Exams.�

Paige understood the implications.� �Security would be lessened in Konoha because
of the lack of shinobi to implement it,� she nodded.

Surprise came from
Temari.

She glared at the Suna shinobi and crossed her arms.� �I�m civilian Temari-san, not brain-damaged.�

Tsunade intercepted any impending arguments between the two
women.� �You are being invited to
accompany those going to Suna as my guest and by extension Shino is also
invited due to his�involvement.� You
would be protected under the combined forces of Konoha and Suna because of the
treaty we share.� It has risks and
benefits.� It is your choice to leave, or
stay with the Aburame in Konoha.�

�I�ll be more of a target whether I stay or leave. We�d be
most vulnerable during the actual journey,� stated Paige.

�Yes.�

She started weighing the risks and benefits mentioned
before.� Turning to Shino, she gave a
heavy sigh, �I still need my freedom of movement to do my work.� Although I�ve enjoyed not fearing for my life
these past few weeks, I haven�t been able to provide any new information.�

�You want to go.�� The
Aburame didn�t phrase it as a question.

Gesturing to Temari, Paige responded, �The wind seems to
have shifted.�

Shino nodded and turned his attention to Tsunade.� �We will attend the Chunin Exams,
Hokage-sama.�

Tsunade nodded.� �Temari,
I leave you to prepare Gaara-san for their addition to the traveling party.� Shino, I leave you to prepare Paige for
desert travel.� Paige, do you have any
questions?�

�Two, actually.�� She
kept her gaze on Shino and gave a small smile.�
�Up to being ambushed by friendlies?�

Giving her a meaningful look, he asked, �Are you sure?�

She gave a half-shrug.�
�I�m a fan of preparation.� We�ll
need to know how I�ll respond to an actual attack scenario�preferably against
shinobi I don�t know.�

�I�ll make arrangements for an exercise,� stated the
Hokage.� �You�re other question, Paige?�

She reached out and tapped the lenses of Shino�s sunglasses
while smiling.� �Do these come in
prescription?�

After watching the whole exchange, Temari spoke up
again.� �I have a question, Hokage-sama?�� She gestured at Paige and Shino.� �How am I supposed to prepare Gaara
for�that?�

Tsunade gave a laugh.�
�Let me know when you figure it out.�
Although since I was surprised, I think he should be too.�

***

Author�s post-ramble:�
Review!� Please!!!� A long time ago I promised the eventual
appearance of Gaara.� *points*� He�s still
arriving, but getting closer!� For those
of you wondering where the steam and romance went�it traveled to the next
chapter�*blush*� yeah�steam
and romance�next chapter�
- 22
- 23
- 24
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Reading Totems