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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
- 30
- 31
- 32
Author�s Pre-ramble:�
OK�as you can see, despite fears to the contrary, I am not dead!� Life has just been kicking my ass.� I�ve had to move for the 2^nd time
in 3 months and work has been kicking my ass.�
There are rumors that work will get better, and my current living
situation is more permanent than my last one.�

A dagron sized thank you to CasaHouse whose editing help
allowed this chapter to be posted soon after its completion.

And a big thank you to my readers and reviewers, new and
old, who kept me writing:� 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,
Maddogg, ObsidianLace, Vivichan, Mrs. Cake, mary, Dynamo, oohshiny, Tricia1224,
vilekyle, Hopeful Roselynn

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

Chapter Summary:� Home
sweet home.� The return to Konoha and a
new fuzzy friend for Paige.

**Chapter 31**

Paige awoke suddenly, blinked her world into focus, and wondered
at the ability to sit up without excruciating pain.� Looking around her, she noticed she was once
more in the forest of her visions.� Only
this time, she was most definitely not alone.�
Surrounding her was a white buffalo, and golden eagle, a coyote, and a
grizzly bear.� Her breath quickened as
she addressed whom she had an audience with, �Waboose, Spirit Keeper of the
North; Wabun, Spirit Keeper of the East; Shawnodese, Spirit Keeper of the
South; and Mudjakeewis, Spirit Keeper of the West�Greetings Thunder Beings, how
may I serve you?�

For the first time in her life, Waboose addressed her, �Your
duties to Wakan Tanka on this plane are completed.� We offer you a chance to go back to the life
you once knew.�

�Go back?� she nearly squeaked.� Her mind was in turmoil.� Yes, she had been taken from her old life
rather abruptly and thrown into a political and spiritual mess she had managed
to live through, but go back?� Yes, she
had enjoyed her work and her studies.�
But leave the life she built for herself here?� Leave Konoha�and Shino?

Shawnodese approached her, �Do you wish it?�

�I�don�t know,� she answered truthfully. The flapping of
wings redirected her attention.

�You have interfered enough, Coyote.� She needs no more confusion from thoughts of
love,� reprimanded Wabun.

A laughing bark was the reply.� �The Reader needed to be complete in order to
serve best, you agreed.� I did no harm in
showing her love was possible with the beetle.�

�Shino?� You really
did send me Shino?� asked Paige.

�It was necessary, Paige,� answered the voice of
Mudjakeewis, causing her attention to shift again.� �You already had great gifts spiritually, but
your heart needed healing.� You needed
balance.�

�Then my feelings for Shino are�� she never got a chance to
finish the sentence before Wabun interrupted her.

�Genuine.� You have no
need to doubt them.�

�I showed you a possibility of love.� I can only encourage what was already a
possibility,� explained Shawnodese.

�I�need to think,� she stated.� Paige�s mind was still awhirl.� At her core she was logical and rational, but
logic was failing her at the moment.�
Returning to her old life would probably mean the lessening of her
abilities and no more threats on her life from ninja.� Staying in Konoha meant she would be able to
be with people who accepted her�and loved her.�
On the other hand, she would probably face more threats like Masa.� Threats she had many to protect her from.� Shino.�
All of her reasoning returned to Shino.�
He accepted her as she was, loved her as she was, would protect
her�� Paige decided there was no real
decision to make after all.� Taking the
time to look each Spirit Keeper, she gave her answer, �I want to stay.� I will continue to serve Wakan Tanka and the
people of Konoha.�

�Very well,� replied Mudjakeewis.� �It will be as you wish.� You may return.�

Waboose addressed her once more.� �A gift will be given upon your return.�

***

Something cold and wet was nuzzling her hand.� A sharp stabbing pain returned along with
consciousness.� Paige groaned slightly
and opened her eyes.� Turning her head,
she spotted a small brown pug�wearing a Konoha hite-ate.�

�You�re awake,� stated the dog.

She blinked.� �And
apparently hallucinating,� she responded.�

�Kakashi is following my scent.� Help is on the way.�

�You�re one of Alpha�s dogs?� she queried.

The pug nodded.� �I�m
Pakkun.� And your friend decided I wasn�t
fit for lunch.�

�He was willing to listen to an old bear while you were
visiting the Spirit Keepers,� interrupted Matohota.

�More like he demanded I explain myself since he was no
longer special with the ability to speak,� sulked Pakkun.

Paige tried to crane her neck to look at the grizzly bear,
but he was out of her line of sight.�
Instead her gaze fell upon Sumaru.�
�How is he?�

�Resting,� replied her totem.� �He was awake a few hours ago and asking the
same question of you.�

�Hours?� she wondered.

�Do you vouch for him?� Pakkun asked, interrupting her inner
thoughts.

�He saved my life.� He
was acting under duress when he was following Hoshiro.� I will vouch for him,� she declared.

A breeze stirred the braches of the trees.

Paige felt wolf at
the same time Matohota and Pakkun came to attention and looked in the same
direction.

�Yo!�� It was Kakashi,
slouched against a tree with his hands casually stuffed into his pockets.� �I see you�ve made new friends,� he stated,
taking in the scene of Pakkun, a grizzly bear, a raven, and a suspected
kidnapper all near her.� The Konoha
shinobi�s shoulders slumped.� �I don�t
get to kill anyone,� he deadpanned.�

She gave into a laugh which turned into a fit of coughing.� Raising her uninjured hand to her mouth,
Paige came away with blood�quite a bit of blood.� �Damn,� she whispered hoarsely, holding up
the hand for Kakashi to see.

Faster than she could process he was at her side, assessing
her condition with more gentleness she would have originally given him credit
for.� He turned to Pakkun.� �Go back to the village.� Alert Tsunade and Sakura�� He turned his attention to Paige.� �I�m sure you already know how bad it is.

Nodding, she croaked out, �Buffalo�women�,� before coughing up more
blood.� Waboose said she had a gift for
her.� Paige was hoping it was a really
good repair-job.

Beetle.�

The totem of the Aburame clan leader made Paige give what
was probably a bloody smile.�

Kakashi�s and Pakkun�s attention turned at the same moment.

Aburame Shibi walked into her field of vision.� �Paige,� he stated in greeting.� �Scarab found me.�

She attempted to ask where Shino was, but all that came out
was a wheeze that ended in another cough.�
Paige tried to look around for the Aburame she wanted to see more than
any other person in the world.� She
needed to confirm with her own eyes that he truly was alive, to dispel any
lingering doubt.

Shibi crouched next to her and gently touched her arm.� �Messengers have been sent to find
Shino.� He elected to stay in Suna and
had been attempting to track you.�� He
turned his attention to Kakashi.� �Her chakra
levels are erratic.� We need to move her to
the hospital now.�� Carefully, Shibi
cradled Paige against his chest and motioned for Kakashi to see to Sumaru.

Self-fulfilling prophecy should have been an official
medical phenomenon.� No sooner had the
words left the mouth of the Aburame, then Paige�s field of vision�already
restricted by the fact that she could no longer sit up without excruciating
pain�narrowed even further.� Reaching out
in panic, she felt fur�the reassuring presence of Matohota.

�Trust this beetle to carry you.� Kagi Taka and I must leave this plane, but
will always be with you.�

Paige nodded meekly in acquiescence and watched the figures
of her totems fade from the ability of the human eye to see.� Grizzly
Bear and Raven nudged her
abilities comfortingly before Shibi and Kakashi started to run with their
burdens towards Konoha and its hospital.

The next span of time passed in a series of disjointed blurs
to Paige Stone.� She was aware of the
warm and steady sensation of Shibi carrying her towards their destination.� She was aware of the swift passage of trees,
the alternating light and shade of the canopy of leaves and branches.� She was aware of a glimpse of red kanji on
the opened gates of Konoha.� What should
have been the din of the hospital was more of a series of disorganized murmurs.� Paige was aware of being laid on a stretcher
and wheeled through a series of corridors.�
The fluorescent lighting passed in streaks of brightness while the
blurry faces of friends presented themselves, blocking the brightness, and then
departed.

�Paige!�

Someone one was shouting her name.� Squinting, she tried to bring the face into
focus.� Tsunade.� It was Tsunade.

�Paige, you have internal bleeding, broken ribs, several
fractures in your arm, a broken femur, and fractures to your jaw and skull.� We need to sedate you to keep you from moving
while we work.�

As it had done so often in the past several hours, Paige�s
world slowly faded to black, but this time, she had the knowledge of being
safe.

***

It was the sensation of wearing one of those annoying
hospital gowns that came back first. The signature draft one got while wearing
one was unforgettable. �Second was the
antiseptic smell of hospital. �Next was hearing�the soft steady breathing and
the turning of the pages of someone close by.�
Gently reaching out, Paige sensed beetle.� Opening her eyes slowly, the fuzzy form of Shibi
slowly came into focus.� The yawn that
followed brought back the sense of taste�the taste of sweaty gym socks�

The closing of a book brought her attention back to the Aburame.� He gestured toward a pitcher of water and an
empty glass with a straw.

Slowly ungluing her tongue from the roof of her mouth, Paige
gave a small nod of her head and mouthed, �please.�

Calmly Shibi assisted her in arranging her bed and pillows
so she could sit up.� He then held the
glass for her while she drank her fill of the water he had poured for her.� �I have to tell them you are awake,� he
stated while putting the glass down.

�I�d like a few minutes before you do that,� she
requested.� Paige was not looking forward
to telling everyone what had happened.� �Where�s
Shino?�� She wanted his comforting
presence when she did tell what happened.

�He arrived last night after turning most of Suna upside
down looking for you.� Hinata and Sakura
convinced him to go home and sleep after traveling for 4 days straight from
where he had tracked you.� Shino didn�t
want to leave your side.�

Paige smiled at the thought.�
�How�s Sumaru?�

�His injuries were not as severe as yours.� He has recovered and is entering into
negotiations with Tsunade to uproot the rest of those loyal to Hoshiro.�

Nodding she began to wring her hands in nervousness, but
something was in the way.� Encircling her
left ring finger was a ring.� But what a
ring it was!� It was an amber stone, a
little smaller than the piece she had given Shino so it would fit comfortably
on her hand.� Her breath quickened
slightly as she brought her hand closer to gaze at the stone.� �Is this��
Am I�� Did he��

Shibi gave an Aburame smirk, �Call me Tousan.�

�Ok�� As Paige was
contemplating her newly engaged status, the door to her room opened to reveal
Hinata.�

�Paige, it�s so good to see you awake.� You�ve been unconscious for 5 days.�

Smiling back at the medic she replied, �I guess you have to
tell everyone else that I�m awake.�

�Are you ready?�
Tsunade-sama and Ibiki-sensei want to debrief you.�� Hinata looked apologetic at the mention of
Ibiki�s involvement.

Giving an exasperated sigh, Paige answered, �I guess I�d
rather get this over with than have it hanging over me.�

Leaning against her hospital bed, Hinata gave her a brief
hug.� �Everyone was worried about you.�

�It�s definitely good to be back,� she replied when she was
released.

Hinata gave a smile as she closed the door to the room and went
to get Paige�s next audience.

She went back to wringing her hands as soon as the door
closed.� �I don�t want to do this
alone.�� She was wishing Shino was with
her, but she didn�t want to wake him up.�
He probably needed a lot of convincing to go home and sleep.� �Are you allowed to stay when Tsunade and
Ibiki arrive?� she asked the Aburame.

Shibi walked to the window to her room and opened it
slightly.� �I�ll see what I can do.�

Paige nodded and tried not to think about having to tell
Tsunade and Ibiki what happened.� She
wasn�t too successful.� �Battling her own thoughts, she didn�t hear the
door open.� It was Shibi�s movement to
stand and give a bow that alerted her to the presence of newcomers.� �Hokage-sama, Ibiki-san, I ask that you let
Paige have someone present during the debriefing,� requested Shibi.

�Are you volunteering, Shibi?� inquired Tsunade as she and
Ibiki faced the Aburame clan leader.�
Taking in who had entered the room, she was somewhat relieved to see
Sumaru was with them.� Maybe she wouldn�t
have to go into too much detail if he told them what had happened already.

Beetle.

Paige Stone felt her heart skip a beat, and her head pivoted
towards the window.

�I volunteer.�� It was
Shino�alive, whole, and perched on the ledge of her window, carrying her
medicine wheel bag with a rather large lump in it.

She held out her left hand to him and gave him a small
tearful smile.

Shino landed softly on the floor and walked towards Paige.� Taking her hand in his own, he sat lightly on
the edge of her bed and drew her into a fierce embrace.

She basked in the ability to be close to him again.� Her grip tightened as she thought about
Masa�s genjutsu and whimpered slightly.

�Paige?�� He drew back
slightly and wiped the tears that had formed without her permission.

Looking down at their joined hands, she spoke, �I should
start at the beginning.�� Looking up, she
addressed Tsunade and Ibiki.� �I�d like
Tousan to stay.� Family needs to know
this too.�

After a shared raised eyebrow with Ibiki, Tsunade nodded.

Shino shifted next to her, and she obligingly moved over to
make room for him to sit more fully on the hospital bed.� Playing with her new ring, she began to
tremble at the task in front of her.� Taking
a deep breath and giving the hand that held hers a slight squeeze, she called
upon her totem to give her courage once more.�
�How far back do you want me to start?�

�Start with why you felt the need to jump out a 10 meter
high window during the Chunin Exams,� replied Tsunade.

She had the sense to look slightly ashamed.� �It was the only way out of the
bathroom.� Shino was going to have Masa
to deal with, and I knew I didn�t want to be captured by him��

Paige Stone launched into the story of her capture,
kidnapping, and torture.� When she arrived
at the part about Masa�s genjutsu, she turned to Shino next to her and started
openly crying.� �I thought you were dead.� That was the only time I thought about
telling him everything I knew.� Nothing
mattered if you were dead.�� She felt
herself being pulled against his chest.

�Shh�� After taking
off his jacket and wrapping her tightly, Shino tucked her head under his chin
and murmured soothing words to her as he rocked her slightly.

Absently she could here Sumaru take up some of the story�of
his killing of Hoshiro and the flight from Masa.� ��she said he was a friend and grizzly bear
walked up to us and started talking.�

Grizzly bear.

Paige smiled at the comforting feelings from both Shino and
her totem.

Ibiki moved from his position against the wall and drew
everyone�s attention by doing so.� �You
can manifest them fully.�

She nodded into Shino�s chest and retreated further into his
jacket, unwilling to see if there were any disapproving looks directed at her.� �Matohota gave us his help, bought us time to
get closer to Konoha by staying behind to hold off Masa as long as he could.�

Sumaru picked up the topic of their flight from Masa
again.� �I woke up, he was dead, and
there was a raven sitting next to Paige.�

�How did you kill him?�

All eyes were on her again.�
Straightening herself slightly, she held the gaze of Ibiki who had asked
the question.� �I crossed him over using
my Kagi Taka�my raven totem�and the ravens of his dead.� Matohota held him off until I could call the
Kagi Taka.� It didn�t�sound like a
pleasant way to go��

Something passed behind Ibiki�s eyes that almost looked like
approval.�

�I blacked out shortly after.� When I came to again, Pakkun was there.� After that Kakashi arrived and then Tousan.� The rest is kinda blurry until waking up just
now.�

Tsunade gave Paige a half smile.� �I realize you�ve been through a lot.� Your protection of Konoha�s secrets goes
beyond your pledge to help Konoha.�� Her
smile slid into a smirk.� �And the two of
you have managed to make a huge political mess by leaving a hidden village
without a Kage.�

Paige blinked and turned to Sumaru.� �You mean you didn�t tell them?�

He looked down at the floor.

�Tell us what?� demanded Tsunade.

�Matohota named him the next Hoshikage,� explained Paige.� She turned to Sumaru, �You promised your
mother.� And without Masa and the rest of
Hoshiro�s followers, you probably are the strongest ninja in Bear Country.�

�The elders of the village must vote on it first,� commented
the Hoshi shinobi.

�I see we have more to negotiate,� retorted Tsunade dryly.� Turning her attention to Paige, she addressed
the question that had been pushed to the back of her mind.� �You�re probably wondering about your
physical condition.�

She nodded in response.�

�Everything�s fixed.�

Paige blinked, �Fixed?�

Tsunade waved away any further questions.� �You shouldn�t have survived with the amount
of internal bleeding you ended up with, but it seems you have friends in high
places.�

�You said everything,� stated Shino, intruding on the
spinning questions in her mind.

Tsunade gave a wink at the couple on the hospital bed.� �Yes I did.��
She went about herding the men out of the room.� �Those two have some catching up to do
gentleman.�� She turned back to Paige,
�But no sex until you�ve completed your month of physical therapy.�

Turning a bright shade of red, Paige Stone nodded while
hiding her face in her hands.�

Shino tightened his grip on her once more.

�This time she gave
in, attempting to mold her body against his in response to the embrace.� �I missed you.�� She began to sniffle, trying to fight back
the tears that had threatened to burst through before the debriefing began.

�I am here now.� You
don�t have to fight anymore,� he responded.�
�I love you.�

Three simple words.� But
they held such power.� All of the
carefully erected emotional barriers that Paige had constructed in order to
survive her time with Masa and the flight home came crashing down with three
simple words.� She started to cry, but
crying wasn�t enough.� It soon turned
into sobbing.

Shifting slightly, the newly engaged shinobi attempted to calm
her and get her attention.� �Paige��

Slowly, the sobbing decreased.� Sniffling and wiping at her tears, she looked
up at him.� But what she encountered wasn�t
Shino�s face.

It was a teddy bear.�
It was about 15 centimeters tall in a sitting position.� It was brown with big black eyes and a black
nose.� But it was what was on the nose
that made Paige laugh.� There was a
large, fuzzy, yellow and black honeybee perched in perfect position to stare
into the bear�s eyes.�

�You once said if you had your old collection of teddy bears
you wouldn�t ever have to leave the house,� smirked Shino.

�We�ll have to negotiate that,� retorted Paige with a smirk
of her own.� �I think I can still be
useful.� I could help out at the
hospital�s psychiatric ward.� I have all
of my training as an inpatient therapist still.�� She chewed on her lower lip while she thought
out loud.� �And Ibiki seems to appreciate
my methods of information gathering.� I
could be of use still.�

�I want you safe,� stated Shino.

�I�ll do my best?� she offered.� �Nowhere that I go will be completely safe
for me.�

His grip tightened on her.�
�True.�

Paige sighed, �They offered me a chance to go back to my old
life.� I wanted to stay here with you.� All of the risks�I think it�s worth it.� I know it�s worth it.�

He lightly kissed her forehead.� �You should get more rest.�

�I was sleeping for 5 days!� she protested.

�A coma is not the same as real sleep,� Shino responded.

�You need rest too,� she replied.

He gave her a soft smile.�
Shino proceeded to rearrange them on the narrow hospital bed so they two
of them lay comfortably.� �Yes I do.�

She snuggled into his protective embrace.� �I love you,� she sighed sleepily.

Shino kissed her forehead softly again.� �Love you too.�

Soon the two were fast asleep.

***

THE END

***

Author�s Post-ramble:�
Epilogue to come.
- 30
- 31
- 32
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