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Amongst The Daisies	By : katsuyo 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
- 3
- 4
- 5
Author�s Note:
This story is dedicated to
Deserter, Blaze Da Dragon, The Cyckest, Thunderwolf16 and
Oxygen Pirate.
Many thanks to the readers
and those brave enough to leave reviews.
Special thanks to A true dreamer for the delightful and rather
nice PM. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.
Ohhh� the drama of it all. This chapter is primarily devoted
to the scheming wiles of those two Aburame charmers: Shibi and Shino. Nothing like a good old fashioned boy chat to liven up the proceedings.
I tried to make it
less�fluffy for my male reviewers� hopefully, I have succeeded. :D
This is the raw chapter
and like all things in life, is subject to revision at a later date.
Disclaimer: I so do not own Naruto because if I did, Shibi Aburame would be my pimp!

Yeeehaw!

Sadly, Shibi and I do not make a profit from this
story or... anything else for that matter. Enjoy, my beautiful people, enjoy!
It's so strange

the way our paths have crossed

how we were

brought together

hmmm

it's written in the stars it seems
flying high - Jem
Chapter four � A long overdue chat
Shino sat at the kitchen
table with his head in his hands, his sunglasses sitting on the table beside
him. The low humming coming from his Kikai bugs was the only outward sign that
he was worried about his lover.
�Shino, relax�she�s going
to be fine. She�s safe now.� murmured the elder Aburame
as he came back into kitchen.
Shibi placed a large bottle of whiskey
on the kitchen table and went to a nearby cupboard to fetch a couple of
glasses.
�I just quickly checked on
her and I think the stress of whatever that poor girl has had to deal with in
the past few months has finally caught up with her though� it looks like she�s
going to be out like a light for a few hours at least,� continued the Aburame Clan Leader.
Shino looked up at his
father when he heard that comment, still a little shaken by the events of the
last two days.
He felt his father�s hand
on his shoulder and murmured, �Shino, you didn�t lose her� don�t beat yourself
up.�
The younger Aburame felt his father move around to the other side of
the table and watched him sit down.
�Father, she honestly
thought I would leave her if she had mentioned her suspicion about the
pregnancy and I was worried that she was planning on leaving me because she�d
been so secretive lately,� replied Shino bleakly, his destruction beetles
hissing and revealing his agitation.
�Shino� let me ask you a
question...� murmured Shibi.
�What�s that, Father?�
asked the younger man, glancing over at Shibi.
�Son, do you two love each
other?� asked the Aburame Clan Leader.
�Yes, we do� very much,�
replied the young bug wielder softly.
�Will she marry you when
the time comes?� continued the elder Aburame.
�Yes� She says she still
needs a little more time but she�s sure about marrying me.� said Shino with a smile.
�Hn�
I�m not surprised to hear she needs a little more time�� muttered the Aburame Clan Leader under his breath.
�Father?� asked Shino.
Shino watched his father
unscrew the cap of the whiskey bottle and pour two glasses of the dark liquid.
Shino raised his eyebrow
and asked, �Father, what�s the whiskey for?�
Shibi raised one of the glasses to his
lips and took a small sip. �Son, we need to have a long over-due chat and I
have a feeling that you�re going to need some of that whiskey later.�
--------------------------------
Shibi watched the whiskey swirl
hypnotically in his glass. The first order of business his son and him needed
to discuss was that marriage contract. It had broken his heart when he felt the
young woman clutch at his arm like that. He had known that she loved his son
unconditionally at that moment but he still felt the need to hear it from his
own son�s lips.
He also knew what she was
truly asking when she said that one word. She was currently in no condition to
effectively protect herself if she needed to do so and
she was clearly scared about the welfare of her unborn children. He had also
known in that moment that he would do what was needed to protect his
grandchildren and the marriage contract would effectively prevent anyone harassing
her, especially when it finally became known who the father of her children
was�
Shibi was shrewd enough to know that his
son's relationship with the beautiful young kuniochi
was going to cause a scandal of epic proportions.
He had to admire the spunk
of the young woman though. There were not a lot of females out there willing to
be intimate with a man who was in effect a walking beetle nest, much less be
proud of carrying two future beetle nests within her womb. This clan relied
heavily on arranged marriages with other bug clans but there was always the
occasional rare individual who was willing to enter into such a relationship
without that duress.
Shibi shot his son a look of admiration
at his luck. The blonde beauty had definitely changed from the twelve year old
little shrew she used to be and mellowed into this confident beauty. It was
just a little unfortunate about the whole mess involving the Sand kuniochi and Shikamaru. He had
heard from the village grapevine that she had taken the breakup with the Nara
Heir extremely hard but he had to admire her ability to overcome heartache and
move on with her life.
Shibi knew he wasn't seeing the young
woman in her full glory at the moment but he knew that she would be back to her
fiery self once her nasty morning sickness settled down.
It was nothing that a
little Aburame style pampering couldn't fix...
Shibi looked over at his son and
addressed the first issue of many that they needed to discuss.
�Shino, I want you to go
get the contracts as well as the seal from my study. They�re sitting on the
table. The sooner this is taken care of, the better the situation will be for
you and that young woman in your room.�
He watched his brat son
push away from the table eagerly and trot off in the general direction of his
study.
Shibi grinned at his son�s obvious haste
in returning with the contracts. He had drawn up the majority of it this
morning when Shino had mentioned that he was bringing someone home to meet him
but he needed to talk to his son about his chat with the Yamanaka family before
finalizing the paperwork.
�Son, you mentioned that
there were some issues when you went over to the Yamanaka household this
morning. What were they?�
He heard his son�s
destruction beetles buzzing loudly before he got them under control.
�Inoichi
isn�t thrilled at the prospect of me courting his daughter. He rushed out of
the house trying to warn us off� began Shino.
Shibi scoffed at that one, �Too damn
bad! She�s of age and you�re her choice�I personally don't see the problem
here... I take it he changed his tune once his daughter�s current condition
became known?�
The younger Aburame nodded and continued, �Yes but not before we got up
and threatened to tell my clan first our good news.�
Shibi frowned, �The man was being
difficult, hn?�
�Worse�� grunted his son.
The Aburame
clan leader raised an eyebrow and asked, �How so?�
�He was rude to his
women.� responded the younger male in a disgusted tone.
Both men�s destruction
beetles hummed ominously in the otherwise silent kitchen as they privately
agreed that there was no excuse for being mean to the ones you were supposed to
adore with every fiber of your being.
�I take it her parents
were eager to know when the wedding would take place then?� replied Shibi with a small bite to his voice.
The Aburame
Clan Leader watched his son nod curtly.
�You mentioned the clan
requirements and our compromise to shorten the waiting period?� asked Shibi.
�They agreed to our
conditions, albeit reluctantly�� murmured Shino.
�Excellent, son�.Good
job.� smiled the Aburame Clan Leader.
�Okay, then� The agreement
will be that Ino will stay in the Aburame
Compound for the duration of her pregnancy. She�s to be treated with the utmost
dignity at all times since she has agreed to enter into this arrangement of her
own free will. In doing so, she will be given the opportunity to marry prior to
the full waiting period if that is her wish. Any influence from her parents or
anyone else, to force the issue of marriage will force the contract to run the full
six months. Is there anything else, son?� murmured Shibi,
giving the document in his hands one final perusal.
Shino frowned, �Nothing
that should be on the marriage contract, father� more of a safety concern.�
Shibi grinned at that comment, �Son, I
wouldn�t worry about her safety� those little terrors of hers will take care of
anyone foolish to threaten her.�
The elder Aburame watched his son start slightly at the mention of
someone threatening Ino.
It seemed that someone
had done exactly that to the young woman in the past� interesting. He would
need to ask his son about that later�
The younger Aburame watched in silence as his father completed the
official documents and affixed the Aburame seal to
them.
�Okay, apart from
delivering the paperwork to the Yamanaka Clan to sign � it�s a done deal!�
Shino smiled at that small
comfort. Ino and their unborn children were now
officially under the protection of the Aburame Clan.
--------------------------
Shibi thought of Ino�s
little pit bulls with wings and was intrigued about something, �Son, I�m
curious as to when two of your destruction beetles developed an attachment to
your woman.�
Shino found himself
reaching for that glass of whiskey now and his father raised an eyebrow at the
telling action.
�Well, to tell you the
truth, Father� I noticed it a couple of weeks or so after that day in the
cabin.� replied the younger Aburame highly
embarrassed.
�I see�� murmured the Aburame Clan Leader under his breath.
So much for leaving the
young rogue enough condoms to sink the Titanic!
�Shino� you remember when
I said the last time I saw a Kikai form an attachment to someone outside of
their bug host, it was with your mother. It too happened shortly after she
became pregnant with you. Brewster was the name of your mother�s little
protector and he was an ornery cuss.�
Shibi took a sip of his whiskey and
continued, �Those two Kikai of your woman�s are the most ferocious destruction
beetles I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. I�ll warn you now, those
little bastards of hers are going to get nastier as her pregnancy progresses
and when your children are finally born.�
The Aburame
Clan Leader gave his son a look of consideration, �I noticed when your mother
had Brewster, she knew the Kikai was a male and you turned out to be a male
child. I have noticed that Ino�s spoilt little
watchdogs are both male ��
Shino looked at his father
in shock as this thought absorbed into his brain. �I�m curious then, father.
The way she treats her Kikai beetles� is that an indication of what type of
mother she will be?�
Shibi grinned at his son�s comment.
He was indeed a sharp
young man!
�Yes, son� it�s an
excellent indication of what type of mother she will be to your children.
You�re a lucky man� she�s going to be a wonderful mother.�
---------------------------------
Shibi looked at his son thoughtfully as
he digested the little revelation that the young woman must have conceived
during that first time and with twins no less!
The Aburame
Clan Leader couldn�t help but be impressed with his son�s potency.
He smiled slyly then, the
timing brought to mind a rumor he had heard roughly four months ago. The pieces
of the puzzle finally slipped into place now that he figured it out.
�Son, I heard a rumor
roughly four months ago that I think may have, in fact - been based on a grain
of truth�� murmured Shibi with a sly tone in his
voice.
�What�s that, father?�
asked a suddenly curious Shino. He never listened to the village gossip, not
like his father who enjoyed a good wild rumor from time to time. He had a funny
feeling that he would be interested in this one though�
�A beautiful blonde woman,
matching Ino�s description, managed to stop every
male in his tracks within a six mile radius as she walked by�� replied Shibi, suddenly finding the swirling dark liquid in his
glass, infinitely fascinating.
�It was said that she was
so preoccupied that she hadn�t noticed when she had walked past her ex-lover
that she normally avoided like the plague without even batting an eyelash in
his general direction�� continued the elder Aburame.
Shibi waited for his son�s reaction. He
hated asking in such a way but knew it would be brought into question and
bandied about by the village gossips unless otherwise proven, especially given
that these two chose to keep their romance under wraps for this long.
He heard the chair clatter
on the floor as Shino stood up in a rush of fury, his Kikai pouring out of him
in a cloud and buzzing dangerously.
Shibi watched nonchalantly through his
whiskey glass as his son placed his palms flat on the kitchen table, his eyes
flashing brilliantly and hissed in a low voice through clenched teeth, �He was never
her lover!! Ino has known only one man
in that way!�
Shibi had suspected that was the case
but having it clarified in such a spectacular fashion never hurt.
�Well, son� I�m rather
relieved to hear that, especially when the village gossips try to elude to the
contrary�� murmured the elder Aburame, then
continued, �Relax, son� your woman�s medic nin friend, the Haruno, has
the Hokage�s ear, hn? I�m
sure she would be more than happy to help prevent unsavory gossip from
spreading?�
Shino nodded, finally
understanding why his father was pursuing this line of questioning.
�Shino, why don�t you calm
down your kikai and take your seat. I will tell you
another interesting rumor I heard a lot older than that one��
The younger Aburame sat back after retrieving his abandoned chair from
the floor and frowned slightly at his father�s comment.
�Now, son� I know you�ve
never asked your woman why she�s extremely commitment shy.� murmured the Aburame Clan Leader and then continued, �The fact that she
has promised to marry you when she�s ready is commendable and a testament to
the type of relationship the two of you have��
Shino didn�t like where
this was heading, not at all. �Father, what was this rumor you heard and how
does it relate to Ino?�
---------------------
�There was talk amongst
certain circles that Ino had inadvertently seen
something she shouldn�t have� something that destroyed her trust in relationships
so completely�� murmured the elder Aburame, taking a
sip of whiskey.
Shino stared at his father
in stunned silence, his mind reeling at what his father was alluding to.
�Father, are you
suggesting that Ino has somehow stumbled upon Shikamaru and Temari in a
compromising position?�
�Yes, son - that�s one way
to put it. One of the rumors going around at the time did suggest that Ino had caught Shikamaru Nara in
bed with the sand woman in the process of exploring each other�s souls
as it were�� replied the elder Aburame.
�I don�t understand��
started the younger man.
Aburame men were not known to stray once
they set their sights on a woman, so he could see why his son would be
perplexed by all this.
�Son� it�s quite simple. Shikamaru Nara found himself torn between two women. Ino was reluctant to consummate her relationship with the Nara because she felt she wasn�t
ready�so, Shikamaru pretty much chose the one who
didn�t have such reservations.�
�Oh my god�� whispered
Shino.
It suddenly made too much
sense; her resistances to being open about their relationship, her unnecessary
worries about what other people would say about them, her terror about his
possible reaction to an unplanned pregnancy� everything!
The younger Aburame raised his glass and took a sip of the whiskey,
welcoming the slight burn as it slid down his throat.
�Now, the Nara Heir and Ino still managed to stay friends even after this
unfortunate incident, which was commendable� then something happened to change
even that fragile bond.� murmured the Aburame Clan
Leader in a conversational tone.
Shino nodded thoughtfully
at his father�s comment. He knew what he was referring to�
�The
engagement party.�
He murmured softly.
Shibi looked up at his son with surprise
then.
So his son did know something
about this� interesting.
------------------------
It was Shino�s turn to now
lift his glass and swirl the whiskey in its depths hypnotically. He knew his
father was curious about what had happened between the two beautiful blondes
too but he was torn between not wanting to betray his friend, now
lover�s confidence or telling his father what he knew and effectively unloading
a mental burden he had been carrying for a long time.
�Shino�� murmured his
father�s voice, causing the younger man to look up from the whiskey glass he
was contemplating.
�Son, I know what you�re
thinking� and you�re wrong.� replied Shibi. �You
won�t be betraying her trust. She needs to be protected and you�re going to
need help from the Clan once the entire village is aware that she�s pregnant. I
can�t provide that assistance if I don�t know what we�re dealing with in terms
of the threat.�
The younger man gave a
deep melancholy sigh at this logic.
He hated when his
father was occasionally right!
�Okay� I will tell you
what I know about that night, father but I don�t think even you are going to
like what I am about to divulge,� murmured Shino.
---------------------------------
Nine Months ago�
Ino was running � she was too scared
to figure out where she was running to� all she knew was that she needed to get
away from that woman.
She could feel the flesh
around her throat still stinging from where Temari
had forcibly pinned her to the bathroom wall. She knew that she had no choice �
she had to do what the awful woman demanded from her or she would make good on
her threat!
Her body felt like it was
on fire and her heart felt like it was about burst out of her chest any moment.
Ino slumped over in the middle of the dark road,
extremely exhausted from her efforts to escape. She took a couple of deep
breaths to try to calm down her raging heart beat and finally looked around the
countryside, trying to get her bearings.
Ino�s eyes were beginning to well with
unshed tears.
Great! Just great! She
didn�t know who she could talk to about this mess she found herself in and now
� she was lost in a part of Konoha she wasn�t
familiar with!
The blonde despondently
thought, �This just isn�t my night to catch a break��
She was beginning to think
what else could go wrong when she felt another chakra
signature near by.
Oh God � I�m going to
die!
Ino tried to calm down her mass of
nerves to focus on the prospect of having to protect herself when she saw them
� fireflies. The night air was suddenly filled with an abundance of them. She
was hopeful that it was him but she wasn�t sure� Ino
was too wound up emotionally to get a proper read on the approaching chakra and her throat was too sore to call out the name
that had come to her mind when she first noticed the glowing bugs in the night
sky.
A hooded figure appeared
just then out of the darkness and the young woman felt trapped by the fear
starting to rise up within her, keeping her rooted to the one spot on the road.
�Ino? Are you okay?� murmured a familiar honeyed masculine voice.
There was no answer from
the young woman who had finally given into her extreme exhaustion and collapsed
in the dust.
--------------------
Shino felt something close
to pity tug at his heart and had a strange overwhelming urge to protect his
friend now stretched out unconscious on the bed. He wrung out the cloth and
placed it back on the blonde�s forehead. The young man was secretly relieved
that his father was away on a mission for the Hokage
at the moment. Shino really didn�t feel up to giving his curious father
unnecessary hopes regarding their lovely female guest. True � they were the
best of friends but that�s all they were. Ino had
never given any indication that she would welcome his attentions beyond what
they currently shared and he was reluctant to risk ruining what they had. Yes �
he had thought about it many a time but until three months ago � the beautiful
blonde had been hung up on Shikamaru Nara.
He wrung another cloth
from the bowl near the side of the bed and gently wiped at the patches of dirt
around her throat� only � it wasn�t dirt. Ino
flinched from the gentle contact and moaned pitifully before lapsing into
silence once more.
Shino frowned slightly and
looked closer at the strange markings before his eyes widened to the size of
saucers behind his glasses.
Oh God! Someone had
tried to choke the daylights out of his dear friend!
The Kikai buzzed
dangerously inside him as he tried to get his emotions under control. Whoever
had done this to her wasn�t playing games. This person was dangerous and it was
clear that they saw Ino as a threat to them.
He was tempted to wake the
young woman from her exhausted slumber but realistically knew that she needed
the rest and answers to his questions would need to wait until later.
Shino felt a little bad
about scaring her like that but that hadn�t been the plan originally.
He had been taking a
stroll when he had felt a faint but extremely familiar chakra
signature nearby. The bug wielder had broken into a trot as he headed closer
when he realized that the approaching person was highly agitated. Shino had
been shocked when he finally figured out that the individual was Ino and that she was terrified out of her mind about
something. He had thought that the sight of the fireflies would put her
troubled mind at ease but he was dismayed when she had collapsed at his feet.
Yes � he could wait until
she was awake to have a chat.
--------------------
Ino was having the most wonderful
dream. A mystery man had emerged out of a sea of fireflies and came to her in
the middle of the night. He had the most beautiful voice she had ever heard. It
had been velvety smooth with a soft sexiness to it.
She turned in her sleep
and frowned slightly when she recognized an oddly familiar smell coming from
the soft pillow under her head. The scents of lilac, sunshine and sandalwood
mixed with a distinctive masculine undertone that was comforting and
yet, at the same time strangely arousing and familiar...
�Mmmmm��
murmured the blonde with a soft smile on her lips.
The smell made her
feel�safe. It also made her think of one man in particular.
�Shhiiiinnnoooo��
mumbled Ino before she fell back to sleep.
The man in question stood
frozen in the doorway, stunned by what he had just witnessed.
He felt like a pervert,
just standing there and watching her roll around in his bed but he had to admit
that he rather liked the idea that she seemed happy to be there. His face was
still burning up from hearing his name on her lips and a part of him was
starting to have ideas of a decidedly sexual nature.
No. Things were best the
way they are�
While Ino
was an exception, he had long since come to the conclusion that no half-way
decent woman would want to voluntarily share their life, let alone a bed - with
a man who had bugs living inside of him.
He had vowed to himself,
however - if ever the day did come that he found such a paragon of a woman, he
wasn�t going to let her slip through his fingers so easily.
Shino took another longing
look at the beautiful blonde looking extremely content sleeping in his bed,
before silently slipping out the room.
No � it was best that
they just stay friends in the long term�
-------------------------------
The soft sunlight
streaming through the high window alerted Ino to the
fact that she�d been sleeping for sometime. She turned over in the incredibly
soft bed and stretched slightly before frowning as her eyes got used to the
light.
This wasn�t her
bedroom�
She sat up and quietly
surveyed the room to see where the nearest exits were, just in case she needed
to get away. Ino dealt with her share of crazy people
last night� she didn�t want to deal with any more of the same if she could help
it.
The room was decorated
with a couple of cases filled with butterflies and beetles, a desk, a bookcase
full of botany and entomology books and a long tank that contained quite a few
well-fed silk worms.
Insects of all varieties
flit in and out of the windows and were resting in various locations around the
room. The whole scene made her think that she had inadvertently stumbled into
the Garden of Eden.
Ino was still trying to figure out
exactly where she was when she saw one thing that cleared up the mystery for
her. On the desk sat a single wild daisy in a bud vase with a lady bug happily
crawling all over it.
Shino�
�Yes?� murmured a
masculine voice.
The young woman looked
over to the door where a familiar man in glasses stood, carrying a glass
containing some sort of concoction in one hand.
She was going to talk when
she felt Shino�s firm fingertips against her lips and saw him shaking his head
slightly.
�Ino,
drink this� it will help with the sore throat.� murmured the bug wielder
gently, wrapping her fingers around a glass.
She took a sip from the
proffered glass and she felt the cool liquid coat her swollen throat.
The young woman winced
slightly, a hand clutching at her bruised neck as she tried to swallow. A tear
slipped down her cheek as the sudden pain sharply brought to mind last night�s
events in vivid detail.
�Shhh,
Ino� it�s okay. You�re safe here.� murmured Shino in
a concerned tone.
�Shi...no�� began the
blonde, the muscles in her neck protesting, her fingers touching the side of
his face.
The Aburame
Heir put a comforting hand on his friend�s arm and murmured, �Shhh... Ino, you can give me an
explanation later. You need to rest and let the medicine do its job.�
The young woman�s hand
dropped away from the bug wielder�s face as she began to feel the effects of
the medicinal draught flow throughout her body.
Shino continued to lightly
stroke her arm until he was sure she was deeply asleep before tenderly placing
his lips on her temple and leaving her in peace.
He walked out of the room
without a backward glance and did not see the little smile that came to Ino�s lips.
------------------------------
Shino was sitting at the
kitchen table sipping his green tea and occasionally taking a bite out of the
piece of toast sitting on the plate nearby.
He was writing the latest
results on his silk worms into his notebook when he felt someone watching him
from the doorway.
�Good morning�� murmured
the bug wielder, smiling gently at the woman standing in there in one of his
mother�s old robes. �How are you feeling?�
�Better�thanks.� croaked
the blonde gratefully.
Shino watched as one of Ino�s hands fluttered around her throat before she asked,
�How long� was I� asleep� for?�
�You slept the day away
yesterday� your chakra was pretty depleted when I
found you.� replied Shino before he added in a gentle tone, �Why don�t you take
a seat and I will fix you some breakfast, okay?�
The young woman slipped
into one of the chairs at the kitchen table and watched as her friend got up
and walk over to the fridge.
It was the first time
anyone had offered to make her breakfast and she was delighted at the idea of
someone else cooking for a change.
�Ino��
asked the bug wielder not looking up from his perusal of the fridge as
continued his question. �Is your throat still sore?�
�Yes� a little.� admitted
the young blonde embarrassed.
Shino looked up then,
seeing the blush on her face and correctly interpreted the reason, �Ino, there�s no need for you to be embarrassed. I just
wanted to know so I could make you something easy for you to eat, that�s all.�
She suddenly felt foolish.
Oh course Shino would
care about something like that�
He had always struck her
as being a pretty considerate guy.
Ino watched him in silent fascination
as he got the ingredients together to make her a simple cheese omelet.
A plate slid in front of
her and Ino looked up in surprise. She had been so
busy staring at those hands of his, that she hadn�t noticed when he had
finished cooking.
�Take it easy, Ino� it�s still hot. Why don�t you have some juice while
you wait for it to cool down?� murmured Shino, now sitting down across from
her.
He was being so nice to
her...he was always nice to her.
All the time she�d known
this man � not once had he ever judged or criticized her. Even now � he wasn�t
pushing her for answers, but rather waited for when she was ready to tell him
and yet� she knew he was curious. Strangely enough, she really did want to tell
him what happened.
�Shino�� began the young
woman.
�Ino�
this can wait if you�re not ready�� gently cut in the bug wielder not looking
up from his notebook as he continued to scribble in more notes.
The blonde reached across
the table and placed her hand on top of his; effectively halting his writing
and Shino looked at her then.
�No, Shino� I want� to
tell you.� replied the young woman softly.
Shino gave Ino a long look of consideration before finally nodding
slowly. In her current state, a strong gust of wind could blow the poor girl
over. He was reluctant to tire her out just to get all the gory details.
�Okay� you can give me the
shortened version, alright?� murmured the bug wielder finally.
Ino nodded gratefully and smiled her
thanks.
�So, what happened? It
looks like someone tried to choke you, Ino�� replied
Shino in a concerned voice.
The blonde nodded again
and chuckled lamely, �Well... you could say that, Shino� I got pinned� to a
wall �by my throat.�
She heard the clatter of a
chair on the floor and felt his hand tense up under hers.
�What the hell?!� murmured
the bug wielder in a dangerously low voice. �If that�s meant to be a joke, then
it�s not funny, Ino.�
She looked up then and was
shocked to see how furious Shino was by this news.
�Shino, it�s alright�
really. She was just� trying to scare me away� from Shikamaru�
and you know what� it worked.� replied the blonde sadly.
The Kikai master�s brain
stuttered to a halt at that little revelation.
�She?�
�Yes� Temari
did this.�
---------------------------
Shibi swirled the whiskey in the glass
and sighed sadly. His son was right about one thing. He didn�t like it � not
one bit. In fact, now that he knew the reality of the situation, it was
infinitely worse than the rumor.
He looked up at his son,
giving him a measured look before responding, �You know, son� women can be
highly unpredictable and dangerous creatures if they don�t know where they
stand with the men in their lives. As sad as this is, I�m really not surprised
to hear that the sand woman did this to her. Shikamaru
is as much to blame for this sad state of affairs. He should have been upfront
with his woman about his friendship with Ino.�
Shino looked at his
father, mildly surprised by the older man�s observation. His father was correct
though � a person who was comfortable in their relationship with their lover
wouldn�t act like this.
�You know, son� I�m
thinking once people start hearing about your relationship with Ino, Temari isn�t going to be
bothering your woman. I think the problem was more the fact that she was still
single for so long, hn?�
He nodded thoughtfully,
staring at the little patterns on the table but looked up when he heard his
father�s sly chuckle.
�So, my son�� began the Aburame Clan Leader.
Shino narrowed his eyes at
his father then. He had a feeling that the old bug nest was going to spring
something rather unpleasant on him.
�How long did Ino end up staying in our home that first time?�
murmured the older man snickering.
�Five days? Why?� asked
Shino, clearly puzzled.
�Did she stay in your room
for the entire time or did you put her in a guest room?� asked Shibi not bothering to keep the curiosity out of his voice.
Shino flushed slightly and
replied, �I had offered to put her in a guest room once she was well enough to
be moved...but...she preferred to stay...where she felt...safe.�
�Will she feel the same
way if we offer to move her into a guest room tomorrow?� asked Shibi slyly.
Okay... he was now
confused... he honestly didn't know where his father was going with this line
of questioning...
Shino frowned thoughtfully
over at his father before replying after much consideration, �No, father... I
know that she would probably still prefer to stay in my room.�
�Well, that's most
interesting, son� you realize that this will then be the second occasion
she has voluntarily slept in your bed, right?� replied Shibi now openly grinning.
The second� oh good
lord!
�Father � you can�t be
serious! That�s such an old clan law� no one has put it into effect for who
knows how long.� protested the younger man.
�It�s actually been at
least two centuries since the last time we had to enact this particular law but
it�s still recognized as binding today.� replied Shibi
casually, now enjoying his son�s discomfort.
Shibi was secretly thrilled by this
news. This couldn�t have worked out better if he had planned it! What made it
even better was the fact that the young woman in question had willingly
sought refuge with them! His son and Ino didn�t know
it yet but this new situation was better than a contract because they wouldn't
need the Yamanaka's permission if the young woman decided to take this
option... He had a gut feeling that the man was already having regrets about
agreeing so readily to a union with this family.
�Yes, Son � I�m serious�
the next time you carry that woman to your bed, I will follow through on that
old law and use my authority as the Clan Leader to marry you two on the spot! I
suggest you tell Ino this as well.� murmured the
older Aburame, the evil glee evident in his tone of
voice.
Shino looked over at his
father then and sighed. He saw the old bug nest was extremely delighted by the
unexpected turn of events but he could also see that he was very serious about
this.
�I will tell her in the
morning, father.� murmured the young man and continued, ��but I don�t know how
she is going to take the news.�
Shibi reached over and gave his son a
comforting pat on the arm.
�Don�t worry, son� I think
it will be okay. Why don�t you go and set up the guest room? I�ve a feeling
that you are going to be staying in there for a while.�
Shino took a large swallow
of the forgotten whiskey and got up from the table.
�Son?�
The younger Aburame looked over at his father then, one eyebrow raised.
�We�ll finish the rest of
this discussion in the morning when Ino is awake,
okay?�
Shino nodded his agreement
and left the room, a little confused to how he felt about this change of
events.
Shibi left the kitchen with the contracts and the
clan seal in hand. It looked like he had a couple of additional scrolls he
needed to write this evening in light of the new information.
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Amongst The Daisies