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Koiuta, V.2	By : dragonslover1 Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 1338 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: 'Naruto' is owned by Masashi Kishimoto. I am not profiting from this fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Koiuta, Love Song V.2

　

A Blossoming Emotion

　

　

Nothing, absolutely nothing, could have downed Tasha�s emotions then. She�d been accepted. She was a part of Fire Country, a part of Konoha. It was strange how happy that made her. Had she been craving a real home for so long, a place that wouldn�t demand and demand and punish and demand, but promise and give and share? Emotion welled inside her, grateful and pleased and humbled. She hadn�t even had to prove her worth as a ninja to be accepted, something she�d expected.

Something her past had drilled into her to expect.

�Thank you,� she said, her voice wavering now. Her eyes and throat were both crowded with the weight of her sentiment. Any moment now they would start to spill over, and crying in front of this audience would shame her. She dropped her chin, running her forearm across her arms, drawing in a deep and shuddering breath, fighting back the overflow of feeling.

�Tasha?� she heard from beside her.

She shook her head. �I�m alright,� she promised Shino.

There was a scoff from the Hokage. Or was that a laugh? �If you�re that grateful,� the blonde was saying, �I expect you to do your best to protect Konoha.�

Tasha snapped her gaze right back up to the woman, almost glaring through the glaze of tears blurring her sight. �I will,� she vowed.

�Good. Because you�re a special case,� Tsunade began, �you won�t be receiving a specific team to work with. I�ll rotate your groups per mission—
�

�Wait,� Tasha interrupted, the dots finally connecting. �You�re allowing me to remain a ninja as well?�

Tsunade gave her a dumb look. �Of course. What else would you be good at?�

Good point. �Looking pretty?� Tasha answered.

Shino gave a strangled laugh, then cleared his throat.

She narrowed her eyes on him. �That had better not have been disbelief,� she warned.

When Shino shook his head, hands lifting in innocence, Tsunade chuckled. �Enough, both of you. You�ll be leaving the hospital tomorrow,� she told Tasha. �At that point, your belongings will be returned to you.�

�Thank you,� Tasha said again. And then she hesitated. �I have no money, though. Where will I be staying?�

�You�ll be given an apartment,� Tsunade told her. �You�ll have one month free to earn money, and then it�ll be up to you. Any questions?�

�Since I�m leaving tomorrow anyway,� Tasha said immediately, �can I just have my shuriken back?�

Tsunade arched a brow, a look of pain crossing her features. �Are you serious?�

�Is this �answer questions with questions day�?� Tasha returned. Shino gave a kind of cough; a smothered laugh, she guessed.

Tsunade sighed. �Fine, but if you use them for any reason other than in defense of Konoha—
�

Tasha nodded, already knowing where this was going. �I won�t, I swear it,� she promised.

Another moment passed as Tsunade flaked between believing her and not (and that was not damaging Tasha�s pride, nope, not at all), then the blonde handed them over.

Trying to appear more trustworthy, Tasha set them on the table beside her bed. In plain sight. Easy to reach, too, of course, but visible.

Tsunade noticed. Then, to Shino, she said, �Would you be willing to escort her to the Kazuchaka apartments tomorrow? The front desk is expecting her.�

He nodded. �It won�t be a problem,� he said.

�Good. For now, however, I�d like you to leave. Tasha could use one more good day of rest,� Tsunade told him.

Though Tasha started out a protest, Shino rose, donned his jacket again, said a quick �goodbye� and then was gone. Tasha almost wanted to pout. She hadn�t been ready for him to leave yet. Damn it, she only had like three friends in this world and she wanted them around more often. But she comforted herself with the knowledge that she�d see him tomorrow as well. He�d know where she lived, then, and she suspected he�d continue to visit.

They might even be able to bump into each other in the town, she thought, pleased by the notion. She�d be allowed the freedom to roam.

Then again, she might not be around as often in the near future. She would be going on missions as soon as the remaining wounds she had were no longer in danger of splitting wide open. To Tsunade, she said again, �Thank you, Hokage-sama.�

The blonde gave her an almost startled look. Hadn�t been expecting another show of gratitude? �You�re welcome, Tasha-san.� A hesitation, then, �Of Konoha,� was added.

Tasha warmed at the thought, tears again swamping her eyes. It must have been pretty obvious what was about to happen because Tsunade chose then to excuse herself. As soon as the woman was out of sight, Tasha darted into her bathroom, locked the door (for all the good it would do against a determined ninja) and let the feelings out. For the first time in her life, she was crying of joy.

Fuck Iwagakure. Fuck her clan, the Tsuchikage, her team, the lot of them—
she was a Konoha ninja now. A leaf ninja. Through some lucky draw of fate, she�d escaped the place she�d been born and entered what was, by comparison, heaven. She had a strong feeling she was going to enjoy life here to the point of being willing—
not just ordered, but willing—
to die for this country. The distinction was mind-blowing.

Somewhere around an hour passed as she remained in that bathroom, musing on mixed feelings of happiness and serenity, until a knock on the door signaled that it was time for blood work. Her white blood cell count needed to be checked, she was told. So she rose, washed her face—
ugh, pink, swollen eyes was unattractive—
and exited, submitting to the test with less fuss than she ever had. The final test, she was informed.

After the nurse left, she opened her window wide. The wind felt divine as it filtered through, refreshing and charming and kind of seductive. She wanted to go running, her body bursting with energy after the past week of being forced to remain still, her jewel super-charging her limbs. Time to get rid of some of that energy, she decided.

Then Tasha began working out, stretching her tender limbs, wincing at each new pull which signaled that her laziness had put her out of shape. But she kept it up, ignoring any looks she got from the Chunnin still guarding her. Though she knew they watched, they weren�t interrupting. She was grateful for the time. On and on she worked, well past dark, until her body stopped responding. Exhaustion, by that point, was welcome.

She managed to throw herself onto the bed, then, embracing oblivion in the early morning hours before dawn. But while her dreams started off pleasant, echoing her good mood, they soon turned. . .strange. At one point she was holding a statue�s head that looked like her own, watching helplessly as it crumbled in her grasp. The cracks had begun at the jewel.

Though she woke up less rested than she needed, she wouldn�t let that get her down. She went through a series of stretched as soon as she was conscious, easing the aches blooming to life in her muscles after the night�s exertion. She needed another day of good rest then, Hokage-sama? Hah!

As she was finishing up her stretches, that male nurse she liked returned. He informed her of her test results, and though the words didn�t make a lot of sense to her, he looked pleased, so she assumed she was still recovering. Then she decided to go out on a limb, asking him to fetch some fresh fruit for her, if possible. She was tired of the hospital food. He agreed before leaving, sending her a look of want before disappearing.

Oh, she liked him. He gave her attention, after all. While she waited, she showered, her bathroom having been equipped with a single stall. Her belongings were delivered in that time, the clothes left by a nurse in the bathroom so she�d have them on-hand. She finished her shower, dried off, dressed, and was still attempting to dry the length of her hair when she exited—
and stopped dead.

Honestly, she wasn�t surprised to find that Shino was already here, but she was surprised that she hadn�t sensed him. She never did. It baffled her. Hell, she�d felt Tsunade approaching from down the hall! Still wringing her hair out, she pursed her lips at him, saying, �How do you do that?�

If she could read anything at all about him (which she couldn�t), he was surprised. �That depends,� he answered. �What am I doing?�

�Hiding your presence somehow,� she explained. �I mean, I can feel when Kiba is near clearly. Hinata, too. Tsunade�s presence practically blares itself. But with you, I get nothing. Not a hint of awareness.�

He shifted but otherwise didn�t respond at first. Then, �You can sense others?�

She tapped her jewel. �Through this, yes. Sort of. It�s like a whole extra sense.� Not exactly, she admitted, but it was a close explanation.

Shino shrugged, no answer given. Must be the bug thing, she figured, but didn�t say.

Then her eyes turned to her bed where her belongings awaited and grinned. �He came through!� she declared, stepping over to it. Four separate fruits were set there with the rest.

�Who?�

�Jirou-san,� she answered absently, examining the fruits for imperfections. Finding none, she smiled over at Shino. �He�s one of my nurses. Well, he used to be,� she amended, since she was leaving today. Setting them back down, she sat, slipping her shoes on. For a little while, Shino was totally silent, so she glanced up in question. �Something wrong?� she asked.

He shook his head, but her eyes narrowed upon him. At that look, he said, �Nothing that concerns you.�

Uh-huh. She let it slide, though, not wanting an argument with him. Her katana and dual kodachi were next to be strapped into place, and then she was ready to go—
if not for her wet hair, she realized. Shoot. She loved the lengthy raven locks, she really did, but sometimes it was cumbersome, too.

Included with her things was a single hair ribbon and twelve beads she had been using at the time of her initial attack, so she still had them. Trying for speed, though, she fisted her hair and began twisting. As she worked, she could practically feel Shino�s intrigue, wondering what she was up to. When her hair was securely twisted around one entire arm, she drew it free and twisted the length into a tight bun. She only managed a few circles, though, before the bun was so thick she wouldn�t be able to tie it off if she continued, so she tugged it tight and tied the ribbon around it.

From the feel of it, she�d done a pretty good job for being a quickie. A length of her hair was still free, now reaching only about halfway down her back. Damp, yes, and the water had gotten over much the bed and her own back in the process, but she�d done it, damn it.

Feeling accomplished now, she gave Shino her attention. �I�m ready,� she told him.

He nodded and turned. She noticed his movements were a little jerky, just a very slight tell suggesting something was on his mind. She chose not to dwell on it, snatching up her fruits and juggling them idly as she pondered which to devour first. She went with the peach, was chewing it when she passed by Jirou. She waved and smiled at him in thanks, her mouth full, and he waved back, his cheeks notably pink.

That blush boosted her confidence, and she strode out of the hospital on Shino�s heels feeling fantastic despite her difficult night. The core of the peach was tossed into the first trash can she spotted.

�So,� she began, wanting to have another easy conversation with the man leading her, �did you sleep well?�

He nodded, though he only turned a slight ways towards her. She could barely make out the bridge of his nose. �Pleasant enough dreams,� he half-answered. �And you?�

She shrugged. �Not so much. Initially it was all sunshine and rainbows,� she told him, �but then it started getting darker. I guess anxiety hit me.�

�Anxiety?� he echoed. �You don�t seem the type.�

She had to smile at that. Damn right she wasn�t the type; she was trained in Iwa, after all. Things were tough there. She replied, �Not normally, no, but I�ve also never lived totally on my own before. No clan, no family, so on. It should be interesting.� But, she admitted, it would be better no matter what. Certainly, living alone would have its own trials. Yet it was better than having to compete with a dozen others over every scrap of praise, every meal, every. . .thing.

She would have to furnish her own home. And oh, that was a sweet thought. Her own home. She might end up so sentimentally attached to the apartment she would never leave it again.

�I�m sorry,� Shino told her.

�Eh? For what?� she wondered, blinking at him.

That gave him pause, the silence suggesting he was surprised. �Because you�ve never been on your own before,� he finally said.

In return she shrugged. �I�ll live.� An understatement. She would thrive.

More idle chatter flowed between them as he led her through the winding streets, the fruits eventually, absently, devoured. Her eyes ate up the sights. The buildings, the stalls, the people, the colors. Iwa was little more than dull browns, greens and blues. Occasionally red stained various objects or walls, the result of some fight. Konoha was so much different, but in all the best ways. Had she ever been here before, maybe for a Chunnin Exam, she would�ve yearned to live here.

She might�ve even run away on her own, just to come here to stay.

Eventually they reached the building in question, cramped up against all the other nearby structures, complicated lines of power stretching between them. Iron bars made a series of balconies down one side, connected by ladders and staircases. Fire escapes? Iwa didn�t have them; if your house was on fire, it was on you to escape with your life.

Overall, she approved. She even liked its proximity to the other buildings, like they were good friends. Shino continued leading the way, holding open the door for her, which she accepted with a gracious nod. There was a woman waiting behind a counter, a series of mail nooks behind her with room numbers. She greeted the pair, asked for their business and soon had a series of papers handed to Tasha. She looked them over, signing two of them to hand back, glad to have this chance.

A key was handed to her. �Let me be the first to officially welcome you to Konoha,� the woman said.

It never ceased to baffle Tasha, how kind everyone was. She bowed in return. �Thank you very much,� she answered.

Shino had stayed throughout the transaction despite not having to, a fact that warmed her. He went with her up to her new room, and she was giddy as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was almost completely bare, she noted, but dust-free. Recently cleaned? For the most part it was one room, with a curved set of counters dividing the kitchen, a bathroom with a tub (thank the gods; she missed baths) and two wide closet doors.

As she inspected the room, Shino wandered, glancing around. She wasn�t sure what he was looking for, exactly, but she let him scout. The last thing she did was force open the window—
which put up a fight at first, she noted—
to let in some fresh, clean air.

�It�s perfect,� she concluded. Spacious enough to support a couple of people, provided they kept things like bed rolls out of the way when not in use. There were no dents, no holes in the walls, no cracks. She could hear neighbors in various places, but that she didn�t mind. She suspected she would come to appreciate the noise.

Turning to Shino, she asked, �So, what do you think of my new home?�

�Nice,� was his immediate (and simple) answer.

She arched a brow at him in silence, demanding more than that.

�. . .Fillable?� he offered after a few more moments.

A chuckle escaped her. Eyes scanning the area once more, she replied, �And filled it will be. Eventually.� She strode to the closet, opening it. Then she took off her weapons, stacking them there. They were stark against the plain, bare white shelves.

When she turned back again, Shino hadn�t moved. If anything, he looked awkward. Ashamed of himself, she wondered? �Something on your mind?� she queried.

He nodded, then, �I was thinking. . .well, because you�re new to Konoha, you should be shown around. I�m available—
for a tour,� he added more sharply. �I have nothing to do today.�

Was he nervous? It almost dumbfounded her, her mind struggling to understand why he might be awkward about this. And then the same nervousness hit her, because—
�Are you asking me on a date?�

�No, of course not,� he replied quickly. Too quickly.

Disappointment hit her. Still, she would rather walk than stand, rather be with him than without. So she said, �I would love a tour.�

It was still hard to read him, but right then it was obvious that he was relieved. She shut her window first, just in case, before she left with him again.

What followed was easily the best day of her life. He showed her around nearly all of Konoha, pointing out shops that she would need to visit eventually, restaurants, the communal bathhouse, the Kage�s tower, various ninja clan homes. She met several other ninja along the way, too, and the variety between their appearances and personalities was another thing to surprise her.

There had never been this much diversity in her own clan, nor in all of Iwa. Blondes, brunettes, pink or violet or green hair, all range of colors making up their attire, their attire varying from pants to skirts to vests to shirts and all manner of things in between. Some even wore samurai-like armor. Some were loud, others quiet, some erratic and some calm, some full of expression and other devoid of all emotion.

She would never get fully accustomed to this place, she realized. There were just so many differences between here and Iwagakure, so many things she saw but couldn�t comprehend. She even caught a sparring match as they walked, and neither partner was actually out to kill the other. They stopped before first blood, too, instead of snapping bones until one yielded.

That bit of information was shelved for later, in case she ever sparred. She would have to remember not to go for kill strikes.

Shino took her to a stall for lunch while they wandered, which he paid for despite her protests. Damn it. Okay, yes, she was broke, and yes, he was certainly kind enough to front her first real meal in Konoha, but it didn�t change the fact that she wanted, craved, to take care of herself again. It�d been weeks now since she�d been able to. She needed to handle her own bills.

Either he didn�t understand that or he was being stubborn. And it reminded her that she still owed him something, anything he could ask for. By now, though, she suspected he would never cash that in. Or if he did, it would be in some small way.

Near dusk, they ventured outside the city, and when she was surrounded by trees, she couldn�t help herself. She leapt onto a branch without warning. Still, Shino was right there with her, following her move with ease, the butthead. She�d hoped to at least surprise him.

Then she faced Konoha, her breath catching at the sight it made. She watched with a kind of fascination as the sun fell behind her, sending shadows over Konoha and a rainbow of colors across the clouds in the sky. Serenity was a new feeling for her, but damn if she wasn�t feeling it a lot lately. Had there ever been a more perfect place? She doubted it.

With a soft sight, she leaned against the trunk, realizing now that this place seemed to have brought pieces of her back to life. Pieces she hadn�t known were dead until now. A multitude of positive emotions had reconnected in her mind, her awareness expanding until she could actually feel herself. She hadn�t even noticed that before, how she�d blocked herself from her senses. But she felt it now, felt things like the movement of her ribs as she breathed, her heart beating in a lazy rhythm.

�I almost can�t believe it,� she found herself saying. �Just look at it. I feel like I�m in a dream,� she admitted. �I never expected anything to look this beautiful.� Silence greeted her, but she was glad for that. She didn�t imagine Shino had any idea what to say, and she wasn�t looking for a reply, anyway. She was just talking, needing to let the words out.

She went on, �As strange as it might sound, I think this is what it feels like to be in love. And with a village, no less.� There was no humor in her tone, no joke, just awe. �Everything about it is just perfect. I feel like I�m. . .� She paused, a part of her trying to hold back the next words because hey, could she get any weirder? But they came out anyway. �I feel like I�m finally home.�

And, she added more quietly, with Shino right beside her, she felt it all the more clearly. This day, having spent several hours with him, brought into crystal clarity how she viewed him. He made her smile, made her laugh. A good part of the reason why she felt so whole now was because he�d been the first person to make her truly laugh, to start the reconnection of her body and mind.

No longer was she just a thing designed to kill when ordered, attack when ordered, retreat when ordered. She�d been halfway to dead when she�d first met him, the only emotions she ever really felt being arrogance, jealousy, pride and shock. Now she had the full spectrum back.

He was important to her. More important than any other. In the past she�d worried that her clan placed no worth on her person, but she�d totally overlooked the fact that she placed no worth on herself. With Shino, she didn�t just feel as though she was worth her own efforts, she felt worthy.

And, she decided then, she would tell him so.
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Koiuta, V.2