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Surrogate	By : Geist Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 2458 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Naruto series or any of it's characters. This fiction will not profit and is only used for entertainment.

Chapter List
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- 2
A/N: This fanfiction brought to you in part by absinthe and a drunken evening of Massive Attack's "Teardrop" on repeat.
Chapter's will be updated weekly.
Surrogate

As the seal disappeared from his abdomen and the kikaichū retreated to their home under his skin, Shino took a shaky breath. Silence suddenly haunted the room, only disturbed by drafty squeaks of the old wood. Almost too slowly, he began washing the smears of blood from himself. He felt disconnected...and needed to recollect the events that set this night into motion...

***

"Again, my congratulations to those of you that have graduated to genin rank. You all have been assigned the rendevous with your team captains. As always, I will be available for tutoring until eighteen-hundred this evening, should you have any questions. Class dismissed and good luck in your futures." the Aburame clansman flatly announced.
Hurriedly and with a newfound excitement, his pupils fled the classroom. The day had started with his raucous youths being more difficult than usual with the graduation results edging-in, but it only lasted ten minutes before Boruto had the gall to try and unveil his sensei's eyes one last time. The swarm of kikaichū pouring out of Shino's visor did just the trick to make his class settle down. He had an inner chuckle over how easily cooperation came about when he bumped-up the creep factor just a tad.
Shino sat at his desk reviewing the results of the genin exams he forwarded to the jōnin captains. He noted the markedly quiet atmosphere. Typically with Sarada, tutoring hours would be abuzz with all her questions. She had met the standards of a genin though, and was moving on to bigger opportunities. A liltless greeting fell from his lips before her knuckles could rap at the open door.
"Good afternoon, Tamechia-san, is there something you need?"

Barely smirking, the latest kunoichi teacher knocked anyway. "Just some input, if you have moment?"
Shino nodded slightly and set the papers to one side as his colleague pulled a chair from one of the student desks. Taking a seat across from him, the kunoichi passed him a folder. Opening to reveal the contents, it didn't take long for Shino to notice what his co-worker wanted to bring to his attention.
"Tadaka Amaya is failing your training..." he observed.
The woman nodded confirmation while she tucked a brunette lock behind her ear. "Her grades were nearly flawless when you were her sensei, and she came to me personally to take the advanced kunoichi studies. I thought maybe you could help me see something I'm missing in training her."
The insect master nodded. "Tamechia-san..."
"Just Hachi, please, Shino-san. My surname is mouthful enough without the formality." she smiled casually.
"As you wish. Perhaps seduction arts are not well-suited for her?" he idled with a female kikaichū that emerged from his pale hand.
Hachi shook her head with surety. "She has exactly the mindset we hope to find, actually. You'd be surprised how many I turn away from the program. Too reckless..." Shino watched as Hachi's stare passed through the blackboard and how her finger fidgeted with her bottom lip. "...or even worse, they're too romantic. Ama-chan is a brilliant genjutsu type...most importantly, she knows how to detach her emotion from missions."
"Could someone be pressuring her?"
Hachi's steel-blue eyes turned their attention back to the obscured man across from her, "That was my first suspicion, in fact. As far as I've seen, she has no pressure...if anything, the opposite could be a problem. People discourage her from pursuing her training."

Shino's slower nod than usual signaled the kunoichi teacher that he'd grown contemplative of her last words.
"What have your teaching methods been thus far?" he pressed on.
Hachi's eyebrow quirked a little at this question. "You know there's an oath of confidentiality tied to this training."
Shino furthered in disclaimer, "I am aware of certain practices without discussion; merely in general terms though, please."
"We mostly practice fine-tuning genjutsu techniques, theory and hypothetical study cover a majority of the cirriculum, for right now." she shrugged.
"I see..." he let the beetle from his hand, leaving it to explore the desk. "Amaya, I will say, is very prone to criticism from those close to her, though she will not admit. She's also more retentive in practical-learning, rather than academia."

Blue eyes widened a bit at what she tought he was getting at, "Shino-san, she's only thirteen, I can't assign her any missions at this point."
"As I understand it, you successfully executed your first seduction mission when you were only thirteen." he pointed verbally.
The woman's face grew stern as Shino read her demeanor through the darkened slits of his eye-wear. 'She's more protective than I assumed...' he pondering inwardly.
"Even you have to admit, things were different for our graduating classes. Peacetime tightens the rules."
"War may be over, but crime still continues. I wouldn't suggest any active roles in a mission until she shadowed you thoroughly, of course." he proposed.
Hachi sighed and reclined, balancing on the back legs of her chair. "Even if I thought she'd be ready for shadowing, I still can't take her on a mission. Not until she's fifteen; that's the earliest age cap."

Shino paused for her, noticing her finger tapping on her crossed arms...she was perusing her options. He had to admit, the kunoichi's dedication to accommodating her pupil's needs was as admirable as her recon and seduction skill. What set her apart in her peer group were her innovative tactics and attention to detail; becoming an academy sensei visibly unnerved her with all the red tape the elders had been implimenting. The kikaichū host noticed how over the past two years, she more frequently sought his consult when the senior kunoichi instructor failed to help her find the academy's loop holes.
Her eyes suddenly narrowed, "What are the policies on case study? Can the students review mission evidence?"
The suggestion was intriguing enough... "As in surveillance footage?" he laced he fingers together.
"Exactly that."
"I suppose it could be done, given that you presented this idea before her squad captain and Naruto-sama for their approval."
As he predicted, the woman grunted and slumped over his desk, head in her palm.
The kunoichi's eyes glazed over with tedium. Shino watched attentively as the female beetle independently climbed unto his fellow instructor's finger. Without any rigidity, Hachi molded her hand to meet the parasite's path. Not that it showed, but the insect-user found it amusing.
"You're unusually companionable with parasites." Shino noted flatly.

Hachi's eyebrow tweaked a little at how rude that sounded, but she knew by now that that was hardly ever the Aburame's intent. "Insects have a profound role in this world, the least they deserve is a little respect...I'm named after a bug, for crying out loud, how dumb would that make me look to be scared?"
"...Very correct. So you'll have the Hokage review evidence screening?"
An immediate sigh fled her lungs. "Fine..." she submitted.
"If this profession frustrates you so much, then why do you continue to commit?" he asked in earnest.
Not meeting his hidden gaze, Hachi kept her focus on the beetle, "Missions, as you might imagine, don't come my way as frequently as before."
"Crime syndicates seem to be on the influx, actually."
With that remark, Hachi smiled and shook her head, "Age, Shino-san. I'm reaching my expiration date in my choice career."
This perplexed the typically knowledgable Aburame. "You're only twenty-seven."
She laughed. "In case you haven't noticed, the seedier world doesn't have a huge demand for women in their later twenties. I might fool some in our village that I'm still a youth, but with the civilians it's obvious I'm not a little girl anymore. Not so marketable as a seduction plant now, and my combat skills are nothing outstanding, so teaching was the next best choice."

The statistics she'd laid out sat rather uncomfortably in his gut. Still...there was more motivation in her career change than it just being 'the next best choice,' but he decided to let that go for now.
"My apologies. I didn't take that perspective into consideration." he felt the need to reply.
"No apology necessary. It's somewhat relieving to know you don't think like a scumbag." she winked then turned her attention back to the kikaichū crawling on her sleeve. "Do they ever miss battle or missions?"
Silently calling the female back into himself, Shino paused at this. Hachi seemed to have rather peculiar questions stockpiled for when occasions allowed them. "They find yearning for purpose, but not to the extent humans do. Their motivations always revolve around ensuring the colony survives. A failed mission or waning assignments mean nothing to them as long as their host thrives and they can continue on."
Absorbing his words, Hachi nodded lightly. The already open door suddenly slammed as a hand made its presence known.
"Ha-chan! What the hell are you still doing here? School's over!" an increasingly familiar voice boomed and chuckled.
Both teachers turned to see Hachi's teammate, Petenshi Eiji, mishevious grin and all. The look adorning the kunoichi was far less than impressed as she stuck her tongue out. "Let me guess, you want to eat out tonight?" she alleged.
The ash-blonde man shifted his eyes left and right. "Maybe..."

"Mm-hm." she sighed and retrieved the file she had shared with the Aburame man. "Shino-san, would you like to come along, since the school year's finished and all? We're probably heading to a sashimi bar..." she offered, walking to her teammate's side and looking over her shoulder. "...we could make it a celebration before the break starts?" she smiled.
"Eck, sure. Just keep those bugs off my plate, okay?" Eiji snickered before being swatted with the manila folder.
"Don't be a prat!" Hachi barked and turned her gaze to meet black lenses. "So, would you like to join us?"
Eiji walked off without waiting for a reply.
"No. Thank you." Shino quickly declined and turned back to his work.
"Well, Shino-san, thank you for your help." she smiled. "I'll see what I can scrape together for Amaya."
"You're welcome, Hachi-san." he adjourned with no apparent enthusiam.
Not watching her take her leave, Shino found himself without silence as the female beetle's witness began stirring-up quite a chatter beneath his skin. Attentively, he listened to the myriad of opinions from his symbionts...nothing encouraging could be found there. To his dismay the female had quite a mouthful about going to eat with the two ninja. He mentally retorted their complaints and went back to his work. As minutes passed in silence, he slowly heard the colony piping back up with some unusual displeasure.

Defeated, he propped his chin on his fist and gingerly laid his pen back on the desk. "Very well...if it means that much to you all." he sighed with a little more ire than he intended to express.
'So much for obedient insects...' he thought amusingly as he exited the classroom.
*
The wind whipped his moss-colored trench coat behind him as Shino meandered ever-sprawling Konoha streets. New diplomatic issues had created havoc for the start of the school year; the students had their first day put-off for five months while Naruto straightened the situation out. Relieved that the whole mess was finally fixed, Shino absently noted that there were several sashimi bars scattered throughout the village, so he held no hope of finding the one of Hachi's invite before they had already left. If he didn't give it an effort though, the kikaichū would never let him hear the end of it. Shoulders back and stoic as he went, Shino nodded to those who recognized him as the Winter night had crept in early; it was nice to finally be memorable to others.
Flashing neon of the more metropolitan streets still attracted him and struck him as rather alien; the Konoha of his pre-war days wasn't so new...and flashy. Time doesn't stop, though...something he suddenly found himself doing. She was upset, from the sound of her voice. The eatery of their choosing was only a few miles from the academy, as it turned out. Despite his expectations, the colony hadn't much to say...they listened intently to what he was listening to as he stood afar. Eiji's words were little more than a grumble at this distance, but Shino's covered eyes read a rather foul expression worn by Hachi's teammate.
The kunoichi slapped her chopsticks down and paid for her barely-touched meal before leaving silently. Eiji waved her off dismissively and went back to eating. The kikaichū began buzzing urgently, but it wasn't pestering Shino as before...now he genuinely wanted to pursue this development. Redirecting his path to follow his co-worker, it took little effort to catch up; she was walking more slowly than usual. Sensing the chakra behind her, Hachi made no effort to turn and face whoever it may be.

"What?" she opened with a sting.
"I wish to reconsider your invitation." he admitted bluntly.
Eyes wide, Hachi turned to see Shino keeping pace with her, making no apparent eye contact with her as he looked ahead. Pondering her wallet, she grimaced a bit and lowered her head in thought. Revealing no signs that he had noticed, Shino patiently waited for her answer.
"Well, fish is no longer on the menu...I could make it up to you with a meal at my house?" she faked a smile.
The reluctance hung in the air as the academy teacher weighed the offer silently, kikaichū exciting within.
The silence grew too awkward for her liking... "Or not." she smiled as sweetly as she could. "We can just–"
"Dining-in sounds fine. Thank you." he interrupted before she could retract the offer.
Even with the added tint of his eye wear, Shino just did catch her surprised blush from the corner of his eye. '...Interesting.' he noted mentally.
They walked in silence as the evening rolled-on. There was a chakra signature following them and he knew Hachi was aware of it too, but she seemed rather unconcerned so it remained unmentioned until necessary. He hadn't noticed before how little she had dressed for the cold. Her breath was visible in the December chill, she was still in her usual mini-skirt, amoured vest, blue blouse, net undershirt; her hair tied back as normal, sporting her forehead protector. She wasn't bothered in the least, it seemed. He wasn't either, but then again, he always wore a coat and the kikaichū could regulate his temperature as he wished.

Rounding their way down an alley the two senseis crossed over into the residential district, where nearly identical apartments lined the street. With a quiet leap, Hachi perched on a rooftop, waiting for Shino to follow. He mimicked her lead, revealing a row of vine-riddled planters and hot boxes populating the roof. It didn't take him long to hear the sleepy buzzing of a dormant bee hive dead-center in the rooftop garden. He noted the skull and crossbones labels and padlocks on some of the hot boxes.
"Do you grow your own poisons?" he indulged in a little inquisition.
Hachi nodded. "More here than myself grow poison plants and share the crop, but many civilian children tend the garden up here too, so only the shinobi in this building have keys. Is there something here you want to eat tonight? We're only growing rosemary, winter squash and there are some late melons left." she listed off while cleaning out the dead vines.
As she busied herself, Shino immediately keened his sights as he brandished a kunai. The brief song of slicing metal caught the kunoichi's attention as she looked behind herself to see the kikaichū master giving off an intensely hungry aura, despite not wearing any particular emotion. Shifting her sight, Hachi noticed his arm cradling a pale green behemoth much bigger than a watermelon.
"Okay..." she observed with a dumbfounded smile and beady eyes. "Winter melon...it is, then."
*

While Hachi washed the machete needed to slice the massive fruit, Shino briefly skimmed over the state of her apartment: a rather modest space, save for a pot of odd flowers she called 'sea holly' and an abundance of filled book and scroll shelves. The Aburame then set about wrapping up the leftover melon when the kettle began to whistle. Hachi grabbed the vessel and matcha while Shino filled two bowls of rice. It was well past twenty-one hundred when they had finally sat down to eat. As Shino sat before the melon soup in all of its glory, he eyed his dinner companion as she prepared the tea. He noted the very ceremonial movements even in this all-too-casual air; she probably didn't even notice herself and he surmised that her training turned her mannerisms into a force of habit.
He took interest in another bonsai plant; this one enclosed in a rather spacious terrarium beside the largest window. Humid condensation obscured his view, but Shino could see the diminutive tree was adorned with huge, drooping, bell-shaped flowers. It's glass container was locked with protective seal.
"I am not familiar with that plant species." Shino's masked eyes turned to face his hostess. "Why does it require a locking seal?" he inquired with no tone in particular.
Hachi met Shino's hidden gaze with what he supposed was a mental deliberation. She hesitated before answering. "I don't recall the name of the tree...I seal it because it's too dangerous to grow in public." as she went back to stirring the tea.
Shino could tell by the way Hachi was focusing that her lack of knowledge was a farce...and she was finding it very worrisome to decide if she could afford him more information.
"Hachi-san." he interrupted her inner argument and didn't continue until her blue-gray irises looked at him again. "The tree's existence will be unknown to me when I take my leave. You have my word."
Hachi's pupils revealed a slight dilation that Shino considered. She nodded with some reassurance and sated her dinner guest's curiosity. "I befriended a black market merchant on a past mission and he gave my the seedpod as a gift. A certain part of the tree can be processed into an anticholinergic drug."

He was quietly agitated that she was still being so purposely vague, but the insect user let her be...there was likely a good reason as to why. "Like Atropine?"
Hachi handed Shino his tea and sat across from him as she nodded; hushing her volume considerably. "They share the similar attributes, but this drug is scopolamine. It's used for manipulation by suggestion and the recipient retains no memory function during the high, but the drug is volatile and it's easy to overdose your intended. I use it on missions where genjutsu could blow my cover."
"How effective is the drug's potency?"
Lifting her gaze to meet Shino's dark lenses, she applied some perspective, "If say, I drugged you: I could order you to slit your own throat and you would do so without a second thought. ...Some try to use it as a truth serum, but an interrogator can collect misinformation if they ask a leading question."
"I understand the need for such security." Shino's emotionless curiosity of chemical weaponry was igniting with this new information, but he respected his colleague's urgency for discretion.
He looked down to the steaming meal before them and nodded thanks as the two began to eat. Shino's silence and obscured eyes gave no indication of satisfaction, but he continued eating, so Hachi took it as a good sign. His focus was outside of their meal though; he read a very faint chakra signature outside of the building that didn't move...it wasn't distressing, but it wasn't negligible either. Slurping up her own spoonful of pork and melon bits, she hummed a little moan of delight. Taking a generous draw on his tea, the guarded man exhaled in a way that sounded content.

"Just ignore him. He does this every time I have company over without him." Hachi reassured Shino's unspoken vigil. She motioned her eyes to the direction of the chakra outside.
Shino ate another spoonful of soup with mild confusion over her nonchalance. "By 'him', you're referring to?" he probed.
"Eiji." Hachi replied unenthusiastically.
"It doesn't bother you that your teammate behaves this way?" he made a point to hide any tone of concern.
Hachi chuckled while drinking her tea. "Don't get me wrong, it's creepy as hell, but he's been like this since our team was first formed and he knows it pisses everyone off." she paused thoughtfully, "I made a promise, though."
Shino couldn't find much rationale in her dismissal, but instead of continuing his objection, he back-tracked to ease his earlier curiosity, "Why did you refuse to eat with your teammate?"
Hachi immediately stopped chewing her rice and graced him with very strange stare.
"I apologize if I have troubled you. You seemed very displeased when you left." he began to regret the inquiry.
Hachi swallowed her rice in a hard gulp and went to sip her tea, "Because he's very talented at pointing out things that hurt."
"I see..." he replied quietly.

"No, you don't." Hachi smirked playfully, trying to lighten the mood despite her rather cold remark. "You saw tonight, but you don't see all the weird twists and turns that make up Eiji. He just is the way he is." she laughed.
A bit hurt by her words, Shino simply nodded as they finished their meal, eventually they made up for the awkward moment by making in-depth talk elsewhere. Greatly revolving around Hachi's surprisingly broad literature she used to study seduction; Shino found it enlightening to learn that everything from obvious fetishes, to spiritual beliefs, to a strong knowledge of farming could be used as tools to seduce a prospective target. It always seemed to meander back to their mutual student, Amaya, and how to better hone her skills. Shino even felt open enough to discuss the various types of insects his clan contracts. As the night creeped-on, Eiji's chakra left the area, lightening the mood between the two teachers to a greater degree.
*
Shino could only guess that it was around twenty-three hundred hours when he reached his doorstep within the Aburame compound, winter melon in tow. He would never admit it, but leaving such an amiable evening to come back to a dark house was a little less than inviting. As the door closed, his kikaichū fled their host to scout the spacious home while he removed his sandals...nothing was amiss. He was grateful for being provided a home after Akatsuki's invasion, but he had to admit: being one of the four noble clans gifted him shelter that was...far more than what he needed. He'd come to the conclusion though, as with most clans, his abode was built less for his immediate desire, and more for housing a potential family.
Not bothering with the lights, Shino inwardly fussed over finding a space to fit the rest of his prized melon in the fridge. Finally, after rearranging the shelves for a better fit, he stored the fruit and trudged silently down the hall to his room. He effortlessly removed his trench coat and intimidating glasses and began brushing his teeth. Rinsing out his mouth and washing his face with a quick splash, he distantly stared at his own image in the moonlit mirror.
Minutes went by hunched over the sink, staring at his own eyes, his mind was a hush when suddenly...a wild thought crossed his imagination. The kikaichū buzzed in reaction to his idea. As he contemplated its probability, his well-trained poker face dropped into a frown. He cleared his head and the colony went quiet. Too tired to ponder a shower, he sank down into his mattress, and his face took a turn for something as cold and detached as most people assumed him to be. Shaking it off, he wormed under the blankets and welcomed sleep.
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