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dira333 · 8 months

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The Road Not Taken - Part 6

Shibi x female reader with a name - arranged marriage

Summary: Airi Nara seems a hopeless case, until her grandmother sets her up for an arranged marriage. But was marrying Shibi Aburame the right choice after all?

Character Sheet - Masterlist

WARNING This chapter contains canon typical violence and death

Chapter 6 - Airi -

Two weeks pass and you’re at the end of a work cycle.

Every single shift has its advantages and disadvantages, leaving you unable to decide which one you would ask to cut.

Shibi’s recommendation - to cut two days off each week - gets blocked the second you bring it up.

“You can’t work less.” Kazue hardly looks up from her charts. “We need you here.”

“I have a son now, he needs me.”

Kazue levels you with a glare. “How old is he?”

“He’s four.”

She snorts. “That’s old enough to be alone for a few hours. Besides, he’s got a father too, doesn’t he? He can train with him when you’re at work like every other child here does.”

Kazue ends the conversation after that, assigning you the task that everyone hates - the autopsy shift.

It’s less draining on your Chakra than any other shift but it depletes what good mood you had left over from the morning. When you finally clean up, more than eager to get home, Kazue crosses your path again, handing you a scroll.

“Urgent mission. You need to get ready in half an hour.”

“But-” You start and she glares at you until you close your mouth and nod.

“Your shift tomorrow is covered but in case you come back earlier than expected, report to your usual shift.”

Half an hour is not nearly enough time for what you need to get done.

You race home and send a shadow clone to fetch Chiasa when Shibi is nowhere to be found.

She arrives in a cloud of Kikaichu and striped sleepwear.

“Shibi’s on a mission.” She explains, her tone dry as always.

“I have to leave for one as well.”

“Ah.” She eyes the bar of chocolate you’re wolfing down in between packing your stuff. “When are you going to be back?”

“Estimated time is up to twenty hours. I’m on late shift rotation and if I’m home earlier I have to report back anyway. If Shino asks for me tomorrow…”

“He understands what missions are about.” Chiasa sounds clearly annoyed now and you suppose she’s right. But you can’t help thinking about your own childhood and how it felt to stay behind when your parents had to leave for missions. Especially the one they never came back from.

“I’m telling him goodbye.” You rush past her before she can stop you, climb the stairs knowing full well you’re going to be late to the meeting point.

“Hey, Shino…” You shake his shoulders softly and he grumbles, a wave of Kikaichu crawling over your hands in response. Whatever they tell him, it wakes him up and he blinks blearily up at you.

“I have to leave on a mission,” You tell him quietly, “Chiasa is here and looking after you. I won’t be home tomorrow when you wake up.”

Even in his sleepy state, he grasps the meaning of your words immediately, his hands following suit. He’s hanging off your shoulders now, face pressed against your neck.

Shino does not speak, he does not need to. The Kikaichu crawling over your body tell you more than enough and you keep talking to him, your voice quiet and soothing until he lets go of you again.

You kiss him on the forehead one last time and sneak a piece of chocolate into the top drawer of his nightstand for him to find in the morning.

Haruno Mikio’s bright pink hair is clearly visible even this late at night.

Your heart leaps at the thought of having him on your team but when you approach him, he wipes sweat and dirt off his forehead and grins apologetically.

“Sorry dumpling,” he flicks your forehead, “Just got back. Maybe next time.”

You roll your eyes at the age-old nickname. Mikio, Tsume and you had been Genin-Team 8 years ago and while you wouldn’t call the three of you best friends, there’s still some fondness left for each other.

“Say hi to your kid for me,” you tell him off and march over to the other group of Shinobi waiting at the gates.

Ohta Masashi and Ota Minori are both Jonin, who are, ironically, not related.

They might share almost identical looks and fighting styles and even their last names are almost identical, but everyone who’s spent the better part at the Academy with them in one class - like you - knows better.

“What are you doing here?” Masashi asks, annoyed as usual in your presence. “This is an A-Rank Mission. You’re still Chunin.”

“All Missions above and including B-Rank Missions should include a Medi-Nin.” You remind Masashi as calmly as you can. You’d rather be at home anyway.

“Who’s leading the mission? The information I got was pretty dire.”

“Some Aburame,” Minori shrugs, “Or was it Asamune? Didn’t really care. Didn’t you marry lately? I heard something.”

“I did.” You have no intentions on discussing your life with your school bullies but Minori seems to have other plans.

“Heard it’s an Aburame. Didn’t know Deer and Bugs could be sexually compatible.” He snickers as if he’d just made the best joke ever and Masashi joins in when someone clears their throat directly behind you.

“It seems we’re all here.” You’d recognize that voice anywhere by now and turn, hoping against all odds that Shibi hasn’t heard anything that Minori has just said.

Just half a second later your head registers something more important.

“You’re the team lead?” You ask, your head spinning with thoughts. “Chiasa said you’d gone on a mission, what about-?”

He nods, cutting your rambling off. “She’s been informed. Shino is taken care off.”

Relief washes over you but that never lasts long with the trouble twins near you.

“Wait a minute.” Masashi, always the smarter one, connects the dots. “You guys are married?”

“We are. Do you have a problem with that?” Shibi’s voice is cold when he speaks, something you haven’t heard from him before.

An almost sadistic grin grows on Minori’s face and he shakes his head.

“Nah. Just surprised the Hokage thought that would be a good idea. Oh well, if one of us two dies we’ll know it’s because the princess couldn’t take her eyes off her husband.”

“You can leave.” Shibi’s voice cuts through the tension, “I’ll have no problem finding someone else for this mission. Someone more suitable.”

Masashi is the first to come to his senses, shaking his head.

“Nah.” He slaps one hand onto Minori’s shoulder. “We’re good. We’re good.”

Twenty minutes later Konoha lies far behind you.

Shibi has all of you moving at a breakneck speed and soon, the ‘terrible twins’ fall behind.

You don’t really know how you keep up, your focus narrowing on just the next tree and the tree after that.

When Shibi stops, you don’t notice until you slam right into him, cutting your chin on the rough exterior of his gourd. He doesn’t move and the impact throws you back, the only thing keeping you from falling off the tree is Shibi himself, who grabs your arm.

“Why did you stop?” You ask, breathless and embarrassingly wheezy.

“Your Chakra signature has started to fluctuate. Are you alright?”

You wipe the blood from your chin and focus again, your hand glowing with Chakra as you move it across your body only to let out a heavy sigh.

“I’ve started my period.” You explain lowly, hoping against all odds that the terrible twins are still way behind you.

Shibi tenses immediately, much to your surprise.

“I’m fine.” You tell him. “I just burn out quicker. Can I take a quick break, though?”

“I’ll keep watch.” He speaks stiffly and you can’t fault him for that. He’s spent four years without a woman in his house and who knows how involved he was with that business before.

You assume that he means well, but the cloud of Kikaichu following you as you make your way over to a few narrow bushes makes you feel like he’s watching you instead of whatever enemies the forest hides.

Rushing through the task you climb back up the tree minutes later.

“How long until we set up camp?” You ask. “Have we located them already?”

As it’s an A-Rank Mission you got only a slimmed down version of the mission briefing in the scroll Kazue gave you.

What you do know is that you’re following a group of Kiri-Nin who’ve been suspects for months. Only now they’ve given Konoha a reason to hunt them down - they stole sensible documents.

“We’re making good time. We should come close to their camp in about three hours. We cannot attack before sunrise though. Why? We know that at least one of the Shinobi is weaker in the light, using the darkness to their advantage.”

“Three more hours?” You squint at your watch in the low light of the moon. It’s pretty unnecessary, your exhaustion alone is telling you that you’re already way past midnight.

You pull a pillbox out of your bag and flick the lid open, squinting at the content.

“What is it?” Shibi steps closer.

“Just Soldier Pills.” You explain and successfully spot the version that’s a little bit weaker than the regular version.

You don’t want to be awake for three days straight. One is more than enough.

“Why are you looking at them?” There’s a weird undertone in Shibi’s voice and you look up at him. He’s standing with his back to the sky, his face covered in darkness.

“I was trying to pick out the version I make for myself. It’s a bit weaker than the regular ones.”

“Why are you looking at them?” He repeats, again with that weird undertone.

“You can pick up Chakra Signatures. You should be able to tell why I need them.”

“I’ll carry you.”

You laugh at the absurdity of it.

“I am perfectly capable of making the distance myself. It’s your speed that’s giving me trouble. But I will be fine. There’s nothing wrong with Soldier Pills.”

“Yes there is. Hiding your exhaustion behind stimulations is not the way to go.”

“Shibi.” You’re deeply annoyed now. “I am not a child. Furthermore I am a Medi-Nin and qualified to tell you if these things are bad for you or not. I’m pretty sure almost every Shinobi in our ranks has taken them at least once by now. What’s gotten you so riled up?”

He’s quiet for a while.

You’re not sure why you wait for his answer instead of just popping one of the pills and getting this all over with.

Eventually, he speaks.

“You do not like being away from Shino.” He starts and moves his head slightly, his glasses reflecting the moonlight for a moment. “Neither do I. It makes me worry more. Is he alright? Did I prepare him for everything should the worst happen? I have not thought about the possibility of worrying about you but now I find myself wondering if I am a good team lead if you need stimulants to keep up with the mission.”

“How about a compromise?” You can hear yourself say.

“You can carry me until we set up camp - under the requirements that no one sees or hears about that, ever - and I’ll save the soldier pill for when it’s really necessary, in case of a fight or an emergency. I know what I’m doing with them, I even make them myself, but if it will ease your mind, this would be an arrangement I’d be comfortable with.”

“It’s acceptable for me as well.” He agrees. “I’ll let Ohta and Ota know which direction we’re moving in.”

Only when you’re on his back, arms slung around his shoulders and your nose buried in his hair, you realize how idiotic this compromise is.

You might conserve energy through this, but he’ll tire out much faster if he has to carry you for three hours.

If Shibi has realized that as well, however, he does not show.

And you might not know him that well yet, but you’ve already realized that he’s stubborn.

Finding another compromise might take you hours.

It speaks for your exhaustion that you doze off almost immediately and need a few seconds to orient yourself when you wake up with your nose pressed into his hair.

“Shibi?” You ask, struggling to move out of his grip. “What’s going on?”

“We’ve located them. They’ve set up camp and I’ve called Ota and Ohta to pick up speed so that we can rest before attacking them. Why? We’re up against someone who’s strongest in the darkness. We will use the morning light to our advantage.”

You nod. “I’ll set up camp then as well.”

He opens his mouth to disagree but you stop him with a hand on his elbow.

“Shibi.” You put as much emphasis as you can on his name. “I am fine. I am a Chunin, not a child.”

He doesn’t respond to that, just gives you a tense nod and you make your way down the tree.

Overhead you hear the rustling of leaves and the telltale sound of someone approaching through the treetops.

You can’t see them but you can hear them. Minori is cursing under his breath but Masashi’s the one addressing Shibi.

“Can you call back your bugs? We got it the first time, you don’t have to push and pull us here.”

“We should attack.” Minori sounds restless. “They’re only three, we could take them down easily, they’re only Kiri-Nin.”

“No.” Shibi’s voice is filled with so much authority you can feel it even down here on the ground.

“Where’s the wifey?” Minori asks, followed by the sound of a slap and him cursing softly. “What was that for?”

“It’s Aburame-san, idiot.” But there’s a teasing lilt to his words that tells you he’s going to give you shit later when Shibi isn’t around to hear it.

“She’s setting up camp. You should get down as well. I will take the first watch, we still have some time before sunrise. Why-”

His sentence is interrupted by a rumble you can feel in your bones.

It’s the only warning you get.

Even though you’re immediately on high alert, the attack comes out of nowhere.

You barely dodge the blade moving towards you and can feel the faintest sting on your cheek where it cut you. Down here where the moonlight barely reaches you, you have to act on instinct instead of sight, especially when a well-aimed kick against your flashlight renders it useless.

You throw your shadow at him, glad that no matter how many training sessions you’ve missed in the last weeks, your Kekkei Genkai does not lose its strenth.

The guy curses in your hold and you move slowly, step away from him to bring distance between you before you reach into your belt and bring some light into the situation.

The lighter, an old heirloom from your maternal grandfather, hisses to life. It gives only the barest of lights but you can see the face of his attacker.

“Release me.” He spits at you.

“Why would I?”

“My friend might show you mercy if you do.”

“Is your friend the one who has the scroll on him or is that you?”

He curses again and you lower the lighter to check how he’s holding his weapon before you attack.

You leave him bound to a tree, unconscious and relieved of any weapons.

The others must have moved further away during the attack and you make your way up a tree to look for them.

What you find is a crater. Big enough to fit a house inside.

You swallow your nerves and move away from it, following the line of trees that have been cut in half.

After all these years as a Shinobi, the darkness isn’t scaring you any longer. But the Silence does.

There’s no sound of fighting, nor the movement of fleeing feet. Not even the animals make any sound as you move, faster and faster.

At one point you cave and pop a soldier pill, hoping against all odds that you won’t need the extra Chakra. You tell yourself that this is how it will play out. You wide awake back at home because the others have already won the fight and the cut on your cheek is the only thing in need of healing.

But then you find the body.

The legs are the first thing you see, the right one covered in blood, the pant leg shredded.

It’s the standard uniform pants of the Konoha Shinobi and you hurry forward, heart lurching in your chest.

Please don’t be Shibi, please let it not be Shibi. You pray silently as you move, ears strained for a waiting enemy.

It’s Masashi.

“What happened?” You’re dropping down next to him, getting to work immediately.

One Shadow Clone appears next to you, keeping watch for any attacks as you assess his injuries.

His left side is sliced up badly and he’s lost a lot of blood.

But he’s still conscious.

“There are two of them.” Masashi croaks. “One of them uses the darkness like a knife. We got a few good punches in but he’s too fast.”

“I captured the third one.” You tell him. “He did not have the scroll. Do you need something against the pain?”

“I’m good.” He huffs but his face is pale and you press a different pill against his lips.

“Chew this. You lost a lot of blood and I need you up as quickly as possible.”

“Missing your husband already?” He jokes.

“I’m thinking of Minori.” You snap back angrily and he shuts up immediately.

You have to move slowly, you and your shadow clone supporting Masahiro on either side.

Above the trees, the sky is slowly getting brighter and you pray that morning comes fast enough.

At some point, a cloud of Kikaichu finds you, curling around you like a hug.

“What’s he doing?” Masashi asks, clearly disgusted by the tiny little bugs crawling over his and your skin.

“He’s checking us for injuries, I think. If he can spare this many Kikaichu, he’s captured the attackers.”

Shibi meets you halfway.

Next to him, carried on another cloud of Kikaichu, is Minori.

His face is pale, his clothes painted red.

You know he’s dead before Shibi speaks the truth into existence.

Coming home from a mission gone wrong is always the hardest part.

Masashi refuses to take a break, refuses to let anyone else carry Minori.

It’s almost noon when you arrive at the gates, the guards blanching at your appearance.

Masashi and you are covered in blood, even Shibi’s coat spreckled with it.

The walk through the backstreets of Konoha is quiet.

The Hokage offers you the tired compassion of a man who has seen this too many times to care. Reports are to be handed in tomorrow.

As Medi-Nin of this team, Masashi is still under your care and Lord Third orders you to take him to the hospital, Shibi staying behind for questioning.

Masashi, usually loud and annoying, is quiet.

He’s quiet when he moves, quiet when you order him to strip off his blood-stained clothes in exchange for a hospital gown.

You’re afraid of what’s hiding behind this quiet, too much of a coward to ask him how he’s feeling.

The two of you were never friends, more of the contrary.

But losing someone is always hard, no matter how much of a dick you’ve been before.

Shibi finds you outside of Masashi’s room, checking his charts one last time.

“You’re not hurt?” He asks and you feel his eyes moving across your body.

“Just a scratch on my cheek.” You point to it. “It’s healing already.”

He nods. “Let’s go home then. Why? Shino will be waiting.”

You open your mouth to remind him of your rotation when Kazue rounds the corner.

��Oh good, you’re here. You have the autopsy shift today and we got notice that we need to look for poisons in some bodies.”

She offers you a clipboard and you begrudgingly stretch out your hand to take it, only for Shibi to push it back towards Kazue.

“Shibi?” You ask, surprised.

“She’s not working today. Why? She’s been at work for over 24 hours.”

“That’s not my problem.” Kazue snaps back in her usual fashion, not realizing that she’s not talking to one of her subordinates but a Clan-head.

“It is now your problem.” Shibi’s voice is as cold and cutting as a Kunai. “If you cannot take care of the ones working under you, you won’t have people working under you for long.”

“Is this a threat?” She bristles and he nods.

“Aburame-san will be back at work tomorrow.” He tells her and leads you away with a hand on the small of your back.

There’s a remark on the tip of your tongue, but you make the conscious decision not to open your mouth. It’s the second time you see Shibi act like the Clan Head and respectable Shinobi he is. As his wife, you’re supposed to follow him and if he’s willing to take on Kazue, you’re sure as hell not going against it.

#my writing #Shibi x reader #Shibi Aburame x reader #Shibi Aburame #Shino Aburame #arranged marriage #Second Chance Romance #Naruto fluff #Naruto imagine #Naruto fanfiction #tw: violence #tw: death

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spellcasterlight · 8 months

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Hi there, Praiseworthy Poison Dart Frog Anon! 😄

This came out much more emotional than you probably expected when you requested this, but the plot bunnies do what they want! All the love right back! I hope I do your request justice! Happy birthday, Shibi! 🪲💕

I hope you like it! ✨

Also, a massive massive thank you to my beta reader @depressedhatakekakashi. They were amazing in helping me get everything just right ❤️

The Promise Of Patience - [Shibi x Trans Male Reader]

@hate-mail-to-canon - Day 3 Prompt: Divorce From Canon

@kinky-things-happen - Tile 21: Anal and Dildos

Warnings: Minor Character Injury. Graphic Sexual Scene. Dildos. Anal Sex. Mild Swearing.

Story Link: [Ao3🔗]

Ao3 ✨ |Story Request Bingo Cards 📖 | WIP Game Always Open ✒️| Ko-Fi ☕ | Reblog Blog 🟢

#naruto smut #kinkythingshappenbingo #shibi x reader #shibi aburame x reader #shibi aburame #aburame shibi #fanfic request #love to the anons!#love to the event mods!#asks are open!#naruto labor day minibang

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dira333 · 7 months

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The Road not Taken - part 9

Shibi x female reader with a name - arranged marriage

Summary: Airi Nara seems a hopeless case, until her grandmother sets her up for an arranged marriage. But was marrying Shibi Aburame the right choice after all?

Character Sheet - Masterlist

Taglist: @sammieshuttle97

The room is starting to get blurry at the edges, a sign that you should get a snack in sometime soon.

But Takeo Lee is not a man of few words and he’s absolutely enamored with his grandson.

Eventually he releases the two of you from his conversational hold and you lock eyes with Shibi through the dark sunglasses. It’s surprisingly easy to see through them even this late at night.

He leads you over towards the snackbar that has now been cleared of food.

Had you eaten before hand, like Shibi had recommended in the days leading up to this celebration, this would be no problem at all.

But now nausea is creeping up your throat.

Chouza is just popping the last bite of Gyoza into his mouth, but you’re sure he’s got some hidden snacks. You only have to make it the few steps up to his table.

“Aburame-san.” Hiashi Hyuga steps into your way, adressing your husband politely while sparing you barely a nod of acknowledgement.

“Hyuga-san.”

“I’d like to have a word.”

“Of course, I-” Your left knee buckles and your hand on Shibi’s arm tightens as he’s the only thing holding you upright right now as the room’s spinning in front of you.

The next second a warm hand is shoved under your other arm.

“Airi, long time no see, come on, let’s have a drink.” Tsume is pulling you the other way. “Let the guys do their talking.”

“I’ll see you later.” You mumble into the direction you assume Shibi’s standing in.

It doesn’t take long to feel a seat underneath your legs, Tsume is on your right side, pushing something dry against your lips.

“Eat up.” You open your mouth and chew, trying not to gag at the awful taste of a regular soldier pill.

The effect is as sudden as needed. Your vision clears significantly and you realize you’re at a table sitting across some women you can’t really name. They are not Clan heads and if they are married to some it’s none of the noble Clans.

“What’s gotten into you?” Tsume asks with her usual lack of tact, “If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re pregnant.”

She’s never been one to talk quietly and even her whisper can’t be called one. One of the women at the other side of the table turns her head to listen and you hush your friend.

“I just didn’t eat properly. Like, at all today. There was too much work to do.”

“Sake?” Another waiter pops up.

“Oh, I shouldn’t.” You wave him off politely while Tsume takes one cup and downs it like a shot.

“Well. Shibi, huh?” She asks and you huff.

“Don’t start.”

“I’m not. I didn’t know you were into him. I just thought you’d tell me something like that.”

Guilt thrums through your insides.

You’d always been closer to Tsume than to Mikio but ever since Jurou’s death you had drifted apart. You knew she had problems with her husband but you hadn’t been in a state to help when it happened and you felt even more useless after that.

“How’s Kiba?” You ask. She grins, showing off her sharp canines.

“He’s great. Too much energy for one but the dogs keep him busy and I’m just thankful he loves bathtime. I’d never get him clean otherwise.”

She leans in, her eyes locking onto yours.

“You’ve got one too now, I’ve heard. Wanna set up a playdate?”

Shibi returns to your side as quietly as he does all things.

His Kikaichu arrive first, three of them landing on your left knee.

Then, his hand, resting softly on your shoulder as if to check you for injuries.

“I’m feeling better.” You tell him with a shy smile. He nods.

“If you want, we can go home. Why? All important topics have been discussed. From now on there’s only drinking and dancing.”

You laugh and get up slowly.

“You seem to read my mind. Tsume, I’ll see you Saturday?”

“You bet.” She’s toasting you with another cup of Sake, who knows where she got it. “Shibi? Take care of her or I’ll hurt you.”

He nods, as if taking her threat seriously and his arm is under your hand in a second, steadying you gently.

“Let’s go home. Do you want to get something to eat on the way?”

“On the way?” You ask, surprised by his offer. “What do you have in mind?”

“There’s a Ramen place not far from here. I think you should eat something warm before heading to bed, but you’re the medic.”

You nod one last goodbye in Shikaku’s direction and head out through the door, not noticing yet another look thrown your way.

“Something warm sounds good. Lead the way then.”

After a night of barely sleeping - thanks to the soldier pill - you’re thankful for the new week and the new shift. You get to start slow and eat a filling breakfast and lunch before leaving for work, knowing that Shino will accompany Shibi to the training grounds to watch the older kids train. His official training will start just after his fifth birthday but he’s started to show interest.

“Torune is the best.” He has told you. “And he’s not even in the Academy like Muta. Will I go to the Academy or stay home?”

The thought of having him gone for the day, to see him off to a room full of rowdy children, is still a little bit more terrifying than anything else.

But you will get there, somehow.

Kazue appears at the door of the changing room before you’re fully dressed. You only need one glance to know that she’s in a bad mood.

“Come with me.” She orders sharply and leads you to an examination room.

“Lay down.”

“Why?”

Her eyes are cold and hard as she tries to stare you down.

“Because I had to learn about your pregnancy from someone else and as your employer I deserve and need to know how far along you are.”

You would have laughed if not for the tension in the room.

“Are you serious right now?”

“Do I look like I’m joking, Aburame-san?”

You’ve known Kazue long enough to know that she only addresses you formally when she’s really pissed off.

And maybe it’s the less than stellar night rest that you’ve had or the awful shift you’ve gone through yesterday or just the years and years of treatment you’ve had to endure by her hands, but something in you snaps, like a rubber band that finally breaks under the tension.

“I was hoping you were because that way I could forgo the formal complaint.”

“How dare you-”

“HOW DARE YOU?!” Kazue shuts her mouth quickly, surprise evident in her features. But with the dam to your emotions broken, all you can do is let it out.

“Even if I were pregnant, which I am not, you have no right in the world to force me into an examination. Even if I were pregnant, which again, I am not, you have the right to be informed when I am past twelve weeks, like everyone else. I have the right to refuse you information or services when I feel that they are jeoparding my health but here I am, working a thirteen hour shift for you without any breaks, any food and barely anything to drink, because if I don’t, you’re threatening my employment status.”

“Because yes, Kazue, if you start working at 5 in the morning and get out at 6 in the evening, that’s thirteen straight hours of work which has been forbidden ever since Tsunade worked at this hospital ten years ago!”

“You don’t have to work here if you don’t want to.” She tells you haughtily and you laugh. You laugh but there’s no humour left in it.

“Oh, I don’t? You’re telling me I don’t have to work when I don’t get to take a day off because ‘We need you here, you can’t just take time off?’ or ‘Think of the others! You can’t just expect them to drop everything because you need a day off.”

You pull your scrubs over your head and drop them unceremoniously on the floor.

“I quit.” You tell her. “I’m a mother, I’m over the age of 25. I can retire whenever I want. I just never did because I love helping others but you make that impossible.”

You turn around to leave but not before throwing one last comment back at her.

“Expect the Hokage to hear about this.”

When you step out of the hospital, adrenalin still thrumming under your skin, Naruto bounds up to you.

“Doctor-san!” He greets you, cheeks red from the cold. He’s wearing the orange set you knit him and you drop down to meet him at eyelevel.

“Naruto, hi! How are you?”

“Hungry!” He tells you without shame. “We had lunch like, sooo long ago.”

“Hm, I guess. Are you out with Iruka?”

“No, he’s on a mission. But I’m allowed to be out alone.”

You swallow a tight knot at his words. It’s not so much that he’s allowed, but that the orphanage either does not care enough or has not enough workers to keep an eye on him.

“I’ve got a Bento Box filled with good stuff and I can’t eat all that. Do you want it?”

“Yes!”

“Do you want to come over to eat? We could go inside where it’s warm.”

“Do we have to?” He asks, bounding up the streets next to you.

You swallow a sigh, resigning yourself to even more hours outside in the cold.

You still hadn’t warmed up properly from your training in the morning and pulled your thick new coat tighter around you.

“Sure.” You agreed. “I’m sure Shino would like some company.”

It becomes very clear how wrong that assumption of yours is when Shino catches sight of Naruto. His brows furrow even more and his lips draw into a tight line.

“Hey.” You let go of Naruto’s hand - the only thing holding him back from sprinting after an animal he’d heard disappearing into the woods.

“Shino, this is Naruto. I used to help at the orphanage where he lives. Naruto, this is Shino, my son.”

“Hi.” Naruto’s eyes are already moving past him, unable to focus on anything for too long. “Wow, that’s a cool bug!” He’s not one to point, rather he’s already there, picking the giant bug from the treestump.

“That’s mine!” Shino wails, trying to get it back. You fear the worst and rush over, hands outstretched just in case.

And it’s the right decision, because Naruto drops the bug directly into your hands.

The thing, a deep blue bug roughly the size of your thumb, reacts on instinct - and bites down.

The curse word you let out is one neither Shino nor Naruto seem to have heard before and they look up at you with wide, curious eyes.

“What does that mean?” Naruto asks first.

“That means that we don’t play rough with animals here. Shino, Honey, is it poisonous?”

“Not much.”

You sigh and hold out your hand to him, the bug still firmly attached to the skin stretching between your middle and ring finger.

“Can you ease him off, please?”

As Shino uses his Kikaichu, you can hear the sound of footsteps approaching you.

Sure enough, Shibi turns the corner, his coat covered in snow where the kids have managed to hit him. The fact that they even got close enough tells you about their talent.

“You’re home already?” He asks, surprise evident in his voice. “And you brought Naruto?”

“I’ll tell you later.” You promise. “I was on my way home when I met Naruto. Iruka is out of town and it’s freezing outside, so I thought I’d invite him over.”

“I don’t want him here.” Shino exclaims loudly, not caring that Naruto can hear him. “Why? He does not know how to treat animals properly.”

“And you stink!” Naruto exclaims with even more fervor. “I don’t even wanna play with you!”

“I don’t stink.” Shino turns, the bug in your hand forgotten for a second. “If anyone stinks it’s you. Why? Even I can smell you and I don’t have a nose like the Inuzuka.”

“I-” Naruto starts but your voice cuts him off.

“Stop it! Both of you!”

They turn, surprise covering their faces. You rarely use a stern voice when talking to children and you can’t remember ever having needed it when handling Shino before.

“First, we’ll get that bug off my hand and treat the bite. Then, we’ll get something to eat because no one’s in a good mood when they’re hungry or cold. And lastly, I don’t want to hear any insults. We can talk about this kind of thing without insulting anyone.”

They’re both quiet after your words, looking away from each other as they sulk. You sigh and raise your hand to show it to Shibi.

“I got bit. Can you help me?”

“Of course.” He picks the bug off your hand with an experienced gentleness and carefully hand it over to Shino. “Please take care of him.”

Shino nod and pulls out a little plastic box with holes in it and puts the bug in, letting it all disappear in his pockets again.

“You should go back to training.” You tell Shibi, “I’ll take care of these two.”

“It’s mildly poisonous…” Shibi starts and you nod. “Will a paste made from antlerpowder and green tea be enough?”

“Yes, that will suffice.”

He looks at you in that way that always has you thinking he wants to be touched. But it’s difficult enough when it’s just Shino around and even more so when you fear that Naruto’s patience will run out soon.

You press a quick kiss onto his cheek, your aim a little bit off and almost meeting the corner of his mouth.

“Behave.” Shibi tells his son before he turns, the red of his cheeks barely covered by his high collar.

“Well, boys, you heard the Clan Head. We need to treat the bite and then we can get back out into the snow.”

Even though you make a point in sounding cheerful, the sinking feeling in your chest is growing. Shino plays with Shikamaru when he’s around, but he does it reluctantly.

Naruto, however, he does not want around at all.

“Don’t touch it.” He scoops up Okita as soon as the cat makes an entrance.

“Don’t eat that.” He slaps away Naruto’s chopsticks with his own, determined to keep all the Onigiri to himself.

Naruto is taking it surprisingly well by sticking to your side but that riles up Shino even more.

And you’re in the middle of it, pain pulsing through your hand that’s now bandaged.

When the food is consumed - Naruto is still ogling your fridge as if he’s hoping for more - you have enough of Shino’s poor behaviour and shoo them outside again.

“Shino.” You tell him, pulling him back a few steps. “I want you to have friends. But you’re behaving like you don’t care about that at all.”

But he’s too far gone into his grudge already, pulling away from you.

“Fine.” You lead them away from the house and to a patch of undisturbed snow. In the spring, vegetables will grow here but now there’s just open space.

“Snowball battle. The two of you against me. No use of Kekkai Genkai’s.”

Shino frowns. “But-”

“If I’d use my shadow’s, you’d have no chance.” That’s a stretch. You’ve seen him work his Kikaichu before, but it spurs on his competitiveness.

It takes them a few tries, a few failures of snow landing smack in their faces, before they get the hang of working together, approaching you from both sides.

By that time, Toshiko’s coming out of her house, exaggerating her role as ‘your hero and saviour’ trying to help you beat the kids.

In the end, the kids beat the two of you - not that there’s really a score - and you raise your hands as you ask for mercy.

“This was fun.” Toshiko groans from the ground where Naruto’s still rubbing snow into her face. “Will you let go of me now?”

Naruto eyes her for a moment, the gears of his brain visibly moving.

“Do I get something for that?”

She laughs. “What do you want?”

“Ramen!” He’s quick to decide and you laugh as you get up and pull Shino closer to you, dusting the snow out of his hair. He’s letting you, which tells you enough about his improved mood.

“What do you think, Shino?” You ask him, “Do you want Ramen?”

He shrugs, eyeing Naruto carefully.

You lean down and whisper into his ear.

“Naruto has to go home soon. We could get Ramen and walk him there.”

“We can get Ramen.” He agrees quietly and you nod, turning to Toshiko.

Originally you’d wanted to invite her as well but you can see the uneasiness growing in her face as she belatedly realizes who the kid is that she’s playing with.

“Muta’s probably coming back soon,” you offer her a way out, your heart breaking a little when she takes it.

The Orphanage sits on the outskirts of Konoha and despite the cold winds, there are still children running around outside.

Shino is quiet next to you as he watches.

“It was nice with you, Naruto.” You smile down at him and brush your bandaged hand gently through his hair. “Maybe we can do something like that again.”

He shrugs. “Yeah, maybe.”

And then he trudges back inside without another look back.

Seeing him like that, alone in the middle of so many children, used to that even at the age of four years old, is like a heavy weight on top of your heart.

It does hurt that he barely remembers you being there for him in his early years but you know it would be worse if he did remember it as clearly as you, knowing you’d not be able to take him out of this place.

Shino pulls at your hand.

“Can we go home?” He asks.

“Yeah.” Your voice is thick with emotion as you turn away from the orphanage and Shino looks up at you.

“Are you crying?”

“Yes. Why? Because it makes me sad that Naruto has no mother or father that can love and hug and play with him like I do with you.”

Shino considers that for a while, shuffling next to you through the streets in silence.

By the time your own thoughts are slowly turning back to other things, he speaks up again.

“I don’t like playing with him. Why? He is very loud and wants to move all the time. But if you want to play with him a little bit, you can bring him over.”

“Really?” You ask, your voice light with hope and surprise.

“But not too often.” He tampers down your excitement. “He’s loud.”

-.-.-

Shibi’s on the way back to his house when they appear.

There are three of them, the white of their Anbu masks blending into the snow..

He recognizes the wispy white hair of the youngest but doesn’t address him by name.

“You are trespassing on Aburame Ground.” He calls out calmly, a handful of Kikaichu already making their way towards his home to check on you and Shino.

One of the Anbu stretches out his hand and catches them, crushing the Kikaichu in his fist.

“There’s no need for that.” He says with a voice that leaves no room for arguments. “We just need you to come with us.”

“I merely wanted to alert my wife and son that I will be home later than planned.”

“They are not home.” It sounds like a threat if Shibi has ever heard one.

“We just need to bring you in.” The white-haired boy says, his voice a hint warmer than that of his comrades.

“Fine.” Shibi looks at the Hatake as he speaks, because who else could it be. “Lead the way.”

#my writing #Shibi Aburame #Shibi Aburame x reader #Aburame x reader #Shino Aburame #Shibi x reader #arranged marriage #second chance romance #Naruto fluff #Naruto AU #Naruto imagine #Naruto fanfiction #Dad!Iruka

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dira333 · 9 months

Text

The Road Not Taken - Part 4

Shibi x female reader with a name - arranged marriage

Summary: Airi Nara seems a hopeless case, until her grandmother sets her up for an arranged marriage. But was marrying Shibi Aburame the right choice after all?

Character Sheet - Masterlist

Not gonna lie, this chapter was so hard to write and I wrote it two times completely. It's going to be better from now on, I promise (I hope)

It had been another quiet evening, the two of you going to bed without mentioning the discussion that was still very much on the table.

After not being able to fall asleep you wake up later than usual, your mind still a mess as you arrived downstairs.

Shino is drawing in the living room and you bend down to ruffle his hair softly.

“Good morning.” You greet him and he nods, too focused on his drawing to look up.

You follow the noise into the kitchen where Shibi is cleaning the dishes, the table still set for you with your usual breakfast.

“Good morning.” You greet him softly, suddenly unsure if your kisses are even wanted. Maybe it is a bit much to kiss his cheek every morning, night, and whenever he leaves the house.

“I have to leave around six for the night shift.” You remind him and take a seat. “Will you be home by then?”

“I’m not sure. Why? There’s talk about a new mission.”

“I’ll talk to Chiasa then.”

He falls quiet behind you, something you’re already growing used to.

Shibi is not much of a talker and neither is Shino.

After living with Yori for the last few years where every quiet minute had been cherished it feels almost unnatural at times for it to be this quiet.

Sometimes you wonder if they communicated through the bugs but it felt rude to just ask outright. It’s their Kekkai Genkai after all and if they want you to know, they’d let you know. Or maybe that’s just your inner coward talking.

“Chiasa said she’ll be here at half past five if that’s okay with you.” Shibi interrupts your thoughts and steps closer to the table to offer you more tea.

“I-” You hesitate. “How did you-” You swallow thickly, wringing your hands underneath the table. “When do you have to leave?”

“In a few minutes.” He pours you the tea, looking down at you over the collar of his coat.

“I have thought about your arguments,” He tells you quietly. “I’d like to talk about it.”

“You’re not home for lunch today, right?”

He shakes his head.

“Tomorrow?” You ask, chewing your lip in thought. “I usually try to sleep until lunch if I can after a night shift, but I can get up earlier if you’re free in the morning.”

“I’ll make sure to be home for lunch tomorrow. I’m sure Chiasa will be able to take care of Shino tomorrow morning as well.”

To your surprise, he leans forward after you nod, his lips brushing your cheek this time.

It’s the first time he initiates it instead of just letting it happen to him.

His lips are softer than you would have thought, his beard tickling your cheek as he moves away.

“Have a good day.” He tells you quietly, “I’ll say goodbye to Shino now.”

You look after him for a second, watch his tall body move towards the living room, until your mind and body reconnect and you press your hand against the cheek he kissed, the skin hot underneath your touch.

Maybe it’s because he’s so quiet and reserved that a gesture like that feels that much more important, or you’re just growing delusional from touch starvation.

Your free days have spoiled you.

You dread going to work again, especially considering that it will make you miss the best parts of the day, Shino going to bed and Shino waking up.

Right now he’s in a different world as he copies a sketch from his beloved book and you use the time to do the laundry and water the many plants around the house.

When that is done, an interruption can no longer be avoided.

“Hey, Shino.”

You sit down on the floor next to him.

He stays quiet but stops drawing, your sign to keep talking.

“I have told you of my cousin, right? Shikaku is the head of the Nara Clan and he has a son that’s as old as you. I have to go over to the Nara compound today and pick up some antlers to grind down from my grandmother and I thought we could go together and visit my cousin and the deer. What do you think?”

He starts drawing again but now, bugs crawl from his sleeves and his collar.

“I guess that means you’d rather keep drawing, right?” You guess and the Kikaichu stop increasing in numbers.

“Well,” you hum a little as you ponder the right choice of words, “Okay, it’s like this. I have to go over there and I can’t let you stay back alone. But I’ll give you a choice. We can ask Toshiko if she can come over until I’m back or I’ll make us some lunch to take with us and we’ll leave after you’ve finished this sketch. What do you want to do?”

It’s quiet for a while as you wait for a response. When he starts drawing again you bite back a sigh.

“Shino, honey, you have to use words with me, okay?”

He huffs. “I’ll finish the drawing. I don’t want Toshiko.”

“Thanks. I really want Shikamaru to meet you. I hope you’ll like him.”

You get up to make the promised lunch when his voice stops you.

“What is Shikamaru like?”

You look up at the ceiling as you ponder the question.

“He’s pretty lazy but very smart. He likes to nap all the time and he looks like his dad so it’s like seeing my cousin be a child again. But he’s a quiet kid and he likes to read too so I think you’ll get along.”

Shino finishes the drawing faster than you finish lunch and now he’s always one step behind you, watching closely as you prepare Onigiri and cut apple slices into bunnies.

At some point his left hand fists itself into the fabric of your skirt and you let him.

You’ll take every bit that he gives willingly.

“If you get tired, you can tell me. I can carry you.” You tell Shino and he crosses his arms in defiance. “Not that you’d get tired easily,” you soften your words, “But if it should happen, you know that you can ask me.”

You offer him your hand and he glares at it, making you laugh.

“The streets are pretty busy and I don’t want us to get separated. You can hold onto my skirt if that’s better.”

Almost instantly you can feel the tug on your skirt where his hand has grabbed the fabric and you smile.

“Let’s go then.”

It’s not a long walk but Shino manages to stretch it further by stopping at almost every tree to look for insects that he knows or doesn’t know yet.

You’d rush him if it wasn’t so endearing.

Besides, you’re not in a rush to see Yori, knowing full well the effect she usually has on your mood.

Your hand is on Shino’s shoulder and you absentmindedly wonder if it’s to reassure yourself or him.

Yori opens the door, takes one look at Shino, and pulls a face. You should have left him home for this.

“Shouldn’t he be with his father?” She asks, her voice a bit shrill.

“I am showing him the Clan I come from.” You force your voice to remain calm and level. “And I don’t have much time today, I’m afraid. If you’ll hand me the antlers, I’ll be back in two days.”

She huffs in annoyance but retreats back into the house. When she comes out, she hands you not only a bag of antlers but a second bag as well.

At first glance, it looks filled with fabric but before you can ask, Yori’s already talking over you.

“Ayame asked for those to be mended. Have them back in two days as well.”

You grind your teeth to keep calm.

“I’m working the night shift this week, that’s nowhere enough time.”

“Well, it’s not my problem if you can’t manage your time well.” Yori’s voice has that awful sweetness that makes you feel ungrateful even when you’re in the right.

Maybe you’d given in, well, who are you kidding, you’d given in for sure if not for the sudden movement to your right.

Kikaichu crawl from Shino’s sleeves, a mass that looks like black, constantly moving clumps. Some of them make the distance to you and the feeling of thousands of tiny legs on your skin is unsettling.

You don’t have time to worry about that, though, when you realize that he’s focusing on Yori. She’s noticed the Kikaichu too, her mouth going slack as she watches the bugs start to take flight.

“Ayama can come to me herself if she wants things altered,” you press out in a rush, dropping the bag with fabric and grabbing Shino’s hand instead, pulling him back and away from Yori’s front door.

“We’ve got to go.” Shino stumbles, threatening to fall back. You force yourself to ignore the bugs now covering almost your whole body, and grab the boy under the arms, lifting him up as you move even faster.

Somewhere behind you, the front door slams shut. You don’t look back, only stop when you reach the street.

Shino’s slack in your arms as you put him down and face him, crouching low enough to be on his height.

“What was that?” You ask. “You can’t attack people.”

“I am allowed to defend myself. Why? Father has allowed that.”

You heave a sigh and rub your temple.

“Yori wasn’t going to attack you, Shino. She’s not very nice, I know, but she’s an elder and we have to respect her. That doesn’t mean we always have to do what she says but we still have to be respectful. Can you promise me not to unleash your bugs on her?”

“What if she attacks me?”

You hesitate for a moment, weighing your options.

His safety is your top-priority. His understanding of attacks is still a little vague, however.

But your encounter today will most likely keep Yori far away from Shino.

“You can use your bugs to defend yourself but you should try and do it in a way that doesn’t hurt anyone.”

He doesn’t speak but the Kikaichu crawl back into the confines of his clothes and you suppose that’s the best you can hope for right now.

Two houses down from Yori is a bench that you use to pause and gather your breath.

“I’m sorry Shino.” You sit down next to him and follow his eyes to the trees lining the streets.

“I wasn’t a good mother right now Right down that corner lives my cousin with his son. What do you think? Should we make a short visit for tea and some cookies or head straight home? They live really close to the deer so if we want to go and pet them we have to walk past them anyway.”

“We can visit.” Shino agrees. “Why? You like cookies.”

You can’t help but laugh at that.

“I seem to be very predictable. But I do love Shikaku and Shikamaru as well. Maybe even more than cookies.”

It’s meant as a joke but Shino turns his head to look at you and something in you snaps into place, making you ruffle his hair and tell him. “Not as much as I love you, though.”

He doesn’t respond, neither verbally nor physically.

You’re not really surprised. He’s only four after all and a quiet kid.

“How’s my favorite little cousin?” You ask Shikamaru who’s sitting on the porch, looking like he’s just woken up.

He eyes you carefully. “I’m your second cousin.” He reminds you and you laugh.

“You’re right. Is your dad home?”

“No. But Mom is inside.” He points at the open door behind him, raising his voice barely to call for her.

Shino is quiet next to you, his grip on your skirt tight.

“Oh, how nice!” Yoshino smiles when she spots you. “You brought Shino. Shikamaru, where are your manners? Get up and say hello.”

“They’re coming up to the house anyway,” He mutters annoyed, “Why do I have to get up?”

You turn away from their bickering and toward Shino who’s staring at them, his pale hand going white from how tight he’s holding the fabric of your skirt.

“Hey, Shino.” You lower yourself carefully, glad that you’re wearing shorts beneath your skirt. You’d be flashing everyone otherwise.

“I know they’re a bit loud.” You tell him, keeping your voice low so that no one else hears you. “But I promise they are really nice and I want them to know you because you’re important to me. How about we try for thirty minutes? That’s as long as we need to drink one cup of tea. We’re leaving right after, I promise, but if it’s too loud, you can tell me, okay?”

He nods softly, his high collar almost swallowing the movement. You put your hand on his.

“Can you hold onto my hand?” You ask, aware that Yoshino has finally gotten her son of the porch, the two walking toward you. “That way you can tell me when everything is too much. You just press my hand twice.”

He hesitates for a moment before letting go of your skirt, his fingers curling into yours.

“Thanks.” You brush your other hand over his hair again and get up to face your friends.

“Shikamaru, Yoshino. This is Shino. He’s my son.”

Shikamaru has the decency to lift his lips into a lazy smile.

“Hi Shino. Do you play Shogi?”

Shino does not let go of your hand the entire time you’re at Yoshino’s house. Not one word comes past his lips but he listens carefully as Shikamaru explains the rules of Shogi and moves his pieces around quietly with his left hand, his right hand securely in yours.

It’s a bit weird watching two four-year-olds play Shogi, especially considering that you’ve never really figured out how to actually play that game and win.

Shino’s a quick learner and you can tell that Shikamaru enjoys the challenge up until the end. It’s no surprise to you that Shikamaru wins.

As Shino realizes his loss, however, a fresh wave of Kikaichu starts crawling up your arm, the movement drawing the attention of Shikamaru and Yoshino.

The feeling is unsettling, but you manage to keep calm.

“You’re right, Shino. It is time for us to leave. I did say thirty minutes.”

As if following your command instead of his, the Kikaichu move back toward their owner, leaving only a few crawling around your wrist. You let out a breath, glad you were able to divert the danger this fast

Yoshino hugs you carefully goodbye, whispering a “You’re very good with him,” into your ear. Your answer is a shy smile.

It’s one thing adoring your little cousin. It’s another thing being thrown into the role of a mother. You can only hope you’re doing this right.

There’s a fawn that has taken a liking to Shino, nudging his shoulder with its nose.

“It’s a boy.” You tell Shino as you pet the fawn, rubbing it’s shoulders softly. “He was born in May. He likes you.”

He looks up at you as if asking a question, no words coming out.

“The deer know that you’re not a Nara. Normally they are very careful and shy around strangers but this one came directly to you. That means he has accepted you as part of my family and decided that he likes you. If you want, we can bring some food next time and you can feed him.”

Shino neither accepts nor refuses the offer, but he pulls a face, clearly stifling a yawn.

“I think it’s time we make it back home, don’t you think? I could use a nap.”

He nods, taking the hand you’re offering him when a sudden sound surprises the two of you.

“Did you hear that?” You ask. Shino nods slowly.

You wait a second and there it is again, a soft mewling noise.

“Where do you think it’s coming from?”

Shino points at a shrub near you, following you closely as you move toward it.

You can feel the Kikaichu swarming your arm again and turn back to smile at him.

“Don’t worry. It sounds like a cat. There’s nothing dangerous about that.”

Your assumptions are right. The kitten seems to be a few months old and is completely black save for its white stomach.

It blinks up at the two of you, mewling softly.

You crouch down to pick it up and it melts into your touch instantly, purring up a storm.

“I don’t know anyone around here who has a cat,” You wonder aloud, “Maybe Yagushi but that’s on the other side of the compound.”

Looking down at the kitten there are only two possible options. Taking it with you or leaving it here.

It’s too small to survive alone, even in the calm Nara forest, but can you really bring back a kitten when there’s still so much unclear and left to discuss?

Shino yawns again and you make your decision.

You’re growing accustomed to the feeling of Kikaichu crawling over you.

Shino’s on the floor next to the Couch you’ve just napped on.

The kitten, currently nameless, is investigating the various plants in the living room, sniffing every corner only to come back crying the moment it encounters a stray Kikaichu.

“Do you want to name it?” You ask and Shino looks up at you.

“Name it?”

“It’s custom to name your pets. It makes it easier to bond.”

He looks back to the kitten that’s running around the table now, trying to catch a Kikaichu.

“Okita.” His voice is low but you’ve heard him.

“That’s a nice name.” You reach out your hand to push it through his hair.

“How was your nap?”

“It was sufficient.”

You smile.

“You know a lot of big words. Do you want to make some pills with me or play with Okita?”

He’s quiet and you lean your head to the side as you watch him, trying to unravel his thoughts.

“Do you want to do something else?” You ask softly and he nods slowly.

“I want to draw the Pear Psylla.”

“Ah.” You nod. “From the trees today. Good idea. Do you want to sit at the table with me or stay on the floor?”

“I will sit at the table. Why? Okita will not distract me there.”

He sits close to you, close enough that he almost ends up as your distraction instead, Kikaichu constantly moving up your arms and legs.

Chiasa is as quiet as a mouse, nearly scaring you to death when she suddenly appears at the door to the kitchen.

“A kitten?” She asks and you heave a sigh as you close your Bento Box.

“We found it with the deer and I couldn’t leave it behind. If Shibi is against keeping it I’ll ask around. Someone at the Nara compound must know which cat has given birth recently.”

“Did you have a pet growing up?” Chiasa asks, seemingly out of nowhere, as she sets up tea water.

The way she moves around the house as if she’s the one living here has not stopped being unsettling.

“We’ve always had the deer. My father used to bring in the fawns if they were too small and we’d bottle feed them and let them sleep in the living room.”

“When will you be back?”

“Somewhere between fix and six in the morning, it depends if we can get out early.”

She nods and turns back towards the tea, leaving you to slip out of the kitchen awkwardly to say goodbye to Shino.

Where Toshiko has welcomed you to the Clan with open arms, Chiasa is a closed book to you.

She’s the first person you’re supposed to ask if you need someone to look after Shino and she’s comfortable enough in Shibi’s home that you suspect she might be his mother. But neither of them has ever confirmed it to your face.

You’re already tired when you arrive at the hospital.

That’s never a good start for the night shift.

You haven’t done all that much today, but the day still feels like a riddle of worries and tasks, like you’ve run yourself down.

“Hey, I heard you got married.” A voice calls out to you.

You pull the hospital scrubs over your head and turn to look.

Masumi, one of your coworkers, is standing at the door.

“I did.” You tell her calmly. The two of you are not close by any means.

“That’s surprising. I didn’t know you were dating anyone.”

Someone snorts from behind you, a locker closes to show another face.

“Didn’t you hear?” Ryo asks, her voice too bright for the words it carries. “It’s an arranged marriage. The Aburame only do that kind of thing.”

“Oh well,” Masumi laughs, “I guess if you can’t find love any other way, why not try it that way?”

You slip past them right when Kazue turns the corner, clipboard in hand.

“We’ve got a late one in room five. Four years old, fell on the playground or something like that.”

“I can take it,” You offer but Masumi interrupts you with a snort.

“You?” She asks. “The kid is going to start screaming the moment it sees your eye. You know you’re supposed to stick to the older ones.”

Kazue turns a blind eye toward the comment, or rather, a deaf ear. She hands Masumi the clipboard and looks at the next one, ready to assign you a different job, when Masumi speaks up again.

“Nevermind, it’s Naruto. You can have him.”

The Clipboard is thrust into your hands and you take it, not willing to stick around any longer.

Naruto is sitting on the examination bed, dangling his feet, while chomping down on a lollipop. His bright yellow hair and sunny smile are a trademark of his but his arms and legs are covered in scrapes and bruises.

There’s a teenage boy sitting next to him who turns his head when you walk in.

“Iruka, Hi.” you greet him easily, eyeing the scar over his nose for a second. It’s been about six months but it could have healed better.

“Naruto, hi.” You offer him your fist to bump. “I heard you fell?”

Naruto, bless his little soul, doesn’t stare at your eye. He doesn’t cry either, just tries to talk around the lollipop in his mouth.

“Ah.” You put your fingers against your lips. “Not talking with your mouth full. Can you take the Lolli out first and tell me?”

He pulls the sweet out of his mouth with a wet pop, before he tells you the whole story in all its detail. He’s an animated talker and more than once you narrowly avoid getting hit by the Lolli in his hand.

Iruka, however, seems dead on his feet.

“Well, let’s clean you up, right? Do you want to help? I can show you how to clean up scrapes, it’s really easy. You’d be the youngest doctor in Konoha.”

“I’m going to be Hokage one day.” Naruto exclaims.

“Really? That’s awesome. But it won’t hurt to know how to treat wounds as a Hokage, don’t you think?”

You lift him off the examination bed and towards the little chair in the corner, nodding your head in the direction of the now empty bed.

“Take ten minutes, Iruka. I won’t tell anyone.”

“I- what? I shouldn’t-”

“Ah, naps are important, don’t you think Naruto?”

“I don’t like naps.” The boy tells you earnestly. “I want to play all the time.”

“I’m sure you do but it’s really important to take a nap if you want to grow tall. How about we let Iruka take a quick nap so that he can grow even taller? We can go look for more sweets too.”

As usual, you wish you could do more for the two of them when they leave.

But, as you hand Iruka your Bento Box when no one’s looking, you realize that maybe, you can do a bit more, now that you’re married.

“Hey,” you touch his elbow to halt him in his movements, “I live at the Aburame compound now. I know money’s tight at the end of the month, so come by whenever, okay? Shino’s the same age as Naruto, they might get along.”

Iruka looks surprised but relieved.

He’s only seventeen and already caring for a kid that’s not his own.

Sure, everyone likes to say that there’s the orphanage and Naruto has nothing to worry about but Iruka wouldn’t pick him up from there and spend time with him almost daily if life at the orphanage was really that peachy.

“Aburame, room 7.” Kazue calls from somewhere behind you and you stiffen, your new last name still unfamiliar.

“See you around.” You press Iruka’s elbow and bend down quickly to ruffle Naruto’s hair. “And you too, future Hokage.”

#Shibi x reader #Shibi Aburame x Reader #my writing #Shibi Aburame #Shino Aburame #Shikamaru Nara #Yoshino Nara #Iruka Umino #Naruto Uzumaki #Iruka & Naruto #arranged marriage #second chance romance #Naruto fluff

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dira333 · 8 months

Text

The Road not taken - part 7

Shibi x female reader with a name - arranged marriage

Summary: Airi Nara seems a hopeless case, until her grandmother sets her up for an arranged marriage. But was marrying Shibi Aburame the right choice after all?

Character Sheet - Masterlist

Taglist: @sammieshuttle97

You don’t speak on the way home.

He wonders how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking about.

His own mind can’t stop circling around the sight of you, your hands red from blood, your eyes wide open.

He’d never thought about being on a mission with you, let alone one this difficult.

If you hadn’t been able to rest, if you hadn’t been on the ground when they attacked, if you hadn’t been able to counter the first attack, conveniently being attacked by the weakest member of the enemy team, you’d be dead.

He’s done the math.

The only reason Masashi is carrying home Minori’s dead body and not yours is because of sheer luck and the fact that you let him carry you.

He doesn’t want to think about it but he cannot stop thinking about it, his hive angrily buzzing inside of him.

If only he could read your mind, know what you’re thinking or tell how you’re feeling about it.

“Do you think I’ve gone too far?” He asks when you step through the archway, your house coming into view.

“With Kazue? I’m not sure. I could have kept working. It’s not the first time I’ve done it.”

“You won’t do it again.” The words slip out of his mouth before he even realizes that he’s said it. Shame floods through him when he sees the furrow of your eyebrows.

He barely remembers when he last lost his self-control like this and he can instantly tell he could have worded it better.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Shibi bites his tongue, searching for words to convey his feelings only to come up empty-handed. He knows what he wants to convey but how can he phrase it that you will understand?

You wait for him to open his mouth and where he’s usually thankful for your patience, he feels now pressured by it.

Some of his Kikaichu reappear to tell him that Shino is in an awful mood and his mother would not mind taking a break from babysitting.

Shibi sighs. “I regret to inform you that Shino is taking too much after me. He’s holding a grudge.”

“A grudge?”

“You will see.” He gestures towards the house but you cross your arms instead, sending him a pointed glare.

“As soon as we go back in, Shino’s going to want all my attention and you’re going to conveniently disappear. Say what you want to say. I can take it.”

He furrows his brows, trying to decipher your words.

How do you feel about Shino’s need for your attention? Was that annoyance in your tone?

You accuse him of disappearing, do you think he’s not a good father or do you want him to be around for your own sake as well? Do you want to spend time with him?

His mind reaches your last sentence when you take a step forward and move your face up, giving you the perfect angle to stare right into his eyes.

“Talk to me, Shibi.”

“You could have died on this mission.” The first sentence slips out on accident and he can feel it loosening his tongue. But he’s better than this. He’s got the self control of an Aburame.

“We should go inside.” He clears his throat and turns towards the house. “Shino is waiting for you.”

“Not just for me.” You correct him and he nods, unable to look back at you..

-.-. Airi -.-.

Shino refuses to speak to you.

Shibi refuses to speak about what’s bothering him.

The use of the soldier pill has left you both exhausted and riled up, hungry but too nauseated to eat.

You’re barely able to stomach some of the lunch Chiasa has prepared and when Shibi asks if you want to lie down, you agree easily.

Up in your room, the walls seem to suffocate you.

You open your windows and put your head out to smell for the rain that’s sure to come today.

The stone wall separating the compound from the street is not far and you can see the trees of the Inuzuka compound behind it, it’s former lush green now a mix of yellow and red.

A longing swells in your chest, the need to be where you’ve always felt most at home.

Your left leg is out the window before you’ve finished the thought and you hesitate only for a heartbeat, your right leg following suit.

You don’t leave through the archway but swing yourself over the narrow stonewall, your mind already mapping out the fastest route home.

A part of you almost wavers at the thought. Where is your home, you wonder, but you catch yourself and move forward anyway.

It doesn’t really matter what you call it. When you swing yourself over the stone wall surrounding the Nara compound, you know you’ve done the right thing.

The fawn that had taken a liking to Shino joins you on your way to the heart of the forest until a light rain sets in.

This deep in the forest, there’s not much light getting through the trees.

At this time of the day and the rainclouds swallowing the last bit of sun, it’s almost as dark as it was tonight. You can’t help yourself, your mind wanders back to it, adrenaline already pumping in your blood.

It had happened so fast. Just thinking about it, your hands form the signs, your shadow flowing into darkness of the forest, connecting to it.

You release it and force yourself to walk on.

At some point, you start to cry. You wipe away the tears at first, laughing at yourself for mourning a person you’ve never liked. Your laughter turn into sobs and your tears mix with the rain until you let gravity do the rest and you sink into the wet, moss covered floor.

You let your body be heavy, let your mind sink with you into the ground.

Closing your eyes you listen to the beat of your heart, marvel at it’s power.

You’re alive. You’re thankful but you feel guilty, you’re glad but you feel ashamed.

Minori had been a Jonin, known for training every single day.

You barely made it to Chunin, happy if you remember to train once a week with all the other stuff going on.

Once, during your times at the Academy, Minori had looked you in the eyes and told you that you had inherited all of the Nara’s laziness but none of their genius.

You’ve never been able to disagree.

Maybe, if they’d picked a different Medi-Nin…

At that thought, you pull yourself up until you’re seated. You’ll not allow your mind to go down that road.

You might not have the Nara’s genius but you have your determination, a trait that has kept you going year after year now.

It’s not going to fail you now.

A noise makes you turn your head.

Shikaku’s favorite stag is looking down at you with warm, intelligent eyes. He lowers his head and you loop your arms around his neck, allowing him to pull you up.

Shikaku’s sitting on his porch as you step out from beneath the trees, the stag still by your side.

“Tea?” Shikaku pours some without waiting for your answer..

You take your seat next to him and fold your hands around the warm cup.

No one talks for a while.

“If you want to come back home…” Shikaku starts eventually, pushing one of his Shogi pieces forward. You glare down at the board instead of his face.

“It’s harder than I expected it to be.” You admit. “But it’s not Shibi or Shino that’s the problem. It’s me.”

“Huh.” Shikaku taps one of your pieces, urging you to play.

You heave a sigh and move the one he had tapped.

He moves one of his own.

For a while there’s no other sound but your breathing and the clacking of shogi pieces on the board.

You have no idea what you’re doing, just move them around on a whim.

“I might need to retire.” You tell him eventually and take a sip of your tea, burning your tongue. “I shouldn’t go on missions when I don’t have time to train.”

“You could make time to train.”

You huff. “I hate training.”

“You’d miss the missions.” He taps the board again. “You lost.”

You huff again. “You could let me win at least once.”

“You wouldn’t learn anything that way.”

Three Kikaichu land on your knee and he eyes them curiously.

“Is that a sign or just the fact that you smell like Aburame now?”

“No, those are Shino’s Kikaichu. They have a more blueish tint to them than Shibi’s.”

“Look at you, already a bug expert.” He sends you one of his lazy grins. “Made your decision?”

“Yeah…” You look down at the board and back up at him. “Thank you for listening.”

“Anytime.”

You get up to leave but there’s still something swimming around in your chest.

“You’ve been on missions with Shibi before, right?” You ask, eyes locked on the trees in the distance.

“Hmm.” He agrees and moves the Shogi pieces back to their original position.

“How was he? Did you ever have him as a leader?”

“Sure.” He nods and moves to look at the same trees you’ve been staring at. “To put it simply, he never underestimates an opponent. Not ever. I don’t know if that’s something that all Aburame do but it has saved our asses more than once. He wants his orders to be followed and he does not allow carelessness. I think he’d rather be called an hardass than to leave a colleague behind.”

A heavy weight settles in your stomach, followed by the slightest pinch just above your left knee.

You look down at the Kikaichu crawling over your skin and chuckle softly.

“I should get going. Shino wants me home.”

“Come by again. I’d like to play against Shino.”

When you slip back into your bedroom, Shino’s sitting on your bed.

“Hey.” You approach him and to your relief he looks up, no longer refusing any and every contact to you.

“You did leave. Why?”

“Our mission did not end well.” You tell him openly and take a seat next to him.

A trail of Kikaichu starts walking up your legs and you offer them your hand to walk onto, a silent offer to Shino as well. He moves closer, knee knocking against yours.

“Why did you have to leave?”

“As Shinobi we have to be ready to fight whenever we are needed. We cannot plan when that is.”

“I don’t like it. Why? I want you to be with me.”

He moves closer, his ankle crossing yours.

“I understand that and it’s a good thing that you’re telling me openly..” Your left hand softly rests on his back, you feel the warmth of his skin through the heavy cloth as he pushes back into it. “I don’t like it either.”

His head snaps up, surprise evident on his small face.

“But you are still doing it. Why?”

“Come closer.” You tell him softly and he moves, swings one legs over yours until he’s perched on your knees, holding onto your arms as he gazes up into your face.

“One day you’re going to be a Shinobi too.” You remind him. “And you’ll figure out that it’s not a nice job. There are parts of it you might enjoy but there are others you will despise. It’s like beekeeping. I know you love when the bees fly around you but you hate when you have to work with the honey. Why do you do that, though?”

“It is used for medicinal purposes and the rest is sold.”

You nod, your finger brushing hair from his face.

It’s ridiculous how much love you’re already feeling for him.

He’s so smart and yet so naive, trusts you so much when you feel like you can’t trust yourself.

“We do it for other people. Do you see the little cut on my face?” You point to your cheek.

When he nods your hand lights up green with Chakra, his Kikaichu crawling closer with his curiosity. You move your hand over your cheek to reveal it unblemished.

“I can heal. Other’s can’t. If I had not gone on this mission, another Konoha Shinobi would have died. How can I stay home knowing that I can change something?”

“Will you always come back?” Shino asks and your eyes burn at the question.

“I don’t know Shino,” you tell him, your voice cracking, “But I know that I’ll always try my hardest.”

“Why?” He asks and you know he asks because he wants you to say it, not because he doesn’t know yet.

“Why? Because I want to see you everyday of my life.”

He allows you to pull him closer, resting his head on your chest only to mutter with indignation: “You are very wet.”

When you walk down the stairs fifteen minutes later, Shino is firmly attached your front, his legs crossed behind your back as you carry him. His head rests on your shoulder as he tells you about his day.

Shibi’s at the kitchen table drinking tea and you send him a smile that’s supposed to convey gratitude and calmness.

“I’d like to bake something.” You propose when Shino takes a break to sort through his conversation topics. “If Shino wants to get down he can help, but if he wants to stay up, maybe you’d like to lend a hand?”

“I don’t want to get down.” Shino declares, trying to cross his hands behind your back for emphasis as well.

Shibi gets up from his seat instead, face as passive as possible on him.

“If I can help, I will.”

In the end, Shibi has to do most of the tasks, as you can only use one hand at a time and even that range of motion is limited.

Shino falls asleep about ten minutes into the process, his body heavy on your chest.

It rouses a memory in your mind and your mind supplies the words to it.

“They needed someone at the orphanage.” You hear yourself say and can’t stop the flow of words coming out of you, the story alive now, craving to be told. “Right after the Kyuubi attacked. I’ve often volunteered there in my spare time and I was young and unmarried, yet, so they called me in. He was so tiny, yet feisty and he clung to me when I carried him like this. I taked Jurou into adopting him as soon as we got married.”

Shibi’s looking at you, the dough in front of you forgotten for the moment.

“I think that kept me alive, when Jurou died, because there was this boy that needed me. He did not care that my face looked like it had been mauled or that I could only feed him with a bottle. He was just so happy to be held, to be loved.”

You stare down at the dough through your tears, force yourself to move.

“You have to knead it a bit more.” You tell him, your voice heavy with emotion. “We can transfer it to the baking sheet soon.”

“What happened?” Shibi’s voice has never sounded as warm as it does right now, like a blanket that’s been draped over your shoulders.

“Turns out,” You’re interrupted by a hiccuping sob. “Turns out there’s a law. You can’t adopt an Jinchuriki because it would upset the power balance of the village.”

“Naruto.”

You nod, swallowing down another bout of tears. Your period is sure turning you emotional today.

“Yes.” You say, sounding almost breathless. “They wanted me gone as soon as I asked but there was no one else who was willing to look after him. I had to stop as soon as he was about three years old but by then I knew that Iruka was looking after him.”

Shibi is quiet as you wipe your eyes and instruct him on how to put the bread into the oven.

As soon as the ovendoor closes behind it, you clear your throat again.

“I’ve been thinking about the mission.” You tell him. “And I know I’m not a great Shinobi. I still can’t believe sometime that they made me Chunin with how little I get to train. I just…” Your voice breaks again as a fresh flood of tears runs down your face and your arms tighten around the still snoozing Shino.

“I don’t want to leave him.” You admit, your nose pressing into the mess of his hair before you look back up at Shibi.

“If you think I should quit the missions I will do it. I trust your opinion.”

Instead of answering he steps forward and pulls you into an embrace, Shino safe in the middle of it.

“I heard what you said to Shino. I’ll ensure that you’ll always come back.”

-.-.- Shibi -.-.-

Shino does not want to go to bed today.

As a father and Head of the Clan he’s supposed to be strict in his orders but Shibi can’t make himself send the boy to bed.

Especially when he’s not sure who needs it more, Shino or you.

Instead they drink tea and play Shogi, with Shino and you playing as a team.

The sight warms his heart because it is clear that you have neither interest nor care for the game but your hands are wandering, smoothing down invisible lines in Shino’s shirt or braiding tiny braids into his hair.

Eventually, he falls asleep on top of you, Okito cuddled against his legs.

“I will carry him up.” Shibi offers.

You stand with him, following up the stairs to press one last kiss on Shino’s forehead.

There’s a whisper of jealousy in his chest, a hint of something he does not like in his mind when he watches your closeness.

How can it be, that it’s so easy for you to love Shino but not him, when everyone tells him that they are so much alike?

He knows why. Loving a child is different from loving a man.

His heart still lurches when your hand brushes his, yet another sign that you’re growing comfortable around him.

“We will train tomorrow.” He tells you as the two of you clean up the living room. “I want to assess your skill level.”

You heave a sigh but nod.

“Very well.”

You kiss him goodnight as usual and he wonders what is worse: To have you kiss his lips instead of his cheeks and not feel it or to have you kiss his cheeks for eternity.

Is it worse to have you physically but not emotionally or not to have you at all?

He does not sleep well that night.

Shino has brought Okita with him like a living toy, the cat is more interested in its surroundings than its owner.

Their personal training field is huge, laid out for the usual long-range attacks of the Aburame Clan. Today they will be training in something different.

You don’t lunge at him like an inexperienced Genin and at first it's just the two of you, toeing around each other, waiting for the other to strike.

Eventually, you strike, and he regrets his decision to train with you right away.

He’s fallen in love with the tender side of you, the one that cares and nurtures.

But there’s another side to you, one that’s fierce and fearless and it makes his breath catch in his throat, his Kikaichu thrum with anticipation.

When you manage to throw him onto the floor, your hair a messy halo around your head, your chest moving with rapid breaths, he thinks he needs to get some space between the two of you.

#my writing #Shibi x reader #shibi aburame #shibi aburame x reader #shino aburame #arranged marriage #second chance romance #naruto fluff #Naruto AU #Naruto imagine #Naruto fanfiction #Dad!Iruka

25 notes · View notes

dira333 · 8 months

Text

The Road not Taken - part 8

Shibi x female reader with a name - arranged marriage

Summary: Airi Nara seems a hopeless case, until her grandmother sets her up for an arranged marriage. But was marrying Shibi Aburame the right choice after all?

Character Sheet - Masterlist

Taglist: @sammieshuttle97

Shibi has started dreaming about kissing you.

Ever since your first - albeit small - victory against him in hand-to-hand combat he can’t get it out of his head. The curve of your mouth as you grin triumphantly, the color of your lips…

All he wants is your lips pressed against his but he does not know how to ask for it.

The fact that he’s offered you daily training sessions and you’ve accepted the offer does not help his predicament.

Nor does seeing you with Shino.

There’s hardly a day where he does not find you napping, Shino wrapped in your arms.

His son is not happy about the fact that he has to share you even more, that training time cuts into playtime.

Shibi can see himself in that, can’t fault Shino for feeling it or his youth for emphasizing it.

Shino has not yet learned to hide his wishes for the sake of others.

And while his Kikaichu can translate seamlessly what he wants, he’s less willing to put it into words for you.

Shibi can see himself in that too, can only hope that your influence will change that about Shino before he turns into a copy of his father, unable to voice his wants or needs in relationships.

It’s been about three months now since you’ve gotten married.

Fall has turned into winter, the training field covered in a blanket of snow.

Shino still prefers being out with them, now working on a family of snow people and only occasionally looking over at them.

Shibi knows that soon he's going to be training too, but he enjoys the quiet time he gets with his son until then.

When they walk back, noses red and cheeks burning from the biting wind, clothes damp from the melting snow, they feel like a family. Even more so when Shino walks between them, holding a hand of each parent.

Shino is inherently jealous.

It's a trait that Shibi can see mirrored in himself, but he's gotten better at hiding it.

You, however, are a woman of many passions.

You're knitting, sewing, baking or grinding antlers, care for the elders of the Clan with frequent visits or the orphanage with a mountain of altered clothes and new mittens.

He knows now that the latter has another motive, that there's a reason you wrap the set of bright orange mittens and scarf separately. But he doubts that Shibi understands why he has to share your attention with a set of knitting needles.

It's a good thing that Shibi is not a loud child, nor a very active one. He does not mind knitting with you, or reading you a book as you mend clothes.

It's entirely different however when he has to share your attention with another child.

Shikaku has come for a visit, mixing work with pleasantry.

There’s something brewing in Konoha and the upcoming meeting - coupled with the yearly celebration of Konoha’s founding - might shed some light on it.

But where Shikaku and him are sitting in the kitchen, quietly conversing about the problems that might arise, Shikamaru seems to have decided that you are his new favorite person.

He’s leaning on you, insisting that you carry him, play with his hair.

And Shino, bless his little heart, is fuming.

He’s holding himself together very well, probably remembering their talk beforehand about visitors from other Clans.

Shibi sends his Kikaichu, trying to calm his son’s frazzled nerves.

“You have her every day,” he reminds him calmly. “Shikamaru rarely gets to see her. Please try to share.”

All is lost, however, when Shikamaru nods off against your chest and you lean down to press a kiss against the top of his head, something you’ve surely done many times since he’s been born.

Shino is up in a heartbeat, Kikaichu swarming around him like a cloud of darkness.

“No.” He says, his small voice dampening the force of his anger only a little bit. “No.”

He storms past you right after that, up the staircase with quick steps until you hear the slam of a door, presumably his own.

Shibi gets up in a second and so do you, handing the sleeping Shikamaru to his mother who’s watching all of it with raised eyebrows.

“Just a minute.” You tell her and follow Shibi up the stairs.

“This is unacceptable behaviour.” He mutters under his breath. You nod.

“Unacceptable but understandable, I guess.” You tell him quietly and put a hand on his arm as he reaches for the door. “Don’t be too hard on him.”

Shino has curled into himself, his Kikaichu forming a moving wall around him.

You take a seat on the bed next to him, either not scared of the Kikaichu or not showing your apprehension.

“You know, Shino,” You start quietly, “I love a lot of people. I have a very big heart. But there are some people that are most important to me. Can you tell me who that is?”

Shino doesn’t give an audible reply but his Kikaichu carry his thoughts and feelings and Shibi translates them for you.

“He thinks it might be him.” He says quietly, “But he’s not sure.”

“You know, that’s normal.” You nod even though Shino can’t see you. “I’ve just come into your life three months ago. You still have to learn the language in which I love you. But you see, Shino, even if I kiss Shikamaru’s head or hug someone or spend time with someone that’s not you, that does not mean I love you less.”

You think for a second, chewing on your lower lip as you do so.

Shibi can’t help but stare at your mouth as he, too, starts to think differently about this topic.

“Shino.” He starts quietly. “Do you ever question my love for you?”

The bundle on the bed shakes as Shino moves, the Kikaichu slowly moving off his face.

“No,” he answers quietly.

“Why?”

Shino’s mouth opens but he closes it again, realizing that he does not have an answer for it.

“Do you question your mother’s love?”

Your eyes fly to him as he speaks but he looks at his son. Shino, who’s slowly but surely drops his wall of Kikaichu and starts climbing into your lap again, head hanging low in shame.

“No.” He mutters low. “I just don’t want to share it.”

“You don’t seem to mind when I spend time with your father.” You tell him softly.

His breath catches at your words but you don’t elaborate, instead you softly kiss Shino’s head.

Then, you go for his heart.

“What would happen if you’d get a sibling?”

All the Kikaichu in Shibi’s body stop moving. He’s not sure if he’s still breathing.

A sibling. A child. A child from you and him?

Shino does not seem to care about his father’s sudden apprehensiveness.

“Would I have to share you?”

“Yes. Especially in the beginning when they are very small and need a lot of care.”

“Would you love them more?”

“No.” Your answer is sure and steadfast, a stark contrast to Shino’s timid words.

“I’d try to love you all the same but it would be different. You’re the only child that chose me after all.”

Somewhere along your words he’s gotten a shaky breath in. Then another.

Shibi feels like he’s swallowed a handful of Kenji’s Chakra eating worms and they’re wiggling around in his belly, sending shock after shock up into his brain.

A Child. He cannot stop thinking about that. You were the one that brought it up.

“I could be okay with it.” Shino offers softly, a lot more open to the idea now that you’re rubbing his back in soothing circles.

“That’s good. Could you be okay with me hugging Shikamaru too? Or Naruto?”

He tenses immediately but your hand keeps rubbing his back, your nose buried in his hair.

“Do you have to hug them?” He whines.

“I like hugging people. And in Naruto’s case he doesn’t have much people hugging him.”

It’s quiet for a moment before Shino gives in.

“You can hug them. But you can’t kiss them.”

“Fine. I’ll try and not kiss anyone outside the family.”

Shino giggles as you tickle him.

When you look up at Shibi, he’s just started regaining his composure.

“Now, how about we get back down?” He asks, glad that his voice stays even. “We’re almost done with the meeting anyway.”

When all is said and done, Shikaku has left and Shino’s in bed, he brews tea.

It’s more for his own sake than yours, as his hands need something to occupy them.

“What you said today…” he starts, focused on the water that’s heating up slowly, “About a sibling…”

He can hear you move but is still surprised to find you next to him a moment later, a small smile on your lips.

“You never talk about what you want.” Your hands are folded in front of your belly and he can’t help but look at it, the thought still ringing through his head. A child….

“What do you mean?”

“Since I moved in you’ve notified me of the usual Clan rules. You told me what your mother likes and dislikes, what Shino does not eat and what he prefers. But never once have you told me what you want.”

He does not know what to say to that, so he directs his eyes back to the stove only to hear you laugh softly.

“What?” He asks, confusion lacing his voice.

“Do you want children?” You ask.

He swallows.

“If I am allowed to tell you what I want, you’re allowed to tell me the same.”

He swallows again, takes the water off the stove and pours it over the tea leaves.

“If you want children,...” he starts but you cut him off.

“Do you want children? Take me out of the equation for the moment and consider the question, Shibi.”

“There’s no taking you out of the equation.” He answers truthfully.

You misunderstand.

“If I am not your type,” you try again, “Things can be arranged. I just want you to be happy too.”

“You are my type.” The words are out before he can stop himself. He has lost his self control. Again.

All he wants to do is run away, just like Shino did hours ago. He wants to curl into a ball, hide from the world behind a wall of trusty Kikaichu until it all makes sense again.

“What’s the problem then?” You ask and then, to his utter frustration, your hand touches his.

He’s frozen on the spot, pulled into two directions.

He wants to keep his distance and pull away - but that might insult you.

He wants to stay right where he is, wants to hold your hand and feel sure of your affection - but that might pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do.

You take hold of his hand and press it slightly.

“Shibi. We encourage Shino to tell us how he feels and what he wants. Even if it might sound ridiculous it gives us insight on what he’s feeling. Why shouldn’t you be allowed to voice your desires? I promise with all my heart that I will not laugh nor judge.”

There’s nothing but sincerity in her eyes.

He doesn’t know what it is, that opens his mouth. Is it the darkness outside that makes him feel like they’re the only ones on earth? Or the touch of your hand, your skin rough beneath his fingertips? Maybe it’s the stretch of your lips, the truthfulness playing around your mouth.

“I want to kiss you.” He says. The words are spoken quietly but they ring in his ears.

He does not look at your face when he speaks, too invested in the steeping tea. It makes talking easier and he follows up with the next sentence, hoping it will ease the weight of the first.

“I want you to want to kiss me.”

He falls silent after that, his mouth dry, his tongue in search for more words.

“Do you want me to love you?” You ask and he marvels at your wording, the question carefully crafted.

He nods quickly and reaches for the tea again but you’re already in the way, hugging his side.

Your head lands right below his chin, your ear against his chest.

“Shibi.” You tell him, your voice earnest, “I’m not yet there. I’m not yet able to say it with meaning, but I… I can say one thing for sure. You are very important to me. Do you understand? Very important.”

They stand like this for what feels like eternity. He can feel tears burning in his eyes, can feel his heart stuttering at your close proximity. His mind is reeling, trying to grasp the full extent of your words.

“Hold me if you want to.” You whisper and he does.

Shibi is not a hugger. The Aburame’s are not a touchy Clan.

He’s starting to see the error of his ways.

A part of him fears letting you go again. That you will step away and everything will fall back into the place it was before.

But when you do step out of his hug, your hand lingers and it feels as if you’ve taken a part of him with you and left something of you behind.

“I’m really feeling a glass of wine right now.” You tell him honestly, “Like, Wine and Chocolate? But that’s probably not your thing, if you’re not into sweets.”

“Aburame’s cannot consume alcohol. The insects have no way of metabolizing it. But we do have some wine. It was gifted to me some time ago from the Inuzuka Clan.”

“Tsume gave you wine?” You ask, surprise evident in your voice. “Why?”

He clears his throat pointedly. “I’d rather not say, as it was a private matter concerning her now ex-husband.”

“Oh.” You nod in understanding, “I understand. He was quite a handful.”

By the time you have made it to the living room with wine, chocolate and some gummy candy, he has already taken the first sip of his tea.

It has steeped too long and turned slightly bitter. He’s ready to get up and pour it away when you sit down next to him, your free hand already moving towards his and his resolve melts away.as your fingers tangle.

Your skin is rough and calloused, but your touch is soft.

Your presence sweetens his tea.

And then you lean back, look at him over the rim of your wine glass and smile.

“Tell me about your day, Shibi. What did I miss?”

- - -

In the two weeks leading up to the annual celebration Shibi has had to bid you goodbye on two separate missions - they went well but they were barely meeting Chunin-Level - as well as make food for two more people each day.

You’d finally caved and told him that many of your Bento Boxes end up in the stomach of Naruto and maybe Iruka, who’s taking Naruto out of the orphanage on the days where he’s not out on missions or training.

Shibi’s going to have to talk to you about this.

There’s helping people and killing yourself trying to help everyone. Surely there are other ways to help these two than to gift them your food.

Shino is clinging a bit less to you at the moment, now somewhat dividing his attention between his parents. But in the understanding that all Aburame’s have, he’s only doing it at home, Chiasa the only person who witnesses his growing touchyness with raised eyebrows.

“Where is Airi?” Shino asks from the living room where he’s put up little glas boxes filled with different kinds of insects.

Shibi does not answer, instead he sends out a few of his Kikaichu in search for you.

It’s not uncommon that you come home a bit later from work. Sometimes things get crazy just when you’re about to leave and you get pulled back in.

But today is important. The Aburame Clan may be a noble Clan but they’re not liked very much and the fact that he’s married into the Nara Clan has already led to some unhappy comments. They have to make a good impression.

His Kikaichu return to tell him that you’re still at the hospital, arms deep in blood.

He sends them back again.

And again.

By the time you stumble through the front door they have about thirty minutes to spare before they have to leave again. Your hair has fallen out of it’s usual style and the exhaustion is visible in your eyes.

“I’m sorry.” You mumble, “I’ll get ready.”

“Did you eat something?” He asks but you’re already past him, climbing up the stairs.

“Hey Shino,” He can hear your voice call out, “Do you want to help me get ready?”

When you come back down you’re dressed in a traditional Aburame Coat, the collar shielding your lower face. Toshiko must have lent you Kenji’s old sunglasses, they are big enough to cover even most of your scar.

You look like an Aburame, like you’ve always been part of their Clan. You are wearing his Clan signs.

“We’ve got ten more minutes before we have to leave.” He tells you quietly, glad that his voice didn’t break from emotion. “Do you want to rest until we have to go?”

You nod and sink onto the Couch, Shino immediately climbing on top of you and snuggling into the folds of your Coat.

Just like every year, they offer Sake at the celebration.

Just like every year, Shibi pointedly declines.

“I am not allowed to drink alcohol.” Everone knows that. But there’s still no alternative for people who’re not drinking.

When the waiter - some poor Chunin who picked the shortest straw - turns to you, you wave him off just the same.

“Me neither, thank you.”

It gets them the first weird look, but it’s from Fugaku Uchiha, a man who gives everyone weird looks.

Just as they round the corner, they’re spotted by none other than Inuzuka Tsume.

As fellow animal users they are on good terms with the other Clan but Tsume is still a bit of a wild card. And he’s right again.

“Airi, you sly dog!” She moves to his wife instead of him, pulling her into a rather rough hug.

“You didn’t tell me you were getting married.”

“Neither did you and I did not make a scene about that.”

“She was probably ashamed about it.” A third voice interjects and Shibi turns to see Haruno Mikio stand beside them, somehow balancing three cups of Sake in his hands.

“A drink, ladies?”

“Not for me.” You decline yet again. “What are you doing here, Mikio? You’re not a Clan member.”

“Oh, sweet little Airi, did you forget?” He’s pulling her cheek. “I’m still the Representative of the Non-Clan Shinobi.”

“He just needs another excuse to get away from home.” Tsume has snatched two of the three cups of Sake, downs one and takes a sip from the other.

“Hey!” Mikio glares at her but if it’s because of the insult or that she took two cups, Shibi has no idea.

“Shibi.” You turn to him with an apologetic smile. “Mikio, Tsume and I were Team 8 back in the day. I think you were already Chunin by the time.”

Mikio clicks his tongue. “He was already Jonin. Made it one month before our graduation. I know because we went to watch the exam.”

“Sake?” Another waiter pops up, interrupting their conversation.

You must have noticed his apprehension because you link your arm through his and smile at your old teammates.

“I will see you in a minute, I think we need to get some introductions in first. Have you seen Shikaku by the way?”

“Over by the snacks. He’s with his Team.” Mikio supplies helpfully.

Your hold onto his arm is surprisingly strong.

“You’re okay?” He asks softly as they make their way over to the representative of the Lee Clan.

“Just tired.” You whisper and stumble over your own feet the next moment, barely catching yourself.

“Do you want to sit?”

“I’d probably fall asleep instantly.”

“Hold on tight, then.” He puts his hand on yours, reveling on how much easier touching you has become.

He’s hugged you three times in the last two weeks, has hold your hand multiple times. And everytime he’s starting to feel insecure about it, to question and doubt it, he can hear your voice tell him “You are very important to me.”

“What are you smiling about?” You ask but he shakes his head, nodding into the direction of Takeo Lee.

“Do you want to see a picture of my grandchild, Rock Lee?” The old man asks proudly. “He’s just turned five and has so much energy! He’s going to be a great Shinobi one day!”

#my writing #Shibi x reader #Shibi Aburame #Shibi Aburame x reader #Shino Aburame #arranged marriage #second chance romance #Naruto fluff #Naruto AU #Naruto imagine #Naruto fanfiction #Dad!Iruka #Tsume Inuzuka

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dira333 · 8 months

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The Road Not Taken - part 5

Shibi x female reader with a name - arranged marriage

Summary: Airi Nara seems a hopeless case, until her grandmother sets her up for an arranged marriage. But was marrying Shibi Aburame the right choice after all?

Character Sheet - Masterlist

Exhaustion has settled heavy in your legs as you walk through the door. Shibi’s gourd is leaning against the wall next to his shoes, telling you that he’s home.

You want to do nothing but fall into bed right now but your stomach is painfully reminding you that you haven’t eaten in hours.

If you sit down you’ll not get up again so you locate some leftovers from dinner and a bag of gummy bears and scarf it down standing, leaning against the wall for support.

A few Kikaichu fly past your face as you open the door to your room. You take two steps and drop down on your comforter, too tired to bother with closing the door or slipping out of your clothes.

Sleep is pulling you in fast, the only thing keeping you awake is the feeling of your belt buckle digging into your stomach.

You’re fighting yourself, trying to gain enough strength to turn on your side or back, when a a low noise comes from behind you.

“Airi?” Shino’s not wearing his glasses or his usual overcoat and you can see the growing redness on his milky white arms as he stops in front of you. “My skin is itchy. Can you bathe me?”

“Shino?” You raise your head slightly to glance at your alarm clock. “It’s half past five. Why are you awake already?”

“My skin is itchy.” He repeats, his annoyance made visible when bugs start crawling over his skin. “You’ve got to bathe me.”

“Can’t your father do it? He’s going to wake up in half an hour anyway.”

Something dark moves over Shino’s features and the truth cuts through your exhaustion like a hot knife through butter.

Shino might be an Aburame, quiet and polite to a fault, but he might also be the first to show you his real self, accepting you as part of this family the only way he can.

He’s four years old. He wants your attention and, more importantly, your help.

You wanted to be a mother for so long and today is just another day where you have to prove that you can do it.

“Alright.” You move to get up. “I’m coming. Does your skin get itchy often?”

“Sometimes.” He pulls you forward by the hem of your skirt and points at the array of tubs and bottles in the tiny bathroom that he uses.

“Normally the blue bottle is enough but when it gets really itchy, I have to scrub down with the red one and lather the skin with the green one.”

You grab the two tubs, the height of the shelves telling you that he’d not been wrong in calling you.

Well, he could have called his father, but you suppose this was Shino’s thing. Finding ways to have skin-on-skin contact without ever asking for it directly.

Grateful for the little stool you sit down and wait until he’s stripped out of his sleep wear before lathering your hands in a body scrub that smells faintly of lavender and honey.

“Can you do me a favor?” You ask softly as you start scrubbing his back, noticing the texture of his skin, soft yet covered in tiny holes barely big enough to see, holes the Kikaichu use to move through.

“Can you talk to me? I’m really tired and you need to keep me awake.”

“Okita was really loud last night,” Shino tells you, too awake for this early hour. Your brain needs half a second to register what he said and even longer to connect the dots.

The kitten. You’d forgotten the kitten. You’d put it in your room with food and a makeshift toilet before you left, hoping against all odds that you’d be able to tell Shibi in the morning instead of him hearing it from the other two.

“Yeah?”

“I was already in bed but Okita was so loud that I got up and went to see if it was hurt. But it just wanted to escape the room. Father was downstairs.”

“What did he say?”

“He was surprised. Annoyed when Okita did not want to stay in your room. He sent me back to my room. Why? It was late and I needed to sleep.”

“Did you have a nice evening with Chiasa?”

“What were you doing at work?”

He avoids the question two more times until you give in and let him direct the conversation.

Eventually, you’d massaged the last drop of lotion into his skin and sit back.

“Now… Do you want to go back to bed for a little bit longer?”

He nods and walks out of the bathroom only to walk into your room instead of his, climbing onto your bed.

“Shino?” You’re too tired to argue, too exhausted to question his need to be closer each day.

“Okita doesn’t like being alone,” Is his reasoning and you suppose it’s good enough, climbing into bed next to him, offering him your arm to slip under.

His hair tickling your chin is the last thing you feel before you finally succumb to your exhaustion.

-.-.-.-.- Shibi -.-.-.-.-

He wakes to a weight on his chest that’s vibrating in harmony with his hive.

When he opens one eye, he can see the faint outline of black fur in the dim morning light. The kitten has curled into a ball on top of him, purring loudly as if to make up for the noise it had been making the better part of last night.

Shibi never had a pet. Why would he? He had his Kikaichu to take care of.

He couldn’t name one member of the Aburame Clan ever having a pet and even his mother could only name one distant cousin who once tried to tame ravens but failed to do so.

Everything in him wants to put a stop to this notion as quickly as he can.

Mother had been surprisingly reluctant to voice her opinions, only offering vague answers until she had decided that she did not want to be disturbed anymore, forcing his Kikaichu from her house and thereby ending their conversation, leaving him to his own devices.

He tried putting the kitten out onto the patio but the tiny feline had been yowling so loudly only seconds after he closed the door that he had been forced to let him in again.

It does not feel good to be so helpless against the whims of an animal, especially one that wasn’t even fully matured.

It feels even worse knowing that he’d have to let you handle it in the future, no matter what they would decide.

He heaves a sigh.

What they would decide. He, the Clan Head, is too weak to make his own decisions.

But is it really a weakness?

No one has ever called him weak for listening to Zoka when she was alive, instead praising his empathy and understanding.

He loved Zoka before she loved him and he knows without a doubt that he is already falling in love with you, not knowing if you’d ever love him.

When he gets up eventually, the kitten curled up on his arm, tiny claws attaching themselves to him whenever he dares move it, Shino’s bedroom door is wide open but the boy is not inside.

He finds him in your room instead, squinting at him over the top of your arm that’s curled around his chest, your face pressed into his hair.

Wordlessly he orders his son to get up. You need your sleep.

Shino refuses, the furrow of his eyebrows and the emotion in his eyes clearly visible without his glasses on. Shibi’s eyebrows rise. This is unusual.

With a tiny mewl, the feline rises from its place on his arm and jumps onto the bed, settling in the tiny space where your body doesn’t touch Shino’s, eyeing Shibi as if to ask him what he’s still doing there, standing up.

He’s questioning it himself, not sure if this isn’t just a weird dream.

After all, in the reality he knows, he does not have a kitten or a son that does not listen to what he was told.

One of Shino’s Kikaichu crosses him, telling him to please close the blinds and the door and Shibi gives up, following his son's orders instead of enforcing it to be the other way around.

He does, however, inform him that he’s making breakfast and wants him down to eat with him.

But he’s no fool. He can only hope his son will grow hungry instead. Why? He will not risk waking you up in favor of dragging Shino down.

By the time you come down for lunch, Shino’s been acting as well-behaved as ever for hours.

Shibi had not enjoyed the lecture he had to give, probably even less than Shino enjoyed listening to it.

But he seemed to understand as much as a four-year-old could understand that there was a difference between sleeping at night and sleeping during the day. That a nap was different than catching up on the sleep you’d missed because you worked through the night.

All self-restraint seems to fly out the window, however, when your feet hit the last step of the staircase.

Shino’s by your side in a second, his eyes roving over your face as his Kikaichu already claim your arm.

“You look tired.” His observation is spot on, but you stop to smile.

“I am tired.” You tell him honestly, “But that’s something I have to deal with during night shift week. It would be unfair if I’d be the one who never had to work night shifts, you know?”

“Did you sleep less because I was there?”

Shibi flinches at the question and avoids your eyes when you look at him.

“You were not a distraction if that’s what you ask. But I never sleep well after a night shift. That’s just how it is.”

“Can I help?” Shino’s face is open, his attention completely on you.

Shibi can’t look away either, not when a warm smile lights up your face.

“I feel like I missed out on taking you to bed last night. Can we hug a bit while the coffee brews?”

She opens her arms for him and he steps forward cautiously, letting out a surprised gasp and a cloud of Kikaichu when you lift him up easily, your arms crossed under his legs to hoist him up.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.” You smile, his face close to yours. “Now, tell me what you did all morning without me, would you?”

Shibi’s mind is split in two. One half is happy, can’t stop watching the way Shino relaxes against you. It reminds him of different times when Shino was clinging to him instead.

You’re good with the boy, allowing him to be a child with all that entails.

But he can never stop worrying.

Isn’t Shino too heavy to be carried around this much? Should he get used to it again now that he’s four? He’s going to start advanced training soon and falling back into old habits won’t do him any good there. If he won’t stop clinging to you, it will affect all of them negatively when you have to leave for work.

Right after lunch, Toshiko knocks on the door, asking politely if Shino wants to come with her and Muta for the day. There’s work to do at the pumpkin patches and Muta promises to play with him as well.

Shino seems hesitant, torn between the idea of playing with Muta and staying with you.

“You should go.” Shibi tries to encourage him. “We need to have a grown-up talk anyway.”

As if on cue, Shino’s rebellious streak from this morning returns, his lower lip jutting forward in a pout. Before he can speak, however, you lower yourself to his height and whisper something into his ear.

Shino considers it for a long moment before he nods and turns to Toshiko.

“I’ll get my shoes. Did you know that we have a cat? His name is Okita.”

Toshiko looks surprised, even more so when Shino does not only bring his shoes but Okita as well, the feline mewing loudly in protest at being woken up.

“We found her yesterday.” You explain, taking the kitten from Shino’s hands. “We’re not sure if we can really keep her or if she already belongs to someone. But she seems to like Shino.”

The truth, Shibi has already understood, is far simpler. Okita, like everyone else in the Aburame household, likes you. All the other people are just there to be used as pillows or food dispensers.

--.-.-.-.- Airi -.-.-.-.-

When Shino has left and Okita has settled in one of the arm chairs, the house falls silent.

It would be so easy to let yourself fall into that silence, to let it carry you away.

But this is something you have to talk about, even if you’re used to keeping your head low and your questions to yourself.

“Chiasa,” you ask because it’s been on the tip of your tongue for some while, “Is she your mother?”

Shibi looks up from the tea he’s been pouring, surprise evident on his features even without his eyes being visible.

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“No one ever introduced us that way.” You explain, trying to keep your voice light. “And I can’t go on assuming things, can I? You- Do you communicate through the bugs? The Kikaichu, I mean?”

Shibi nods again. “Yes. We can hold complete conversations through them. It’s difficult for Shino. Why? He has not many people around that need him to use words. He is not used to explaining himself.”

“I’ve noticed. Do the…” You stop for a second, the incident from yesterday still fresh in your mind. “Do the Kikaichu only respond to commands or would they respond to something less formulated as well?”

“What do you mean?”

You explain quickly what happened, both at Yori’s house and with Shikamaru. Shibi’s shoulders are squared when you end, his hands tight around the tea cup he’d been offering you.

“You should not have gone outside the complex without help. I’ve noticed today how he used his Kikaichu to keep you close but this was highly dangerous. You have no expertise in stopping him should he lose control.”

“Then show me.” You interrupt his agitated speech calmly even though your own heart races. Thinking how it could have turned out instead is not good for you nerves.

“I don’t think you-” You interrupt him again, this time with a quick movement of your hands.

“Please hand me my tea.” You instruct him but he does not move.

“What?” His voice is strained now as he tries to fight the shadow bindings.

“I am not helpless. I just need instructions.” You explain. A cloud of black Kikaichu erupts from his sleeve instead, carrying the teacup towards you.

“And you misunderstand the danger of the Kikaichu.”

“If Shino’d really be this dangerous, you would not have let me be alone with him at all.” You remind him softly and accept the tea, cutting the shadow bindings as you do so.

“Let’s sit down.” You feel tired again but this discussion isn’t something you can escape from. “You wanted to tell me your opinion on the matter.”

Shibi is quiet for a long moment and you let him gather his thoughts.

“There are four things we need to discuss today.” He begins, his hands resting on his knees, palms down. He looks calm and collected but you’re starting to realize that there might be hiding more under the surface.

“First, I have thought of unwritten rules you need to know to keep up a united front. I did not think Shino would ever rebel against a rule until today. He was instructed to let you sleep and yet he must have woken you at some point.”

“I wasn’t asleep yet when he came by. He told me that he was itchy and needed my help to bathe.”

Shibi looks surprised. “He did not complain about it at all the night before. But I have noticed that he’s looking for reasons to spend time with you. As much as it pleases me that he likes you, you cannot give in too easily and spoil him. He used to be like that with me when he was about two years old. He was clinging to me every minute I was home and when I had to leave for work or missions, he’d cry and be inconsolable.”

“Shibi.” He looks up from his hands that are now gripping the fabric of his trousers.

“He’s four.” You remind him softly, “If he wants to cuddle, he should be able to do so. I know we have a lot of work to do but suppose…” You hesitate and let the thought form itself properly, thankful that Shibi gives you the time and space for it.

“Suppose we arrange half an hour a day where he gets to cuddle us. Individually. Just like we told him that nap time was important if he wanted to be able to stay up longer. I did agree to cuddle with him before I had to leave for work so maybe that would help?”

“Half an hour?” Shibi’s voice sounds contemplative. “Just cuddling? What would that entail?”

It’s the way he asks, suddenly so unsure of himself, that makes you reach out and close one of your hands around his, your eyes fixed on his glasses.

“It’s about skin-to-skin contact. Hugging, holding hands, just sitting next to each other and touching as you work. Whatever you both feel comfortable with.”

You move to release his hand but he tenses for the tiniest fraction of a second and you stop, unsure how to proceed.

Shibi is your husband. As far as you can tell, he’s a nice man. One that’s probably even more touch starved than his son. Maybe, just maybe, the Aburame Clan isn’t just as touch starved as any other Shinobi. Maybe it’s even worse.

Softly you lifted your joined hands from his knee and place them on the couch cushions between you, smiling encouragely at Shibi.

“So, cuddling hour… what else?”

Your hands are still entwined when he agrees to the cat.

He pulls back, however, when he addresses the third thing on his list. His wife.

“I have thought about it.” He admits, his voice low. “And I do understand your reasoning. But I have no idea how to introduce her into Shino’s life like nothing happened.”

“It will come up,” you promise him, “And when it does, you can try and answer as truthfully as you possibly can. If you want it to come up when you’re ready for it, bring out something that used to be hers. Shino’s a curious kid. He will ask.”

“Did you have something like that?” Shibi asks. “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

“My mother died first.” You tell him softly. “And she left me this quilted blanket made from all my old baby clothes. It grew with me, you could say. There’s a story attached to every square of this blanket and in the short time between my mother’s and my father’s death, it soothed both of us to sit there and look at every square and talk about it. I still have it and like to look at it when times get rough.”

“I do not want to undermine your position in this household.” Shibi’s voice is scratchy now, tick with feeling too.

You freeze for a second, realizing what he’s talking about.

“Wouldn’t she want you to be happy?” You ask, your voice mirroring his now. “Because if the roles were reversed, I’d want Jurou to be happy. I might have to remind myself sometimes that I’m allowed to be happy without him, but I know he’d want me to be happy. And I think it’s important that children know that their parents ultimately want them to be happy.”

After that conversation, the two of you fall quiet again.

It’s a heavy, but comfortable quiet, like a thick wollen blanket in winter.

Even though the topic feels fit for a late night or a rainy afternoon, the sun outside is shining bright and you can hear birds singing outside, Okita perched at the window to watch them fly.

Your eyes always come back to Shibi.

You think that even without the high collar and the sunglasses it would be hard to read him, his face not giving much of his thoughts away.

Maybe it’s the time spent with Shino that makes you more attuned to him, though, seeing features and behaviors repeated in this smaller version of him.

Their eyebrows are the same and even though their angle suggests that they’re always annoyed, you’ve come to notice how they look when they truly are annoyed.

You wonder how much longer it will take you to read Shibi like a book and if that’s ever going to be possible.

He pulls you out of your reverie when he leans forward and puts one large hand on your right, entwining his fingers with yours.

“The last point,” he starts and you can hear it, the little quiver in his voice, that tells you that he’s nervous.

“This has been a quiet house. Why? Partly because we have been communicating in a different way, but we also do not speak if we feel we have nothing important to say. It has changed since you arrived. Shino talks a lot more. But you might still need a lot of patience with Shino and me. Why? Shino wants to talk to you but he is not used to verbal communication. He will tell you what he’s learned again and again and again. And I…”

He stops, his mouth a tense line.

You can’t help but assume that like in most things, he’s like his son too. He wants to talk, but he doesn’t know how or what about.

“I like talking to you.” You realize just how true these words are when they slip from your mouth. Shibi is always calm and patient, never one to judge your words before you’ve got a chance to explain yourself. The past years and experiences might leave you tense in most conversations, afraid to ask questions, but Shibi’s calm presence is like the ease you never knew you could have.

“How about that…” You offer softly, “I will ask any question that comes to my mind and you will do the same? That way we’ll obviously have to talk more.”

There’s a hint of a smile on his lips. Only a heartbeat later he opens his mouth again.

“What is your favorite snack?”

You can’t help but laugh at that question. “I… Gosh, I have no idea. But I usually go shopping like this…”

#my writing #Shibi x reader #Shibi Aburame x reader #Shibi Aburame #Shino Aburame #arranged marriage #Second chance romance #Naruto fluff #Naruto imagine #Naruto fanfiction

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dira333 · 9 months

Text

The Road Not Taken - part 3

Shibi x female reader with a name - arranged marriage

Summary: Airi Nara seems a hopeless case, until her grandmother sets her up for an arranged marriage. But was marrying Shibi Aburame the right choice after all?

Character Sheet - Masterlist - part 4

tagging: @spellcasterlight for the headcanon that Shino and Shibi are not into sweets and @wing-ed-thing for the Honey Stand Series that made me believe they have at least half a dozen jars of Honey around. (if you want to be tagged in this, let me know)

Shino had not wanted to nap today, and the fact that Chiasa had asked three times told you that he usually did.

But he was stubborn, refusing rest just as much as letting you out of sight.

He was a quiet kid, that much was clear, the only thing that could get him talking were questions about bugs of any kind.

Where Shikamaru liked to be carried whenever possible, he wanted to walk himself, rejecting every offer of carrying him until you took pity and insisted that you needed the rest yourself. He had almost fallen asleep next to you then, in the warm autumn sun, watching over the pumpkin patches as you busied your hands with another carving.

But Muta had shown up then, a boy of about 12 years and a cousin of Shino. He’d just graduated from the academy and used a break from training to run home, stopping to talk to you.

“We live over there.” He pointed to a house near the pumpkin patches, the left side of it overgrown with hop. “Father said I should invite you over when I see you.”

“Oh, is he here?”

“No, but Mother is.” He went still for a second. “Lunch is done. Do you want to come in?”

“We shouldn’t. Shibi might come home any minute and we haven’t made lunch yet.”

He was quiet again but he did not move. The Aburame seemed to need more time to formulate their responses, so you waited patiently, fighting down the little annoyance that had arisen when Muta’s arrival had stopped Shino from dozing off.

“Aburame-san will not be home for lunch. Why? The debriefing is taking longer than planned.”

“Oh. Well, if he said so, I guess we can come over. What do you think, Shino?”

You turn toward the boy.

“We should. Why? Toshiko-san has invited us.”

Toshiko, Muta’s mother, is as quiet as her son. As it turns out, she’s Shibi’s sister-in-law and not a born Aburame.

You want to ask if their marriage had also been arranged but you don’t dare in front of the children.

As it turns out, you shouldn’t have worried about that. Muta and his father use Shōkaichū, a insect different to the Kikaichu that Shino uses and when Muta has to leave for training, Shino has no qualms about sitting in front of a glass container watching them move.

“I am from a smaller village not far from Konoha. I married into the Aburame Clan about 9 years ago.” Toshiko smiles warmly. “I know well how you feel.”

You blink surprised. “Was your marriage-”

“Arranged? Yes. Our village consists mostly of farmers and we rely on Konoha for protection. It is not unusual for women from our village to marry into Konoha and those arrangements are often made because a girl catches the sight of a Shinobi passing through or working a mission there. Kenji is not much of a talker. He works with worms instead of bugs which wasn’t that great for his popularity. I caught his eye once on a mission and he got Chiasa-san to talk to my parents. The rest is history.” Her smile is warm at the memory.

“How was it for you, settling in such a big village?”

Toshiko laughs, her darker skin not shawing any signs of a blush but she’s fanning her cheeks to cool them down.

“Oh, remembering those first weeks. I was like a newborn fawn. Everything scared me. And to think that almost everyone here is a Shinobi! Even you. I loved being around Zoka, though. She was so different and made me feel right at home.”

“Zoka?” You ask.

“Oh,” Toshiko presses a hand to her lips. “Shino’s mother.” She whispers with a look at the boy. Shino’s still focused on the worms.

“Shibi doesn’t talk about her, I know.” She sighs. “It was awful for him when she died. For all of us.”

“I can only imagine.” You say, your voice heavy with emotion.

Losing someone before you can start your life together is one thing, but losing them on the happiest day of your life - the birth of your child - is something entirely else.

“We shouldn’t talk about her, though.” Toshiko’s hands are busy pouring tea now, putting little pieces of pastry onto your plate, and doing everything to keep moving.

It’s not hard to guess that no one wants to talk about her for fear of disrupting the peace.

You’d like to know more but you know how to pick your battles. And this is neither the time nor the right person for it.

“Tell me about the work you do. I want to help and get a good insight into what needs to be done day to day.”

“Oh, you should take notes. There’s a lot to do around here.”

Shino’s sitting in the living room, his exhaustion forgotten over the book he’s reading. He’s making slow progress today, however, a testament to his exhaustion, but you leave him to it. Toshiko has lent you one of her cookbooks, familiar with the struggle to switch from regular to vegetarian meals.

The food is almost ready when the door opens, Shibi bringing in the sounds and smells of rain.

You’re happy to see him, the warm emotion followed shortly by a burst of cold guilt.

Tomorrow, you tell yourself quietly as you move to greet Shibi, you’ll stop by the graveyard and pay your respects to Jurou.

You’re a bit distracted as you greet him, your thoughts pulling you into directions you don’t want to go. At least until Shibi admits that he hasn’t eaten since breakfast.

Only when the rebuke doesn’t come you realize how much you’ve grown to expect it.

In Yori’s household, there was either perfection or failure, no in-between.

But, you suspect, it’s only your second day with the Aburame’s. Things can still change.

And as if he’s heard you, Shino refuses to help set the table.

After him being by your side every minute the last two days and trying to help with everything whether it was wanted of him or not, it’s a little surprising.

“I’ll help you.” Shibi offers instead, following you into the kitchen. There, he pulls something from his coat.

“I got you something. Why? I want you to feel at home here.”

Package after package is loaded into your arms. There’s chocolate - and not the cheap kind - and Umeboshi, all in all about ten different candies in great variety.

You don’t know what’s more surprising. The generosity, or how he delivers it.

As if it was only natural to bring home sweets for you just after you’ve mentioned that you liked eating them.

“I-” You stop and press one hand to your lips to gather yourself.

Tears are threatening to spill. You’ve spent years buying and eating sweets in secret because Yori was nothing but adamant that you’d ruin your figure if you’d got just a piece of chocolate into your hands.

Considering his intentions, he’s successful. It makes you feel right at home.

“That’s very kind of you, Shibi.” You tell him quietly, words still catching a little in your throat.

Your resolve to speak to him after dinner is now stronger than ever.

You might not be in love with him and vice versa, but for Shino’s sake and your combined happiness you can work at something resembling a family.

“Let’s eat, shall we?”

“I don’t want to go to bed.” Shino’s adamant.

You’re not sure if you’re reading Shibi’s face correctly but he looks surprised as well.

“You need to go to bed. Why? The Kikaichu need rest as much as you do.”

“You’re not going to bed either.” Shino’s mouth is pulled into a line and you lower yourself onto the floor next to him.

“Do you know why we rest at night?”

He blinks in surprise at you. “Because we need it?”

“Yes. Our body is a miracle, but it has to do a lot of work to keep us healthy. Some things it can only do while we are asleep. And one of these things is growth. If you’d stop sleeping now, you wouldn’t grow anymore or only a little. That’s why we want you to have the right amount of sleep. We want you to grow tall and strong. Your father and I have already grown as tall as we can and we know that our body doesn’t need as many hours of rest but it still needs the rest.”

“I want to stay up longer. Why? I want to spend time with Father.”

You nod in understanding.

“I understand. Sometimes your father has to work in the evenings. It’s okay to go to bed early then, right? But when you know that he has time for you in the evening, you can take a nap around lunchtime. That way you can go to bed a bit later. Would that be okay? We can start that only tomorrow, though, because you could not nap today.”

Shino considers your words for a moment before he nods, arms crossed over his chest.

“That is okay. Can you tell me a story before I go to bed?” He turns to his father.

“A story?” Shibi looks at a loss.

“I will explain it to him.” You tell Shino. “How about you brush your teeth and get ready in the meantime?”

Shino nods and makes his way up the stairs, still a bit slower than necessary, trying to lengthen the time he can be awake.

“I told him a good night story yesterday.” You explain to Shibi when Shino is out of sight. “My parents used to do that for me when I was little. It helped me fall asleep.”

“What kind of stories?”

“They can be educational or silly. Sometimes they told me what they did that day, without me. It doesn’t have to be long. I don’t know how you’ve done it before, but my parents usually ended the story by kissing my temple and telling me that they would be right next door if I needed them. That always gave me this sense of security that made me fall asleep right away.”

Shibi’s quiet after your explanation.

Eventually, Shino’s voice is heard from upstairs.

“I’m ready.” He calls out.

“He’s calling for you.” Shibi explains. “Why? He only talks when he needs to. You can’t communicate with him through the Kikaichu.”

“When we’re both home, we should both say good night.” You get up from the floor and lead the way.

“Do you have a story in mind?” You ask, your voice quiet as you walk up the stairs. “I can lend you one.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Hey,” You greet Shino warmly at the door of his room. “Mind if I come in too? Do you want a kiss or a hug?”

He looks unsure.

“You can have both if you can’t decide.”

He nods and sits up in bed so you can hug him. He’s a bit stiff in your arms and you wonder how often he’s gotten hugged before. The Aburame Clan is a tight-knit group but they are not very touch-driven, it seems.

When you brush your hand through his hair, a few Kikaichu stick to your fingers.

“Look.” You tell him with a smile. “They want to say good night too.”

He opens his hands to call them back to him and you lean forward to press your lips onto his temple, right between his eyes.

“Good night. Sleep tight. And don’t let the bed bugs bite you.”

Shibi comes down half an hour later and takes a seat on the other end of the Couch.

You’ve made tea but your cup is still almost full, the package of chocolate, however, is almost completely gone.

“Do you want a piece?” You hand one to him, surprised that he actually takes it.

You take the last one and drop it into your mouth, savoring the taste. It’s really good chocolate.

“What did you want to talk about?”

“How were your parents like, Shibi?” His name rolls off your tongue like glass marbles. He doesn’t react to it. Is it the first time you’ve called him by his first name?

“They were good parents.”

“Were they strict? Or did they give you a lot of freedom? And did they give you both the same rules or was one more lenient than the other?”

“My father was the Clan head. His word was to be followed. He died when I was a Genin and my mother held the position until I was old enough to lead. I don’t know if they were strict, as you call it. Why? Nothing they told me was hard to follow.”

“My father was a dreamer. Pretty lazy too. I think it’s an inherent Nara trait. A lot of us have a genius brain to combat that but my father did not. If I did not want to do something, my father would not have minded. My mother tried to combat it but she was never really eager.”

You pause for a second to calm your nerves.

“You might wonder why I’m telling you this and asking these questions. We talked about my role in this family and I think… I think Shino would benefit if we are a united front. You’re the Clan head and it’s like you said, your words are to be followed, but it goes beyond that. I need to know about the rules in this Clan, even those that are unspoken.”

Shibi’s quiet and you take your chance to push further.

“And I’d like to make some suggestions. If you don’t like them, fine, we don’t have to implement any of that. But I’d like you to think about it. One thing that I think you should consider… Well… I think you should talk to Shino about his mother.”

Shibi moves as if you’d just slapped him across the face. His eyes are hidden behind his glasses but you’re pretty sure he’s staring at you.

When he speaks, the words are rough around the edges and you listen very carefully. He’s a quiet man and quiet waters run deep. There will come a time when you overstep and you don’t know him well enough to know how he’ll react.

“Why? He has you.”

You swallow thickly.

“My financés name was Yasuda Jurou. He was an orphan without a Clan. I haven’t spoken about him in a while and if I don’t remember him, who will?” Your voice shakes as you speak but it does not break.

“I have not lived through your heartbreak, Shibi. But you should think about this.”

You don’t sleep well that night.

What if you read Shibi wrong? What right do you have to make demands, on your second day as his wife, no less?

He’s not only a Clan head but a powerful Jonin as well.

It was the sweets, you guess, that made you brave. His quiet generosity toward you, something he didn’t need to do but did so nonetheless.

You hadn’t talked much more after that, had spent over an hour just sitting there in Silence.

And it had been tense but not awkward.

Shibi didn’t seem someone who used Silence as a passive-agressive weapon, but rather as necessary means in conversation.

As he didn’t get up to leave or urge you to speak, you had felt compelled to follow his example, let the Silence envelope you as you gave him room to think, even dared to lean forward to brush your lips against his cheek before you went to bed yourself.

Your morning starts earlier than usual. You can’t sleep anyway, so why not use the hours to get a head start?

First, you open every cupboard in the kitchen again, taking stock of what is where.

You find a few jars of honey, pull the rice flower out of another cupboard and start preparing, your former plan overthrown by your need to stress bake.

By the time Shino appears at the kitchen door, the room smells like the inside of a cake.

“What are you making?” He asks.

“Honey Kasutera. Do you want to try it?”

He comes to your side and eyes the sponge cake with curious eyes.

“Is it sweet?”

“Yes. It’s not a breakfast food but you can have a piece for breakfast if you want. I’m making Bento Boxes as well, do you want to help form the Onigiri?”

He nods, his eyes still focused on the cake.

“Why is it so big?”

“It’s for the whole Clan. I thought we could bring something to every house later. Would you like that?”

Save for those sweet, calm moments you have with Shino in the kitchen, breakfast is a quiet, quick affair.

Shibi’s quiet, only tells you that he will be out the whole day.

When Shino then promptly reminds him to take his Bento with him and tells both of you proudly that he will take a nap to be able to spend time together in the evening, Shibi nods but utters no words.

When you send him away with a kiss to his cheek and Shino steps up to hug his legs, however, Shibi bends down and presses his own lips against the thick mess of hair atop Shino’s head.

“I’ll see you at dinner.” He reminds both of you and leaves without another look back.

“Well,” You look at Shino, “Let’s clean up so we can start delivering the cake.”

For a Clan that produces honey, the Aburame Clan members are not half as interested in sweets as you are. But they are polite to a fault, everyone inviting you in for a cup of tea and a quick chat to the point where you have to ask everyone for a chance to use the restroom.

At the end of the day your head is swimming from all the names and faces, the different bugs that each part of the family uses, and the sheer size of the compound.

Shino has taken his nap at Muta’s place, his head in your lap, his legs stretched out on the Couch.

Toshiko doesn’t hide her smile when you brush your hands through his hair.

“You’re really taken to him, huh?”

“I’ve always loved children. I thought I would have my own by now but life never goes as planned, does it?”

She looks surprised.

“What do you mean?”

For a moment, you want to bite your tongue and switch to a safer topic. But you’ve made your point with Shibi and if you don’t stick to the same rules, it would make you nothing less of a hypocrite.

“I was engaged. His name was Yasuda Jurou. Originally the wedding should have taken place around the time the Nine-Tailed-Fox attacked but that pushed the date back.”

You pause, swallow, the memory still clogging up your throat like it did 4 years ago.

“Did he die in the attack?” Toshiko asks, her voice soft and compassionate.

“No.” You take a deep breath. “A few weeks later, we had a new day set, we were sent on a mission and a few things went terribly wrong.” You point at your left eye. “He died on that mission.”

“I’m so sorry.” Toshiko leans over to put her hand on yours, the touch surprisingly soothing to your inner turmoil.

“He was a good man.” You can hear yourself say, the words slipping out of your mouth, “Jurou, I mean. I haven’t talked about him in a while because my - the people around me were never as close to him as I was and it felt like it bothered them that I couldn’t stop talking about him.”

“What was he like?”

You snort softly, the sound surprising to both of you.

“He was a bit of an idiot. But he was incredibly talented and he could motivate people. I felt lucky every day that he chose me, you know.”

She nods. “I know that feeling.” Toshiko hesitates for a moment, her eyes on Shino who’s stirring in your lap, slowly but surely pulling from sleep.

“If you want to talk, I’m here for you.”

#my writing #Shibi x reader #Shibi Aburame x Reader #Shino Aburame #Shibi Aburame #Muta Aburame #Second Chance Romane #Arranged Marriage #Naruto fluff #Naruto x reader #Shibi and Shino #Aburame Clan

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dira333 · 9 months

Text

The Road Not Taken - Character Sheet

The Road Not Taken part 1

The Main Character is written in second person, but I’ve gotten her a name and a backstory and a friend draw her the way she imagined her. (Kudos to the artist, she’s only 12 years old.)

I wanted to post her here and include the other character as well:

Airi Nara/Aburame - age 28 at the beginning of the story

Shibi Aburame - age 31

Shino Aburame - age 4

Torune Aburame - age 6/7

Zoka Aburame - deceased, mother of Shino and Shibi’s first wife, OC of @spellcasterlight

Yasuda Jurou - deceased, fiancé of Airi.

Yori Nara - Grandmother of Airi Nara/Aburame and an elder of the Nara Clan

Chiasa Aburame - Mother of Shibi and Grandmother of Shino.

Muta Aburame - age 8

Toshiko Aburame - mother of Muta, age 26/26

Natsu Aburame - will be revealed later

Hito Aburame - will be revealed later

#my writing #The Road Not Taken #Shibi Aburame #Shibi Aburame x reader #Shino Aburame #Torune Aburame #Muta Aburame #Aburame Clan

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wing-ed-thing · 2 years

Text

Shibi Aburame Relationship Headcanons

Shibi looked fiiiine when he was younger like wow

𓆃 Quiet but overall very mature, caring and a perfect choice for a partner

𓆃 Would give the shirt off his own back. Despite his introverted nature, he has a way with people

𓆃 You never have to ask him twice for things, if at all. Shibi is very naturally intuitive and will often wordlessly predict your needs

𓆃 It’s the little things really. He notices that you always have a hard time with your front door when bringing the groceries; one day you find the hinges oiled. You keep knocking into the sharp corner of the kitchen table and one day it’s sanded.

𓆃 Shibi is very handy and not afraid to do work around the house. In fact, you can always count on Shibi to do the dishes

𓆃 Even during bumpier parts of your relationship (they’re never fights, Shibi is too understanding for you to ever have a full screaming match), that’s his go-to.

𓆃 If you have an issue, he’ll listen quietly and accept everything you have to say. His responses are relevant and with the goal of problem solving. Then, he’ll do the dishes or another small chore around the house

𓆃 ”If I do it now, you won’t worry about it later.”

𓆃 The only problematic thing might just be how quiet he is. Sometimes you’ll say something to him that he just... doesn’t answer?

𓆃 You may ask him, “Is ___ good for dinner?”. His answer is yes, but he forgets to voice it. Or perhaps, for him, silence is positive or otherwise affirmative

𓆃 But as far as relationship quirks go, too much silence is hardly the worst

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed and otherwise supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

partially based off of my current boyfriend 👉🏽👈🏽

#shibi aburame #shibi #shibi aburame x reader #aburame #Naruto #Naruto headcanons #Naruto headcanon #Naruto imagine #naruto imagines #Naruto scenarios #Naruto x reader #Naruto x you #Naruto relationship headcanons #x you #x reader #reader insert #shibi x reader #aburame x reader

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spellcasterlight · 7 months

Note

I hope you get better soon 🙏 Also a Shibi fic WITH a trans masc character??? A dream come true!

Hi there Jazzy Jaguar Anon! 😄

Covid hit me hard, but I finally got there! October is shaping up to be the most hectic and stressful month I have had in an extremely long time, but we'll get through it! We'll get through it! 💪

I am so glad you like it! You actually have no idea how much it means to me. This ask made my week. 😭

The Promise Of Patience is a [Shibi x Trans Male Reader] story and can be read here: [Ao3🔗]

(Story Warnings: Minor Character Injury. Graphic Sexual Scene. Dildos. Anal Sex. Mild Swearing.)

Thanks for the lovely ask! ❤️

#naruto smut #shibi aburame #aburame shibi #shibi aburame x reader #thanks for the ask!#love to the anons!#asks are open!

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spellcasterlight · 2 years

Note

Me at 3am on AO3 cycling through the 10 precious Shibi reader insert fics: ✨🌸❤️😭🪲

Hi there Special Saber-Toothed Tiger Anon! 😊

Anon, that's so sweet of you to say thank youuuuu! 🥺

Oh, Shibi, he's so great, and you are right Anon, he deserves all the love! ❤️

I have several Shibi stories in my writing queue so watch out for them!

All my [Shibi x Reader] stories can be found here: [Ao3🔗]

Thanks for the lovely message! ✨

Ao3 ✨ |Story Request Bingo Cards 📖 | WIP Game Always Open ✒️| Hot Chocolate ☕

#shibi aburame #shibi aburame x reader #shibi x reader #thanks for the ask!#love to the anons!#asks are open!#❤️❤️❤️

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dira333 · 20 days

Text

The Road Not Taken - part 16

Shibi x female reader with a name - arranged marriage

Summary: Airi Nara seems a hopeless case, until her grandmother sets her up for an arranged marriage. But was marrying Shibi Aburame the right choice after all?

Masterlist ; Character sheet

Taglist open if you want to be added

The change in your household is subtle yet obvious.

Tsume smiles every time she sees you, a knowing, teasing smile that dances across her lips. So far you’ve managed to keep her silent, but you doubt her self-restraint will hold much longer.

Yori has yet to reappear on your doorstep, giving you some time to come to terms with your conflicting feelings toward her.

As a Clan-elder, you’re expected to show her respect. But, as both Shikaku and Shibi have pointed out, you’re no longer part of the Nara-Clan.

You owe her gratitude, for bringing you up when no one else would and for arranging the marriage that has brought you so much happiness, but you no longer owe her your blind obedience. Maybe you never did.

Shibi has started to get up later in the mornings.

He quite enjoys staying in bed as long as he possibly can, awake yet unmoving, holding you close until one of the boys or both start making noise.

You’ve been trying to make him see the sweet joy of taking a bath together, quietly planning a short trip to the Onsen for when Shino’s advanced training officially starts. It’s slow progress, but it’s progress.

You started working one week after your return from the mission, your leg still in a brace. It’s only two mornings a week so far and you can take Shino with you if you want, though he seems less interested in the hospital every time you take him with you.

Rika’s been a godsend, never once batting an eye when you flinch at loud noises or Iruka comes in with Naruto for a private check-up that’s mainly just a chat and a shared lunch box.

Even Akane stops by once, her face still pretty pale.

“I heard you started working again.” She looks at your leg brace that’s peeking out from under the table. “How are you doing?”

“It’s good.” You nod at your little office. “Quiet, too. But I think I owe you a thanks. I’m sure I wouldn’t have this job without you.”

Akane shakes her head. “I didn’t do anything for you. I know your husband. I knew he’d pull the necessary strings. The Hospital can’t operate without the generous donations coming from various Clans. I’m not an expert on that matter, but I think the Aburame Clan donates quite a substantial amount.”

You narrow your eyes at her. “I don’t believe you.”

“Then don’t. I did what I could do for Iruka. He deserves it. Tell him so when you see him next.” She gets up again. “Oh, by the way… did you take a look at the scroll when you had it?”

You furrow your brows. “No? Why would I? I don’t even know what it was supposed to be.”

“Hmm.” Akane doesn’t look convinced. You sigh.

“Don’t tell me I got the wrong scroll.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because that would be typical. Going through all the hassle of getting that scroll and then I didn’t even check if it was the right one. Not that I would have been able to make sure of it anyway with my limited knowledge.”

“Well…” Akane clears her throat. “I’m no expert either. But I was questioned about it this week. I did take a look and from what I could tell I thought it was the right scroll. But Danzo’s convinced it’s a fake.”

You sigh. “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now, right?”

Akane nods, the movement tight.

“Are you okay, though?” You ask. “You’re still very pale. Are you getting the rest you should?”

“Oh, yes. I’m fine. I’ve always been rather pale.” She sends you a tight smile. “By the way, Rock was asking if he could come over sometime and meet you and your kids. I told him a bit about you.”

“Oh, of course. Shino’s not that keen on making friends and Torune’s not to be touched for various reasons, but I’d love to meet him. I’ll talk to Shibi and get back to you, is that okay?”

She nods, taking one last look at you before she leaves with a wave of her hand.

There’s something strange about her visit, but you can’t put your finger on it.

Two days later you hear about her departure. All you know is that she’s sent out on another mission.

“Much too early,” her husband bemoans when you talk to him. “But you’ve met Akane.” He tells you with a smile. “She can never sit still.”

You only hear of her death a week after it has happened. There’s no more talk about Rock Lee visiting.

“Have fun today,” you brush your hand through Shino’s hair, wondering absentmindedly if you’re clinging to him for his comfort or yours. “I’ve got a surprise for you later.”

“Can you come with us?” Shino asks. He’s very proud of the new coat he’s gotten, he’s told you all about it three times today.

You look at Shibi for input, but he shakes his head.

“Today it’s just us.”

“You can tell me everything when you come back, okay?” You press a kiss to Shino’s temple. “I’m very curious. I still remember my first training with my Dad.”

“Can you tell me about it?” Shino asks. You can tell he’s trying his best to waste time.

“Sure, when you come back. Come on, give me a hug and then it’s time to go.”

He hugs you tight, sniffles a little into your neck.

“I’m very proud of you.” You tell him when you see him off.

Twenty minutes after he’s left there’s a knock on the door.

You half expect them to be back already, that Shino’s stubbornness won out in the ned.

It’s Chiasa instead.

“Shibi took Shino out for training,” you explain. She nods and points in the direction of the kitchen with her chin.

“Oh, sure, come in if you need anything-” She sidesteps you and you bite back a sigh.

Chiasa is never rude, but her quiet assertiveness is sometimes hard to take. You suppose you could have worse mothers-in-law, but you often wonder what she sees in you. If she likes you or just deals with the fact that you’re here.

“Ah,” another voice calls out, sending a shiver down your back, “You’re home.”

You turn to see Yori march up the path to your house. You haven’t seen her since that dreaded mission. It’s been almost a month but you could have taken a longer break from her.

“Hello, Yori.”

“Your leg’s all healed, I see?” She asks. “Can I come in?”

Considering her usual way of greeting, that’s almost nice.

“Sure,” you say, because there’s only Lunch to prepare today, as well as the laundry and you can’t run away from her forever, “Chiasa is here too.”

“Ah,” Yori pushes past you with the grace of a hungry deer sniffing food. “How nice. I was wondering when we could all have tea together.”

“Chiasa?” You turn toward the kitchen. “Yori is here. Would you mind having tea with us?”

“That’s not the way to ask, Child!” Yori points out. “Aburame-san, how nice to see you again. How’s your health?”

Chiasa nods instead of speaking, her dark sunglasses reflecting Yori’s forced smile.

“I’ll make tea,” you rush forward, eager to get your hands busy. “Does anyone want something sweet? I’ve made Honeyglazed Apple.”

“I suppose it’s understandable that you’ve got a sweet tooth with your condition.”

Chiasa’s eyes flick over to you at Yori’s words. You can feel sweat forming at your collar. Right, just what you wanted. Your grandmother and your mother-in-law discussing your fertility.

“About that,” you start, unable to look one of them in the eyes, “I’m not actually pregnant. It was just a silly rumor.”

“Well, just because you’re not pregnant now doesn’t mean you won’t be pregnant soon.”

You tense. Somehow Yori’s even worse to handle when she’s trying to be supportive. All you feel is dread as you wait for the other shoe to drop.

“Maybe we could talk about a different topic,” you ask quietly, not daring to raise your voice.

“Please speak up,” Yori orders immediately. Chiasa must have heard you, however, because her eyes are on you. You can feel her stare despite the sunglasses hiding her emotions.

“How is work?” Chiasa asks so suddenly you almost drop the teapot you just picked up.

“It’s uh, nice.” You swallow thickly. “Plenty of stuff to do. They’ve asked me to come in two more mornings if possible.”

“Well, why wouldn’t you?” Yori asks.

You think about the disappointment you’d felt days prior when you’d gotten your period. You think about Shino showing off his new coat he got for training. You think of Torune’s who’s going to be home in a few hours, trailing after you like a shy cat.

You lick your lips and say something else.

“It’s going to be Spring soon enough. I need to talk about it with Shibi first to make sure I won’t leave work here unattended.”

“Sure, sure,” Yori huffs, clearly displeased by your answer, “You need to talk with your husband. But your job at the hospital is a prestigious one. You shouldn’t swap it with playing housewife.”

“No one said I was.” You point out, hurt clawing at your throat. Maybe you’d love to play housewife. Would that be so wrong?

“And don’t forget about your Clan,” Yori soldiers on. “Ayame just asked yesterday when you’d be back around. There’s no one as talented as you when it comes to her therapy.”

You blink in surprise. Next to you, Chiasa seems busy with her plate of apple slices though. You wonder if this is a test. At least on Chiasa’s side. She’s just letting you blunder on, judging you silently behind those dark shades.

But even if she wasn’t there, you’d be hard-pressed to say something.

You can’t go on like this forever, with Yori. You have to put up some boundaries someday.

Your heart beats thunderously as you take a seat.

“Yori,” you start, focusing on a stubborn stray hair in her eyebrows to keep safe from her stare. “I am no longer a Nara. I am an Aburame now.”

“Nonsense,” Yori waves her hand around, “You’re both. That’s what this marriage was for. To bring our Clan’s closer together.”

“Maybe. But I am also human. I cannot fulfill the duties of two Clan members. I have to prioritize one. If Ayame wants to continue her therapy through me, she’ll have to see me at the hospital like everyone else.”

Yori falls silent. She has been remarkably well-behaved up until now, probably because Chiasa’s in the room with you. But how far does that self-control go?

“Are you really this ungrateful?” Yori’s voice has turned cold. Your already tense body stills completely, the muscles in your neck screaming in pain. “You wouldn’t be married at all without me, still hoping for some fool to notice you. And how are you repaying me for all the work I took on, for all the good I did for you? Just because you can play mother and wife now doesn’t mean you’re suddenly someone new! You’ve always been lazy, good for nothing, like your father-”

“Leave.” Your mouth is dry and your voice sounds rough around the edges, but there’s enough determination in the single word to stop Yori’s lecture.

“What did you say?” She asks, her face full of surprise. Chiasa next to you is silent. Your hands are shaking, but you know you can’t go on like this. Should she be opposed to your decision, there’s nothing you can do about that but trust that Shibi will have your back.

“I am grateful. You have brought me up when I had no one else and you were the one who pushed for this marriage to be possible. But I will no longer let you treat me like a doormat. Leave. You are no longer welcome here.”

“I-” Yori’s speechless, a rare occurrence. She grabs her coat and storms toward the door nonetheless, something you’re incredibly thankful for. You don’t know how long you’ll be able to keep up the strong facade, how soon you’ll break down crying.

“Shikaku will hear about this!” She crows and slams the door shut.

Silence fills the room after her departure.

You can feel Chiasa’s eyes on you just as the first tears trickle down your cheeks.

“Did I do the right thing?” You ask before you curl into yourself at the table.

Chiasa does not speak for a while, but she rests one hand on your shoulder. It’s the most reassuring she’s ever been since you moved in.

“I was the one who approached Yori,” Chiasa eventually says when your tears have dried and your hands no longer shake.

“What?” You turn to look at her, but her face does not betray any emotion.

“Shibi was very lonely. He’s still young enough to have more children and I remember how it was when my husband died. It’s easy to settle into a quiet life, but it’s not necessary.”

“But Yori said…” You trail off. It would be on brand for Yori to present someone else’s idea as her own.

“It doesn’t matter in the end. To me, at least. Shibi would not have acted on it without Yori pushing for it. Why? He does not listen to his mother as much since he’s become a father.”

“He listens to you a great deal,” you tell her and you might be wrong, but you think you see her lips twitch into something like a smile.

“You are trying to get pregnant?” Chiasa asks after a few more minutes of silence. “Right?”

“How… How do you know?”

She raises her hand to show off a few of her Kikaichu. You’ve seen them before but never up close like this. They are more of a reddish color, different to Shibi’s stark black ones or Shino’s with their blueish tint.

“There are no secrets when you’re an Aburame. If you have trouble conceiving, there is a tea I can recommend. Why? It has helped me conceive Kenji after I’ve had trouble.”

You can feel your cheeks heat at the topic but you swallow down your embarrassment and nod. “That would… that would be nice, thank you.”

-.- Shibi -.-

Shino’s hanging off him like a sack of potatoes.

Every person they pass sends him a knowing smile. They’ve all been there.

They meet Torune just shy of the front door.

“How was it?” He asks, peering up at Shino. The younger boy does not answer. Shibi suspects he’s fallen asleep.

“He did very well,” he says, a quiet pride coating his words.

Torune pushes the door open for him and there you are, hands already stretched out to welcome them all.

He could get used to this, coming home to your smiling, eager face - he could do without the dried tears on your cheeks he will have to ask you about later - and the way you pull him in for a shy little kiss.

“I packed some things for us,” you declare, “So we’ll just have a quick snack and then leave for the Onsen.”

“The Onsen?” Torune asks, clearly confused. “What are we doing there?”

“It’s a family trip. Like a mini vacation. Come on now, I made us some salad. Does anyone want tea?”

You’ve already settled in the steaming water, a little too quick for his hungry eyes, laughing at the way they’re all standing there, peering cautiously into the water.

“I am wearing so few clothes,” Torune complains, keeping a safe distance from the others.

“It’s fine,” you tell him again, “I talked to Chiasa and some of the other elders. Your bugs don’t like water. So as soon as you settle in it, everyone will be fine. You can even sit on our lap if you want to.”

“Really?” Torune’s face lights up and he climbs into the pool, dipping down for good measure too.

“Do I have to?” Shino sounds less pleased at the prospect.

“How about you put your legs in first?” You offer. “You too, Shibi.”

He swallows a sigh. This is just like taking a bath, he reminds himself, just a little hotter.

As he takes a seat at the edge, legs dipped into the hot water, Torune climbs into your lap, arms slung around you like a little monkey.

“You all look really cute in your bathing trunks. I wish I could have taken a picture of you, all lined up there before. But that would be a little weird, wouldn’t it.”

Shino settles into his side. He’s tall for his age, but slender, which is often forgotten under those bulky coats.

Eventually, they both make it fully into the water.

But it doesn’t take long for the heat to get to them, especially Shino.

Shibi picks him up and lifts him out of the water, lays him onto the cool stone tiles.

“Everything okay?” You ask, worry in your voice.

“It will be. We’re not used to this kind of heat,” he explains. “We’ll just be taking a break.”

“Oh, you point at the paper screen door he had noticed before. “This door should lead into a small garden. Don’t stay out too long, but I guess you both will find something of interest in there.”

And you’re right. It doesn’t take Shino long to find two different kinds of beetles and one fat caterpillar who curls up on his palm as he shows it to you and Torune.

The older boy doesn’t seem to mind the heat. It’s not hard to tell that he would endure much more than a little heat if it meant being able to touch and be touched without risk.

After an hour or so Shibi slips back into the pool.

“If you want,” he offers Torune quietly, unsure of it himself, “We can sit together a little as well.”

Torune nods shyly and climbs into his lap, folds his long legs to fit perfectly, not unlike Okita who’s spotted a new, albeit small box to sit in. His head rests perfectly on his chest and even though it breaks his heart in a new, fresh way, Shibi can’t help but think that this might be the first time someone’s got to touch him like that since his father’s death.

And even before that… was Shiruko a man who held his son close? He doesn’t know and he doesn’t want to pry. All he can do right now is offer to be what Torune needs.

---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---.---

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