A Naruto Fanfiction

Waiting for An Invincible Summer

Aburame Shino and TenTen

When he found out about Kiba's disciplinary hearing, Shino was not excessively surprised. Kiba had always skated the edge of outright insubordination. Not from any real desire to rebel or to cause anarchy, but because Kiba was a very accomplished and a very powerful alpha male. It simply was very difficult for him to follow someone else's orders, at least without argument. Shino was, however, taken aback when he had been required to be in attendance.

He had not been told the exact transgression, but the hearing was closed which did not bode well. Classified disciplinary hearings usually meant expulsion from the village, life imprisonment or a form of dishonorable discharge that resulted in one's chakra being sealed. There simply was not anything Shino could imagine Kiba doing that would warrant such harsh punishment.

When he arrived at the ANBU offices, Shino was immediately ushered to a small room where Kiba was sitting alone against one wall, his booted feet up on a nondescript folding table in front of him. Knowing Kiba as he did, Shino could tell that his genin teammate was not just giving off the air of nonchalance, the dog-nin was truly unconcerned about his current predicament, which relieved Shino greatly.

"Hey there, Bugman," Kiba called out, grinning but not removing his hands from behind his head.

"I suppose it would be useless to ask why we are here," Shino replied, standing between Kiba's table and the other more official looking wooden table at the other side of the room.

"Che, I was hopin' you knew."

Not having direction on what to do, Shino opted for standing were he was, but he did not have to wait long. After only a few minutes, the door swung open allowing two ANBU, the Hokage and Shizune in.

"You," Lady Tsunade barked, pointing her finger at Shino, "in the chair back there, be quiet, I'll talk to you after."

Shino easily slid around the other occupants in the room without comment, to sit in the only chair that was not pulled up to the wooden table.

"You," she continued changing the direction of her accusing finger to Kiba, "If it wasn't for your perfect, clean record you would have already been dismissed from duty and held in lockup until my mood improves."

The Hokage marched the few feet over to Kiba, causing the younger man to rear back in his tilted seat until he overbalanced enough to force him to grab the table top edge or topple over.

"And the way I'm feeling right now I won't be happy for a very," she creeped in closer over the table, and Kiba arched back

"Very," she got closer pushing the young man back farther.

"Very," one more time Lady Tsunade leaned into Kiba until her nose nearly touched the other man, and only the fist she made in his shirt kept him from hitting the floor.

"Very long time. So I suggest you stop treating this like some simple dressing down for forgetting to turn in your mission reports and start realizing this is as serious as it get Inuzuka Kiba."

When Tsunade-sama pulled back she bodily picked Kiba up and tossed him back into his chair. By the time the young Jounin steadied himself with both feet on the ground, Lady Tsunade had come to the front of the wooden table and picked up the paper Shino had seen Shizune place there.

Although her stance was relaxed as she leaned one hip on the wooden desk, the way the paper crinkled and crushed in her grip showed all of her frustration, anger and disappointment as clearly as her voice did when she read the charge against his friend.

"Inuzuka Kiba, you are accused of treason against the Hidden Leaf Village. How do you plead?"

"WHAT?" the accused demanded and Shino felt the answering disbelief in his Hive.

Kiba had never once displayed behavior that could have remotely have been construed as treason in Shino's presence. In fact, Kiba was one of only a handful of individuals that Shino trusted with his life.

"Whoever said that is a damn liar," Kiba continued and Shino was inclined to agree, though he would not have come out so directly saying so.

"Lady Tsunade," Shizune cut in nervously, "maybe I should read the full set of charges."

"Whatever, here," Tsunade-sama agreed offhandedly as she stood upright, tossing the paper behind her without looking so that she could keep glaring at Shino's childhood friend.

Absently, Shino's surveillance drones watched as Shizune scrambled to try to pluck the paper from the air as it violently twisted in the currents created by Lady Tsunade's harsh throw, while his own eyes observed the raging emotions playing out on Kiba's face.

The same anger, frustration and disappointment that was in the Hokage's body language was there in Kiba also. Kiba was a difficult team member sometimes and he was at best rough around the edges, but his honor and loyalty was unquestionable. For him to be accused of treason was a crime in and of itself in Shino's mind.

After catching the charges and clearing her throat, Shizune spoke out in a clear voice.

"Inuzuka Kiba is accused of treason against the Hidden Leaf Village as he did willfully and knowingly endangered his teammates during the execution of mission LT587-3-A."

"Huh?" came Kiba eloquent rebuttal as the same confusion that soften the Inuzuka's face ran rampant in Shino's head.

He had been one of Kiba's teammates on that particular mission, which probably explained his presence here. The other assigned member of the mission had been TenTen.

Remembering the exact details of that mission made Shino once again very glad he followed his clan's tendencies to wear face concealing clothing as heat raced up his neck and into his cheeks. Just to make certain that his embarrassment was not seen, Shino ducked his head farther into his undercoat's collar.

"I wouldn't do that. I didn't do that! What the hell? Shino tell them."

It was the desperate pleading in Kiba's voice that allowed Shino to overcome his personal hang-up and embarrassment, and assist his friend.

"Lady Tsunade, if I may, I do not remember being, as was stated, 'willfully and knowingly endangered' during that particular mission," Shino countered rationally with the truth. While the mission had not gone as planed, they had made it out without serious injury and that had been mainly due to Kiba's dogged pursuit of their intended target.

"You don't remember it because you were otherwise occupied attempting to keep the mission solvent while it was falling apart all around you."

Knowing that they could not see it, Shino cut his eyes to the side, but otherwise remained motionless. The assignment had been to track down a serial killer that had been targeting large city night spots throughout the Fire country. He and Kiba were to track, and since she seemed to fit the general profile of the victims, TenTen had been functioning as the bait. Everything had been going according to their intentions when the killer had caught Shino conversing with TenTen after another seemingly unsuccessful night of trying to draw him out.

He had identified their voyeur through his kikkaichu as their target, however the killer had not been what they were told to expect. He had been a very high ranking ninja, high enough that Shino had been unable to get a true fix on his location. Knowing that he would not be able to track their target, and unable to contact Kiba without being obvious, Shino and had done what he thought was best to maintain TenTen's cover.

"Now I know you're full of shit,' Kiba bellowed out, causing Shino to focus back on the present.

Kiba had jumped up from his chair, slamming his palms on the table all but growling as his slitted eyes narrowed and his teeth ground together. However when the Hokage abandoned her unsuccessful attempt at aloofness and again came nose to nose with Kiba, the younger man was forced back into his chair.

"Want to say that again?"

"I, ah, I had their back the whole t-time. I never left them with-without cover," Kiba stuttered out, obviously uncomfortable with being alpha challenged in a situation where he could not respond as his instincts demanded. Shino knew from many off-duty visits to Kiba's home that if this had been his mother, the two dog ninja would have already been scraping on the floor trading full punches and mild insults. However, something like that would be completely inappropriate to the Hokage.

"Ah, yes the whole time," Lady Tsunade hummed condescendingly. "However you seem to be leaving out the part where you allowed them to continue trying to maintain cover AFTER you had neutralized the threat."

Shino's eyes flew back up to focus on Kiba and his friend's surprised and...guilty face. Kiba had taken out the target before he and TenTen...

'No, it is not true' was all Shino's mind could come up with, because he would not except any other answer. He trusted Kiba completely. To even contemplate his betrayal was unthinkable.

"How did you..." Kiba started to ask, but his voice trailed away as shoulders, head and eyes dropped in a display of complete submission.

"How did we find out? The timing didn't line up. According to TenTen's medic, which is me, and the medical examiner, which is Shizune, the target died a full hour BEFORE you told them."

Memories that he had been refusing to look back at for the last month whorled in Shino's head. His hive was stunned into silence as their master counted back the minutes with his genius level mind and nearly photographic memory.

An hour pervious to Kiba jauntily informing him that the mission was complete would have been just after Shino had decided that just kissing TenTen in the alley behind the club was not enough to draw out their target and he had progressed to a more...aggressive display.

"I didn't... I mean, I just...they..."

Kiba did not need to fully vocalize his actions for Shino to understand what must have happened. Kiba was a dear and wonderful friend, but sometimes he was an impossible ass that acted on instinct and impulse rather than assessing the consequences of his actions.

As clearly as if he had been witness to it, Shino could see Kiba using not only his own senses but the kikkaichu as well to tract down the target, it simply was the way of their partnership.

It was Shino's long years of knowing the crazy Inuzuka in and out of combat that helped him piece together a scenario where Kiba must have returned to his teammates and found them 'engaged' with each other. The blush that was evident despite the crimson marking on Kiba's cheeks told Shino that his friend had contemplated the embarrassing move of interrupting he and TenTen, but the way Kiba refused to fully meet his eye line also told Shino that Kiba and consciously decided to allow the coupling to continue.

"She's perfect for you Shino and you can't tell me you don't think she's hot," Kiba grinned showing all his teeth and tapping his nose indicating that he could sense Shino's unconscious reaction to TenTen's presence. "You gotta try askin' her out, man. You never know unless you try."

Shino clearly remembered the conversation and his noncommittal reaction of a shrug. Maybe if he had have told Kiba the truth none of this would have happened. Shino had every intention of pursuing TenTen as some point, but it had been too soon for such ventures. It was unwise and somewhat dangerous for an Aburame hosting a colony to engage in a romantic or even physical relationship before they had full control of certain aspects of their kikkaichu.

Like the Inuzuka, the Aburame were tied intimately with the animals they commanded, but unlike Kiba who had received Akamaru as a young boy, Shino had been in constant contact since birth with his kikkaichu. The inevitable consequences of being under the influences of the insects were that Shino was not always sure where his want and will ended and the kikkaichu's began.

Mating and finding a mate was just one of many aspects that had to be heavily scrutinized and controlled to keep the kikkaichu user from becoming a slave to his insects' natural survival imperatives. Anytime an Aburame showed interest romantically, it had to be verified by independent parties that it was not only the kikkaichu insistence that the targeted individual was an appropriate genetic match, but that the Aburame themselves had an emotional attachment to the other individual as well. It was only after it was established that both the colony and the host had at least equal interest (or hopefully the human had more of a stake) that preparations could be made to safely pursue the subject of interest.

Shino had just started the embarrassing process of requesting an evaluation of his attraction to TenTen when they had been assigned their mission. He had meditated and taken all the precautions he had felt were necessary to keep himself from reacting too strongly to TenTen's presence, which would have been sufficient if they had not been force to go off script. Something that he was not finding out did not have to go as out of hand as it had.

"Look I got the serial killer," Kiba tried to defend, some of his earlier bravo coming back allowing him to put more confidence into his argument. "The guy was dead; D. E. A. D. They weren't in any danger. We completed the mission. What's the big deal?"

"The 'big deal' is, what if he had a partner?" the Hokage yelled back, but she did not stop there.

"The 'big deal' is that missions like that one are never complete until everyone comes home safe." At that particular point Kiba again looked sheepish.

"The 'big deal' is that one of my shinobi took it upon himself to play match maker in a life and death situation that has resulted in one of his teammates being forced into another life and death decision that..."

If the situation had have been different, it would have been comical the way both Kiba and Shino whipped their gazes to each other, then to the fuming Hokage and then back to each other, as if they were silently asking each other to confirm what they thought they had heard. Neither one of them got to actually ask a question however because Shizune came quickly to her feet to grab the Hokage's shoulder.

"Lady Tsunade! You cannot disclose..."

"All right, Shizune!" Tsunade-sama barked back.

"Oh fuck, you don't mean..."

The blonde woman's glare stopped Kiba from finishing his statement. Shino had never quite understood why people used the phrase 'like bugs crawling under my skin' to describe something uncomfortable, until now. Unlike the comforting feeling of his kikkaichu transversing within him, this 'crawling' sensation made him want to scratch and dig and his heart and gut to make the panic like emotion go away.

"The only reason you are being slapped on the wrist instead of being discharged is because TenTen refuses to acknowledge your roll in her predicament," Lady Tsunade confessed, earning her a hissing reproach from her personal assistant for again letting too much information out. After several deep breaths, the Hokage straightened herself to her full height and addressed the defendant firmly and without emotion.

"You, Inuzuka Kiba are being demoted to the rank of Chuunin for a period of no less than a year."

Through his kikkaichu, Shino saw Kiba's rightfully surprised gape. It truly was a minor punishment for a transgression that if prosecuted to the letter of the law, would have exiled Kiba from the village for a much longer time.

"You are also limited to D-class missions for half of that time."

Now there was a flinch from the dog-nin, but Kiba did not protest and instead gravely accepted his reprimand from his commanding officer. His uncharacteristic stoic posture was ruined when Kiba fully turned to his teammate and everything about the Inuzuka seemed to wilt.

Shino knew what Kiba was looking for. His friend had accepted that he had allowed a breach of protocol and deserved his professional punishment, but now he wanted Shino to weigh in. Even with Kiba looking like the whipped puppy he undoubtedly felt like, Shino was in no condition, or in the mood, to either assuage his friend's guilt or punish him for his actions.

"You are dismissed."

Kiba did not immediately respond, but when he realized that Shino was not going to acknowledge him, Kiba dropped his head and silently left the room. For some unknown reason, Shino felt the need to be obtuse. Maybe he was still in denial of the facts or perhaps he had not processed the situation fully, but when the door closed behind Kiba, Shino found himself asking what was probably the stupidest question to ever leave his mouth.

"Why am I here, if not to give witness in this hearing?"

Before answering Tsunade dismissed the two ANBU required for hearing such as this one and asked Shizune for a pair of scrolls the apprentice carried in her satchel before dismissing her as well. The Hokage offered Shino a seat next to her but the younger shinobi declined, preferring to stand and hear what Lady Tsunade had to say.

"I assume you recognize this," the blonde woman asked holding up one of the scrolls, knowing of course that he would.

"It is the waiver I signed once as a genin, and then again at every promotion," Shino answered.

Every employed shinobi had a personal contract with the village they worked for. It was a simple outline of the types of missions that would and would not be acceptable to the ninja and the expected compensation for services rendered per level of assignment. Shino's personal contract was very much like other shinobi of his caliber with one stark difference. It was stated explicitly because of his clan's particular limitations that he would never be asked to perform any mission that required seduction on his part.

"And do you know what this one is," she asked holding the other older, more richly decorated scroll up for his inspection.

"It is the Aburame terms of contract to the Village Hidden in the Leaves," Shino supplied needlessly.

For the first time in his memory, Shino saw his Hokage hedge before continuing on.

"I am obligated not only by my signatures on these documents but by the power of my station to remind you of certain clauses," Lady Tsunade looked around the desktop longingly, probably hoping that a sake bottle would magically appear. "Are you sure you won't sit down?"

Shino again shook his head fearing that if he sat he would crumble into himself. The Hokage gave one last deep sigh, messaged the space between her eyes and then fixed her shinobi with a serious, but empathic stare.

"Aburame Shino in section 37 subsection 2 of your personal contract as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, you have elected to waive any and all parental rights to a child conceived during execution of a mission, whether it be an assigned target, an ancillary or an assigned team member."

Shino's eyes slammed shut behind his impenetrable goggles as if he could block out reality by blacking out the light. Some naive part of him was hoping that he had interrupted incorrectly the pervious conversation, but now it was impossible to ignore; he had gotten TenTen pregnant.

When he had signed his shinobi agreement to the village all those years ago, he had not thought twice about initialing that particular clause in his contract, because in his mind it simply had not been a possibility. Without pause Lady Tsunade continued, unaware of his skyrocketing distress.

"You have also agreed to a Vow of Discretion in which you cannot divulge the nature of your relationship to the child or the circumstances of its birth without explicit permission of the mother or her clan."

The kikkaichu within him started to hum with irritation, but Shino easily set them silent even though he had to clench his own teeth to keep himself from exclaiming anger at being contractually obligated to ignore his own child. And still the Hokage continued.

"The Aburame Clan in their Terms of Contract have declared that they recognize that although there is a binding agreement that no Aburame will be required to perform intercourse as part of a mission, there are sometimes extenuating circumstances. And as such, the Aburame Clan agree to not seek custody of a child conceived outside the clan in such a manner, however they have reserved the right to claim the child if the mother should choose to carry to term, but decides to not raise the child."

Shino felt an unusual and unnatural calmness flow over him and found himself sinking slowly into the seat the Hokage had offered him earlier. Logically he knew himself well enough to know that he should be a hornet's nest of nerves, but apparently he had slipped passed anxiety and straight into shock. And without looking up from the scrolls in front of her, the Lady Tsunade soldiered on.

"In addition to you and your clan's position in this matter, I can relay to you that the second party in this discussion has also signed a personal contract that inhibits her from seeking support for herself or the child from either you or the Aburame Clan and that a Vow of Discretion is also in her contract and she cannot without explicit permission from you, divulge the nature of your relationship to the child."

Inside the bubble of shock Shino was cocooned in, his kikkaichu awakened enough to 'voice' their displeasure at having TenTen cooly referred to as a second party. Shino noted their reaction absently, and when the Hokage laid her hand on his forearm, the Aburame heir could barely muster the interest to look her way.

"Shino I also have to inform you that according to her personal contract, TenTen has reserved the right to terminate the pregnancy."

"No!"

Both Lady Tsunade and Shino were surprised by his passionate outburst. Something visceral inside him rebelled violently at the thought of his child being aborted. Whether it was himself or his kikkaichu that was reacting it was impossible for him to tell.

"Shino, as a kunoichi who is regularly asked to..."

"I know, I am sorry, " Shino quickly cut in, reining in his suddenly out of control emotions and kikkaichu.

He knew what was in a kunoichi contract, he had read Hinata's which unsurprisingly had a 'no intercourse' addendum much like his own due to her position in her clan. Within the rest of it was the standard clause that allowed the kunoichi to decided if they wish to keep a child conceived during a mission.

For Hinata, the freedom to decide her own fate had been perfectly logical to Shino, and he still could not imagine the sweet, gentle Hyuuga being forced to carry the offspring of a target that most likely was disreputable at best. However, now he was on the other side of that equation, and logic had nothing to do with his current feelings.

"I just..." he was forced to stop in order to call his kikkaichu back from an all out exodus. They were desperate to assess the condition of what they considered 'their' progeny. After a long, slow breath Shino felt calm enough to keep his swarm in check and ask his last question.

"How long until..." and still he found that he could not bring himself to ask.

"By contract TenTen has two more weeks to decide." Shino nodded in concession that in as little as two weeks time he could cease being a father.

"And Shino," Lady Tsunade continued squeezing his forearm before patting it in what he guessed was suppose to be comfort. "Neither you nor your clan are allowed to influence TenTen either for or against terminating her pregnancy therefore no Aburame may attempt to make contact with her until she decides."

Silence followed Shino's second nod of acceptance. It was still several minutes after that before the Hokage stood from the table, gathered the scrolls in one hand and placed her other on Shino's shoulder.

"I am truly sorry it has to be this way Shino."

This time he did not acknowledge the Hokage's words and instead sat perfectly still in a vain attempt to find some quiet center within himself. By contract, he was not allowed to speak of this to anyone; not his family, not his friends and especially not TenTen. He supposed that he could seek Kiba out, as he already knew, but Shino was not certain how he felt about his friend indirect involvement in this situation to begin with.

Not being able to quell the need to be unconfined, Shino left the ANBU offices, ignoring all attempts by acquaintances to engage him in conversation. In was not until he was outside in the glaring sunlight did Shino pause in his flight.

"It's a lot to take in like this isn't it?"

The kikkaichu swarmed in-mass from his body, circled him once before invading the deep shadows against the ANBU offices' wall behind him. Through their senses, Shino catalogued every aspect of the woman standing there.

TenTen outwardly looked no different, save for a slight darkening to the skin under her eyes, most likely a result of disrupted sleep. Other signals however told a completely different story. Although they were presently faint, pregnancy pheromones were easily detected by his insects, as were other chemical scents that were unique to TenTen herself.

While his insects swarmed and inspected her, Shino found that he was at a complete loss as to what to do. While he had been prohibited from contacting her, there was nothing stopping TenTen from seeking him out; a scenario he had not thought plausible.

"Yes, it is," Shino responded to her question, slightly embarrassed that despite his efforts, his kikkaichu were refusing to return to him at present.

If Shino thought his humiliation was complete, he was proven wrong when with hundreds of thousands of eyes, Shino observed TenTen bemused expression as the kikkaichu insisted that she step slightly away from the wall she leaned against so that the insects could 'frisk' her. At one point TenTen cried out in indignation when a small gang of adventurous kikkaichu became too emphatic about checking ALL of her for adequate health.

Shino was forced to give an actual verbal command to recall his kikkaichu, whom reluctantly complied, but once they were sequestered within him, Shino was surprised at how still the hive was, seemingly content to resume their pervious duties as if everything was status quo.

"It sucks a little bit that Kiba got zinged like that,' TenTen offered when the silence stretched out uncomfortably between them "But I guess it's better than keeping his rank and being suspended for a year."

"I would have to agree, however I must admit will enjoy seeing him mucking the farm stalls for a few months."

TenTen was still behind him in the shadows, and with his kikkaichu curiously content and going about mundane daily activities, it was left up to Shino's own knowledge of TenTen to determine if her soft laughter at his statement was genuine or forced. He had hoped that his endeavor to lighten the mood would be well received, and by the sedate silence that followed, Shino thought maybe he had succeeded.

"The fireflies will be out by then," TenTen told him offhandedly, coming to stand next to him, placing her hands on the railing in front of them that overlooked the street below. "And the Summer festivals will..."

"I want to know," Shino found himself cutting in, afraid that if he thought about it too long he would loose the courage to tell her.

"What?"

"I want to know when you decide, whatever it is that you decide," Shino clarified and was surprised by her embarrassed laughter.

"Well, consider yourself told, then."

Shino stiffened then, realizing that TenTen had not actually given him a clear answer to whether she planned to terminate her pregnancy, his child. Unable to resist the urge any longer, Shino turned fully towards the kunoichi and found that while a blush dusted her cheeks TenTen's eyes were clear and determined, and there was no subterfuge.

"Shino, I am a shinobi. It's all I've ever wanted to be, but I became a ninja to protect life, not to end it." TenTen gave him a small nervous smile and Shino found himself drawing closer to her, which seemed to intensify her blush, and with a hidden smirk Shino noted that not only did TenTen not pull away, she leaned slightly in towards him in return.

"I will not do anything that will... I just won't," TenTen promised him in a small voice as she nervously bit her lip. "But there's always a chance this early that..."

"There is no chance, why?" Shino interrupted, not liking the distress he felt coming from her. "You will not miscarry as you are more than a capable woman and the Aburame are known to be strong breeders."

It was not until after he had spoken that Shino realized what he had said (while still accurate) sounded more than a just a little bit arrogant. Now TenTen was biting her lip to keep from laughing at him, which he found to be far more agreeable than her being put-off by his direct nature.

"Well, I guess I better start looking for a bigger apartment then."

And with that simple statement Shino was reminded that he and TenTen were not a couple and despite her resolve to keep their child, she had made no overt overture to wanting him to have an active roll in its upbringing.

At this juncture Shino was not sure what he should or could do. TenTen had been the one to contact him which made this meeting possible, but he was still obligated to leave her alone until the two week period was over. Even though she had told him she was keeping the baby, she was allowed to change her mind up until that deadline and any initiated contact on his part might be construed as him trying to influence her. There was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to be there, he wanted to know his child, but unless TenTen wanted it too, there was nothing he could do.

"The fireflies will be out by the time the baby's born," she commented wistfully, her gaze long over the village below them. "I can leave the windows open for the breeze. That will be nice."

Shino flinched a little. No Aburame would dream of leaving a newborn's summer window open. With a larvae queen newly infused, it was dangerous to allow 'wild' insects around the infant before a full bond was formed. Of course TenTen was not Aburame, and even if he was granted his wish to be a father to his child, the likelihood that TenTen would allow their offspring to be infused and initiated into the Aburame Clan was slim.

For the first time since he had called back his kikkaichu, Shino felt his colony react to the conversation he and TenTen were having. A buzz of protest was starting to resonate in his core, and the more he fought it the more insistent the swarm became, until Shino was compelled to say something.

"TenTen..."

"TenTen!"

At the same moment Shino called her name, a very loud and familiar voice called up from the street. Waving wildly, and with undue enthusiasm, Rock Lee jumped and gyrated until TenTen lifted her own hand in recognition. The younger Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha smiled brightly to his female teammate soft grin and whooped in accomplishment at being able to gain her attention. Lee roughly nudged Neji at his side and the Hyuuga barely acknowledged the tap at his stared fixedly at TenTen.

"That's my team. I need to give them the bad news."

Both Shino and his kikkaichu took immediate offense. Their spawn was in no way 'bad news' and Shino found himself feeling a strange mix of righteous indignation and hurt rejection. He did not know what to think of this mix of emotions, but looking over at TenTen's obvious discomfort and nervousness his own agitation quelled.

"It is unlikely that this will be bad new, why?" Shino began drawing TenTen's attention from her teammates. "You are a valuable member of your team and your presence will be missed, yes, but you are respected and cherished. I do not see your team disrespecting your decision."

It took a moment, but TenTen responded to his words with a radiant smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"You're right, of course you're right," she agreed, and Shino wondered if she realized that she was protectively caressing her abdomen. "I'm just nervous, I guess."

"There is no need. You will always be cared for. If not by them then..."

Shino cut himself short, realizing that he had almost said something that would surely be viewed as an attempt on his part to persuade TenTen to keep his child.

"Thanks," TenTen told him, bumping her shoulder against his. "I guess I better tell them. And Shino? Thanks for, I don't know, being cool about all of this."

Shino did not respond, but his kikkaichu quieted while his heart sped up. It was not until TenTen leapt down to greet her teammates that Shino began to realize that he was truly feeling two distinctly different emotions. Just as the advisors had indicated, if he had true real feelings for TenTen beyond his kikkaichu's desire to procreate, he and his kikkaichu would react differently to specific stimuli in regard to his intended.

His kikkaichu had no difficultly with allowing TenTen to leave with her longtime teammates, while Shino the man, looked on in jealously as Neji stood a little too close and lean in a little too far for his liking. As far as the kikkaichu were concerned, as long as TenTen did nothing to jeopardize their spawn. They were content to let her live her life away from them, while Shino rebelled at the very thought of never claiming his own child, of being stuck being 'Mommy's weird friend'.

Shino did not need his Aburame advisor any longer to tell him TenTen was what he wanted. She was, as Kiba had said perviously, perfect for him. She was the ideal mix of beauty, humor, caring, intelligence and she had that extra something that his kikkaichu responded to. How did one go about seducing someone they had already impregnated?

Shino was not sure how, but as he watched TenTen walk away, a male she had close personal ties to on either side, he decided that he would do his best to win the heart of the woman that already owned his. As close as he figured, he had eight months before the baby was born to convince TenTen he was the one for her and that she could not live without him.

So, as was his nature, Shino hunkered down and awaited the coming of the invincible summer, biding his time, and formulating a plan to win all that was worth winning.

I thrive on constructive criticism and cookies, not flames.

Kat

The title I took from a quote from Albert Camus

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.

I'm thinking of maybe doing a mature version of this story. Tell me what you think.