Finding Moments

After the fight with Pein and her confession to Naruto, Hinata helped Konoha's rebuilding as much as possible. The members of her clan needed calming and she stood by her sister and father as an example to the others that the Hyuugas were not so easily shaken. Hinata wished that really was the case with her. Part of her wished that Naruto responded to her declaration of love somehow and she was upset that he hadn't, but he had a great deal to manage at the moment. They all did and that was the difficulty of being a ninja.

As long as she could help others and remain as strong as possible, though, then Naruto would have to see her in a better light. That was what she kept telling herself. Everyone and everything were somewhat chaotic, so she often had no time for herself and to relax. That was about to change.

She was with a few guards, patrolling, when Shino told her that her presence was required elsewhere, so she excused herself to follow him. Shino did not take her to the Hokage or anyone else of higher rank like she expected. Instead, they were on the outskirts of the village by the Hokage mountain. "Shino-kun?" she asked with her brow furrowed for a moment. "Someone required my presence?"

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a box of Pocky. Blueberry, her favorite. "It is important to pause activities of a physical nature to receive nourishment," he stated. Blueberry Pocky was not exactly healthy nourishment, but his sweet concern counted.

Hinata smiled and thanked him, opening the box and offering him one before taking a stick to eat herself. They ate in silence and yet it was so peaceful that she relaxed a little. Some people found Shino's silence uncomfortable, but she didn't mind it. He was often in introspection and once she knew that, she understood the lapses of quietness better.

"This is delicious," she told him with another smile. "You are very thoughtful, Shino-kun. I appreciate it."

"You are welcome." Shino turned to look at her. "Rebuilding and organizing the village is strenous, but it provides us with time to assess what is most important."

Hinata made a small noise of agreement. She had a reason to be strong, for Naruto's sake, and to show people how strong she had become. When she glanced at him again, she saw Shino sitting somewhat closer than where he had been a few moments ago. She blinked.

"What is important to you, Shino-kun?" she asked. Why? She had no idea. Shino gazed at her behind his sunglasses and now the silence seemed heavier, more significant than she had felt in the past. Shino leaned forward slightly and that was when she felt the brush of a fingertip against the back of her palm. Prickles and tingles rushed down her spine and heat seized her cheeks. Was that really Shino touching her hand? No, impossible.

Her heart pounded hard in her chest as she thought back to the times he stood by her, looking at her, or gave her words of encouragement. She had never seen him be physically affectionate, so this had to mean something. She started to move her fingers in response without thinking. Her hand turned and her forefinger rose to caress one of his fingers. The blush in her cheeks deepened, but something clicked within herself. She never thought that anyone would want much to do with her in that way, or have any romantic feelings for her, but – Hinata smiled.

The following days were happier for her than she thought possible. Every day at lunch time, Hinata ate with Shino and she gave him riceballs she made especially for him. In return, his kikkai flew around the area outside of Konoha and found lovely flowers for her to press.

Though one of his kikkai stayed in her clothing during the day, she thought it was a quick and handy method to keep in contact with him. Sometimes in the evenings, she missed him, so she told the kikkai to relay the message and where to meet.

They met in the moonlight and it was then Shino smiled at her, just for her.

Weeks later, they were on a mission and it had gone worse than expected. Kiba and Akamaru were low on chakra, exhausted, and Hinata was so weary, her breaths became shallow and ragged. Shino was worst of all, with a jagged wound on his side and another one stretching a few inches across the right half of his stomach. The three just managed to get away from the barrage of arrows and shurikens and duck into a embankment somewhere. The details were difficult for Shino to remember due to the haze of pain.

Maintaining a stoic façade as usual took most of his strength. He always prided himself on being practical and analytical about the situations he encountered, but he was unable to shake the feeling that he was about to die. Death was always a part of a shinobi's life and he knew it was necessary to accept it. Facing the end rattled him more than he wanted to admit. If he was about to die, then he wanted to spend his last moments with his most important person.

Shino exhaled quietly and glanced to the side towards Hinata. The sound of her breathing was soft, but not deep enough to indicate she was sleeping. He reached out to touch her arm and she stirred.

"Hinata," he murmured, managing to keep his voice even. She turned towards him. He wondered if she would reject him. He had not told her his injuries were as severe as they really were because the situation was chaotic enough as it was. He leaned over her and brushed his lips against hers with caution. His hesitation disappeared as she raised her head off the ground a few centimeters to return the kiss with her gentle mouth. He expected nothing less than the wonderful tenderness she showed in every action she made.

Slow, smooth grasping desire overtook stabs of pain as he ran his hands down her arms. His hands shook slightly and her breath hitched, but both of them clung to the moment they were creating together. Time froze and blackness swept over Shino as energy and fleeting pleasure left him.

They were fortunate that they had managed to escape more harm and traveled to a small village. Shino walked despite his pain and weak condition, though he collapsed soon after they arrived. Hinata was horrified to discover how serious his injuries were and promised herself to watch him in the future just in case he was hurt again. She wanted him to survive because losing him was a thought that weighed her down almost more than she could bear. He pulled through, much to Hinata's relief. She could not take any more time with him for granted.

Not everyone was so receptive to the idea of the Great Shinobi Alliance, dredging up suspicion and doubt when the world needed the opposite. Between rebuilding Konoha and gathering resources, weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Hinata worked so hard to help her village that she often had to push through feelings of dizziness and odd flips of her stomach to continue her duties. It just meant she needed her sleep, though that was easier said than done.

She also hadn't seen Kiba or Shino in days and it frayed her nerves. Talking to them was calming and most of all, she missed the intense quiet and warmth in Shino's company. At last, they were assigned a mission together and Hinata blushed unwittingly as she saw the insect shinobi join her on the outskirts of the village. Rock Lee was there as well, so doing anything intimate was not a good idea.

They needed to relay a message to the land of Iron. The mission seemed easy enough and having a full sense of security was always when something went wrong. A group of rebels ambushed them – the Leaf ninja managed to dodge the first wave of attack without any problem, but the second caught Hinata off guard. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep that dulled her reflexes and helped her to catch a dozen shurikens along her right side.

Her back hit the ground, sending a jolt of extra pain throughout her body and she exhaled a sharp breath. Shino appeared by her side in the next instant and inspected her injury. They still had some healing salve and that along with the bandages would have to do until they were able to get to the village.

He unzipped her jacket and paused when his hands were on her stomach. His line of sight was tricky for some people to follow, but Hinata knew it well. She clenched her fist tight enough for her nails to dig into her palm so she could focus on something besides the pain in her sides. "S-Shino-kun?" she asked in a quiet voice.

She did not expect his reply. "You are pregnant." It was not a question. Her eyes widened at his words and she managed to pull herself up onto her elbows. "Why did you not tell me?" he asked. She blushed and winced as he began to tend to her wounds. More likely than not, she would give him an unsatisfactory answer.

"I d-didn't know," Hinata started and felt her voice weaken. "I didn't notice, I was so b-busy helping and-" Her father. How disappointed he would be to discover his eldest daughter was unwed and expecting. She had worked hard, continued to work so hard, and every step of the way faced disappointment even still.

"I understand." Shino's voice calmed her more than she expected and suddenly, her worries started to disappear. Maybe now, more than ever, it was time to forge her own path.

Shino helped her to her feet and supported her, mostly carrying her weight the rest of the way to the Iron village. He remained by her side as the medic-nin attended to her and kept watch while she slept. Hinata awoke to find Shino sleeping in an upright position on the chair besides her bed with his hand resting on hers. She smiled and held his hand. The baby was their secret, a dream that shone on the horizon. Hinata's place in the world was with the family she created for herself. The future didn't scare her so much anymore.