Yes... I know... I'm finally done. Those you don't wanna stop reading about Shino, Hinata, Shibi, Neji, or whomever you seem to love, keep your eyes open for my 'Chaos' Arch... it'll be a series of one-shots, in no particular order, having it's basis around the 'Why Love is Chaos' world... Hope you've enjoyed the read, and that it was worth it!

Epilogue

The surface of the lake rippled as the boy looked around himself; the small house at the lake's edge had the perfect view from the second floor balcony, and was just far enough from the main part of the village to ensure peace and quiet. He took another step on the lake's surface, bringing his mind back to the task at hand.

… where are you..? A few hand signs and his vision expanded and widened, and still the only thing that alerted him to a presence was a shadow at the very edge of his sight. He concentrated on it, pulling shuriken off of his belt slowly…

… and then in one rapid movement the shuriken plunged into the waters depths. He stood there smugly for a moment, waiting for the target to rise to the surface. He started to panic when nothing happened after almost a minute.

"Kari?" He said aloud, taking a few hurried steps towards where the shadow had been submerged under water – a trap exploded around him before he could make it halfway, sending him flying back several yards before he pulled the chakra back to his feet to stand back on the water.

A girl stood delicately where the trap had been set, a trench coat shrouding her features and a high collar hid her face from view… to top it all off, black sunglasses shielded her eyes from sight.

She snorted out a laugh, and slowly drew her arms into a mockery of Juuken. He glared at her, but before he could move to attack her again she summoned two clones to copy her as well. "Hey! That's pushing it!"

"Then stop being so brash!" She yelled back at him. "You're an ANBU and yet you're letting yourself being outsmarted by a Chuunin! A Chuunin girl no less!"

"It's not my fault you're some weird genius!" He screamed childishly, still glaring. "And you and I both know that I have stronger ninjutsu and taijutsu."

"Yeah well, all the jutsus in the world won't help you if you can't touch your opponent!" She laughed out – it was the last straw, and he pulled a kunai out of his belt to charge at her… but a booming voice called across the lake and stopped them.

"Hiiro! Shikari!" It was their mother. Hiiro stood up straight as his sister dropped her jutsu to listen. "Stop practicing and come in for lunch!"

The siblings looked at each other; Hiiro couldn't see Shikari's face, but knew she was smiling at him warmly. "Shall I beat you another day, Kari-chan?"

"You can try Hii-kun," she giggled out, and both of them moved to walk towards the house. Hiiro waited for her to be walking beside him before hurry up. They turned it into a miniature race, and true to form Hiiro beat her hands down.

"HyuugaHiiro," he glanced to where Shikari was still running, before turning to look at the looming figure standing in the door. "Did you try to kill your sister again..?"

"No," Hiiro rolled his eyes, moving to stand up in front of the man. "Why would I waste time on trying to do that when I know she has at least 3 backup plans to avoid such situations..?"

"Because it amuses you..?" The man asked.

"Yes, but that's no excuse to kill the Aburame-bug," Hiiro chuckled out. "Besides, I know that you wouldn't want me to do that Father."

"W-were you talking about me?" Both men looked to where Shikari had caught up, still breathing heavily. Deft fingers undid her trench coat – which she then threw at her brother – before reaching up to tug off her sunglasses; they revealed transparent Hyuuga eyes with kikaichuu bugs buzzing beneath them. "Oh, konichi wa father."

"Konichi wa Kari-chan," her father said, ruffling up her hair before letting her past. He was still wearing his sunglasses, though he didn't wear his usual jacket. "Come on Hiiro, lunch is almost set."

Father and son walked down the hall together; looking at them, you could see the similarities. Hiiro was almost as tall as the man: the only feature they didn't share was the Hyuuga eyes… but Hiiro masked the similarities with different clothes, and if you didn't already know you wouldn't easily guess that they were related.

Stepping into the kitchen was another story all together. Mother and daughter helped one another set the lunch table with perfect grace and unity; they turned it into almost a dance, and the ethereal scene was ruined only by a small mass of kikaichuu picking apart a piece of bacon in the corner.

"Kari!" Hiiro whined from beside his father. "I don't mind your kikai bugs, but could you keep them from eating my food!"

"They're playing, Hyuuga-brat," Shikari said with a sigh, rolling her silver eyes. "Not eating – they don't eat our food."

"Hii-kun," their mother interrupted. "Stop teasing your sister and sit down," Hiiro grumbled as he sat down, and Shikari giggled.

"Same to you young lady," their father chorused out next. Shikari stopped giggling, but still smiled as she sat down. "And do both of you know where you need to be after lunch..?"

"I'm training with Shibi-sama," Shikari said first, calling her kikaichuu back to her. "And then later I'm playing shoji with Shikaramu-sensei."

She needs to get some friends, Hiiro thought to himself with a sigh. But no one wants to be friends with a bug, right..? He glanced up to where his mother was leaning onto his father's shoulder. … but then again, father managed to find someone, so I guess it's not impossible for Shikari.

"And you, Hiiro?" His mother asked, linking all-seeing-eyes with all-see-eyes.

Hiiro arched a delicate brow, masking his train of thought. "Neji and Sasuke-sensei are both away on missions, so Sakura and Rokudaime-jii-chan agreed to help me train for the next week or so. And Hiashi-sama expects me at the Hyuuga Estate as there is some dinner tomorrow that I have to be at."

"Aa, that means that you have to go to the Hyuuga Estate tomorrow Shikari," his mother said, looking over at Shikari – his sister nodded in agreement, though she didn't seem too happy about it. Hiashi-sama doesn't like Shikari; he'll put up with her but that's about it.

With a smile their mother moved to get lunch, and their father followed her. Hiiro rolled his eyes and looked away, forcing Byakuugan not to look anywhere near to where they were; Shikari just giggled. "Aren't they cute..?"

"You're saying that about our parents," Hiiro stated out blankly. "They barely had a choice in the matter – they were put into a marriage contract."

"Yeah," Shikari agreed, "but they were in love before that. The contract was made because neither of them would do anything about it."

"Maybe," Hiiro rolled his eyes. "Alls I know is that, as the daughter of Hyuuga Hinata, you should be more disgruntled at seeing them necking all the time."

"One, they aren't necking," it was Shikari's turn to roll her eyes. "If you would look you would see that. Two, as the sonof Aburame Shino, you should be smart enough to observe the situations around you…. And three, as the grandson of Aburame Shibi, you should be laughing with me."

Aburame heir and Hyuuga heir glared at each other, before finally Hiiro gave in and glanced over at their parents. They really were kind of cute, in that offhand, flower-trodden-on-a-battlefield sort of way.

Their father stood leaning against the counter top, holding both of their mother's hands as he refused to let her past to get the lunch; instead his kikaichuu were slowly hauling the load to the kitchen table where their children sat silently watching them. Shino smiled brightly down at his wife, letting go of her hands long enough to scoop her up into his arms. He carried her across the kitchen and sat her down in one of the remaining chairs, muttering something in her ear before going back to pick up the rest of the food.

Shikari giggled, her heightened hearing catching their father's whispered words as their mother blushed. "Shikari, you know it's rude to eavesdrop."

"Sorry mother," Shikari said with a smile.

"Back to matters at hand," their mother said easily, blush still on her cheeks. "Should we be expecting you back Shikari? Or will it just be your brother away tonight?"

Their father chimed in before Shikari could answer, and Hiiro held back a slight groan. "That wasn't a question Shikari, that was a request… right Hinata-ai?"

"Shino!" her blush deepened, and Shikari giggled again. … okay… um… father is becoming more and more like Shibi-sama… thankfully he's not as blunt.

"Shikari should probably spend the night over at the Hyuuga Estate anyways, so she can start getting ready bright and early in the morning," Hiiro butting in. "So I'll make sure that a guest room is set up for you, alright Kari-chan?"

"Thank you Hii-kun…" Shikari giggled out; and finally lunch was completely set at the table. Shino sat down between Shikari and Hiiro, across from Hinata.

"Thank you son," he said warmly, ruffling Hiiro's hair.

Hiiro rolled his eyes, but smiled back as the family slipped into a comfortable chatter; and despite being raised with the ferocity of a Hyuuga, he was glad that he had this comfortable lifestyle to live… because in the end, he loved his family dearly. And his family felt the same.

------

From the chaotic storm of love that everything feeds on, to the delicate blessings of a glass wing butterfly, the Aburame clan were secretly based on a romance so primal that most people ignored it, or worse, thought it was something insignificant. It's something so bluntly obvious in every Aburame's life, but most people don't have the right eyes to see it…

… and no one ever knew that the eyes of a Hyuuga could. The all-seeing eyes that pierce through the soul to the very depths of the heart. Really, it's no mystery why any Hyuuga could see; understanding was another thing altogether.

But in the end, it all works out.

True love never takes needless journeys.

-Owari