Ipod Shuffle_16- ShinoHana

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1. Hanging Around – Counting Crows(4:09)
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"Who are you?" Hana asked as she walked into the small living room area of her home, having just returned from a graveyard shift at the animal hospital.

Sitting on the couch, a boy about the age of her eleven year old brother, sat waiting silently. His posture was impossibly straight, unlike anyone the Inuzuka girl had ever see before. Was he seriously Kiba's age, she wondered. She found it difficult to believe the boy could have any relationship with her wild and immature little brother, but there was no other logical explanation as to why the boy would be there in the first place.

"Aburame Shino," the boy softly, but confidently, replied as he politely stood to his feet and greeted the older kunoichi.

"A friend of the runt, I take it?" she asked, referring to her younger brother.

"Hai." Shino nodded, apparently understanding who she had met.

"Oi!" a loud bark from behind the pair yelled out. "Quit bugging my teammate Oneechan!"

Hana turned to faced her brother as he entered the room with a plate of refreshments. "I'm not bugging him!" she barked back, turning to the other boy expectantly. "Ain't that right?" she asked.

"I am not bothered." Shino replied passively, before calmly retaking his seat.

Weird kid, Hana thought, as she politely dismissed herself, leaving the two boys to go about their business.

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2. Strange and beautiful – Aqualung (3:52)
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There she is again, Shino thought, as he watched the Inuzuka vet rush briskly past the courtyard of her family's home, followed closely by her three nin-dogs.

She hadn't seen him, however. But Shino had. He wondered, as he watched her throw a ball out for her nin-dogs to retrieve, whether he should go over and greet her. It was the polite thing to do. And Shino had been raised to always be polite. But for some reason, as he watched her playing with her dogs, or perhaps exercising their muscles (though from the way she was heartily laughing, it looked more like playing than working), Shino simply did not feel like interrupting the kunoichi.

Often, when he came to see Kiba, Shino would see the older girl. She usually always had a pensive look on her face, as if she was worried about one thing or another. Perhaps this was due to the fact that she often had to bear the burden of looking out for herself and her younger 'idiot' brother (as she called him) whenever their mother was away on long missions. Perhaps it was because some of duties in the animal hospital often required putting an animal to sleep, something which Shino had long since noticed she hated to do. Whatever the reason, it was a rarity for him to be able to catch a glimpse of the kunoichi smiling and laughing as she was at that moment.

He wished he could imprint the image to his mind, and keep it forever. It was for that reason, he felt compelled to remain where he was, instead of walking over to greet the kunoichi.

He just wanted to watch a little while longer...

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3. Lost In Love – Air Supply (3:54)
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"Thank you." the brown-haired kunoichi smiled gratefully as she pushed her way through the library entrance where the younger man had been holding the door for her.

"You are welcome." Shino replied, looking down at the woman who was carrying a massive load of large medical texts in her hands. "May I assist you?" he politely questioned, extending his hand out to offer his help.

"Ah! Shino-san!" Hana gasped at seeing who the young man was. "Yes, please," she smiled sweetly, handing over half of her books, grateful for the assistance.

They walked in silence for a good ten minutes, just enjoying the simplicity of nature as the two made their way to the Inuzuka home. Though he wouldn't mind talking to her more, and perhaps even wished he could say something to her, the truth was, Shino enjoyed the fact that Hana was one of the few people who didn't seem uncomfortable with silence.

Everyone knew he wasn't the outspoken, talkative type, but to many it still bothered them when silence fell upon them in his company. Hana was different, though. She didn't feel the need to fill in the silence with mindless chatter. She didn't fidget or blush, losing herself to the awkwardness of having nothing to say. She was comfortable with it; comfortable with him.

Perhaps that was what he liked about her.

In the years he had known the older kunoichi, since initially meeting her in her family home when Kiba had first invited him over to try and get to know him, and try to get him to speak more, Shino had taken a strong liking to her. She was a beauty, and that did not escape his adolescent eyes, but it was more than that. Hana had a calming, strong aura to her. She was unlike any of the girls he knew. She was mature and self-confident. He liked that about her very much.

He liked her very much.

So much in fact, he could no longer be contented with fleeting run-ins whenever he went to pick up Kiba for training or missions. And so recently, he had begun to seek out situations where he could spend more time with her.

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4. Me Gustas Tu – Manu Chao (4:00)
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"I like you." he bluntly said out of the blue one day, as the pair sat eating lunch outside the Konoha Library.

It wasn't really out of the blue though. For a long time Shino had liked the older kunoichi, but he had just never said anything until then. He really didn't know what she felt for him. Though they did spend a lot of time together, especially in recent months, the truth was they had never quite defined what it was they were doing or what it was they meant to one another. For all he knew, she just saw him as her little brother's best friend. He, however, didn't see her as merely his best friend's older sister; to him, she was... well he wasn't quite sure what she was.

"You like me?" she repeated quietly, putting her sandwich down as she furrowed her brow apparently attempting to figure out what it was he had just said.

"Yes." he nodded, not caring to repeat himself as he felt it was enough to say it once. As it was, he didn't really like repeating himself in the first place.

"You like me..." She, on the other hand, apparently had no problems with repetition. They were different in that respect; as well as in many others. But still, he liked that about her. She wasn't like him, she was her own person. "You like me," she repeated again.

All three times she said it, however, were different. The first had been a question, as if she were shocked by what she had heard. The second, trailed off, as if she were thinking about it, curious as to what it meant. The third time, it was a certainty. She knew what it was he said, and knew what it meant.

"I like you too," Hana replied after a moment of silence. She smiled at him kindly, then picked her sandwich up again and continued eating her lunch, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do after having been confessed to by the younger man.

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5. Nervous Shakedown – AC/DC (4:27)
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Hana looked herself over in the mirror one last time. Pursing her lips together, she wondered what was wrong with her. She felt uneasy, nervous, so unlike her usual self.

"Baka!" she scolded herself, glaring at the image facing back at her in the mirror.

She was a medic! A kunoichi! Someone who held life and death in her hands on a daily bases. Someone who had faced death time again and never once flinched or faltered. She was an Inuzuka! They didn't get nervous! They got the job done!

And yet... she couldn't help it.

There were butterflies in her stomach. A knot in her throat. Her heart was beating unusually fast, and her palms were sweaty.

"Okay!" She slapped her hands hard against her cheeks, forcing herself to snap out of whatever it was that was causing her to feel so uneasy. "I gotta get over this!" she ordered herself, forcing an awkward smile as she walked out of her room, and headed out to the restaurant where she had agreed to meet Shino for dinner; their first.

"Hana-san." he greeted her when she arrived.

There was a definite look in his eyes that made the butterflies flutter harder in her stomach. A thought crossed her mind, wondering if inside of him, there was literal fluttering going on. The image made her relax slightly, and smirk at the same time. She tried not to laugh out loud so as not to seem weird, though she was certain that ship had sailed the moment she walked in to the restaurant in a form-hugging red dress. She wondered if perhaps it had been too much.

"You look lovely," he stated, after a moment of silent observation.

"Thank you." She quietly replied, feeling herself blush at the compliment as he pulled the chair out and invited her to sit.

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6. Kiss Me – Six pence none the richer (3:30)
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He tried to stay calm.

He tried to remind himself to breath. Tried to still his Kikaichu from stirring up his insides as they buzzed away, reacting to his increased heart rate. It seemed unlike him to feel so uneasy, especially since he was with the one person he usually always felt at ease with. But it was different from before. They weren't just having lunch at the library, or staring up at the starry sky. They weren't talking about some book they read, or a new technique they had researched. They weren't recounting tales of their latest mission, or discussing the probability of Kiba growing a pair and finally confessing to his timid teammate.

They were... Kissing.

The fact that Hana was beautiful had never alluded him, but Shino, perhaps because of his limited experience, had never really contemplated what it meant to date. He had confessed to her because he had felt the need to communicate his thoughts and feelings. But hadn't really considered what it would mean for them. He hadn't thought about dates, or hugs, or kisses, or any of that physical stuff. For him, it had just been about being with her. Spending time together. Enjoying stimulating conversation. Hearing her soft, light laughter. Staring at her sweet delicate smile. Listening to her calm soothing voice.

But... kissing...

He had not really thought about that. That is, until she kissed him!

Standing there, just outside the Inuzuka house, on a moonlit night, after having walked her home from their latest date, all of his attention was completely focused on the pair of lips pressed firmly against his. They were soft. A sweet taste, that reminded him of the scent of sweet and spicy pork she had eaten, still lingered on her breath as her tongue probed it's way into his mouth. It tasted good. It felt good...

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7. Talk – Coldplay (5:11)
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"So?" Kiba crossed his arms as he leaned back against a large tree in his team's usual training grounds. "What'd you wanna talk about?" he asked the silent shinobi as Shino rigidly stood in front of him.

"There is a matter which I have been meaning to speak with you on," the Aburame began, straightening his back further as he tried to come up with a way in which to say what he wanted to say.

Shino had been dating Kiba's older sister for a few months already. They had developed a friendship long before that, however, so the fact that they were occasionally seen together did not register to any as particularly unusual. The fact that they were now dating, however, was something which the two of them had decided to keep to themselves. Both had felt it was nobody's business by their own what they did in their free time. And so, they had decided it was unnecessary to inform anyone of the change in their relationship. Still, Shino had felt that to Kiba, at least, he owed him the respect and courtesy of letting him know.

It wasn't that he felt as if he needed to explain himself. It was more out of loyalty, than anything else, that Shino felt he owed his bestfriend not to keep something as important as this from him.

"Well?" Kiba barked. "Get on with it!" he urged, tapping his foot anxiously and looking around as if he needed to be somewhere else.

"Is this an inconvenient time for you?" Shino asked, knowing that what he wanted to say was a serious matter and he would prefer to explain things to his friend in a less hurried, more formal manner than simply blurting out that he was dating his sister.

"If this is about you and Oneechan, I already know," Kiba dismissively waved.

"..." Shino's eyes opened wide as he looked at his friend in bewilderment, never having expected that Kiba would have known and said nothing.

"Tch." Kiba scoffed, pushing himself off the tree trunk and walking over to him. "She always reeks of you," he explained, at seeing his friend's confusion, then quickly took off in the direction of the Hyuga compound, leaving Shino to wonder whether it meant he was okay with it or not...

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8. Going to the Chapel  – The Marvellets (2:50)
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"Should we really be doing this?" The man next to her questioned, as the young couple stood outside a quaint little Shinto temple, near the outskirts of the village.

"Huh?" Hana tilted her head to the side curiously.

For a moment she wondered if perhaps he was right, and they should wait until they told their families, and had their blessings. But knowing her mother, she would be furious no matter what they said and would likely cause a loud commotion, something which Hana did not particularly desire for the event.

She had offered to let him invite his family at the very least, but Shino had firmly stated that if her mother could not be there, it would be unfair if his was. And so they had decided to come alone.

Walking into the lonely temple, Hana tightly grasped his hand. She felt nervous at what they were about to do, but at the same time she was trembling in excitement. She knew it was the right decision. It was what her heart told her. But she wondered if their families would ever forgive her for not including them.

"It only matters that we do what is best for us." Shino calmly stated, knowing full well what was running through the older kunoichi's mind.

"You're right." She nodded, smiling up at him. Inhaling deeply, she began walking more confidently towards the alter, where the monk that would soon marry them was waiting for them. "Let's do this!"

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9. Are You Ready For This? – Three Days Grace (2:48)
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"Are you #&@$ing kidding me?!?" The feral-eyed woman yelled at the pair of lovers as they stood before her, informing her for the first time about their relationship.

Though Shino suspected she had likely known about them, just as Kiba had, the young Aburame would have preferred having told the older woman about his relationship with her daughter under more favorable circumstances.

"We're not asking for your permission, mother!" Hana loudly barked back, unwilling to cower to her mother's intimidating glare.

"What the #&@$ where you thinking?!?!" Tsume yelled at her daughter, raising her voice even louder. "Are you two even ready for this?!" she asked, referring to the reason behind why they had come to speak to her.

"Of course we are!" Hana replied, this time in a much more serene tone.

"How can you say that so calmly?!?" the older woman angrily yelled. "Don't you know how huge this is?!?!"

"Ma!" a loud booming voice from behind yelled out for the two women to stop growling at each other.

"WHAT?!" Tsume turned furiously to face the boy that had just yelled out to her.

"Chill!" Kiba calmly replied. "Oneechan is a big girl now," he stated matter-a-factly. "And Shino's a good guy," Kiba assured his mother. "She could do a helluva lot worst," he mumbled under his breath.

"AGH!!!" Tsume growled angrily, realizing she was outnumbered. "Okay fine!" She turned and glared at Shino. "But this mean's you're marrying my daughter!"

"Actually..." Hana began, but stopped when she was quickly faced with a fuming Tsume.

"This is non negotiable!" the feral woman yelled. "I will not have my first grandchild born out of wedlock!" she ordered.

"The thing is..." Hana slowly began stepping back, pulling on Shino's arm to get him to move as well. "We kind of already got married. Sorry. Bye!" she hurriedly said, before quickly rushing out the door in an attempt to avoid her mother's inevitable explosion.

"WHAT?!?!"

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10. Dancing Cheek To Cheek – Frank Sinatra (3:05)
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Heaven.

That's what it felt like, as she held their new born daughter close to her cheek.

She looks like a tiny little angel, Hana thought, looking down lovingly at the rosy cheeked babe.

"She is beautiful." Shino stated, looking down at mother and child with a blissfully happy expression on his normally stoic features. "Just like her mother."

"heheh." Hana softly laughed, scooting over slight on the hospital bed to make room for him to sit down next to her. "Would you like to hold her?" she asked as he sat down.

"Yes." He nodded, extending his arms out to receive the baby girl, much like he had years ago, when he first began talking to the older kunoichi outside the Konoha Library.

"She has your eyes." Hana commented, leaning her head onto his shoulder as they both looked down peacefully at the curious little girl looking up at them.

"She has your smile." Shino added, feeling the Kikaichu in him buzzing from his excitement as he remembered the moment he first fell for the woman and her wonderful smile.

As they sat there in silence, enjoying the peace and tranquility of the moment, before their families arrived and brought in needless noise and chatter, both proud new parents shared the same thought... "This is our daughter."