"Ino... Ino..."
He shook her a little, but she was unresponsive.
"Shit."
She couldn't die. Not like this. He scooped her up; she was skeletal. She weighed practically nothing. How long had it been since he'd last seen her? He'd seen her in the village, but she always looked nice and had a smile on her face. Was she really hiding this under that facade?
And he was the only one here. Climbing off of the bed with her, he quickly rushed to the door. Kuro was outside, sitting patiently, waiting to be let back into the room.
"Kuro, let Hana know what happened. I'm taking her to the hospital."
He rushed down the hall; he had to take her to get medical attention. And even then, he wasn't sure if it was too late.
***
She awoke in the hospital with an IV in her arm. Next to her was the same hooded figure, slumped over in a chair. She spoke to him weakly.
"Shino?"
The hooded figure didn't respond at first. But after a second, he looked up. The dim light caught his dark shades, mirroring itself in them.
"You're awake."
She held onto the blankets, bunched up in her hands weakly. He reached over and gently straightened her arm out, the one with the IV in it.
"It's going to become occluded if you do that. And you need all the hydration that you can get."
She was surprised that he knew that, but grateful.
"Thank you."
"I've already spoken to the healer; you're going to spend the night here. But I'll spend the night with you."
"You don't have to-"
"I don't want you to be alone."
She looked back down at her hand that was still holding the blanket. Her voice came out sad and monotone, almost like it wasn't her own.
"It's okay. I'm always alone."
Shino didn't speak for a moment, simply watching her.
"Are you sure?"
Everything inside of her wanted to tell him to stay, but she couldn't. She couldn't put him out like that. No one wanted to spend the night in the hospital, especially if they didn't have to.
"Yeah, absolutely. I like being alone. You can go."
After a minute, he got up and left.
And she was alone once again.
YOU ARE READING
The Bug Queen
RomanceBeing the last surviving member of the Yamanaka clan, Ino's life is in shambles after the war. That is, until she reconnects with an old friend on a mission. Can Shino Aburame save her from the darkness that had consumed her?
