The Bug Queen

The Aburame Family Tree - Shino

Hana had an unusual question for him, Kiba beside her. as well as their pack of dogs.

"If we head home, will you be comfortable doing this alone?"

Hana spoke to him softly, sounding unsure.

"I'm fine, staying here with her. And I'll make sure she gets home safely."

"I don't want to be away from Mom for too long, even with Kakashi there. I will let Shikamaru know that we're leaving, just in case."

"I don't think there'll be an issue. The healers at the hospital know us, and Temari is around as well."

"And you're around. You're helping her a lot."

Hana hugged him, holding him tightly like a big sister would.  He had already been mostly alone with her for a week; he could handle this.  She continued to whisper to him as she let him go.

"See you in a few weeks, Little Brother."

He gave her a small wave. Kiba waved goodbye as well before giving him a fist bump and mouthing the words 'be careful.'  And with that, Shino was alone in the lobby. 

They'd be fine. He was just keeping Ino company. She had been into Gaara's office a couple of times already, and it had gone well.  She'd even had dinner with Temari a couple of nights ago. She needed to reconnect with people, and he didn't mind sticking around to encourage that.

Besides, it felt good to be away from Konoha for a month. He needed to clear his own head and have some time to contemplate without the bustle of his Aunties and clan rallying around him. Their help was always appreciated, but he wanted a little quiet for the moment.

Heading over to the rec room, Ino was in a corner, sorting through some paperwork.

"Hey. Did they leave?"

He sat beside her.

"Yeah. They don't want to leave their Mom for too long."

"What about your Dad?"

"We have plenty of family left and we live on a compound. Dad can't be alone."

She giggled.

"That sounds so nice, having so much family."

"It is. But the men of my family are quiet by nature, so sometimes it's okay to be alone."

"Is everyone in your family as quiet and serious as you?"

"The men are."

"What about the women?"

"They're all married in, and they're all pretty talkative. I think so at least."

"No girl babies?"

"We haven't had a girl born into our clan for many generations. Maybe never at all. We don't make girls, I guess."

Ino put her paperwork into a stack, giving him her full attention.

"How many people live on your compound?"

"My Dad had a brother, but he died. And they had two cousins, Shingo and Muta. And they're married to my Aunties, Izumi and Ayami. Ayami was married to my Dad's brother for many years, but he died ten years ago and three years ago she married my Dad's cousin, Shingo. His wife died. It's kind of a mess. Shingo has three sons, Muta has two, lost one in the war. My Dad's brother had a son with Ayami before he passed, and then there's me and my Dad. My Mom died when I was a baby, and my older brother, Torune, died in the war. And then there are wives and a bunch of kids now. I'd have to write them all down for you. It's a lot."

Ino looked a little mesmerized.

'"That sounds like fun. That's a lot of people.""

"It is, actually. We get together often, especially after the war. And our clan has a lot of traditions."

"Do they?"

"Yeah, like we 'nest' newborn babies the evening after they arrive. The men get together and offer the child several different beetle colonies to see which chooses them as a host."

He was expecting her to look at him in disgust, and she did, then she surprised him.

"Sounds patriarchal."

He laughed.

"It's not. We only have men born into our clan, so they're the only bug users. The new moms, and anyone else, are welcome to join, but they rarely do. Usually, they take that time to pamper and celebrate the new mom."

Ino grinned.

"That's really nice."

"It is. The women are really close, and they usually go shopping and get their nails done together. I've seen them chase a few women off. They're very protective of us."

He watched Ino turn pale, continuing.

"Are you okay?"

She gave him a grin.

"Yeah. Your family sounds great."

"You should come by and meet them; they'd like you a lot."

She blushed a little.

"What are the criteria for liking people? Or is it intuitive? I don't want to get chased off of your compound."

He laughed again.

"Oh, no. The women they've chased off are not very nice. One girl slapped my cousin and I thought ought Ayami might kill her. You'd be fine."

Why was she asking that? He shrugged it off before asking her a question.

"Can I ask you what your family was like?"

She gave him a small, sad smile.

"There's not much to say. There weren't many of us, and we didn't have a lot of traditions, but we were family. It was just me, my Mom, and my Dad. We'd cook dinner together a lot. And we'd play board games. It was quiet."

"Quiet can be good."

"Our family was close to the Naras. And we were close with the Akamichis. We'd all see each other quite a bit. Our clans go back generations with each other. But I guess that's over."

She didn't cry, which surprised Shino.

"It's good to talk about it."

She looked up at him.

"It is. I miss everyone terribly, but I need to move on with my life, whatever that may look like."

Should he offer? Would that be weird?

"When we get back home, would you like to move into the Aburame compound? Not like move into my room, you know, but we have a big house and plenty of empty rooms. At least you wouldn't wake up alone-"

"Shino, I couldn't impose on you."

"It's not an imposition. Really."

She leaned in and hugged him.

"I'm trying not to cry today, and you're making that difficult."

He gave her an extra little squeeze.  When they parted, she continued.

"Your Dad won't mind?"

"No, I'll let him know tonight. If anything, he'll be glad that someone else is in the house and Ayami won't come over three times a day to fuss over him."