Too busy glancing behind her for a following shadow, the kunoichi failed to see what was in front of her. Turning back a little too late to catch it, the tree branch slapped her in the face as she zoomed by. The twig-like arms scrapped smoothly along her cheek, leaving a blood-red mark in its wake. She ignored the momentary sting as she continued on restlessly.
She had been running for what seemed like hours, occasionally pausing only long enough to catch her breath before pushing on. She had little time to waste on forming a plan and for now she was just content on running. The sun had set long before, leaving her to muddle her way through the forest in the pitch black of night.
“You can’t hide from me, Tenten,” came the ominous voice that had been pursuing her, “Eventually I’ll find you.”
A smirk graced the kunoichi’s lips at his unspoken challenge, taking note of how far away he had sounded. It wasn’t often that her speed and stealth were an advantage over another, especially with Lee and Neji as her teammates. After all the years she had spent in their company, the high-ranking kunoichi had almost forgotten that normal shinobis don’t often train with weights strapped to their limbs or sewn into their clothing.
With that in mind, she unhooked the belt around her waist and tossed it aside, heavy and teeming with extra weight. Her jacket followed right after. Instantly, her movements became slightly faster without the additional load holding her down as she quickly made her trek away from the gates of the village. He would be expecting her to go that way, to hide among the civilians. But that would have been all too easy and not quite as fun.
“There’s nothing I like more than a challenge,” she said softly to herself.
Without having to slow down, she pushed off the trunk of a nearby tree and effectively changed her direction. Instead of following the line of trees bordering the village walls, she was heading deeper and deeper into the forest where there would be more places for her to hide, making it harder for her stalker to find her.
He was nowhere in sight as she had expected, most likely relying on the eyes and senses of his tiny companions to locate her. She couldn’t deny the novelty and convenience of having thousands of tiny insects aiding in her capture. They could be anywhere and everywhere, making it difficult for her to do much without his knowing.
But that was the point to all of this wasn’t it? Tenten thought to herself, As a ninja, you have to be prepared to face anything.
The soft crack from above stole her attention away from her thoughts. Feeling the need to investigate she slid to a stop just before a small opening in the woods, kicking up clouds of dirt in the process. Falling to the ground in front of her was a broken tree branch, landing with a soft thud and bringing with it small twigs that had snapped off during its decent.
As if to emphasize the impact of the branch, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed immediately by the booming crash of thunder. A heavy downpour of rain fell, drenching her already sweat-covered clothes. Quickly ducking behind a nearby tree, Tenten couldn’t help but smile at her stroke of luck. The roaring sound of the storm and pouring rain would limit the abilities of the Aburame’s insect companions, giving her a slight advantage.
She peered around the tree trunk just in time to see him leap to the ground, landing in a graceful squat with barely a noise to indicate his presence. The surface of his glasses shone brightly as they reflected the deadly light dancing across the horizon. Rivulets of water streamed down his face and overcoat, creating ever changing liquid designs. The head of hair that had always seemed to puff out from under the band of his forehead protector now seemed smaller in size, slightly weighted down by the rain.
Unlike most people, Shino seemed not at all affected by the changing of the weather condition. But considering the fact that this was Shino, it was hard for Tenten to notice any sort of change in his demeanor. After all, it was no secret that he held the safety and convenience of his multi-legged friends over that of any humans aside from his closest of friends and his teammates.
He turned his head slightly to one side as if listening for a noise. But the older kunoichi had been around the bug master long enough to know that he was merely conversing with Keiko, the lead kikai bug in his army of tiny insect soldiers. And there was something about the way he nodded his head that just didn’t sit well with the weapon specialist.
What’s he planning?, she pondered.
Another flash of lightning caused her to move fully behind the trunk of the tree. Any source of light would give her position away if she continued to watch him as she did. The sloppy sound of mud informed her of his movements, slow and steady as they were. He was searching for her. From his last readings, he knew she was very near but thankfully because of the storm, the bug master couldn‘t be sure where she was hiding.
Closing her eyes to all other distractions, Tenten focused on following his chakra signature, all the while keeping her own as low as it could be. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized Shino was just on the other side of the tree she was hiding behind, almost faltering in her concentration and giving away her position to him. Quietly and carefully she turned her head from one side of the trunk to the other in order to keep an eye out for his looming and shadowed form.
While the young Aburame searched for her in one direction, Tenten darted off on another, making her escape before the insect master would realize where she was. The plan would have worked had she not been stopped by a few well-thrown kunais that embedded themselves in her direct path. Using her pause as a distraction, the real Shino pounced on her, quickly pinning her hands to the tree trunk with his own. Over his shoulder the kunoichi saw his shadowed form dissolve into a thousand tiny insects before returning into the confines and safety of their master’s jacket.
“…Tag,” was Shino’s emotionless declaration, “You’re it.”
“That‘s really nice,” Tenten responded, leaning her head back to rest against the bark, “But we were playing Hide and Seek, Shino.”
“It doesn’t matter,” the Aburame heir said nonchalantly, “I still caught you.”
“So, you have,” she scoffed, “What do you want, a medal?”
“No,” he replied, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a almost unnoticeable smirk, “Something much more rewarding.”
That said, the younger shinobi quietly leaned in, gently pressing his lips against hers. Despite the cold and the rain chilling them both to the bone, there was a heat that couldn’t be ignored from the contact. Tenten could feel the kakai bugs stirring within the confines of his oversized jacket at the friction and chemistry boiling up between them. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“See, isn’t this better than any schoolyard game you ever played when you were little?” she questioned smugly, unable to hide the grin forming on her lips.
“Indeed,” Shino replied, raising a brow in anticipation as he released her hands.
“If the villagers could see you now,” she mused teasingly with amusement, her chilled fingers caressing his damp cheek, “Quiet and serious Shino playing Hide and Seek in the dark.”
“It was your idea,” the young Aburame pointed out.
“And you agreed to it,” Tenten countered.
“…Touché,” was all that he could say to that.
The kunoichi pulled him in for another kiss, this one more heated and passionate than the first as she gripped the back of his neck almost forcefully. With equal determination, Shino’s hand trailed down the length of her body to rest on the exposed skin of her hip, unconsciously grasping it tightly in his hand as he pulled her closer. By the time they managed to pulled apart from each other, both had forgotten all about the pouring rain.
“Oh, by the way,” Tenten added, teasingly kissing him one more time.
“Hm?” he questioned wordlessly, leaning in for another kiss.
“…You’re it,” the kunoichi whispered seductively.
And just like that she was off, shoving the unsuspecting young man off of her and disappearing into the shadows of the trees once more, leaving the bug master speechless and unmoving. The echoes of her laughter were what finally broke Shino’s daze.
“Hm,” was all the bug master said, smirking deviously to himself before setting off to stalk his prey once more.
