Two days have passes and neither Shino or Keiko spoke to one another. “He must hate me..” she thought. She slowly got ready for the festival since her father was already going, and she didn’t feel like having another risk of having to talk to her father about her boy problems. She put on her soft pink kimono and led herself to the festival.
It has been no more than an hour when she arrived and she could still see everyone smiling and playing games.
Meanwhile in some part of the festival team eight was hanging out together eating rice balls as they usually did on festival evenings. “S-s-shino?” Hinata said speaking up. Shino lifted his glasses and stared at her. “Yes Hinata?” “Why haven’t you been hanging out with Keiko-chan? Are you t-two fighting?” Shino looked away and took another bite of his riceball. “You could say that…” “Oh come on bug boy!! Lighten up! So what if she denied you! You can’t glum yourself out about it!” Kiba barked. Shino stood up and glared at him. “Don’t mess with me Kiba..I’m not in the mood.” Kiba huffed out a breath. “If you are so head over heels for Keiko so dang bad why don’t you talk to her about it again! I’m sick of you moping around like a love sick ladybug going to a sunflower! If you want to get this over with there she is!” he said and pointed off in the direction of where keiko was sitting.
Shino stared silently at her reading her body language. He quietly walked over slowly right when keiko was turning her head. Keiko stood up nervously. “I- I can’t talk to him now..not here..” She quickly got up and ran off looking at the nearest thing to hide in. Shino stopped in his steps and sighed, and went back to the table with his team. “S-shino don’t be sad..she looks like she is nervous about something…” Hinata said, but shino was still silent.
Keiko was in the back stage walking aimlessly in circles.. What am I going to do? What oh what am I going to do? She sighed and sat down. “I never felt nothing in the world like this before…” She whispered to the song that she remembered. Rock Lee was watching her suffering and was shaking his head. “I’ve heard you sing before Keiko. It’s time you showed it to all of Kohana. I ask forgiveness for what I’m about to do.” He thought as he turned the dj’s desk on and started to play the song, and pushed the button to raise the curtain. The microphone beside her started to turn on, and her voice echoed throughout the stage past the exit doors.
The audience hushed and all eyes were on Keiko who stood nervously at them. Rock Lee put his speaker on, and started the music again. “The floor is all yours Keiko.” She looked at him and seen in his eyes that he was helping her out in a way that she couldn’t bring herself up to do. She stood up nervously. Keiko nodded and smiled shyly then turned her gaze to the audience. “I’m not much of a person here in Kohana.” she stated, picking up the microphone “and I never was until the day I met my best friend Shino Aburame.”
All the way in the back row was Shino, staring in wonder at Keiko. He was as surprised as everyone in the room. Neji, Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, and everyone else stared back in forth at each other. Keiko’s cheeks started to burn a bright shade of pink. Her heart started to beat out of her chest.
“At f-first..he asked me to go o-out with him…but I denied it because I wasn’t r-ready to l-love again myself. I couldn’t bear it withen the hard walls of my heart to tell him what I always felt all along…the song that passes through my mind is how I feel about him..i dedicate it tonight..to him. Shino..i’m sorry about before…a-about everything..i didn’t meant to hurt you..but tonight I hope you listen..b-because t-this is for you Shino..” She tilted her head at Lee and he smiled and nodded.
The music started and the lights were all on Keiko. The sweet sounds of flutes and bass echoed the room. Kiba was grinning and he put his hand on Shino’s shoulder. “Looks like she cares about you after all bug-boy.” He said. “y-yea she really does. I told you so.” Hinata whispered, loud enough for both of them to hear. She was smiling under her coat she brought with her and giving keiko a thumbs up. Shino just stared at the stage as Keiko started to sing. She couldn’t see him, but she herself knew he was there, watching her, listening to the words of her song.

*~*~* “I Will Wait for You (girl version)” by Kyle *~*~*

Everyone was in tears and clapping their hands to the act that Keiko had performed. She closed her eyes and held her hands together feeling like her heart was at peace again. She walked off the stage and grabbed her bag. Meanwhile in the noisy auditorium Kiba looked around for Shino. “Shino?” He looked around. But he was no where to be found. Hinata smiled at him and pointed to the open door to the left. They both smiled and clapped.
Shino’s heart was pounding against him. He rushed out of his seat after Keiko sang, and he was determined to find her. He went past the trees, and markets, and was searching everywhere that was possible. “Where are you Keiko? I want to speak to you! Dear Lord above help me find her!”
After hours worth of searching, he stopped to catch up on his breathing. “W-w…W-where could she be? She’s not at home, the training grounds, or near any of the supermarkets. Where-” From a far off distance between the trees he could see a shadowy figure. Shino looked around his surroundings. “This place..he thought..i remember..this is where I met Keiko the first time she came in the village.” “Y-you r-remembered?” spoke a familiar voice. He quickly spun himself around to see Keiko standing a few feet away.
“Keiko!!” She put a hand over her ear. “Y-yes that is what my father calls m-me I believe.” She said sarcastically. He chuckled. Keiko put her hands on her lips feeling her face burn pink again. “W-what is so darn funny?” she demanded. “Nothing” he simply stated. “I just love who you are…” He wrapped one of his arms around her and placing his other hand on her cheek. “Keiko..” Her face flared up to a fiery red as she stared up at shinos sleek black sunglasses. “Shino i-I’m so so sor-” He placed a finger over her mouth silencing her. “Did you mean what you said on the stage, or are you not ready yet?”
Looking up at him she managed to speak through her pounding heart. “I-I meant it Shino. With a-all o-of m-my heart. I finally accepted it. I-i…I love you.” He smiled and pulled her close to him holding onto her tightly.His glasses fell off his face reveling the tears that were welling up in his eyes. Her hand was shaking when she raised it up to place it on his smooth apricot skin “S-Shino…Your..Your crying?..” She said sounding worried. “no..no keiko..i’m happy..i’m overwhelmed.” He replied softly holding her close to him. She closed her eyes and smiled. She laid her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat. She wrapped her arms around him, letting his eyelashes flutter against her hair. “butterfly kisses..” she thought. “The most gentle and romantic of al kisses..” Shino stroked her hair with his hand. “Shino?...Look..” she whispered. Shino let the space between them increase and there upon her shoulders were tiny butterflies of many shades of colors. “I have butterfly kisses all over me.” she said smiling. Shino’s smile reflected off hers and he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “They are because I told them too, but I hope mine is the best of all.” Her eyes widened at the sudden impulse of his lips touching hers , and her entire face was cherry red. He was chuckling, but she was too stunned to reply back. All she could do was smile, blush, and accept her new love. Shino Aburame. She would be his new butterfly.