Chương 38: White Reflections - 2

Hana had all but dragged Shin home, re-bandaged his hand, and then refused to leave. His reaction in the forest had shaken her. When he wouldn't explain what was wrong, her worry only deepened, and she decided to stay. Shin let her do as she pleased. There was nothing for him here—and no desire to talk. He'd put his blade away, changed into plain clothes, and settled onto the engawa overlooking the courtyard, kneeling with his eyes closed. Hana had seen him do this before. She watched him, curious at first.

But watching someone sit perfectly motionless lost its charm quickly. She went inside and tidied his room—already neat—then swept the courtyard, organized the entryway, and came back to find him exactly as she'd left him. Not a single shift in posture. It's been over an hour. She hadn't expected a child—any child, let alone one Shin's age—to hold that kind of stillness. Most adults couldn't. She settled down beside him on the wooden platform and simply watched. She didn't know what this practice was for.

It struck her, sitting there, that she'd never really understood what was going on inside this boy. She knew the surface—polite, kind, easygoing, mature beyond his years—and because of all that, she'd always worried less about him. The opposite of Kiba. What could make a child like this cry until he couldn't stop? A fight with a friend? Shin's temperament wouldn't allow that. And he'd been training when it happened... She sat thinking, one arm propped on her knee, chin resting on her fist.

Before she knew it, drowsiness crept in, and her eyes fell shut. She dreamed of Shin and Kiba playing together—roughhousing, laughing—while she watched from the side. Shin came running toward her with the brightest smile—"Shin..." Her lips curved. Then her arm slipped off her knee, and the sudden jolt startled her awake. She blinked. The courtyard was empty. A blanket had been draped over her shoulders at some point.

"Shin...?"

"Shin?!" She scrambled to her feet, only to discover her legs had gone numb. She collapsed back down, waited for the pins and needles to pass, then lurched inside. Empty. She checked the clock. Half past four.

"I slept that long?!" She groaned and smacked her own forehead.

"Did he go out...?" Shin walked alone through the streets of Konoha. The afternoon crowds were thick, voices overlapping—vendors hawking, children shrieking, the steady percussion of a village at peace. All of it washed over him like noise from another world. He drifted along the edge of the road, separate from the bustle, as though the warmth of the street had nothing to do with him.

"Daddy, I want grilled fish!"

"Didn't you just have some yesterday?"

"Please, Daddy? Pleeeease?"

"All right, all right. Let's go buy some." A father and son on the sidewalk, playing out the oldest script in the world. Shin's feet stopped without his permission. He watched them. Parents, huh... His eyelids lowered. Whatever he was thinking, he kept it to himself.

"Hey—Shin Takami!" A woman's voice. He turned and saw two figures waving at him—the couple from the grilled-fish line that day. The woman's name was... Yugao Uzuki. Yugao and Hayate walked over, each carrying a portion of grilled fish.

"All by yourself today? Where are your friends?" Yugao smiled at him. Shin said nothing. Yugao and Hayate exchanged a glance. The boy they'd met that day had been nothing like this.

"Is something wrong?" Still nothing. Yugao pursed her lips, momentarily at a loss—she'd only stopped to say hello, since they'd met the day before. That Naruto kid had even bought her fish. After a beat, she turned and snatched Hayate's untouched portion right out of his hands.

"Here." She held it out to Shin with a bright smile.

"On me." Hayate: "???" Yugao shot him a look. He swallowed his protest. Shin blinked and accepted the fish, still silent.

"Cheer up, little guy." Yugao reached out and ruffled his hair, grinning. Something about the gesture froze him. He stared up at her, unblinking.

"We've got to run—see you around!" She straightened, waved, and turned to leave with Hayate.

"Yugao, about my—""What?"

"My fish—that was my—""You're so petty! Honestly!"

"..."

"Fine, you can have some of mine." Shin watched them bicker as they walked away side by side, and something distant stirred behind his eyes. He stood there with the grilled fish in his hand, lost in thought. Lovers, huh... Yuko......... A commotion snapped him back. Not far away, a group of older kids had surrounded a boy in white—dark hair pulled back in a braid, heavy brows, large earnest eyes—and whatever was happening, it wasn't friendly. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent.

Report any appearances on Amazon. Shin watched. He didn't move.

"You're not going to do anything?" A voice appeared at his side. He turned to find Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi standing there, Choji already munching on something.

"They're all a year above us." Shin didn't respond. He just watched the scene with cold, empty eyes. Shikamaru stared at him. This was nothing like the Shin he knew.

"Hey—cut it out!" Shikamaru raised his voice. The group turned. A few ugly looks were thrown his way. Shikamaru stood his ground—Shin was right next to him, after all.

"Shin." He called the name, low, expecting backup. No answer. He turned and found Shin already walking away, halfway down the street. Choji had somehow acquired a portion of grilled fish and was eating it contentedly. Shikamaru: "..."

"What's your problem?!" The ringleader squared up to him.

"Ahem—well, can't we all just talk things out?" Shikamaru smiled, visibly uncomfortable." What did you just say?!" This is bad... The park. Ino sat on a bench by the lake, legs swinging idly, watching the still water with a contented expression. She wore a white sundress patterned with small pale-yellow flowers. Her golden hair was cut short at her ears, her bangs pinned back with a light blue clip. At last, a familiar figure appeared in the distance, walking toward her. The one she'd been waiting for.

"Shin!" She leapt to her feet and waved. He noticed her. His stride broke for half a step, and then he continued toward her.

"You came!" she said brightly, hands clasped behind her back, smiling up at him. He nodded. Ino caught the flatness in his expression—something off—and her smile flickered with uncertainty. They sat down on the bench, a careful distance between them.

"Wait—what happened to your hand?" Ino noticed the bandages wrapped around his right hand.

"Nothing. Training."

"You need to be more careful." A note of reproach crept into her voice. An awkward silence settled. Ino cleared her throat.

"So, um... Shin." A pause.

"... Mm."

"Is your, um... is your leg better?"

"... Mm."

"..." What is "Mm" supposed to mean?! His flat responses left her somewhere between bewildered and annoyed. She was the one who'd asked him here—she was a girl —and this was how he was going to act? The silence thickened.

"Shin... there's something I wanted to ask you."

"..."

"Do you... do you have someone you l-like?" The words came out in stuttered fragments. She stared at him, face tight with nerves.

"... Yes."

"Oh, really?" Ino smiled reflexively—and then the word actually registered. Yes.... Yes? Her eyes went wide. She shot to her feet, staring down at him.

"Who—who is she? Do I know her? Does she like you back? How did you—" The questions tumbled out in a rush, tripping over each other.

"She's dead." Shin cut her off. What... Ino froze again, her mind struggling to process it all at once. Dead. She was still young—the full weight of the word didn't land the way it would for an adult. But she understood enough. Dead meant you never saw that person again. She looked at Shin—head bowed, shoulders still, a boy sitting very quietly on a park bench—and every ounce of jealousy and hurt and disappointment drained out of her in an instant. She exhaled.

Then caught herself, suddenly guilty that her first reaction had been relief. But Shin didn't seem to have noticed.

"They're all dead..." he murmured, barely audible. Yuko... Why am I the only one still alive?

"Shin..." Ino's voice was small. She didn't know what had brought him to this place. The Shin she knew was always gentle, always smiling, warm to everyone he met. Was it because the person he liked had died? She bit her lip. Some of the things she'd planned to say today didn't feel right anymore.

"Shin..." She tried again, searching for the words.

"You don't... you don't have to be so sad about it. She probably wouldn't want to see you like this either, right...?" It came out clumsy. She scratched at her chin, awkward—she'd never had to comfort anyone before and had no idea how. Shin glanced up at her. The look in his eyes—still, dead, cold as stagnant water—sent a chill through her. His eyes... how could they...... be like that? He lowered his head again, then slowly stood. He turned away, keeping his eyes from her.

"I'm sorry, Ino." He walked away without looking back, leaving her standing alone by the lake. Was that... Shin? That look in his eyes... In her mind she saw every warm smile, every gentle word, every kindness—and then the dead gaze from a moment ago, and no matter how she tried, the two refused to overlap. Shin... Shin returned home with his thoughts in chaos. A thousand threads tangled in his skull, pulling in every direction. He felt like he was about to fly apart. Evening came. The sky went dark.

Kiba showed up at his door.

"So you really are home?" Kiba looked surprised.

"I figured you'd still be out training."

"Got back around noon."

"Wait— noon?" Kiba's face changed.

"Did you run into Naruto?"

"Naruto?"

"I told him you were training in the western forest. He probably went looking for you. You didn't see him?"

"..."

"He couldn't find you, so I'm sure he went home." Kiba didn't sound entirely confident.

"... Right?" Shin stared at him. The look held for several long, uncomfortable seconds.

"I didn't know you'd be back at noon," Kiba muttered, shifting his weight. Shin said nothing. He stood, walked past Kiba, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going? Dinner's almost ready!" No answer. Kiba stood alone in Shin's empty house, blinking.

"..."

"It's not like I did it on purpose," he grumbled. The western forest. Shin moved fast—a blur between the trees, shadow to shadow, scanning the undergrowth as he went. He reached his usual training spot first. No one. That idiot. He probably couldn't find me and assumed Kiba was messing with him. He's probably off feeling sorry for himself somewhere.

"Naruto!" he called out. Birds erupted from the canopy. The sound cut through the dark, silent forest, sharp and clear. Damn it. Don't let anything have happened. The forest held no dangerous predators, but it was late, and Naruto was still a child. Shin leapt back into the trees and pushed deeper.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto?!" He called the name over and over. The forest was vast, and no answer came. Maybe he really did go home... But he couldn't take that chance. His worry grew with every silent minute. He'd search the entire forest first; if he came up empty, he'd check Naruto's apartment. And if not there—he'd go to Tsume and ask the Inuzuka for a search party. He pressed on. Finally, by a narrow river cutting through the trees, he saw the small figure—knees hugged to his chest, sitting alone on the bank.

The silhouette was achingly lonely. Shin let out a long, quiet breath. The knot in his chest loosened. He started to call out—then stopped. He looked at that solitary back for a moment and thought better of it.

"Naruto? What are you doing out here?" The boy by the river jolted and spun around, eyes going wide at the figure standing in the shadows behind him.

"Shin?!" Disbelief.

"What's up?" Shin's face softened into a smile.

"How—you—why are you—" Naruto sputtered, pointing.

"I train around here. Was about to head back and figured I'd wash my face at the river." Shin shrugged.

"What about you?"

"You really do train here," Naruto breathed.

"Kiba didn't trick me..." The words came out low, almost to himself, and his expression brightened like a light switching on. Something in Shin's gaze warmed.

"I came to find you, actually, but I couldn't," Naruto said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Come on. Let's get going."

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded hard, grinning now.

"Weren't you going to wash your face?"

"I'll do it at home. So what were you looking for me for?"

"Heh heh—I was gonna treat you to grilled fish!"

"That so? You couldn't find me, and it didn't occur to you to just go home?"

"I got... kind of... lost."...... They emerged from the forest together. Konoha's streets were still bright with lantern light, a world apart from the cold darkness of the woods. Naruto walked at Shin's side, chattering nonstop—jumping from topic to topic, filling every silence. Shin listened quietly, and the sound of Naruto's voice, the easy warmth of his laughter, pushed back some of the darkness in his own chest.

"Let's go get fish!" Naruto pulled out a frog-shaped coin purse and held it up triumphantly.

"Everything's closed by now." Shin looked up at the starless sky.

"What?!" Naruto's face fell.

"Then what do we do?"

"Go tomorrow. Same thing." Naruto pouted, displeased.

"It's late—you should head home. I already ate—" Shin stopped mid-sentence and looked Naruto up and down.

"You haven't eaten, have you."

"... No."

"There'll be dinner waiting for you at home."

"..." Dinner... instant ramen, maybe. Something in Naruto's eyes dimmed.

"What's wrong?" Shin asked, noticing the shift.

"I... don't have a family." The words came out slowly, like he was peeling them away from somewhere they'd stuck. Shin went still. The way he looked at Naruto changed.

"Naruto..."

"It's fine, though!" A wide grin broke across Naruto's face—too wide, too bright.

"I'm used to it!" Shin studied him in silence. He himself could say something like it's fine and mean it—he was an adult inside, and he had the Inuzuka family around him. But Naruto? Naruto was a child. Truly alone. Looking at that oversized smile, Shin understood things he hadn't thought about before—why Naruto had always been on his own before they'd met, why his lunches were always instant ramen.

"Come on." Shin took Naruto by the arm.

"Let's go eat."

"Huh—oh." Naruto blinked, startled, and fell into step.

"Oh! Shin, I know this amazing ramen place—seriously, it's the best! Let me take you there!"