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.

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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.