This fanfiction is dedicated in loving memory of my grandmother, who was a great writer and storyteller. She passed away on July 31, 2006.

Chapter One: From the Beginning

Healing charka pulsed throughout his body as Aburame Shino slowly regained conscience. His eyes fluttered open, and it took a moment for his vision to focus. The pressure on his chest disappeared as the medic nin finished her work. Shino sat up, and he realized that he was no longer in his home. He was in a brightly lit hospital, and he was seated in the hospital bed. He frantically turned to the medic nin beside him, hoping for some answers. Her nosed was buried in her paperwork and reports, but Shino still recognized her, thanks to the pink locks. Haruno Sakura, a kunoichi from the same graduating class as him, finally looked up from the files in her hands, with one corner of her mouth curling upwards.

"I'm going to refresh your memory, Shino," Sakura said, gingerly placing the files on the bedside table. "Apparently, you had taken about twenty too many Advil pills, and your father, who found you just in time, knocked you out, to prevent you from doing further harm to yourself. Luckily for you," Shino winced at Sakura's choice of words, "he brought you here in time as well. If he didn't, you would be dead."

Sakura witnessed a slight change in Shino's expression and demeanor. It was always difficult to read the stoic ninja's emotions, but this time, it was as if he was subtly expressing disappointment. Sakura's smile was replaced by a solemn expression. She scooted her stool closer to Shino's bed. She gently placed her hand on his broad shoulder, and Shino finally met her gaze.

"Believe me when I say this, but you don't want to be dead." A kind smile brightened up Sakura's features. "I want to help you get better." Shino abruptly jerked away, looking as appalled as an Aburame was allowed to be.

"Why?" Shino asked curtly. It was such a simple statement, yet Sakura was so taken aback by it. Shouldn't he be grateful that someone cares? Someone wants to help him? Does he need to question it? As Inner Sakura continued to rant about the blasphemy of it all, Outer Sakura remained calm and analyzed his response. She remembered that she barely knew Shino, rarely spoke to him, and even avoided him when they were young. Feelings of guilt flooded her mind, as she recalled her immaturity and vanity as a young girl.

The guilt was definitely one of her reasons to help Shino, but it wasn't the only one. Uzumaki Naruto, Sakura's teammate and best friend, has influenced and changed almost everyone he has met, most notably Sabaku no Gaara and Hyuuga Neji. Heck, Naruto even changed Sakura, helping her get past her vanity and prejudice. Sakura revered Naruto for this trait, and she made it her lifetime goal to do the same (along with becoming the greatest medic nin).

Her third reason involves her other teammate (more accurately, former teammate), Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke had some demons of his own, but memories of him and how she failed to stop him from making grave mistakes continues to haunt her to this day. Her remorse has also motivated her not to fail, not with Shino, not with anybody ever again. Plus, Shino was such a mystery, and she was dying to learn about him.

Sakura snapped out of her state of reverie, and she realized that Shino was still expecting an answer. She sighed softly; she felt that her reasons were a little too personal to share. Sakura straightened up in her seat, with a gentle smile on her face.

"Why do I want to help you? Let's just say that I am trying to right some wrongs," explained Sakura, with a coy smile. Shino's brows furrowed at her cryptic response, but he said nothing to retort. With a swift motion, Sakura had uncapped her pen, and she repositioned her notepad.

"I won't be able to do anything unless you tell me what's going on. Who knows, maybe you'll feel better after getting a load off your chest, if you know what I mean." An awkward silence followed, both ninja never losing eye contact. A minute passed, and a frustrated Sakura averted her gaze.

"I wasn't always this way," Shino finally spoke, almost to himself. The medic nin slowly elevated her gaze, tightening her grip on her pen. Shino sighed as he continued.

"My father told me that I was always laughing and smiling as a toddler. My mother loved it, but my father said that it was bad."

"Why was that bad?" Sakura questioned.

"According to the paradigm of a ninja, we are not to show emotion. The Aburame clan is known for taking it a step further: eradicating all signs of emotion. My father told me that I need to stop wearing my emotions on my sleeves, so to speak. 'Emotions would waste your talent,' he always told me."

"He told you that when you were a toddler? That's a little harsh," commented Sakura as she wrote diligently in her notepad with pursed lips. However, Shino shook his head in rebuttal.

"No, it was necessary. My father told me that I was gifted with the talent and ability to surpass the first Aburame. That's why I was named after him."

"So, because you are defending him, you think he was a good father," rationalized Sakura, folding her arms. Shino shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and Sakura smirked knowingly. She knew something was off.

"Well, my father cared for my safety and well being, yes. But other than our training sessions together, I rarely saw him. He was constantly away on missions," explained Shino.

"You were around your mother a lot, then. What is she like?" inquired the medic nin. Shino slowly averted his gaze, now focusing on his knees. Sakura instantly became concerned.

"Are you okay? Is she nice, or-"

"Was," interrupted Shino.

"Was?"

"My mother died when I was five. More accurately, she was killed." Sakura's eyes widened with shock, and her mouth hung agape.

"Killed? What happened?" she asked. Shino remained silent for a long time, but Sakura waited patiently

"Whenever my father was completing a mission, my mother and other caretakers would keep an eye on me. However, they had another job: to protect me from assassins." Sakura's jaw dropped the moment he finished speaking.

"But you were so young!" exclaimed Sakura loudly, with Inner Sakura ranting about baby-killing ninjas.

"That's the point," said Shino, shaking his head, "I was the heir to a clan, and a young ninja genius, so it was ideal for the enemies of the Aburame to kill me while I was still a small child. The attacks slowed down after I graduated from the Academy."

"So, your mother died protecting you."

"Not just her. A couple of my caretakers were killed when I was young too. My mother died right before my eyes," Shino swallowed hard, "and then that assassin almost killed me. My mother had called for ANBU back up at the beginning of the attack, and they had arrived barely in time. Well, if they came a little earlier, they could've saved my mother."

Sakura gently placed her hand on Shino's shoulder, as her heart filled with sympathy. Her green eyes were welling up with tears, but she did her best to hold them back. She wanted to give him words of sympathy and comfort, or at least tell him that she felt sorry for what happened, but the words escaped her. The pair remained in silence, until Sakura finally found her voice.

"That's enough for today."