"Sakura-chan..."

Sakura stopped abruptly. She was on her way to Lady Tsunade's office to deliver the routine medical reports. The voice sounded familiar...but she couldn't quite place it.

"Uh..yeah?" Sakura responded. She couldn't see who had called her, but she could feel their presence.

Just then, the stoic Aburame stepped out from behind a tree. He was clad in his usual goggles and jacket. How he could bear it, especially in this summer heat, Sakura would never know.

"Oh, hey Shino!" she said, cheering up immediately. Although they hadn't spoken often, when they did, it was usually a very interesting conversation. He seemed unfriendly on the outside, but, as Sakura learned, he was just shy. Once you got him out of his shell, he was great company.

"Hello, Sakura. I was wondering if you would like to go for a walk. It is a beautiful day." He spoke as if it were another mission, but knowing better, Sakura accepted. Shino's people skills weren't up to par, but she could tell when he was in leader mode and when he was in friend mode. This was definite friend mode.

"Sure" she said happily. "I just need to run these reports up to Tsunade, then I'll meet up with you!" she was glad to have something to look forward to after seeing Tsunade. It was Monday, so Tsunade was likely hungover and grumpier than usual.

"Good, meet you in the park in a few then?" he asked.

"Mhm" she nodded, and went on her way.

Once she was out of sight, Shino sighed in relief. He had been waiting all weekend for a chance to sit and speak with her. He was sure she didn't know, but she occupied every bit of free space in his mind. Ever since their first time actually having a nice conversation, he had been captivated by her. He remembered every detail. They were both on a C-rank mission. They had to oversee the building of a temple on the Fire-Wind border. It wouldn't have been so highly ranked if it weren't for the fact that the architect was the best of the best and had been kidnapped and held for ransom many a time.

While on their way to the construction site, they had stopped for food and rest. Shino had walked off to a nearby creek to get water for the team, which consisted of himself, Sakura, and Lee. Sakura had followed him, likely trying to escape Lee's constant advances and attempts to get a date from her. When they reached the creek, Sakura surprised him by collapsing to the ground, feet splashing in the water, and a soft smile on her face. Unlike most people, she seemed completely comfortable in the presence of the bug-nin.

As Shino filled the canteens, Sakura started talking. It was mindless chit-chat, but the fact that she was talking to him at all made Shino feel...different. No one, not even his own teammates, seemed this relaxed around him. She laid there, asking him random questions, him giving honest answers, for quite some time. It was only when Lee's yelling reached them had they realized how long it had been. It was time to get moving again. Shino capped the canteens and, along side Sakura, walked back to where the had left the badly dressed ninja.

Shino smiled, remembering the the way he felt around her, like he was just a normal person, not some bug freak or social reject. That is what lead him to the way he felt about her now. He liked everything about her. Her short, pink hair. Her jade eyes. Even her brute strength. There was something about her being able to kick his ass that made Shino like her even more.

"So, your into her?"

Shino looked around, startled. Kiba jumped from his perch on the nearby building. "What do you want?" asked Shino, agitated that he couldn't be left to his thoughts. "What do I want? Why, nothing at all!" Kiba said innocently. "I just think its cute that my teammate and dearest friend has a little crush on a crazy woman." Kiba said grinning.

"Don't call her crazy." Shino snapped. "Its not her fault that Naruto pushes her to her limit on a daily basis."

"Yeah, whatever." Kiba laughed. "Just keep in mind, if Naruto were to hear of your little date, he would have a fit" Kiba said, walking away.

Shino stood there, thinking about it. He knew that what Kiba said was true...and Naruto had a tendency to follow Sakura like a puppy on a leash. "Oh well" he thought to himself."Naruto can get over it. She probably doesn't like me back anyways..." the thought hurt, but he knew he had to tell her anyways. Naruto could go get eaten by a bear for all he cared. He just couldn't keep going on with all this commotion in his head. He didn't deal well with emotions, so he found it best to deal with them as quickly as possible.

He looked up to see the sun had shifted considerably since Sakura had gone off to Lady Tsunade's...so he decided to head to the park where Sakura was probably waiting...