Title: Ornithophobia
Disclaimer: Isn't it scary how I don't take these things seriously?
Rating: G ( K ) – for laughably irrational fears.
Spoilers: ...I got nothin'.

Summary: OneShot. She'd always thought of them as cute little birdies, not ravenous, vomiting monsters. ShinoHina, friendship.

Meant to be short 'n sweet, nothing more.

(My first fanfiction entry for DateMe's June contest. ShinoHina, "June Bugs.")

"B-Bird-san doesn't want to hurt you, Shino-kun," Hinata reassured in the most calm, soothing fashion she could muster. The raised volume of her voice, however, somewhat undermined this purpose. "Why don't you come say hello?"

From across the yard – a good twenty feet away – her bug-loving teammate blanched from underneath his hood. He didn't reply to Hinata verbally, but shook his head to and fro with panicked finality.

Hinata looked down at the feathery little bundle nestled comfortably in her cupped hands. The infant mockingbird chirruped up at her as if to say, "I don't get it, either. Just look at how cute I am!"

"R-Really, Shino-kun, bird-san is perfectly harmless!" Hinata insisted loudly, taking a slow step towards Shino with the fearsome creature still in her possession.

As if on reflex, Shino jumped back another few feet until his back hit the wall that ran around the perimeter of the Hyuuga compound. Though it was impossible to see the entirety of his face through his hood and sunglasses, the small part that was visible to Hinata was scrunched up in utter terror.

Hinata wasn't quite sure what to do next. Should she put the mockingbird chick down before going to comfort her friend? Or was it best to bring the bird to Shino and let him see that there was nothing to be afraid of? It was a conundrum, indeed.

"S-Shino-kun, are you sure you wouldn't like to meet bird-san?" she asked again, sure of what the answer would be.

As predicted, Shino shook his head to the negative effect again. Surprisingly, he even uttered "no thank you" as verbal confirmation of his refusal. Hinata decided that this, if anything, proved how truly phobic Shino was of birds.

Hinata looked to the bird, then up at Shino, and back to the bird once again. It was time to make a decision...

"I'm sorry, bird-san," she apologized, bowing her head respectfully to the fluffy little animal within her grasp. She then proceeded to carry it over to the porch and place it gently in the little makeshift nest she'd crafted for it out of a shoe box and scraps of linen. It peeped at her mournfully and flapped its wings, distressed to be away from her. Hinata's heart clenched with guilt, but she resolutely stood up and turned towards her human friend.

Taking only enough time to throw her long braid over her shoulder where it could dangle down her back, Hinata took a deep breath and began her slow approach toward Shino, now completely bird-free. It was her fervent hope that she could convince Shino that there was nothing to fear out of such a helpless little creature, but she knew it would be an uphill battle.

As she began moving in Shino's direction, she was slightly hurt to see that he recoiled away from her still, but marched onward to him nonetheless. Once she got close enough for him to see that her feathery burden had been removed from her person, however, he visibly relaxed. Hinata felt a little better about that.

"Are you alright, Shino-kun...?" she asked, the usual level of quiet softness returned to her voice.

After pulling his body away from the wall and slouching back down into his usual posture, he replied simply, "Yes, fine."

"Are you s-sure?"

"Yes, Hinata-san."

"Umm...," the Hyuuga heiress bit her lip as she thought of the best way to phrase her next question. She didn't want to offend her friend, after all. "D-Do you mind if I ask...why you're afraid of bird-san?"

Yet again, Shino's face bled white from beneath his hood and glasses. Melodramatically, he turned away from Hinata and pressed his forearm against the wall before proceeding to bury his head within it. He looked like the silly hero from a romantic comedy series.

Immediately, Hinata began to panic. Had she said something to hurt his feelings? Was he angry with her? Did even mentioning the bird warrant some kind of episode? With her own measure of alarm, she did her best to take back what she'd said. "I-If you don't w-want to talk about it, I completely understand! I-It's really none of my business, anyway, and I'm sorry if I – "

"It's fine."

"Eh?"

Shino lifted his head way from the wall just long enough to peek at Hinata over his shoulder. "It's fine," he repeated, then returned to his former gloomy position.

A long, tense silence stretched between the two teammates for what felt like an hour. During this span of time, Hinata fidgeted with her fingers, swayed back and forth from foot to foot and chewed on her lower lip as she battled within herself about what to do or say next. Shino remained perfectly still.

"They're...," Shino began, causing Hinata to jump. She hadn't been expecting him to broach further conversation first. "Cruel."

"C-Cruel?" she queried, utterly confused. Was he still talking about birds, or...not?

"Birds. They...they swoop down on their enemies from nowhere and spear them with their beaks. Then, they gobble them up alive and squirming and...and regurgitate them for their young," Shino reported with a shiver. "So cruel..."

"Oh, um...," Hinata wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. She'd always thought of them as cute little birdies, not ravenous, vomiting monsters. Still, from what she knew of the creatures, she had to admit that what Shino said was true...at least to a less scary degree.

Then again, considering how fond he and his clan were of bugs, it didn't surprise Hinata in the least that he might take a more frightening view of such otherwise harmless creatures. Birds were natural predators to insects, after all...

Once again, she looked to the cute little birdie, then Shino, and back to the bird again. This time, she sighed before reaching out to her friend and patting him on the back. Even if she still didn't quite get it, she sympathized with him, nonetheless. "There, there, Shino-kun..."

— — —

Author's Notes: I'm not entirely sure where this idea came from, but it kind of hit me while I was making my pizza this morning (I'm not a breakfast person, okay? Hehe). I'd just been watching the birds outside, though, so I guess it's not too much of a stretch...Gee, I wonder if I wandered a little too far away from my own theme, though n.n; I don't think so since he's afraid of the birds b/c of his bugs...oh, whatever. It's not like I'd reject it if someone else had written it, anyway.

Anyway, ShinoHina isn't really my cup of tea when it comes to pairings, but I wouldn't say I dislike it. More that I'm completely and totally apathetic towards it n.n Still, I suppose they make cute friends, if nothing else.

I hope to post my second entry (the final installment in my "Gardening Club" series) before the deadline is up. If nothing else, I've got this one in now n.n Yay!

Oh, and this is my 30th fic on this profile. I kinda wish this milestone could have been celebrated with one of my favorite pairings, but...eh. Yay me, anyway n.n

. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .