I do not own Naruto. I read about Shino having black eyes in another fanfic, I have no clue about what they really look like. I thought this was an interesting idea and I hope I conveyed it well. Enjoy!

Hinata was at some family event leaving Shino and Kiba alone for the day. They had determined the best use of time would be a true one on one spar. Shino would not use his bugs to drain Kiba's chakra and Kiba would not use Akamaru to pin Shino down. It was a long battle with only a few blows landed by each; most had been blocked or dodged. Their match dragged on to the late afternoon until each collapsed from exhaustion. That is the position they were currently in, laying on the ground in a small clearing, panting heavily, and sweating.

"That was good training," Shino said.

"Yeah, but a little unrealistic," Kiba replied. "I mean, how often am I going to get into a fight without Akamaru around, or your bugs completely gone or otherwise useless?"

Shino seemed to tense at this statement, but if Kiba noticed he didn't show it. Kiba sat up and pulled off his shirt, revealing his glistening muscular upper body. Not that anyone was looking. Shino hadn't bothered to turn his head to investigate the noise and even Akamaru had long since disappeared looking for something to do.

Kiba looked over at Shino and felt smothered. "Come on man, take off some clothes. I know you must be dying under that jacket."

"No," was the curt reply.

"Hinata's not here so you can loosen up a bit. You must be boiling like a piece of meat."

"None of that is important."

"Why not? You're always wearing long black clothes, even in the middle of summer. It's just me out here; you can be a little less formal."

"That is not what Aburame's do," Shino said.

"Why? It doesn't make sense."

"There is plenty about the Inuzuka clan that seems strange to me, but I don't question it. I accept it as who you are and I ask that you do the same."

However, like a dog with a bone Kiba had to keep chewing at the subject. "And the sunglasses. All of you wear them, even at night. We've been teammates for years now and I don't even know what your eye color is. The sunglasses sit so close to your face your eyes are impossible to see even from the sides."

Shino chose to ignore Kiba. Even when Kiba began rustling in the grass a few feet away Shino did not bother to turn his head and look over.

Kiba was crawling towards Shino. "We're friends, right Shino? Won't you let me see your eyes, just this one time?"

That got Shino's full attention. He stood up quickly and addressed Kiba. "We're done for the day. I suggest you find Akamaru and go home. The team will meet up tomorrow as usual."

Shino began to walk back to Konoha as Kiba stood up. With a determined look on his face Kiba lunged at Shino. Shino turned quickly to face Kiba in a defense position, but he had not recovered as much energy as Kiba. In a split second Shino found himself on his back with Kiba's heavy body on top of him, wrists pinned above his head in one of Kiba's hands while the other hand tore off his glasses. Shino's eyes were wide with shock for a mere fraction of a second before shutting tightly. It had been long enough for Kiba who stared down in confusion at his friend's face.

"Kiba," Shino said in a flat and even tone. "Give me back my glasses and get off of me before I sent the kikaichu to attack you."

Kiba ignored the threat as he tried to process what he had seen. Shino's eyes had been completely black, no white, no iris, black like it was all pupil. But that wasn't what made Kiba feel that something was wrong with them. His thoughts turned to Hinata and all the times strangers had thought she was blind. Her eyes were pale, but they still held the glitter of life in them. Shino's pure black eyes had no spark in them, Kiba had seen dull lifelessness in that brief glimpse.

"Are . . . are you blind?" Kiba asked. The sudden stiffening of the body beneath him was the only reply. "The whole clan? You're all blind?"

"Do not make me repeat myself Kiba. Release me at once."

"No, it's time you open up to me. You know all about Hinata and me but you never tell us anything in return. Please Shino, talk to me."

Shino did not open his eyes as he turned his head to the side. "By your standards yes, we are blind. By my clan's standards my eyesight is average, almost good really. When I am somewhere well lit I can tell. I can make out the darkness of objects in the light there. Beyond that, knowing if that object is an sign, a chair, a bush, a person, that is for the kikaichu to inform me. Many of us are born into complete darkness, where even looking straight up into the sun will not affect the blackness that surrounds them. A few are born who can see like me but can even make out coloration if it is big and bright enough."

"We do not remember if we lost our eyesight before or after joining with the kikaichu, but if we lost them now our lives would be over. Our greatest fear is being poisoned with something that would kill them off, for we would become instantly useless. They make our bodies their host as soon as we are born and as such we grow up learning to communicate with them. Just as you know what Akamaru says everything I need to know is told to me by the kikaichu, from the letters on a page to the identity of the person standing next to me."

Kiba was looking at Shino in disbelief. "That whole fight we just had, you couldn't see any of it?"

"They informed me of which direction you were moving, whether you were throwing a punch or a kick, and where it was headed."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Shino turned his head back to Kiba, looking as angry as he could with his eyes closed. "No one outside our clan is allowed to know! I can't even begin to imagine what the clan would do to me, do to you, if they ever found out what I just told you! Only the absolutely necessary like the Hokage are informed. The other clans would pity us if they knew. They wouldn't let us continue being ninjas. They would believe we couldn't be trusted on the battlefield anymore. Isn't that what you feel now? That I'll mistake you for an enemy? Or that something will happen to the kikaichu and I'll become a hindrance?"

"No, it isn't. I think that you are absolutely incredible. I feel privileged that I get to work with you. I, I . . ." Kiba leaned down and placed his lips over Shino's. He pulled back after a second.

"You, you kissed me. Why?" Shino asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"If you want to take it as a sign that I'll always be your friend, that's fine. If you want it to mean that I've been wanting to do that forever and now that I know how amazing you are I can't stand the thought of someone else having you, that would make me happy," Kiba replied.

"I can't, were not allowed to be with anyone outside the clan so no one will learn our secret."

"Screw the clan, I already know! What is it that you want?"

"What I want?" Shino gulped. "I want to touch you, touch every part of you so I can find out what you look like."

"Just touch?" Kiba asked huskily. He let go of Shino's wrists and lightly caressed his cheek.

The normally reserved young man blushed brightly. He brought his hands to Kiba's chest. "After I feel you, maybe I'll taste every inch of you next?"

Kiba groaned. "Now you're talking. Why don't you open your eyes now?"

"The unfiltered sunlight is too bright for my eyes," Shino said as the tips of his fingers began slowly stroke Kiba's pecks.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kiba responded and quickly placed Shino's sunglasses back on his face. He brought his hand to Shino's jacket and began to pull down the zipper.

Shino quickly put his hand on top to stop the motion. "No, wait. I'm sorry, I was being stupid. I can only be with a clan member, please get off me."

"Why? What's wrong now?"

"You're not going to want to be with me, so let's stop this now."

"You have to tell me why." Kiba brought his free hand up to Shino's hair and stroked it. "Why do you presume to know what I'll want?"

"Our bodies are not attractive. There are holes in our arms and legs for the kikaichu to move through. We are told over and over that outsiders will reject our deformed bodies and that is why we stay within the clan," Shino replied sadly.

"Sounds like brainwashing to me. Shino please let me decide for myself."

Slowly Shino brought his hand off of Kiba's, but instead of replacing it on Kiba's chest he laid both hands down on the ground next to him. Kiba unzipped the zipper and got off Shino. He pulled Shino into a sitting position and slid the jacket off. Shino wore a black t-shirt underneath that exposed his arms to Kiba.

Shino turned his head away as Kiba picked up his right are to look at closer. There were twelve holes in all, three pairs on the upper arm and three pairs on the forearm. It was like the skin decided to grow inwards around a spot roughly an eighth of an inch. It reminded Kiba a little bit of how the stretched earrings he had seen on some people looked. He gently brushed his forefinger over one of the holes.

"Does that hurt?" he asked.

"There's not much feeling in my arms and legs." Shino heard a quick intake of breath and felt Kiba jump slightly. Then Kiba began to chuckle. "What?" Shino asked irritated.

"I'm laughing at myself for getting startled so easily. I've seen your bugs hundreds of times now, but watching this one emerge from the hole to stare at me, it's just kinda weird. Puts the reality into everything."

Shino yanked his arm out of Kiba's hands and reached for his jacket. "This is stupid, I'm going home."

Kiba quickly stopped his attempt with an embrace. "Weird does not mean its bad Shino. I had just realized that they were going to be there when I make love to you and I felt a little embarrassed. I mean, there's what like a thousand of them? An audience like that is going to make me very nervous."

Shino let go of his jacket. "You're not disgusted when you look at me?"

"Of course not. There is nothing to be disgusted by."

Shino wrapped his arms around Kiba's back. "I'm so glad. I've been interested in you for a while, but I couldn't do anything about it."

"Well now, I do believe you said you were going to caress every inch of my body, first with your fingers and then with your tongue."

"I'm sorry Kiba, can we stay like this just for now? I've exposed so much of myself to you today; I feel I'll break if I give anymore."

"That's fine. I plan on spending a very long time with you, so we don't need to jump into everything today. I am content with you finally telling me about yourself."

The two young men sat there embracing each other until the sun set. They reluctantly let go only because their families would be waiting for them. They parted ways with a chaste kiss and the promise of more to come tomorrow.

Darn, they didn't end up having sex. I seem always stop before that happens.