A/N: Just so you guys know, I have already finished the story completely (so you won't have to worry about me abandoning it without finishing it). There will be ten chapters.

Chapter Three: Hidden Nature

The hospital food tasted abysmal, Sakura had decided. In fact, it was something she assessed years ago. Never once had that bland food impressed her. But there was one thing that she disliked even more, and that was working extra hours at the Konoha Hospital. Sakura would much rather spend such time training, improving her medical ninjutsu, going on a date, or sleeping.

This time was different, however. Shino's story had her hooked, and during her lunch break, she couldn't get the stoic ninja out of her mind. It was as if she was reading a suspenseful thriller; she absolutely needed to read the next chapter immediately. And so, Sakura made an unprecedented decision to take an extra shift after her lunch break (though she will never change her opinion about the food).

She, of course, knew that she shouldn't run in the hallways, but she still hurried along. She zipped past the other medic nin, her grip tight on her notepad. Sakura skidded to a halt outside of the correct room. Raising a lithe fist, she hastily knocked on the door.

"Shino, may I come in?" asked Sakura.

"Okay." Shino's response was followed by sounds of moving bed springs and rustling bed sheets. Alarmed once more, Sakura swung the door open.

"SHANNERO! I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET OUT OF YOUR BED! BAKA!" screeched Sakura, her alter ego taking over. A slightly petrified Shino remained silent for a moment before responding.

"I was uncomfortable, so I shifted my position," Shino tentatively explained, hoping to avoid Sakura's wrath. Sakura then let out an apprehensive giggle, and she apologized repeatedly as she took a seat. She uneasily cleared her throat before speaking.

"Uh, anyway, I was rereading my notes during lunch, and I noticed how you mentioned that you were a clan genius. But, you didn't seem to stand out at all in the Academy. Maybe it was because I always focused on Sasuke, but you didn't participate in any class activity except for tests, and you never volunteered for anything as well. I remember that-"

"I wasn't supposed to do anything except pass," interrupted Shino. Sakura instantly ended her ramblings, her attention drawn to the stoic ninja. "On my first day at the Ninja Academy, my father gave me three orders: reveal little about myself or my clan, bring little attention to myself, and to use no clan techniques. He wanted me to seem as average as possible."

"Is this a clan tradition?"

"No. They were orders given only to me."

"I still don't understand, why did-"

"That day, my father also explained to me some of the Aburame traditions," interrupted Shino, changing the subject. Sakura pursed her lips; it was quite obvious that Shino was hiding something. However, she decided not to press it further as Shino continued, "we condition ourselves to effectively disguise our emotions. We aren't cold and heartless; we just have to act that way. We wear our high-collared coats to further hide our emotions."

"And the sunglasses too, right?" Sakura added, gesturing to his opaque shades with her pen.

"Actually," Shino contradicted, "it's something different. The Aburame believe that the eyes are the windows into one's soul, and they show one's true character. So, we conceal our eyes."

"Aw, darn!" joked Sakura, feigning disappointment. "No bug eyes? No bloodline? No empty eye sockets?" In response, Shino gave her a genial smile.

"Those are just rumors."

"That's the first time I've seen you smile," said Sakura, returning the smile. "Now, tell me: what do your eyes look like?"

"I just told you why I can't describe them. It would reveal my true character." Darn it, said Inner Sakura, gritting her teeth, I thought that I could get away with it. Sakura, however, laughed it off.

"If you can read one's eyes that easily, what do mine say?" requested the pink-haired ninja coyly. Shino leaned in closer, to get a better look at Sakura's emerald eyes. He scrutinized her eyes for some time, and Sakura couldn't help but blush at their close quarters. His long finger suddenly pointed at her left eye.

"The arch of your eye indicates that you are intelligent, sharp, and critical. The green of your eyes shows that you are detail-oriented. There is little warmth in your eyes, indicating past pain and heartbreak. However, you try to hide it with optimism, so that others don't know about such pain. You are possibly regretful of your past."

Sakura sat in her stool, bewildered and flushed. She remained silent as she stared into his sunglasses, praying that he would remove them. She had never wanted to see his eyes so badly. She suddenly snapped out of her state of reverie, and she cleared her throat.

"Well, we got off topic, didn't we? What were we discussing last?"

"Your eyes," Shino stated plainly.

"Uh, before that."

"Before that, it was clan tradition and the Academy," Shino responded, after pondering for a moment. The pinkette snapped her fingers in realization.

"You're right. So, Shino, what did you think of the Ninja Academy?" asked Sakura, as she shook her head several times, trying to relieve the lightheadedness resulting from the previous. . . discussion.

"I hated it."

"Why? Was it too easy and boring?"

"Not that; I trained plenty after school to make up for that. It was the students."

"The students?" inquired Sakura, even though she had a feeling she knew what he was talking about. Her stomach cringed and churned from guilt.

"Yes. Some students knew about my clan, and they ostracized me, with the others following suit. They also didn't like my impassive behavior, saying I didn't talk because I was stupid, or because I was arrogant. Even Kiba was hesitant to be my friend when we were teammates. I became hurt, lonely, and angry," said Shino. Sakura began shaking, ready to cry, for she knew that she was one of those students.

"Shino, I'm so sorry! I was. . . I. . . well, I. . ." she stammered pathetically. The Aburame held up his right hand to halt her apology.

"It's alright, Sakura, we were children then. Children, by nature, are petty, vain, and ignorant," Shino reassured the medic nin. She shook her head in response.

"But that doesn't excuse anything! We made you feel terrible!" said Sakura.

"Well, it did. I even asked my dad about how to deal with my emotions, since he had probably experienced the same ordeal too."

"What did he say?"

"'Showing emotion is the same as showing weakness' was all he said"

"Well," huffed Sakura, "that's a little cold to tell a child!"

"True," Shino agreed, "but I still took those words to heart, and I searched for a method to suppress my emotions."

"Did you find anything?" asked Sakura, her eyes glued to the notes she was writing.

"Yes, I inflicted pain on myself to-"

"You did WHAT?!" The kunoichi tore her eyes off of her notepad, and she looked at Shino's face for the first time since her "eye examination."

"It was nothing serious," Shino stated calmly, unflappable as always. "I didn't want people to see me hurt myself, so I kept my hands in my pockets. No one knew that I was squeezing and pinching at the skin on my stomach." The pair stared hard at each other for a long time. Sakura's green eyes shifted to his abdomen.

"Let me see your stomach," she deadpanned quietly. Shino didn't budge.

"It was nothing serious," he reiterated stubbornly.

"Let me see your stomach," her voice was rising with volume, but Shino shook his head.

"It's not serious."

"Well, the fact that you're resisting proves that there is something to hide!" Sakura asserted, standing up suddenly. "If there truly was nothing to see, you would've shown me, and we'd be done with it."

"But there's-"

"Prove it." Under Sakura's cold stare, Shino knew he couldn't win. He slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his toned chest. As Sakura moved in closer, she noticed that there were scars and bruises lining his lower abdomen.

"Shino!" Sakura gasped, "This was serious! You weren't pinching; you were clawing at your stomach! Why, it looks like you drew blood a couple times." She paused. "Wait, how did you draw blood through the jacket?"

"The pocket fabric was thin," responded Shino, averting his gaze from the medic nin. Shino had never felt so exposed before in his life. Sakura placed a gentle hand on Shino's bare shoulder, wearing a kind smile.

"It's okay, Shino. You need to find a different method. Take me for example." Sakura straightened up in her seat. "Okay, it's no secret that I'm a crier. For the past couple years, I had cried or screamed into a pillow or towel to relieve stress and frustration. Stress balls work wonders as well. But if you need to 'hurt' yourself, try twisting or pulling your thumb. Not too hard, though," warned Sakura, as she used her own thumb for demonstration. Shino slipped his shirt back on.

"Okay," he simply replied.

"Of course, it's okay for men to cry too," Sakura added. "It's healthy for you to cry. I mean, have you ever cried?"

"Only twice."

"What?!" Sakura shouted, "Twice?! Wow, that was definitely two more times than I was expecting. When?"

"I cried when my mother died and my girlfriend died," Shino said solemnly, as he twisted his thumb like Sakura instructed. The kunoichi's jaw dropped.

"Girlfriend? Who-"

"Not now," interrupted Shino, released his thumb, "not today." Understanding that this was a touchy topic for the stoic shinobi, Sakura nodded in agreement. She straightened her notepad and gingerly headed for the door.

"Let's call is a day," she said, reaching for the door knob. Shino's voice halted her exit.

"Don't tell Kiba about what I said; I'll never hear the end of it."

Like a moth drawn to light, Sakura walked straight to her bathroom mirror the moment she returned home, all duties and chores forgotten. She began scrutinizing her eyes more closely than ever before in her life. She couldn't shake off what Shino said earlier, nor could she shake off the burning tightness in her chest. Shino's words had struck a chord indefinitely. He was right in everything he said. As she pulled at her tired eyelids, she wondered about how many other people could see into her core, her being, just by looking at her eyes.