Section 16: The Real Shino

Shino was perched on top of a large tree, staring off at the horizon ahead. The moon was just a little above the horizon's edge in its entirety, and it had Shino's eye. He looked down to his finger, which had a small beetle crawling across it.

Flashback:

The image of Hinata on her bed pops into his head, "...but, don't you ever wish you were close to other people...?"

Looking down at the bug he had, "I never really felt lonely before, but now that I think about it..." watching the small beetle open its shell and fly off,"I am alone..." Shino sighed miserably, and stood up straight on the branch. He looked off into the night silently, letting the thoughts run through his head.

"I always come here alone, every night... to do nothing but collect bugs I can't even talk to. Be friends with. Love..." He crossed his arms, and took in the night breeze during his thought. "The only person I really have gotten close to is Hinata. I've never really enjoyed talking to people, but lately... being with her seems to make me feel differently. What a weird feeling..."

"...Shino-sama...?" Shino slightly twitched in surprise, started sweating, and slowly turned his head and body around. He saw below, Hinata looking up with her hands clinched together.

"Hinata..." He jumped down next to her to check on her. "What are you doing here?"

"I... was worried about you. I always have been."

Shino's eyebrow rises questioningly, "...Why? I'm fine."

Hinata looked away timidly, while twiddling her thumbs, "...but Shino-sama... you always seem so lonely."

Shino sighs in defeat, and turns to his side while looking down into the ground. "You can see right through me, can't you?"

Hinata lashes back slightly, pulling her hands up to her mouth.

Shino continued to look down, clinching his fist tightly, "I'm glad you cared enough about me to notice. You're one of my only close friends."

She grinned while looking to the ground, "Of course Shin-sama... you're a special person to me..."

He looked at her strangely. He'd never really felt emotions as strong as these new feelings. He struggled to fight off showing Hinata how he felt inside. "Special? What?"

He looked at her doubtingly, "I'm nothing special. I'm just some anti-social kid who plays with bugs."

Hinata gasps at Shino's lack of confidence, "No! No... that's not true... why do you say such terrible things about yourself."

Shino looks away from her, "Because people don't like me and my bugs, especially girls. I'm just some weirdo to them, and I don't really blame them for thinking so."

"Stop, Shino-sama! That's not true... I like that fact you have your bugs around you, it's different, and I like it when you tell me about them. And, you probably get a lot of trouble from people for it... but you do things that make you happy, even if people treat you badly for it." Hinata smiles and curls up warily, "I think you're very strong for sticking with who you are, and believing in yourself... you remind me Naruto-kun in that sense."

Shino stands still looking towards Hinata, unable to produce a response. "Like Naruto... Humph... he's a lucky guy." He looks towards Hinata, "...to have a girl like her, in love with him."

"Shino-sama... I didn't upset you did I?"

He pulled forward, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Of course not... Thank you though. I feel a lot better now."

Hinata's mouth dropped open with a smile, and she nodded toward him. "I'm glad."

He looked back to her standing there with a smile on her face, "I want to answer her question... but I notice how happy she is thinking about Naruto. I don't want to confuse her... maybe in time I'll tell her, how I feel." Shino smiled pleasantly, "We should go back, it's getting late."

Hinata grinned, "Ok!" Shino walked by her with his hands in his pocket, until he felt a tugging on his jacket. He stopped in his tracks, and turned to see what it was. Then Hinata slipped her arm around his, "I'm sorry... I just hate being in the woods at night. You don't mind, do you...?" Shino removed his arm from his pocket and from Hinata's grip. She looked at him in remorse, "I'm sorry... I... I..."

Before she could say anything else, he wrapped the same arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "Don't worry, I'll be here..." Hinata looked up at him smiling and leaned her head against him with a safe feeling running through her.

"Shino-sama... always stay this way..."