Wow! I was ecstatic to see how many people are reading this! Thanks for the reviews, guys! Huzzah for the Shino lovers:looks at thermostat: I think the heat is going up...

Chapter 2: Splinters

Shino could not fall asleep. No matter how hard he tried, sleep would not come. There were too many thoughts running full speed through his head, and his brain, it seemed, had no desire to turn off. Shino was quite irritated, to say the least. He did not want to be thinking at all, but apparently, his desires were not being taken into account at present. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw images of her, and he heard that soft voice in his ear, the voice that now had a harsher edge, one that mirrored confidence gained through experience, trials.

"I did not choose this life," she had said to him. "Rather, I was chosen. But the true question is, will I fall beneath the burdens I bear, or will I stand and face them with open arms?" She had smiled then. "That choice is mine, and my arms are open."

Glancing at the clock that sat on his dresser, Shino groaned. It was nearly three-thirty in the morning. There would be no rest now, not after his current dilemma was brought into stark relief by Hinata's words. As much as Shino wished he could remain in the background, his comfort zone, he knew that place would hold solace no longer. If he were to turn his back and allow Kiba to pursue Hinata without objection, he would be choosing the path of the victim. I would never be worthy of you then. How could I even look you in the eye, knowing that I walked away?

I could, if I was sacrificing my happiness for a friend.

And there it was. There was the hitch, the one variable that twisted everything, made his doubt even greater than it already was. Kiba.

Kiba loves Hinata. If I interfere, one of us will get hurt, there's no way around it. Hinata would be stuck in the middle, and I couldn't do that to her. It was true. Shino cared far too much about Hinata to put her in such a position, and his resolve to bow out was almost set when another, more persistent thought barreled through his defenses.

You love her, too! Are you going to deny it, Aburame Shino? Are your feelings worthless when compared with Kiba's? How do you know what Hinata wants? She may be waiting for you, but if the only thing you're capable of is making excuses, you'll never know. Shino sat up and buried his head in his hands. Love. That's what it is. He had tried telling himself that the powerful emotions he was experiencing through the years were just temporary, and that they would pass with time. He never called them by name, too fearful of what the consequences of that word would be. As long as there was a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel, he was able to bear the torment of being so close to Hinata, and yet so far away. Now, however, that delicate balance was being tipped, and he saw his feelings for what they really were.

"Love," Shino said quietly to himself. A slight breeze billowed in through his open window, phantom fingers that caressed his fevered skin. Hinata's ghostly image hovered before him, as if she were the one controlling the wind. Her spectral eyes beheld him, her face a mask of pity. Shino reached out to her, but his hands met with nothing, no substance, only air. A specter, like me. He sighed, and allowed his heavy eyelids to close. "I love her," he whispered before the blissful peace of sleep settled over him.

It hurts.

Hinata stood in front of a cluster of girls, all of whom were different ages, and was leading them in the morning stretches that preceded a lesson on Taijutsu, or hand to hand techniques. A few years ago, Hinata had formed this group in order to teach ordinary village girls, who would otherwise receive no training, how to defend themselves. After she was defeated by her cousin Neji during the Chuunin Exam, Hinata was forced to take a deeper look at herself, and she was less than pleased by what she saw. There was a weakness in her spirit, one that prevented her from excelling, one that made her meek and easily brushed aside. For a ninja, such weakness was unacceptable, and she understood then why her father was so cold to her when she was small, why he demanded her to continue training even when her body had reached its limit. From that point on, she had developed a fierce determination to never become a victim again, and so she worked day and night, training, meditating, pushing herself to the absolute threshold of endurance.

"Do you know the legend of the Phoenix, Hinata?" Hyuuga Hiyashi inquired.

"Yes, Father," Hinata replied, a bit puzzled. She had been summoned to the audience chamber of the main family's compound, though her father had not given her a specific reason for his request of her presence. "The Phoenix, once it has reached the point of death, will catch fire and burn, only to be reborn from the ashes."

"Correct," Hiyashi said. "Come closer, child. I wish to look at you."

Hinata did as she was told, sitting cross-legged before her father on the hardwood floor. A piece of her hair, which had come loose from the leather thong that bound it at her neck, fell into her face, and Hiyashi's callused hand reached forward to brush it aside, coming to rest on Hinata's cheek. The elder Hyuuga smiled.

"When you were a child, I was unsure of your future, Hinata. I did not think that you would survive, that your gentleness would be your end," Hiyashi paused, and his pale blue eyes met with his daughter's. "But you proved me wrong. When I look at you now, I see a different person, a warrior. You are like a Phoenix, rising triumphant from the ashes. You have made yourself worthy of the Hyuuga name, dear one, and I am more proud of you than I could ever say."

That was the first compliment that Hinata had ever received from her father, and she would treasure it always. She had her father's blessing, his acknowledgement of her achievement, and it was then that she considered herself a true ninja of the Leaf. She had been sixteen at the time. Soon after, she decided to make sure that none of the other village girls would ever be put into a situation where they felt helpless, and so the training group was born. Along with Taijutsu, Hinata also had the girls work with kunai and shuriken and, for some of the more advanced learners, the katana. She enjoyed this aspect of her profession, where she was able to nurture others and watch them grow. It allowed her to keep her mind focused on things other than the strange turn that her love life had taken, though she would not be able to ignore it for much longer. I'll have to catch up with Naruto after this and pick his brain. I need some major advice right about now.

"Okay, girls, pair up and let me see that drill we've been working on!" Hinata said, clapping her hands briskly. The sounds of metal coming together filled the air, and Hinata moved in between the pairs, correcting a stance here and there, giving encouragement where it was needed. After this drill, she planned on introducing a new technique, and she wished that there were someone else who was skilled at Taijutsu around to help her demonstrate. She could do it herself, but she thought that it would be more effective if the girls could see the move executed on another person. I wish Shino were here. He's a master of unarmed combat.

The thought of Shino stirred something within her that she could not place; it was an odd feeling. Their friendship had become more solid since their days as Genins, and she discovered that they had quite a bit in common. His elusiveness slowly began to melt away in her eyes as she got to know him better, and she liked what she found underneath the surface. And then there was Kiba. Her other former teammate also seemed to be spending much more time in her company these days, and he always delighted her with his off-the-wall attitude. Granted, Kiba had the tendency to run his mouth to the point of being obnoxious, but he had a good heart nonetheless. Which is why I have a bit of a problem on my hands.

Before Hinata could ponder that any further, she caught sight of none other than Shino walking towards her, and she exulted in her good fortune. "OI! Shino! You're just the person I wanted to see! Come here!" Hinata called, waving him over. The girls began chattering excitedly amongst themselves at this new, interesting looking visitor, wondering how, and why, Hinata knew him.

Shino could sense that he was being scrutinized, which made him feel uncomfortable, to say the least. He had decided to exchange his concealing white jacket for a black sleeveless V-neck sweater today, wanting to look...well...desirable on the off chance that he ran into Hinata, and he felt almost naked in this getup, especially amongst so many girls. However, he took a deep breath and made his way over, trying to appear casual. When he was close enough, Hinata grinned and swiped his sunglasses from his face, resting them on the bridge of her own nose. Shino cocked an eyebrow, and Hinata merely laughed.

"Listen, I want to show the girls," she motioned to her students, all of whom giggled, "a new move, and I need you to give me a hand, if you would," she finished, her eyes twinkling. "It'll give you a chance to show off your superior skill, and you can't pass that up." She looked at the girls. "Shino, here, was on my team when we were Genins, and he is quite formidable with a sword in his hand. He's from the Aburame clan, you see, so he uses Destruction Bugs to aid him in combat." There was a collective noise of awe at that little bit of information, and Hinata nodded. "Impressive, no? Anyway, he's been trained on weapons, katanas in particular, since he was old enough to walk, because the bugs allow him to get up close and attack. Therefore, he's the best person to assist me."

Shino had ventured out of his house that morning in hopes of finding Hinata so that they could talk about things, as last night's reflections spurned him to take action. However, he was reeling now from the way Hinata had spoken of him, and of his bugs. She's not disgusted by me...she's...proud.Hinata is proud of me... While he was embarrassed by the attention he was receiving on account of Hinata's description of him, he could not say no to her after that. Accepting the katana Hinata handed him, Shino automatically dropped into fighting stance, feeling the spirit of the sword in his grasp. Hinata smiled and stood opposite him, her own katana at the ready.

"Now, I want you to watch closely what we do. Pay attention to the way we move," she said, and launched her attack.

The fight was not long. Shino defeated Hinata in a matter of minutes, though she did put up an admirable defense. Afterwards, the two demonstrated at a slower pace, picking apart the battle piece by piece so the girls could observe and emulate the moves themselves. Shino became more comfortable as time went by, and he found that he was enjoying himself. An hour later, wiping sweaty hair off of their foreheads, Hinata and Shino walked alone in companionable silence, Shino's sunglasses still perched on Hinata's nose.

"You look hot, Shino," Hinata said after a while, appraising her friend with an impish grin. "Nice to see you out of that shapeless thing you call a jacket. Black is definitely a good color on you."

Shino could feel the heat begin to rise in his cheeks. Sometimes, I can't believe that this is the same girl who was on my team six years ago. The old Hinata would never be this forward. That didn't erase the euphoria he was experiencing over her compliment, though. "Yeah, well, I figured it was about time to break out of the shell, you know." Shino gave her a pointed look. "It appears you're experimenting, too. Nice glasses. They look familiar, for some reason."

"I can't imagine why," Hinata replied with a straight face. "These are brand new. You must have misplaced yours somewhere."

"Is that so?" Shino heaved a theatrical sigh. "How tragic for my poor glasses to have to endure being separated from me."

Hinata could not hold in her laughter. "What's this? You've got a sense of humor! I think I am going to die of shock," she said with mirth, and plopped Shino's glasses back on his face. "There, now. All normal again."

"You're a doll," Shino said dryly, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. So far, this is going pretty well. I just hope I don't trip up when it comes down to the real reason I came out here.

When they reached the clearing where the carvings of the previous Hokage loomed over the village, Hinata sank down into the springy grass and patted the spot next to her. Shino sat, and he was automatically nervous. He would not be able to leave until he said what he came to say, but now that that time was here, he wanted to bolt. Before he could rally himself enough to open his mouth, Hinata beat him to the punch.

"I talked to Kiba yesterday," she said in a soft tone, her eyes focused on the carvings. She did not know where this conversation was about to lead, but she was curious about something. "He wants to take me out, can you believe that? He said that he's always liked me, but he was too afraid to tell me until he talked to you"

Shino's heart nearly stopped beating. I was too late... Hinata chose that moment to turn her head and look at him. He could not read the expression that he saw there, but it almost resembled longing.

"So he...he finally went and did it," Shino said, forcing himself to smile. "What did you tell him?" On the inside, he was holding his breath, not wanting to hear the answer. He had resolved before he went in search of her that if being with Kiba would make her happy, he would let her go. Because I love you, I'll do that, even if it'll tear me apart to see you with him. I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want to hurt Kiba, either. But...

"I haven't answered him yet," Hinata replied, her gaze not shifting from Shino. There was a part of her, deep inside, that wanted Shino to object to all of this, to give her a reason to tell Kiba that she couldn't accept his offer. That part was buried beneath so many layers, however, that she barely realized it existed at all, and what she could feel of it only confused her. She didlike Kiba, there was no question about that, but still, something felt...off, unstable, and that feeling intensified when she looked at Shino. Please...say something, anything, Shino. "What do you think?"

Now's your chance, Aburame! Do it! Tell her that she belongs with you! "I think...I think that you should follow your heart." WHAT WAS THAT LINE OF CRAP? FOLLOW YOUR HEART? ARE YOU MAD? DO SOMETHING BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE! But no matter how much his mind screamed at him, there were no more words that he could say.

"Oh," Hinata murmured, quelling her disappointment. What is wrong with you? It's not like there's anything between you and Shino, anyway...right? "Who knows where the road will lead unless it is followed?" She said quietly, quoting one of her father's favorite adages. "I guess I'll have to wait and see what happens."

Shino looked down. "Yeah." That's it. You're doing the right thing, he thought to himself. You're doing the right thing...

"Kiba asked you out?" Sakura exclaimed, her mouth hanging open. She, along with Naruto and Hinata, were sitting in a tiny café near the outskirts of town, and Hinata had just poured out her entire story.

"Uh-huh," she replied, shredding a roll into tiny pieces without comprehending what she was doing. "And, see, the thing is, I'm so frigging messed up! I mean, I'd love to go out with Kiba. He's a fun guy, you know? And he's a total sweetheart underneath the whole macho image he's got going." Hinata tore at the roll more furiously, while Naruto, after a sharp glare from Sakura, stifled his laughter.

"Well, I say you give him a chance then," Naruto said, stealing a bite of Sakura's dinner. "One date isn't going to hurt. Ouch! Geez, Sakura, it wasn't that big of a piece!"

"You need to learn manners, boy, if you plan on becoming Hokage." The pink-haired girl retorted, and then said shrewdly to Hinata, "there's something else going on though, isn't there?"

"Of course there is!" Hinata burst out in exasperation. "There's always something. Why can't I just have a normal love life? Is that so much to ask?" The roll completely obliterated, she moved on to a paper napkin. "It's—so—frustrating! CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WHAT I WANT? BECAUSE I SURE AS HELL DON'T KNOW!"

Heads turned at Hinata's shouting, but she was too worked up to even notice, or care, for that matter. Naruto and Sakura stared at her, wide-eyed, and exchanged glances.

"Has she ever done that before?" Naruto whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"No, I don't think so," Sakura whispered back.

Hinata's eyebrow began to twitch. "What was that?"

"Nothing." Naruto and Sakura chorused.

Hinata glared daggers at the pair of them. "You're supposed to be giving me advice here!"

"Er...well, we would, if we knew what the problem was," Naruto said, moving a bit further back in his seat as a precaution. He was pretty much used to the new Hinata by now, but at times like this, she was down right frightening. Hinata rolled her eyes.

"Okay, listen," she began, as if speaking to a child, "I don't see anything wrong with letting Kiba take me out, right, but I have this bad feeling that if I say yes, I'll be doing it for all the wrong reasons."

Sakura was beginning to see where this was heading, but Naruto had a completely different idea. "You're not...turning into...one of those girls, are you?" He asked, horrified.

"NO!" Sakura and Hinata yelled together.

"Oh for the love of—Naruto you are such an idiot sometimes, I wonder if your brain is out on a permanent vacation." Sakura said, shaking her head. She turned to Hinata. "So let me get this straight. There's someone else on you mind besides Kiba, and you're afraid that if you go out with him, you'll only be doing it to squash your feelings about this other guy. Does that about sum it up?"

"Bingo," Hinata nodded. "But it's so stupid, really. I don't think Shino is interested in me to begin with, so I don't know why I'm all hung up over it."

"Shino?" Naruto nearly choked on his drink. "As in, Aburame Shino?"

"What other Shino is there?" Hinata snapped, annoyed. "And how come you're acting all shocked? There's nothing wrong with him! You just don't know him as well as I do," she said in a more quiet voice. Sakura raised her eyebrows. This was definitely getting interesting.

"Now that is a problem. Why don't you think he's interested, first of all?"

"Oh, I don't know. I told him about Kiba right before I got here, and he didn't act like it bothered him. ARGH!" She went at the napkin with more vigor than before. "That's it. I'm going out with Kiba, case closed. Like Naruto said, it's just a date. It doesn't mean I have to marry him or anything." With that, she dug into her plate, eating a bit more than she usually did. It was good to be with her friends, talking and laughing about stupid things. It was when she was walking home that an old memory resurfaced, one that made her unsure of her abrupt decision to see Kiba.

"Hinata, you know that I love you," Naruto said, though he was unable to look her in the eye. "But...it's a...a different kind of love than the one you're looking for."

A fifteen-year-old Hinata looked down, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. She was not about to cry in front of the boy she admired so, especially after he had just shattered the illusion that she'd clung to since she was twelve. Naruto grasped her shoulders and didlook at her then.

"You deserve someone who can give you his whole heart, Hinata, and I can't do that. It makes me sick to think of someone as pure and selfless as you settling for a guy who doesn't love you with everything he has. I wouldn't be able to bear it, Hinata, don't you see?" Naruto paused, squeezing his eyes shut for a brief second. "Call me an idiot, but I can't give up on Sakura. I know...it's a fool's hope...but I am a fool, so it's fitting, I guess."

Hinata understood what he was implying. "She'll always have your heart," she said, biting her lip. "I...I get it."

"I'm sorry, Hinata." Naruto pulled her into a crushing embrace. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair. "If I could change things..."

"I know," Hinata said, her voice thick. "It's okay."

"No, it isn't. I never wanted to hurt you, Hinata, ever." He held her tighter. "You'll find a wonderful man who will take care of you and treat you like a goddess, and he'll be a much better person than me."

Hinata nodded against Naruto's chest. Her eyes were burning, but she still was determined not to let any of her tears fall. "I should go," she whispered, and pulled herself out of his hold. "It's...getting late." Naruto appeared as if he wanted to stop her, but at the last second he held back. He knew that she needed time alone to grieve, and that was the least he could give her after breaking her heart, though he wished he could do more.

Hinata left quickly, the tears finally spilling down her cheeks as she wandered aimlessly through the empty streets. After about ten minutes of walking, she realized that she was close to Shino's house, and for whatever reason, she began to run, not stopping until she was at his doorstep and banging on the door. Luckily, it was Shino, not Jiro, who answered, and she launched herself at him, sobbing into his shirt.

"Hinata?" He asked, a bit startled, but he soon recovered enough to maneuver them into a sitting position on the front steps of the porch. "What happened?" He inquired softly, his arms about her shuddering frame. In between sobs, Hinata told him everything, and Shino listened without saying a word until she'd finished.

"H-he said I'd f-find someone else, but what if no one w-wants me?"

Shino frowned. "Now that's just silly, and you know it." His fingers went unconsciously to stroke her hair. "It's going to take time to get past this, Hinata, but you will. You're a strong girl. But if you ever need someone to lean on, I'll always be here, okay?"

Hinata sniffled. "Really?"

"Mm-hm. Don't ever hesitate to come find me, got it?"

"Is that a promise?" Hinata asked, grinning through her tears.

"Of course it is, knucklehead. Now come in and I'll make you some tea. You could use it." Shino said, winking at her. She gave a watery laugh and followed him in the house. She ended up falling asleep on his couch, but Shino was too much of a gentleman to wake her. Hinata's father gave her a scolding when Shino escorted her home the next morning, but she didn't mind. She was just glad to know that she had a friend whom she could turn to no matter what the circumstances.

"Oh dear," Hinata said to herself, sighing. Shino has always been here for me, especially during that time, when I needed him most. He wouldn't have made that promise if he didn't care for me, would he? But then again, Kiba's always gone out of his way to make sure that I'm okay, as well. This is too much. The Hyuuga main family compound was in view, and she decided that sleep would be a very good thing. Perhaps her confusion would evaporate overnight, though she seriously doubted it. "At this rate, I'm going to have grey hair by the time I'm twenty-five."

A few miles away in the woods near his house, Shino was thinking along the same lines, though he was spending more time berating himself then anything.

"The right thing? HAH! I did the wrongthing! I had the perfect opportunity, and I blew it. That's so typical," he seethed. "Now what am I going to do?"

You can always run and tell her the truth, said one of the Destruction Bugs, who was perched on Shino's finger. The bug did not speak as humans did, but Shino could hear the tiny voice in his mind. I think that would be smart, and I've never known you to be stupid, Shino-human.

"Gee, thanks," Shino replied dryly. "That's very encouraging."

Bugs do not look at things the way humans do. Your race likes to complicate what should be simple.

"I'll give you that." Shino said. "But...this isn't simple. I really wish that there was an easy way to get out of this mess, but I can't think of one, and there's no way to explain it so that you would understand, Echo."

Obviously not. I still say that you are making this more difficult than it should be. But, what do I know? I am only a Bug.

"Cut it out," Shino chided. "This is no time to be taking things personally."

Forgive me, oh wise one. I shall hold my tongue next time.

Shino laughed. Echo's sense of humor was more biting than that of his brethren, but he was one of Shino's favorites. "Seriously, though, I really don't know what to do. I don't want to lose her, but I don't want to hurt her, either. And Kiba...I'm at a loss over him."

He is the enemy now, yes? We can take care of him. It would not be hard. That dog-human is a pest, anyway.

The thought of Kiba being an enemy disturbed him, but Echo was right, to some degree. Kiba was the one thing that kept Shino from Hinata, which made him an adversary. However, Kiba was still his friend, when it came down to it. "No, Echo. I'll handle this my own way. Thank you for the offer."

As you wish. It is a shame, though. His chakra would be interesting to taste.

Shino shook his head. "Never mind," he said absently, his thoughts already someplace else. Exactly how I'll handle it is another matter...

BWAH-HA-HA! Once again, I'm a bad, bad person. Poor Shino...I'm really putting him through the mill...

Okay, so I must confess: I am a rabid Naruto/Sakura fan, and I still cling to the tiny bit of hope that Sakura will see the error of her ways (I mean, Sasuke? Come on! Naruto is so much better than he is. Humph). So...yeah. I mean, okay, this is NOT your typical Naruto story...and I don't want it to be. If Naruto and Hinata got together, then there wouldn't BE a story. And I think that Hinata had to have more than one reason to change the way she did, you know? Plus, who said that love is easy? Hearts are broken all the time, feelings change...and what is supposedly perfect may not always be so. Well, whatever. I know you guys figured that out, anyway, because you wouldn't have read this if you were looking for Naruto/Hinata, ne? Don't listen to me babble...I have a tendency to do that every now and then...

Now, go on and give that lonely button a little clickedy action...it's EVER so alone down there...poor button... (I'm losing my mind)