The first week of spring rolled by as the early morning was greeted with a light shower. In the midst of it, a figure stood amongst a garden, hooded and covered from head to toe. Through shaded glasses, the shinobi took in the beauty of spring. Soon, the budded flowers will bloom, and the Aburame garden would become a paradise of vibrant colors to the insects.

That was not the only wonder that took place in the garden. Shino smiled contently as he recalled how the air became scented with every flower that bloomed. With their scent came a variety of equally vibrant insects that were not part of the clan's ninja bugs. Bees, ladybugs, and most important of all, butterflies.

Those were his favorite.

Butterflies were what sparked life into his midnight black eyes. They were the innocence of the world: shy and naïve as a young child and just as delicate, yet replete with beauty and grace. He smiled. No doubt they also symbolized the sheepish, yet strong kunoichi that had been a comrade to him since the very beginning, who now embedded herself in his thoughts and dreams.

Hinata Hyuuga.

Such a lovely creature, she was. From the moment they were placed together on the same team, no, from the very moment he laid eyes upon her in the playground back at the Academy, Shino thought of her as a wonder. Sweet as a dove to even the most arrogant fool, her gentle, lavender eyes held no ill will towards anyone. She was beautiful from the inside out. A beauty matched by no other.

Despite all the clear reasons for him to go forth and claim her as his own, he lacked the courage and knowledge to do so. Aburame men were at the bottom of the list of suitors due to the clan's unusual rituals and techniques and not many women set well with having a husband, or boyfriend, who had a living, breathing hive of insects inside their body.

Shino decided long ago that it was a matter not worth inquiring his father about. Aburame men were expected to have their emotions in check, and beating themselves senseless over the possibility they could be alone until death because of their hive drove many of his family members over the edge. It was a painful thought, but it was much more painful once you fell in love. The thought of Hinata belonging to another man always proved many times to be too much for him to bear.

That thought was frequent in his mind. He knew her eyes as well as her heart chose another. His fists clenched tightly inside his coat pockets. Oh, how he envied him. The oblivious, blonde blockhead did not deserve her attention. He did not deserve her at all, but trying to speak to her was easier said than done. Either he was too rough in speech or his throat would lock up and leave him speechless.

Oh, who was he kidding? Like Hinata would choose him over Naruto. Shino felt an invisible hand tug painfully at his heart. It hurt. But it could not be helped. He was an Aburame, after all, and such emotions were best kept locked away.

But Shino could not help but be both bothered and thankful that Naruto was blind enough to not notice Hinata. Bothered because he could not understand why her genuine beauty did not lock Naruto in place as it did to him. Thankful because he did not want him, or any other man for that matter, eyeing her.

"You know, standing in the rain won't make the skies clear up any faster." A deep voice called out to him, shaking him from his train of thought.

Shino turned to see his father, Shibi Aburame, leaning against the trunk of the huge magnolia tree at the center of the Aburame garden. Shino smiled behind his upturned collar.

"Who said I wanted the skies to clear?" asked the stoic shinobi as he walked towards his father. "It's soothing weather."

"Agreed." His father nodded as he was joined by his son by the tree.

"I didn't know you were to come back this early from your mission." Shino began.

"Neither did I." Shibi replied with a chuckle. "Fortunately, the mission was to interrogate an uncooperative prisoner. It doesn't take long when you find out your captive is deathly afraid of insects."

Shino could hear the amusement in his father's voice. It was a rare thing, seeing his father in such good humor, but at this time, it just brought more pain. Fear. It was all he was ever going to get from a person. Fear, disgust, resentment.

We don't resent you, Shino… hummed his kikaichu in attempt to soothe their master. She doesn't resent or fear you either!

Shino rolled his eyes, though they had a point. The kikaichu had always been there for him even when no one else was. When his teammates, Kiba and Hinata, came into the picture, he did not feel the dreadful loneliness, especially how they, too, were outcasts. They were the only people his age that did not step away from him as he walked by, or give him looks of disgust if he came too close.

"Forgive me, father, but I must go." Shino announced, "It's almost time."

Shibi looked at his son, his eyes dancing with joy behind the dark, trademark glasses of the Aburame. Years after the definite end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Team 8 had become very tightly knit, even more so than before. Somewhere along, they agreed to meet every day before dawn at the Third Training Grounds. That among other activities. He was glad his son found such good friends and gave him a friendly shove.

"Go." He stated with a smile, "I am well aware of your routine, Shino. No need to excuse yourself."

Shino nodded and set off. It wouldn't take him long to get to the training grounds, considering that the Aburame compound was closer to the training grounds than to the village itself. He reached the grounds at record time, and waited patiently for the rest of his team.