Author's Note: This isn't a story. It's just a collection of moments that put the pieces together for a larger character study. It'll be a bit like "Second Child", except with more introspection and even less plot. Unlike "Second Child", each chapter is, a)literally it's own chapter, and b) completely self-contained. I'm putting them in separate chapters because I haven't written all of them yet.

It's a hot day, the kind that shortens tempers and prolongs ill moods. Your team is waiting for Kurenai at the training grounds. Hinata and Kiba sit on a rock, with Akamaru at their feet, while you lean against a shady tree nearby.

"Just walk up to your old man, look him in the eye, and tell him you want to train with him!"

Hinata wipes some sweat off her forehead. "I'm sorry, Kiba, but I really don't think that would work…"

You lean out of the shadows, making yourself known. "I highly suggest you try. Why? Because while Neji is very talented, you will not be able to learn all of your clan's techniques from him."

Neither of them acknowledges you.

Kiba leans forward. "Come on! You can't spend the rest of your life training with your cousin!"

Hinata stares at the grass, thinking over Kiba's advice.

You close your eyes. You hate conversations like this. You're never sure if you're being ignored or simply unnoticed. You wonder if your voice is softer than it sounds, or if you only thought the words instead of speaking them. It's as though your mind is disconnected from your own body.

Hinata leans down and pets Akamaru. "What do you think? Should I talk to Father?" Akamaru barks something incomprehensible in reply. Hinata smiles.

"It would be nice if you asked my opinion," you snap. "Why? Because your training affects me as well."

Hinata flinches and hangs her head. You immediately regret scolding her – she always takes criticism so personally. You should have aimed your words at Kiba instead.

Kiba glares at you as though you've kicked a puppy. He puts a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Just because Kurenai made you leader doesn't mean you get to be in charge of every part of our lives, Shino."

"I'm not trying to-" You don't get to finish your sentence, because Kurenai shows up for practice. She has Hinata and Kiba spar on the field. Meanwhile, she sets up genjutsu targets for you to maneuver your bugs through. You focus on your task, trying to ignore the way your jacket clings to you in the heat.

Things used to be better. Hinata would come to you for advice. Kiba would pepper you with bug-themed jokes, trying to get a reaction from you. The three of you would train together, rather than side-by-side on a field.

True, it took a long time for you to relax around them. After six years of being ostracized by classmates, you weren't exactly enthusiastic about friendship. But Hinata and Kiba had no regard for your wishes. They'd talk to you during missions, though you'd tell them to focus on the task at hand. They'd eat lunch with you after training, though you rarely ate much. And when you sat in the corner during meetings, they'd stubbornly sit next to you, invading your personal space. The chess match between the three of you went on and on, until eventually you found yourself playing along.

You're not sure what's changed. Sometimes you think they're bored of you. Other times you blame it on the fact that they've caught up to you in skill and no longer need your protection to survive. Or perhaps the distance between the three of you is just a part of growing up. Regardless, you think it's cruel of them, to introduce you to friendship and then snatch it away after four short years.

But it doesn't matter what you think. You're addicted to people now. You couldn't go back to being alone even if you wanted to. So after practice, you will apologize to Hinata, even though all you did was ask for her to talk to you. Then you'll hover on the sidelines ro the rest of the day, waiting for your teammates to acknowledge you. It will be undignified. It will be boring. But it will also be necessary, because even a tiny scrap of attention is better than nothing at all.

Author's Note: Before I get a thousand and one Hinata fans sending me hate mail, let me clarify a few things: A) I love Hinata. B) My fanfics are almost always done by unreliable narrators.

That said, you have to admit that Kiba and Hinata don't always treat Shino the way he deserves. He saves their lives on almost every mission, and yet they have a habit of just walking off as he's talking to them. By the time the war comes around, he's so insecure that when his undead brother asks if he has friends, Shino says "I'm not sure." That's really, really sad.

As always, reviews are VERY appreciated. The longer and rant-ier the better.