Hi all. This is a story I've posted on other sites, as a tribute to my favorite pairing - Shino and Sakura. If you do not like this pairing at all, I would suggest you leave now. But, if you are willing to give them a chance, I'm sure I could have you smiling and wanting more. I dedicate this story to a certain woman who loves this pairing *almost* as much as I do, and has written works of her own in their favor.

The moral of this story is that choices, even the smallest of them all, can influence the entire world. It will be slow going, as said woman I mentioned above will probably rip my face off for not contacting her in years. For that, I apologize now. Hopefully, you will enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this. Be warned now that I am a very busy woman, and sometimes (most times) chapters will not be on a regular basis...at least not until I find some proper time to write.

This story is rated M to be safe, but M rated things are slow in coming. I also like to describe things. People just don't give the setting of a story it's proper due these days. I want you to see what I see when I write. Sometimes I will describe scenes or a setting in detail. If you don't like that, then leave now, because it will not change.

Enjoy.

As time flows, changing and moving with unbound certainty, so changes the lives of people. The smallest change in one person's life alone can mean the salvation or destruction of many others. Time is a gift of the universe, and should not be taken lightly. Though always moving, never stopping, time is something precious that must be heeded. The very fabric of time depends on the choices that people make everyday…in this case, a young girl and boy.

The boy had everything he could ever want materialistically, but he wanted for something to fill the hole inside of him. Sure, he had his family, but that was not what he longed for. He longed to tell someone his innermost secrets, someone to make him smile, to make him forget his troubles, never to worry about being anyone other than himself. He wanted a friend. He was constantly alone, everyone preferring to stay away from 'that creepy kid'.

The girl had only her parents to comfort her, to assure her that she was a perfectly good child. But, as a child, she did not understand why her parents said one thing and the children around her, her peers, thought so differently. Those incessant smiles, that glee was directed at her, rather than with her. To fill the hole in her heart, she turned to studying, the books her only friends, for they did not judge her.

But on one sunny and serene spring morning, an important event was to take its place in the ever changing flow of time. A very, very important event...

It was on this day, that Shino and Sakura became best of friends.

A pink haired young girl stood under the tree in the courtyard of the ninja academy. Her shoulders were shaking slightly, hiccups and sobs escaping her lips. A crowd of kids surrounded her, totally taking up her personal space. Sakura hid her face behind her carnation pink hair, tears streaming down her face.

"Hey, Billboard Brow! I got an important message to broadcast to the world, d'ya think I can borrow that enormous forehead of yours to post it up?" a mean boy jeered loudly so the entire courtyard could hear of his endeavors. The kids closest to the group began to laugh, snickering heard throughout the entirety of the courtyard. Sakura shrank down even more, looking down at her toes. The boy snorted in annoyance. He walked up to her and looked at her closely.

"Such a shiny forehead...tell me, do you get satellite for that?" The kids laughed even harder than before. Sakura did not respond, just kept staring at her toes, shivering slightly. The boy huffed. He looked up above her slightly, and his eyes flashed.

"You're no fun…" the boy and his little minions left her, most of the crowd walking away since the main event seemed to be over. Sakura sat under the tree, and let the tears fall from her face freely. 'It's not my fault I have a large forehead…'she looked up into the sky. Her parents had always told her that she was the most special little girl that ever lived. She wanted to believe them, but that boy made fun of her every day, without fail.

How could she be as wonderful as they say if at every turn she was being made fun of left and right? She continued to think about it, her tears slowing, but not quite stopping. The gentle spring breeze picked up lightly, making the new spring leaves rustle lightly, making similar sounds like the sea. She closed her eyes, wiping them on her arm. An unnatural rustling sounded above her in the tree. She looked up suddenly.

A young boy, her same age stared back down at her from his perch in the tree. At least, she thought he was looking at her. He wore dark, round glasses, his hair very fluffy, sticking up every which way. He was very pale, and wore a tan t-shirt, and brown cargo shorts, his nin sandals brown like his shorts. He sat very stationary, the rest of his face that she could see very expressionless. His hair moved with the wind in gentle, graceful movements. She forgot all about her predicament when the wind suddenly blew in a sharp gust, picking up wind and knocking the glasses off of his face suddenly. For a split second, Sakura saw his whole face. His eyes were like molten mercury, swirling and changing constantly. He closed his eyes quickly, almost as if the sun hurt his eyes badly. Sakura picked up his glasses as he jumped down from the tree.

She walked up to the boy, and placed the glasses on his face again. She looked wonderingly at him as he adjusted the glasses to a much more snug fit. She could almost feel his eyes on her, now…

"What?" the boy sounded like she saw something weird on his face, and wouldn't tell him where it was. "Is there something on my face?" he placed his hands on his cheeks and face slowly, as if rubbing some sort of substance off. Sakura blushes lightly.

"T-there's nothing on y-your face…I was just wondering…" she trailed off. The boy looked at her intently, and even though covered by the glasses, she knew he had a piercing stare. She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking back up at his face directly, her hair in her eyes.

"I was wondering why you w-wear your glasses. I like your eye color, it's really p-pretty, so why do you hide them?" she asked meekly. He looked at her for a few moments, most likely coming up with an answer for her.

"Why do you hide your forehead, then? I'll tell you if you tell me…" the boy seemed really interested in what she had to say. Eager to give him an answer since he did not make fun of her, she replied in turn.

"Because…w-well…everyone makes fun of my h-high forehead. It's not my fault, I mean it!" she shook her head in earnest, her pink locks catching in the wind. "But…I don't understand." She shook her head lightly. "My mom and dad told me that I was a nice looking young girl…but there must be something wrong with me…" she looked at her toes, swishing them on the stone pavement bashfully. The boy made no movement, no sound at all after she spoke. She wondered if he fell asleep on his feet, or something like that. Suddenly, he looked up to the sky, a sigh escaping his lips.

"I wear them because my father tells me to. He says my eyes may cause unwanted problems in the future if I did not wear them." the boy shrugs. "By the way, my name is Shino. Doozo yoroshiku." He bowed lightly in respect, and Sakura bowed back. "Haruno Sakura. Doozo yoroshiku." Sakura looked at him again, suddenly realizing who he was.

"You're that kid that they talk about aren't you? You use bugs all the time. They call you creepy, and stuff…" Sakura looked fascinated. Shino almost looked incredulous. Almost.

"I'm glad to see my reputation spreads around…" he didn't sound too happy about her comment. He turned to go, but in a random burst of courage, Sakura took his hand. Shino whipped around to look at her, a slight blush on his face. Her face looked apologetic.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Shino-san. I'm not afraid of bugs, and I'm not scared of you." Her eyes were definitely sincere. Sakura quickly let go of his hand when he stared at their entwined fingers. Shino narrowed his eyes in thought after a couple of moments had passed. She could see his eyebrows rise slightly above his glasses.

"Sakura-san…are you serious? I don't appall you? My bugs don't scare you at all?" Sakura looked at Shino in mild surprise. He was worried about what she thought of him? All the other times she'd seen him, he was always by himself, away from everyone else. No one dared to speak to him, and whispered behind his back. Sakura's eyes widened, realization hitting her swiftly.

Alone.

He was alone, just like her. All of her feelings, confused and clear resurfaced from the recesses of her mind to the forefronts of it. Sakura looked shocked into speechlessness. Shino was very confused. Sakura began to cry again, but this time her arms came up and hugged Shino around his middle. He was very tall for an eight year old. Her head rested in the crook of his neck.

"You are alone like me." She whispered. All of her shyness left her, her sadness reigning instead. Shino stiffened at first, but he immediately began to relax. After a few seconds of the hug, Sakura let him go, looking up at him.

"I studied bugs for a bit. Not all of them are slimy and gross looking. Some are pretty, like bees and butterflies. But my favorite is the firefly!" she smiled at him, all her tears gone. Shino smiled slightly. She was not afraid of him, in fact, quite the opposite.

"Sakura-san…would you like to come over my house today after school?" Shino offered. Sakura looked like she would burst, she was so happy. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure! But, I need to stop by my house after school today, so I can let them know where I'm going." Sakura smiled, the last of her tears evaporating away. She took Shino's hand in hers, dragging him into the academy.

"Shino-san! Ikimashoo!" A small smile crept on his face as he willingly allowed Sakura to drag him into the school.

Sakura left the classroom at lunchtime as quickly as she could, so she could avoid the boy and his gang. She went to her favorite cherry blossom tree in the courtyard, its flowers in full bloom. She sat and took out her bento and happily split her chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!" Before she began to eat, she thought of Shino. Where was he? Come to think of it, she always saw him in the hallways, and sitting up in trees when they were outside. She looked around at the other trees and tried to find him. She was about to get up from her sitting spot to find him when...

"Looking for me?" Sakura jumped two feet into the air, her hair bristled lightly. She turned to see Shino holding his own bento, which was tied with a green cloth with cute little bugs all over it. She glared at him playfully, poking him in the chest.

"Shino-san! Don't do that, you scared me!" Shino smirked, his eyebrows knitted in defiance.

"The way you jumped in the air like that, I'd say so. I'll think about it…" he grinned as she growled cutely. She sat, pulling him down to sit next to her. Shino broke his own chopsticks apart.

"Itadakimasu." They both began to eat quietly, enjoying the partial shade the tree provided.

"Ne, Shino-san, would you like to come over my house sometime too?" she looked at him as he bit into a piece of tempura. He swallowed and looked back at her.

"Sure, why not? I'm sure my father would allow me to go to your house sometimes." Sakura finished chewing her yakitori. She looked up at the blue sky, then closing her eyes. She suddenly looked back at Shino.

"You speak of your father a lot. You must really respect him a lot then, right?" Shino nodded at her analysis. The wind blew their hair gently. Shino looked up into the sky.

"My family was all I had, so of course I'd respect them and speak so highly of them. But, now you're my friend, and I hope that we continue to be friends for a long time…" Shino looked back at Sakura, who smiled brightly. She held out her right pinky and that gave her Shino's full attention. He blinked, but of course, she didn't know that.

"Shino-san, promise that we'll be friends forever?" Shino held out his right pinky and they met, sealing the deal. Shino smiled slightly as Sakura beamed brightly. He liked her when she was at her happiest. He made a silent promise to himself that he would protect her always.

"Yeah, I promise. Forever it is, then."

The air seemed much sweeter, the day much brighter, her heart way lighter than ever before. Sakura could almost skip in happiness, but decided against it. She knew Shino was not the type to show any emotions radically. He was always the calm to her excitement, the structure to her spontaneity.

"Shino-san, we're like yin and yang you know. You're always so calm….and I'm always so excited." Shino looked at her as they walked back to her house.

"You think so? You seem pretty tame to me…" Sakura stopped walking and looked at the ground to her left, as if in a past memory. Shino saw a worried look on her face, and wondered if he said something wrong.

"Sakura-san…" he started. She looked up at him woefully. "I guess it's safe to tell you about her, then. We are friends, you should know…" Shino really looked confused now.

"What?" ''Her?' What does she mean by that?' he thought vaguely. She tapped her index fingers together in a very Hinata-like manner. Shino waited for her to tell him patiently.

"Well, I have another me…inside of my head. My 'inner' self. She is very loud, and very violent, and usually comes out if I get mad. She does all the thinking I don't want to, and says all the things that I won't say. You don't think I'm crazy, do you?" she looked worried. Shino chuckled slightly. It was a pleasing sound to Sakura, though, she barely caught it in the noise of the streets. He shook his head.

"It's understandable to have another part of yourself that speaks to you. I'd only be worried if you had voices other than your ownin your head, though." She smiled, and shook her head. Maybe he was just saying things…she sighed audibly.

"Inner would probably just kick them out. She kept me sane all this time, I think. Here we are!" Shino looked at her house. It was small and cozy. Sakura took out a small silver key and slipped it into the lock. She turned it, and opened the door, yelling "Tadaima!" "Okaa-san, Otou-san?" she dragged Shino into the house behind her, barely able to take her shoes off at the door. She walked into the kitchen to see her father sitting at the table, and her mother washing a few dishes.

"Mama, Papa, this is Shino-kun, my new friend. Can I go over his house today?" she pleaded. Her mother looked shocked and her father looked on knowingly. Fuuyuko Haruno knelt at her daughters' height and hugged her, ruffling Shino's hair a bit. She smiled, and tears formed in her eyes. Sakura was a little confused, but just shrugged it off, a pleading look in her eyes to get the answer she so desperately needed.

"Oh, sweetie, of courseyou can! If you stay a little later, make sure to call us, okay? Have fun!" she stood and waved a little. Sakura smiled brightly. "Ano…I need to get something from my room… wait here Shino-chan, okay?" she ran up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her. Shino stood awkwardly looking at her parents. Sakura's father, Kisetsu Haruno, turned to Shino. There was a look in his eyes that gave her father Shino's complete attention.

It was a mix of relief, and gratefulness.

"Aburame-sama, you have no idea how much we appreciate you being friends with her. She is a good girl, but seems to be terribly lonely. What was your reason for being friends with her?" Shino didn't even have to think about his answer. It came to him naturally, as if someone asked him what his name was. He turned to look behind her father, reminiscent of thinking of past pleasant memories. He was much more calm and insightful than a regular eight year old.

"Because, Haruno-san, she recognized my loneliness. She is not disgusted or afraid of me. I want for her to be my friend always. I will become an elite ninja one day, and protect her if she ever needs me. I promised her." His glasses flashed. "I do not intend on breaking that promise, either." Shino suddenly felt welcomed from out of nowhere as her mother hugged him slightly.

"Shino-sama, if you ever need us for anything, please do not hesitate to ask. My little girl means the world to me, and I believe you've saved her from a completely rough childhood." She bowed lightly. Her father spoke again, this time with a piercing stare. Kisetsu couldn't tell but Shino's eyes stared back with full force, intending never to back down.

"I trust you to take care of my daughter. She is, despite her obvious strength in character, very fragile when it comes to emotions. I hope sincerely that you can mend the pieces of her lonely heart. There is only so much that Fuuyuko and I can do for her." The man looked like he was at peace after years of worry and regret. Shino nodded briefly.

"I do not break my promises. I think that that will be my way of the Nin." Sakura thundered down the stairs, and Mr. Haruno laughed as she breezes by, catching Shino by the collar and hauling him outside with her.

"Bye mom, dad!" she yells as she pulls Shino down the street. Both her parents laughed at the incredulous look on his face as she dragged him away. Fuuyuko then looked at Kisetsu briefly.

"Will she really be alright, hon?" Fuuyuko didn't look so sure. Kisetsu laughed. He rubbed her arm reassuringly. He looked towards the door with a face that could only be described as awe-like curiosity. Fuuyuko raised her brows lightly in surprise at his look. This was new, apparently.

"That boy is one of a kind, my dear. I could not see his eyes, but I could feel them, and they were intense. He means every word he says. Sakura is safest with the Aburame Clan's heir more than anything else. But it is a strange thing, for her to befriend him. I can feel that everything will be alright though, so don't worry." He sipped his coffee. Fuuyuko looks out of the window at the late afternoon setting.

"I do hope he will aid her in finding her happiness."

Sakura kept running down the street until she realized something. She stopped running and let go of Shino, only to look at him and laugh. His glasses were slightly askew, and his clothing rumpled, and looked for the world as if he were completely violated. Sakura giggled some more. Shino looked exasperated as he adjusted his glasses yet again. He inwardly smirked. 'Never a dull moment with her, no.'he thought. She looked terribly confused.

"Shino-chan? Ano…..where do you live, again?" she smiled shyly. He immediately took in his surroundings. He took her hand, and led her to a sharp left, away from the setting sun. Shino began to run, Sakura in tow.

"Sakura-san…if you ever forget where I live, remember that I live farthest from the setting sun. Walk as far as you can and you'll hit our compound…" he seemed to say this absently as his home came into view.

She gasped at the subtle beauty of the home. The front yard was covered by an eight foot wall decorated with a fresco of a perfect Japanese garden. From a distance, she had difficulty distinguishing it from being wall or real. She eventually slowed to a stop in front of the impressive gates of the Aburame compound. The gate looked ancient, and it was covered with thick vines with beautiful tiny blue and purple flowers. The gate looked like it hadn't been opened in decades. But Shino stepped up to it anyway and looked up at it. What he did surprised Sakura next.

Shino performed a jutsu with his fingers, albeit quickly so she couldn't see, and Sakura gasped as the 'vines' of the gate slithered slowly, untangling from the gate and allowing easy access into the compound. Sakura gasped as she walked through, as if the vines were going to attack and eat her. Shino smirked. Sakura looked a bit grumpy at the way he reacted to her fright.

"Wouldn't it be easy for someone to just rip through those vines and come in?" she asked as she smelled a flower from a nearby rosebush. Shino's smirk seemed to grow deeper.

"Sure, Sakura-san…but if they ripped it away, they would die a horrible, slowdeath from coming in contact of the lethal poison contained in those roots. Those vines have been there since the Aburame clan existed. There is also a jutsu with saimyoshou that triggers if anyone with ill intent tries to hop our wall. Impenetrable defense." He kept walking as she looked surprised. Her feet began to move again.

"Wait, Shino-kun!"

Sakura admired the beauty of the inner courtyards. The pathways were shiny, swept stones set in some shiny rock that she could not name. There were wildflowers and roses growing along the edges of the pathway, and the walls of the huge estate. The grass was so green… it was almost a deep bluish green. There were pines everywhere, varying in sizes and colors. Deciduous trees littered the area around the house generously, and there were obviously some fruit trees that were carefully cultivated and tenderly cared for far off to one side of the complex. There were tons of scarlet oak trees, burying the compound with a rich red color that took Sakura's breath away. Those infinitesimally large red trees brought out the even more stunning, but smaller tulip poplar trees that had huge, budding yellow flowers on them. There were white magnolia trees, and also tons of willow oak trees that offered plenteous shade.

Shino smiled. How something as trivial as the trees could make her eyes glow with wonder…it made him strangely happy that she was so simple. Not like those other girls that fawned over makeup and hair care. That confused Shino to no end. Of course, Sakura was too hung up on what she saw surrounding their actual house to care for the trees anymore.

There were the smaller, and no less stunning Japanese maples dotting the landscape closer to the house. They lined the large moat-like pond that surrounded the entire house, which was built on a sort of makeshift island. Since they were planted so haphazardly, they seemed natural to the landscape they were put in. There was an ornately large bridge made of lacquered wood and was polished to a high gleam, shining smoothly in the waning light of the setting sun leading to the main entrance to the impressive looking house.

As they crossed the bridge, she looked behind the Japanese maples to see aromatic sumac growing along the banks, the branches hanging low over the water. The water was transparently clean, and small brightly colored koi flowed and played in the pond. Water lilies splashed and dotted the water sparsely, in all their pale pink and white glory.

"Shino-chan, this is such a beautiful place! This is where you live?" she seemed unbelieving, as if she just stepped into heaven. Shino nodded slightly.

"This is my home, Sakura-san. You are always welcome. I'm certain my mother will approve of you…" Sakura blushed. He made it sound as if they were getting married. Sakura laughed at the thought. Shino was her friend, no way!

As they finished crossing the bridge, Sakura gasped again, thinking that it could not possibly get any better than it already had. Apparently, it could.

The halls around the house were shaded from outside elements, but not enclosed in. The halls were raised two feet from the ground, which gave room for the wildflowers to grow around the base of the house itself. There were baby blue, yellow, pale pink and lavender flowers growing happily from the mossy ground that the house was built on. There were eight large steps that led to the halls, and the main doors of the household. There were three floors to the house, each smaller in succession going up, the third floor of the home comparably smaller and set further back than the second, from which Sakura could see flowers growing…which meant there was a garden on the third floor situated outside. Sakura bounced in happiness. She hugged Shino, who flinched at first, but then relaxed into her hug. The closeness of someone other than family would take time getting used to, apparently. Both Shino and Sakura looked up to see a man who was in his mid thirties, wearing sunglasses, a charm hanging off of his left side.

It was Aburame Shibi, Shino's father.

"Welcome to my home, Sakura-san."

Please read and review. Going home to visit my mum, so more chapters won't be up for about a week, maybe sooner.