endless_scrolls (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
endless_scrolls) wrote2007-10-09 02:08 pm
endless_scrolls) wrote2007-10-09 02:08 pm
Log: KnG Party Preparations
Title: Party Preparations
Type: RP log
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Aburame Shino, brief mentions of Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura
Pairing(s): Hints of ShinoTen
Warning(s): Lots and lots of adorable fluff
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally posted April 4, 2007 for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
konohanogakuen RP comm. Tenten managed to wrangle up Shino to help he decorate for a last minute surprise party for Naruto.
Dedicated to: 'Shino-mun'. You know who you are. ^__^
Slowly turning the pages of the book in her hands, Tenten waited at the top of the stairs (their usual meeting place) for Shino to arrive. Shikamaru and Kiba had left on some make-believe trip or errand with Naruto in tow just a few minutes before, the blonde seemingly unsuspecting of what would be waiting for him when he returned. Every few minutes she found herself glancing down the hall towards the safety of her room, the essence of the box full of decorations the four of them had gotten earlier that week sitting right beside her on the steps, just waiting to be put up. She had resisted the urge to hurry and stash them back into her dorms, the more paranoid side of her conscious believing that Naruto would find a reason to come back at any moment before the appointed time.
Shino approached the stairs feeling somewhat nonplussed. When he had agreed to help Tenten do decorations, he had hardly known what he had been getting into. Not more than a few minutes ago he had seen an overly enthusiastic Kiba pulling Naruto out of the dorms on some errand, followed by Shikamaru, looking as though he would have rather Naruto had fallen off a roof or something equally as tall. He had had to resist the urge to turn back to his room right there. However, he had someone waiting for him, and that wasn't something that he could skip out on. So, he turned onto the stairs wondering what exactly he was doing there. He supposed that a few weeks ago he would not have ever agreed to something such as this; and yet here he was. And sure enough, at the top of stairs sat a young girl, staring at the pages of the book. Shino saw her eyes stare blankly at the pages, her mind obviously elsewhere, and he turned the corners of his mouth upward as he began to climb. "Not easy to miss at all."
She frowned at the nervousness that settled in her stomach, not quite sure where it was coming from but ready to push it deep down into the dark places of her mind and body to be explored at another time. But all thoughts of that quickly disappeared as Tenten lifted her head at the sound of footsteps tapping lightly against the stairs; a familiar figure ascending up towards her. With a smile at the light tone of his voice, she silently placed the bookmark back between the pages and closed the book in her hands. "Shino, glad to see you could make it." She noted while she stood up from the steps that the evening light from downstairs reflected brightly against the wooden flooring below, giving a dull radiance around his silhouette. She wasn't quite sure why, but she found herself enjoying the sight and stored the memory away; to be called upon at a later time when she was feeling extra creative with paint.
"Are you ready?" she inquired with a hint of mischief in her voice.
Shino found his mouth twitching upwards into a smile. The large box of decorations that sat by Tenten clearly reflected her mood, and he even felt his worries float away. She had often had a way of doing that for him, even as he wondered if he should even be there. But for now, he was happy that he could assist.
"I am," he replied, allowing his brightened mood to show through the words. He bent down to lift the box, and straightened slowly beside her at the top of the stairs. "So, where shall we start?" he asked, letting her know that she was clearly the brains of this operation. He was here to merely help; he did not want to confess that he had not often had the privilege of joining in a birthday celebration. Those days had not been prevalent in his childhood.
Lightly placing a small hand on top of the box he was carrying, she gave it a few soft taps. "Wait right here."
Before he had a chance to question her motives, Tenten was already halfway down the hall towards her room, disappearing behind the door for only a moment before stepping back out into the corridor with a large hand-full of balloons. A rainbow of color in the palm of her hand, each one had been specially ordered and designed specifically for Naruto and his special day. The young blonde had given her the impression that such things didn't happen often in his life and so she wanted to make the occasion memorable. Finding a little down time while the others had been ordering a quick snack of fries, she had taken it upon herself to make the order on Sunday and picked it up during lunch earlier that day. With a wave of her hand, she motioned for Shino to head off towards the rec room where the party would be held. "Alright, let's go."
Shino watched with a raised eyebrow as Tenten emerged from her room with the assortment of balloons. She had obviously done her research on the young blonde, he concluded, mutely following her into the rec room. Looking into the box, Shino could only be thankful for his glasses as a wide variety of shapes and colors assaulted his vision. If nothing else, Naruto could be happy about the decorations. However, the Aburame had a notion that this party was going to turn out very well, especially with the time that some dedicated friends were putting into it.
As they entered the room, Shino's hand itched uncomfortably. The evening treated the room with a soft light, illuminating the decorations he carried in his arms, and he could wish for nothing more than to sit and draw this down. Although he had never professed to be adequate in expressing true life on paper, this seemed to be something too good to miss. 'Naruto, you are loved,' he thought, lowering the box onto the ground and awaiting instructions.
Making sure that the balloons were tied securely to the weight, she let the ribbons of string go and took a moment to admire the bouquet of rubber before getting down to business. Unfolding the flaps of the box she reached in and started pulling all the contents out, knowing that Shino needed no words to be said at the moment. That time of year, decorations in orange was something in full supply and demand for the Halloween season (an American holiday but one that was fast becoming adapted into the local culture). But it took a special eye and attention to detail to really get the necessary items that could combine both elements (the Halloween spirit and a birthday celebration) separately and equally. Naruto being the person that he was, Tenten assumed he'd enjoy the goofy skeletons and silly-faced pumpkins that were essential to the festivities. But it was the little things that would set them apart, like the small paper party hat attached to the skeleton's head or the tiny noise maker in the pumpkin's mouth.
"I guess we can begin with the streamers. They can start at random ends of the room and meet in the middle where the central light is."
Shino nodded in agreement, letting his mind's eye quickly calculate the look of the streamers. He grabbed an garish orange streamer out of the box and left for the corner of the room, trusting that Tenten would follow suit with her own. As he walked, he eyed the rest of the decorations. Meticulously planned Halloween decorations masquerading as birthday ornaments littered the box, and Shino shook his head. He raised his eyes to his companion, growing softer at the care with which she handled each item. He almost felt like an outsider, looking in on her actions intrusively.
He pulled over a chair to the far corner and stood, taping the edge of the streamer to the wall. He peered across the room, aware of what he was doing but unsure of what Tenten had wanted.
"Is this how you want it?"
Placing each item out on the table for her to see, she grabbed another roll of orange streamer and followed Shino towards one side of the room where he tape one end to the wall. Stepping onto her own chair a few feet away, Tenten repeated his actions, pausing a moment to look over her shoulder at his inquiry. "Yeah, that looks good. See if you can twist it into a spiral as you go towards the center."
Stepping down from her spot, the sophomore proceeded to do exactly what she had just instructed her companion to do, slowly and steadily making her way towards the center of the room where the table was set up. Already knowing what was necessary for her vision to be just right, she didn't hesitate in climbing onto the furniture and tapping the other end alongside the light shade in the middle of the room, tearing off the excess material so it could be used for other strings that would go across the ceiling. With a patient and gentle smile, Tenten remained standing on the chair and waited for Shino to hand over his row of streamers so she could do the same with his. This way they wouldn't be falling over each other trying to switch places.
"Good job," she commented, giving the thin paper a few more coiled spirals so that it would be relatively even with the one she had made.
Shino handed over his row, silently agreeing with her system. He unrolled the streamers a bit, coiling it lightly to match Tenten's example. As he taped off the final end, he stepped back to look at them from the side of the room. He could clearly tell which side was his own, the paper folded in some areas and not always consistently coiled. As Tenten began to pick and choose various decorations, he walked down the line of streamers, picking at it when he saw some imperfection in the paper. He had the distinct feeling that she somehow found it amusing how inept he was with the entire concept, but he found himself suddenly self conscious about what he was doing. Unwilling to keep nitpicking while she worked, Shino tossed the streamer back into the box and took a step towards the older girl, standing at attention as if waiting for orders. He supposed he looked ridiculous, but if he was going to do this today, he was going to do it right.
"Any particular place you want these?" he asked, motioning towards the skeleton and pumpkin forms all adorned in party decor. Personally, he found them strange looking, but stepping for one moment into the shoes of the young prankster, he could see their appeal.
Whether he knew it or not, Tenten had been sneaking glances at Shino while he tried to smooth out any imperfections that might have surfaced during his attempts with the streamers. Though meticulous, she found the act quite endearing. Ultimately everything they did was for the benefit of Naruto and his party, so it seemed a nice gesture on his part especially when the young Aburame seemed indifferent to the entire concept.
She had been silently going over the night's 'menu' in her head, calculating the cost of pizza delivery and the time it would take to set out and/or heat up the other snacks when her thoughts were interrupted by Shino's inquiry. The sophomore looked up from the few notes she had been scribbling in the palm of her hand to see the young man gesturing to the pumpkin and skeleton she had been making the final touches to earlier that morning. "Not really. Just hang them up wherever you think they'd look best...but be sure to keep them away from any heating vents, lights, or electrical sockets. They're made of paper and could easily catch fire."
Shino nodded, picking up the skeleton carefully and holding it arm's length from him. He eyed the room speculatively, looking for a place that would best benefit from a grinning skeleton with a party hat.
Absentmindedly, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his free hand. Finally, after moments of consideration, he picked the front of the room by the door. Somehow in the back of his mind, he wanted this to be the first thing that their host saw when he came in. As he got the thing situated, he saw Tenten scribbling notes onto her hand. She would look around the room, and when she found something that she wanted or something that would work out, her eyes would light up and she would scribble something else down. He gave a small smile, wondering what other miracles she could be working on.
Stepping back, he viewed his handiwork. Tossing a cautious glance over his shoulder at his partner, he lowered his glasses for a moment to get a good look at the room. Already it was transforming into a party room, bright and lit, the colors almost hurting his eyes. Replacing his glasses, Shino turned on his heel to examine the room for a place for the pumpkin. However, no sooner had he finished the skeleton arrangement than he heard an audible swish of paper. Bringing a hand to massage his temple, he turned back to the skeleton now laying on the floor. He sighed, bending down to pick it up once more and situate it on the wall. For a moment, he could have sworn he heard a snicker of amusement, but before he could turn and investigate, the swish returned and once again the cursed paper creature fell to the floor once more.
Putting away the pen for now, she reached out for the container of ribbons and quickly cut them into long-flowing strings of varying vibrant colors. They were meant to match the rainbow of balloons that were still patiently floating in mid-air, constricted and held down by the weight tied to the end of their strings. Pressing the edge of the scissors firmly to several threads, she smoothly and carefully worked to coil the plastic ribbons into a mess of spirals and ringlets. Each one had its own special design, not quite as tight or loose as the next but still beautiful in their making. As she was untangling them apart individually, Tenten glanced up from her work to check on Shino's progress, finding that he was having his own difficulties with an unruly skeleton.
The older girl snickered softly as the festive paper cutout fell once again, just after the young man had fixed it to the wall once again for what must have been at least the third time in a matter of seconds. But as much as she would have liked to observe how he would handle this dilemma (and continue to giggle softly at the Aburame's expense while the rebellious wall decoration made a mockery of him), there were other things to be done before Kiba and Shikamaru would return with the birthday boy.
With one last glance at her companion and his latest attempt to win over the laughing skeleton, Tenten took a string of three or four plastic ribbons, freshly curled and springing with her movements, and flipped it over a random row of streamer. She left the ends to dangle lifelessly with the intent on coming back to properly situate them once all the ribbons were at least hung overhead.
Shino raised one hand to massage the bridge of his nose. Restraint was something his family had preached to him from a young age, but now more than ever was he finding it hard to follow. The current object of his frustration merely grinned up at him, party hat skewed goofily to one side in what to seemed to be a kind of insane mockery of his efforts. He stared down at it, noticing that his foot was close to the torso of the paper monstrosity, and it took him a minute to fully focus on anything else. He glanced behind him, noticing that Tenten had busied herself with curling all sorts of ribbon and hanging them off of the streamers they had previously dangled across the Rec Room. Even through his dark glasses, the colors shined to his eyes and he once again marvelled at the sight of the room. Not even finished, the vibrant colors and situation of the party decorations had created an entirely different atmosphere he had yet to see in the school. Slowly he turned back, silently wondering what she had needed him for. She seemed to be miraculous in each part, maybe possessing some gene that he lacked for parties and... Well, fun. Instead, while she worked, he dealt with a paper skeleton that obviously felt frustration,and fed on it to make his day a living nightmare. His foot itched closer, and he shot a glance back at his companion once more. Surely she wouldn't notice only one of the decorations going missin-
No. He froze, before bending down and picking up the contraption one last time. She had put a lot of time into this, and he would be damned if he would let a party decoration get the best of him. Sighing, Shino leaned the skeleton aside the table off to the side of the door, its arm leaning up against the wall and head tipped to the side. Now that he looked at it, he had to smirk slightly at the irony. The smile was hardly sane, but it was... Fun. Shino took a step back, feeling his frustration melt away as the skeleton smiled up at him. Of course, he didn't let out a grunt as the thing started to slip down the wall. And he did not want to curse as he not so gracefully slammed a hand to pin the arm of the skeleton to the wall. This was not his day.
She had finished with the pre-hanging the ribbons and had been on the verge of pulling up a chair to arrange them so they had a better effect on the room when the loud thump rang through the quiet rec room, almost shaking the walls and floors with the force. Immediately finding the source, Tenten turned towards Shino, now hovering next to the tricky skeleton decoration from before, seeming more stressed and frustrated than before. "Having a hard time?" Though amused, there was still a bit of concern for the young Aburame. She wasn't on the medical staff or even studying the profession, but she understood enough to know that slamming sensitive palms into steel or plastic contraptions like tacks weren't exactly safe. "You know you can hurt yourself like that."
From what she could tell of the sound that he had produced before, Shino had hit the wall HARD. Generally known to be a calm person, she was slightly shocked that the reserved personality he held could be undone by a simple piece of cardboard paper. But despite the small deviation from his behavior, the older girl understood. Having spent some experience in the matter, she knew how unruly inanimate objects could be. So it was with a light attitude that she decided to save him from his misery. "If you're done beating up on the skeleton I could use your help over here."
Shino took a deep breath, feeling a small pain in his palm but more trying to recollect himself. He hadn't realized how hard he had hit the wall, but in his defense, the skeleton had truly provoked him. He heard Tenten's concern, but was grateful when it soon turned to amusement. He felt a stab of guilt for fooling around with the ornament for so long, as he saw Tenten stretching to reach the ribbons hanging from the streamers, but he was hesitant to remove his hand. Slowly, he pried his hand from the wall, using his other hand to hold the arm in place. Clenching and unclenching his fist to make sure there was no damage, he turned his back to the skeleton and reached over for the tape sitting on the floor where he had dropped it after his first fight with the cursed thing. Leaning awkwardly around the table, he grabbed the tape and pulled a piece off. Calmly, he folded it over and stuck it behind the arm of the skeleton, attaching it and the rest of its body to the wall. Finally, he pulled his hand away, took a step back, and stared at his creation. He shook his head, and finally turned to Tenten, eager to put this whole experience behind him. However, before he had taken a step, he backtracked and gave one more look at the skeleton. Quirking one eyebrow, he reached out and with flick of his wrist, straightened the party hat.
"What do you need?" he inquired, his energy renewed with the setting of that last detail. She looked amused, but he truly did feel somewhat ashamed of his actions. His hand did throb, and he held it behind his back, hoping that he hadn't done anything remarkably stupid.
"Are you sure you're hand is ok?" Quirking a brow at his blatant attempt to hide his hand for her, she gave him one final worrying glance before shrugged it off to male pride. The better part of her mind knew that in Shino's case, it was more than just that but chose not to address it. He seemed to her the type that never wanted to worry others even if their concern would be extremely warranted. In that, the two of them had something in common. It was the reason why she was so hesitant to tell him of her Uncle's phone call last week. But let's not dwell on that. This is about Naruto.
"You can help me put up the spiders." Stepping up beside him, Tenten reached out for the bag of assorted spider rings and promptly opened them with a hard yank. Walking up to one of the ribbons she had put up only minutes before, the sophomore demonstrated how to secure the plastic creature within the coiled loops, letting her hand over beside it for a moment incase it fell. "You can work on the black ones. Just spread them out randomly."
Taking hold of another bag, she ripped open the glow-in-the-dark spider rings and started arranging them just as she had instructed. Finding that there were still extra to be used, Tenten stepped up on a chair and spread them further along the rows of streamers until the her reserves were empty.
"It's fine. I am sorry for making so much noise." Sheepishly, Shino reached out with his right hand to accept the package of spiders. He felt slightly like a child, not berated for doing something bad but knowing that the teacher knew anyway. As he turned his back to her, he eyed his hand and noticed a purple bruise forming on the base of his palm. He winced slightly as he rotated his thumb experimentally, but decided to wait and deal with it later. It wouldn't hurt anything he was here to do, and he wasn't about to leave. Hard to remember sometimes, but he was here for Naruto's birthday. He couldn't help but feel badly, though, as if he had lied to her. He didn't want her to worry and, worse yet, he did not want her to be upset. He was here to help, not hinder.
He took the bag of spiders to the far side of the room and began with the ribbons as far away as he could. He grimaced slightly as he situated the spider on the coil with his right hand, mimicking Tenten with a hand below to catch it if it dropped. His fingers were skilled with small things, bred after years of drawing and painting scenes on paper, but his mind was elsewhere. One by one, the spiders were secured in place until he had almost met Tenten where she had been securing the glow-in-the-dark spiders on her end. Suddenly, he felt a wave of nervousness, and he let his throbbing hand fall to his side as he approached her. Feeling like smacking himself, he stared intently at the spiders that he was working with, hardly noticing that he had nearly walked right through her operation.
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention," he apologized, still staring at the spider that was now motionless in his hand. "I guess this isn't really my calling."
Whether he cared to acknowledge it or not, or whether he even noticed, Tenten had been carefully watching him, sneaking glances every now and then to make absolutely sure that he was fine. Spending years blending into the background and being overlooked by her classmates, it was something the girl had grown accustomed to. It was how she managed to make friends with almost everyone in the school, even the most distant and introverted of students. Her attention to details and experience in observation was like a doorway to hidden emotions that each tried to hide from the world; taking a step back from the scene allotted such insight. And while she knew it was really none of her business, it had been part of her nature to care and to try to help, especially when they were too stubborn to ask for it.
"It's alright, no one's perfect." she responded to his comment, doing well to keep a cheerful mood despite her concerns. There was no ignoring the irritation Shino was feeling in his hand while the young freshman went about putting up the plastic spiders; it was to be expected after such a hard hit against the wall. But she had not anticipated seeing the purple bruise that was forming in the palm of his hand. There were vital nerves within the hand and sensitive veins that would greatly effect the function. "I think we're done with the decorations anyways."
"Why don't you start setting out the snacks while I put in the black-light over there?" She silently hoped that there would be less strain in the simple task and that he would not guess her intention, however kind they were. Was it so wrong do what was best for a friend even when he chose to ignore it himself?
Shino set down the empty bag of spiders at her request. He glanced at the girl over his shoulder, having the distinct feeling of her eyes on him. He felt her pity, and wondered if she had really worried over him. He really hadn't been used to this type of scrutiny, even by a friend. No one had really payed attention to him, except to wonder or to fear. He had never truly tried to make anyone believe any differently, deciding that from an early age that he didn't need anyone to feel for him. He watched them, the kids and their friends, the families all together, couples holding hands. He learned so much just from watching the interaction. There were so many things that people would say without muttering a word, something he had tried time and again to capture in his drawings. However, when he made a friend, they often stayed away from stuff he did not say, as if frightened that they might actually see something he did not wish to say. But Tenten had never stopped looking, except when she thought he did not want it. He did not know what he wanted, if he had to admit it. But still she didn't stop caring. This was so confusing; it had never happened before.
Pushing his glasses up with his forefinger, Shino eyed the snacks. Drawing the table closer, he began to unload the contents onto the top, letting his fingers move automatically. As he set things up, he watched Tenten finish with the spiders. Her eye for detail was exquisite, each spider spaced an equal distance from each other. Shino had to confess that he could never see detail the way that she could. No matter how much he looked, he could always see this whole picture, but when he regurgitated it onto paper it took on a whole other meaning. He was often anal on perfection, and effect of schooling he was sure, but everything was objective. Sometimes he thought he would miss something, in life or not, because he couldn't see what was right in front of him.
He hissed in pain as he pulled a bag apart. Annoyed with his own concession of hurt, Shino continued to work with the hand. This was ridiculous. There was no way that he was injured, and he wouldn't have her feeling that she had gotten him into something when it had been his own stupidity. Laying out the final treat, he sighed and turned to the room behind him. "It looks great, Tenten."
Replacing the usual bulb with a black-light, Tenten quietly switched on the light as looked on in satisfaction as the strange glow mixed alongside the regular lighting. The glow-in-the-dark spiders were especially effected in this new setting, standing as cool green beacons amid the web of streamers and ribbons. Last and not least would be the placement of the balloons. Her previous plans with them had been to simply just let them linger individually along the ceiling, letting their tails dangle down much like the ribbons were from the streamers. But as the girl took a brief pause to really take in all that the two had done in such a short amount of time, the phrase 'a little goes a long way' took on a new meaning.
So with that in mind, she simply separated the two batches of balloons and set them on opposite ends of the room, making sure that the ones imprinted with the traditional 'Happy Birthday' exclamation could easily be seen. With that done, Tenten made the phone call to Kiba to bring Naruto back within the hour before hanging up and dialing the number for the pizza. The pre-prepared food could be easily heated up and ready to serve by the time both arrived on the scene. "We did a pretty good job, didn't we, Shino?"
Shino smiled at the sophomore girl, taken aback for a moment at how much they had done. Ah, that deserved a smile. 'We' was not quite the term that should be used. She had done such an amazing job, and looking through the room anyone could tell the kind of effort put into it. Making it special for Naruto. Shino shook his head softly for a moment. She truly was a special person, and everyone who knew her would be able to tell. Somehow she managed to do everything, and he couldn't even hope to relate... To her. How could he understand someone that cared so much?
He started across the room, absentmindedly grabbing bits of tape and paraphernalia lying on the ground as he passed, until he ended up near the box that now only carried the remnants of Tenten's shopping. Wading through the balloons around the room, he even took the time to straighten out one of the ribbons hanging above his head. Tenten was smiling at him. He looked down at her, looking her in the eye for the first time since his escapade with the skeleton. He didn't see judgement or pity, or even amusement. She was happy, and that made all of it twice as good.
"You did amazing," he told her, taking one last look at the room. "Naruto will enjoy it. When should he be arriving?"
"They should be coming back within the hour." Smiling at their accomplishment, she could not help but notice the small nit-picky things that occupied Shino's attention, putting in final touches and last minute fixes. Ultimately it was for the best and would be one more step closer into making Naruto's party everything they wanted it to be, but it was still amusing to stand as witness to it. Some would call it being a perfectionist while others would call it an attention to details. Tenten knew better and simply labeled it as Shino. He tried his best at everything he did, even though mistakes would undoubtedly come from such undertakings. But if the world judged only on effort alone, he would be just as much of a wonderful student as he was an intelligent one.
"The pizza should be here in half that time. We can start heating up the food while we wait." Finding that his attention was a bit divided between her and the work they had done on the room, Tenten took the opportunity to finally solve the one problem that had been on her mind for the past half hour. Without a word of warning or even an inclination of her intentions, the girl took a firm grip at the unsuspecting Aburame's wrists and brought his palm up into the light, revealing the bruise that had been slowly forming since the incident with the skeleton. "...Right after I take a look at your hand."
Shino resisted the urge to pull his arm away from the smaller girl as she grabbed it. He cursed under his breath; he hadn't known that she had realized his hand, currently throbbing under her administrations. He didn't know what exactly he had done to it, but in his effort to finish the room it had been easy to ignore. It was probably nothing serious, and he felt embarrassed by her attention. But at the same time, he felt honored that she had taken the time to find out. Of course, this did not make up for the darkening blush fanning out across his cheeks. Focusing on his efforts to recontrol his emotions, something he had been doing quite a bit lately, he let her take his hand. It was no surprise that she had been able to take it by surprise, but he let himself fill with shame nonetheless.
"I assure you that there is nothing really wrong with it," he told her in his low voice, hoping to fend off any further administrations of aid. He felt her fingers on his palm, cold against the bruise forming underneath them. If he had to admit it, which he wouldn't, he would say that it felt nice... Or better. But he didn't. "We really should finish with the food before they arrive."
Bruises were not generally serious on their own. Tenten know this and was sure that the purple mark on his palm would heal and disappear with little trouble. How Shino would function while it was still present had been her main concern. Being part of the girl's volleyball team, the girl knew what it was like to work with bruised and/or injured hands. He had done well with the decorations and food, and with that in mind, she had to admit that her worry was unwarranted. But a small part of her wanted to do all she could to help him, or at least make the whole situation more comfortable. The world was filled with far worse things without adding the minor discomforts. "We have an hour, that's plenty of time."
"Besides, this won't take long. Just a simple and quick solution." Trusting that he would inarguablly give his hand back to her when she returned, the older girl walked off into the kitchen in search of a hand towel before opening up the freezer and grabbing a small handful of ice. The makeshift ice pack would have to do for now as they would be pressed for time if she were to find a more suitable fix for the problem. "It's not much but at least it'll numb the pain a little."
Shino accepted the ice in his right hand. It was cold and wet in his palm, and he knew that soon it would melt, but he stood there for a moment. Almost painful, he held the cold cubes to the palm of his left hand. It stung, but he could already feel the numbing effect. Instantly he felt foolish for being so embarrassed. She was merely looking out for his well-being, and he had acted like a child. He had only hoped that she wouldn't worry over it, and that he would still be able to help. It would make his art troublesome for a time, but hopefully that would give him some much needed time for fundamental work. It was true that he did not often play such sports as his companion, but he hoped that Gai Sensei's permission to use the weight room for a time would get him out of his room. Although, he would have to put that off for a few days to let the swelling go down. Ah, and there returned the feelings of embarrassment. He could feel his pride deflating as he thought of explaining this to his computer teacher.
Shino could feel the ice beginning to melt in his hands. Following Tenten back into the kitchen, he held his hand over the sink as the ice continued to freeze the palms of both of his hands. He could no longer feel the ache of the bruise, but he could also tell that the bruise had been a bit larger than he had suspected. Once again, he laid down whatever curses he knew on the skeleton, that thankfully still sat, grinning stupidly at the door to the Rec Room from its position taped to the table and far wall.
He turned back to thank Tenten, only to realize she had entered the Rec Room again. Quickly he dropped the ice into the sink and brushed off his hands on the cloth hanging from a hook on the wall. Upon entering the room, he nearly ran into her back as she stood inside. He backtracked and adjusted his glasses again.
"Thank you," he conceded gratefully, letting his hand drape by his side. She truly looked happy to see that he was okay, and he had felt his young age coming to him in his nervousness. It had all melted away, and he smiled. "Do we have food to fix?"
Truly believing that his hand was feeling better, Tenten could finally focus on the job they had set out to do, merely smiling at his appreciative comment. Few minutes had been spent worrying over Shino, but they were moments well spent. There was no real need to panic, everything could be set up within fifteen minutes if need be. The important thing to remember was that the more daunting task had been completed successfully. The room was perfect; exactly how she had imagined it to be. Now that the decorations were up, it was time to concentrate on the food. "No, I made everything earlier during Study Hall. It's in my room, come on."
Knowing that he needed no words to be said, Tenten headed off towards girl's dorm one, trusting that Shino would follow right behind her. It was hard to hide the smells from wafting throughout the dorms and had done the only thing she could think of to contain all hints of the food. Sakura had been understanding in the older girl's request at least and had agreed to stay out of their shared living quarters for the afternoon, allowing Tenten to pile trays on both beds while turning up the AC so that nothing would spoil, least of all the cake. "We just need to keep it warm until they get back with the birthday boy."
A whoosh of cold air hit her when she opened the door to their room and could do nothing to suppress the shiver that wracked through her limbs. Quickly turning off the air conditioning, Tenten started gathering up the various dishes she had made in the short amount of time; nothing much but enough to feed the entire dormitory for at least a day or two. "Carry what you can and lay them out on the tables for now. We'll heat them up one by one."
Shino nodded, somewhat surprised he couldn't see his breath in the cold room. Platters of food decorated the room, leading Shino to believe that she must have been on very good terms with her roommates to have been able to take over the entire dorm in such a way. For a moment he was in complete awe of the sheer amount of food, and once again of the amount of work Tenten had put into this event before he had even known that Naruto had a birthday coming up.
Shino shivered in the cold room, eyeing the dishes of food. With a last glance at his icy left hand, he began to pick up dishes. He stacked certain ones on top of each other, knowing that the food would not be flattened, and balanced them on his arm. The plate he grabbed with his left hand was heavy, and he hissed as he strained the fresh bruise on his palm. But the Rec Room was not far away, and he pushed the dorm room open under his burden and made to follow his companion. Once they arrived at the scene of the party once again, he began to lay out the dishes on the tables reserved for food. Unknowingly, Shino began to separate them by what they were and whether or not they needed to be heated up, ignoring his hand that was now sore even after relieving its load.
"Which do you want me to take to heat?" he asked, motioning towards the dishes that now littered the tables, but also telling her that he wasn't going to let her do all of the work.
After placing the stacks of plates on to the table, Tenten had took special care with the cake, making sure there was plenty of room for it in the fridge before sliding it into place to be taken out later and enjoyed. That had been the last piece of the puzzle to be dealt with. Kiba had taken a while in getting her the information that she needed, but the amount of luck that they all possessed allowed it to be just enough for the cake to be complete and in her arms in time for the party. Dusting her hands clean of that, she set her mind to answering Shino's inquiry. She was still concerned about his hand, as all the weight would undoubtedly irritate it even more than it already was, but there was little to be done about it now. The young Aburame had already proven that he could work through the pain, if not just for her sake, and that was courage enough. She could at least take comfort in knowing that no long-lasting damage would come of their negligence.
"We can start with the ones on the left. They take longer to heat." She started rearranging a few things as she spoke, mentally making notes as she went along. Tenten's mind was accustomed to functioning at a fast pace, constantly working through one solution after another and reworking it to adjust for changes that might have occurred in the few seconds that had passed. Her experience in Kendo attributed to that as the sophomore was forced to formulate and reformulate one strategy after another against her opponent's movements. "Those over there don't need to be heated at all. And these we'll save for last since they only need about a minute or two to be ready."
Shino nodded, grabbing two plates and heading into the kitchen. He could only picture his father's face if he had known that his son was in a kitchen warming up dishes of food rather than attending to his school work or, at the very least, drawing. The head of their family had never really been reconciliated to the 'roles' of the family, and was still a firm believer that a woman's place was in the kitchen. However, growing up with his mother had taught Shino that tradition was not all there was to each rule. While his father had earned money and worked in business, she had never let his own restrictions guide her life. Much like his friend, Shino thought with a smile. It was easy to tell that she was used to the high tempo with which they decorated and cooked, but this was likely born of years of sports and not a fascination with the culinary arts. Not to say that his family hadn't been effectively traditional. His father would never encroach on his mother's freedom, as much as he would frown about dinner and music, and she had never questioned his reliance on old family traditions. It had worked. Or so he seemed to remember.
Shino finally brought in the last of the plates that Tenten had pointed out as needing to be warmed up. Setting them down on the table, he took another look around the room. Everything was set up perfectly, looking as if the party was to start any minute, with or without people in it. Startled, Shino looked at the clock but for the life of him he couldn't remember when Tenten had said that Kiba would bring Naruto in. "I think we are almost done."
Heating up the plates of food had actually taken less time than she had anticipated as the both of them worked diligently to prepare the food. Glancing at the clock, Tenten guessed that they would be at least another fifteen to twenty minutes. However energetic they would be after visiting the art store across town, it would still take half an hour for them to arrive, just enough time for the pizza to get here with their order. Situating the carved pumpkin in the middle of the table and placing the container of dip on the flat surface Deidara had left (as per her request), the sophomore paused a moment to take a good look at the finished project of all their work. The seemingly last minute planning and plotting coupled with a fierce amount of teamwork had all paid off as Naruto would surely forget that there ever was a time he believed that they ever forgot about his birthday. "I don't think there's really anything else to do, except - "
Her sentence was cut short with a sharp knock at the front of the dormitory, followed by a call of 'Pizza's here' from the bottom of the stairs. "Just in time."
"I'll get it," Shino threw over his shoulder, already walking out the door. He hadn't known that they could get pizza delivered here; yet another miracle produced by Tenten for this party. He turned the corner without leaving the girl a chance for recourse, and set off down the hall for the front door. He came to it just as another shout started for them, annoyed and impatient. Due to his previous frustration, Shino felt wonderfully apathetic and offered the money for the pizza silently. He balanced the boxes on one hand for a moment as he shoved his wallet in his pocket, before reclaiming them and setting off back down the hall. He could barely see in front of him over the boxes as he walked, and relied a bit on his own memory to guide him to the correct door. Of course, as he came closer this became unneeded as the smells of food wafted down the corridor towards him in a wave of pleasant aroma. As he approached the door, he turned slightly, trying not to get the boxes caught on the door frame as he passed. Pausing slightly, he stepped through, making it clear with a sigh. Unfortunately still unable to see, he turned to where he vaguely remembered Tenten to be standing and spoke.
"Where do you want this?" he asked, but before waiting for a reply, he took a step to his right, towards where he hoped was the table with the least amount of food covering it. He hadn't even put his foot down before he felt his hip catch on the side of the table that was situated near the doorway. He froze, but couldn't stop his body quite soon enough to stop a sliding sound from reaching his ears, and then a thump. Barely trust in himself to turn, he lowered his eyes and was only met with a blank grin and a party hat, hung by one arm.
Only managing to take a step towards the door before Shino volunteered to handle the pizza delivery boy, she had been left to watch over the room in the few minutes that he had been gone. Left with little else to do besides stand there and fidget like an idiot, she made final adjustments to everything and took the time to grab the last few platters from the kitchen. By the time they were set into place on the various tables, Shino had returned from his trip up the stairs and was heading down the hall towards the room. With the door already propped open for him, Tenten started clearing a spot on the nearest table for the stacks of pizza boxes. She was sure that after the long walk carrying the hot and heavy packages, the young man would want nothing more than to put them down, even more so when taking into consideration the condition of his hand. The girl supposed that he must be in some amount of pain, the effects of the temporary ice pack from earlier having disappeared by now.
What small amount of concern that had managed to form at that brief thought quickly disappeared as the somewhat comical scene unfolded in front of her. Despite all her efforts, Tenten could not help the snickers that escaped from her mouth. After all his efforts in putting it up and the injuries he received from the work, it seemed the cardboard skeleton would have the last laugh. Still overcome by her soft chuckles, she fought through it and managed to produce a decent sentence that was not completely tainted by her amusement. "...Need a little help there?"
Shino took a deep breath, boxes wavering slightly in his hands. However, his attention was momentarily diverted by a soft chuckling emitted from the area to his left that he could only guess was his sophomore companion. He straightened slowly, having a harder time hiding a small grin at his own antics. Carefully stepping around the cardboard menace, he glanced in the general direction of the voice and peered over his glasses.
"No, now I am okay," he said, unable to keep the smile from is voice. Although, he did need to find somewhere to drop his burden; the heat had seeped through as he walked from a pleasant warm to currently a hot cover on his sore hand. He had favored the hand, leaning the boxes heavily to one side, but this only proved to offset the balance of the boxes. As if he hadn't done enough already, the top box finally began to slide off to one side. Shino finally shifted the center back to his left hand, watching the top slide back into place but landing with a start onto his injured palm. He sucked in a breath at the contact but held it in place, instead lowering the stack towards the table that was in front of him. Not feeling anything underneath it, he let them fall and grabbed his hand away to shove it in his pocket uncomfortably.
"I guess I'll go deal with the skeleton," he stated, glancing at Tenten and feeling distinctly stupid. He headed back over to the table, determined to deal with the stupid contraption and regain what pride he had.
"No, Shino, I'll take care of the skeleton." Lingering traces of her previous mirth could still be heard in her voice, but only faintly and to the well-trained ear. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, Tenten stilled his movements and wordlessly stepped around him towards where the cardboard cutout lay on the floor, ever grinning with delight at the amount of stress he was giving to his opponent. The young Aburame had suffered enough at the hands of the dastardly creature and Tenten was ready to put a stop to it. Besides, however entertaining it would be to see who exactly would come out on top at the end of this, Shino had an injured hand to tend to, now that the pizzas were dealt with. "I think it's been giving you enough trouble tonight. Go take care of your hand before this thing makes it worse than it is."
Waving him off to the kitchen, the sophomore set off to complete the final task that was eluding them all afternoon. The paper skeleton was more unruly than first anticipated, choosing to exact its final revenge when everything was set in place. Well it would surely be no match for her. Determination could be a deadly thing, especially from one with a set goal in mind. She was a strategist after all, and should be able to come up with a simple solution.
"Your days are numbered." Cutting a small piece of string from a spool that was still left in the box of decorations, she tied it to the head of the skeleton and tacked the ribbon against the wall where Shino had originally put it. She stood back a moment and waited for it to fall like all the other times and was satisfied that it remained where it was. "And stay there."
Shino couldn't help but grin at the simple method with which Tenten dispatched of the skeleton. She seemed incredibly amused by the entire situation, and through his own frustration that had been enough to make it worthwhile. The skeleton now looked slightly ridiculous, with the string tied around his head, and Shino felt this a worthy exchange for its misbehavior. Turning to the kitchen, he cracked open the freezer and handled another couple of ice cubes. He didn't know how effective this would be, but he grabbed a cloth and bundled the cubes in it before pressing it to his sore hand, partially to capture the melting water and partly to stave off the cold from his free hand.
Once again, he entered the Rec Room and took a final look at all of the decorations. This would make one blonde boy very happy, he hoped. It was bright, it was colorful, and very soon it would be filled with people that Naruto would enjoy being around. And that was all he could hope for.
Feeling the cold seep into the cloth and onto his palm, Shino began to cross the room towards Tenten. He met up with her near the center, and just stood for a moment. He smiled then, a genuine feeling he hoped that she shared. "Everything is set. When is Naruto due?"
Finally, they were done. In what seemed like hours, the two of them had managed to turn a regular rec room into an amazing party spot for one very special freshman who had been feeling so under appreciated the entire day. She had felt bad about lying to Naruto and letting him believe that there was nothing special planned for the night. But hopefully all this would make up for it, or at least it would lighten his mood. The room was devoid of people but word of the party had been sent all through the school. Anyone who wished to share in the celebration of Naruto's 14th birthday was welcomed to come. Knowing the strong friendships that he had the ability to form with his charm and good nature, there was no doubt that the room would be filled with every and all the people who cared for the rambunctious blonde. "They should be back any minute now."
And just as the words left her mouth, she heard the double doors of the dormitory open and close with a loud clang. The voices of Kiba, Shikamaru, and most importantly, Naruto could be heard floating up the stairs into the rec room where they both stood. Naruto in particular sounded excited from his trip to the art store, no doubt with a fresh set of supplies for the class along side the few things they had pretended to get for her.
"There's the birthday boy now." Being careful not to further put injury to Shino's already throbbing hand, she grabbed his wrist and tugged him off to the side towards the light switch. "Come on, let's give him the surprise of his life."
And so the party begins.
Type: RP log
Fandom: AU!Naruto
Character(s): Tenten, Aburame Shino, brief mentions of Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura
Pairing(s): Hints of ShinoTen
Warning(s): Lots and lots of adorable fluff
Disclaimer: I own only the part that I played in this.
Note: Log originally posted April 4, 2007 for the
konohanogakuen RP comm. Tenten managed to wrangle up Shino to help he decorate for a last minute surprise party for Naruto.Dedicated to: 'Shino-mun'. You know who you are. ^__^
Slowly turning the pages of the book in her hands, Tenten waited at the top of the stairs (their usual meeting place) for Shino to arrive. Shikamaru and Kiba had left on some make-believe trip or errand with Naruto in tow just a few minutes before, the blonde seemingly unsuspecting of what would be waiting for him when he returned. Every few minutes she found herself glancing down the hall towards the safety of her room, the essence of the box full of decorations the four of them had gotten earlier that week sitting right beside her on the steps, just waiting to be put up. She had resisted the urge to hurry and stash them back into her dorms, the more paranoid side of her conscious believing that Naruto would find a reason to come back at any moment before the appointed time.
Shino approached the stairs feeling somewhat nonplussed. When he had agreed to help Tenten do decorations, he had hardly known what he had been getting into. Not more than a few minutes ago he had seen an overly enthusiastic Kiba pulling Naruto out of the dorms on some errand, followed by Shikamaru, looking as though he would have rather Naruto had fallen off a roof or something equally as tall. He had had to resist the urge to turn back to his room right there. However, he had someone waiting for him, and that wasn't something that he could skip out on. So, he turned onto the stairs wondering what exactly he was doing there. He supposed that a few weeks ago he would not have ever agreed to something such as this; and yet here he was. And sure enough, at the top of stairs sat a young girl, staring at the pages of the book. Shino saw her eyes stare blankly at the pages, her mind obviously elsewhere, and he turned the corners of his mouth upward as he began to climb. "Not easy to miss at all."
She frowned at the nervousness that settled in her stomach, not quite sure where it was coming from but ready to push it deep down into the dark places of her mind and body to be explored at another time. But all thoughts of that quickly disappeared as Tenten lifted her head at the sound of footsteps tapping lightly against the stairs; a familiar figure ascending up towards her. With a smile at the light tone of his voice, she silently placed the bookmark back between the pages and closed the book in her hands. "Shino, glad to see you could make it." She noted while she stood up from the steps that the evening light from downstairs reflected brightly against the wooden flooring below, giving a dull radiance around his silhouette. She wasn't quite sure why, but she found herself enjoying the sight and stored the memory away; to be called upon at a later time when she was feeling extra creative with paint.
"Are you ready?" she inquired with a hint of mischief in her voice.
Shino found his mouth twitching upwards into a smile. The large box of decorations that sat by Tenten clearly reflected her mood, and he even felt his worries float away. She had often had a way of doing that for him, even as he wondered if he should even be there. But for now, he was happy that he could assist.
"I am," he replied, allowing his brightened mood to show through the words. He bent down to lift the box, and straightened slowly beside her at the top of the stairs. "So, where shall we start?" he asked, letting her know that she was clearly the brains of this operation. He was here to merely help; he did not want to confess that he had not often had the privilege of joining in a birthday celebration. Those days had not been prevalent in his childhood.
Lightly placing a small hand on top of the box he was carrying, she gave it a few soft taps. "Wait right here."
Before he had a chance to question her motives, Tenten was already halfway down the hall towards her room, disappearing behind the door for only a moment before stepping back out into the corridor with a large hand-full of balloons. A rainbow of color in the palm of her hand, each one had been specially ordered and designed specifically for Naruto and his special day. The young blonde had given her the impression that such things didn't happen often in his life and so she wanted to make the occasion memorable. Finding a little down time while the others had been ordering a quick snack of fries, she had taken it upon herself to make the order on Sunday and picked it up during lunch earlier that day. With a wave of her hand, she motioned for Shino to head off towards the rec room where the party would be held. "Alright, let's go."
Shino watched with a raised eyebrow as Tenten emerged from her room with the assortment of balloons. She had obviously done her research on the young blonde, he concluded, mutely following her into the rec room. Looking into the box, Shino could only be thankful for his glasses as a wide variety of shapes and colors assaulted his vision. If nothing else, Naruto could be happy about the decorations. However, the Aburame had a notion that this party was going to turn out very well, especially with the time that some dedicated friends were putting into it.
As they entered the room, Shino's hand itched uncomfortably. The evening treated the room with a soft light, illuminating the decorations he carried in his arms, and he could wish for nothing more than to sit and draw this down. Although he had never professed to be adequate in expressing true life on paper, this seemed to be something too good to miss. 'Naruto, you are loved,' he thought, lowering the box onto the ground and awaiting instructions.
Making sure that the balloons were tied securely to the weight, she let the ribbons of string go and took a moment to admire the bouquet of rubber before getting down to business. Unfolding the flaps of the box she reached in and started pulling all the contents out, knowing that Shino needed no words to be said at the moment. That time of year, decorations in orange was something in full supply and demand for the Halloween season (an American holiday but one that was fast becoming adapted into the local culture). But it took a special eye and attention to detail to really get the necessary items that could combine both elements (the Halloween spirit and a birthday celebration) separately and equally. Naruto being the person that he was, Tenten assumed he'd enjoy the goofy skeletons and silly-faced pumpkins that were essential to the festivities. But it was the little things that would set them apart, like the small paper party hat attached to the skeleton's head or the tiny noise maker in the pumpkin's mouth.
"I guess we can begin with the streamers. They can start at random ends of the room and meet in the middle where the central light is."
Shino nodded in agreement, letting his mind's eye quickly calculate the look of the streamers. He grabbed an garish orange streamer out of the box and left for the corner of the room, trusting that Tenten would follow suit with her own. As he walked, he eyed the rest of the decorations. Meticulously planned Halloween decorations masquerading as birthday ornaments littered the box, and Shino shook his head. He raised his eyes to his companion, growing softer at the care with which she handled each item. He almost felt like an outsider, looking in on her actions intrusively.
He pulled over a chair to the far corner and stood, taping the edge of the streamer to the wall. He peered across the room, aware of what he was doing but unsure of what Tenten had wanted.
"Is this how you want it?"
Placing each item out on the table for her to see, she grabbed another roll of orange streamer and followed Shino towards one side of the room where he tape one end to the wall. Stepping onto her own chair a few feet away, Tenten repeated his actions, pausing a moment to look over her shoulder at his inquiry. "Yeah, that looks good. See if you can twist it into a spiral as you go towards the center."
Stepping down from her spot, the sophomore proceeded to do exactly what she had just instructed her companion to do, slowly and steadily making her way towards the center of the room where the table was set up. Already knowing what was necessary for her vision to be just right, she didn't hesitate in climbing onto the furniture and tapping the other end alongside the light shade in the middle of the room, tearing off the excess material so it could be used for other strings that would go across the ceiling. With a patient and gentle smile, Tenten remained standing on the chair and waited for Shino to hand over his row of streamers so she could do the same with his. This way they wouldn't be falling over each other trying to switch places.
"Good job," she commented, giving the thin paper a few more coiled spirals so that it would be relatively even with the one she had made.
Shino handed over his row, silently agreeing with her system. He unrolled the streamers a bit, coiling it lightly to match Tenten's example. As he taped off the final end, he stepped back to look at them from the side of the room. He could clearly tell which side was his own, the paper folded in some areas and not always consistently coiled. As Tenten began to pick and choose various decorations, he walked down the line of streamers, picking at it when he saw some imperfection in the paper. He had the distinct feeling that she somehow found it amusing how inept he was with the entire concept, but he found himself suddenly self conscious about what he was doing. Unwilling to keep nitpicking while she worked, Shino tossed the streamer back into the box and took a step towards the older girl, standing at attention as if waiting for orders. He supposed he looked ridiculous, but if he was going to do this today, he was going to do it right.
"Any particular place you want these?" he asked, motioning towards the skeleton and pumpkin forms all adorned in party decor. Personally, he found them strange looking, but stepping for one moment into the shoes of the young prankster, he could see their appeal.
Whether he knew it or not, Tenten had been sneaking glances at Shino while he tried to smooth out any imperfections that might have surfaced during his attempts with the streamers. Though meticulous, she found the act quite endearing. Ultimately everything they did was for the benefit of Naruto and his party, so it seemed a nice gesture on his part especially when the young Aburame seemed indifferent to the entire concept.
She had been silently going over the night's 'menu' in her head, calculating the cost of pizza delivery and the time it would take to set out and/or heat up the other snacks when her thoughts were interrupted by Shino's inquiry. The sophomore looked up from the few notes she had been scribbling in the palm of her hand to see the young man gesturing to the pumpkin and skeleton she had been making the final touches to earlier that morning. "Not really. Just hang them up wherever you think they'd look best...but be sure to keep them away from any heating vents, lights, or electrical sockets. They're made of paper and could easily catch fire."
Shino nodded, picking up the skeleton carefully and holding it arm's length from him. He eyed the room speculatively, looking for a place that would best benefit from a grinning skeleton with a party hat.
Absentmindedly, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his free hand. Finally, after moments of consideration, he picked the front of the room by the door. Somehow in the back of his mind, he wanted this to be the first thing that their host saw when he came in. As he got the thing situated, he saw Tenten scribbling notes onto her hand. She would look around the room, and when she found something that she wanted or something that would work out, her eyes would light up and she would scribble something else down. He gave a small smile, wondering what other miracles she could be working on.
Stepping back, he viewed his handiwork. Tossing a cautious glance over his shoulder at his partner, he lowered his glasses for a moment to get a good look at the room. Already it was transforming into a party room, bright and lit, the colors almost hurting his eyes. Replacing his glasses, Shino turned on his heel to examine the room for a place for the pumpkin. However, no sooner had he finished the skeleton arrangement than he heard an audible swish of paper. Bringing a hand to massage his temple, he turned back to the skeleton now laying on the floor. He sighed, bending down to pick it up once more and situate it on the wall. For a moment, he could have sworn he heard a snicker of amusement, but before he could turn and investigate, the swish returned and once again the cursed paper creature fell to the floor once more.
Putting away the pen for now, she reached out for the container of ribbons and quickly cut them into long-flowing strings of varying vibrant colors. They were meant to match the rainbow of balloons that were still patiently floating in mid-air, constricted and held down by the weight tied to the end of their strings. Pressing the edge of the scissors firmly to several threads, she smoothly and carefully worked to coil the plastic ribbons into a mess of spirals and ringlets. Each one had its own special design, not quite as tight or loose as the next but still beautiful in their making. As she was untangling them apart individually, Tenten glanced up from her work to check on Shino's progress, finding that he was having his own difficulties with an unruly skeleton.
The older girl snickered softly as the festive paper cutout fell once again, just after the young man had fixed it to the wall once again for what must have been at least the third time in a matter of seconds. But as much as she would have liked to observe how he would handle this dilemma (and continue to giggle softly at the Aburame's expense while the rebellious wall decoration made a mockery of him), there were other things to be done before Kiba and Shikamaru would return with the birthday boy.
With one last glance at her companion and his latest attempt to win over the laughing skeleton, Tenten took a string of three or four plastic ribbons, freshly curled and springing with her movements, and flipped it over a random row of streamer. She left the ends to dangle lifelessly with the intent on coming back to properly situate them once all the ribbons were at least hung overhead.
Shino raised one hand to massage the bridge of his nose. Restraint was something his family had preached to him from a young age, but now more than ever was he finding it hard to follow. The current object of his frustration merely grinned up at him, party hat skewed goofily to one side in what to seemed to be a kind of insane mockery of his efforts. He stared down at it, noticing that his foot was close to the torso of the paper monstrosity, and it took him a minute to fully focus on anything else. He glanced behind him, noticing that Tenten had busied herself with curling all sorts of ribbon and hanging them off of the streamers they had previously dangled across the Rec Room. Even through his dark glasses, the colors shined to his eyes and he once again marvelled at the sight of the room. Not even finished, the vibrant colors and situation of the party decorations had created an entirely different atmosphere he had yet to see in the school. Slowly he turned back, silently wondering what she had needed him for. She seemed to be miraculous in each part, maybe possessing some gene that he lacked for parties and... Well, fun. Instead, while she worked, he dealt with a paper skeleton that obviously felt frustration,and fed on it to make his day a living nightmare. His foot itched closer, and he shot a glance back at his companion once more. Surely she wouldn't notice only one of the decorations going missin-
No. He froze, before bending down and picking up the contraption one last time. She had put a lot of time into this, and he would be damned if he would let a party decoration get the best of him. Sighing, Shino leaned the skeleton aside the table off to the side of the door, its arm leaning up against the wall and head tipped to the side. Now that he looked at it, he had to smirk slightly at the irony. The smile was hardly sane, but it was... Fun. Shino took a step back, feeling his frustration melt away as the skeleton smiled up at him. Of course, he didn't let out a grunt as the thing started to slip down the wall. And he did not want to curse as he not so gracefully slammed a hand to pin the arm of the skeleton to the wall. This was not his day.
She had finished with the pre-hanging the ribbons and had been on the verge of pulling up a chair to arrange them so they had a better effect on the room when the loud thump rang through the quiet rec room, almost shaking the walls and floors with the force. Immediately finding the source, Tenten turned towards Shino, now hovering next to the tricky skeleton decoration from before, seeming more stressed and frustrated than before. "Having a hard time?" Though amused, there was still a bit of concern for the young Aburame. She wasn't on the medical staff or even studying the profession, but she understood enough to know that slamming sensitive palms into steel or plastic contraptions like tacks weren't exactly safe. "You know you can hurt yourself like that."
From what she could tell of the sound that he had produced before, Shino had hit the wall HARD. Generally known to be a calm person, she was slightly shocked that the reserved personality he held could be undone by a simple piece of cardboard paper. But despite the small deviation from his behavior, the older girl understood. Having spent some experience in the matter, she knew how unruly inanimate objects could be. So it was with a light attitude that she decided to save him from his misery. "If you're done beating up on the skeleton I could use your help over here."
Shino took a deep breath, feeling a small pain in his palm but more trying to recollect himself. He hadn't realized how hard he had hit the wall, but in his defense, the skeleton had truly provoked him. He heard Tenten's concern, but was grateful when it soon turned to amusement. He felt a stab of guilt for fooling around with the ornament for so long, as he saw Tenten stretching to reach the ribbons hanging from the streamers, but he was hesitant to remove his hand. Slowly, he pried his hand from the wall, using his other hand to hold the arm in place. Clenching and unclenching his fist to make sure there was no damage, he turned his back to the skeleton and reached over for the tape sitting on the floor where he had dropped it after his first fight with the cursed thing. Leaning awkwardly around the table, he grabbed the tape and pulled a piece off. Calmly, he folded it over and stuck it behind the arm of the skeleton, attaching it and the rest of its body to the wall. Finally, he pulled his hand away, took a step back, and stared at his creation. He shook his head, and finally turned to Tenten, eager to put this whole experience behind him. However, before he had taken a step, he backtracked and gave one more look at the skeleton. Quirking one eyebrow, he reached out and with flick of his wrist, straightened the party hat.
"What do you need?" he inquired, his energy renewed with the setting of that last detail. She looked amused, but he truly did feel somewhat ashamed of his actions. His hand did throb, and he held it behind his back, hoping that he hadn't done anything remarkably stupid.
"Are you sure you're hand is ok?" Quirking a brow at his blatant attempt to hide his hand for her, she gave him one final worrying glance before shrugged it off to male pride. The better part of her mind knew that in Shino's case, it was more than just that but chose not to address it. He seemed to her the type that never wanted to worry others even if their concern would be extremely warranted. In that, the two of them had something in common. It was the reason why she was so hesitant to tell him of her Uncle's phone call last week. But let's not dwell on that. This is about Naruto.
"You can help me put up the spiders." Stepping up beside him, Tenten reached out for the bag of assorted spider rings and promptly opened them with a hard yank. Walking up to one of the ribbons she had put up only minutes before, the sophomore demonstrated how to secure the plastic creature within the coiled loops, letting her hand over beside it for a moment incase it fell. "You can work on the black ones. Just spread them out randomly."
Taking hold of another bag, she ripped open the glow-in-the-dark spider rings and started arranging them just as she had instructed. Finding that there were still extra to be used, Tenten stepped up on a chair and spread them further along the rows of streamers until the her reserves were empty.
"It's fine. I am sorry for making so much noise." Sheepishly, Shino reached out with his right hand to accept the package of spiders. He felt slightly like a child, not berated for doing something bad but knowing that the teacher knew anyway. As he turned his back to her, he eyed his hand and noticed a purple bruise forming on the base of his palm. He winced slightly as he rotated his thumb experimentally, but decided to wait and deal with it later. It wouldn't hurt anything he was here to do, and he wasn't about to leave. Hard to remember sometimes, but he was here for Naruto's birthday. He couldn't help but feel badly, though, as if he had lied to her. He didn't want her to worry and, worse yet, he did not want her to be upset. He was here to help, not hinder.
He took the bag of spiders to the far side of the room and began with the ribbons as far away as he could. He grimaced slightly as he situated the spider on the coil with his right hand, mimicking Tenten with a hand below to catch it if it dropped. His fingers were skilled with small things, bred after years of drawing and painting scenes on paper, but his mind was elsewhere. One by one, the spiders were secured in place until he had almost met Tenten where she had been securing the glow-in-the-dark spiders on her end. Suddenly, he felt a wave of nervousness, and he let his throbbing hand fall to his side as he approached her. Feeling like smacking himself, he stared intently at the spiders that he was working with, hardly noticing that he had nearly walked right through her operation.
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention," he apologized, still staring at the spider that was now motionless in his hand. "I guess this isn't really my calling."
Whether he cared to acknowledge it or not, or whether he even noticed, Tenten had been carefully watching him, sneaking glances every now and then to make absolutely sure that he was fine. Spending years blending into the background and being overlooked by her classmates, it was something the girl had grown accustomed to. It was how she managed to make friends with almost everyone in the school, even the most distant and introverted of students. Her attention to details and experience in observation was like a doorway to hidden emotions that each tried to hide from the world; taking a step back from the scene allotted such insight. And while she knew it was really none of her business, it had been part of her nature to care and to try to help, especially when they were too stubborn to ask for it.
"It's alright, no one's perfect." she responded to his comment, doing well to keep a cheerful mood despite her concerns. There was no ignoring the irritation Shino was feeling in his hand while the young freshman went about putting up the plastic spiders; it was to be expected after such a hard hit against the wall. But she had not anticipated seeing the purple bruise that was forming in the palm of his hand. There were vital nerves within the hand and sensitive veins that would greatly effect the function. "I think we're done with the decorations anyways."
"Why don't you start setting out the snacks while I put in the black-light over there?" She silently hoped that there would be less strain in the simple task and that he would not guess her intention, however kind they were. Was it so wrong do what was best for a friend even when he chose to ignore it himself?
Shino set down the empty bag of spiders at her request. He glanced at the girl over his shoulder, having the distinct feeling of her eyes on him. He felt her pity, and wondered if she had really worried over him. He really hadn't been used to this type of scrutiny, even by a friend. No one had really payed attention to him, except to wonder or to fear. He had never truly tried to make anyone believe any differently, deciding that from an early age that he didn't need anyone to feel for him. He watched them, the kids and their friends, the families all together, couples holding hands. He learned so much just from watching the interaction. There were so many things that people would say without muttering a word, something he had tried time and again to capture in his drawings. However, when he made a friend, they often stayed away from stuff he did not say, as if frightened that they might actually see something he did not wish to say. But Tenten had never stopped looking, except when she thought he did not want it. He did not know what he wanted, if he had to admit it. But still she didn't stop caring. This was so confusing; it had never happened before.
Pushing his glasses up with his forefinger, Shino eyed the snacks. Drawing the table closer, he began to unload the contents onto the top, letting his fingers move automatically. As he set things up, he watched Tenten finish with the spiders. Her eye for detail was exquisite, each spider spaced an equal distance from each other. Shino had to confess that he could never see detail the way that she could. No matter how much he looked, he could always see this whole picture, but when he regurgitated it onto paper it took on a whole other meaning. He was often anal on perfection, and effect of schooling he was sure, but everything was objective. Sometimes he thought he would miss something, in life or not, because he couldn't see what was right in front of him.
He hissed in pain as he pulled a bag apart. Annoyed with his own concession of hurt, Shino continued to work with the hand. This was ridiculous. There was no way that he was injured, and he wouldn't have her feeling that she had gotten him into something when it had been his own stupidity. Laying out the final treat, he sighed and turned to the room behind him. "It looks great, Tenten."
Replacing the usual bulb with a black-light, Tenten quietly switched on the light as looked on in satisfaction as the strange glow mixed alongside the regular lighting. The glow-in-the-dark spiders were especially effected in this new setting, standing as cool green beacons amid the web of streamers and ribbons. Last and not least would be the placement of the balloons. Her previous plans with them had been to simply just let them linger individually along the ceiling, letting their tails dangle down much like the ribbons were from the streamers. But as the girl took a brief pause to really take in all that the two had done in such a short amount of time, the phrase 'a little goes a long way' took on a new meaning.
So with that in mind, she simply separated the two batches of balloons and set them on opposite ends of the room, making sure that the ones imprinted with the traditional 'Happy Birthday' exclamation could easily be seen. With that done, Tenten made the phone call to Kiba to bring Naruto back within the hour before hanging up and dialing the number for the pizza. The pre-prepared food could be easily heated up and ready to serve by the time both arrived on the scene. "We did a pretty good job, didn't we, Shino?"
Shino smiled at the sophomore girl, taken aback for a moment at how much they had done. Ah, that deserved a smile. 'We' was not quite the term that should be used. She had done such an amazing job, and looking through the room anyone could tell the kind of effort put into it. Making it special for Naruto. Shino shook his head softly for a moment. She truly was a special person, and everyone who knew her would be able to tell. Somehow she managed to do everything, and he couldn't even hope to relate... To her. How could he understand someone that cared so much?
He started across the room, absentmindedly grabbing bits of tape and paraphernalia lying on the ground as he passed, until he ended up near the box that now only carried the remnants of Tenten's shopping. Wading through the balloons around the room, he even took the time to straighten out one of the ribbons hanging above his head. Tenten was smiling at him. He looked down at her, looking her in the eye for the first time since his escapade with the skeleton. He didn't see judgement or pity, or even amusement. She was happy, and that made all of it twice as good.
"You did amazing," he told her, taking one last look at the room. "Naruto will enjoy it. When should he be arriving?"
"They should be coming back within the hour." Smiling at their accomplishment, she could not help but notice the small nit-picky things that occupied Shino's attention, putting in final touches and last minute fixes. Ultimately it was for the best and would be one more step closer into making Naruto's party everything they wanted it to be, but it was still amusing to stand as witness to it. Some would call it being a perfectionist while others would call it an attention to details. Tenten knew better and simply labeled it as Shino. He tried his best at everything he did, even though mistakes would undoubtedly come from such undertakings. But if the world judged only on effort alone, he would be just as much of a wonderful student as he was an intelligent one.
"The pizza should be here in half that time. We can start heating up the food while we wait." Finding that his attention was a bit divided between her and the work they had done on the room, Tenten took the opportunity to finally solve the one problem that had been on her mind for the past half hour. Without a word of warning or even an inclination of her intentions, the girl took a firm grip at the unsuspecting Aburame's wrists and brought his palm up into the light, revealing the bruise that had been slowly forming since the incident with the skeleton. "...Right after I take a look at your hand."
Shino resisted the urge to pull his arm away from the smaller girl as she grabbed it. He cursed under his breath; he hadn't known that she had realized his hand, currently throbbing under her administrations. He didn't know what exactly he had done to it, but in his effort to finish the room it had been easy to ignore. It was probably nothing serious, and he felt embarrassed by her attention. But at the same time, he felt honored that she had taken the time to find out. Of course, this did not make up for the darkening blush fanning out across his cheeks. Focusing on his efforts to recontrol his emotions, something he had been doing quite a bit lately, he let her take his hand. It was no surprise that she had been able to take it by surprise, but he let himself fill with shame nonetheless.
"I assure you that there is nothing really wrong with it," he told her in his low voice, hoping to fend off any further administrations of aid. He felt her fingers on his palm, cold against the bruise forming underneath them. If he had to admit it, which he wouldn't, he would say that it felt nice... Or better. But he didn't. "We really should finish with the food before they arrive."
Bruises were not generally serious on their own. Tenten know this and was sure that the purple mark on his palm would heal and disappear with little trouble. How Shino would function while it was still present had been her main concern. Being part of the girl's volleyball team, the girl knew what it was like to work with bruised and/or injured hands. He had done well with the decorations and food, and with that in mind, she had to admit that her worry was unwarranted. But a small part of her wanted to do all she could to help him, or at least make the whole situation more comfortable. The world was filled with far worse things without adding the minor discomforts. "We have an hour, that's plenty of time."
"Besides, this won't take long. Just a simple and quick solution." Trusting that he would inarguablly give his hand back to her when she returned, the older girl walked off into the kitchen in search of a hand towel before opening up the freezer and grabbing a small handful of ice. The makeshift ice pack would have to do for now as they would be pressed for time if she were to find a more suitable fix for the problem. "It's not much but at least it'll numb the pain a little."
Shino accepted the ice in his right hand. It was cold and wet in his palm, and he knew that soon it would melt, but he stood there for a moment. Almost painful, he held the cold cubes to the palm of his left hand. It stung, but he could already feel the numbing effect. Instantly he felt foolish for being so embarrassed. She was merely looking out for his well-being, and he had acted like a child. He had only hoped that she wouldn't worry over it, and that he would still be able to help. It would make his art troublesome for a time, but hopefully that would give him some much needed time for fundamental work. It was true that he did not often play such sports as his companion, but he hoped that Gai Sensei's permission to use the weight room for a time would get him out of his room. Although, he would have to put that off for a few days to let the swelling go down. Ah, and there returned the feelings of embarrassment. He could feel his pride deflating as he thought of explaining this to his computer teacher.
Shino could feel the ice beginning to melt in his hands. Following Tenten back into the kitchen, he held his hand over the sink as the ice continued to freeze the palms of both of his hands. He could no longer feel the ache of the bruise, but he could also tell that the bruise had been a bit larger than he had suspected. Once again, he laid down whatever curses he knew on the skeleton, that thankfully still sat, grinning stupidly at the door to the Rec Room from its position taped to the table and far wall.
He turned back to thank Tenten, only to realize she had entered the Rec Room again. Quickly he dropped the ice into the sink and brushed off his hands on the cloth hanging from a hook on the wall. Upon entering the room, he nearly ran into her back as she stood inside. He backtracked and adjusted his glasses again.
"Thank you," he conceded gratefully, letting his hand drape by his side. She truly looked happy to see that he was okay, and he had felt his young age coming to him in his nervousness. It had all melted away, and he smiled. "Do we have food to fix?"
Truly believing that his hand was feeling better, Tenten could finally focus on the job they had set out to do, merely smiling at his appreciative comment. Few minutes had been spent worrying over Shino, but they were moments well spent. There was no real need to panic, everything could be set up within fifteen minutes if need be. The important thing to remember was that the more daunting task had been completed successfully. The room was perfect; exactly how she had imagined it to be. Now that the decorations were up, it was time to concentrate on the food. "No, I made everything earlier during Study Hall. It's in my room, come on."
Knowing that he needed no words to be said, Tenten headed off towards girl's dorm one, trusting that Shino would follow right behind her. It was hard to hide the smells from wafting throughout the dorms and had done the only thing she could think of to contain all hints of the food. Sakura had been understanding in the older girl's request at least and had agreed to stay out of their shared living quarters for the afternoon, allowing Tenten to pile trays on both beds while turning up the AC so that nothing would spoil, least of all the cake. "We just need to keep it warm until they get back with the birthday boy."
A whoosh of cold air hit her when she opened the door to their room and could do nothing to suppress the shiver that wracked through her limbs. Quickly turning off the air conditioning, Tenten started gathering up the various dishes she had made in the short amount of time; nothing much but enough to feed the entire dormitory for at least a day or two. "Carry what you can and lay them out on the tables for now. We'll heat them up one by one."
Shino nodded, somewhat surprised he couldn't see his breath in the cold room. Platters of food decorated the room, leading Shino to believe that she must have been on very good terms with her roommates to have been able to take over the entire dorm in such a way. For a moment he was in complete awe of the sheer amount of food, and once again of the amount of work Tenten had put into this event before he had even known that Naruto had a birthday coming up.
Shino shivered in the cold room, eyeing the dishes of food. With a last glance at his icy left hand, he began to pick up dishes. He stacked certain ones on top of each other, knowing that the food would not be flattened, and balanced them on his arm. The plate he grabbed with his left hand was heavy, and he hissed as he strained the fresh bruise on his palm. But the Rec Room was not far away, and he pushed the dorm room open under his burden and made to follow his companion. Once they arrived at the scene of the party once again, he began to lay out the dishes on the tables reserved for food. Unknowingly, Shino began to separate them by what they were and whether or not they needed to be heated up, ignoring his hand that was now sore even after relieving its load.
"Which do you want me to take to heat?" he asked, motioning towards the dishes that now littered the tables, but also telling her that he wasn't going to let her do all of the work.
After placing the stacks of plates on to the table, Tenten had took special care with the cake, making sure there was plenty of room for it in the fridge before sliding it into place to be taken out later and enjoyed. That had been the last piece of the puzzle to be dealt with. Kiba had taken a while in getting her the information that she needed, but the amount of luck that they all possessed allowed it to be just enough for the cake to be complete and in her arms in time for the party. Dusting her hands clean of that, she set her mind to answering Shino's inquiry. She was still concerned about his hand, as all the weight would undoubtedly irritate it even more than it already was, but there was little to be done about it now. The young Aburame had already proven that he could work through the pain, if not just for her sake, and that was courage enough. She could at least take comfort in knowing that no long-lasting damage would come of their negligence.
"We can start with the ones on the left. They take longer to heat." She started rearranging a few things as she spoke, mentally making notes as she went along. Tenten's mind was accustomed to functioning at a fast pace, constantly working through one solution after another and reworking it to adjust for changes that might have occurred in the few seconds that had passed. Her experience in Kendo attributed to that as the sophomore was forced to formulate and reformulate one strategy after another against her opponent's movements. "Those over there don't need to be heated at all. And these we'll save for last since they only need about a minute or two to be ready."
Shino nodded, grabbing two plates and heading into the kitchen. He could only picture his father's face if he had known that his son was in a kitchen warming up dishes of food rather than attending to his school work or, at the very least, drawing. The head of their family had never really been reconciliated to the 'roles' of the family, and was still a firm believer that a woman's place was in the kitchen. However, growing up with his mother had taught Shino that tradition was not all there was to each rule. While his father had earned money and worked in business, she had never let his own restrictions guide her life. Much like his friend, Shino thought with a smile. It was easy to tell that she was used to the high tempo with which they decorated and cooked, but this was likely born of years of sports and not a fascination with the culinary arts. Not to say that his family hadn't been effectively traditional. His father would never encroach on his mother's freedom, as much as he would frown about dinner and music, and she had never questioned his reliance on old family traditions. It had worked. Or so he seemed to remember.
Shino finally brought in the last of the plates that Tenten had pointed out as needing to be warmed up. Setting them down on the table, he took another look around the room. Everything was set up perfectly, looking as if the party was to start any minute, with or without people in it. Startled, Shino looked at the clock but for the life of him he couldn't remember when Tenten had said that Kiba would bring Naruto in. "I think we are almost done."
Heating up the plates of food had actually taken less time than she had anticipated as the both of them worked diligently to prepare the food. Glancing at the clock, Tenten guessed that they would be at least another fifteen to twenty minutes. However energetic they would be after visiting the art store across town, it would still take half an hour for them to arrive, just enough time for the pizza to get here with their order. Situating the carved pumpkin in the middle of the table and placing the container of dip on the flat surface Deidara had left (as per her request), the sophomore paused a moment to take a good look at the finished project of all their work. The seemingly last minute planning and plotting coupled with a fierce amount of teamwork had all paid off as Naruto would surely forget that there ever was a time he believed that they ever forgot about his birthday. "I don't think there's really anything else to do, except - "
Her sentence was cut short with a sharp knock at the front of the dormitory, followed by a call of 'Pizza's here' from the bottom of the stairs. "Just in time."
"I'll get it," Shino threw over his shoulder, already walking out the door. He hadn't known that they could get pizza delivered here; yet another miracle produced by Tenten for this party. He turned the corner without leaving the girl a chance for recourse, and set off down the hall for the front door. He came to it just as another shout started for them, annoyed and impatient. Due to his previous frustration, Shino felt wonderfully apathetic and offered the money for the pizza silently. He balanced the boxes on one hand for a moment as he shoved his wallet in his pocket, before reclaiming them and setting off back down the hall. He could barely see in front of him over the boxes as he walked, and relied a bit on his own memory to guide him to the correct door. Of course, as he came closer this became unneeded as the smells of food wafted down the corridor towards him in a wave of pleasant aroma. As he approached the door, he turned slightly, trying not to get the boxes caught on the door frame as he passed. Pausing slightly, he stepped through, making it clear with a sigh. Unfortunately still unable to see, he turned to where he vaguely remembered Tenten to be standing and spoke.
"Where do you want this?" he asked, but before waiting for a reply, he took a step to his right, towards where he hoped was the table with the least amount of food covering it. He hadn't even put his foot down before he felt his hip catch on the side of the table that was situated near the doorway. He froze, but couldn't stop his body quite soon enough to stop a sliding sound from reaching his ears, and then a thump. Barely trust in himself to turn, he lowered his eyes and was only met with a blank grin and a party hat, hung by one arm.
Only managing to take a step towards the door before Shino volunteered to handle the pizza delivery boy, she had been left to watch over the room in the few minutes that he had been gone. Left with little else to do besides stand there and fidget like an idiot, she made final adjustments to everything and took the time to grab the last few platters from the kitchen. By the time they were set into place on the various tables, Shino had returned from his trip up the stairs and was heading down the hall towards the room. With the door already propped open for him, Tenten started clearing a spot on the nearest table for the stacks of pizza boxes. She was sure that after the long walk carrying the hot and heavy packages, the young man would want nothing more than to put them down, even more so when taking into consideration the condition of his hand. The girl supposed that he must be in some amount of pain, the effects of the temporary ice pack from earlier having disappeared by now.
What small amount of concern that had managed to form at that brief thought quickly disappeared as the somewhat comical scene unfolded in front of her. Despite all her efforts, Tenten could not help the snickers that escaped from her mouth. After all his efforts in putting it up and the injuries he received from the work, it seemed the cardboard skeleton would have the last laugh. Still overcome by her soft chuckles, she fought through it and managed to produce a decent sentence that was not completely tainted by her amusement. "...Need a little help there?"
Shino took a deep breath, boxes wavering slightly in his hands. However, his attention was momentarily diverted by a soft chuckling emitted from the area to his left that he could only guess was his sophomore companion. He straightened slowly, having a harder time hiding a small grin at his own antics. Carefully stepping around the cardboard menace, he glanced in the general direction of the voice and peered over his glasses.
"No, now I am okay," he said, unable to keep the smile from is voice. Although, he did need to find somewhere to drop his burden; the heat had seeped through as he walked from a pleasant warm to currently a hot cover on his sore hand. He had favored the hand, leaning the boxes heavily to one side, but this only proved to offset the balance of the boxes. As if he hadn't done enough already, the top box finally began to slide off to one side. Shino finally shifted the center back to his left hand, watching the top slide back into place but landing with a start onto his injured palm. He sucked in a breath at the contact but held it in place, instead lowering the stack towards the table that was in front of him. Not feeling anything underneath it, he let them fall and grabbed his hand away to shove it in his pocket uncomfortably.
"I guess I'll go deal with the skeleton," he stated, glancing at Tenten and feeling distinctly stupid. He headed back over to the table, determined to deal with the stupid contraption and regain what pride he had.
"No, Shino, I'll take care of the skeleton." Lingering traces of her previous mirth could still be heard in her voice, but only faintly and to the well-trained ear. Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, Tenten stilled his movements and wordlessly stepped around him towards where the cardboard cutout lay on the floor, ever grinning with delight at the amount of stress he was giving to his opponent. The young Aburame had suffered enough at the hands of the dastardly creature and Tenten was ready to put a stop to it. Besides, however entertaining it would be to see who exactly would come out on top at the end of this, Shino had an injured hand to tend to, now that the pizzas were dealt with. "I think it's been giving you enough trouble tonight. Go take care of your hand before this thing makes it worse than it is."
Waving him off to the kitchen, the sophomore set off to complete the final task that was eluding them all afternoon. The paper skeleton was more unruly than first anticipated, choosing to exact its final revenge when everything was set in place. Well it would surely be no match for her. Determination could be a deadly thing, especially from one with a set goal in mind. She was a strategist after all, and should be able to come up with a simple solution.
"Your days are numbered." Cutting a small piece of string from a spool that was still left in the box of decorations, she tied it to the head of the skeleton and tacked the ribbon against the wall where Shino had originally put it. She stood back a moment and waited for it to fall like all the other times and was satisfied that it remained where it was. "And stay there."
Shino couldn't help but grin at the simple method with which Tenten dispatched of the skeleton. She seemed incredibly amused by the entire situation, and through his own frustration that had been enough to make it worthwhile. The skeleton now looked slightly ridiculous, with the string tied around his head, and Shino felt this a worthy exchange for its misbehavior. Turning to the kitchen, he cracked open the freezer and handled another couple of ice cubes. He didn't know how effective this would be, but he grabbed a cloth and bundled the cubes in it before pressing it to his sore hand, partially to capture the melting water and partly to stave off the cold from his free hand.
Once again, he entered the Rec Room and took a final look at all of the decorations. This would make one blonde boy very happy, he hoped. It was bright, it was colorful, and very soon it would be filled with people that Naruto would enjoy being around. And that was all he could hope for.
Feeling the cold seep into the cloth and onto his palm, Shino began to cross the room towards Tenten. He met up with her near the center, and just stood for a moment. He smiled then, a genuine feeling he hoped that she shared. "Everything is set. When is Naruto due?"
Finally, they were done. In what seemed like hours, the two of them had managed to turn a regular rec room into an amazing party spot for one very special freshman who had been feeling so under appreciated the entire day. She had felt bad about lying to Naruto and letting him believe that there was nothing special planned for the night. But hopefully all this would make up for it, or at least it would lighten his mood. The room was devoid of people but word of the party had been sent all through the school. Anyone who wished to share in the celebration of Naruto's 14th birthday was welcomed to come. Knowing the strong friendships that he had the ability to form with his charm and good nature, there was no doubt that the room would be filled with every and all the people who cared for the rambunctious blonde. "They should be back any minute now."
And just as the words left her mouth, she heard the double doors of the dormitory open and close with a loud clang. The voices of Kiba, Shikamaru, and most importantly, Naruto could be heard floating up the stairs into the rec room where they both stood. Naruto in particular sounded excited from his trip to the art store, no doubt with a fresh set of supplies for the class along side the few things they had pretended to get for her.
"There's the birthday boy now." Being careful not to further put injury to Shino's already throbbing hand, she grabbed his wrist and tugged him off to the side towards the light switch. "Come on, let's give him the surprise of his life."
And so the party begins.