Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Also, the idea of Gai adopting Tenten and Tenten's past in general, is based off of a good friend of mine's idea.

Author Notes: Hey guys, not really sure what to say here, except…here's another ShinoTen story. So buckle up your seat belts, cause here we go and please enjoy, for that is why writers write.

X

Even through his sunglasses, the bright light streaming in from the window made Shino wince and force his face closer to the page he was working on, trying to ignore the laughter and chaos around him. It was their last month of school at Sarutobi High before summer and once again, everyone was acting like bees let loose in a garden, long before it was time. A month was a month. Something both he and the teachers wished the others would understand. Not that Shino hated summer, or would rather be in school, but the general madness caused by his classmates was something he wanted no part of.

"Hey Shino!" a familiar voice greeted him as a hand clapped him on the back a little to hard. "Are you comin' with us to the festival tonight or are you shuttin' yourself in again with another experiment?"

Shino looked up at his friend and sometime rival, Kiba. The teenager was shorter than him by a few inches, with a slender build, wild brown hair and red markings on his cheeks that were traditional for all members of his family. He was also wearing a grin that made Shino want to do nothing more than run his chair back over Kiba's foot.

"There is no festival tonight. And even if there was, I wouldn't be attending, and neither should you. We're still in school."

"No festival officially. We're having an...improvised one over at Ino's. Besides it's the weekend. You don't have to worry about any of this until Monday." he waved off his friends concerns, before shooting the paper Shino was currently working on a glare.

"Can you explain to me how waiting till Monday to worry about homework is helpful? You can't, and I don't suspect anyone else here can either." he said, sweeping his gaze over the class and fighting the urge to roll his eyes as Ino held a piece of something out of Chouji's reach, forcing him to whine and fight for it against the hand planted on his face.

A snort was the answer he received as Kiba shook his head.

"You're letting yourself get old, man. All this worrying about work and getting it done on time? The teachers know what's coming, and you've been among the top since you started here. They'd cut you more slack than anyone...you could even tell 'em you just lost it, and they'd probably give you a pass."

"I think you're confusing me with the Judo team. Besides, not all teachers are that easily sated. Our homeroom teacher for one, would not appreciate that." his glasses flashed as if to emphasize his point. Out of all the teachers here, Kurenai-sensei had to be among the toughest, if not the harshest when it came to grades. There was no excuse short of an illness that required the hospital, or death in the family, that would convince her to give someone an extension on a paper. Even then, Shino wouldn't have been surprised if she made the student in question bring in the actual doctor, or death certificate.

"Whatever, but you know...if you don't come and she's there, there's no one to really stop me from making a move." Kiba put an arm over his shoulder and his grin turned predatory. "You know she'd...OWE!" he yelped and jerked back as Shino slid his chair back roughly over Kiba's foot, securing his shoe to the floor even as Kiba stumbled backward and hit the ground.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see your foot there." Shino said as he stood up, and collected his papers.

"Man Shino! Calm down, would ya? I was just saying if you're not gonna make a move, why shouldn't anyone else? She's not your girlfriend. She doesn't even know you like her." Kiba yelped again and cursed as Shino stepped back on his foot before Kiba pulled it back.

"I've told you not to bring that up. You will not, bring it up again." his eyes flashed and he stuffed his papers in his bag as the bell rang signifying the end of the day was near and he started walking away. "And just so you know, upper classmen rarely do pay attention to those lower than them." he added without looking back, as he headed out into the hallway, and then brought his hood up before anyone could tell his face had a slight tinge of pink to it.

Of all the low strikes Kiba had taken over the years, mentioning her to try and get him to come had to be the lowest. He knew better than anyone, that there was no chance to be had with an upper classman. Even if they were only a year apart, and in some of the same classes, that wasn't enough to build a relationship on. Besides, his competition was more than ample when it came to her.

Speaking of which...

Shino pushed himself into the small groove in the wall where the water fountain stood and his eyes narrowed. There was his main competition. Hyuuga Neji. He was the captain of the Judo team and hailed as a genius of martial arts, as well as top of his class in most subjects save for math and history, and in terms of looks, he was what Shino heard girls describe as 'everything they wanted'. If it weren't for her, Shino would have just rolled his eyes and let the upper classman be. But Neji was always around her. Or maybe she was always around him. They smiled often in each other's presence and seemed to enjoy many jokes, as well as with the other boy she was always around. Though whether he was actually competition or more like her brother, Shino wasn't sure. He was always ruffling her hair or teasing her about one thing or another and usually getting growled at, slapped upside the head, or shaken for his troubles. Though there was always an underlying begrudging affection in the way she did it.

Now though, she was nowhere to be seen, leaving the two teenagers to talk and Neji to slap his friend upside the head in her place.

He waited another minute to see if she came out of any class nearby or was walking down the hall to meet them, before finally Shino forced himself to move on and tried not to glare at the Hyuuga as they entered their last class of the day: Chemistry.

The chemistry room was larger than most others in the school, but with oversized blacktop tables spread out, scorch marks on the floor, the low ceiling and tiny windows overhead, it felt more like a holding cell to most. Shino didn't mind that though. In a way, the room eased his nerves and made him feel as if nothing could be hidden from his gaze. Every note passed, every cheating glance made, every 'subtle' attempt to grab the attention of the opposite sex, he saw it all.

As he took his seat in the back though, and watched from behind his glasses, the one person he actually wanted to see never came by. The seconds turned into minutes and despite the few glances he gave to the door, he could see no sign she was coming. The few girls she hung out with were already here, and Lee and Neji were already at their seats…come to think of it, he hadn't seen her in math or history either…

Was she alright?

Shino sat back in his chair, watching as the clock continued to tick by as he tried to think of where she might be, and if there was anyway he could find out. Maybe if she needed assistance he could be the one to get there first and help her, or if she was sick, then use the front of bringing her the assignments. He inwardly sighed as the ideas bounced back and forth in his head. As much as he wanted at least one of them to come true, he knew none of them would. Not only because of the age difference, but he had seen her turn down help enough times to know she wouldn't accept his, and if she needed her work, there were already those who could bring it to her. Not to mention her father worked here.

So why hadn't he seemed concerned…

Thinking back to his history class, Shino couldn't remember Gai even giving a hint that something was wrong. Until they started talking about the war that is and Shino thought he was going to give them a reenactment of the one of the battles to emphasize his point. If Kakashi hadn't been involved with something else at the time, Shino was sure he would have.

What was she doing then?

His gaze wandered over to Neji and Lee, then away and towards some of her other friends and narrowed. He could get information from them easier and there'd be less of a chance they'd call his ruse. Taking a deep breath, he stood up with a few minutes to spare before the bell and walked over to one of the tables where two girls sat. One had black straight hair that reached the middle of her back, and kept fiddling with a pen. The other one had obviously dyed blonde hair, and was the one who caught notice of him first. Her eyes widened before narrowing suspiciously.

"Can we help you?" she asked.

Without missing a beat, Shino stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and shrugged.

"I hope so. I lent Tenten a page of my notes a few days ago, and I was wondering if either of you had seen her so I could ask for them back."

Sensing this wasn't a come on towards either of them, the blonde's eyes lost their glare and she shrugged.

"We saw haven't seen her either, but I think that's because she's working on something."

"Early admissions." the black haired girl said. "Most of us are seniors next year, but even getting an appointment for a pre-admissions test is murder. Sometimes it seems like you have to know someone to even get on a list."

He nodded, giving a slight smile that was half at them and half at himself for the information he'd managed to receive. He could imagine Tenten getting started on her entrance exams early…and maybe, just maybe…that was something he could help her with. Or he could at least drop hints about ways he was finding to make things go faster and start a conversation.

"Well thank you for your…" he started only to be cut off.

"Tell me about it. I'm still trying to just get a hold of someone, but the most I get is more forms to fill and then standard letters. I'd bet money they have the exam building guarded."

"Wouldn't surprise me. They're so picky now about who they'll even test! I know why they do it, but…"

Shino's eyes rolled behind his glasses as he turned on his heel and headed back to his desk, already forgotten by the pair. Any other time and he would have interjected his thanks whether they wanted to hear it or not before leaving, but there wasn't time. Nor was it a surprise they had forgotten him even as he stood in front of them. He was used to that, and there were days he didn't mind being able to blend into the background. Still…there were moments where the sting surprised him and he'd feel like bashing his head into a wall for even approaching someone in this grade. Besides that, if her friends thought so little of him they couldn't even receive his gratitude…what were the odds she'd care?

He pulled out his notebook and flipped to a new page just as the bell rang. Ten minutes later, their teacher Hakate Kakashi finally arrived, looking bored as usual and with yet another explanation for why he was late.

'Pondering the meaning of life…that's a new one.' Shino growled to himself as the lesson began, and despite his efforts, his eyes kept wandering to her empty seat.

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes: Thank you guys for reading, hope you enjoyed it so far, and please let me know what you think.

Have a great day!

Be Blessed

Your friend

innocent-rebel