Shino loves the way Tenten dances. The way she moves, bringing the eyes of the audience with her. Her style, is, unconventional, to say the least, but it is alluring, drawing in people and never letting them go.
He thinks she's the best dancer in the world. The judges would say otherwise.
"You're too stiff," they say, "Your movement was broken, the angle at which you held your arm was too high," and, "for God's sake woman, what do you think this is? This is the Konoha Academy of the Performing Arts! This is a dance school of the highest calibre, not some fancy pantsy place for dropouts!"
Shino can see the words cut her far deeper than she lets on. Tenten, who is strong, elegant, graceful, the most confidant woman he's ever known. He watches as she holds back her tongue, poised and ready to lash out in hurt, anger and embarrassment, her coping mechanism preventing her tears.
Because she doesn't want to cry.
Only one of the judges doesn't reprimand her. But his comments are average, designed to coddle the dancer instead.
"You have potential," he says kindly, a smile on his lined face, "but this academy is for the elite of the elite. Refine your technique and audition next year, and perhaps you'll stand a better chance."
Tenten isn't fooled. She doesn't have to be told nicely that she isn't wanted.
Shino watches silently as Tenten nods her head, curtseying before walking off the wooden stage, her footsteps echoing around the hollow room.
They step out into the afternoon sun, cars rushing past, in a blur of fluorescent colours. But Shino isn't interested in whether or not speeding cars in monstrous colours could give someone an epileptic attack; he is more focused on the girl in front of him.
He places a gloved hand on her shoulder, and he can immediately feel her quickening her pace.
'They do not understand what they are talking about," he tells her. His hand falls to grip her wrist, until she finally stops.
"They are simply close minded," he continues. "Why? Because they do not understand that 'true' dance is not confined to simply one 'style'."
He slowly turns her around to face him, trying to establish eye contact. Shino doesn't succeed. It's hard to, when he's wearing the tinted glasses he always uses.
"I guess, I guess I wasn't cut out for this kind of thing, huh?" Tenten chokes out a sob, her hand finding its way into his. Her hand is soft and tan, it looks so delicate compared to his pale ones. "Mum, mum always told me to focus on my Tae kwon do, she always said I would do better in it. That dancing was for people with more grace than me. Why was I so stubborn Shino? Why?"
She hiccups, and all Shino wants to do is to hold her and tell her how much he loves her. But he can't. Years of harsh conditioning has made him the silent man he is today. He has tried many times to be comforting, but he has to admit to himself that it is one of the few things that he's not very good at.
"Dance is an art," Shino says slowly, unsure of himself. "And art is whatever is beautiful to people, therefore it will always be on the opinion of others. The men who you auditioned in front of, they are men from another generation. Their perception of dance will be different from yours."
Shino paused, he could see this was having the opposite effect of what he had intended. "But, that is no reason for them to reject you. They should have reconsidered your application and looked more at your talent, aptitude at dance, and your technique at your chosen field."
Tenten glares at him, and Shino feels like he's once again failed at reading her emotions. "What's that supposed to mean huh?" she asks angrily, her hands dropping to her sides. "It's easy enough for you to say, you're one of the 'best' dancers at this academy! These old geezers – " she swings her hand wildly, gesturing at the school auditorium, "-they love you! You've just…you've just seen me screw up what is possibly the most important event in my life, and the best you can say to me was that the judging was 'unfair'?
Shino tries to tell her that that isn't what he means, but Tenten doesn't listen. Shino groans, inwardly of course. Sometimes he wishes he wasn't as socially stunted as he was. It would be helpful in a situation like this.
"Well guess what? It doesn't matter if it was 'unfair'! Because that's what life is you know? Freaking unfair! But you wouldn't know that would you Shino? You've always been a genius, a prodigy, and all those pretty words that everyone else seems to call you; you wouldn't know 'unfair' if it hit you in the face!"
He stands silently as he listens to her yell, and scream, and shout. He lets her take her anger out on him. He knows that it's not him she's angry at, but rather herself.
"You should not take your anger out on others Tenten," he says, perhaps a bit harsher than he intended to. "Why? Because if you feel that things are unfair, perhaps you should redirect that anger into changing things to the way you want it to be."
Shino doesn't understand why she is suddenly silent and starts biting her lip. But he thinks she's about to cry.
"You're such an arrogant douche Shino," she bites back, and Shino is confused by the venom in her words. What had he said? All he did was give her a, in his opinion, helpful piece of advice.
He watches as she walks away, and he wonders if perhaps he should run up to her and apologise. She stops, however, her back still turned from him.
She shrugs her shoulders lightly, brown strands falling from messily held up buns." But it's alright I guess," she sighs into seemingly open air. "We're all only human after all."
Shino thinks she's the most beautiful dancer in the world. He just wishes she would see that.