Pre-'Origami Butterfly'

Disclaimer: though I may own some of the original characters, I do not own Naruto nor the song "Sway" (sung by various artists)... so please, please, PLEASE don't rat me out, I DUN WANNA GET SUED~!

lyrics

Sway

Sitting in the corner of the dimly lit bar, music blaring too loudly for him to hear himself think, he tried to remember what had brought him to the dingy little place to begin with; because don't get him wrong, he enjoyed a good glass of whiskey more than the next guy, and when you brought out the tequilla shooters... well, lets just say that normally he would be in his element.

But watching his precious betrothed on the dance floor didn't really put Aburame Shibi in a good mood to drink.

When marimba rhythms start to play

The newest song must've been a good one, for his dream girl smiled beautifully at the closest man and was soon swept off of her feet. Shibi scowled. He's not that good, he thought bitterly, desperately wanting to get a drink. A shadow fell over him and he glanced up into the face of his team mate and rival, Hyuuga Hiashi.

"Is she still dancing?" Hiashi hissed; their third teammate's hobby of choice was the only common ground that Shibi and Hiashi could ever agree on... and that opinion was that she shouldn't do it.

"You know she is," Shibi huffed.

Hiashi turned around needlessly, visibly flinching when his all-seeing gaze fell on the single red-haired beauty on the small dance floor. Iwasa Emi. "... we can't go get her. Remember last time we interrupted her while she was-"

"Do you see who she's dancing with?" Several of Shibi's kikai bugs buzzed irritably in his ears and started to crawl over his skin, but no one took any notice.

The Hyuuga nodded. "Sakumo."

"She's only dancing with him because they call him the 'White Fang' of Konoha," Shibi snarled, more of his kikaichuu buzzing angrilly. "Stupid Hayate..."

"How come any time she decides to do something, it's just because of some sort of social status?"

"If I didn't know better I'd think that you wanted her dancing with Sakumo."

"Maybe she actually likes the people she does stuff with..?" Hiashi suggested.

Shibi snorted. "I take it you're blocking out the entire her-dancing-with-Sakumo thing and skipping right to that little lunch-date I crashed last weekend..?"

"I was actually thinking about how you kidnapped her from dinner last night," Hiashi muttered menacingly, before sighing. "So, what are we going to do about this situation?"

"You're going to go home," Shibi stood up, the movement causing his body to realize just how much he hadn't moved in the last three hours... it was like a shot of adrenaline had been injected straight into his veins, making him want to buzz just as much as his kikai bugs. "We have a mission tomorrow, and at least one of us should be rested... I'll deal with her yelling and moaning."

"How noble of you," Hiashi drawled sarcastically, but agreed nonetheless before turning to leave; he cast Emi one last glance before leaving the bar.

Taking a deep breathe, the Aburame boy took a step out into the dance floor. ... why do I get the feeling that I'm going to regret sending Hyuuga home?

Dance with me, make me sway

Stepping out onto the dance floor was, in Shibi's opinion, a million times riskier than stepping out into the middle of a crowded battle feild and shouting "Look at me! I'm unarmed!" while jumping up and down. He had the uneasy feeling that everyone was watching him, and knowing his reputation there was probably at least one person wondering what the hell he was doing. This is a bad idea.

Someone bumped into his side and turned to appologize, but the blaring music drowned out whatever she said. Not one to be bothered by easy distractions, Shibi continued to his destination... Emi and the silver-haired teen she was dancing with, Sakumo.

He tapped Sakumo's shoulder. After the moment it took for the teen to pull Emi to a stop he turned to look at Shibi, looking down at the Aburame with dark eyes. "Yes Shibi?" He saw him say, lips moving though the sound was mostly lost. Shibi leaned in close to talk in Sakumo's ear, looking at his darling betrothed as he did...

Emi looked furious.

"May I cut in?" Shibi asked; he heard Sakumo laugh, and saw the boy nod. Well, they consider him a genius for a reason... he's not stupid enough to get in my way if I give him an easy way out. Especially after all the things I've tried to do to Hiashi. With easy, graceful movements Sakumo stepped away from the red haired beauty, holding her hand up for Shibi to take. He reached to take it, but Emi snatched her hand away before the transfer could be made.

Sakumo shrugged, laughing again as he turned and left the two in the middle of the dance floor. A new song was starting, one a bit slower and not as loud.

Shibi watched as Emi crossed her arms in front of her, turning her nose up on him and tapping her foot restlessly. She was waiting for another person to come and ask her to dance, but no one is stupid enough to get in my way. The Aburame teen chuckled, taking a step closer to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Come on Emi-chan... I know how much you love to dance. Why waste the song?"

Her blue eyes flashed with something akin to hatrid. This is deffinately a bad idea... With a furious sigh she looked around for a savior, but no one came to rescue her from Shibi's proposal... so reluctantly she turned to him, taking his hand in her own as she stepped closer.

"Why do you do this Shibi?"

Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore
Hold me close, sway me more

He didn't answer right away, stepping away from her to guide her through a turn before pulling the miffed red-head back into his arms. Giving her a thoughtful smile and almost wishing that he wasn't wearing his sunglasses, he continued to dance with her.

He wasn't a bad dancer; not as good as Sakumo maybe, but once he had learned how much Emi loved to go out dancing he had sucked up his pride and asked his mother to teach him... both of his parents had gotten a good laugh out of the idea, but after a few months, lots of practice, and a good deal of humiliation, he had turned out not-too-bad. Unfortunately Hiashi had had the same idea, and had learned faster than Shibi, so stole the first opportunity to show off to Emi his newfound talents... Needless to say, she had been very impressed with Hiashi. And not-so-impressed with Shibi for copying the idea.

Unfortunately, for both of her team mates, Emi still prefered to dance with better dancers than him and Hiashi. Which, unfortunately for both of her team mates, meant more competition.

"Answer my question," Emi demanded; in response, Shibi guided her through another turn before pulling her right to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. Emi stiffened, and Shibi leant down ever-so-slightly to whisper in her ear...

"Because I can."

He saw her face screw up in anger as she struggled to free herself from his grasp; he only held her closer, breathing in the flowery scent of her shampoo and the weaker, muskier scent of her sweat. She struggled harder and he trailed a hand up her spine to rest between her shoulderblades.

She shivvered.

Shibi pulled back slightly, just enough to look over his sunglasses into her blue orbs... the anger was gone from her face, replaced by a dazed, almost breatheless one. This is interesting... one of his dark eyebrows raised as he again trailed a hand along her spine, slower this time, to rest back on her hip.

Shivvering again, she closed her eyes and leaned into his chest.

Like a flower bending in the breeze
Bend with me, sway with ease

"Emi?" Shibi asked, caught off guard by her reactions.

"Shut up and dance, Shibi," Emi replied dryly, but he caught an undertone of... something he couldn't quite place.

Well, if she actually wants to dance with me... He pulled back to grab her hand, but she refused to step away enough to let him lead her through another turn. "Emi... if you want to dance, you have to let me lead you..."

She ignored him, one of her delicate arms moving to wrap around his neck as she turned her head to settle just under his chin. His heart started up a staccato rhythm and his feet fumbled. Feeling the his palms becoming sweaty he slowed to a stop.

After a moment Emi stepped back, leaving a space between them where their hands grasped at one another.

"Emi?" Shibi asked again. "Do you really want to dance with me..?"

The song was ending, and a semblance of normalcy was returning to the red-heads face. She blinked a few times, like she used to when she was just a child waking up, and shook her head slowly. "Sorry Shibi... I don't know what came over me..."

Suddenly, it felt like his heart had dropped like a stone down a bottomless hole. ... I just missed out on a really, really good chance, didn't I? "That's fine," he shrugged, trying to appear as in control as he could when it felt like the world as he knew it was ending. "Come on, let me walk you-"

Before he could finish another song started, this one much faster and much louder. The dance floor filled with bodies, pushing Shibi away from his beloved.

"-home." He finished under his breathe, looking at his now-empty hand and trying to see Emi through the bodies... for a moment he saw her smiling face and a glimspe of her red hair as she started dancing again, this time with a stranger.

When we dance you have a way with me
Stay with me, sway with me

He moved to push through the dancers, but before he could manage it a tall blonde stumbled in front of him and grabbed his arm to balance herself; he reached out automatically, grabbing her shoulder to steady her, pulling her closer and away from the bustling crowd. Looking up at him, her eyes seemed dim and unaware, but she smiled anyways.

"Gonna dance?" She slurred. Shibi's almost cringed at the stench of alcohal on her breathe, before remembering that he had probably smelled worse on occasion.

"Sorry," he tried to tell her, but she didn't seem to understand as she forced herself deeper in his arms. He took a step back, which she mistook for a lead that she stumbled to follow, only to crash into his chest. "I don't want to dance with you!"

He felt her giggle against his chest. She's smashed.

Looking around for a way out he noticed that, somehow, they'd managed to get closer to Emi: or maybe Emi had gotten closer to them? Either way the red-head was looking at him with something between confusion and amusement.

Other dancers may be on the floor
Dear, but my eyes will see only you

Frowning, he roughly pulled the blonde through a turn, manouvering her under his arm and behind his back; the blonde managed the dance move decently, only to trip when she was supposed to grab his hand, barely catching herself in time to save them both a good deal of embarassment... Shibi kept a close eye on Emi, who smirked and shook her head before turning her attention back to her dance partner.

Jerking his arm, he pulled the blond back towards him before she could right herself properly; her back ended up against his chest, and with a laugh she grabbed his wrists and wound them around her waist, pushing her hips back into his.

He caught Emi looking up at them again.

Cranning his head, he kissed the blonde's neck. Closing his eyes to the world around him, he could almost imagine that it was his red-haired betrothed in his arms, leaning back to allow him to kiss her more, scrapping her nails over the back of his hands, making him want to do so many 'inappropriate' things to her... Almost. She fumbled over another step as he licked the back of her ear.

"You're terrible at dancing," he sighed.

She turned her head as much as she could, her drunken eyes barely catching his. "It's not about the dancing," her breathe still reaked. Not about dancing? "It's about who you dance with..." Shibi felt her hand against his cheek, pushing his head to turn just a little more, allowing her to catching his lips in a kiss.

He loosened his hold on her, letting her turn in his arms and tangle her hands in his hair. I don't even know her name, the Aburame teen thought briefly. But that didn't matter as he saw Emi glare through his peripherals. The blonde retreated for a moment to breathe, letting Shibi turn to look at Emi properly; she had stopped dancing.

"Doesn't give ya a chance?" the blonde muttered, drawing Shibi's attention back. His eyes were drawn to her pouting lips, painted in a shimmering pink that went rather nicely with the blue rimming her drunken eyes. "Don't t'ink about someone who won't give ya a chance," she continued, moving closer again. "T'ink about me... I'll give ya a chance..."

Only you have the magic technique
When we sway I go weak

His eyes flickered over towards Emi once before he kissed the blonde again, pouring himself into the feeling and attacking the girl's lips with his own. Feeling her melt in his arms, allowing him complete and utter control over her body... it put more adrenaline into his system than he could've ever imagined. His mind simply shut down, a raw animal need controlling him as he dug his fingers into the girl's hips to leave bruises; he felt her moan as she moved a knee up between his legs...

But whatever he was supposed to have felt next stopped abruptly when hands on his shoulders pulled him away from the blonde.

He blinked, his foggy mind slowly righting itself as he looked up at the confused blonde; the girl was pouting even more than before, though soon she smiled. "You're an amazing kisser... ya should dance less and kiss more."

"Thanks," he shrugged casually, as if he recieved those sort of compliments everyday.

"Yeah," Shibi froze when he heard Emi's voice. "Thanks." She pulled us apart..? He turned slowly to see her glaring at him. She huffed, shaking her head as she turned on her heel and marched out of the bar.

The blonde crashed into his back, kissing his ear. "Ya gotta go after her... but please, feel free to come back anytime." He took a moment to enjoy the feel of the blonde's arms wrapped around his chest before nodding and pulling away to follow Emi. Gotta be polite after all...

Getting off of the dance floor was a lot easier than he had anticipated; there didn't seem to be as many people in the dingy bar as there had been when he was dancing, and most of them parted to let him past. Must be remembering who I am through their drunken haze. The door was only a few steps off of the dance floor, and was just about to finish swinging close when Shibi pushed it open again and stepped out into the crisp night air. He took a moment to figure out which way Emi had gone, but she had waited for him outside the bar.

"I can't believe you did that," she snapped at him, her blue eyes furious.

"Why not?" He rolled his eyes even though she couldn't see them. "You were dancing with strangers all night and you know it pisses me off... what, you suddenly care if I dance with someone?"

Letting out a sigh of annoyance, she started walking towards her home. Shibi fell in step beside her a moment later. "I care because you're my team mate," she said through gritted teeth. "And because, even if you're the biggest pain in my ass, I consider you a friend," Shibi laughed, and Emi glared at him. "She was just using you."

"You used at least fifty guys tonight so that you could dance."

"Don't get smart with me Aburame!" She yelled at him. Shibi barely flinched. She always ends up yelling... "I enjoy dancing, it doesn't matter who I dance with... from the looks of it, you enjoy slutty little wh-"

"Language," he tutted calmly.

"Don't lecture me," she snarled. "You were just embarassing yourself out there! I decide that, maybe, I'd like a choice in my life about who I end up with, and what do you do? You throw yourself at the first ditzy girl that comes along!"

"If I didn't know better," and unfortunately, I do know better, "I'd say you were jealous."

She let out a strangled scream of annoyance and stopped walking; they were just at the end of the road, and dimly Shibi could still hear the music from the club... though he doubted Emi could hear the music as well. She turned to glare at him, the moonlight illuminating her pale skin and making her angry eyes shine beautifully. "I'm not jealous, you idiot! I just care about what happens to you!"

Shibi sighed, deciding that they were better off on a slightly different topic. "You said it doesn't matter who you dance with... so why don't you just dance with me..? Hell, even Hiashi isn't a stranger. As much as I don't like him touching you it's better than guys I don't even know feeling you up."

"Those guys don't feel me up!" She snapped, only getting angrier. Shibi could feel his own patience wanning, and took a few deep breathes. It's not her fault that she's absolutely gorgeous and doesn't notice how many people want to be with her... or just in her pants. He blushed at the thought, thankful that the moon was casting a shadow on his face. "And I would dance with you guys, but you both just follow me and then sulk in corners and don't bother coming and asking me to dance, so how can I?!"

Shibi blinked. "So you'd dance with us if we just asked?"

"Sure, why not?" She started tapping her foot irritably, crossing her arms over her chest yet again. "Even if you guys aren't the best dancers, I still enjoy dancing with you both."

"So..." He took a small step towards her, lifting his right hand in front of him as if to ask for her hand. "... would you like to dance?"

I can hear the sounds of violins
Long before it begins

Emi blinked, thrown off by the question. A soft blush came to her cheeks, and Shibi had the vague impression she was remembering him dancing with the blonde... "What, right here?"

"Sure, why not?" he shrugged.

"But there's no music," she rationalized, though she wasn't pulling away from him. She glanced back towards the bar before looking at him again. "You can't dance without music."

"Why can't you?" He rationalized right back. "My mom taught me how to dance without music... you only need a tempo, and to get a tempo you simply listen to your heart."

"Our hearts won't beat at the same time nor rhythm," Emi argued. "That's a stupid idea."

"I'll get down on my knees and ask if you'd like," Shibi persisted. "And I know how embarassed you'll be if I do that."

Emi hesitated, looking back towards the bar again. Is she waiting for another saviour? Well, too bad... I sent Hiashi home, and I don't think many people are going to leave that bar sober enough to bother with us. She sighed and looked at him again, her blue eye almost sparkling, and slowly took his hand. "Alright..."

Shibi smiled, pulling her close and resting her hand on his chest before lightly taking hold of her hips. She was awkward at first, not sure what exactly to do. "Just listen to your heart for the tempo," he muttered, resting his cheek against her head and closing his eyes. His heart was beating slow and regularily, though he felt like his chest would explode from how it was swelling within him.

Gently he led her into a two step, and the two teens swayed under the night sky. Emi relaxed in his arms, and Shibi couldn't help but remember what his mother had told him. When two people dance to the sound of their hearts, and their rhythms match... that's when you know, when you really know, that they are in sync, that they are connected if only for those few moments in time. Rubbing a small circle in Emi's back, he couldn't help but imagine that, just maybe, they really were meant to be together... Maybe this arranged marriage won't be a burden in our lives. Maybe we can be happy together... maybe Emi can be happy with me.

Emi shivvered, just like she had when they were on the dance floor, and Shibi smiled.

Make me thrill as only you know how
Sway me smooth, sway me now

He slowed them to a stop, and for a moment just listened to her gentle breathing... and after a moment, they both moved just a fraction of an inch apart, hesitantly looking into each other eyes, and for the second time that night Shibi found himself wishing he wasn't wearing his sunglasses. His world halted, his breath hitched, and for just a moment his heart stopped, and the two teens found themselves leaning towards each other, eyes drooping closed in a false-drunkenness...

And then they heard the distant sound of the bar door slamming against the wall, and the idiotic laughter of drunks stumbling into the street.

Both of them jumped slightly, arms still around each other; Emi blushed slightly, and Shibi suddenly felt sweaty and nervous. Is she going to get upset..?

"I..." Emi didn't look at him, taking a step back and averting her eyes to the ground. She took a shaky breathe as Shibi continued to trace her features with his eyes, the warm swelling feeling in his chest desipating into nothing and leaving him feeling cold and empty. "I can walk myself the rest of the way home, Shibi... we have a mission in the morning, and we both should try to get as much rest as we can."

"Of course," he nodded.

She nodded back, turning slowly to leave him alone in the street. "Oyasumi nasai, Shibi-kun."

He didn't respond as she left, just watched her as she turned down another street. He breathed slowly, his hands shaking slightly. She'll never actually give me a chance, will she..? We're engaged, so she will never allow herself to love me. He felt a tear falling down his cheek, and wiped it away in a vain attempt to stop anymore from followng.

"Oyasumi, Emi-chan," he whispered to the night. Then he turned his back on Iwasa Emi, his beloved, and walked home in silence.

-Owari