Part X
"When are you going to come?" Kiba asked his friend Sakura over the phone again.
"Kiba!" she said, not understanding why he was asking so much. "I already told you I would come stay with you for the weekend after the semester gets done."
"But, Sakura," Kiba continued, "when are you going to come?"
"Oh, shut up," she said finally realizing he was teasing her, which sent Kiba into a fit of laughter.
"I'm bored," he said after he had recovered from his fit. "Koji isn't coming over tonight. He has to study all weekend for exams. I guess I should be too, but I don't feel like it."
"That's what I'll be doing all weekend," Sakura said.
"There is the matter of that party tomorrow, too…"
"And you're going!" Sakura commanded.
"Am I?" Kiba asked.
"Yes, you should go," she said. "Shino obviously would like for you to be there and it would be rude if you don't show up now that you've told him you will go."
"I knoooooooow," Kiba said as he lay down lengthwise on the couch. "What if I ate something and got sick. I couldn't go then, could I?"
"Don't eat until tomorrow night then," Sakura said in a no-nonsense manner. Kiba laughed at that.
"I don't know what to weaaaaarrrrr," he said next.
"Now you're just being silly," she said. "If I know you, which I do, you've known what you're going to wear since you agreed to go."
"Maaaaaybeeeeeeee," Kiba said. "Although I did buy some new things this week. Maybe I'll change my mind and wear something new."
"That would be nice," she said. "Why don't you do that?"
"Ok, I will."
"I'm going to go eat dinner then, so I'll talk to you later," Sakura said. "Text me tomorrow, or call me on Sunday if you have time."
"I will," Kiba said. "Bye-bye."
He languished on the couch for a while more, not wanting to get up to get his books for studying. He covered his eyes with one arm and felt he might like to sleep a while when he heard his phone chime, indicated a text message had come. He picked the phone up off the floor from where he had placed it and unlocked it. The text was from Shino.
Kiba! I was thinking, would you mind giving me a ride tomorrow? Then you would have yoru car with you and i won't have to worry about driving since i'm sure to be trashed by the end of the night!
Kiba considered the situation a moment, torn a little between driving but having his own transportation and not driving but being dependent upon others to drive…he replied back:
sure, no problem, when should i pick u up?
I can come over to your apt, that would be ok with me.
yeah, that will work, but i need ot know a time to be ready by ;)
How about 8:30 then?
ok, see u then!
A while later, Kiba finally managed to get up off the sofa, took Akamaru out for a walk around the neighborhood, and then returned to finally begin to studying.
xXxXx
The next day, Shino arrived at Kiba's apartment at 8:30. He was wearing a black sweater, a heavy winter coat, and dark jeans. Kiba opened the door and let him in, then promptly handed him a gin and tonic.
"Oh, you're pre-gaming?" Shino asked with a laugh as he took the drink. "I wish I had known, I would have come sooner. You look very nice by the way."
"Thank you, Shino," Kiba said. He was wearing a white button-up shirt that was woven with stripes of rectangles that were shot with gray, black, and tan thread with the sleeves rolled up, a light gray waistcoat, and matching light gray trousers. "And yes, I feel a little skittish…I can't imagine why!"
"I can't either," Shino replied. "Don't worry, just stay by me the whole time."
"I might, so you can't take that back!" Kiba said laughing.
They finished their drinks and then Kiba picked his keys up off the counter, pulled on a pair of white dress gloves, and then opened the door to the outside.
"Ship's setting sail," he said and Shino went out and Kiba followed him down the stairs.
"We're going to a house over toward the East side of town," Shino told him as the started their drive. "Some guys who are from the same program as I'm in are renting it with some of their other friends. I'm the only one of us graduating now. They won't be done for another semester. I'll give you directions."
"Good, because I can't read your mind," Kiba said.
"Nor would I want you to," Shino said grinning like a maniac. "And I suspect you wouldn't really want to either."
The drive didn't take too long, just from the distance of the location of the party. The sky was cloudless and the temperature had plummeted to below twenty degrees. The farther they went away from campus, the easier it was to see the stars hanging in the sky.
Soon enough they turned onto another secondary, residential street which they found to be jammed with cars. Kiba slowed down, suspecting that their destination was near.
"I can't believe no one saved a parking spot for us," Shino said. "It's my damn party!"
"That probably would have been a good idea,' Kiba commented. "It's on this street though, right?
"Yes, it's that one there," Shino said pointing to a large, white house with painted wooden siding on the lefthand side of the road.
"Let's try around the corner," Kiba said.
They drove for another block before finally finding an open space along the street, which Kiba backed his Civic into and then turned the engine off. They both got out into the frigid night and began to quickly make their way, their footsteps crunching in the brittle, dry snow.
"You really should have worn a coat," Shino said. "You're going to get sick."
"I would have left it in the car anyway," Kiba answered. "Otherwise it would stink like smoke by the end of the night."
"That's true enough," Shino said.
A few minutes later, they arrived at the entrance to the house, and Shino pulled open the heavy oak door. They went into a small vestibule that was piled with coats and shoes and a stairway leading up. They climbed the stairs and Shino opened the second door, into the main part of the house. To the right, there was a doorway which led into a kitchen where apparently the party bar had been set up. Over the entire dining table were bottles of every shape, size, and color imaginable along with stacks and stacks of plastic cups.
From the left of the stairs was the main room of the house and it was packed full of CDCBU students. Around the perimeter of the room were couches and chairs, which were crowded with people. In the middle of the room, there was a large, round ottoman, which was unoccupied. At the other end of the room, it opened into another hallway and beyond it was another room of about the same size.
As soon as they stepped into the room, Shino was mobbed by a couple people who Kiba assumed must be the people who Shino knew from their having classes together. Shino stopped their out-of-control greeting long enough to introduce Kiba. Soon afterwards, though, they were dragging Shino toward the ottoman, and he grabbed Kiba's arm to make sure he wasn't left behind.
Once he was seated upon the ottoman, his friends proclaimed Shino to be the guest of honor and then someone came in carrying a giant conical hat made from cardboard. It was decorated with crude representations of insects and also someone had drawn in with markers the words 'Graduate Dunce' down the front of the cone. This was ceremoniously placed upon Shino's head. Shino then pulled Kiba down to sit on the ottoman next to him.
"You can sit here with me," he said.
"Thanks," Kiba said as he pulled off his gloves and chuckled at how ridiculous his friend looked in the hat, which was secured under Shino's chin with rubber bands. "That's going to hurt later I bet."
"I doubt it will last long," Shino said. "These drunks will start swinging at it soon enough I think."
"You're right," Kiba agreed. "I can see that happening."
As he completed his sentence, Shino was bestowed by several people with drinks and drinks, which he readily accepted.
"Anything you want?" he asked Kiba.
"Is that one vodka and cranberry juice?" Kiba asked. Shino tasted it and handed it to him, and Kiba took a taste, which caused his face to contort. "Maybe it's petrol and cranberry juice…but I'll drink it just the same. Thanks."
From across the room, Konohamaru had spotted Shino and had been about to approach him to say hello, but he kept back, unsure of who was with him. Shikamaru found him a few minutes later on his way to get more to drink.
"Do you want to meet Kiba?" he asked his soon-to-be roommate.
"Ohhhhhh, so that's Kiba," Konohamaru said, his voice full of wonder. "It almost seems like the party is for him, too…"
"He's a great guy," Shikamaru said. "He's hard to get to know at first, but once you do, he'd do anything for you. He's probably about as loyal as they come."
"I see," Konohamaru said.
"Come on, I'll introduce you," Shikamaru took ahold of Konohamaru's arm at the elbow and led him over to the center of the room.
"You look like an idiot, Aburame," he said to Shino. "But Kiba, it's nice to see you again. Hope you're well and your semester is good."
"Hello, Shikamaru," Kiba said standing up. "I'm glad to see you, and yes, semester has been kind to me so far, thanks."
"This is going to be Shino's replacement in the dorm room," Shikamaru said, slightly pushing Konohamaru toward Kiba. "He's a freshman troublemaker who keeps getting kicked out of his rooms."
"Hey!" Konohamaru protested. "That's not true and you know it!"
"How do you do?" Kiba said, holding out his hand, which Konohamaru shook readily.
"It's nice to meet you," he said while Kiba returned to his place on the ottoman next to Shino, and crossed his arms, leaning in and smiling.
"Shino, you have a ton of drinks, but Kiba, do you want anything? I'm going to fight my way out to the kitchen. I'll bring you back something."
"Sure, vodka and cranberry juice, thanks," Kiba said. "And Shikamaru, please put in a good amount of juice. That last one, I believe, only had a drop."
"You drank that one already?" Shino asked, turning back to Kiba as Shikamaru and Konohamaru left them.
"I did," Kiba said.
Shikamaru returned alone about fifteen minutes later and handed Kiba the drink. He then turned to Shino and said. "Hey, Aburame, apparently you're wanted on the upstairs balcony. Someone has a hookah with your name on it, and I doubt it has tobacco in it. Konohamaru has gone to investigate already, so go make sure he isn't getting into too much trouble."
"I wonder if I'll actually make it to graduation next week?" he said, standing up and then leaning down to Kiba. "You don't want to go with me, do you?"
"No, it's probably best I don't before exams," Kiba said.
"No problem," Shino said. "Just wait here and I'll come back soon."
"Ok," Kiba said, looking around the room and not recognizing anyone. He began to drink the vodka he had been given when a sudden commotion from somewhere outside the room made him turn his head.
A moment later, a drunken blonde stumbled into the room, laughing uproariously. A slight smile came to Kiba's lips as he watched Naruto straighten after their eyes met. He was at Kiba's side a moment later.
"I just saw Shino!" he said loudly. "And he looked like a complete fool with this giant ice cream cone thing stuck on his head!"
"I saw him too," Kiba said, amused, with a thousand other thoughts going through his mind at the same time.
"I'm drunk, Kiba," Naruto said. "Nice to meet you!"
Kiba laughed and Naruto sat down on the ottoman, behind Kiba. They fell silent, and the room's background noise grew deafening, but also strangely quiet at the same time. Kiba absently raised his thumb to his mouth, focusing his eyes intently on a small spot on the carpet a few feet in front of him. Suddenly, he felt another hand take hold of his and pull it away from his face, then released it a second later.
"Don't bite your nails," Naruto said softly, pleadingly.
Kiba didn't trust himself at that moment and just turned to look at Naruto, who smiled drunkenly.
"I need more to drink!" Naruto exclaimed as he stood up again, then in a more normal voice. "I'm glad you came. Shino would have been sad if you hadn't."
Kiba's eyes widened and his brow furrowed and Naruto just smiled again.
Naruto waved and then headed away to the kitchen in search of more alcohol. For nearly twenty minutes, he fought his way around the table trying to find what he wanted, but ended up with something slightly different than he intended. Shikamaru then showed up and Naruto went up to him.
"Hey," he said. "I saw Kiba a little while ago."
"Yeah, that's good," Shikamaru said. "I saw him too. Did you talk to him?"
"Yeah, I think so," the blonde said.
"You're not sure?
"No," Naruto said, but in a non-convincing manner. "No, I am sure I talked to him."
"Did he talk to you?" Shikamaru asked next.
"That one I'm not sure of…"
"Then you should go back and verify. He's drinking vodka and cranberry juice. Why don't you take him another one?"
"Aaahhhhhhh, good idea," Naruto said as he mixed one in a clean cup.
He grinned at Shikamaru before turning and heading back to the other room, but he stopped when he entered and found the ottoman to be empty.
"FUCK!" he said out loud and brought the drink in his hand to his mouth and drank down the entire thing, throwing the cup down on the floor. He turned and went back out of the room.