Its finally DONE! Yep.
For some reason, this chapter turned out to be REALLY LONG, so it might turn out to be boring or something. I really hope not!
That OC character shows up in this one. LETS EXPLAIN HER NAME. I know, when you read the name you'll be like "ugh! A Mary Sue name! OMG No." My friend picked it out since the character is her idea.
It would be a HUGE HELP if you guys can tell me what you think of her. I'm no big fan of OCs and its the first time I've written one. Just be honest! I can take criticism just fine. Her personality should be a cross between Ino and Amy Rose from Sonic the Hedgehog... She has a VERY funny scene at the end of the story, too, so don't cringe whenever I mention her name. It'll be worth it. She won't be paired up with Shino or Kiba, in case you're wondering.
Just read. I don't own Naruto... man that gets old...
Shino's Birthday!
Monday: The Girl Next Door
As Team 8 departed their usual training spot, Hinata braced herself for the upcoming conversation she had rehearsed with Kiba God-knows how many times.
"So, K-Kiba…" she twiddled her fingers nervously and blushed. Fortunately, this was not unlike her usual behavior. "Wh-whose house should we a-attend, today?" She prayed that Kiba would remember his lines.
Kiba, oblivious to Hinata's choice of words, answered in a confused tone. "Hey… don't we usually go to YOUR house, Hinata?" he inquired.
Hinata sighed. Unfortunately, Kiba's attention span was the equivalent of Naruto's. "N-no… my father re-refused. We decided t-to meet at Shino's h-home today, remember?" She applied a gentle stress to 'remember'.
"We did?" Shino asked, never recalling such an event.
Kiba eyes shot open in comprehension. "O-oh! Yeah, Shino. My mom's out on a mission, and Neji's been in one of his moods, recently, so Hinata's is off-limits, tooSo we're going to your house today!"
A wave of reluctance overcame Shino. "Well, once again, I must warn you of the neighbor girl. She can be quite, uh… for lack of a better word, flirtatious."
Kiba grinned, trying to resist a chuckle. "Someone flirting with Shino? Ha! I think I want to meet her! What's she like?" Kiba prompted, unable to control his sudden fit of laughter. Aw, man. Picturing Shino flirting with a girl - Priceless!
"As I said, the most suitable word to describe her would be flirtatious. She is boisterous, loud… somewhat similar to Ino…"
"Hey, Bug Boy! You know you're supposed to, you know, flirt back?" Kiba winked.
Shino crossed his arms and a crease formed between his eyebrows. "Over my dead body."
Hinata giggled. "I believe we-we're almost there…"
Oh, that's right. That Hiwatari girl should be arriving any minute now… aren't those friends of Shino's coming, too? Aburame Shibi chuckled to himself. They'll be in for quite a ride. However, Shibi's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as a distinct, deafening voice echoed in the living room.
"YO! Mister Aburame! What's up?"
"Father, I apologize on my uncivilized fool of a friend's behalf."
"Um… he-hello, Abura- no, uh… Shibi…?"
"SO! I hear that our little LOVE BUG here has a girlfriend? Thought the day would never come!"
"Kiba… I don't know how else I can possibly get my point across to you…"
"Are they going steady yet?"
"Kiba - no! Th-this is very dis-disrespectful!"
"Kiba - she is not my girlfriend!"
"Aw, how cute, huh Mr. Aburame? HE'S IN DENIAL!"
"The three of you, please! Calm down!" Shibi insisted, waving a hand in dismissal of all their previous comments. "Now," a smile escaped him as he faced Kiba. "What's this about Shino's girlfriend?"
Kiba was nearly in hysterics. "Yeah! Shino was telling me about the girl next door, and he called her, uh, what was the word, Shino?" He threw an evil smirk in his direction. Shino glared in response.
"You're putting things out of context, Kiba. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting some lunch -"
"You didn't answer my question, Mister Lance Romance! Anyways, I believe the word was flirtatious! So, Mr. Aburame, have they been hitting it off yet?" Kiba wiggled his eyebrows.
Shibi shook his head, snickering. "Most unfortunately, Mister Inuzuka, it is a more one-sided relationship on Saria's part. Quite a shame, really." He barely lowered his sunglasses and leered at Shino. "She's turned out to be quite a looker."
Kiba laughed outright. "Ha ha! Man, Shino. You've got one cool dad! Who would've thought that an Aburame, of all people, would have a sense of humor?" Kiba cringed at his choice of words. "I mean -"
Shibi casually shrugged it off as he tried not to laugh. "No harm done, Kiba."
"Father, are you on my side or not?" Shino was about to head off to his room until an all-too-familiar voice rang in the room. Oh, Kami… why now? He felt his shoulders droop and prepared for, arguably, the one person who annoyed him more than Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto together.
"Hello, Aburames!"
Hiwatomi Saria. (1) She burst into the room, her blonde, shoulder-length curled hair bobbing behind her. Dressed in a bright baby blue long-sleeved shirt and a yellow skirt that reached to her mid-shins decorated with a faded floral pattern, one would never guess she was a Konoha genin by her garments if one hadn't noticed her headband tied loosely in her strawberry blonde curls.
Shino raised an eyebrow. "I see you're going all-out on your ninja attire," he commented as he shot several desperate glances at his father. Save me.
"I know, I know," she began, strolling right up to Shino and lazily resting an elbow on his bony shoulder. "I'm not really wearing something you'd consider ninja-y, but hey! I'm off duty today - no missions, no worries!" She feigned a bewildered expression. "Shino! I see YOU'RE off duty today! And you appear to be mission-free and worry-free!"
"Hn," Shino replied evenly. You have no idea how wrong you are.
"SO, why don't we go for a walk or something? After all, walks are mission-free and worry-free - just like us!" And, as she tugged on Shino's arm and attempted to pull him out the door, she noticed two new faces - a boy struggling to maintain a straight face, and a blushing girl, although she appeared to be giggling.
"Shino! I've never met your team before!"
Kiba was ecstatic. "Hey! I'm Inuzuka Kiba! The," he purposely cleared his throat, "LEADER, of Team 8, and this is my dog, Akamaru!" Akamaru popped his head out of the top of Kiba's jacket and barked.
"Aw! So cute! I've always found guys with pets much more sensitive…"
"Uh…" Kiba scratched the back of his head and felt heat rising to his cheeks. "Well, heh, I just found Akamaru one day and we've been best buddies ever since! So, anyways, judging by how you treat Shino, can I assume that you, basically, have him under your finger?"
"No," Shino replied.
"Of course!" Saria answered simultaneously, louder than Shino by tenfold.
Kiba smiled and faked a swoon. "You're my hero!" Saria chortled.
Shino, breaking out of Saria's grip, bid her farewell and rushed out the door. Hinata followed him, fully aware that Naruto and Chouji would be out for snacks by now and he could not find them shopping. If Shino confronted Naruto and Chouji, it would be impossible for them to erase his suspicions due to Naruto's presence. Besides, Chouji performs horribly under pressure and would be the most likely candidate, other than Kiba, to spoil Shino's surprise.
Kiba watched them bolt out the door. "Oh, well! I guess I better keep those two out of trouble!" As he headed out the door, he sent her a final glance and waved. "See ya later, Saria and Mister Aburame!"
Hinata felt very left out. It was as though her teammates were moving on without her, or maybe it was just her usual worries. She considered Kiba and Shino to be much more than her teammates, and she was positive they felt the same about her. And now, she wasn't quite sure how she felt about them. How she felt the slightest twinges of jealousy when Saria flirted with Shino and nearly yanked his arm off as she nearly dragged him out the door, or when Saria stated that 'guys with pets are much more sensitive' after Kiba introduced her to Akamaru. Hinata couldn't quite figure out why her advancements toward her teammates irked her, but had no time to contemplate it now: Naruto, Chouji, and Ino were approaching them. (2)
"O-oh, hi guys! Bye g-guys!" Hinata waved to them, making eye contact with Ino. She insisted that they continue walking, and had to shove Kiba and Shino onward. However, Shino was much more perceptive than Kiba and could detect something suspicious occurring between the three intruders.
"Going somewhere?" he inquired as he stepped in front of his teammates. Chouji responded with a furious blush and turned around; Naruto responded with a nervous cackle, and Ino responded with a sharp elbow to his ribcage.
Ino casually tossed her hair with the back of her hand. "Not really. We were just stocking up for the big night!" Ino gestured for Naruto and Chouji to do something, and they both shot off in a hurry; Shino was even more perplexed.
Shino raised an eyebrow. He was sure muscles had formed in that area by now. "Big night?"
Ino gasped and raised a hand to her mouth. "You haven't heard?"
"Big night?" Shino was utterly lost. He glanced at his teammates, who pretended that they fully understood what Ino was referring to. Is Kiba being sent to an asylum? If that's not it, then I don't know what is.
"Well… Uh - Gai and Kakashi-sensei are having a dance-off at the local restaurant's bar tonight at six! We don't want to miss that!" Ino appeared to be very eager about the upcoming event.
I would love nothing more than to miss that. "Oh… okay. Sounds… interesting…?"
"You bet! So we expect you guys to be there, alright?"
No. "…"
"Lee, Neji, and Tenten should be there too!"
NO. "…"
"Great idea, Ino!" Kiba exclaimed and, with the least amount of subtlety, he winked. Shino had already given up trying to grasp the meaning of everyone's peculiar behavior - not that Kiba' behavior could be any more peculiar than it already is. Ino groaned, shook her head, and bolted off as fast as Naruto and Chouji had a while back.
Shino decided he really hated Mondays.
"HINATA! KIBA! SHINO! Come here! We have reserved exclusive, top-notch seats for tonight's DUEL OF EPIC PROPORTIONS!" Lee roared, as every single customer and bar-goer shot aggravated stares in his direction. Furious, Tenten smacked his arm. Neji, all too accustomed to the intensifying fight, sighed and greeted the newcomers.
"Hey… sorry about them -"
"Perfectly alright, Neji. I assume you're put through this every day?" Shino asked as he grabbed a menu from the counter and skimmed through it.
"Yes," he agonized. "And Tenten isn't even being violent yet," he remarked dryly. In the distance, Tenten pulled on Lee's hair and Lee cried out something along the lines of, "NO! My most perfectly styled hair! Tenten! Your actions do not reflect one who is in the springtime of youth!"
Kiba winced. "Poor Lee." He turned away from the rather large scene unfolding. "So, Shino, anything look good on the menu?" Kiba asked, peering over said menu next to Shino. Akamaru escaped Kiba's jacket and perched himself on the top of his head.
"Well… there's many choices. I think I'll have some egg rolls, plain and simple."
Neji thought. "Lee, Tenten, and I already ate, so we're good. Lee might still be hungry, but I wouldn't be willing to cater to him considering the giant mess he created. At least their fight died down." Relieved, Neji's shoulders relaxed as Tenten and Lee walked, rather clumsily, over to him. They appeared very disheveled, with wrinkled clothing and tangled hair; or in Lee's case, a minor lack of hair in several areas.
"Hey, Hinata!" Tenten called, pretending as if nothing had happened between her teammate and her. "Why don't we pick up their dinner? You three still haven't eaten yet."
"S-sure, Tenten. They already informed me what they would like to eat." Hinata and Tenten left, leaving Kiba, Neji, Lee, and Shino.
"So, why don't we go back to our seats?" Neji offered, somewhat sullenly, as he treaded off to their pre-appointed seats. As the four took their seats, a burly, muscular ninja huffed over to them, crossing his arms.
"You there! Dog boy!" He pointed at Kiba. "No pets allowed. I'll escort you outside where you will either drop off your dog or leave."
"WHAT?" Kiba protested. "This is absurd! An outrage!" Akamaru growled and barked furiously. "I REFUSE to leave, and I WILL NOT tie up Akamaru outside! THAT IS FINAL!"
Shino, Neji, and Lee watched the entire scene transpire, as the intimidating guard, literally, carried out a furious Kiba and Akamaru.
"Shouldn't you help them, Shino?" Lee inquired as he watched Kiba struggle furiously and Akamaru bite the man's arm. "It is your youthful duty as a friend to help him!"
"Why, of course not," he answered as if it was expected he would not chase after the guard tossing out his dejected best friend. For a few minutes, nothing of great significance occurred between the three as they only made small talk. However, they were slightly baffled when Kiba, panting, ran up to them. Immediately, they noticed that Kiba had either gained weight, or Akamaru was hiding in Kiba's jacket.
"Now," Neji started as he began to chuckle. "I wont tell you what that looks like, but…"
"Hey! It was either this or I couldn't watch the show! Which would you rather have?" Before Shino could voice his opinion, Kiba crossed his arms and 'hmph-ed'; as a result, the 'lump' in his jacket squirmed, causing Lee and Neji to crack up and Shino resisted a smile. Lee noticed some familiar faces enter the restaurant. After recovering from his spell of laughter, Lee waved to them and ran over, Kiba following suit. Shino and Neji strolled behind them.
"Hey! Naruto, Ino, Chouji! We saved you guys some better seats! Follow us!" The other three decided to ignore Kiba's sudden weight gain, as they really didn't want to know what happened.
Ino looked over the group, noticing other people she expected to attend were absent. "Hey, were Shikamaru, Sasuke, Sakura, Tenten, and Hinata going to show up?"
"Tenten and Hinata have arrived!" Lee proclaimed. "I believe they are picking up our dinners as I speak! Anyways, what are your predictions as to the winner of the competition? Surely Gai-sensei will astonish the crowd with his amazing talents in the art of dancing!"
Naruto seemed skeptical and crossed his arms stubbornly. "No way! I bet my sensei won't lose to your sensei!" For the second time in only ten minutes, Lee was engaged in another argument, which was quite unlike his nature. However, Neji was fed up with all this nonsense and really wanted to watch the competition and head home as soon as possible.
"Hey nitwits! The match is about to start! So I suggest you two cease your fighting until they finish, at least."
As Gai and Kakashi made their entrances and began dancing, Neji soon became distracted. He had a hunch why only men had attended the bar that night, but the mere concept of it was so incredulous to him that, to confirm his suspicions, he checked the flyer posted near the wall.
"Oh… my… God… This is simply too awkward… Why haven't those two figured it out yet?" He shook his head in disappointment as he quickly exited the restaurant, not wanting to partake in yet another scene. Shinobi Rule Number 17: Always be aware of your surroundings… and those two are supposed to be Jonins? Disappointing.
Meanwhile, Ino was very bored. Man! I sacrificed SO MUCH for that Shino kid in ONE DAY! I mean, spending half the day with Naruto and now THIS? Kiba better pay me for this. She looked at Shino, who - surprisingly - was grinning as he leaned against a wall next to Hinata, who was giggling like mad.
"What seems to be so funny, you two? I don't think I've ever seen Shino laugh before…"
Without speaking a word, Shino pointed to the flyer to his left. After Ino scanned it, she gaped, at a loss for words.
"Is it allowed for a high-ranking ninja to be so stupid?" She threw her hands up in the air. "Do people even read, anymore?"
Shino shrugged. "Apparently not. Actually, I'm going to be heading home now. Are you still going to stay?"
"Of course not!" Ino nearly shouted. "I don't want to get wrapped up in all of this once Lee and Naruto find out. I better go get Tenten - we're having a sleepover tonight!" Ino announced as if it was the best thing in the world.
"Fantastic," Shino muttered and walked out the door.
Ino made a face. "That Shino. Such a stick in the mud. Hey, Hinata, do you want to come?"
"S-sorry, Ino. I'd l-like to, but my f-father would refuse. I'll w-walk with you a-and Tenten, though," Hinata replied, looking thoroughly rejected.
"Don't worry about it, Hinata!" Ino consoled. She searched for Tenten, grabbed her arm, and, despite her protests, pulled her out the door as Hinata scurried after them.
"ALRIGHT FOLKS, THAT WAS ROUND ONE! GIVE IT UP FOR MAITO GAI AND HATAKE KAKASHI!" The crowd went wild, as they stood up and demanded an encore.
"NO FEAR, FOLKS! FOR THERE IS A ROUND… TWO!" And, once again, the music played. Lee and Naruto continued to cheer them on, their efforts to support their teachers never faltering. Kiba was excited, too. After all, not only did he outsmart that silly guard, but also he gets to watch Gai wipe the dance floor with Kakashi! He laughed and cheered for both teachers.
"You there! Dog boy!" Kiba recognized the gruff voice instantly. Damn guard. Well, he'll never know that I hid Akamaru in jacket! It's totally unnoticeable!
"Oh, hey there!"
"Don't you go 'hey there' to me! I know perfectly well that you obviously hid that crazy dog of yours in that jacket!"
Before Kiba could protest, Akamaru fell out of his jacket and plopped on the ground.
"Um… my water broke?" Kiba tried. Needless to say, Kiba and Akamaru were, quite literally, thrown out of the restaurant.
Gai was positively sure he had evened up the score. Fifty-nine to fifty-nine… Take that, my eternal rival Kakashi! Good thing I took dancing lessons in my youth! And youth always prevails! Gai had nearly blurted out his thought and had to stop himself, since it would not be modern, hip, and cool if the crowd was convinced he was some sort of a schizophrenic.
Speaking of the crowd… Why aren't there any ravishing young ladies attending the event so I can swoon them with my dashing good looks and striking personality? Wait a second! Aren't Monday nights…?
Gai glanced at the crowd, and his tango suddenly lacked his usual enthusiasm. All men…
"Whoops."
He tangoed over to Kakashi, who was still avidly reading his book and snapping his fingers with less excitement, snap after snap.
"Kakashi! I'm afraid I have made a terrible mistake!" Gai exclaimed.
Kakashi finally distracted himself from his book and made eye contact with Gai. "And that would be… proposing such a ridiculous challenge in the first place…?"
"NO! It is far worse, my Incredibly Oblivious Eternal Rival!"
"What could be worse?" Kakashi asked as he ceased his finger snapping.
Gai whispered, as loud as possible, of course. "The crowd is… well… um…" He wasn't quite sure how he could communicate his message without insulting every homosexual man who had entered the restaurant. He braced himself and decided to simply say it. "Well, Kakashi, I believe we both have learned a lesson. Apparently, Monday nights are Rainbow nights." He suddenly laughed, trying to lift the mood. "HOW IRONIC!"
Kakashi stared for an unusual amount of time. "Well, Gai, I believe you have learned two lessons. Learn to read the damn flyers. Now, if you'll excuse me…" and Kakashi, making great haste, departed from the stage and left the restaurant, abandoning Gai. Nevertheless, the crowd screamed for Gai to continue dancing.
One man hollered, "STRIP! STRIP! STRIP!" Soon, nearly the entire crowd joined in on his chanting. Gai chuckled nervously, not sure how he'd get out of this one. Meanwhile, Naruto and Lee nearly experienced a heart attack once they figured out the mystery of the crowd. However, since they deeply pitied poor Gai, they remained in their place and waited for Gai to devise a master plan to escape.
"Um," he announced in front of the crowd. "I believe this has been a terrible misunderstanding! For, I am not…" Once again, Gai lacked of a better word, and decided to follow Kakashi's example and simply leave the stage. Enraged, the crowd boo-ed and threw various things in his direction as he darted out of the restaurant. Lee and Naruto chased after him, also not wanting to be subject to the crowd's wrath.
"GAI-SENSEI!" Lee shouted. "HOW COULD YOU HAVE BEEN SO UNAWARE?"
"I DON'T KNOW, MY PRECIOUS STUDENT! Perhaps my Springtime of Youth is drying up!" He suggested, as he walked as far away from the restaurant as possible with Lee right behind. Naruto decided it would be better to head on home or else he would undoubtedly have the misfortune to witness yet another one of 'Gai and Lee's youthful crying session'.
READ AND REVIEW!
(1) Went through it before: Her name sounds like a Mary Sue, her DESCRIPTION might sound like a Mary Sue, but DON'T BE DECEIVED. She is no Mary Sue.
(2) I think that's the longest paragraph I've ever written!
NEXT TIME, ON "Shino's Birthday!": Lee and Tenten make and send out invitations! Should be interesting enough. ;)