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Tenten [ テンテン ] ([info]oriental_dragon) wrote in [info]last_stretch,
@ 2009-10-07 23:12:00


Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Current location:Konoha no Gakuen Boarding School
Current mood: energetic
Current music:You're Gonna Go Far, Kid - The Offspring
Entry tags:kiba, naruto, neji, open log, sakura, tenten

[ Open - In Progress | Man, he never had a chance... ]
Who: Everyone Naruto knows.
What: Party for Blondie~ And coming in costume is encouraged!
When: October 10th... ish, evening/night
Where: Faculty Lounge at a certain boarding school
Warning(s): The usual warnings when people get shit-faced drunk.

It was like taking a page out of their long history together, to the very origins of who they once were. Phantom ghosts of what they would become. The place where it all began for a good number of them. And where the foundation of their collective friendships found its root. To be able to walk the halls again gave her an eerie yet exciting thrill she could hardly understand.

It was like they had never left.

Konoha no Gakuen. She could hardly believe that it had been more than three years since they left the hallow halls of the institution. They had a lot of good times there. Some, not so much. All the same, the school held many memories. For her, and most of all, for Naruto. So it only made sense that on the day that they would celebrate the young man's birth, they would have the festivities here. It was a small little tradition that she had taken to practicing. With the help and not-so-official approval of the local administration, of course. Silly, really. But one that she, at the very least, looked forward to year after year. Because this had been the beginning, so many long years ago. When a foreign girl from China thought it would be a nice gesture to plan a surprise party for a rambunctious blond she hardly knew. And in return, she had gained a life-long friendship. Several, in fact.

There was no rec room, this time around. Most certainly, with the presence of alcohol they could hardly allow it anywhere within reach of the students. But the faculty lounge on the other side of the school grounds made for an excellent substitute. And if their old instructors happened to drop in for a drink or two while they congratulated the young man on surviving another year, who was to stop them?

It had taken longer than expected to decorate the room, especially with only one other set of hands to help her this time. But to her credit, Tenten was a good planner, and an efficient worker. And with Neji's diligent -- relentless, despite her efforts to avoid adding to his already full schedule -- attention, they were an unstoppable team.

As she took a step back from making the last touches to the room, she could hardly be disappointed with the results. Spirals of orange and black streamers looped out from the center fan, reaching out like long bony fingers to touch upon each wall of the room. Hanging along its body were long colorful ribbons, curled in helical tendrils some draped over one row of streamers, others over two or even three. Ultimately, the design created a sort of webbing effect. If one took the time to notice. And to complete the illusion, scattered all throughout the room and netting were plastic spiders. Most were black, but a small portion were of the glow in the dark variety, illuminated by the black light she had fixed in the corner of the room.

The food was already heated and set out for party-goers to enjoy. The balloons were evenly distributed throughout the room. And as the rhythmic beat of the music boomed against the creeking floorboards, Tenten could only smile to herself.

This would definitely be a night to remember.


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[info]goodwithscalpel
2009-10-08 05:32 pm UTC (link)
A Halloween costume was not in Sakura's budget at this time of year. But, it being Naruto's party and all, she was not without a costume. The costume in question being made out of what she had in her closet: the pants, the blouse, the red sash tied around her waist, and the boots. The only thing she'd bought had been the eye-patch and the plastic sword tied to her hip.

So she wasn't all that creative with her costume. But she was economical!

The ride to the school had been an adventure, as Sakura hadn't gone there before. As she entered it, all sorts of thoughts invaded her. Was this where Naruto had made friends? Had he been happy? He must have, because none of her old school friends would've rented the place to throw her a party.

Soon, she was passing through the doors of the faculty lounge. There was only one person there so far. "Wow," she whistled. "Nice job."

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[info]oriental_dragon
2009-10-08 05:59 pm UTC (link)
It was not a matter of simply renting the space. It was about reliving the memories, both the good and the bad. And as troublesome as the rascal had been in their younger days, there was no doubt that Naruto left a lasting impression on the teachers at the school. So when she had gone to them years ago and proposed the idea of allowing them to hold a party every year to celebrate his existence, they had welcomed the idea (although, officially, they had to decline - a discreet turn of the head and casual pilfering of a set of keys fixed all that). This was their past. And despite the troubles they had all seen within these walls, it had been a good one.

...Plus, it made working with a budget a lot more manageable.

When it came to saving money, Tenten was not above recycling an old costume. Especially when it was one that she rather favored above others. And, in any case, there had hardly been any time for her to plan out another one. Still, the modified Artemis costume was suitable enough for this occasion. Not to mention it danced along a fine line between being fully covered and leaving little to the imagination.

She was checking on the drinks in the kitchenette area when a particular voice caught her attention over the music. "Sakura, hey! Glad you could make it."

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[info]goodwithscalpel
2009-10-11 11:07 am UTC (link)
Sakura followed the voice over to the kitchenette. "I couldn't miss it," she answered, still looking at the room distractedly.

That is, until she found Tenten. And Tenten's costume. "Wow...I don't know how you're not freezing right now," she joked. Her hand came up to her sash though. Just a little self-conscious again.

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[info]oriental_dragon
2009-10-11 03:24 pm UTC (link)
To that, Tenten could only laugh. The costume tended to get that sort of reaction. But then again, that was half the point. "Well, I've been in here working for the past... few hours getting everything set up. And I just changed here, so..." And she left it at that. Because it was easy to lose track of time while setting everything up for the big surprise. Tenten had actually believed there was still a good hour or two left before the start of the festivities. But Sakura's appearance said otherwise.

"But you look great!" the young woman said instead, finally taking a moment to check out the other's costume as well, "You should've told me you were gonna be a pirate, I would've lent you one of my blunt daggers."

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[info]goodwithscalpel
2009-10-11 03:53 pm UTC (link)
"I had nothing to do today, so I came by early--I was actually counting on someone being here, otherwise I'd have Arr'd at people on the street some more," she sheepishly declared.

"Thanks...I didn't know what to go as until the last minute, to be honest. It was either this, or Ninja, except I lack in the subtle department," she joked, pointing at her hair. "Now I'm feeling bad I didn't tell you..."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

[info]oriental_dragon
2009-10-12 12:31 am UTC (link)
Another chuckle. Because it would have been a very amusing sight to see Sakura vaguely assault the students at the school with her pirate renditions. "I would've paid good money to see that. It's not every you see a pink-haired pirate strolling around the city."

One last glance around the room told her that there... was really nothing else they could do further other than string up the last of the left over decorations and make sure the food kept while they waited for others to arrive. "But everything's pretty much done. We just have to wait for more people to come and for Keebs to bring the birthday boy over."

(Reply to this)(Parent)

[info]oriental_dragon
2009-10-12 04:43 am UTC (link)
[[ And enter Neji, below~ ]]

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[info]infrawhite
2009-10-12 12:23 am UTC (link)
Anyone who knew Neji well enough would be able to tell that the man was hardly dressed up for the occasion and certainly hadn't aimed for a costume when he'd picked his getup for the day. It shouldn't be entirely surprising, and Neji hadn't quite felt up to rebellion against expectations-- That the Hyuuga wouldn't dress up, anyway, and if he did, he was probably forced to-- Ah, reputation. An annoyance, sometimes inconvenient. Not today, though.

Even he had been certain that Konoha no Gakuen would bring forth memories of the good and bad kind, which, from his particular current viewpoint, only made things feel a little more ironic. Nonetheless, he had come, subtly delayed, in a considerably better mood than he had started the day with.

Which really meant nothing but a frownless face, for the moment.

At least it was the faculty lounge, not the gym.

(Reply to this)(Thread)
*gives love* ♥
[info]oriental_dragon
2009-10-12 04:52 am UTC (link)
It was not so much of a surprise to find that Neji... simply refused to wear a costume. Or at least avoided putting much effort into finding one that he found suitable for the occasion. After all, his entire side career was filled with putting on one costume or another. Tenten did not understand the modeling world all that well, but she knew of it enough from Neji's experience of it. And in any case, that portion of the invite had been encouraged. Not mandatory. So she would let that matter slide for now. After all, costumes were not the first thing that came to mind when one thought of Hyuuga Neji.

Still, he looked nice and fit for a party.

"Hey," she greeted when he returned, her smile all the brighter at the sight of him. Although filled with little else than constant scrambling to ensure everything would be ready by the time guests arrived, the afternoon had been well spent. For the simple fact that... it had been a long time - longer than she could recall at the moment - since the two of them had been allowed to simply be... friends. Neji's schedule was always demanding of his attention both inside and outside of school. And Tenten was never one to add to his obligations. "I was starting to wonder where you had disappeared to..."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)
nom nom nom
[info]infrawhite
2009-10-15 01:22 am UTC (link)
It took Neji all of one and a half seconds to mask the raise of his eyebrows as pleasant surprise instead of startled skepticism at her costume. Or lack thereof? It wasn't at all as though he'd never seen anything of the sort before, but it felt a tad different when one of his closest friends was on display.

Other people of course had a point when they called him a prude, but he'd come to nag less over the years, instead wrapping his concerns about decency in more convenient paper. "If there is anything you need fetched from outside, do inform me. It's freezing."

And ah, yes, he'd been later than intended, Naruto's play longer than anticipated, though it served its purpose. It was a little harder to be angry with someone for their utter density when they'd just put some of their talent on display, after all. He was prepared in more ways than one, maybe not braced, but maybe a little harder to rile up. Thankfully, Neji had already angled their conversation towards her getup, and so he let it slide.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)
*gnaws lovingly*
[info]oriental_dragon
2009-10-18 05:38 am UTC (link)
Surprise was something she expected to get throughout the night. Especially since it was not too often that Tenten indulged in the more girlish side of her personality. When you had a host of men as your closest circle of friends, looks and how you dressed were never all that important. Still, it did not escape Tenten's mind that her costume would be provocative if not distracting. After all the hard work and energy she had put into training for volleyball as well as her martial arts classes, the young woman knew she had a fairly fit body. One that could very well stop a man in his tracks.

But this party was for close friends. There was no one to impress. Just a lot of people to shock. And Tenten took some small amount of joy in knowing that. Which showed in the way her lips quirked up in a gentle smirk at Neji's reaction as well as his words.

"Don't worry, I got everything I needed from outside before I changed," she responded with a playful slant of her eyes, "I'm good at planning, remember?"

(Reply to this)(Parent)
**a short time before, not at KnG**
[info]howlatthemoon
2009-10-12 03:43 am UTC (link)
Kiba had felt a little bad lying to Naruto earlier, blowing off the blonde's play in favor of work, purposely leaving out any mention of birthdays (if Naruto even remembered himself what today was). But only a little because he knew what Tenten had cooked up would make Naruto happy enough to erase any disappointment from the rest of the day - at least, he hoped it would.

It hadn't been easy to sneak backstage either, not with the looks that he was getting from the stage crew. You would think that a bunch of theater geeks wouldn't think that a guy in a toga would cause less of a commotion, especially since he at least had his leather jacket on over it. But he'd just grinned his way through the door and took up a spot just outside of the dressing rooms where Naruto would have to pass him.

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[info]impellere
2009-10-12 05:41 am UTC (link)
"Freedom, you're damn fine."

Similar to every other night the performance went off without a hitch. Naruto never lingered to listen to the applause or even do the cast the honor of bowing out as the curtains drew to a close. Admittedly he enjoyed listening to the noise just outside the safety of the backstage dressing room, smiling to himself with a sense of accomplishment once the audience had cleared the building. He'd get out of costume and onto the busy streets back home while everyone stayed scattered just beyond the solitude of the tiny area assigned to him, all loud and crazy and high off the job well done.

He had slipped away the moment his act was finished, instantly loosening the tie he'd been burdened with and making he way towards his vanity and chair to grab his things. The letter had gone unnoticed until he was just about ready to change, the light catching the white of the envelope and gaining Naruto's attention. Of course he glanced around, all sorts of curious when there was no one in sight. No writing on the front and a bit heavy. There was a odd noise as he shook it and be damned if he knew what it could be for. None too careful in fear of tearing he ripped the right edge clear off and peered inside. Papers- No, photos.

Carelessly he had reached inside to retrieve them, only to jerk his hand back with a hiss, the photos won! But finger harmed with a nasty cut. Again he glanced around, "What prick leaves that sort of thing lying around?!" He sucked the digit clean, discontent further once he'd scanned the pictures. All that momentary joy from the earlier performance was slimming quickly and he did his best to stuff the mystery back where it came from, his finger still in his mouth as he swung his bag over his shoulder and clutched the envelope in the unharmed hand.

"When I find the jackass responsible..." There was a damaged appendage that needed tending to. Surely the bastard responsible would want to kiss it better.

The mutt just outside the door would go unnoticed as Naruto sped past, urged on by his need to confront the entirety of the plays cast.

(Reply to this)(Parent)
location: wherever the booze is.
[info]goodwithscalpel
2009-10-14 08:42 pm UTC (link)
Fast forward to a little after some of the people arriving, and you had Sakura nursing a drink. Well, not nursing it per se, but definitely holding that drink, and hey. Hey.

How did they even manage to sneak in booze in here? How did they manage to hold the party in here?

(Reply to this)
This is the part of the post where stuff happens. :|
[info]impellere
2009-10-19 06:54 am UTC (link)
Naruto had allowed the spirit of the party to absorb into his system, a Styrofoam cup of cheap alcohol held lazily as he made his rounds, accepting the happy pats on the shoulder and occasional hug. He was sure he knew every person there by name, recognizing their faces and engulfing them with a bright smile and arms too eager to hold them close. For them having shown up at all was such a big deal to him. A majority were friends from back in the day, or better yet acquaintances that he didn't bother with much since grade school and stayed in touch with as a poor excuse of keeping a hand on the past. Though it didn't matter much when they were all grown up, celebrating this silly day like it was something important.

This was different. Unlike the immature parties he'd snuck into once upon a time. They were all adults now. Not stupid kids from high school that would sell their souls for a taste of alcohol or wore their frail sense of confidence on their sleeve. At least not to the point where it was pathetic or inexcusable. This was nice. He could get used to this sense of peace and closure. It wasn't much, but it was indeed a start.

He'd made it to his third cup by the time he'd set out to find a familiar face to better enjoy his time with, the excitement of the party not as fresh as before. A big crowd in his honor was amazing, and he appreciated it. But having Tenten or even Kiba by his side would settle his nerves. Too many people in too little space was starting to make him uneasy and when it got past that point there was nothing his alcohol enriched drinkies could help.

Naruto squinted through the crowd, frowning when the woman couldn't be spotted. He continued his search to find someone, anyone he knew that he could latch onto until the mass started to thin out, probably later in the night.

What he had found instead was a stoic, awkward man around the general vicinity of the wall away from everyone else. Of course Naruto was shocked, his body straightening out on alert and a bit in defense. Was it appropriate for Neji to even be here? Amongst normal people who liked Naruto and celebrated his existence? Curse his life for Hyuuga to be standing in the only people free zone in the whole damn room. This being his only choice he begrudgingly worked his way forward, adjusting his suit jacket as he approached the man. He noticed only then that he was still in his costume from the play and held back his grimace by working a hand through his hair.

Like it was planned; didn't matter.

Neji didn't matter.

Naruto's hair mattered, dammit. Look at him brush it.

"You found time to spare," Not the best conversation starter and yet he couldn't stop himself. When was the last time he even saw Neji? He couldn't be entirely sure right then, his attention on that big, awkward bow around the man's neck... and then slowly back up to meet those eyes he had once been so familiar with. "Didn't think fun was your cup of tea."

Rather he was not Neji's first choice when it came to personal enjoyment, that much he was sure. But he didn't need to bring that up right now.

After all, they were all grown up. No reason for petty details.

(Reply to this)(Thread)

[info]infrawhite
2009-10-19 10:38 am UTC (link)
It was the little things that kept Neji's anger from fuelling up again from underneath the surface, where it had been barely resting the last couple of times he had spoken to Naruto. Infuriating though their situation and the blond's behavior was, he felt mellowed out enough not to counter with a few cold words. In any worse mood, he would have turned on his heel, or not come at all, but he felt above taking such drastic measures. No matter how much Naruto pretended they weren't on too familiar terms these days, the Hyuuga was certain they both knew far better, and there certainly would be no solution in sight if nobody gave in just a little. And that is why Neji was here, had been there to watch the play, and left just in time to arrive at the faculty lounge before him.

Responsibility. Neji shared half the fault. So he played along, though hardly in a friendly manner of banter.

"I don't know, I felt up to a little variety," He stated plainly, though his features were at the beginning of a frown. It was the best he could do for now.

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[info]impellere
2009-10-19 09:14 pm UTC (link)
Perhaps if they had confronted one another ten months ago then there wouldn't be so many questions now. Naruto would feel happy and overjoyed that Neji found time for him out of his busy schedule and not infuriated that he even bothered to show his face. Why now? Why after ditching him on numerous occasions did Neji choose today to drop by and mingle? However, it didn't take Naruto several months to figure out that Neji made little to no sense at all on any given normal day. So he withheld his shock and opted to be pissed instead.

"And you start here?" There was no real reason for him to put so much effort into pushing Neji's buttons. He just felt he needed to. Sure he didn't have wit or enough bite to his words like someone smarter than him possibly could, but he did his best to get his point across.

A moment passed where he drank from his cup, peering over the edge to get a good look at the other man. The clothes, his stance, that frown. He noticed all these little details, snorting as he pulled the cup away from his lips and leaned in, voice a whisper, "Guess I rubbed off on you more than we thought, huh?"

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[info]infrawhite
2009-10-19 10:37 pm UTC (link)
Lacking in finesse or not, his behavior hit home. It wasn't Naruto's words - really, Neji had a fairly good idea what he was like when he was being purposefully mean to someone - rather than that sip of what he didn't quite want to believe was probably punch. As though he had forgotten where alcohol took them last time. As though this whole ordeal was not due to that little poison.

His frown and eye contact did not waver as he was scrutinized and neither did he retreat when Naruto invaded his personal space in that mockery of intimacy that easily caused his mood to drop a couple more fractions. To be honest, the closeness was giving him a handful of ideas, each more tempting than the other, all to be ignored like a good man would.

Oh, did being a good man ever pay off.

He could taste on Naruto's breath the many ways in which it didn't.

"My guess remains that you never learn," Neji replied, equally quietly, a lot more venomous than before. "Thankfully you don't seem to have rubbed off enough."

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[info]impellere
2009-10-20 05:54 am UTC (link)
There was never a limit when it came to alcohol. The standard implication that he could drink anyone under the table applied as well as the understanding that sometimes alcohol was reliable and to be relied on. For stress, happiness, and all things above. This was no different. It helped him relax and not care so much that the room was stuffed so full with people that it was becoming hard to breath. On the other hand it loosened that not at all sound lock that he had on his mouth, letting it ramble on about everything and anything it possibly could.

A stupid man never learns, or in Naruto's case... learns. But doesn't quite care about the consequences.

He didn't like the way Neji's mouth moved and words fell out, hitting him and leaving a slight sting. He'd gotten what he wanted. A response was better than nothing. Knowing Neji the man could have stood there all night without so much as batting an eye and left Naruto withering in self defeat.

"I learn plenty, Neji! I learned that..." He held a finger up as he finished the contents of his cup before tossing it to the ground, a hand coming up to rest beside Neji's head and to balance himself, his glasses sliding down his nose and personal space thoroughly raped. "I learned that you. You. Don't know your pretty face from your pretty ass."

His voice got louder, the music drowning him out. But he wanted it heard. Maybe so that in some way it would get past that icy shield the bastard had up and echo loud and clear. "'Cause get this, ladies and gents! Mister ma'am is such a prick because I didn't rub on him enough!"

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[info]infrawhite
2009-10-20 10:39 am UTC (link)
This time, his brows raised, if not at the further invasion, which had been to be expected. It's what Naruto was like, simple as that. Their conversation topic, though, was taking a turn to the ridiculous and would probably evolve into a pure string of insults with no solution soon enough.

He resisted the urge to remove that hand from himself, inhaling deeply before he released a heavy sigh. He could sense a headache in his near future. Then again, when in conversation with the other, it had become something of a standard result. "Naruto," He muttered, not caring to match the blond in volume anymore. And he had the right to reach up and readjust those glasses in what could probably be a caring gesture if he didn't have the excuse to rely on that Naruto looked untidy and Neji wasn't the type to accept it - the eyes Naruto so cursed recently now drowning out that angered spark.

He kept his fingertips at the rim of his glasses with a thoughtful look.

"I'm not discussing this with you intoxicated."

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[info]impellere
2009-10-20 11:55 pm UTC (link)
His nerves were too shot to flinch when those dainty, manicured hands came near him, eyes crossing to watch as they adjusted his frames. Had he been smart he would have batted Neji away and let them fall off altogether, but he allowed the man this much, even bowing his face forward and into the touch. What could he do in a situation like this despite act on his anger awkwardly, not at all quite sure why he felt the way he did or without having full understanding of the situation.

The music was still loud, the bass heavy and echoing in his ears. In his inebriated world he was sure that he and Neji were the only people here or perhaps the only ones that mattered at that exact moment. In which case he lowered his voice again and rested his weight on that hand against the wall, just a hair of space between himself and the poor prey he'd captured. Not so much captured, even. Neji could damn well run if he really wanted to and he was far too stubborn to let someone like Naruto face him down. It made him laugh, right there against the Hyuuga's ear, "But you'll do everything else with me when I'm trashed. Won't you. Your standards, man. Y'should work those out before you make decisions like that."

Then he stood back up, wobbling slightly as he glanced around with a sorry scowl. Where did that silly cup get off to...

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[info]infrawhite
2009-10-21 12:06 am UTC (link)
Maybe he wouldn't. He would have liked to inform Naruto of this, but it had no proper place in this conversation, not as though he could reason terribly much with the other anymore, or wanted to. The implication alone had been a shameless insult. Neji was the one who learned from mistakes, as he had only just informed him of.

Why was it that that Uzumaki was incapable of listening closely?

Neji despised redundancy. But still.

"Naruto," He repeated in an attempt to regain any semblance of attention.

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[info]impellere
2009-10-21 12:32 am UTC (link)
Already annoyed, Naruto glanced back at the man with narrow eyes, visibly tense by now. His cup had vanished under a table or perhaps trampled by dancing feet of the crowd right behind him.

"Neji," he snipped back, rolling on his heel to take up that space he once was, eyebrows lifted and crossing his arms so that he could tap agitated fingers against his forearm. Like he wanted to hear what the man had to say. Like it was simply important enough for him to stop everything he was doing to listen.

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[info]infrawhite
2009-10-21 12:40 am UTC (link)
Neji frowned, despite the fact that he'd gotten what he'd wanted. For now. Under these circumstances, that was hardly consolation. But the man was paying attention, staring back at him through those glasses.

Those glasses. No, they didn't at all feel right. At best, what they did was get in the way, and the Hyuuga no longer felt up to yet another barrier shoved between them. It was due to this that he reached up again, this time to get a hold of the rims, fingertip brushing against Naruto's cheek in the process, perhaps not on purpose, but he wasn't particularly careful to avoid it, either.

"Going to hear me out?" He mused as he pulled the pair off, though in some way, that possibility seemed to amuse him.

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[info]impellere
2009-10-21 12:52 am UTC (link)
Could he just have one wonderful moment in his life where everything made sense? He was angry with Neji for one reason or another. Check. He wanted to push the guy and go drink his birthday night away. This made perfect sense to him and he'd wanted to get back to that once he found his cup, not at all thinking that he could get another. All of these things were the right choice in the Naruto mindset.

Neji's touches did not make sense. His body reacting to the touch and him stumbling when he leaned forward with the motion of those glasses leaving his face... did not make sense. The way he completely forgot about the stupid alcohol table and the stupid music and the stupid stupid stupid everything when Neji spoke, or moved, or breathed, did. Not. Make. Sense.

At some point he remembered to breath and did so heavily through his nose, the hairs on the back of his neck standing and tips of his ears flushing red when Neji's fingers lingered. He tucked his hands in his pockets to keep from scratching the tickling sensation away, huffing once he registered that the other was still talking. Just more bullshit he didn't want to deal with. "All y'are is talk talk talk. But nothing important ever comes outta your mouth."



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1/2
[info]infrawhite
2009-10-21 01:35 am UTC (link)
If there was anything the Hyuuga didn't fail to notice, it was Naruto's reactions. It was almost satisfactory to see Naruto contradict his own anger at the hands of the other -- but then again, who would Neji be to jump to conclusions about whether or not and how much or little this was at all unusual.

After all, he now knew perfectly well what kind of drunk the other was.

The things he didn't know, the countless questions that had come up over the past ten months were likely what was giving Neji the sense of purpose not to let Naruto's words deter him at all. He continued about neatly folding the glasses, though kept his eyes on the other's face, before hooking a finger into his shirt pocket just enough to let the accessory slip inside.

There were some matters he simply hated to be literal about, but clearly, all skirting and metaphors had taken them nowhere, if not worse places. Whether it was the stubbornness to remain dense on Naruto's part or the stubbornness to remain decent on his own, something needed to be done about it. His lips quirked briefly at the fact that the first wall was out of the way, patted on to straighten out wrinkles that weren't there, for others soon to follow.

"For once, I think you're absolutely right."

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[info]infrawhite
2009-10-21 01:46 am UTC (link)
He had it coming was such a standardized excuse for any rash actions people took, but Neji found in his moment of simplicity and literal expression of sentiments, that there were truly no better words to describe his reasons.

Had he completely thought this through? No. That would have been doing things his way, something lacking all effectiveness right now.

Unlike a quick jerk back before he delivered a loaded punch to that infuriatingly close face.

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1/2
[info]impellere
2009-10-21 02:21 am UTC (link)
For a moment the OCD mentality didn't phase Naruto. His psyche was far too engrossed in the way Neji was nitpicking at his clothes and appearance. Like some diligent wife. Any other time he might backtrack his thoughts. Question them a little. Then spit them back out without any sort of resolve. Alcohol helped lube up the already disturbed imbalance in the way Naruto fixed his life issues. When drunk it didn't matter that Neji was tending to him like this or touching him like that.

It felt good. Only now after drinkie trois would he admit that to himself. Yet no amount of filled Styrofoam cups could get him to squarely say just how pathetic that was.

Something he would look back on and wince is how he had fallen for that tempting act. Because you shouldn't trust a man you had a good part in screwing over both figuratively and literally. You don't sigh like it feels good and you should never, ever let your guard down. Because those first instincts that signal doom and destruction are almost always right.

His tailbone and eye socket could vouch for that.

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[info]impellere
2009-10-21 02:29 am UTC (link)
Suddenly there was no music or chatter filling the room. At least not in Naruto's general vicinity.

Aww's and oh's. A screech of a fine record the disk jockey had been tuning. All of those stupid things that happen in movies when shit goes down.

First he noticed how his tailbone was already sore from his blunt landing, second being blood pulsing into the area around his eye, not yet tender enough to be sore, but it would be a bitch to deal with later. He touched it, fingers just brushing the skin as he slowly pushed himself off the ground.

A breath. A single breath.

Not enough time for him to think 'hey, this is a bad idea' or 'stop it. just stop it and let it be'. Because those things didn't matter as much as his fist flying through the air to collide with the fine curve of Neji's jaw. That mattered.

"What the Hell is your problem?!" Almost as much as Naruto's hit now, talk later policy.

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[info]infrawhite
2009-10-22 01:06 am UTC (link)
The good thing about starting a fight was that one could expect the comeback, and so he could brace himself for the punch not to send him to land on the pretty ass that he didn't know from his pretty face. He did stumble backwards, did almost slip to one knee, the force of the impact temporarily muddling his trace of thought. His jaw hurt, but he was angry enough not to pay it too much mind, or the split lip that had probably resulted from the punch.

Once he'd gathered enough of his balance and bearings to glare back at the other, it didn't take him long to cross what distance was between them and grab that shirt collar. They weren't done yet. Not even close.

"It's been ten months-- what do you think, Uzumaki?!"

He wasn't sure why he asked. Clearly, Naruto didn't do a terribly big amount of that.

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[info]impellere
2009-10-22 02:12 am UTC (link)
He'd never wanted this. A long time ago when Neji couldn't keep his trap shut about fate and how far below the food chain he thought the blond to be Naruto couldn't wait to shove him into the ground and make him eat those words. When he'd woken up that morning... He wanted to press that handy redo button that would set everything back to normal. Before he got drunk and before he did whatever he did with Neji after the stumble to his apartment.

At some point they could have talked. They could have worked things out. They could have done a lot of things before it came to this.

Honestly he didn't think Neji would be the first to throw a punch, either. The shock of the hit made it hard for him to ground himself, falling forward all too easily when Neji yanked him towards him. The other had the benefit of height, although it was only by an inch or two, his anger rising when he had to look up at that angry face.

"I don't think anything, Hyuuga! BECAUSE it's been ten. Fucking. Months!" Of course he grabbed Neji's lapels as well, fingers twisting in the fabric and ramming the man with as much force as he could into that handy wall behind them, his arm tucked firmly under the man's chin.

There was a crowd starting. He could feel them staring, his nerves on edge and his voice raising considerably. This emotion was something he rarely felt, tried so hard to ignore, and wasn't entirely happy to revisit. His arm pushed down harder. "Why would I think anything, huh?! Why can't you just let this shit go?!"

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[info]infrawhite
2009-10-22 10:31 pm UTC (link)
He wouldn't be noticing the crowd for another while, especially not when Naruto insisted on temporarily cutting off his oxygen supply. The collision with the wall had already knocked the breath out of him; it was fortunate enough the impact hadn't hit his head back against it.

"You aren't, either--" He eventually forced out between struggles. The wording was by far not carefully picked, not that he would expect this conversation to go anywhere, not when they were both busy bashing one another's heads in.

It took him all of two more seconds to decide he needed to breathe more regularly and all but pulled the blond in closer by his collar to make the kick to his stomach more effective. Despite both of them having martial arts experience, their scuffle wasn't very refined, a fact that didn't surprise him and didn't hold him back from tumbling both of them to the ground.

Neji wasn't looking for a comparison of skills and strategies. At this moment in time, he wanted to beat sense into Naruto, or give him the opportunity to do so to himself, until something, anything took a change.

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[info]impellere
2009-10-23 01:16 am UTC (link)
Unfortunately for Naruto he knew all too well what a million eyes on him felt like. All he'd wanted to do was find a close friend that would allow him to practically attach to their side so that the big, bad crowd didn't make his lungs constrict. Anything was wonderful distraction, the drowsy effect of alcohol making him vulnerable. Only now he was lashing out instead of keeping that feeling inside, not at all taking it easy on Neji even though only half of Naruto's anxiety was his fault.

Falling backwards to collide with the hard floor again brought enough of his sense back to release that one, his spine now hurt like a bitch, and two, he was an idiot for leaving himself so open, his stomach already twisting and cramping where Neji's knee had lodged into his abdomen. Sure he hadn't kept to his training like he should have, but that was pathetic. He sucked in his breath pushed up against the other man in order to flip him over, his fist ramming into Neji's chest.

Knock the wind out of him. Flip him. Proceed to beat the shit out of him. This spur of the moment plan seemed awesome.

"I'm not doing shit 'cause it doesn't matter! You got that?!" Another punch, this time aimed towards Neji's collarbone. Screw the height difference, he wanted the bastard off of him NOW.

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[info]infrawhite
2009-10-23 01:49 am UTC (link)
"Nonsense," He hissed in return, because if anything was really just that simple, they wouldn't have even reached this point. The fact that not even now did Naruto seem to realize this was infuriating. "If nothing matters-"

But there was a force behind those pushes and punches that made his prior concern retrieving the function to breathe from his aching upper body as he indeed rolled over, grabbing the blond's shoulder in an attempt to slam him down again, but it wasn't a particularly well-coordinated move.

Still.

He wasn't going to accept getting the full blame. Naruto hadn't treated him normally for the longest time, either, until at some point, their awkwardness provoked more and more anger. And now this. With Naruto having gained the upper hand, the main occupation of his own hands was keeping Naruto's from doing more serious damage.

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[info]impellere
2009-10-23 02:00 am UTC (link)
What could he even say to that? He could waste the whole night punching and kicking and coming up with a million excuses for why things were the way they were. After all it wasn't like he exactly knew the reason behind any of his actions up until now. The reason for avoiding Neji or even how the other felt about the situation weren't obvious even now while they tousled on the floor.

Neji kept saying stupid things that made no sense. Naruto kept hitting. To release some sort of inner rage or shut Neji up? Couldn't decide. Either felt like good choices right about now as he looked down at the bastard trying to haul him off, his body turning into dead weight. He wouldn't be moved. While Neji blocked Naruto tried to get through, his fingers twisting in the man's shirt again to haul him up and deliver another blow to his jaw. They were sloppy at best and his grip wasn't near as tight as it should be to keep Neji in place.

All these 'friends' in the room and everyone clustering around for the show like a bunch of high school brats. Things never do change do they...

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[info]oriental_dragon
2009-10-23 03:41 am UTC (link)
It was not that she had been trying to ignore the fight. It was not that the young woman had been neglecting her responsibilities of keeping the room as fit as possible for when it would turn back into the faculty lounge after the party was over that she had not attempted to break up the brawl yet. -- Because technically and officially, they were not allowed to be here. Unofficially, Tenten was in charge of everything that happened. -- It was because Tenten could not, for the life of her, manage to find a break in the gathering crowd to actually get to Naruto and Neji in order to stop them.

From across the room, it was impossible to see who exactly had thrown the first punch. Or to even hear the initial shouts of anger that came afterwards over the boom of the music. But the resounding slam that ultimately stopped everyone in their tracks had caught all of their attention. And before she could even attempt to come over there to break the two up, a wall of flesh and bodies had formed, standing in the way of saving her friends from having another fight within these hallowed halls.

And trying to find a crack of space between bodies was getting her nowhere.

The longer the fight wore on, and more it was apparent that the party-goers would not allow her to pass by, the shorter Tenten's patience became. Until there was only one solution that she could think of to end this madness. The sword resting at her hip was blunt and mostly for display. But it was still every bit as menacing as it appeared. And brandishing it out did well to clear a path towards the center of all attention.

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