Old Friends [Shino/Open]

[Hinata-chan]

The sun was bright. Even a little bit too bright, considering it was Autumn. Still, the young woman walked down the dust-coated sidewalk, somehow filled with a sense of anxiousness. This was odd, considering that she was only going for a simple cup of coffee. She didn't even know if she was going to get coffee. There were so many choices to be made... But they weren't large choices. They were just small decisions, such as whether to get her usual cup of coffee or to take a step and try the iced latte for once. It *was* pretty hot out, after all.

She shrugged off all the decision-making that there was to do as she reached her hand out toward the golden "push" panel on the door. She stepped inside the cool building. The smell of coffee was a familiar one for usual customers. Although she didn't seem the type that would go to a Starbucks, Hinata loved going there every once in a while just to relax and drink a cup of coffee or so. Sure, it was expensive, but, she didn't really mind.

A small smile crossed her lips as she took a seat at a small table. She didn't know what to get quite yet, thus, she decided to take a seat and glance at the menu for the time being. There were so many different types of coffee on the menu. She didn't know how to pronounce half of them by the way they looked.

Letting out a small sigh, she read over the bold-printed words once more. It was a bit lonely. She didn't have any company, after all. At times like this, Hinata wondered what happened to her old friends. She had run into a few of them, but, not exactly the ones she was now yearning to see once more.

Kiba and Shino had been her best friends back at Konoha high. She let out a small giggle as she remembered what an odd group they were. Hinata, the shy heiress to the entire Hyuuga company. Kiba, the energetic dog-specialist. Shino, the quiet, controlling bug-enthusiast. Sometimes, she wondered how she fit in with them. She didn't specialize in any type of animal. Still, the two were like older brothers to her.

She closed her eyes. "I wonder where they are now..." she thought as she smiled to herself. For all she knew, they went to the same high school as her.

[Shino]

Brightness. The sun shone above his head. Shino pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It was a good thing he was wearing those darkened glasses. It was so bright outdoors, he didn't know how someone could go around without wearing a pair.

The day was unusually bright for the Fall. Shino walked along the sidewalk, trying to use the shadows of tree branches and such to his advantage.

Silently, he proceeded until he reached his destination of the day--Starbucks. It was a decent place. He usually came there to do research on his laptop while enjoying a cup of coffee, but, today, he was just there to relax. He was curious as to if it would work in relaxing him. Shrugging inwardly, Shino figured it would be rather boring. What relaxation could one find out of drinking coffee alone?

He soon came to the building he was looking for. He walked up to the door and pushed it open with his shoulder. His hands remained in his pockets. A few stares came from the people working the counter for that day. He rolled his eyes behind his glasses.

[glow=red,2,300]One thing people have to learn--Just because you're wearing a high-necked, long coat doesn't mean you're selling drugs.[/glow]

He thought to himself.

Behind the tinted lenses, Shino scanned the crowd, stepping to the side so that he wasn't blocking the door. There were groups upon groups of friends, sitting and chatting. A bit different to everything else, however, there was one table where there was a girl sitting alone. She had a familiar look to her. Of course, there was no way he could know for sure. After all, he was looking at her from behind.

After a while, he finally realized who it was after catching a glimpse of her face. It was none other than his old friend, Hinata. He had been wondering how she and Kiba were doing. He smiled slightly behind his high collar. He soon found himself walking over to her table.

He sat down casually, wondering if she would know who he was. He figured that she would. They were friends, after all. He would feel pretty bad if she didn't remember him. He remembered all his old friends. Why wouldn't they remember him?

"Hello, Hinata."

That was a simple enough way to state who he was. He knew her name. Being Hinata was always decently sharp, she probably would recognize his voice. Yes, it had been quite a while since they had talked or anything, but, it would be nice to get reacquainted.