Well I decided to try my hand a one of those things where you get a table of prompts and try writing drabbles for them. This is for the 30_romances community (thought I'd start small hopefully it'll mean I can finish them all) :) They haven't confirmed me on the community yet but I'm gonna post this anyway.

Prompt: 5# Magic

She squinted into the darkness, trying to find and extract her sleeping bag from the mess that was her backpack. During the course of their day's travelling it had somehow managed to work it's way down to very bottom, tangling itself around their cooking equipment and a few of her weapons scrolls. Managing to slice her finger on a rogue kunai (she could swear she'd sealed all of them into her scrolls but apparently she'd missed one) she cursed and threw the bag down in frustration.

'I hate this.'

Her travelling companion, predictably, didn't reply. One thing she'd learnt in the past few days that was Aburame Shino really didn't like wasting words. On the downside it made her feel like she was talking to herself alot of the time but on the plus side when he did make some contribution to the conversation it tended to be worth listening to. He was actually a remarkably insightful individual when he chose to be. And hey after years of her missions being filled with observations on the 'springtime of youth' she would gladly take a little peace and quiet.

'I mean, I know we can't have a fire or flashlights or any unnatural light because our target might spot us. But there just had to be no moon tonight didn't there? I can't see anything at all.'

Another thing she'd realised over the course of this mission was that Shino was... different to anyone else she knew. He was a little bit strange. But in a really, really good way. In a 'she might well be developing a bit of a ridiculous crush' kinda way. Damn, why did she always have to fall for the emotionally unavaliable ones?

Sticking her injured finger into her mouth and sucking at the freely bleeding cut she contemplated just doing without the damn sleeping bag. Maybe I could convince Shino to share his? she thought with a wicked grin, imagining the bug ninja's reaction if she suggested such a thing.

He finally decided to contribute to her rather onesided conversation and TenTen shook herself out of her (rather perverted) daydream to listen,

'Perhaps we can use....natural light.'

Pointing up at the nonexsistant moon she cocked an eyebrow and waited for him to respond. Then realised much to her embarrassment....well that it was freakin' pitch black and he probably couldn't even see where she was pointing. Clearing her throat, she responded verbally.

'As I said.... no moon so I think we're pretty screwed on the 'natural light' front.'

'I did not mean the moon. Watch.'

He stood, a barely discernable blacker smudge against the darkness and she thought he was lifting his hands into his fighting stance but she couldn't quite tell.

There was a streak of yellow light that moved out of the woods to rest on Shino's outstretched hand.

Then gradually more and more fireflies appeared, drawn to the tall boy settling on his arms and shoulders illuminating the camp site in a pale gold light.

'Oh wow....'

She breathed, awestruck by the display in front of her. It was hard to resist clapping her hands together in delight, like a child.

'It's like magic...'

Normally she wouldn't say anything of the sort about ninja powers. But sitting here in this glade surrounded by little glowing, living creatures....

Well it was magical there was no other way to describe it.

Shino subtley inclined his head towards her and some of the bugs drifted in her direction, doing lazy laps around her head and making her laugh.

' They use the light for locating others of the same species and for....courtship. To impress the females.'

Oh to impress the females eh?

He'd been looking at her rather fixedly when he'd said the last part of that sentence and she could have sworn she saw the faintest tinges of a blush on his cheeks. Not that it was easy to tell in the semi-darkness.

'Oh so they put on flashy lighting displays to attract girls huh?'

'If...'

He paused and she thought it was the first time she'd ever seen him uncertain. It was...kinda cute.

Oh god, she really had it bad didn't she?

'If the females...accept the mate they generally flash their own signals back.'

She tilted her head to look at him in the eerie glow of the fireflies. What little she could see of his face betrayed nothing but she was sure he was totally flirting with her. In his own understated way.

'Hmm.... really.'

Grinning she looked around rather theatrically, one finger pressed to the side of her mouth as if in question.

'Well all I can manage are exploding tags, but I think if I incinerate the surrounding trees I might kinda blow our cover don't you? So how about a different kind of signal instead...'

The fireflies fled him as she approached and wrapped her arms around his neck. Gently but firmly she pressed her lips to his, giving him a chance to pull away. After-all she could be wrong about this....Shino was hard to read at the best of times, she might be way off base here.

'Those signals are indeed acceptable.'

He sounded more out of breath than he should after a single kiss and his hold on her tightened as if afraid she would change her mind and try to back away. Well he needn't worry about that....backing away was possibly the last thing on her mind.

If he needed any reassurance, she was pretty sure he got the message once their second kiss started to heat up. And that was definately magic.