Fireworks

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Tonight, Temari was wearing red. A short, red, off the shoulder dress, to be exact. It was, to be honest, uncharacteristically modest - she simply wasn't out for that sort of good time tonight.

She wove through the crowd of the party, wishing suddenly that she'd worn a jacket of some kind - the museum was freezing and she was beginning to regret the choice to bare her shoulders. You'd never know it if you looked at her though.

She hated to admit it but she was actually looking for company, having long since ditched the guy that she'd arrived with. The truth was that she hadn't intended to be at this party at all but since her (inconsiderate, no-good) brothers had ditched her at the last minute, she'd taken him (a good friend who, though he was mad about her, she had absolutely no romantic interest in) up on his offer and accompanied him to his company's New Years' Eve party.

She'd stuck with him for over an hour but then he became engrossed in a riveting discussion about Jackson Pollock and forgot all about her. Only mildly perturbed, Temari had slipped away and started to cruise around the room, searching the sea of people for a familiar face.

Unfortunately, she had yet to find any. She was perplexed (it was rare that she could go anywhere without meeting at least one person she knew) and more than a little frustrated – the whole point of going out tonight was to avoid spending New Years' Eve alone but it seemed like being surrounded by laughing, chattering strangers was just what she didn't need.

She stopped walking then and leaned against a table - her heels were killing her. She was just contemplating taking them off when she saw him. She didn't recognize him instantly (after all, he hadn't left that much of an impression) but there was something in his demeanour that seemed familiar.

Temari tilted her head, watching him carefully - she was too far for him to notice her but still close enough to get a full view of him – all she had to do was shift slightly so that her view was totally unobstructed. Tall and lanky but well built, he was slouching, his expression bored and just a little bit sullen - it was obvious that he wasn't very interested in this party either. 'I know you,' she thought, 'but from where?'

He looked up suddenly and she thought, for a moment, that he had noticed her but he looked to the right instead. Temari followed his gaze - a pretty, blond girl ('Girlfriend?') was waving him over and saying something, although Temari couldn't hear it from her perch. He sighed and rose, reluctance colouring his every motion as he made his way, still slouching, now with his hands in his pockets, slowly over to where the girl was standing.

The look on the blond's face clearly showed her growing aggravation and Temari could tell that lazy boy was in for an earful when he finally made it over there. She couldn't blame the girl though - Temari also hated to be kept waiting.

When he reached his blond companion, Temari moved closer and perched on another table in such a way that she could see and hear what was going on. She told herself it was because she wanted to know who this guy was, assuming that hearing his voice would jog her memory.

"Shikamaru-kun, this is my boss, Tsunade-sama," the blond said in a deceptively calm voice, gesturing to a beautiful, mature woman standing next to her. This lady, Tsunade was obviously used to being the boss - Temari could sense the air of authority around her.

"And Tsunade-sama, this is my friend, Shikamaru Nara." Shikamaru and Tsunade shook hands while Temari racked her brain, 'Shikamaru Nara?' Naturally, the name didn't ring a bell.

When she returned her focus to their conversation, lazy boy a.k.a. Shikamaru was speaking, "...it can be a difficult line of work, I suppose, but it's something that I enjoy."

Temari's eyes widened as she heard his voice, 'Oh! Lazy boy is the guy from the club. I remember him! Which is kind of strange considering how long ago that was.'

Now that she had identified him, Temari lost interest and tuned out the conversation going on behind her. Instead, she returned her attention to her sore feet. 'I'm going to chuck these shoes over the first balcony I see - they are so - "

"Enjoy the conversation?"

Temari straightened, shocked because she hadn't even noticed his approach, but still managed to smirk as she turned to face him, "So you noticed me?"

He shrugged, "You weren't particularly stealthy. We've met before, right?"

Temari nodded, "A club, a few months ago."

He nodded, "Right, I remember. You made me pay for your drink."

Temari tilted her head quizzically, "Did I?" She honestly couldn't remember.

He shrugged, shifted his gaze from her to the crowd, "It doesn't matter – it's not like I want the money back or anything."

"I wouldn't have paid you back, even if you did."

He glanced at her as a frown began to form on his face, "I'm not surprised." Then he looked away, the boredom settling on his face once again.

Temari studied him, wondering whether or not to continue their conversation - his indifference was kind of irritating but at least, she wasn't alone. She decided to stick around a bit longer, see if he had anything interesting to say, "So why are you at this party anyway? You obviously don't want to be here. Did your girlfriend drag you?" she asked, glancing in Ino's direction.

He turned to face her, the frown fully formed now, "Ino? My girlfriend?" He shook his head, "She's just a friend, but you're right – she did drag me here."

Temari didn't respond, just nodded.

He eyed her, "Are you here alone? Or with 'some people' like last time?"

"I'm not exactly alone."

He considered her, then suddenly shrugged out of his jacket and held it out to her. She blinked at it, shocked, "Wh – ?

"Aren't you cold? Put it on." She hadn't even realized that she'd shivered while speaking.

Temari frowned at him, she wasn't sure why but the way he brandished it at her was really annoying her. Nevertheless, she was cold and he was offering so she snatched it out of his hand and put it on quickly. The jacket still retained most of Shikamaru's body heat and she unconsciously pulled it closer, reveling in the much needed warmth.

"Thanks," she muttered, although she hadn't originally intended to say anything.

He nodded absently, his eyes on the clock, "The countdown's gonna start soon."

She glanced at the clock as well – two minutes to twelve. "You're right." She glanced at him, took in his profile, ('You know, he's not bad looking.') then asked, "Do you have any resolutions?"

"Sleep more. Drink less coffee. You?"

She shook her head, "Nope, I don't make resolutions."

He glanced at her, "Really?"

"No, not really. I've actually got a pretty long list."

He raised an eyebrow - she assumed that he was wondering why she lied, "What's number one?"

She suddenly started to feel unnerved. She wasn't sure why, maybe it was the intent way that he was now looking at her, so different from his usual expression, "Be a better person."

He nodded, "You'll keep it - I'm sure of that."

Just then, the countdown began. Twenty...

"How can you be so sure? You don't even know me."

Nineteen...

Eighteen...

He caught her eyes, "You're the type of woman who always gets things done. I can see that."

Seventeen...

Sixteen...

She shrugged, feigning nonchalance, "Well, you're right. I won't stand for mediocrity" (Fifteen...) 'And you have mediocre written all over you.'

But still she didn't leave, even though she knew that her date would be looking all for her. He probably wanted to kiss her at midnight, as if she'd actually do something that corny.

Twelve...

Eleven...

"What's your name anyway?"

Ten..

"Why do you ask?"

He frowned and she could see that he was starting to get annoyed, "Troublesome...Do you always answer questions with questions?"

Eight...

"Only yours," she responded before bursting into laughter at the sour look on his face. Annoying him was fun - besides, it seemed to be the only way to get a response from him.

Around them, the noise was getting louder as it got closer to midnight. Five...

"Forget it - I don't need to know."

Four...

"Relax, I was just messing with you. Come on - a new year's starting. You should be excited. Everyone else is."

Three...

He gave her a look, then shrugged and turned away but Temari noticed that his frown seemed to lessen significantly.

Two...

One!

Just as the clock struck midnight and the place exploded in a mass of noise and confetti, Shikamaru heard a sultry voice whisper, "It's Temari. Happy now?"

He turned around to see her but she was already weaving her way through the confusion, although she did turn back to throw a 'Happy New Year' and a smirk over her shoulder.

Shikamaru watched her go and tried to shake off the response that her voice had prompted - this woman was even more trouble than he'd imagined.

Temari started to look for her real date, unable to keep the grin off of her face - she'd actually managed to have some fun this evening and she'd started the new year in a pretty interesting way. It made her wonder just what this year would hold for her...

A/N: Sometimes I read this and I think it's good, sometimes I read it and I think it's bad. Why don't you tell me what you think? It's very likely that I'll continue this but it won't be soon so we'll just treat this as a one-shot for now, okay? Thanks for reading!