It was a beautiful spring day, the sunlight streaming warmth down upon the ground. It was just the beginning of the season, so winter was still not going down without a fight. Thus the cold breeze mixed with the lazy, hot sunlight made it the perfect day for cloud gazing.
Shikamaru liked these kinds of days. Every one was out and about getting work done before the summer heat struck them with sweat, fatigue, thirst, hunger. Nobody had time to bother him. Missions were slower. His mother was always in a bit of a happier mood and actually enjoyed kicking Shikamaru out for the day so that she and her husband could spend time together (which made Shikamaru smile, because this was the time that Shikaku, his father, actually enjoyed, for that one reason). Taking in a deep, relaxing breath, Shikamaru closed his eyes and began to doze as he lay in the green grass, listening to the birds sing and the insects chirp, the wind whistle through the leaves…
He peeked open an eye as he heard a thud next to his head.
Sitting next to him, in her usual black kimono and wearing her usual serious expression, was Subaku no Temari, ambassador from the country Suna. He was surprised to see her here… In fact, he was surprised to see her at all. She had been cooped up in her guesthouse for the past week or so, working fiercely on her paperwork and sending airmail to her homeland in order to relay messages between the Kages. She must have finally neared the end of her latest project.
He took another deep, steady breath, smiling to himself as he closed his peeking eye.
"Decided you missed the sunlight?" he asked, in a drowsy voice. He was actually grateful for her company. Temari was a fascinating woman. He'd never admit it out loud, of course.
The blonde girl shifted in the grass, lying down on her back, too. She kept her hands clasped and resting on her belly, looking straight up at the fluffy, bright clouds hovering above them.
"I've finally finished what I was doing, and I promised I would meet you here sometime. So here I am," she responded with a laugh in her voice, as warm as the sunlight heating up their bodies.
Shikamaru sighed in what sounded like irritation, turning his head towards hers. "Yeah, but I told you I wanted to meet you here at night. It's much more worthwhile at night. But of course you knew that."
Temari chuckled smugly, meeting his gaze, her eyes sparkling with rays of the sun. In the reflection of her eyes there were clouds, and Shikamaru found himself watching them like he watched the sky.
"Sorry about that. I was just itching to see you, is all, so I couldn't wait. I'll leave you alone if you'd like," she said with an understanding smile. "I know how much you enjoy your lonely cloud-watching."
Shikamaru shook his head, looking back up at the clouds. Make her leave and be at peace again? Or savor the intense and troublesome excitement that her company brought him? Of course, he knew that telling her to go away would be fantastic, since it would shock her out of her wits.
"Of course you don't have to leave."
Temari blinked in satisfaction, having expected that answer. She studied his face for a little bit, before turning on her side to laze in the grass. The day was pretty and it was times like this when all of her home-sick feelings were smacked away by the happiness she felt when she was here, in Konoha. And so, who better to spend this day with than the very person who understood her the best? After all, this seventeen year-old man had slowly become her best friend.
In fact, a few of Shikamaru's old habits had begun to rub off on the sand-kunzite, including ones that used to get on her nerves. She, too, sighed deep and long, feeling her eyes start to be weighed down with the drowsy mood. Yep, nothing like lying in the grass with a good friend, in the beautiful weather…
She was in restless mood, however, so she sat up, supporting her upper-body with her arms. "Sit with me?"
Reflecting her movements, Shikamaru grunted lazily and slowly sat up. He waited for her to make the next move. She did, turning on her butt and gently throwing herself backwards until the couple sat back-to-back. It was something Temari had convinced Shikamaru to do with her, at least every once in a while, and Shikamaru never complained. He knew Temari was the type of person who was very outward with her affections, and he didn't want to try and change a thing about her. Besides, now he could watch the clouds on the horizon, too.
She began to chat to him about her week, describing what kind of work she was doing and how important it was. She mentioned that she had gone out to dinner with all of the girls one night, Ino, Tenten, Sakura, Hinata, and they had even added Anko to the list. Temari had become good friends with her, too, since Anko was often visiting the Hokage's office as much as Temari. They had a bit in common despite their age difference.
Temari talked, talked, talked, and did not shut up. He listened to her quietly, biting his lip, watching the clouds roll by. He enjoyed listening to the different emotions in her voice; what once used to be a mystery to him was starting to become clearer. As the days passed by he was learning more and more about her, starting to understand her inquisitive mind. Maybe that was why he could tell today that something was the matter. Temari's voice was fake and dull, as if she was trying to hide something from him. Her breathing was heavy and it was obvious that his friend was disturbed.
"Temari, what's on your troublesome mind?" he asked, putting more tempos into his voice for the first time that day. Temari leaned her head back on his left shoulder.
"What do you mean? There's nothing on my mind," she replied confidently. A gentle breeze ruffled both of their hair, while Shikamaru was silent for an instant.
"Temari, Temari. Troublesome Temari. You can't ever fool me. You're restless and you've been talking nonstop for the past forty minutes. You never act this way except on the days that you are uneasy and need my advice."
He reached an arm over his shoulder and tugged on a small strand of her beautifully styled hair. He had always loved the feel of her hair - not that he touched it often. It was just so unique.
There was stillness on the other end. Temari flicked her gaze downwards, watching the grass dance with the spring wind. She should have known that Shikamaru would see beyond her exterior. But he was right about one thing, at least. There was something else that made her act like this, and that disposition happened to be upon her that day. She decided that she would try and tell Shikamaru what was really happening with her. She just needed time to prepare. Boy, was he going to be surprised.
"I'll tell you what's on my mind… If you meet me here tonight, ten 'o'clock, I'll explain. Most everyone will be sleeping by then, so it'll just be us two."
Shikamaru frowned. That was not a Temari-like thing for her to do to wait until later. She was just the type of person who got things over with as soon as possible even if she was on vacation. Now he was extremely curious. He shifted uncomfortably, feeling the tickling of her one-of-a-kind hair against the back of his neck.
"Alright. I'll be here."
Temari's belly tightened with sudden anticipation, so she stood up, glancing at Shikamaru before beginning to clamber away, walking backwards.
"Good!"
Then she turned around and hurried away, leaving Shikamaru to watch her with furrowed brows.
Shikamaru could not place Temari's troubles. It had been bothering him for the past few hours, ever since the girl had departed for the later meeting. She always had days where she seemed uncomfortable, not like herself, but today… There was just something in her voice and the way she leaned against his back so gingerly that made him feel like it was much more different than the norm.
But why?
He was sitting in a restaurant, barely having touched his meal of pork and rice; he could never really eat much when he was thinking hard. On the other hand, his other best friend, Chouji, ate even when he wasn't hungry. As much as it disgusted Ino, Chouji's girlfriend, they still managed to keep a workable relationship. Even though it did get a little rocky at times.
Love can conquer barriers, Shikamaru thought to himself with a thoughtful smile. That was something his father liked to boast to him.
And when his mind wandered back on track, to Temari, that was when he had an unexpected visit by a very unlikely person. He looked up as an older blonde – amazingly, not Temari - sat down at the same table across from him, a knowing smirk on her beautiful face.
"Hokage-sama? What are you doing here of all places?" he greeted warmly.
Tsunade put her elbows on the table and rolled her eyes. "Well, Jiraiya had been so kind enough to invite me out to dinner tonight, the tab all on him, claiming that he was going to take me to a fancy place that 'I would die for'…" She glanced over at the nearby bar, where laughter erupted from one hardy man as he had his arm around the waist of an attractive young woman. Tsunade turned back to the teenager with an angry expression. "Well, he ran into an old friend and now I'm stuck here by myself waiting for him to finish his business. I tell you, dammit, someone will certainly be dying tonight!"
She waved a fist madly in the air as Shikamaru smiled at the old woman. He couldn't honestly say he had supported Tsunade as becoming the next Hokage when she first stepped into rank, but he had grown out of it almost right away. Tsunade was one heck of a Hokage. Just meant for the job, he had soon praised.
But he wasn't in the mood for laughing, talking, or approving of the mighty Hokage. He just couldn't stop thinking about her. Troublesome Temari. The only girl he ever bothered to go out of his way for. Now he was out of sync with his thinking train.
It was almost as if Tsunade read his mind, because her annoyed look turned into an amused smile, and she leaned forward mischievously, resting her fists underneath her chin. This caused Shikamaru to raise a brow and take a sip of his hot tea. He already didn't like where this was going. Stupid women's intuition was always getting him into trouble...
"So," she started, looking down at his plate full of food. She grabbed his chopsticks and began pecking at his leftovers. Shikamaru didn't care; it would have just gone to waste anyway. After she chewed a piece of pork and swallowed it, she caught his eye and grinned. "What have you been up to lately, Nara Shikamaru?"
He wasn't exactly sure where her question was pointed, so to bide for time he took another sip of his tea and tried to strategize for a plausible answer. "Absolutely nothing."
Tsunade nodded, and it was apparent by the look on her face that she had just delved into deep thought. Meanwhile Shikamaru glanced over towards the bar again, watching Jiraiya gulp down a shot of pure alcohol.
I wonder what kind of influence this guy has on Naruto?
He looked back at Tsunade when she started speaking again. "So you have not been informed of the news, have you?"
Shikamaru urgently took another sip of his tea. "I have heard nothing out of the ordinary, Hokage-sama."
The longhaired Hokage looked confused for a moment, and starting dribbling once more at the plate full of practically untouched food. "Hmm… That's so strange…"
Shikamaru made a slightly disgusted face and sat back in his chair. Tsunade was acting weird, too. Was it pissing him off? Yes, only because he was a master genius and was expected to figure out these kinds of things on his own. "What's so strange?" At the same time he brought his hands together underneath the table and formed his 'O' of concentration. Pieces to the puzzle, pieces to the puzzle… "You know, Temari was acting differently today, too," he added dryly.
Suddenly Tsunade's face was turned back up to him, and she looked so serious that Shikamaru actually grew afraid.
"…"
"……….."
There was a long moment of silence that passed between the two of them, and finally, the Hokage rose to her feet, chewed one last piece of pork, and waved goodbye. "Well, Shikamaru, it was good to see you. You should expect to see me in my office sometime; I just got a couple of missions in that I'm just now signing agreements to. Sorry for interrupting your dinner. I'll probably be seeing you later tonight." She turned away with a bright smile and stomped over towards the bar, leaving Shikamaru even more confused than ever.
"…What the hell?" he cursed under his breath, ignoring the shouting that came from the other side of the restaurant.
What had gotten into everyone today?
He needed to get some more fresh air before he met Temari. He couldn't think straight. He was getting distracted, losing his focus… No thanks to Tsunade. He stood up from his seat, threw some coins onto the table, and wandered out of the restaurant.
Not many people were out that evening, which was strange. Happy hour had just finished – usually folks would be storming out of bars and restaurants, heading for a nightclub or a shopping center, where they could play the night away. Shikamaru frowned, trudging along the streets with his hands stuffed in his pockets.
For the first thirteen minutes, he had not passed by one person. Not one at all. For a moment, he considered seeking out some friends to get the scoop on all of this troublesome nonsense, but then he decided better of it. Besides, he liked owning the streets.
Finally, there was some activity. An older man passed by on the opposite side of the road. Next, a woman with a sleeping newborn baby cradled in her pale arms stalked forward. A group of younger kids carrying an inexpensive set of fireworks spared nothing more than a passing glance. Everyone looked like they were in a hurry, and they were all dressed pretty nicely. With an angry sigh, Shikamaru took a sudden turn at an alleyway, hoping to take a short cut to avoid any more peculiar people. He just wasn't in the mood.
He immediately regretted taking a different route.
"E…Ew," he stuttered, his cheeks growing hot with embarrassment.
There, in full few, was Neji, with his hands aggressively groping Tenten as she hovered provocatively against the clay wall behind her. They both immediately broke apart from one another, gasping for breath, and just as mortified as their unexpected audience.
"Oh. Shikamaru. Hi," Tenten awkwardly greeted as she pulled her fingers through her hair. Most of it had been pulled out of their ribbons and hung wildly around her face.
Shikamaru made eye contact with Neji, who looked both angry and bewildered at the interruption of intimacy… Or whatever they decided to call it.
"Excuse me," Shikamaru said without even a nod of the head, turning quickly on his heels to abandon the scene. Instead of taking the streets, he jumped up to the rooftops and began to hop away. Nobody followed him, and he was relieved for that. He guessed, however, that the hot couple would be hiding away to a more private area.
Thankfully, he thought to himself with a grimace. He didn't need to see that, not to tonight, when his mind was already clouded with more important things. Which reminded him, he realized as he looked up at the dark horizon. Temari would be waiting for him in just a little bit. He changed his direction and ran against the wind.
Shikamaru was at the meeting place before Temari was. He stood with his hands in his pockets, his head tilted upwards as he gazed at the night sky. Crickets were chirping, but the birds had quieted a while ago. His heart was pounding.
He started to get fidgety as he waited for her, kicking at the grass with his toes, and scratching the back of his neck. He had plenty of time to forget about dinner and the make-out party, and so his mind was thinking of nothing but his female friend.
Temari had seemed very… He wasn't sure what the right word was. To Shikamaru, Temari had lately been acting stranger and stranger, so out of character; much less aggressive, a lot more laid back, and definitely much more feminine. She giggled and laughed a lot, too, and everyday she became more and more open with her feelings.
They were, of course, very good friends. Temari had become as close of an acquaintance as Chouji already was to him. Even though they lived in different homes and lived by different customs, they were a lot more similar than they sometimes liked to admit.
They still had the occasional argument as well. Their clashing spirits hadn't truly changed. Sometimes they sparred together; Temari had yet to beat him in a duel, but he could tell that it wasn't bothering her as much as it had the first time they fought recreationally.
They were just… Good friends, healthy rivals. Right?
So why… Why was he standing here waiting for her on this beautiful night? Not knowing what she wanted or why he was really there… And why did his chat with Tsunade leave him so disgruntled? Feeling a burst of more restlessness he sat down in the grass, rubbing his eyes nervously. He hadn't had a real mission in a while and he was surprised how much energy he had lately. Hopefully Temari wasn't going to ask him to help her with her paperwork again.
His guard was down and he didn't hear the approaching footsteps in time to prepare for her arrival. He was about to stand up to meet her when Temari dropped herself onto the ground next to him. She gave him a nervous smile and punched his right shoulder affectionately, while Shikamaru just merely looked forward towards the stars. She wasn't wearing her normal attire, he noted. It looked like a re-creation of her old one, the one she was wearing when they first met –except much fancier. Interesting.
"Thanks for coming," she said, starting the conversation first. She sounded just as nervous as he felt, he realized. But that didn't comfort him one bit.
"Hrm. Not too troublesome."
He looked over at her and realized he was acting a little standoffish, so he smiled at his friend to urge her on. She smiled back. His heart skipped two beats and he almost lost track of the next sentence to come out of her mouth.
"Before I tell you anything, I want you to spar with me. One vs. one, Taijutsu. We've been talking about practicing that for days."
It took a moment for him to reply; he was expecting this entire night to be awkward, confusing, and completely unexpected. At least he got one attribute right – he hadn't prepared for her to pull him into a sparring match right off the bat like that.
"Umm…" Shikamaru looked at her miserably, as he was still desperate to know why he had been pulled out here in the first place. But when he caught her eye, he saw how much she wanted him to say yes. She must have had something planned. He could tell. "Alright, then."
She smiled victoriously and watched him stand up, then mirrored him. She tossed her fan, which had been strapped to her back, to the side, and pulled out a kunai. "If I win… You do whatever I want. Ready, then?"
Shikamaru was eager for a fight now, his blood pumping as he reached into his own weapon pouch. The stakes didn't bother him since his chances of winning were ridiculously high. If he did happen to lose, well… What could Temari make him do that was so bad? He didn't answer her and instead concentrated on studying their surroundings, Temari's posture, where her eyes might stray… But her gaze was firmly planted in his and she didn't betray her plan. She was too smart for that, the troublesome woman. He had no more time to think; Temari had begun the battle, advancing full speed on her tiptoes.
The first slash from her kunai was easily dodged as Shikamaru blocked it with a weapon of his own. The metal on metal made a familiar clang - but Temari shook him off and spun around his left side, attempting to stab him from behind. Her kunai made contact with his flesh – and then Shikamaru, with a puff of smoke, turned into a log. The substitution technique. The female ninja laughed out loud and looked around momentarily, searching the territory for a sign of her opponent.
She wasn't stationary for long – the whistle of steel through air sung from behind her, and faster than lightning she knocked three shurikens away. With a reflex as quick as lightning, she tossed her kunai into Shikamaru's hiding place. He escaped the deadly weapon and was back into the open once more.
"Warmed up yet?" Temari inquired of him, a small, hot breeze blowing stray strands of hair away from her face. She saw Shikamaru's cocky smile appear, and realized his answer would be a yes. He was ready to fight. She, too, grinned from ear to ear. She loved his eager-face.
Both began a sprint towards one another until they were about two feet away in distance. Then the second round began in one fluid motion - Shikamaru struck out with a forearm towards her head. Temari ducked and dodged his quick strike, retaliating with a jab of her own. She aimed for his torso, but he easily whipped around to stand behind her. Acting quickly, he swung his right leg out just as she was trying to stand up in hopes to knock off her balance, but she hopped over his leg just in time. Now once more they stood staring each other down.
"What about you?" Shikamaru teased, brushing dust off of his Jounin vest quite aristocratically. "I think I see you're already breaking a sweat. Apparently you need to work out more."
Temari laughed again, putting a hand on her hip. Shikamaru's eyes wandered to that hip and he chewed on the inside of his cheek subconsciously. He had to admit sometimes that Temari was just so vexing.
"Warmed up, yes, but I'm not overheated yet," was her challenging reply.
Before she let the conversation continue, the blonde haired Shinobi tried out something new. Pulling two kunais and some shurikens from her weapons pouch, she tossed one blade to Shikamaru's right, one to his left, and the shurikens she threw towards his other escape routes. As he leapt into the air, she, too, pushed off the ground to pursue him, and they met in midair.
Shikamaru had half expected this, but he was finding it a little hard to concentrate as he battled his female friend. He was able to grab Temari's arm as she went for a punch to his face, and he blocked a kick with his knee. He didn't, however, expect what she was about to do next.
As the sailed towards the ground, Temari had flipped herself so that Shikamaru was now above her. She slammed against the hard ground, the breath knocked away from her lungs, but she didn't let it defeat her. Shikamaru was a bit stunned as he watched two pale legs pin his arms to his side. Coming to his senses, he tried to pull away in a fit, but Temari owned the situation. She sucked air into her lungs and rolled herself over until she was now the one straddling Shikamaru. But just as she went to put a kunai to his throat, he managed to pull an arm out of her vice-like leg grip. In instant both had the kunais to each other's throats. That last grapple had taken a bit of energy out of them both, and they sat there panting for a few moments.
"It's a draw," he said, smirking up at the foreign ninja. He put his weapon away and looked into her eyes. She didn't seem at all concerned with having lost the battle in a draw, in fact, she seemed greatly proud. He raised a brow speculatively.
But before a word could be said in question, Shikamaru watched helplessly as Temari closed the gap between their faces. Her lips were suddenly moving against his, gentle-like, but it took a moment longer for Shikamaru's confusion to dissipate. It was when he began to kiss her back that she added more passion into the lip-lock.
He shuddered eagerly underneath her. As astonishing as her advancement had been, he found himself enjoying her. A whole lot. And when he dropped his kunai and it rattled against the hard ground, he slid his arms down her back, until his hands were at her tiny waist. He guessed she liked that as much as he did, since she arced her spine to draw herself closer against his body.
But he didn't get to enjoy it for long. A cold, sharp object was suddenly pressed against his throat, and he let his head fall back into the dirt. When he looked up, Temari had a self-satisfied smile played across her face as she held her kunai threateningly to his soft flesh.
"Not a draw," she whispered, tapping her finger against the point of his nose.
Shikamaru closed his eyes in defeat. A huge grin was on his face despite the loss. "You dirty trickster."
With no remorse, she demanded her prize. "Right, so, this means you have to do whatever I want."
"What do you want after all that? My shirt off? Surely not my pants, you naughty girl."
Temari roared with laughter. When she moved off of him and stood up, she offered him a hand. He took her offer and was soon standing on his own two feet, staring at her strangely.
"No, silly. I want more than that. You're going to be my date tonight."
The confusion came back full force, and Shikamaru furrowed his thin brows. "Date? Tonight?"
Temari took a deep breath and put her kunai back into its pouch. "I managed to keep it a secret from just you."
"What's that?" he asked, looking a bit hurt. That explained Tsunade's weird behavior, apparently. But Temari? Keeping a secret from him? He didn't like it at all.
"Don't look so sad. I wanted it to be a surprise. I knew you'd love it." She reached up to his head and plucked some dead grass out of his hair nonchalantly. "My brother is getting married. To Matsuri."
Then it started to be a litter clearer. But he was still a little confused.
"Congratulations! Um. That's just wonderful. But, isn't Matsuri a bit young for Kankuro?" he questioned. Hey, if that was what Suna was into, what the hell? He was younger than Temari but he had no complaints whatsoever to what she just did to him.
As if she could hear his thoughts, Temari slapped him upside the head.
"Sometimes you're just the stupidest person I know! It's Gaara that's marrying her! Besides, she's really not all that younger than Gaara. She's was just always so quiet back in the day…" She trailed off, looking down at the ground. "Gaara is going to have the wedding here. In Konoha."
"Here?" he repeated in disbelief. "Isn't that breaking some sort of tradition?"
Then, it clicked. All of sudden he understood what was going on. All he needed to do was follow the bread crumbs. As crazy as it sounded, it was also so obvious.
"No, wait don't say anything. Suna and Konoha are planning to make their new alliance official. In order to show that, Lady Tsunade offered him to have the wedding in Konoha, a true sign of trust. Perhaps, maybe, too, Gaara will hold a reception in Suna and request the attendance of Tsunade and a few other of her most trusted Shinobi. And as for you asking me to be your date…"
He waited for her to finish his last thought.
She put two fists on her hips and her eyes sparkled. "It means you'll be eating at Gaara's table tonight, next to me. In fact, you will be eating with my family a lot more after tonight. I will get to kiss you like that more often, too. How's that sound?"
Shikamaru bit his lower lip.
"Will you seduce me into doing more things for you?" he asked, his eyes narrowed – almost mischievously.
"I'd better not have to seduce you." Her face become soft, and she reached out to wrap her arms around his neck. "If you're as attracted to me as I am to you, I mean."
He slid his arms back to her waist and grinned down at her. "I am so attracted to you that I am willing to go through with being a guest of honor at your brother's table. I'll dance with you, too, but I can't promise I won't complain. And I must love you a whole lot to leave Konoha to stay with you in Suna… The clouds there are dry and ugly."
Pulling him into a playful hug, Temari spoke against his shoulder blade, "Let's go get you dressed for your date."
It was midnight when Konoha and Suna were mingled outside in the party lights, catchy music echoing off the walls as people danced arthritically – and some very enthusiastically. The vows had been said, the rings given, and the kiss already sealed the deal.
In the beginning, things hadn't been too awkward for Shikamaru. He didn't expect much attention tonight from his friends, and so nobody had to know yet that he and Temari were official; something he knew they had all been waiting for in the past few years. They'd eat the news right up, he was certain of it. His guess had been right about the little attention, at least at first. While Shikamaru stood in the crowd at Temari's side, Chouji had come up and talked with him for a while about the wedding and how he had always thought Matsuri was closer to twelve than seventeen. The jolly eating-machine didn't notice Temari much, nor that Shikamaru was spending the entire evening with her. When he lumbered off, Uzumaki Naruto was the next to approach him, his smile bigger than even Chouji's.
"Oi, Shikamaru! Isn't this great? Konoha and Suna reforming their alliance! Having the wedding here was a kick-ass idea! I can't believe I was Gaara's best man! And who would have guessed that Gaara would become Kazekage AND get married before I became Hokage and even found a girlfriend! Well, I'll be next for sure! Man, we gotta spar together sometime - oh, sorry, Shikamaru, it was good to see you, but I got to run, I want to say hi to Hinata real quick."
Wordlessly, Shikamaru watched the blonde-haired kid hurry off to the Hyuuga girl, who was safely hiding near a corner. He was sure he saw the faint blush of red on the girl's cheek as Naruto approached her, but he had no time to draw conclusions; a steel-like grip started pulling him by the arm, away from Temari and her friends. Cursing under his breath, he looked over to see the back of Ino's head as she dragged him towards somewhere private. He sighed and just let it go, walking along with her calmly.
He should have known Ino would be the first to notice.
When they reached a quieter section, Ino pivoted on her leg and stared incredulously at him, arms crossed and everything. Sometimes she was almost more like Yoshino than Temari was…but not quite.
"WHAT is going ON here?" she demanded at once. She was so overly excited that Shikamaru wondered how she wasn't gasping for breath.
"It's the Kazekage's wedding. That's what's going on," he responded coolly, flexing his jaws.
Ino looked completely offended. "You know that's not what I'm talking about. You and Temari are finally together."
Her voice was like venom; he had known that if this day ever came, Ino wouldn't necessarily be skipping around throwing roses. But he was taken aback at just how badly she seemed to be taking it. Well, there was no point in trying to deny it now.
"Yes, Ino. I think we're finally together." He made sure he sounded as if it was no big deal.
She was quiet for a very long moment. She looked distraught more than angry, and more than three times she began to speak but stopped herself short, grunting in frustration. It was hard to tell what she was thinking, but Shikamaru didn't interrupt and gave her time to calm herself.
Finally, she bit her lower lip and looked up at him desperately.
"You're sure you really want her?" she asked, her voice wavering mid-sentence.
He couldn't understand why she was so against Temari. Ever since she became Konoha's ambassador and they spent more and more time together, Ino had made it clear that she didn't appreciate Temari's presence. She was never really mean to Temari's face, but… It wasn't hard to guess.
Ino was still his friend, though. He had to hear what she needed to say even if he knew he wouldn't agree with it.
"Ino, tell me why it bothers you," he murmured. He glanced up for a second and saw Temari watching him from the crowd. She looked concerned, but he gave her a quick smile to reassure her. She smiled back and wandered away.
"It's just… You're my best friend, Shika. I can't believe how much we've been growing apart," she said, hugging herself uncomfortably. "I have Chouji, and maybe I'll have him forever… But what's going to happen to team Ino-Shika-Cho if this Suna girl takes you?"
So, that was all that it was. Ino was just being possessive. She was worried that they wouldn't be friends anymore. Actually, it made him feel a little bad, but he still thought it was an unnecessary trouble she had put upon herself.
"Ino, it's not like Temari and I are the ones getting married tonight. There's nothing for you to be worrying over. You and Chouji have always been my best teammates," he reasoned with a tight smile. "And you will definitely always have Chouji."
She seemed to perk up a little bit. For a moment, she looked around the crowd, searching out the brown-haired guy they were referring to. "You think so?" she ventured.
"Yeah. The guy has the hots for you, you know. No matter how much you yell at him and tease him."
She laughed quietly.
"And Ino, there's one thing I want you to do for me before I go back to Temari."
She asked what it was. He offered a hand.
"Be the first girl to dance with me tonight."
It was approximately twenty minutes later when Ino searched out Chouji and they danced together under the moonlight. Shikamaru had wandered back towards the table of honor, where Temari was sitting chatting with her friend, Tenten.
It was weird, to say the least, walking up to the two women. He looked at Tenten with a sheepish smile and scratched the back of his neck, while Temari looked up at him with a happy smile.
"Uhhhh, I got to find Sakura," Tenten said, jumping up from her chair. "See you around, Temari, Shikamaru."
She bolted away without a second glance.
When Shikamaru sat down in the chair next to his date, she looked at him with the biggest smile she had worn all night. He guessed beforehand what the two girls had been talking about.
"You ran into Neji and Tenten in an alleyway?" she asked, tilting her body forward. He scrunched up his face in disgust.
"Troublesome. It was the most troublesome thing I've ever done."
She also laughed louder than she had all night. Perhaps even louder than he had ever heard her laugh. He couldn't help but smile in return. Her laugh was so cute. Especially when she had been drinking.
"Come on," she said, hopping out of her chair. "Let's dance."
Two hours later, the party was over, and Shikamaru was standing on the doorstep of Temari's guesthouse.
They were watching one another in silence, a lone insect chirping in the grass somewhere. The silence must have lasted a long time, Shikamaru wasn't sure, but he didn't mind it at all. Temari was just ravishing in her sexy outfit, with those shiny ribbons tied in her hair. She barely had any makeup on, either, since she was just fine without it.
Surprisingly, the wedding was a lot more fun than he had imagined it would be. He mostly danced the night away - with Temari, of course - but there were also speeches to listen to, jokes to be shared, and the future alliance was discussed. It looked like it was set in concrete; the two countries were going to be allies again, after a few years of rebuilding the trust that had been lost from Orochimaru's cunning trickery. Temari would be around more often. And, he was pretty sure that he was going to be in Suna more often in the future. Which was going to be great. Just great.
"You were right," he said, inching closer towards her. She did the same, and they were staring at each other with huge grins on their face. "I enjoyed myself."
She traced a circle in the hollow of his shoulder. "I'll make sure you keep enjoying yourself for a long, long time."
"Is that a threat?" he asked playfully, getting breathless.
She pursed her lips. "Well, I don't know. I kind of wanted to threaten you to take your shirt off, but I think I will just seduce you instead. Okay?"
"Sounds troublesome."
"Mm."
Yeah, it was a beautiful spring day.