[Hello, again! Sorry I'm so slow to post new stories. If you enjoyed LONELY, you'll love this one! This story contains boy/boy relationship references, and I do not own Naruto.]
[EDIT: After a long break, I've decided to take this story up again so the first two chapters have been fixed a bit, chapter 3 on is all NEW! Thanks for your support!]
Shikamaru just sat there, almost no expression on his face. That was one of the reasons Chouji liked him so much. Shika's mask of indifference was so unlike the looks of astonishment or even disgust on other guest's faces at the restaurant as Chouji piled even more barbequed meat onto his plate, cleaning the grill for the fourth time.
"You… uh… ready for more sir?" the waiter asked with an eager look about him. Eating out at such a nice place wasn't cheap after all, even without fifth helpings.
"We'll take the check." Shika said blandly.
"Aww… but I'm not full yet." Chouji whined.
"You'll be fine." Shika took the check and paid half, even though he only ate two cuts of meat himself. This was another reason Chouji liked Shikamaru.
Chouji fished around in his pockets looking for exact change wondering if Shika would leave the tip too. He gave a sly smile as he watched his friend slip a bill under the stack of empty plates. Today was a good day.
Earlier, Shikamaru had suggested they go out for barbeque before the Hyuuga's party that evening. Hinata's birthday was always a magnificent event, but somehow it always seemed to be more of a high-class celebration of the Hyuuga themselves rather than Hinata's special day. Getting invited was supposed to be an honor, but Chouji couldn't help but feel nervous. Food always made him feel better.
Now outside the barbeque shop, Chouji spotted another good friend. "Hey Kiba!"
"Oh, Chouji! Hey Shikamaru!" Kiba walked over to his friends, another ninja following him closely.
"What brings you out here? I thought Hinata's big thing was tonight." Shikamaru looked Kiba up and down. It was obvious something wasn't right; Kiba's normally ruffled hair was combed flat, with not a speck of dirt on his normally well-worn clothes.
"Yeah… well she's uh… I mean, I decided not to go. Hey, Kankuro's here in town!" Kiba pointed to the ninja behind him. Kiba's cheeks went pink.
"Hey." Kankuro replied. It was hard to decide if he was just shy, or somehow unhappy.
"Kankuro?" Chouji looked confused.
"He's not wearing his make-up, Chouji." Shikamaru pointed out.
Kankuro darkly muttered something in his defense. "It's face-paint."
"Oh! Hi!" Chouji hardly recognized the puppet ninja from Suna "You look so different. So what are you doing here?" Several years back, the Sand Siblings had come to their rescue when they fought against Orochimaru's henchmen.
"I'm just a sub for Suna's ambassador." Kankuro mumbled. Something in the way he said it told Chouji he wasn't exactly excited about his appointment.
"We're off to Ichiraku, wanna come?" Kiba interrupted.
"Nah… we just ate." Shikamaru replied swiftly.
"I could go for seconds." Chouji smiled, knowing exactly what he would order. Ichiraku Ramen was the best in town, plus it would be nice to catch-up with the ninja that had saved Kiba and Akamaru's lives.
"Chouji… uh, lets just head out. Hinata will have food at her party." Shikamaru started dragging Chouji away by his arm. Chouji was called back from his musings.
"Uh… Bye Kiba!" Chouji called out, not wanting to seem rude. "Catch you later, Kankuro!" Kiba waved, Kankuro nodded, and Akamaru huffed sadly in their direction before turning back to follow his master and his companion to Ichiraku.
Once the three were out of sight, Chouji confronted his friend. "What was that for?"
"Nothing." Shikamaru stated flatly. "Just giving them their space."
"Huh?" Chouji looked inquisitively at his friend.
"Never mind." Shika kept walking, keeping whatever he knew a secret.
Chouji thought about the awkward way Kiba had brushed off his teammate's party. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and pulled on Chouji's arm again. Chouji wasn't very bright, so deep thinking meant sacrificing other things, like walking. His stupidity always made him feel rather inferior to Shikamaru. Not that Shika would ever complain about it.
They walked for a while, so Chouji had a chance to think it over. Chouji suddenly felt hot in the face as a crazy thought struck him. "You don't think… Kiba and Kankuro… together…?"
He couldn't help but notice the rather uncomfortable silence left behind by his response. He tried to think of something else to say, but his mind couldn't let go of this new idea. Kiba was skipping out on Hinata's to be with… a guy.
Chouji glanced over at Shika and noticed his cheeks were pink. They started walking towards the Hyuuga's again. Some things were better left unsaid it seemed.
The Hyuuga's were a wealthy family and the lived far away from the shops in their own secluded corner of Konoha. Paper lanterns seemed to guide the way on either side of the street. Chouji knew the front gardens of the Hyuuga compound would be littered with lanterns, keeping it light enough for the party to last long into the night.
These small distractions couldn't keep Chouji away from his nerves, however. As beautifully decorated and lavishly catered as the night's festivities were sure to be, the Hyuuga's party was bound to be as uncomfortable as last year.
"Maybe we should ditch too?" Chouji offered.
"You really want to skip all that food?" Shika just raised his eyebrows, knowing Chouji couldn't refuse free food.
"I guess you're right." Chouji smiled. "And Ino will be there."
"She'd be cross if we skipped out." Shikamaru mumbled. "Troublesome."
Chouji chuckled, letting go any further thoughts of Kiba.
[Thanks for reading. Please leave a comment!]
