A/N: Look what I found! I wrote this one last, last year! This is like one day older than my fic Then, Now and Always. Hope you guys read this and Then, Now and Always and leave a review…
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A Question of Dates
"Woman, I'm not gonna go out with you," Shikamaru stated. He looked bored enough for anyone to actually take that at face value. But no. Temari is not anyone.
"Why not?" Temari was actually insulted. She may not be as glamorous as Ino but she has all the assets, although for the boy in front of her that may actually be a minus not a plus. This brought on a frown on the girl's forehead.
Shikamaru saw that frown and murmured, "Troublesome."
"What did you say?"
"I said it's troublesome."
"Oh yes it is. And know what it's going to be more troublesome for you if you don't agree."
"I'm not gonna agree to your stupid idea."
"So you think dating me is a stupid idea?"
"Yes."
"Is that all you gonna say?"
"Temari, you don't force people to go out with you."
"Well, I have to if that people is as lazy as you."
Shikamaru's face was a cross between boredom and exasperation. "Temari, what brought this on anyway?" Shikamaru figured changing tactics would enable him to go back to cloud watching.
"Nothing." Temari grinned.
"Nothing? I know you better than that."
"Well, I'll tell you but you have to agree with my suggestion first."
"Temari, why ruin a perfectly good friendship by having us date each other?"
"Well, do you really just see me as a friend?"
"Yes."
"You're not supposed to answer that so fast. You should have taken the time to think about it first."
"Temari, you know of course that you sounded like Ino, don't you?"
"I do not!"
"Yes, you do."
"So do you think of Ino just as a friend?"
Shikamaru hesitated. "N-no."
Temari took her big fan from the sling on her back and then with it, hit Shikamaru on the head, hard, as she rasped, "So you don't want to date me because you want to date Ino instead! Well, if you feel that way you should have just said so!"
"Ite woman! That hurts!" Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head as his left eye remained close cringing in pain and with the right one he glared at Temari as he countered, "Why would I want to date Ino? She's like a sister. So even if she's troublesome I can't get rid of her. You can disown a friend but not family."
"Oh so Ino is actually up one step the ladder from me huh!" Temari then lifted her weapon and pounded Shikamaru wherever parts of him she could reach.
"Stop that! Are you trying to kill me?" Shikamaru tried to fend off Temari's attack.
"You're a jerk, lazy ass!"
"And you're way too bossy, overbearing and troublesome." Shikamaru was now dodging, aside from the fan attack, also Temari's kicks and hurtful jabs. "Woman, stop it!" Shikamaru finally snapped, at the end of his patience but at a loss how to stop the kunoichi without using any jutsu.
"Or what you're gonna cry, crybaby?" Temari was so pissed at Shikamaru for admitting that he actually cared more about Ino than her. "Lazy ass, who would want to date you anyway?"
"Tch, you," Shikamaru pointed out, wearing a smirk on his face.
"Well, that's before I learned what a jerk you are. Well, you don't have to agree anymore because I withdraw the offer." Temari felt like adding another kick and did so for good measure. The jerk deserved to be black and blue.
"Stop abusing me woman!" Shikamaru shouted, more than exasperated. "Honestly who would want to date you?"
"Obviously not you!" Temari answered angrily.
"I did not say I did not want to go out with you. What I said was I'm not gonna go out with you."
"It's the same thing."
"No."
"No?" Temari was confused albeit in a very small almost negligibly happy way.
"No," Shikamaru announced, shaking his head in emphasis. He knew that Temari was waiting for an explanation but at the moment it would take more effort to give it to her. "Ok. If you promise to stay quiet while I think, I'll tell you."
"Why do you need to think? You just need to answer the question, 'Do you want to date me?'"
"Yes." Shikamaru expelled a breath.
"So why are you saying you're not gonna go out with me?"
"Do I really have to tell you the reasons, Temari?" Shikamaru asked, in a voice that sounded defeated.
"Well, it's not like we're getting married—" Temari paused, noticing that Shikamaru suddenly glared at her, making her add, "—right away anyway. We'll figure something out," Temari finished, smiling. This fight was almost over.
"Tch, what if we didn't?"
"Didn't what? Didn't get married?" Temari frowned.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Figure something out."
Temari's lopsided grin appeared. "Well, you're the genius. I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"Temari, your brothers hate me."
"Only Kankuro. Gaara actually admires you."
"You live in Suna. That's three days away from here. It will be troublesome going back and forth."
"Tell me about it. I'm always the one who travels to your village and now you're the one complaining."
"Well, I'm not gonna waste three days of cloud watching just to go to Suna."
"Well, then don't!"
"Ok that's settled then." Shikamaru shrugged.
Temari developed a tick on her forehead. In the end, she used her fan and bashed Shikamaru's already abused head.
"Ite! Ok, I'll visit you." Shikamaru was back to rubbing his sore head, murmuring, "Tch, troublesome woman."
"Ino?" Temari queried, pseudo-sweetly. After all she wanted to clarify who is more important.
"What about Ino?" Shikamaru raised a brow, not missing the menace that laced Temari's voice. "Are you seriously jealous of her because if—"
"I'm not jealous of her!" Temari growled.
"Good."
"But you said you can't get rid of her even if you want to while I—you almost pushed me away, you jerk!"
"You're not gonna hit me again with your fan, are you?" Shikamaru hastened to ask, hoping to discourage the kunoichi from doing so. He immediately had his answer when Temari instead looked at him with daggers in her eyes. "You're jealous. You shouldn't be you know. I do things for you. I get bruised because of you. I almost died because of you. I'll probably die because of you."
"Don't worry, crybaby. I won't let that happen."
"Tch."
Finally reassured, Temari enquired, "So what else?" Everything seemed to be settled—for now.
"Only this." Shikamaru's bored expression was back. "Temari, would you go out with me?" Shikamaru asked nonchalantly since her offer was withdrawn after all.
"Lazy ass, try saying it like you actually meant it."
"Woman, we both know you're going to say yes."
"Then why still ask me?"
"Tch, you're really troublesome."
"And you're a lazy ass!"
—o0o—
~10/27/10AF~
~1/11/12AF~
A/N: I'm happy to see you're back reviewing that I check that story's latest chappie— haha next time I'll heed your warning!