"Troublesome! Why are we doing this?"
Ino raised an eyebrow at her former teammate, Nara Shikamaru. Her face turned stern, as if she expected more of him.
His eyes darkened as he realized he'd gotten her mad. He hated when he did that. That meant there'd be yelling and fighting … And he'd have to participate.
"Look! Naruto!" he quickly shouted and pointed toward the blonde.
Ino turned to look, not really interested – she was angry, and Shikamaru was going to know that.
She turned back to ask her friend exactly where Naruto was supposed to be, only to find that he had disappeared. She growled under her breath, knotting her fists. They were shaking lightly.
"Nara Shikamaru! I know you're hiding somewhere in your damn shadow! If you do not show yourself immediately –"
"What's going on?"
She turned only to find Sai looking at her with deadpan eyes. She gritted her teeth. "It's Shikamaru! He's being overly dramatic!"
"I didn't know watching clouds was considered overly dramatic," Sai mused.
"He's not watching clouds – not now, anyway. He's trying to get away!" Ino protested, shooting lightning at him with her eyes.
Sai cocked his head to the side.
"Angry when speaking the truth," he noted under his breath. "Shikamaru was right. Women are a troublesome thing."
"Wait!" Ino squeaked, yanking at his collar. She pulled his head close to hers, and a drop of sweat flew from his forehead as he stared wide-eyed at her. He was used to her and Sakura's ill tempers by now, thought it was hard to stop fearing them. "You say you're speaking the truth!" she exclaimed.
"Why would I lie?"
She ignored that. "Where is he?"
"Watching clouds," Sai responded.
"But where."
"Somewhere with a good view, I'd guess. I only passed by him."
Ino's head was red, and a vein was bulging in her forehead. Sai casually tried to get away.
"That … Nara!" she shouted as she ran off.
Sai sighed reluctantly, enjoying getting to stand straight again.
"Is it part of bonds to tell that the other person is in danger?" Sai murmured to himself, immediately running off to the library to find the answer.
-
"Sai! I've told you that you shouldn't read so many of those books! You should go out and experience for yourself," Sakura said sternly, looking cautiously at the book cover.
"But I need an answer," Sai answered unprovoked.
Sakura sighed and sat down beside him. "What is it?" she asked.
"Well, I was wondering, if one of your bonds are in danger, should you tell anybody?" he asked.
She raised her eyebrows. "What kind of danger?" she asked.
"Well, if a bond is about to be attacked."
Sakura starred at him before raising with robot-like motions. "Who … Who's in danger, Sai?"
"Well, I was just trying to find out if that was appropriate to tell. You see, it would also be sticking my nose in another's privacy, which is rude, and that would make the risk of –"
"Sai!" Sakura cut him off, her eyes suddenly like flames. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up. "Who? Who is it?"
"Well …"
"Yes, it's appropriate to tell!" she shouted, getting several 'shhh's' from around them.
"Well, Shikamaru, actually."
"What?" she retorted, letting him go. She was suddenly very confused.
"Ino seemed very angry with him."
"Really? It was probably nothing. You're always overdoing stuff, Sai." She put her hands in her sides and looked angrily at him. "Don't make me so afraid, Sai!"
Sai shrugged and got to his feet to go outside.
"What now? You weren't finished with your book."
"I got my answers," he told her.
-
Ichiraku Ramen was probably one of the best places in Konoha, the Hiddaen Village of Fire, to get ramen, if not the best. Many of its costumers would say it the best in the world. It lay on a little corner, giving off the smell of food made with devotion and care.
Uzumaki Naruto visited this place more often than what was good for him, and his friend, Haruno Sakura, often told him to eat more vegetables – but Sakura was bossy about so much, it was hard to listen with both ears after all those years. Naruto wasn't sure if that was literally – after all the times she'd hid him, his hearing could have been damaged, too.
Naruto was casually on his way to his favorite dining place when his friend Nara Shikamaru suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Hargh!" he burst out, jumping several feet back, holding out his hands to defend himself. That was when he realized who it was.
He grinned apologetically at his friend, starting to speak, but then he noticed the look on Shikamaru's face. "What's wrong, man?" he asked, genuinely concerned – but knowing Shikamaru, it was probably an overdone issue.
Shikamaru sighed. "It's Ino," he answered, and Naruto relaxed. "She's all worked up over Choji's birthday thing." He sighed again. "I was thinking about warning Choji, but Ino would kill me."
Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Girls, huh?"
"Yea," Shikamaru answered. "They're a pain."
"So where is she?"
"Probably looking for me. I'm going to let the anger wear off."
"Why did you run away in the first place?" Naruto asked, shaking his head. He was eager to get away – if Ino was involved, it could get violent. Sakura was enough already. Though Ino didn't have Tsunade's and Sakura's insane strength, she certainly had the temper.
"So troublesome!" Shikamaru answered, looking at the sky.
Naruto grinned. "Wow, it's a while since I last heard you say that."
Shikamaru shook his head. "I'm only speaking the truth. I don't see why we have to throw a surprise part to –"
"A party?" Naruto exclaimed, grinning evilly.
"Yea," Shikamaru sighed. "She's planning on inviting everyone. And since I'm one of the old teammates, too, I'm apparently chosen to be her right hand. No second thoughts."
"Why would she have that? You'll do great." Naruto patted his friend's shoulder. "You always do. Now, I'm going to get some ramen!" He smiled like a puppy and was immediately off.
Shikamaru rubbed his eye. "Man! It would be easier if she didn't make me wake up so early just to get some errands done!" he murmured.
"Nara!"
He cringed and sauntered off.
-
He was at the point of thinking if it would be less troublesome to just let Ino have her way when Kiba was suddenly standing by his side.
"You do know Ino is very persistent, don't you?" he asked and rubbed his cheek. Shikamaru could only imagine why.
He cringed. "She's so loud and bossy. Why can't women relax?" he complained.
Kiba thought about that a moment. "Hinata never complains. She's never loud. She's never bossy."
Shikamaru shook his head. "Well, she's too quiet. Does she even have an opinion?" He had to admit, though, Hinata sounded quite neat.
Kiba grinned and patted his shoulder. "Never satisfied huh? Well, yea, sure she does. I guess you have to know her to pick up the way she acts and the little signs she makes."
Shikamaru sighed for the he-didn't-know-what-time.
"Should I just go face her?" he asked.
"You should have never left her. Now, if you go back, you're a dead man," Kiba responded lightly, as if the idea was amusing to him.
Shikamaru rubbed his forehead. "There doesn't seem to be any way out of this." Kiba shrugged, agreeing, but then an idea occurred to his genius friend.
"What if I'm on a mission? She can't blame me then!"
Kiba raised an eyebrow. "A mission?"
"Yea! See ya later, Kiba!"
Shikamaru ran off before Kiba could respond.
-
The day was peaceful. She had woken up later than usually due to late paperwork the other night. Now she enjoyed a day off, drinking her tea on the terrace, looking over Konoha. There wasn't much she missed about Sunagakure. Actually, the only thing that really drove her back was her brothers. They were enough, though. She knew Gaara needed her as ambassador, because she was someone he could trust, and that was why she didn't go home more often.
She'd found it hard to adjust in the beginning – what with the being hot in the night thing. The desert might be warm, but there, at least it was cold in the night so she could sleep.
This was the first time she'd slept more than five hours straight.
"Enjoying the tea?"
She hopped a little at the sound of Shikamaru's voice; she'd become so tuned to it that she could pick it out anywhere at any time. That didn't have to be a good thing.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. He was crouching down on her roof, and she found it rather inappropriate. "And why can't you use the door?" It was, now that she thought about it, weird that he didn't. He always knocked on her door or waited for her to come out if he wanted to speak with her or was on his mission as her guide. He'd never come this way.
"The streets aren't safe," he said seriously, but he didn't realize he said it so seriously that Temari misunderstood.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, quickly placing the tea on the table, getting up.
He shook his head, jumping down beside her. "Nothing but Ino," he answered.
"Oh," she breathed. Then she pointed to the pillow on the other side of the table. "Take a seat."
"Thank you," he said in a low voice, sitting down.
"Why are you here?"
"Because of Ino."
She rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you go to Choji as you usually do?"
"That would only make things worse. Besides, right now I need to be on a mission, and you're the one I thought of first."
He didn't seem like he was intending on explaining what was going on, so she suspiciously poured the tea.
"But you can't really be my guide here," she noted.
"I thought maybe you'd like to go for a walk," he suggested innocently.
She scowled at him. "That sounds like a pain." He stiffened and frowned a the use of his own words. "I'd have to think about that."
"Oh, come on, Temari!" he urged.
"No."
"Please?"
"Ugh. No!"
"Is that a no to the no of the no of the no of the no of the yes?" Shikamaru asked.
She blinked. "What?"
"I thought so," he responded, nodding, grabbing her hand and pulling her along. She couldn't find the strength to object any further. It just wasn't worth it.
-
They'd been wandering the streets for hours when she found them. She felt the blood running in her head, making the world spin, and she was sure a vein struggled in her head to get free.
Seeing him go around lazily like that didn't help.
"Nara!" she shouted, or rather screamed. Actually, she wasn't sure. She just knew she was very, very angry with this guy.
It only made her more angry, the way he absentmindedly turned toward her and then waved with a friendly smile.
Her feet began working on their own, marching up to him.
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded fiercely.
"Actually," he answered, "I'm on a mission."
"A mission?" she asked, and some of the anger evaded for confusion.
"Yea," Temari said, suddenly there. "Don't you remember? He's assigned as my guide."
Ino raised one eyebrow and then scowled at Shikamaru who looked too innocent.
Temari seemed to read her expression. She grinned. "I don't really need him right now, y'know."
Ino saw Shikamaru squint, as if he was going to run for it again. He was staring at Temari as if she was a traitor or something.
"Really? Are you sure?" Ino said pleasantly, smiling widely at Temari.
Temari grinned wider. "Will he be in trouble?"
Ino grinned back grimly. "Loads."
Temari grabbed Shikamaru's arm before he could run off. He jolted against her, gritting his teeth. "I think I can let him go for a few hours," the kuniochi from Sunagakure announced lightly.
-
An idea bunny. I just felt like writing something silly. Don't take it too seriously. I thought about adding a part of the party, but then I didn't, obviously.