Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All named characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. The song fragments in the end are from Christina Aguilera's "Candyman".
Rating: T to be safe.
Genre: Humor/Friendship/ AU
This story was beta-ed by PSITeleport some (long) time ago, if it wasn't for her help I would never post this. There's a sequel to this story, but it was never revised, so it may never be posted.
I always wanted to write something about Shikamaru and the girls connected to him (though I didn't put Kin in here), and that's what I came up with.
Candyman
The school bell rang, indicating that it was two o'clock. Time to go home or, for those involved in extracurricular activities, to head off to their club rooms.
Sakura trudged across the school yard, worn out from her day, weighed down by too many books. Her eyes fell on Ino, who waved, but when she made the mistake of trying to wave back she lost hold of her stuff. A book broke loose, plummeting to the ground before she could catch it. She scowled to herself and turned to retrieve it, but took a step back when she saw that the book was already in the grip of a tall, dark-haired boy. He held it out for her until she accepted it.
She smiled. "Arigato, Shikamaru."
No trace of emotion flickered across his bored face. He merely nodded, turned and walked away.
Sakura headed toward Ino, glancing back over her shoulder now and then. She sat down beside her friend, positioning herself so that she could keep an eye on Shikamaru.
"When did he get so…so…" she began, but Ino finished for her.
"Fascinating. Charming. Smoking hot." She was also gazing at the guy, who was now engaged in a conversation with Chouji. She narrowed her big blue eyes, analyzing intently, before saying, "Maybe it's the glasses he's wearing these days."
"I don't know. But they do look good on him. They give him such a..."
"...an irresistible air of intelligence." Tenten's voice broke in from nowhere, and Sakura and Ino looked up to see her approaching. "It's like he grew up and became a man. But all the other boys…"
Yeah, that was it exactly, and Sakura nodded in hearty agreement. "All the other boys are still just boys."
Tenten sat down, and they watched silently as Shikamaru bent over the water fountain and took a drink. He seemed to feel the penetrating gaze of three sets of eyes and he straightened, glancing toward the girls; as one, they tore their eyes away and found other things to look at. Ino appraised her nails. Sakura adjusted the pleats of her skirt. And Tenten suddenly became very interested in something that was written on her notebook. Shikamaru frowned, then headed back to Chouji, who had been joined by Neji and Kiba.
"He looks good in his uniform, too." Ino wiggled her eyebrows. "Seems like he's filling it out nicely."
"And don't forget the tie." Sakura observed the deep blue tie that was part of the boys' uniform. "It's really cute on him."
Tayuya arrived, just in time to catch the last part of Sakura's comment. "Who are you guys talking about?"
"We're talking about him." Tenten jerked her head toward Shikamaru.
"Oh, yeah, he's hot. I'd do him every day of the week and twice on Sundays."
Ino laughed lightly. "You'll have to get in line and wait your turn, my dear."
Another girl shuffled up, one with disheveled hair and thick glasses. Shiho. She stopped right in front of Sakura and held out some papers. "Sakura-san, thank you for lending me your chemistry notes-"
"No problem." Sakura accepted them, leaning left and right as she desperately tried to see around the body in her way. Shiho turned to see what was monopolizing the girl's attention, and got very red when finally discovered who it was. She put her hand to her chest.
"Kami-sama… isn't he the most perfect thing to ever walk the face of Earth?"
Tenten laughed. "That's just what we were wondering."
"He and I are in the code-breaking club together," she said, her voice dreamy. "I get to spend a whole hour with him every day."
"Hey, don't forget I'm on that team, too," Sakura said. "And he talks to me way more than he talks to you."
"But..." Shiho's brow wrinkled. "...he promised he would go to the library later to get a book with me…"
"So what? He got a book for me just a minute ago and I didn't even have to ask!"
"Oh, this is so irrelevant…" Ino tossed her bangs away from her face. "Back when he was still in our grade, he walked me home every single day."
"Bet your daddy paid him to." Sakura said, making the other girls laugh and Ino purse her perfectly-glossed lips.
"We were close friends, Forehead. He came to my house all the time-"
"With Chouji." Tenten arched a brow.
"Well, yes. Chouji was there, too-"
"So it doesn't count." Tayuya said. "It only counts if you managed to be alone with him."
"Well..." Ino smiled maliciously. "Maybe you guys should know that I've already kissed him."
"Excuse me?" Sakura cocked an eyebrow. "No way!"
"Oh, yes, Ms. Forehead. I've kissed Shikamaru."
Tenten slapped her palms down on the table. "When? How? Where?"
Ino leaned in, as though about to divulge a great secret. "It happened at a party at my house. He was a little shy, of course, so I was the one to make the first move. But it was intense."
"At your house...?" Sakura eyes narrowed thoughtfully, but then they popped open and she pointed an accusatory finger at Ino. "Wait a minute. How old were you at this party, Pig?"
Ino glared, seemed reluctant to answer. Then, finally, "Five."
The other girls burst into laughter and barely intelligible exclamations.
"Five?"
"Are you kidding?"
"Do you even remember it?"
"I think I hid something from him," Ino said. "Like a key chain. And I refused to give it back to him unless he kissed me."
More laughter. "What did he do?"
"He said he didn't want the key chain anymore and I could keep it. So I..." She licked her lips, as though offended. "So I kissed him anyway. It was just a little peck on the cheek…"
"Then what?" Tayuya asked. "What happened after that?"
"He kind of stopped talking to me after that. For two years."
Sakura cackled. "Wow, Ino! You are a bad kisser!"
"I guarantee you Kiba doesn't think that."
"Eww, I don't want to know about your relationship with that dog!"
"Then keep your comments to yourself! Shikamaru just overreacted because he was going through an immature phase-"
"You mean childhood?" Tenten said. "What would you expect from a kindergartener, a proposal?"
The blonde shot Tenten a dry look. While the other girls were laughing, they were approached by Hinata, who sat beside them on the bench.
"Hi, guys," she said, stammering as always. "Wh-what are you talking about?"
"Mostly about Shikamaru Nara," Sakura answered.
Hinata gazed across the field at their target and smiled. "I like Shikamaru. He's a good friend."
Tayuya gave her an incredulous look. "That's it?"
She shrugged demurely.
Ino threw her hands in the air. "One less contestant! But you have to at least admit that he's attractive."
"I guess so." Her voice dropped as though she was embarrassed. "But I'm happy with Naruto-kun."
"Oh, yeah, going out with Naruto must be awesome." Sakura did her best impression of a spaz, talking a mile a minute and bouncing up and down in her seat. "'Hey, Hinata, wanna go get some ramen?'"
Hinata fixed her eyes on the ground, blushing, and Tenten elbowed Sakura in the ribs. "Stop it, Sakura. You're making her feel bad. She can't help it if she's in love with an idiot. And it's not like you can talk, anyway, with that arrogant jerk you're so fascinated with. Thank god Sasuke moved to another school."
"Oh, please don't go there," Sakura said. "I know I was terrible when he went away, but I'm so over him now. And you know who helped me move on..." She pointed at Shikamaru. "He spent hours listening to me, letting me vent..."
"He's really understanding," Ino agreed. "And he gives great advice. Not to mention his unbelievable IQ. He knows everything about anything."
"I think I'll get his opinion on which boy I should date," Tenten said, playing with her hair. "Lee, Neji or that tall, dark and yummy foreigner."
"Shikamaru's so dreamy!" Shiho blurted out randomly, still looking stupefied.
"Damn right he is," Ino hissed. "But he's not for you, geek. I'll be dead before I let Shikamaru hook up with a bizarro like you!"
"What about a sexy, musically-talented red-head?" Tayuya mused. "I wasn't going to say anything, but remember that recital where Shikamaru and I performed a duet? Him on the guitar and me on the flute? There were definitely sparks between us."
"He only played with you because Kabuto-sensei forced him," Ino said. "And the electric guitar and the flute don't even sound right together-"
"It was experimental," Tayuya insited. "And it was electrifying. The tension between us was palpable."
"You're insane. Shikamaru wouldn't even be taking music classes if the teachers weren't making him."
"That's why he started taking them, but I'll bet he keeps coming because he's got the hots for me."
"Sure he does." Sakura dripped with sarcasm. "That's why he can't stay away from you, like he's demonstrating right now."
They were quiet for a while, studying the handsome and alluring object of their affections. Eventually, Hinata said, "It's too bad that he doesn't have classes with us anymore."
"It really is," Sakura said. "Now we only get to see him if we're in clubs with him."
Hinata smiled beatifically. "But I am happy for him. I wish I could skip two years of school, too, and be finished earlier-"
"Shut up, Hyuuga," said Ino. "How are you going to feel when he graduates this year and we never see him again?"
"Go-gomen."
"I can't imagine why he bothered to test out of tenth and eleventh grades," she continued, in a bitter grumble. "All he ever said was how much he hated studying, and then for no apparent reason he suddenly makes all this effort..."
One by one, the boys began to wander off. After a while Shikamaru was alone, and the girls watched him stroll to where the lockers were located, along the outside wall of the technology wing. He opened one and dropped off his books.
"It's official," Tenten whispered. "Shikamaru Nara is a candyman."
"TheCandyman," Ino agreed.
Sakura dropped her voice even lower. "Is he single?"
As if in answer, the sound of heels tapping on the walkway caught their attention. Seconds later, a new girl appeared.
Her shoes were high-heeled Mary Janes, part of the traditional uniform, and her long, white socks ended below her knees. But while the other girls' skirts reached all the way to their socks, her skirt made a sudden and alarming stop mid-thigh. She wore the standard-issue white uniform shirt, with the school's crest emblazoned on the pocket and the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. And her red tie was loose around her neck, giving them all a clear view of the two open buttons at the top and her spectacular cleavage. She was carrying her black backpack on her right shoulder, and her hair was tied up in four pigtails. Foreign student.
She waved and tossed a greeting to Tenten as she passed the group of girls. Tenten smiled back.
"Hi, Temari! Are you going to stay for our club meeting?"
"Bet your ass. But it doesn't start for an hour, so I'm going to hit the cafeteria first."
"Cool! See you then."
While Temari headed off for the lockers, the girls studied her curiously.
Sakura poked Tenten. "You talk to the foreigner?"
"Yep. We have Gai-sensei's kung fu class together."
"Kung fu?" Tayuya made a face. "I thought nobody but you liked it."
"We get credits for it," Tenten said. "Besides, it's fun."
"What's with her skirt?" Ino said. "Why is hers so tiny and I have to wear this muu-muu?"
"She's ve-very pretty," Hinata said.
Ino crossed her legs primly. "Not as pretty as me."
Temari stopped at the lockers, near Shikamaru. She fiddled with her combination lock until it popped open, and Shiho squeaked.
"She got the locker next to his?" she asked, her voice full of tears. "I've always wanted that one…"
"Shikamaru is her classmate." Sakura said. "All the seniors' lockers are over there."
They were still watching as Temari said something to Shikamaru, in a voice too low to be heard from this far away. But they didn't miss the way he grinned, his face lighting up as he responded.
"Wow. He gets even better-looking when he smiles," Ino said.
"True story," said Tayuya.
Shiho reddened as much as humanly possible and lowered herself carefully to the bench, in an effort not to faint.
"What are they talking about?" Sakura whispered.
Ino chewed one of her manicured nails. "I'd die to know."
Six pairs of eyes widened when Shikamaru leaned toward the foreigner and whispered something on her ear. She smirked enigmatically and closed her locker door. Then, still smiling, she grabbed his tie and pulled it over her shoulder, taking him with her as she headed for the cafeteria. And six jaws dropped when the Candyman himself wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her from behind, following her with a smile of his own.
Astounded silence fell among the girls as the couple disappeared down the walkway. Ino paused in mid-chew, staring blankly. Tears began to streak down Shiho's face. And Tayuya hunched over, lost in sulky irritation. But Tenten and Hinata smiled, and Sakura raised her brows. "Well, I guess now we know whether or not he's single."
"I think they ma-make a beautiful couple," Hinata said.
Ino, Shiho and Tayuya exploded.
"What?"
Hinata stared at them nervously, then said, "I th-think, maybe, I need to…" But she didn't finish the sentence. Instead, she got up and ran for her life, with the furious three chasing after her.
Tenten shook her head. "C'mon, Sakura, we've got clubs to get to, and too much sense for this, anyway. We can all look at him, but, in the end, we know that only one can have him."
He's a one stop shop, makes my cherry pop
He's a sweet talkin' sugar-coated candyman
A sweet talkin' sugar-coated candyman.