Haruno Sakura was not amused.
Her ill will grew higher and higher as the seconds passed and he simply stared at her, his dark eyes blinking now and then. Apparently he was not amused either.
"What?"
Her eyes narrowed. "It's diet."
"So?"
Now her lips thinned into a line. "You're either dumber than your IQ status tells us, or you're trying to tell me something. Which is it?" A foot tap added to the glare.
Now Shikamaru wasn't intimidated by much, but when Sakura was in a snit even he was wary. A woman who could dissolve a cliff into dust with her pinky finger instilled fear into any man. Which is why he back tracked. As fast as he could without it looking like he was actually doing it.
"Why the hell are you so sensitive?" He growled, his own eyes narrowing. "I'm not trying to tell you anything."
The words didn't seem to have the placating effect he had hoped they would. Instead, oddly, it seemed to agitate her even more. She had that look in her eyes now, the one she got when Sai called her a hag. Bloody women…
What was her problem anyway? He had gotten her a drink like she had asked (even going out of his way to do so) and now she was bitching about it! Troublesome. She had told him to surprise her. Tche. Look where it got him. Damned if he was going to apologize…
"You know I don't like diet. Aspartame can kill you."
He scoffed. "So can kunai. You didn't specify."
"So you got me diet? Do I look like Ino?" Hands were now on hips. Lecture mode.
"Yes." …was what he wanted to say, but somehow the word lodged in his throat. They would, of course, have meant instant death. For once he was glad for his innate sense of self-preservation. He sighed. "If you did, would I waste so much time on you?" That was a good save. If he knew her at all (and he liked to think he did) then she would take it.
And she did. Almost instantly her face relaxed and the glare lifted. She didn't lose the frown completely, but there was a smile in her eyes now, which meant he was safe from a beating.
"Nice save," a small grin mixed with the frown. "I'll forgive you this time, but you still have to get me a drink. I'm not drinking this crap." And then her frown completely dissolved and her smile fully emerged and he remembered just why he put up with all the crap.
Bloody women.
He sighed again, louder this time, and didn't move until she had given him a peck on the mouth and was dancing away. So much trouble for such a painfully above average package.