"Beep! Beep!" The shrill noise of Sakura's alarm clock broke the dreamy haze she was currently enshrouded in.
Muffling a groan, she blindly flailed her right arm around on her nightstand trying to silence the source of the irritating sound. Unsuccessful, she threw her pillow at the annoyance and knocked it off the stand, and flinched when she heard the telltale crash of a now-broken alarm clock.
She sat up, frustrated. "Argh! Now I have to buy a new alarm clock, again!"
Rubbing away the last remnants of sleep from her eyes, Sakura got up and began her daily routine of getting ready for the day. She brushed her teeth, took a shower, and put on a pair of black shorts and an off the shoulder white t-shirt. Running to her small kitchen, she took out some cereal and messily poured it into a bowl, following it with some milk.
As she munched thoughtfully on her Corn Flakes, she went over the events of yesterday in her head. A smile came to her face as she recalled Neji's face when he had told Sakura about his future plans.
She sighed. "His hair's so gorgeous, I swear he looks like a female supermodel from the back."
He was a pretty nice guy, Sakura thought. If Ino knew more guys like him, maybe she knew what she was doing.
Which reminded her, the pig had set up another date for her in Downtown Konoha.
Finishing her bowl, she placed it into her sink and quickly glanced up at her wall clock.
"Oh no! It's ten thirty already?" She gasped in dismay, "Pig told me the date's at 11 o' clock!"
Sakura sprinted back into her room, desperately flinging out clothes from her closet.
"Damn, I have no idea what to wear! I guess I should settle for something simple,"
She decided to go with some dark skinny jeans and pair them with a loose, flowing blouse. Slipping on a pair of white flats, she grabbed her purse and hurried out the door, tying up her hair in a sloppy bun in the process.
As she was fumbling for her keys, she felt her phone vibrate.
Sakura took it out and glanced at the caller ID.
Flipping it open, she balanced it between her ear and her shoulder as she continued searching for her keys.
"Hey, Ino-pig," she said.
"Sakura! Remember, you need to get to downtown by 11, 'kay?"
"I know, Ino, I'm leaving right now." Sakura told her, finally taking out her keys and fingering through them to find the one to open her car.
"You have to hurry, Sakura! Your date's going to meet you at the bookstore next to that pawn shop with the creepy owner, so make sure you get there on time."
"Mmh. I will, don't worry! Now I'm hanging up, I'm about to get in my car," Sakura said, "Wish me luck, Pig!"
"Yeah, whatever. Don't screw this up, I've practically been working my butt off to find top-notch guys for you!"
Curious, Sakura asked, "Where do you find these guys, anyway?"
Ino cackled. "I have my sources. Bye, Sakura!"
"Wait, what's that supposed to mea—" Sakura was interrupted by the dial tone that signaled Ino hanging up on her. "That Pig! I was supposed to hang up on her!"
Grumbling to herself, Sakura put the key in the ignition and started driving towards Downtown Konoha.
At about a quarter past 11, Sakura reached downtown and was frantically scanning the names of the shops while in her car.
"Bookstore… what bookstore? I don't see any goddamn bookstore anywhere! Why am I so directionally impaired?" Sakura groaned to herself. She tried to remember where the pawn shop was that Ino had mentioned, so that she could gather her bearings on where to go. Sweeping her eyes through the streets again, she spotted a tiny sign in a corner that read "Aburame Antiques," and looked right below to see the dinky little pawn shop that Ino had referred to. Sure enough, there was a small, modest bookstore right next to it. Parking on the side of the street, Sakura got out of her car and walked over to the store.
Surprisingly, it didn't seem like her date had arrived yet. She glanced at her watch and noted that it was already 11:30.
"Why are my dates always late? And Ino was making me rush…" Sakura crossed her arms in frustration, "I guess I have no choice but to wait here."
Sakura leaned on the cool glass of the bookstore and casually glanced at the pawn shop next door.
"I don't really remember this place, what did Ino say about the owner?" she wondered to herself. She peered into the dark glass of the store, trying to look past the shelves stacked with various musty-looking objects.
She saw two beady black eyes staring back at her.
"Eek!" Sakura shrieked, jumping back. "Who the hell is that?"
The creepy eyes came closer, and Sakura could see the vague outline of a silhouette. Whoever the man was, he was covered head to toe in a large jacket with a hood obscuring his face. Even the lower collar of his jacket was flipped up, so all that was visible of the man were those two eerie eyes.
The man didn't move. He just kept staring.
Sakura shuddered. "It's like… his eyes are looking into my soul…"
"Hey, uh, you okay?" asked a voice behind her.
Sakura whipped around. "Oh!" She exclaimed, startled.
A young man was slouched over in a relaxed position, with his hands in his pockets and his shoulder against the glass of the bookstore. His dark hair was tied in a spiky ponytail at the top of his head, exhibiting the kind of carelessness as if he had just gotten out of bed.
He wore the most apathetic expression that Sakura had ever seen.
Scratching his head, he continued. "You look kind of freaked out there,"
"Erm, it was nothing. There's just a really creepy guy in that shop," Sakura replied uneasily.
"Who?" The young man questioned. He craned his head to look behind Sakura, squinting his eyes in an attempt to discern the figure located behind the glass.
"I know who that is!" he suddenly exclaimed. He raised his right hand and waved. "Hey, Shino!"
The man called "Shino" did not make an attempt to exit the store, but merely raised his hand very slowly in acknowledgement.
He was still staring.
Sakura looked between the two in disbelief. "You know him?" she asked.
"Yeah, he co-owns that store with his father. We knew each other back in high school," The man beside Sakura replied indifferently.
Huh. So that's the "creepy owner" Ino was talking about, Sakura thought. Well, he's definitely no charmer.
"By the way, the name's Shikamaru. Are you by any chance Haruno Sakura?" he asked in mild curiosity.
"Yeah! I'm guessing you're my date for today, huh?"
Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah, Ino forced me into it."
Indignant, Sakura spat, "It's not like I'm making you go on a date with me! You can just leave if you want to." She crossed her arms and turned her back him, pouting.
Shikamaru held up his hands in an attempt to placate the angry pink-haired woman. "No, no! That's not what I meant—"
"Then what did you mean?" Sakura cut in.
Shikamaru groaned. Women are so troublesome, he thought.
"Look… can we just start over? I didn't mean what I said, no need to get so worked up about it…" he trailed off.
Sakura slowly turned around and glared at Shikamaru.
She kept glaring.
Thirty seconds or so passed, and her expression didn't budge.
Shikamaru began feeling a little uncomfortable. He felt sweat beading his forehead, and tugged at his collar nervously.
Then, Sakura's face suddenly broke out in a huge grin. "Okay!" she said cheerily, turning around and prancing away from the bookstore.
Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. Her rapid mood change was pretty bizarre. "This woman is so troublesome…" he muttered under his breath.
"What was that?" Sakura queried, turning around.
"N-nothing!"
"Alrighty then, lets go!"
"Just wait till you see the stock of young men I have lined up for Sakura!" Jiraiya beamed.
Ino grinned. "They had better be perfect, because Sakura's needs a man," she rested her chin on her palm, propping her elbow on the smooth surface of the table. "I'm worried she's going to be a cranky cat-lady by the time she's thirty."
Jiraiya, Ino's trusty source, had decided to rendezvous with Ino at the very same café Sakura had her first date with Neji to discuss Sakura's future prospects. It was an ideal meeting area, because it was relatively small but there was a constant babble in the background, preventing any chances of being overheard. Plus, the coffee was pretty good.
"Don't worry Ino, I'm sure the guys I've found are going to be more than able to do the job." A mischievous smile crept onto his face. "Sakura's a beautiful girl, any guy would drop head-over-heels for her. Heh heh heh… maybe I could do some 'research' on her for my next book…"
Ino slapped him upside the head. "Don't even THINK about it, Uncle Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya sheepishly rubbed his head.
"Hmm… actually, it might be a good idea to check up on Sakura's dates…" Ino mused, sipping her latte, "We don't want her screwing up her big chance! I remember when I set her up with a guy back in high school… I think that guy ended up in the hospital when he called her a stripper or something. Funny, I don't really remember who he was,"
Jiraiya jumped up, punching his fist in the air. "What a brilliant plan! THIS SOUNDS FANTASTIC!" Jiraiya rushed out the door in search of his "research equipment."
Ino sweatdropped. "Well, he's gone," She sighed, rubbing her temples. "I'm going to need a day or two to plan this all out…" She then rubbed her hands together, cackling evilly. "Get ready, Forehead, it's time for Ino-Queen to finally play a part in your dates!"
Meanwhile, Sakura and Shikamaru were casually strolling through the streets of downtown Konoha.
Sakura had a little hop in her step, and she wore a blissful look on her face. On the contrary, Shikamaru's hands were shoved in his pockets, he was slightly slouched over, and his expression remained rather indifferent.
"The weather's nice," Shikamaru muttered, trying to prompt a conversation from the pink-haired girl.
"I know, right? It's beautiful!" Sakura sighed, "This time of year is when the cherry blossoms bloom, I can't wait for the festival to arrive."
"Oh yeah, isn't the festival happening next week?" Shikamaru asked.
"Yup! I'm really excited because it comes once every four years, and I wasn't able to see the last festival," then she added softly, "my mother used to take me to see the fireworks at the end when I was younger."
Shikamaru paused to look at Sakura for a moment. Her expression was gentle, and she had a faint smile on her face.
They continued walking in a comfortable silence.
"So, Shikamaru," Sakura started to say, "What do you like to do?"
"I like to sleep." He replied in a completely deadpan tone.
Sakura sweat-dropped. "You like to sleep? That's all?"
"Yup."
"That's… very interesting."
"I know, right?"
Sakura gave him a withered look. "Anyways, why were you so late to our date today?"
Shikamaru yawned just then, lifting his arms above his head and stretching them out. "What? Oh, sorry. Um, I slept in,"
"You… slept in." Sakura repeated dryly.
"Yeah, it was a pretty nice nap, too. I got woken up by Ino's screaming voice telling my to get out of bed or she would violently smack me upside the head with a banana." He shook his head and muttered, "Troublesome woman,"
Is sleeping all this guy likes to do? Wondered Sakura.
The pair made a turn and entered Konoha Central Park. Since the Cherry Blossom festival was due to start next week, preparations were already underway. Throughout the park, stands were being set up for shops, games, and other amusements. Some were already up and running, calling forth passing citizens to come take a look at their wares. Shikamaru and Sakura walked through the stalls, admiring various trinkets and tasting random foods.
"This is amazing!" Sakura had said with a mouthful of roast duck, "I've never tasted this before!" Shikamaru had continued munching happily on his fried sweet cheese balls.
Eventually, as the two continued along the line of stalls, they reached the area which contained various amusements such as games or street shows. Although not all of the stands were set up, most of them were already fully prepared. Many prized were on display, enticing all those who walked by to try to win them.
"Ooh! Look at that!" Sakura ran up to an extremely large stuffed bunny. She stared at it with wide eyes. "Isn't it so cute, Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru strolled up to the stand, not saying anything.
"Why, hello there, ma'am!" a cheery voice called out. Sakura turned, and saw a stout man with a large mustache. He's probably running the stall, Sakura thought. Smiling, the man asked, "Care to try to win that adorable stuffed animal?"
Eagerly, Sakura skipped to the man. "Yes, please! What're the rules?"
The man brought out an object covered with a piece of cloth. He uncovered the object with a dramatic flourish, and revealed a wooden board with a red circle painted onto it. He laid down five smaller metal discs next to the board. "It's simple, really! You just have to cover the red circle entirely with these silver discs!" A sly smile crossed his face. "Would you like to give it a try?"
Sakura pumped her fist in the air. "HELL YEAH! That looks easy!" she slapped down a dollar on the table.
"Careful," the man warned, "once you place the discs onto the circle you can't move them again!"
With a cocky smirk, she started setting up the discs in a random, sporadic pattern. When she had placed four of the discs onto the circle, she frowned. There were two gaps remaining on opposite sides of the circle. "Damn," she muttered.
"Too bad! Do you want to try it again?" The stall owner questioned jauntily.
"Sakura slammed another dollar down. "This time I'm gonna get it for sure!" This time, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, she began arranging the discs a second time, this time in a spiral pattern. When she had place the final disc down, however, there was a tiny sliver of red peering through the boundary of two discs. "Argh!"
"Wow, you almost got it that time!" the stall owner seemed to swell with pleasure every time Sakura messed up on the game.
It meant more money for him, after all.
"AGAIN!" Sakura growled, relinquishing yet another dollar.
She tried two more times, until she gave up. "This is impossible!" She gazed at the stuffed bunny. "I'm sorry Mr. Bunny, but we can't be together!" Sakura began mock-crying in a very dramatic way. "NO MR. BUNNY, YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR ME! WE CAN'T BE TOGETHER! NOOOO!"
The whole time, Shikamaru had been observing the game. It had sounded simple enough, but Shikamaru knew this was not the case. There was math involved in this.
He slowly walked up to the stand. Still pasting an indifferent expression on his face, he placed a dollar in front of the man. "I would like to try." He said tonelessly.
"Well, young man! I trust you've heard the rules, why don't you give it a go?"
Shikamaru stared at the discs for a few moments. Turning to the stall owner, he asked, "Do you mind telling me the measurements of these discs and the red circle?"
The stall-owner's smile fell ever-so-slightly. "Erm, w-well, sure, I guess!" He still had a smile on his face, but it didn't seem as cheerful as before as he relayed the radii of the circles to Shikamaru.
Shikamaru turned back to the puzzle. Closing his eyes for a few moments, he solved a few quick equations in his head. The answer gave him a strategy to play the game.
His eyes snapped open.
He began arranging the discs in a spiral pattern as Sakura had done, but he was doing it in a very slow, calculated way. Sakura had stopped wailing and peered over at him, eyes wide. A crowd had long since gathered around the stall.
Shikamaru took the last disc in hand and meticulously fit it into the last spot, covering the red circle entirely.
The crowd gasped.
"Shikamaru! You did it!" Sakura clasped her hands together. "That's amazing!"
The stall-owner frantically searched the puzzle for any sign of the red circle, but was dismayed when he didn't even catch a glimpse. Smile completely gone, he sluggishly walked over to the bunny, unhooked it, and grudgingly presented it to Shikamaru. "Here's your prize. Enjoy." He muttered.
Shikamaru took the stuffed bunny which was so big that it required two hands to hold, and then turned to Sakura, who was staring at him wide-eyed. "Here," he said, extending the bunny out to her.
Sakura stared at him for another moment and then squealed, running towards him and tackling him in a bear hug. "Thank you thank you thank you SO MUCH!" she said happily.
Shikamaru, who was now on the ground thanks to Sakura's monster hugging skills, was caught by surprise. "Yeah yeah, now get off me," he mumbled. Smiling, Sakura rose and grabbed the stuffed bunny, hugging it to her chest.
She didn't notice the faint blush that tinged Shikamaru's cheeks. "Troublesome woman," he muttered, but the corner of his mouth was slightly lifted in a smile.
"I'm going to take Fluffy with me wherever I go!" Sakura exclaimed, holding "Fluffy" by the hand, "Us two were MEANT for each other!"
Shikamaru let out a chuckle. "Whatever. If you're okay with people thinking you're a psychopath, be my guest,"
Sakura playfully punched him on the shoulder. "I am NOT a psychopath!"
A little kid walked by them just then, and tugged at Sakura's pants. "Excuse me, miss, but are you a bad guy? You look kind of creepy with that bunny doll,"
Sakura spluttered, indignant.
Staring at her flustered appearance, Shikamaru couldn't help but burst out laughing. "I just proved my point!" he managed out between breaths, "Even KIDS are scared of you!"
Sakura was about to give him a good punch right to the face, and then she noticed how nice his laughter sounded. It was a husky, throaty chuckle that couldn't help but make Sakura smile.
In a few moments, Sakura was laughing alongside him as well.
The sun was starting to set, and Sakura and Shikamaru were once again walking through downtown together.
Clutching Fluffy on her left, Sakura shyly extended her right hand and slowly wrapped her fingers around Shikamaru's.
Startled, Shikamaru glance at her, and saw a faint blush on her face as she stared at the floor. Shikamaru could feel his face getting hot, too.
Feeling bold, he adjusted his hand until his fingers were interlocked with Sakura's. He unconsciously pulled Sakura a little closer to him, and in response, Sakura leaned into him.
They kept walking quietly, until Sakura decided to break the silence. "You know, Shikamaru, you're actually a pretty nice guy." She spoke shyly.
"You're not so bad yourself," he replied, allowing himself a small smile.
Sakura looked up at him and gave him a cheeky smile. "Anyways, how did you win that red spot game?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "It was pretty simple, actually. I just used some math."
"Wow, you must be pretty smart," she said, voice filled with admiration, "I was sure that game was rigged."
Shikamaru chuckled.
They continued walking while holding hands until they reached the bookstore again.
"Well, I guess our date's over huh?" Shikamaru said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
"I guess so." Sakura replied a little sadly, but then she looked up at him and smiled. "I had a lot of fun though. Me and Fluffy won't ever forget that you're the one who brought us together!" She said dramatically.
Shikamaru chuckled again, and then pulled her in for a hug. I had a good time too," he whispered. Sakura could feel her face getting warm. When Shikamaru pulled back, he smirked a little when he saw how red Sakura was.
"Well, I'll see you around, yeah?" Shikamaru said casually, as he started to walk away.
"Yeah," Sakura breathed in response. She watched Shikamaru leave and then slowly turned around, starting to walk towards her car. She froze when she felt a pair of eyes… those eyes… staring at her again. She turned, gave Shino a long stare, and then quickly hobbled away from the creepy pawn shop so she could get home.
Whoooo second chapter DONE!
I know this took me AGES to put up, but this chapter was actually pretty long. And I'm kind of lazy but please don't kill me ok
First day of school was today. I'm tired as hell. It was great seeing my friends again, but I desperately miss my bed, because obviously, I didn't really get much sleep last night xD
Hehehe done with Shika, so suggest some more pairings you guys would like, I'm open to ideas :)
Awww poor Shino, I love little bug-boy but his eyes really are creepy, eh?
The "Red Spot Game" is real, and it's FREAKING IMPOSSIBLE. I tried it at a fair one time, and I almost punched the stall guy when I found out I wasted almost fifteen dollars xD
There's actual math involved in solving it, but it's probably way to complicated for me to understand. Just GOOGLE IT.
That's right. I said "radii" muahaha I feel so sophisticated.
Thank you so much for your kind reviews; Sanma Rin, TeenageCrisis, and 17tangerines, I honestly cannot express how good they felt to read :3
And also, thank you all who have followed/favorited this story, you guys are the best. REALLY.
So yeah, leave a review, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Read and Review, y'all :D