Christmas Tree Mania … Team 10.
"Bah… Troublesome,"
"You sound like Scrooge!" Chouji grinned
"Shurrup!" the Nara leant his head on the Christmas Tree he had just bought, before withdrawing his head with a few choice swear words.
"That's what you get for doing that, Shika-kun!" Ino chirped merrily, as Chouji laughed at the newly proclaimed 'Scrooge'.
"Come on, Shikamaru, no complaining," Asuma agreed, joining the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
Shikamaru arched an eyebrow and stared up at the sky.
That was until someone opened their window, and snow fell onto his face. Shikamaru spluttered, choking the on the snow and turned to glare at who had opened their window. Anko stood in the window, grinning sheepishly.
"Heh, sorry maggot. Don't look up, next time!" she laughed, before moving away from the window.
"Shikamaru, let me get that snow out of your hair!" Ino smiled, her fingers going to his hair tie.
"INO!" he shouted, glaring at the blonde team-mate. She stepped back, shocked.
"Sorry, Shikamaru… I just wanted to help a fellow team-mate…" she turned to sob dramatically into Chouji's shoulder.
The Nara heaved a huge sigh. "Look, Ino, I'm really sor-"
"Apology accepted!" Ino squealed, bouncing off after Asuma.
Their sensei, unlike the others, had been sensible and brought a big sleigh, to carry four trees. He pulled it along too, bless him.
The two males of Team 10 blinked their eyes at Ino's … Well, there was no way to describe it: Ino Yamanaka was a strange one.
"You know, this party is going to have dancing. Are you not gonna go again?" Chouji grinned at his best friend.
"Probably. I don't enjoy danc-"
"Nara Shikamaru, did I, Yamanaka Ino, just hear you tell our dear friend, Chouji Akimichi, that you aren't going to the Christmas Eve party, hosted by our Hokage, Tsunade?" a murderous aura appeared abruptly behind the Shadow User, who, for once in his life, gulped in pure fear of the blonde.
"Nothing, Ino…"
"Good, cause me and Chouji are going to yours to get ready, then I will drag you to the party, beaten or un-beaten. But I will leave that up to you!"
After walking past the Akimichi Compound, and stopping in for Christmas nibbles - they were bursting with food now - the duo, since Asuma had spotted Kurenai with a tree, and ran to help her, trotted on.
"You know, this tree isn't half as heavy as I thought it was!" Ino commented, carrying hers carefully.
"Hmm." the genius was off in his dream world, gazing up at the clouds.
"Sh-"
Shikamaru fell backwards, having bumped into a frozen solid thing, he now sat on his tree.
"Bah, troublesome tree, what the hell did I walk into?" he grumbled, glancing up.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, Shikamaru-kun! We didn't think our snowman would hurt people!" Hinata's voice gasped.
Shikamaru was heaved up by two warm hands and patted on the shoulder.
"S'alright, Hina-hime, Shika here was day-dreaming, ain't that right?" Kiba laughed.
"Yeah, s'fine Hinata-chan, no harm done," Shikamaru agreed, as Hinata watched him worried.
"Well, we'll be off! Have fun you two!" Ino chirped, after sorting out Hinata's hat and scarf.
Shikamaru trotted off after his team-mate, who was wearing a red coat with white fur round the hood, and black trousers.
"You look really Christmas-y, Ino," he smirked.
"Thank you, Shika-kun!" Ino grinned, "And did you hear Kiba? He called Hina-chan, Hina-hime! 'Pparently, he only does that in private! Do you reckon he's fine with everyone knowing that he likes our little Hyuuga sweetie?"
"Kiba likes Hinata?"
"Oh, Shikamaru, do keep up!" Ino whined, frowning a little at the Nara.
"Well, I'll see ya Christmas Eve, Shika-kun!" Ino grinned, standing on her doorstep.
Shikamaru eyed her warily. She hadn't stopped grinning and giggling since they walked through her gate.
"Yeah, Christmas Eve… party… dancing… Great!" he said, with mock enthusiasm.
"There, I knew you would feel the excitement soon! Now then," her blue eyes darted skywards, before holding Shikamaru's brown ones evenly.
Shikamaru followed the quick darting movement, and glanced up too. Mistletoe hung from the porch.
"Troublesome…" he sighed, half-glaring at Ino. "How many others have you trapped with this?"
"… Truthly, you'll be the first person I got under the mistletoe." Ino giggled sheepishly at his surprised look. "Just cause I date a few guys, doesn't mean I kiss all of them!"
Shikamaru nodded at her defensive sentence. He sighed, and cupped her chin, as her blue eyes widened. \
"Once, okay?" he breathed, before closing the gap between them.
Her lips were slightly warmer than he expected, and tasted like ginger, from the Akimichi nibbles they had just eaten. She wrapped her arms round his neck, as the kiss continued, getting deeper and harder. He picked her up slightly, her toes just touching the floor, until the door swung open.
The two jumped apart, and stared at the interrupter.
Inoichi was glaring. And I mean glaring at Shikamaru.
"Ino, inside please."
"Dad, come on! It's mistletoe! You and mum did worse this morning!" Ino snapped, crossing her arms and jutting her right hip out. Inoichi gawped at his daughter, then shook his head.
"Well, you both may as well come in. Your parents are both here, Shikamaru," the elder Yamanaka moved out the doorway, allowing the two shinobi to enter.
Yoshino and Shikaku were talking to Ino's mum, when the two entered, both carrying Christmas Tree's.
"Oh, darling, by the fireplace, please!" Ino obeyed her mum, placing her tree in the red pot by the fireplace, unwrapping it from it's netting. The branches sprung out, free of their ropes and happy.
"Shikamaru… Why does ours look like it has been through a shredder?" Yoshino asked, eyeing her tree.
"He bumped into a snowman and fell down onto the tree," Ino chipped in helpfully, as Shikamaru opened his mouth.
"A snowman?! Could you not see where you were going?"
"He was day-dreaming, you know, about what to get you for Christmas!" Ino saved him again.
Shikamaru glared at her, before Yoshino hugged him happily.
"You were? Oh, dear, I don't mind that!"
"Son… Are you seriously trying to show me up on Christmas Day?!" Shikaku exclaimed. His son just smirked happily, and beckoned Ino to his side.
He leant in to whisper in her ear."You got me into this, you're helping me get her something,"
"Me and Shikamaru are going upstairs! Not like that Daddy, that's disgusting!" Ino mimed throwing up at her father's angry look.
Upstairs, Shikamaru was stretched out on Ino's bed, while the owner of the bed sat cross-legged on the floor, putting various photos of Yoshino and her friends and family into a photo album.
"Thanks for doing this Ino," Shikamaru sighed, one arm over his eyes.
"You know this comes at a cost, that both you and Cho have to pay, right?"Shikamaru removed his arm, sat up and blinked at the blonde mastermind.
"What?"
"Yeah, the party is fancy dress, Christmas style. I already have our outfits!" Ino smiled. Shikamaru groaned.
"What's mine, and what's Cho's?"
"You are going as Rudolph the Red-Nose-Reindeer, and Chouji is going as a snowman!"
Shikamaru almost, very nearly, cried. Proper tears.
"Can't I just give you another kiss?!"
"Depends how good it was!"Shikamaru practically leapt off the bed and into Ino, crushing her between the floor and his well-toned body, kissing her fervently.
"No. You are still going as a reindeer. I was messing around, I didn't think you would actually try and kiss your way out of this!" Ino laughed, as Shikamaru sat up.
"Urgh, you are on troublesome woman. Here, let's wrap up this photo album, then I can try on this costume," Shikamaru sighed, knowing he wouldn't get out of this. At least he tried, unlike Chouji.
After wrapping up the present, in sparkly silver paper, Shikamaru and Ino were covered in silver glitter. Well… Shikamaru's clothes were. But he was in a reindeer suit.
"Ino?"
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing with that camera?" he asked, scared completely, his bottom lip trembling, pushing his two front hooves together, as Ino turned with an evil grin.
"Nothing at all, dear little Shika-kun," she cooed, raising the camera up to her blue eye.
SilverWolfStar ~~~ Ah, I love Shikamaru. Anywho, yes this one is shorter, but calm yourself, my darling people. This isn't the last of the Christmas Tree Mania, it just might take a while for me to upload it all… My laptop decided to delete select few of my stuff.
But I hope you are enjoying reading this, there was a smidgen of ShikaIno, so yeah.
Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!