I will have no internet until Sunday, so you'll have to wait a little longer for the next chapter. Sorry, but I hope this chapter makes up for it.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto franchise.

Shikamaru leaned back in the chair, mentally steeling himself for what he knew was coming. He was in a dress shop. With that troublesome woman. He could hear a cart being wheeled towards him and the dressing rooms. He opened his eyes and spluttered.

"What's wrong, pineapple-head?"

Shikamaru stared at the cart, heaped high with what looked like half the contents of the store. "I thought you were just going to try on a few dresses."

"This is a few."

"That's way more than just a few."

Temari shrugged. "I'm going to go try them on."

She reappeared a few minutes later and Shikamaru almost had a nosebleed. The "dress" was short, extremely short, and skin-tight with a low neckline. Shikamaru, beet-red, clapped his hands over his eyes. I can't look. If I look, my nose will start bleeding, and Temari will kill me if I look at her in the way that that dress makes me want to look at her.

Temari pried his hands off of his face and softly said "Look at me."

Shikamaru hesitantly opened his eyes. Temari had leaned forwards to pry his hands away, and since he was sitting and she was standing, her chest was at eye level, and the dress did little to cover it. He fainted.

He woke to see Temari dressed in a much more modest dress smirking. "You didn't think I'd forgotten that I needed to pay you back for our match yesterday in the training grounds, did you? I've got an idea, next time I'll just wear that dress, and then you won't fight, you'll just faint again. Am I just too much for you?" Temari taunted.

"I didn't faint, I was just resting my eyes!"

"Uh huh. Was that why you were drooling in your sleep?"

Shikamaru's blush returned. "You are not wearing that thing to the ball." He gritted out.

Temari laughed. "I never intended to. That was just payback, crybaby."

"Troublesome woman."

"Do you want me to put the first dress back on again?"

Part of Shikamaru really wanted to say yes, but the rational part took over again, replacing the images of Temari in the minidress with images of Kankuro and Gaara hunting him down if he started showing an interest in their sister. That was if he was still alive after Temari was done with him. "No. I'm good." The rational part replied.

Temari gave him a look that clearly said she didn't believe he didn't want to see her in the tiny dress again. She wasn't dumb. No one reacted like Shikamaru did because they thought the dress was hideous. But she returned to the dressing room.

Temari came out again in a wrap-around that tied in the middle. "What do you think of it, Shika?"

"Uh." He hadn't realized before that Temari had a small waist. He fought the urge to shake his head to get his thoughts back on track. "It looks … lovely."

"You think so?" she asked, turning in a circle, and the knot at her waist slipped, allowing the dress to fall half-open.

Shikamaru turned a brilliant red again. She did that on purpose! But that was about the only coherent thought he could manage due to the sight before him.

"Oops." Temari said, grabbing the edge of the dress and drawing it back to its proper position. "I guess I don't want this one if it can fall open like that. I'll try the next one on, then."

She re-entered the dressing room, and Shikamaru tried to remember how to breathe. I shouldn't have made that comment yesterday about how I could have won the match simply by taking my shirt off so she would stare. Kankuro and Gaara are going to kill me!

"What do you think of this one?"

"It's great. Let's buy it, and then we can get out of here." I need to get out of here and away from her before I do something stupid, like kiss her.

"You hate it, don't you?"

"No, that's not it!"

"You think I'm ugly. That's why you want me to buy the dress and leave, so you won't have to look at me anymore."

"No, that's not it! You're beautiful, Temari!"

Temari's pout disappeared and was replaced with a smirk. Shikamaru realized he'd been played. "You really think I'm beautiful?"

His mind scrambled. She'd kill him if he said no, but he still felt like he was digging his grave. "Yes."

"Aww, Shika! That's so sweet!" She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before disappearing into the dressing room again.

One hand involuntarily crept up to his cheek, still warm from his blush. What have I gotten myself into?