Chapter 6: You gonna eat that muffin?

╣Shikamaru╠

I was still so tired as I nestled into some warm fabric by my head. It was some oddly familiar feel, but it smelled like something not mine. But it did smell nice, as I buried my head in its scent even deeper, and I became curious as to what it was. So I opened my eyes to the bright golden sunlight pouring through my window, squinting, and noticing that the fabric was only the green of my chunin vest. I yawned, not knowing why I still had it with me, I was usually cautious about not hanging it up (I remember when Tsunade had first lay eyes on my wrinkled vest when I first got it 0.o) I looked up at the clock. It was 6am. Just another hour of sleep before I had to wake up and take Temari down to the Hokage's. I closed my eyes.

Wait. Temari.

She was wearing the vest.

I blushed wildly. She had never given it back last night. She was so tired she probably slept in it too…and now I find I like the way it smells? And I'm admitting it to myself?! But worst of all, she was in my room while I slept! I threw my clothes off and jumped into the shower, dousing myself in shampoo and body wash to get that smell away from me, which worked, until I found her cooking lunch.

She told me it was for last night and not to get used to it. I guess she's like me in that she doesn't like to owe anything to anybody. She then proceeded to yell at me that she wasn't the best of cooks, but I was going to eat it and like it.

I sighed as Temari put the plate of food in front of me, and as I breathed in, I caught the scent again.

It's like one of those things you don't realize until it is pointed out. Like the yellow tape on a tree Choji showed me that catches my eye now every time I walk into the park. I groaned as I rubbed my temples now. I shouldn't be liking this… She asked me if I had a headache. I lied 'yes' to get her out of my hair.

"Don't be such a crybaby," she told me. "If you ever saw Gaara's headaches you would be glad that yours don't bring you to screams of agony."

I shrugged. "But I haven't seen his headaches so there is nothing I can compare it to, so for now, I will sulk." I dug my fork into the food and began to eat it. Temari threw the pan into the sink calling me an asshole under her breath. I crammed more food in my mouth and looked out the window. The food wasn't all that bad, actually. I assume it was just Kankuro giving her a hard time about it.

"Oh, by the way," she called as she left for the door. "While you were sleeping like a dumbass, Sakura came by to remind you of the Festival ball. And since I had so much time to think while you slept, and since I have nothing planned that night, I decided that you can take me."

I almost choked. "WHAT?! B-but what about Ino?! Do you know what she will think if I go with you?"

"Its your duty to stay with me…and if you abandon me, I will find someone crazy enough to attack me and get you kicked out of the village ♥."

Temari is so fucking evil.

Of course I knew about this ball, they had it every year. That damned pink haired brat had to bring it up, didn't she? I tried to keep Temari with deaf ears though, because I knew that she would want to go. I had it all planned out too! She would never know and I would tell Ino that work is too overwhelming at the moment to take a break for a foolish festival.

I should have seen this coming.

NTEMARIN

2 days later

I don't remember why I wound up at Vanilla Juice Formal Wear. It was the day of the Festival and Shikamaru was called down to Tsunade's office to sign some papers concerning his new teaching job (ha-ha) and he had given me the choice to either keep short distance around his apartment, or go with him. I felt like a child. There was nothing to do around his apartment, so I told him I would go with him, only to be told to wait outside the office.

I was pissed to say the least. But soon Sakura came by and started talking to me about the festival tonight. Of course she was extremely excited for it.

"Oh its gonna be so much fun!!" she squealed. "So…do you have a date? I'm going with Sai!"

"Um…well Shikamaru is going with me…but I wouldn't call him a date."

"Don't you realize what Ino will do to you when she finds out about this?!"

"Hey, its not my fault," I snapped. "Shikamaru is supposed to stay with me 27/7 - do you remember the nutcases that tried to assassinate me? Tsunade is only trying to prevent another war, and one way to do that is to prevent all hate crimes towards the Kazekage's older sister."

She waved me down. "O-okay, Temari. That's true, I guess. S-so what are you wearing tonight?" she asked, obviously trying to get off the subject of murder.

"This I guess," I held my black kimono away from my body. "Its okay, isn't it?"

"NO!" she yelled in my ears, which I wouldn't be surprised if they were bleeding now. "This is the Festival of Stars, Temari! The most beautiful night of the year with all the most beautiful dresses and decorations – haven't you ever heard of it before?"

I shook my head. It didn't surprise me that I never did; back in Suna, I never paid much attention to the events happening in allied nations. I never even attended the ones at our own village.

"You can borrow one of my dresses if you want! I have one that is pink and has stars on it…"

I tried to picture that. I refrained from making an awful face towards the image. "I don't think… I would fit into your clothing, Sakura, you being much younger than I am." Ok, so I lied. But lets face it: she is shorter, has no boobs and there is no way in hell I'm going anywhere looking like some fruitcake.

"Why don't you wear it?"

"Oh, really? Do you think it will catch everyone's eyes?"

"Uh, yea!" I stammered.

"But what are you going to wear then?"

"I don't know…"

She giggled and took a card from her pocket. "How dumb of me! Here! Go there. They sell gorgeous dresses."

"But I don't have that much money with me…"

"Don't be silly! Have them charge it to Tsunade's account."

Okay so that's how I wound up here. Strolling in, I looked around and wondered who – besides Sakura- would wear anything like those! Gorgeous dresses my ass!

"Good morning!" a lady seemed to pop out of thin air, a little too cheery for my mood now.

"Hello…I'm here for a dress…For the festival tonight." I added.

"Oh, of course!" she seemed to look me up and down, even had touched my hair. "you are exactly what I was thinking of while I was making a certain dress!"

So she made all these? Ew.

'Come now, wont you come see it?" she never waited for an answer as she dragged me to the back of the store to a room covered in needles and fabrics. She pulled a key from her pocket and went into a cabinet, and pulled out…

The prettiest dress ever.

I had come the think that the dress would be covered in all bells and whistles and be ridiculously frilly and ugly like all the others in the shop. But the one she held out to me was so simple, it was elegant.

It was a white kimono with a dark lavender obi and intricate cherry blossoms sowed to the hems of the sleeves and at the bottom edge. It was also tied in the middle with a long, gold rope that interlaced with the large bow of the obi on the back.

"Its beautiful…" I told her. I measured it to myself. It was too short, but it was at a level where it looked like it was supposed to look that way.

"How much is it?"

"You are the ambassador from the sand, correct? I'll just put it on Tsunade's bill, no worries, kay? Just take it and show it off to the world. It will definitely draw in more costumers." She smiled evilly.

I was going to tell her to bill it to the Hokage anyways. I checked in with Sakura at the tower after, but she told me that Shikamaru had already left. I head off to the apartment then to find he wasn't there either. But upon opening the door to my room and seeing its condition, I decided that the time I had to waste was going towards cleaning this mess, scooping up all the clothes off the floor and throwing them in the washing machine.

≠Shikamaru≠

'How troublesome' I thought as I walked up to the door I dreaded, one all too familiar, stairs I had walked up a million times. This was the house that belonged to my parents- the house I used to live in myself. I desperately wanted to never come back. My parents promised to give me some space these last couple of weeks, but I knew that at some point that would change. I hated to go visit them. Especially that troublesome mother of mine.

I knocked on the door.

After a moment, I found my father in the doorway, a look of surprise on his scarred face.

"Shikamaru? Why are you here? You never come to visit willingly."

"Dad," I greeted him with much relief it wasn't my mother. She must not have been home. I looked away not knowing how to explain this so he didn't flip out.

"What did you do?!" he was pretty anxious, and I probably made him flip out worse than he would have if I had just told him about my situation…which I now didn't want to ask him about.

"Did you get some girl knocked up? Are you telling me you are gay?! "He yelled.

"NO!" what the hell did he think of me? "I came here to borrow some of your formal clothes."

"Oh," he said with much relief. "What for?"

"The festival," I mumbled.

"Shikamaru YOU FINALLY FOUND A WOMAN?!" he patted my back really, really hard. "That's my son! Tell me, is she pretty?"

"Dad, please, she's not my girlfriend. "

"Right." He said sarcastically. He told me he'd be right back and went to get me some clothes. He came back with a beige and white kimono and told me to be careful with it.

"Okay, dad." I began to walk, stopping halfway down the path, hearing my name being called. I turned.

"Don't have sex with her until the third date."

"DAD! SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"I'm just saying, son, don't do it 'til you know she's gonna be around for awhile. Have a good night." He shut the door.

I left waving to him from behind my head, dreading going back home. I have seen girls get ready; from Ino to my own mother. I assumed that she would do the same, seeming as Temari had went on a search for the 'perfect dress'. What a drag. I moaned. About 15 minutes before I told her we were going, though it started a half hour ago.

I found the door to the apartment open- just a crack- which meant that she was home. But I heard no ruckus from down the hall. I slowly made my way to her room, making sure that it wasn't some drunken hobo instead. I listened at her door. I heard rustling or something behind it, but I still had the urge to call her name and lightly tapped at her door.

"WHAT?!" she yelled at me.

"Did you leave the door open?"

"Yea," she paused. "I'm getting dressed so don't come in."

I sighed as a thought came to my head. " How did you get in here anyways?"

"I asked your landlord for a key yesterday. Its such a hassle to have to wait for you always."

My turn to pause. "troublesome woman! Just be sure to give it to me before you leave for Suna. And tell me when you are ready to go. And hurry up before I fall asleep."

I didn't know what else to say. But I suddenly found myself…excited to go to the festival now. I wanted to go after all these years of hating every public event my friends dragged me along to, and now I was excited? I blushed as I thought it had to do with this years companionship… did I really like her that much?

I sighed. This is such a drag! Someone like me should not be liking someone like her!

By the time the door finally opened, I was dressed and sitting on the couch. I heard her open the door and step into the hall. She grabbed the corner of the walls before she came out quite sheepishly. You could tell she wasn't used to beig dressed up. But she did look quite beautiful; her hair was down for once (and it was funny how some of the strands of hair curled up on its own) and the kimono accented the shade of her skin.

"It doesn't look bad, does it? I never was one to get all fancy for anyone," she told me.

"No, no, it looks good. " I yawned and pointed to the door. She gave me an odd look, but left towards the door.

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yo ho ho so here is the chapter promised. wow im good at remembering this crap. usually it would be a week of me thingking 'well i kno i have to do something...but what?...' before 'post another chapter!!!!!' hn. hopeless. and the directions on pancake boxes suck. just saying.

NEXT TIME: chapter 7: WE like TO party

I looked around and found the first guy that looked like a complete sleazy rapist. "Hey you! Do you want to go danc-"