Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
On the 9th Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... nine ladies dancing.
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DAY NINE: SHIKAMARU
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"Just... wrap that up," Shikamaru yawned as he instructed the girl behind the counter at the little knickknack shop he discovered moments earlier.
Next door at the Akimichi family restaurant, Chouji and Kankuro had started yet another argument over the food they were supposed to prepare. This time, however, Shikamaru had finally gotten tired of being forced to pick a side, when he knew neither of them was ever really going to let their side go even if he did tell them what he thought. Wanting to get out of it, he stated he had not yet bought his gift, and had excused himself to go out and search for something for the pink-haired medic, who had been the one whose name Shikamaru had pulled out of the hat.
He'd only walked a few steps before spotting a window display with two doves kissing. Having not been able to come up with anything at all in the last two days, Shikamaru had decided that maybe some little decorative trinket might make a good gift.
The lazy nin considered buying the doves, knowing that Ino had a particular fondness for birds, and considering the two medic-nins were such good friends, he thought perhaps Sakura would be the same. Of course he quickly dismissed the thought almost as soon as he had it, since, from his experience, despite all women being insufferably troublesome, one of the many things that made them so, was that no two women were alike.
He had walked around the quaint little shop for only a few minutes before spotting a small box in the corner. It was made of oak wood, varnished in red tint, and appeared to have a musical mechanism installed, from the small protruding dial on the back. Curious, Shikamaru had picked it up and opened the lid, only to see a tiny dancing lady inside, accompanied by soft bell-like music.
The music box wasn't of much particular interest to him, but he figure it was something a girl might like, so he picked it up and walked over to the counter to pay for it.
While he was waiting for the girl behind the counter to ring him up and wrap the gift in colorful paper and a bow, Shikamaru spotted Tenten and her bowl-haired teammate talking outside in front of the display window with the two love doves.
He'd been meaning to talk to the bun-haired girl for the last few days. There had been something on his mind, and since she was perhaps the only girl Shikamaru could tolerate and consider the least troublesome of all the girls he knew, he decided he'd ask her advice on the thought that had been bothering him for the last few days.
Quickly paying and pushing the small music box into one of his pockets, the lazy Nara hurriedly walked out to meet the two older shinobi, who were just finishing off their conversation.
"Yo!" he lazily greeted the teammates, who returned the greeting cheerfully, just before the spandex-clad ninja politely excused himself and headed over in the direction of the training fields.
"What's up?" Tenten smiled eagerly as she waited for Shikamaru to tell her why he'd come over to them.
That was one of the things he liked about her, she was good at reading people, so there was never any need to build up to anything with her.
"I have a favor to ask," Shikamaru sighed.
"So ask," the bun-haired girl replied, her smile never faltered. Already he knew she'd say yes to whatever he asked.
"Temari told me I have to dance with her at the party," the lazy genius informed the older girl.
"And you don't know how to dance," she guessed.
Shikamaru merely nodded, not ashamed of the fact that he couldn't so much as tap his feet to a rhythm, let alone dance. "So can you teach me?"
"Sure." Tenten shrugged. "Got some time right now?"
"Yeah," he nodded, and quickly followed her as she took his hand and began leading him away.
Oh the things he did for the most troublesome woman of them all...
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TBC...
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