A/N: Ooooh dramallamas *alert*.

Before you read thus chapter: Right so I already mentioned that I based a lot of this story on things that I've experienced, and the "piano room" that features in this chapter is literally based on a room where my friend and I used to hang out. No kidding.

Also, Amefist: Thank you so much for your lovely comment, it honestly made me so happy to know that you like my story, and I also may or may not have read the fan fiction that you're writing and I *love* it so please continue! Also thanks for praising my grammar, English isn't my first language, so it's really rewarding to know that it doesn't show too obviously in writing.

Right. That's it. Please enjoy! Next chapter the party will start, I'm just building it up a lil more in this one.

Drama Llama

"So,"

"So,"

"..."

"..."

"What are you dressing up as tomorrow?"

"I don't know, you?"

"Dunno."

"..."

"..."

This was probably the most amount of words Shikamaru had ever exchanged with Kankurō, and he felt awkward for bringing up the costume topic. Deciding it would be best if he left, he stood from the canteen table that their group always sat at and made his way outside for some fresh air.

"SHIKAMARUUUUU!"

He groaned.

"Yes, Ino?"

"Do you know what you're wearing tomorrow?"

"N-Yeah. I do," Shikamaru said hurriedly, afraid that the blonde would come up with something crazy for him to wear. Dressing in drag was the last thing on his to-do-list.

"Do you really?" Ino frowned, surprised by his answer. "It had better be good, Shika. Temari looks super hot, you wouldn't want her not noticing you now, would you?"

Shikamaru stumbled.

"Ino, I don't care what that troublesome woman thinks..." He grumbled.

"Suuuurre," Ino grinned, narrowing her eyes at the now-blushing Shikamaru.

"Look, Ino, I know you think I like her, but I seriously don't so can you please just drop it?"

Ino shrugged and walked beside him.

"So what are you going as?"

"You'll see,"

"..."

"..."

"Shika?"

"Hn?"

"You know I wouldn't judge you if you did like her, right?"

"Oh for the love of God! I DON'T LIKE HER!"

"Sshhh, I'm just saying," Ino insisted, "if you want advice, I'm here. I found out a few things about her from Daimaru..."

"Blackmail or seduction this time?"

"Seduction of course," she grinned.

"Why are you like this?" Shikamaru sighed, not wanting an answer from her.

"I'd do anything to help my friend get the girl of his drea- Shika!"

Shikamaru accelerated ahead of her and turned left, passing through a corridor instead of outside.

He nearly ran into a figure that was up against a wall. It took him a brief moment to realise that the figure was Daimaru, or rather, Daimaru attached to an angry Temari.

"GO AWAY, DAIMARU!"

"Tema, I'm so sorry I didn't mea-"

"BULLSHIT!"

She turned away from him and pulled her arm from his grasp, almost running into Shikamaru, whom she hadn't noticed standing there.

She glanced at him briefly before lowering her eyes and storming past him.

Shikamaru looked at Daimaru.

"What happened dude?"

"The blonde chick from your school tried to kiss me. Temari came in at the wrong time. Ino-san was asking about Temari, so I told her so she'd leave me alone, but she kept on asking and coming closer to me... Temari took it the wrong way."

Ino...

Shikamaru gulped. This was bad.

"Just explain it to her," he suggested.

"I tried, I really did," Daimaru cried, " But she won't hear me out. I really like her. I have for a long time, I don't want to lose her..."

"Look, Daimaru-san, let me try to talk to her, okay?"

Daimaru nodded and Shikamaru set off in the direction that Temari had gone in.

He liked her, but she liked Daimaru. He didn't want her to break up with him for the wrong reasons and hastily get into another relationship with someone who she didn't even like. Besides, Daimaru was nice, and he treated her well.

As he walked past the Geography class, he saw her.

She was leaning back in the same chair he'd seen her in before, her earphones weren't place, and she wasn't smiling this time. She was looking straight ahead of her at something that Shikamaru couldn't see through the narrow window. Her mouth opened, and Shikamaru heard her muffled voice from the other side of the door.

An answer came.

He gripped the door handle and pushed it open, startling Temari and the person she'd been speaking to.

"Nara," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

He looked at the other person in the room. He recognised the man, he'd seen him at the airport when they'd arrived from Konoha.

"Who are you?" The man asked.

"Nara Shikamaru," he answered in his signature drawl.

"This is my pen pal," Temari explained. "Nara, this is the exchange coordinator, he was just asking me how the wonderful exchange was going. I was just telling him how splendid you and all your friends are."

He could almost physically feel the sarcasm that was coating her words.

Shikamaru couldn't tell whether Temari seemed more annoyed at him or the coordinator.

"Boyfriend problems?" The coordinator asked, ruffling his own hair.

Temari stiffened and glared at him.

"Bingo," the silver haired man chuckled, pulling over a chair to sit opposite Temari.

"Y'know babe," he said, causing Shikamaru to tense up. "You seem a bit mature to be spending time with little kids. You should spend some time with a real man, if you really want some fun."

The man licked his lips and ran his eyes all over Temari, taking in her open buttoned shirt and her skirt that had hitched up a bit from her seated position.

"Sorry, Hidan." She said, rolling her eyes. " I have a boyfriend already, and I'm perfectly happy with him. There was just a minor hitch in our relationship. Nothing major,"

And with that, she stood up and put her arm on Shikamaru's shoulder, marching him out of the room.

"Thanks for showing up," she mumbled,
"That perv terrifies me."

Shikamaru laughed.

"You didn't seem like the kind of person who'd be scared by anything to be honest."

Temari shrugged and shuffled on, her pace matching his.

"So," Shikamaru began. "Care to tell me what happened back there?"

"With Daimaru?"

"Yeah,"

Temari took a deep breath and rubbed her temples in slow circular motions.

"Can we not talk about it in the corridors?"

"Sure, where do you want to go?"

"Follow me,"

Temari led him up two flights of stairs and into a dimly lit corridor with doors on either side. At the end of the corridor was an old couch that was falling apart, and beside that was a metal cabinet with an empty white plant pot on top of it.

Shikamaru had seen a lot of strange things in this school, but this was by far the strangest.

Temari reached into the pot and took out a key with a large faded leather key ring attached to it. She reached over and unlocked the closest door and walked inside with Shikamaru close behind.

Inside the room was a wooden stand up piano, a large cabinet and (not even joking) a sink. There were stools near the walls and the grass-green paint was chipped and faded.

"What is this place?" Shikamaru couldn't help but ask.

Temari shrugged.

"An ex of mine showed me it a couple of years back. I like to come here every so often. Play the piano or whatever."

She dropped herself down on the piano bench and leaned against it, causing a few of the notes to ring out. Shikamaru turned one if the taps at the sink. It was rusted, and no water poured from it.

"So," he asked, seating himself opposite her. "Talk to me."

Temari smirked at him and leaned forward, propping her elbows up on her knees and resting her chin in her hands.

"I was looking for Daimaru when I found him up against a wall, being spoken to by an uncomfortably close Ino." She said, not looking away from his eyes. "Daimaru was blushing like mad and stuttering, and he didn't seem to be struggling all that much against her. It pissed me off, so I stormed away, loudly enough for him to know I'd seen what had happened. He chased after me a half hour later, I wasn't ready to talk about it. That's it."

Shikamaru sighed.

"So you're not breaking up with him?"

"No, why?" She asked, before breaking into a wicked smile that suited her so terrifyingly well. "Are we jealous, Nara?"

Shikamaru turned away.

"N-no, but he was worried. He really likes you, it would be a pity if you broke up with him for the wrong reasons, especially considering you like him."

Temari nodded slowly.

"You're right."

They stayed like that for a while before Shikamaru spoke up again.

"Ino doesn't like him, so don't worry about her. I'll talk to her so that she doesn't try anything like this again. Okay?"

Temari smiled.

"Thanks, that'd be nice. I'll talk to her too."

Shikamaru gulped at the idea of the two blondes confronting each other.

When the bell rang, Temari got up from the bench and straightened out her skirt, reaching out a hand for Shikamaru. He took it, even though he didn't need help getting up, and he couldn't help but be surprised by how delicate her hand felt in his own.

"Thanks Nara, talking helped." She said gently.

"You can stop calling me that, you know."

She smiled and locked the door after they stepped out of the room.

"Thank you, Shikamaru," she smirked, returning the key to the pot on the cabinet.

Hearing his name on her lips made Shikamaru's belly do flip-flops against his will and he turned his head away to conceal the blush that was creeping up his face.

'Why am I so damn weak?' He internally screamed at himself. 'And why the hell did I just fix her relationship?!'

OoOoO

"Ino?"

"Yes, Mari?"

" I have a question," Temari said, pronouncing each word very carefully, and slowly edging closer to the shivering blonde.

"What, in the wide world of pixelated fuck, were you doing with my boyfriend earlier on?"

Ino twitched and the colour drained from her face.

"L-let me explain, Mari..." She stammered.

"Mm, that's exactly what I'm waiting for you to do, Ino," Temari said, her cold voice contrasting with her sweet smile that she'd plastered to her face.

Ino explained that she was only asking for information about her.

"Why?" Temari asked, frowning.

"You don't talk to us, Mari. I won't tell anyone about what he said. I swear."

Temari sighed and brought her hand up to her forehead.

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me more about your family than about you."

Temari froze, she only talked about her family issues once with Daimaru when she was upset (and more than just a little drunk)

" Ino, I don't know how much he told you, or what you understood of it, but you can't tell anyone. Got it?"

Ino nodded and Temari walked away.

When Temari returned home, she flopped face down onto her bed. There wasn't much homework for her to do because they were on their midterm, meaning that the work wasn't due for another week.

She sighed, her head was hurting from the amount of emotions she was experiencing.

She was angry at Ino for getting information about her from Daimaru, and disappointed in Daimaru for giving it to her. She was upset at herself for reacting so stubbornly when he confronted her and pissed off at Hidan for existing.

"And...?" Said a little voice at the very back of her head.

She smiled a little. Curious about the Nara. He had been the one to chase after her. Not Daimaru. Nara had talked it out with her and suggested a solution.

Shikamaru Nara cheered her up.

He was such a strange kid.

"TEMARIIIIIIIII!"

Kankurō's voice echoed through the Sabaku residence.

"YEAH?!"

"SOME FRIENDS ARE AT THE DOOR!"

She sighed, one of the girls probably wanted to talk about the party tomorrow. Temari had done her best not to get involved with any of the planning or invitations, but of course they wanted to talk to her about it.
How troubleso- wait. What?

"JUST LET THEM IN!"

A few moments later there came a knock from the other side of her door and she answered only to be face to face with Yukata, Matsuri, Tenten and Ino.

"Um... Hi?" She said, before they pushed into her room, giggling and clutching massive duffel bags and makeup boxes.

"We're staying over tonight!" Matsuri declared, setting her belongings down in the floor.

Temari was too shocked to protest as the four girls began opening their sacks and taking out sleeping bags and pyjamas.

"Temari - Chan?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Can I do your make up please?" Tenten asked, laying out a palette in front of her.

"NO WAY."

"Aw, please?" Tenten begged, pouting a little. "I don't wear makeup myself, but i like putting it on other people. Though I'm not that good. I won't put too much on, I swear."

Temari eventually got over the shock of having her room invaded by a flock of girly girls and allowed them to do whatever they wanted-in moderation.

No way in hell was she going to watch Titanic.

After a few hours of being painted up by Tenten and Matsuri, she settled in and let herself fall asleep before the others.

She had a feeling that the next day would be a long one...