SweetStealer: YAY! LONGER CHAPTER!

Gaara: Hn.

Sasuke: Hn.

Neji: Fuck you.

Sweets: I don't own NAruto!

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Chapter 21

Shikamaru sucked on the stem of a random blade of grass. It was all too good to be true. The warm summer sun was shining, there were nice fluffy clouds to stare at and no girls. Well...save Hinata, but she didn't really bother him. She was sweet and cute, not annoying or demanding like Ino or Temari.

"Wait. What?" he asked himself, startled.

'I still like Temari?'

The blondes popped into his head and he pouted.

"Damn hormones." he muttered, adjusting his body into a comfortable position.

All of a sudden, Naruto came flying by and splashed into the lake before him. He sweatdropped.

'What did that baka do now?'

Shikamaru was about to go help out his friend, when Itachi and Kisame appeared out of no where.

"Ah! It's Shika-kun!" Itachi grinned, madly.

Shika stared, confused.

"We need your help." Kisame said, shortly.

"Psychopath." Shikamaru said simply.

"No. That's Itachi." Kisame said, pointing to Itachi who was chasing a butterfly.

"Well? You needed my help?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. We need your help to convince Hinata to get out of her depressed/angst-y state. We want her to win."

"Why?"

"So that the Gaara group doesn't win."

"Why?"

"So Hinata can win."

"WHY?!"

"One: To continue the fighting. Two: To dress up Hinata. Three: To make us happy and cause chaos and destruction which will end up ultimately wrecking the world." Itachi said, prancing around.

Shikamaru thought for a moment.

"How will this help me?"

"We can bribe Tsunade not to give you any mission for a while."

"How long is a while?"

"How about a month?"

"Three."

"Two."

"Three."

"...fine."

There was a thoughtful silence.

"You want me to cheat my group so Hinata's group can win?"

Itachi stopped chasing a butterfly and rushed over to them. He said coyly,

"No. You want you to do it."

"..."

"Not really."

"Remember those missions!" Kisame stepped in before Itachi destroyed his plan.

Shikamaru smirked evily and looked at Kisame who had started laughing insanely and Itachi who was waltzing around the field chuckling madly to himself wearing bunny ears.

Shikamaru sweatdropped.

"What a pansy." he muttered.

Hinata lazily watched tv with Akamaru on her lap. Kakashi and Gai were in the room, asleep, newspapers sprawled all over them. She lazily flipped through the channels until she came to a random chick flick/soap opera.

"Oh Akamaru...I wish my life would be as perfect as a movie." she sighed into the pillows and blankets.

Akamaru whined in her lap.

"Rawrf!" Translation: Your boobs are squishy.

"You're so sweet Akamaru. Kiba's lucky to have a pet like you."

"R-r-r-rarrrwf-" Translation: Kiba took pics of you while you were in the shower. And he jacks off to th-

Hinata cut him off with a blissful sigh.

"Yeah, I like these kind of movies too."

She was quite unaware of five black shadows creeping up to her. Akamaru started growling instead.

"GRRRRRRRRR-" Translation: BACK OFF THE BITCH IS MINE!

Hinata looks at the growling mass of fur in her lap.

"Akamaru? What's wr-"

All of a sudden, Hinata's world went black. Her scream got muffled and she hastily activated her Byakugan.

In all the franticness, she was lost for several moments. She could feel herself being carried away. There was a lot of 'shh-ing' and 'shut ups!'. She was dropped on the ground rather roughly a few moments later.

Her eyes were unveiled. She stared into the faces of Sasori, Deidara, Kisame, Itachi and Shikamaru. Why, they were in HER room!

"Um...guys? What are you doing?"

They grinned, said nothing, but shoved a cardboard box into her hands. She looked down.

"What's this???" she questioned.

"Costumes." Sasori smiled.

"For...the show?" she said.

"Yup! Now hurry! Go change into one!" Itachi began to push her into her closet.

"But they're all...BRIGHT COLORS!" she protested, dropping the box onto the floor.

"That's the point." Shikamaru said lazily, watching Deidara rummage through Hinata's drawers.

Without another word, Hinata's hands were filled with a few random costumes and clothes and she was promptly shoved into a very dark, claustrophobic closet.

Itachi peeked inside the box. He spotted something purple and green and his eyes widened. He pulled out the purple and green outfit and quietly snuck off with it. He would look so good! He decided would check on Hinata-chan in a few moments. It was time to fufill his dream as a dancing, singing-

A few minuets later, Hinata shyly opened the closet door.

"Do I have to come out?" she whimpered.

"Yeah." Sasori said lazily as he rocked on her desk chair.

They heard her sigh and the door opened wider.

They gaped.

They stared.

They fainted.

"PERFECT!" was the only word shouted from their lips. Shikamaru, however, never saw Hinata's outfit because he had falled asleep.

"Temari...would you like a glass of cloud tea?" he murmured lazily as Hinata was promptly shoved back into the dark closet with a squeal.

"Why yes Shika-kun! You're so tall, dark and handsome!" Shikamaru said in his sleep. He was imitating a high pitched girly voice...and doing a a bad job of it.

After the fifth costume try, Hinata finally began to throw a tantrum,

"ENOUGH! YOU HAVE SHOVED ME INENOUGH FRILLS, DRESSES AND SKIRTS! I'M TIRED OF THIS! I'M TIRED, I'M TIRED, I'M TIRED, I'M TIRED, I'M TIR-"

Suddenly, Sasori went over to her, swooped her up lovingly and kissed her forehead. She was so sure her heart skipped a beat.

"Ok. We can stop now." he smiled at her affectionately.

Kisame and Deidara stared.

"FOR CHRIST'S SAKE SASORI! HAVE SOME SHAME!" Kisame roared as the puppet master began to walk out.

"Ohhh noooo. SASORI! SHE'S MINE, YEAH! MINE DAMMIT!!! DAMN YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Deidara howled and chased after them.

The three dashed into the courtyard and skid to a halt. Sasuke stood in front of them, tapping his foot in a very pissed off way. Gaara was hovering in mid-air next to them, sharing and equal expression with Sasuke. Neji was on the roof, crouched, like a very hungry and angry tiger ready to spring.

"Set her down now." Gaara hissed, his sand poised to strike ferociously.

Sasuke got into a low attack position, his Sharingan activated. Neji lept from the roof, ready to perform Juken if necessary.

"Did they hurt you, Hinata?" he asked, glaring at Deidara and Sasori.

She began to answer but Kisame, huffing and puffing appeared behind them and asked,

"What the hell are all of you doing, working together like this?!"

Sasuke smirked.

"That's for us to know and for you to find ou-"

"SASUKE!! LITTLE BROTHER! I'M BACK!"

Itachi came skipping into the middle of the soon to be battle in his purple, green and yellow costume that looked like it belonged in a third grade play of 'the Garden'.

They stared.

And stared.

And oggled.

And stared some more.

"What do you think? I like how it brings out the color of my nails!" Itachi said, expertly striking different poses for them, holding his purple clad nails out where they could be admired...or criticized.

"Nii-san. You're a-" Sasuke began, his voice hollow and horrified.

"Pansy." Kisame said, his face turning a nice shade of grey. How had this master come to get so...GAY?

"Pansy." Neji muttered.

"Pansy." Gaara growled, annoyed that the fight was canceled.

"What?" Itachi grinned, seemingly oblivious.

Everyone walked away. Itachi had indeed fulfilled the requirements for being a pansy.

Literally.

The miracle of children's flower costumes.

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Sweets: Wow. Please Review! Thanks to everyone who has so far!!!