I Do Not Own Naruto
Chapter 36
Temari was startled at how November slipped by in a blur of work and incoming flurries of snow. It was her first time being in the cold; traveling into a cold area did not count as being in the cold because she was usually moving or she was inside quickly. But now she walked the chilled streets, and she felt the cold as it came rolling in. And today she walked with Shikamaru through the village, her teeth chattering as they walked to a street vendor for hot food on their lunch hour.
This was something else that Shikamaru had initiated; lunches together, he'd pay, it was almost like a date; if she didn't happen to be so bloody cold!
"Here," he said and shoved something in her mitted hands. It was warm.
"Thanks," she chattered; Temari was quickly coming to the conclusion that she did not like the cold. And she would rather be home in Suna where it was warm,
"All this is for the Rinne Festival?" she asked as they hurried back through the streets and up to their office with lunch in hand, she nearly wept for joy at walking into the heated building again.
"Yes," Shikamaru answered. "It's three weeks away, and there's a lot to do. It's the largest festival of the year, besides maybe the summer solcist which was missed because of the war's aftermath," he said.
"We have a different festival in Suna," she admitted as she set the lunch on their desk and slowly peeled off her heavy coat; one she had bought earlier this week because it was too fucking cold!
"What is it?"
"The Kaze Festival, but we celebrate it at the autumn equinox," she chattered and furiously rubbed her hands together. She could not feel her fingers! Or her nose.
"Huh, sounds like a festival for the Kazekage," Shikamaru said. She rolled her eyes at his ignorance in this tradition of hers' but took no offense.
"It's a festival to honor autumn harvest, it's very important to Suna that we have a harvest or else a lot of people will starve," she pointed out. "And it's not for the Kazekage, it's a festival for the old wind gods; I think," she said uncertainly. "I'm not sure what it's origin is, but it's fun, there's games, food, and laughter, it's great fun, and people dress up, go with their families or dates or friends, and there's these prizes…" she trailed off and grinned.
She had only been a few times but it had been a lot of fun.
"Huh, the Rinne festival is for the Sage of Six Paths; I think," he admitted. She chuckled as her shivering slowly subsided and she sat at her seat to pull out the warm meal she could smell and her stomach was rumbling for.
"I did not think that," she admitted as she sighed at the warmth of the container filling her fingers; it was so warm! She melted in bliss as she lifted the lid and took the first bite of the warm noodles. It felt so warm, and tasted so good!
Temari did not like the cold.
"It was an important spiritual week before it was a big festival," he admitted as he pulled apart the top of his box of food.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I think the Hyūga Clan still takes it seriously as a spiritual week, even have ceremonies and everything, and when the Uchiha Clan was still here they too took this festival seriously. I don't know what it is that the Hyūga do for the Rinne Festival, just that the head of the clan is never involved with the festive portion of the Rinne Festival," he said lazily.
"Huh, that's interesting," she admitted as she leant back in her chair and continued slurping her noodles. It was so warm! She was enjoying it, though it was probably burning her mouth and tongue.
"It's tradition," he countered.
"And is the Nara Clan not ones for tradition?" she asked dryly.
"No, come the Ame Festival in April the Nara Clan, the Akimichi Clan and Yamanaka Clan, all have their own ceremony," he said and she stared at him.
"For what!?"
"It's Ino-Shika-Chō business," he admitted then.
She sighed, in other words, it was a ceremony that no one would ever witness or see or know about.
"Well, I guess that your families and their strange bond means that the Clans have a lot of secret rituals," she mused.
"You make it sound like a cult," he sighed.
"It kind of is," she chuckled.
"Troublesome woman," he grouched and she laughed a bit. "It's just important, to us," he said.
"That's alright, cults are interesting," she purred.
"Sixteen generations!" he countered. "That's how long the Ino-Shika-Chō alliance has been going and Kami willing it'll keep going," he said.
"Whoa, sixteen!?" she blinked, that was impressive with how turbulent the shinobi world was and alliances were ever shifting.
"Yes, it's a drag, but it's good," he said and she smirked as she slurped her noodles.
"I bet it's a drag, but sixteen generations is impressive," she mused and he nodded in agreement as he sat there and they resumed their work. she just savored being in the warmth of the office because when she peeked out the window she cringed at the sight of the flurries dancing around outside. She took it back, she didn't want to see the snow.
"You should go to the Rinne Festival, it'll make our alliance look strong," Shikamaru said.
"I have come to the conclusion I do not like snow, or cold, or snow," she said tartly.
"Come to the Rinne Festival," he said softly and she looked at him then, her breath hitched at the sight of that sincere look in his eyes.
"And who would I go with? It'll look odd if I go alone," she pointed out.
There was a pregnant pause between them as she looked at him and he didn't look away from her.
Shikamaru couldn't look away from her as they both sat there in silence for a long moment. He could hear his heart slamming mercilessly in his ribs as they stared at one another.
"Me," he answered softly and felt his cheeks heating up as they looked at one another. She blinked and he saw the blush on her cheeks then. he did not know what was compelling him to ask her out. But he knew that he wanted to go to the Rinne Festival with her, and though there were a thousand ways this could go he hoped for the best.
"You're asking me to the Rinne Festival?" she asked ludicrously.
"Yes," he said firmly. His mind had fast forwarded to about every outcome for this decision already but he didn't want to lose this chance. He didn't know where it was going to go but he knew that he didn't want to lose it.
"Yes…" she said softly. "I would like to go to the Rinne Festival with you."
"Alright," he nodded. It was in three weeks, but he knew that it was important he asked her before the eighth of December because the Festival was on the seventeenth and now he had asked her. She had said yes, and he couldn't help but think 'wow'. It was not something he had really intended to ask of her but now that he had he wanted to go to the festival with her, and was looking forward to it.
"What do I wear to the festival?" she asked.
"Um… ask Ino," he suggested because honestly most girls wore modern formal, or traditional formal and that was a choice they made. If he was going to the Festival with a date he would wear traditional garb, at the insistence of both his mother and his Clan, and probably under the threat of Ino.
"Alright," she nodded and her face was still red as she sat there eating her lunch.
They would talk more about this as the date drew near, he wasn't going to discuss it right now since he was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that she had said yes to going to the biggest festival in Konohagakura with him. Him! Not that he hadn't thought about it from time to time, but to actually have her going with him was so stunning that he was trying to think of everyway this could go.
He was just amazed that she had even said yes, he had never thought he'd get a girl like her to say yes; that wasn't to say he had thought that he'd never get a girl to say yes to him, it was just; it was Temari. Temari! One of the most untouchable women, and one of his friends, and the only one on his plane of thinking, and she had said yes to him. It was an amazing feeling in his mind.
They finished their work and Temari was bundling up.
"Will it be this cold at the Rinne Festival?" she asked as he offered her, her ear muffs.
"A bit colder," he admitted as they left their office. "But being in the crowd, everyone is pretty warm."
"Ah, I don't like the cold," she muttered as they walked outside and he saw her huddle in on herself as she hid her nose in her coat. A smirk pulled at his lips, but he didn't let it win.
"It's not so bad," he admitted.
"Shikamaru, it's cold, and it goes right through me, and I live in a desert that doesn't get cold besides at night; and at night, we are moving so you're not that cold," she chattered.
"Suna has a winter," he pointed out.
"No, we have a hot season and a hotter season, plus a week of rain; there's no cold!" she hissed and pressed into his side. Now he smirked at her antics; it wasn't that cold in his mind, but perhaps he was used to a Konoha winter.
"The festival will be fun, and warm," he assured her.
"Really?"
"Food stands are very warm," he assured her and chuckled at her skeptical look. They reached the Suna Embassy, and the foreign impulse to lean over a bit and kiss her flooded his mind. Shikamaru didn't kiss her though as he got the door for her trembling hands.
"Thanks," she mumbled through her coat.
"See you tomorrow," he smiled a bit as she hurried into the embassy.
"If I don't freeze to death walking to work," she grouched and he chuckled as she shut the door and he walked home.
It wasn't that bad, this year was a mellow November, it was bitter, cold, windy, and had flurries, but the year before November had been atrocious with storms that were slush from the sky and it clung to everything. Yes, this wasn't that bad in comparison.
He made it home and pulled off his coat, boots, and scarf for his mother to appear then.
"That was Kurenai, she's going to have Christmas here, and Tenten's settled on a date for her C-section," his mother said.
"Alright, Mirai coming with her?" he asked as he pulled his wet hair down and ran his fingers through it trying to pull the ice out of it.
"Yes," his mom beamed.
"What about Ino and Chōji?" he asked.
"I haven't asked, but the feast is tradition," she pointed out.
"I'm getting a hot shower," he said and left his mom behind as he hurried into his room and shut the door. his heart was pounding, his mind was spinning, and his stomach was twisting up in knots.
He had asked Temari, the Temari, to the Rinne Festival.
As a date!
Holy shit, his mind whispered and he smirked in triumph as he hurried to his shower and started warming up his cool body and he thought about what insanity had possessed him to ask her to the Rinne Festival.
That's all for now folks!
Enjoy Until the Day I Act! =)