CHAPTER 25 - Cookies & Cream

With pressed wrists, Temari would force the ball up in the air, striking it to the other side. "Try that again, Sakura!"

"Got it!" Sakura called out, serving the ball over the net as Temari angled her arms down to run to the ball, sliding on her protected knees, as she caused the ball to project onto the other side powerfully.

Ten Ten went up to her friend. "Wow," Ten Ten would slap her on the butt jokingly. "You're really something."

Temari smiled and chuckled. "Thanks!"

From the side, Kin and her friends rolled her eyes. "I've seen better!" Kin called out, giggling to her insult.

"I believe it, anyone you watch is obviously going to be better than you." Temari smirked, turning around to get back to the practice game. Hinata and Ten Ten would giggle next to Temari, also returning back to their spots.

Kin raised a fist up in anger, about to go up to Temari until Ino walked by and pushed Kin by the shoulder as she went back to her side with Sakura. Kin would fall back, her legs bent back and fell into a seated position on the bleachers. "OW! YOU BITCH!"

Ino stuck her tongue out, drinking out of her water bottle before settling it down. She would then go into her squat position, "Alright, game!"

"I'm back!" Coach Gai yelled out. "Sorry, Kakashi wanted to make sure the equipment in the weight room was lookin' mighty."

Ten Ten rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Gai Sensei, can we do one more practice game before calling it a day?"

Gai would wave a hand out. "I like to hear that! Go ahead, I'll sit up on the high chair."

As Gai climbed up, he sat comfortably on the chair and squinted his eyes to see that the girls have evened out the amount of players on each side of the net. He puts the lanyard of his whistle on his neck. "Alrighty so-"

"Gai Sensei." Kin would raise a hand out, swaying her hips. "I'll be playing libero."

The brunette with two buns on her hair immediately turned around. "Oh, hell no you're not."

Kin glared at her. "I didn't ask nor was I facing you, idiot."

"You suck at everything here, especially defense. TEMARI is being libero." Ten Ten emphasized, crossing her arms. Temari, already with the ball in her hands, slowly walked up to Gai.

"Uhm, I'll do whatever you want me to do, Coach Gai." Temari told him. Gai held his chin in wonder, humming to himself.

Coach Gai then smirked. "Alright, well, considering you two are so eager about playing libero, we shall see who's best then?"

"Ugh, Gai Sensei! This isn't fair!" Kin complained.

Ten Ten caught the ball from Temari, faking a pout at Kin. "Huh? What's not fair? Hmm? That we get to see who's better at playing libero in which that ain't you?"

"Shut up!" Kin shouted in her face, crouching down and pressing her ears as Gai blew the whistle.

"LADIES! WE ARE A TEAM! NOW GET IN YOUR PLACES." He demanded.

"So, why did you need us to come here?" Shikamaru lazily stared at the man, accidentally giving a natural eye roll.

"Shikamaru! I suggest you fix your face unless you want to find yourself in a detention!" Principal Tsunade exclaimed, hardening her demeanor. She then took a breath before continuing to state her demands. "I need you and Naruto to hand out these packaged baked goods to the teachers who ordered them from our most recent fundraiser. Now listen you two, I'm tired of staring at these bakery boxes piling up next to my fax desk, so I don't want you guys coming back with them. If they aren't in their classroom, then look for them!"

Naruto crossed his arms, pouting and narrowed his eyebrows. "Oh, come on, grandma! Stop with that facial expression, you know you can count on us."

"Well, at least one of you are capable for the job." She then glared at Shikamaru.

'Jeez, what did I do?' Shikamaru thought to himself.

Tsunade then cycled her attention between both of them. "Well? Get going!"

After practice, the girls walked slowly out the gym, where they would meet Shikamaru and Sasuke carrying multiple boxes of baked goods in their hands.

"Hey," Sakura pointed at the light blue boxes. "What are those?"

"No idea," Sasuke responded, raising a knee up to aid him with his grip on the boxes. "Tsunade told us that if we don't hand these out right now then she may just go crazy."

Shikamaru sighed. "Yeah, it's a drag. If any of you want to do this then be our guest."

Ten Ten and Hinata grabbed a handful of some of the boxes from their arms, in which Ino and Sakura followed along. Temari, on the other hand, glanced at Shikamaru and smirked as she walked passed him purposely, teasing him as she did not repeat the gesture the other girls followed. Shikamaru turned, watching her walk, seeing a pair of round, big cheeks practically hanging out of her shorts. Sasuke looked at Temari and then his friend beside him, kicking Shikamaru lightly on the shin.

"I'm trusting you get those to where they need to be," Sasuke told him, raising an eyebrow as he grinned evilly.

Shikamaru shook his head rapidly, moving his head. "Y-Yeah! Totally." He would then follow the trails of his girlfriend. Sasuke would look at the rushing Shikamaru, shaking his head in disbelief.

'What a simp.' He thought.

"I haven't had a chance to really take a view of our courtyard, it sure is beautiful." Asuma pointed out, folding his hands behind him as he hanged a unlit cigarette from his lips and looked through the window.

Kurenai giggled, straightening up her papers on her desk. "Definitely. I remember coming here as a student and the way this place changed is drastic."

"Mmm," Asuma hummed, eyeballing her from the corner of his eye as he felt her stare. "S-So... From what I recall, you used to do a good amount of sports here, right?"

"If playing first chair clarinet in the school band counts as a sport, then sure, I guess I did." She smiled at him, letting out a light laugh.

Asuma raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Band, really? You?"

Kurenai pushed back onto her chair, crossing her arms as she felt herself offended. "Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"N-No!" He waved a hand out towards her as he bent an arm to scratch his head nervously. "I-It's just that I was in the band too, but I never really recognized you there."

The black haired female mimicked his facial expression. "What did you play?"

"Alto sax."

"Ah, fits you."

"What's that suppose to mean?" He asked, faking an offended gesture.

Kurenai raised her shoulders. "Hmm, who knows."

The two began to laugh at the realization, realizing that they had really been together for majority of their lives, just not knowing each other. As the moment attempted to progress, Shikamaru then walked into the door way, noticing his coach and teacher engaging so much in each other's presence that they hadn't even noticed he walked in.

"Ahem." Shikamaru coughed, immediately gathering up their attention.

Kurenai stood up from her chair. "S-Shikamaru, hey what's-"

Shikamaru placed the boxes of baked goods on a table in front of the projector screen she had. "Just a bunch of bakery goods that Tsunade told me to hand out, telling me if I didn't get rid of all of them by the end of the day then she would definitely put me in detention."

"Jeez, that woman has always been so intense." Asuma shook his head, smiling to himself.

"Yes, but I didn't order these?" Kurenai told them, causing Asuma to turn red and Shikamaru questioning.

Shikamaru inserted his fingers into his pockets of his sweatpants, checking the list. "You didn't? It says that you did unless..." He would smirk at his coach, who would eagerly move the muscles of his face into an expression of nervousness.

"Hey, Shikamaru, I'm sure you got a lot of things to do! Like not being lazy on the field all the time and insisting to bench. Go ahead, I'm sure you're busy. Bye now!" Asuma would say all in one breath, pushing Shikamaru by the back into the hallway, slamming the door on him as the smirk was still present on his face.

Kurenai blinked, then smiled as she played with the tape protecting the contents of the box.

"Aheh, I hope you like them." Asuma blushed, smiling nervously at the graphic design teacher.

"Hey! There you are. I been looking all over for you." Temari called out to her boyfriend as they met at a corner.

Shikamaru slowly walked up to her, scratching his nape, the smirk still prevalent. "Sorry, just walked into a little session between my coach and my teacher."

"Ew, really?" Temari asked, taking it the wrong way.

"Oh, gross no." Shikamaru cleared up. "They were just being awkward, that's all. But ever since my freshmen year we all suspected he had a thing for Kurenai Sensei."

"I mean she's pretty." Temari walked next to him, crossing her arms.

Shikamaru nodded. "Mhm." He looked ahead, watching to reach the end of the hallway until he looked down at her, seeing her expression and body language clearly bothered. Shikamaru held a grip of her wrist, turning to a quiet stairwell before blocking her in a corner. This action made her surprised, but she certainly was not complaining.

"I'm sorry, if I kept you waiting. I should of told you where I was." Shikamaru apologized.

Temari smiled. "What's with the explanation? I'm not mad."

"Really?

"No," She responded. "Just quite curious of where you were. Besides, I have something else that I'm quite angry about, if you were wondering why I was crossing my arms."

Shikamaru listened in worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Temari eyeballed him, playfully slapping a soft hand onto his face, seeing his concerned expression. "Oh, you big crybaby. Nothing happened, just Kin is annoying as well, especially when it came to volleyball today."

"Oh man, what happened?"

She rolled her eyes. "Wanting to be libero, knowing damn well I was way more qualified."

Shikamaru chuckled. "Way more qualified."

"How sweet." Temari smiled, not even noticing him leaning towards her to plant a kiss on her lips.

Shikamaru softly kissed her on the lips, tilting her chin up for more entry. He felt her attempting to talk into the kiss, but nevertheless, he kept going, fighting the means of any conversation.

"Wait... You... Didn't... Tell.. Me.. What.. Happened.. With.. Asuma and.. Kurenai." She said between kisses.

"Forget about it." He responded, then once he went in for another session she bit him on the bottom lip. "Ow!"

Temari placed her hands on her hips, giggling. "Come on, let's go. I want food."