Author's Note: I don't own Naruto or the characters, just this plot.

I know it's been years, but I've been thinking about this story a lot lately. I have updated all of the chapters, and the next chapter will be the last. I couldn't put these two at a party together and not have them dance. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

As I was exchanging empty cups for drinks, there was a loud crash from the direction of the bandstand. When I looked toward the symphony, all I could see was a blur of instruments and musicians falling to the ground.

Naruto was standing off to the side, looking guilty. He quickly ran over to me before he could get yelled at by anyone.

"I didn't mean it," he said. "I was just dancing."

"Don't tell me that, tell them," I said, not wanting to be too closely associated with him at this moment. It would be troublesome if we both got thrown out when I was having a nice time.

We were both receiving glares from musicians and elders alike. People on the dance floor had stopped to look around at the destruction. Nothing seemed to be damaged, the night wasn't ruined, but Naruto had certainly interrupted everyone's evenings.

"What are you doing? Where are you going?" Naruto asked quickly, in an attempt to try and avoid the backlash of his actions.

" I was just taking this drink back to…"

"Back to that Sand girl." He cut me off, smiling like a deviant. The way he was looking at me, like I was doing something perverted by talking with her, made a hot ball form in my stomach. I suddenly felt very defensive.

"Yeah, what of it?" I glared at him. We're just talking. It's not like I'm flirting with her or something.

"Well, you've been talking to her for, like, the whole night. What did you learn?"

"I'll talk to you about it later, ok? You need to stay out of trouble for once before you get kicked out."

I turned around to look for Temari, determined to ignore the kicked puppy dog look on Naruto's face. When I saw her again, she had come in from the balcony and was standing to one side of the room with her brothers.

She was laughing at something a young man from another village had said. Her posture told me that she was comfortable with this guy, or at least comfortable with her siblings around. I felt the blood rush to my head and hoped it didn't show on my face.

Of course, I shouldn't be monopolizing her time like that. She's important- way more important than me. I shouldn't interrupt their conversation, and she probably doesn't even want this punch anymore…

I was about to turn around again and walk away when she turned and spotted me. Temari surprised me. She smiled, a really big smile and my heart leapt up into my throat. I wanted to cough, and suddenly, I realized I probably looked really stupid standing there, holding a cup of punch in each hand, not talking with anyone.

She surprised me again when she excused herself from her group and walked over to me, still smiling that big smile.

"Thanks," she said, taking a cup from my hands. "I was wondering if you got lost on your way back."

"Oh, sure," I said stupidly. I watched as she took a drink, unable to take my eyes off her smiling face. I noticed now that she was a head taller than me. I didn't notice when we were leaning outside on the balcony.

"I'm kidding. Garra needed rescuing," she said, nodding her head in the direction of the group she'd just come from. "He's the favorite to replace our father one day, and people think they can chat him up, but he doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to political sort of stuff."

"And you do?" I say, quenching my dry throat with a drink. She shouldn't have told me that. Either she trusts me or wants me to think she does.

"I know more than him," she shrugged. Then she leaned closer to me, moving her head so that neither of her brothers could see, whispered, "and maybe I'm a little bitter that people don't think I'm the favorite."

Her breath smelled sweet like the punch. Or maybe that's her perfume…

"That's troublesome." I'm not sure if I was responding to her confession or chiding my own thoughts.

Temari laughed. "I'm kidding. I don't want to be the Kazekage." Her eyes shone brightly, and I couldn't tell if she was lying or not.

"No one would blame you if you did, I don't think," I said, trying to sound cool and nonchalant.

"No, really. I don't want it." Her face was serious all of a sudden. "I've had to watch my dad make some… really hard decisions. Harder than the decisions we have to make as regular shinobi…. And I don't think I have it in me to be that kind of leader." She got a faraway look in her eye like she was remembering something terrible.

"Well," I said gently, as to gently pull her from her bad thoughts. "There are lots of different kinds of leaders. No one says you have to do it the same way your father does."

"Maybe that's true, but..." She looked like she wanted to say something else. I was mentally aware to know that she had shared a lot of personal information with me, that would indeed be very useful in the future, but right now my only concern was seeing her smile again.

Temari caught herself. "Dang it, you're way too easy to talk to." She scowled at me like I had played a trick on her and I raised my hands in mock surrender.

I laughed at the cute pouty face she was wearing. "Maybe you've been drinking the wrong punch, and it's making you too talkative."

"Maybe I should just stop talking to you." Please don't.

My heart lurched into my throat for some reason. I didn't know how to respond right away, but then I noticed her smirking, the side of her mouth quirking up on one side. Relax, she's joking.

Suddenly, her ears perked up. "I actually know this song," she said, smiling at me. "It was my mother's favorite song." Temari whipped her head around to catch Kankuro's eyes. He nodded, understanding, and they both smiled.

A few members of the orchestra had picked up new instruments, stringed ones that I didn't recognize. They must have been more popular in the Sand Village. I listened for a moment, but I didn't recognize the song.

"Do you know the words?" No one was singing, but Temari looked as if she was remembering special memories.

"It's a song about sunsets. But the sunset is just a metaphor for parting ways. My mom used to sing it to us. I thought it was a lullaby for a long time, but it was just one of her favorite songs." Her gaze was on the orchestra as she swayed to the music.

"Do you want to dance?" I was just as shocked as Temari was by the question.

"You don't know how." Temari looked at me like she was seeing me for the first time, her eyes wide and full of surprise.

"No, but we've been watching everyone else dance all night. How hard could it be?" I shrugged, wanting to seem relaxed about it, but really, I was kicking myself that I didn't let Mom teach me the very basics.

Temari listed her head to one side, seemingly pondering this for a moment. My stomach was bubbling now, I shouldn't have said anything. "If you don't want to, that's fine. I just figured it was something to do other than stand around."

"I suppose half a song wouldn't kill you." Temari grabbed my hand and led me closer towards the dance floor. When we reached what she determined to be an acceptable spot, out of the way of other couples, she turned to face me. She brought the hand she was holding up to shoulder level. I watched her flip her hand around in mine, so our grasp was proper.

Then, time slowed down. I put my other hand on her waist, touching her very lightly. I didn't want her to think I was nervous, but I also wanted to make sure that I was being respectful. My eyes lingered there, on my hand on her and then on her figure, the shiny fabric of her dress, and the way it draped over her...

"And now," Temari said softly, jerking my attention back to her eyes. I felt my face get hot, embarrassed to be so close to her and to have been caught staring. Not that we were too close, there was about a foot of air space between us. We definitely weren't as close together as some of the other actual couples in the room, but I felt like I would start sweating any minute.

"We just… sway." Temari finished, making the first move to sway gently to the music.

"That's it?" I said, looking down at our feet, thinking that they should be doing something.

"Well, there are foot movements, but they are different for the man and woman, or for the lead and for the follow. I only know the follow part, and I'm not a very good dance teacher."

"Oh, I see…" I wasn't sure what to do or say next when I saw Naruto making a face at me from the side of the room. He had his tongue out and hands around his own neck like he was gagging. I glared back at him.

Temari followed my gaze and craned her head around to see him and scoffed.

"I'm sorry. My friend is an idiot." I always thought of Naruto as my friend, even though he isn't being a very good friend right now.

"Don't worry about him. He's just jealous." Temari said.

"He should be," I said, immediately. It just seemed like the right thing to say, but it made Temari's cheeks tinge pink and we both went quiet for a while, enjoying the music.

"I don't blame him, I'm sure he's been very bored. I would have been too if it wasn't for talking with you." I realized we were slowly swaying in a circle, when Naruto faded from view and I caught the eye of the marriage proposal guy from before, glaring at me furiously. He's not the only one...

"Me too. Not everyone is as easy to talk to as you are." I felt a warmth fill my chest when she said it this time.

When the song ended, we both let our hands fall and politely clapped for the musicians, the way everyone else was. I hoped she didn't notice how sweaty my hand was, but she was a successful ninja, so she probably did.

Temari began to walk off the dance floor, back towards the balcony. "I won't make you do another song."

"Thank you," I said, whipping my hands on my pants for good measure.

Temari laughed, "Was it really that bad?"

"No, but I had a good partner." She laughed and smiled at me, as we made our way back to the balcony.

I couldn't help but think that maybe fancy parties were a lot of fun.

Or maybe she's made this a lot more fun...