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"You're right," Naruto agreed. "Hey, if we get enough snow, do you think we can make an igloo in the backyard again?"

"Most definitely," Sakura cheered. "Maybe we can get Kakashi-nii to help us this time?"

"Maybe," Naruto shrugged. He shivered against the cold before pulling his scarf up over his nose and walking up the steps to the platform. "Oji-chan will definitely want to help though."

"And Oba-chan," Sakura added. "Hey, tonight, let's get everyone together and watch a shitty movie. We haven't done that in a while."

"We haven't," Naruto sighed. "We can probably marathon Sharknado."

Opposites Attract: Chapter 27 – "B.D.O.: Boys' Day Out!"

"There's so much snow," Gaara commented as he seemed to stare out the window in a state of amazement at the snow piled up and out of the way and off sidewalks and streets. "We never get snow in Suna."

"That's because it's Summer all year," Naruto reminded him as they made their way into the Youth District where he saw the others had already gathered and were waiting. "Come on," he urged as he grabbed Gaara's wrist and jogged up with him. "Sorry, are we late?"

"We're just early," Sasuke answered as he merely bumped elbows with Naruto because he didn't want to take his hands out of his pockets. "No Kankuro?"

"He's meeting with us later," Sai answered. "Sasori-senpai and Kankuro are going to some underground puppet shop Sasori-senpai discovered the other day. He said he'd text me when they were on their way."

"Let's go inside somewhere already," Kiba recommended before moving ahead of them and going towards arcade lane. "I already saw a bunch of regulars on the train on my way over here and some more while we were waiting. There's no telling how hard it'll be to get our titles back."

"It shouldn't be too hard," Naruto suggested.

"Never underestimate your opponent, Naruto!" Lee declared who was especially pumped for the day. "New challenging opponents come with each new day so you should always prepare yourself for any possible outcome."

Naruto blinked a few times before looking at Neji. Neji wasn't paying attention as he was on his phone but he did shrug a response to Naruto when they briefly made eye contact. Naruto shrugged it off as well.

"Move it, ya punks!" Kiba shouted as they approached their favorite arcade.

"Already?" Shikamaru let out a nervous laugh as both Kiba and Lee seemed to roar out before stomping into the arcade and taking up the helms at their respective games.

"They're so embarrassing," Sasuke sighed as the rest of them wandered inside.

They all split off to separate areas of the arcade, all of them either taking on challengers, establishing themselves at the top of the scoreboard, and merely playing for fun. There was one heated competition though between Kiba and an unknown player at one of the fighting games.

Kiba was notorious for his fighting style of wild and reckless and more often than expected, it would win him the match. But his opponent today was handling him with ease and giving a Kiba a run for his money. A crowd gathered to watch the feat. Kiba was beginning to sweat as his attacks seemed to be along the lines of sporadic and calculated.

"Come on Kiba!" Lee cheered.

"I'm trying!" Kiba shouted back as he became more and more frustrated. But before he realized it, he was caught in a special and he was defeated with flair. He hit his head against the buttons before hearing the crowd around him start muttering amongst themselves.

"I wish I could say it was a challenge but if I was being honest, I'd have to say that was the easiest fight I've had."

"Huh?" Kiba sat up at the sound of his voice in order to receive verification that he had heard correctly. "You're a girl?"

"I am," she said with a coy smile. She had long medium brown hair that she kept tied back into a pony tail with golden eyes. "I'm sorry to rain on your parade but if you really wanted to defend yourself, you should've tried harder instead of being a button masher."

The crowd sucked in air at her insult while Kiba seemed to flare up.

"Who the hell are you?" Kiba snarled.

She smiled and held out a friendly hand, "I'm Nekomimi Tamaki. I just moved here."

Kiba eyed her hand before sucking his teeth and folding his arms. "I'm Inuzuka Kiba."

"That's funny," Tamaki giggled which caused an unnatural blush to come onto Kiba's already red marked cheeks. "Well, Inuzuka Kiba, if you ever want a rematch, I'll be here again tomorrow after school."

"You're damn straight I want a rematch!" Kiba declared. "I refuse to give up my title to a girl."

"How narrowminded," Tamaki commented. "Well then, I better get going. I promised my grandmother I'd only be gone for a little while. Bye-bye," she waved to Kiba before moving through the crowd and leaving the arcade.

He sucked his teeth again before looking at the scoreboard. At the top, it was Queen Kitty while in second place was Top Dog. He scratched his head in frustrating before plopping down in his seat and messing with the analog stick.

"She seems like your type," Shino commented and Kiba and Lee jumped at his sudden appearance. "What?"

Kiba clutched at his chest and put a hand on Shino's shoulder. "I swear, I need to invest in a bell for you. You can't just appear out of nowhere like that and say something."

"I was here the whole time," Shino mentioned.

Kiba gave Shino a blank stare.

Shino sighed and adjusted his glasses. "She seems like your type."

"No way," Kiba argued. "She's clearly into cats and cats are the worst!"

"Is that really a determining factor?" Lee questioned.

"It's the only factor that matters," Kiba stated with a way too serious expression and tone.

"Ah, Naruto just text me," Lee interrupted as he waved his phone. "The others are hungry and want to eat. They're waiting for us up front."

"Yeah, yeah," Kiba grunted as he snatched up his jacket and put it on. He pushed himself through the crowd that had gathered and paid no attention to their whispering and muttering.

"Who would've thought he'd lose?" Lee whispered to Shino as they followed Kiba.

Shino nodded, "He's probably going to be moping around for a little while because of it."

"There you are," Naruto called as they approached, "what's wrong with Kiba?"

"Nothing," Kiba answered before Lee and Shino could. "Let's go eat all ready, I'm starving."

"This way," Chouji announced as he led them forward.

And like Chouji said, it was above the larger music rhythm arcades that featured all music from Vocaloid and inconsequently, it was the more popular arcade on the strip. Luckily the restaurant itself wasn't crowded so it was easy for them to find a large enough table for all of them.

"So, Gaara, it looks like you're enjoying the cold," Sai teased, all of them laughing as Gaara threw his scarf behind him and wrapped it a bit tighter.

"I really don't understand how you all put up with it," Gaara complained as he removed his gloves and rubbed his hands together. He watched as Naruto instinctively reached over and wrapped his own hands around Gaara's while he continued to browse the menu. "Naruto, why are you always warm?"

"I don't know," Naruto answered.

"You two are really close," Neji commented.

Gaara simply nodded, "We are."

"Sometimes during the summer, my family and I will go to Suna for a week or two for vacation," Naruto answered as he looked at Neji. "Gaara used to hang out at the inn my family and I used to stay in since his uncle owned it. One time while Sakura-chan and I were building a sandcastle, Gaara just came over and took over our building but made a really cool one and we've been friends ever since."

"You were building it wrong," Gaara added.

"You're just obsessed with sandcastles," Naruto argued.

"Is the inn not there anymore?" Neji questioned.

Gaara shook his head, "Not anymore. Uncle Minato came and spoke with my Uncle about opening a Sannin Resort in our city and if my uncle was willing, he'd want his help with designing and managing it once it was done. So now my Uncle runs the Sannin Resort in Suna."

"By the way, Gaara," Naruto let go of Gaara's hands, "what happened to that girl you were talking to? Matsuri?"

Everyone watched as Gaara turned red upon the mention of Matsuri's name. Their curiosity spiked in that moment as they all waited for Gaara's response.

"Um," Gaara was beginning to hide in his scarf, "nothing's happened."

"You have to be a little more confident than that Gaara," Sasuke commented.

"That's easier said than done," Gaara answered.

"Just do what Sasuke did," Sai mentioned, all the guys turning their attention towards Sasuke now.

Gaara looked at Sasuke, a look of hope in his eyes, "What did you do?"

"I just went up to Sakura and asked her out on a date," Sasuke answered. "It was a nonchalant thing really to be honest. If you really like her, like truly like her, then you'll be able to push past your nerves and embarrassment and go for it."

"That only works because you're a lady's man and every girl at your school wants to date you," Kiba reminded everyone. "Not only that, Sakura's had the biggest crush on you since she started living with Whirlwind so it was easy for you to get a girlfriend. What about guys like Gaara and I? What's your advice then?"

"Don't be a sexist asshole?" Sasuke suggested. "Look, I'll admit to this but I swear if any of you – I'm looking mainly at you Naruto – repeat this to anyone let alone Sakura, I will deny it until the day I die, got it?"

"No promises but continue," Naruto requested.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I was a nervous wreck the day I decided to ask Sakura out on a date and even more so when I asked her to be my girlfriend. Sure, I knew she would say yes because like Kiba said, she had a crush on me since she met me. But nonetheless, even when you know, you can't help but feel a little nervous when it comes time to ask. And in this rare moment of vulnerability and honesty that we will never speak of after we leave here, I threw up the morning I asked Sakura out on a date."

"You did?" Naruto asked with a smile crawling onto his face. "How interesting."

"If you tell Sakura, I'm destroying that stupid hat you wear to bed," Sasuke threatened.

"Hey! He's not stupid," Naruto argued.

"Is it that dorky black hat with the teeth and eyes?" Shikamaru questioned and Sasuke nodded. Shikamaru laughed before looking over at Naruto, "You still have that thing?"

"Of course, I still have it!" Naruto declared.

Their waitress arrived shortly after and they all placed their drink orders. They laughed and talked and mainly listened to Gaara talk about Suna City, his siblings, and finishing school. He was facing pressure from his father to attend business school right after graduation starting that summer but Gaara wanted to take a gap year. Kiba declared he would do the same but Shino reminded Kiba what type of woman his mother was and immediately recanted his previous declaration.

Their food came, a variety of sampler platters as they all tested out the sushi and their house specials. They were there for about two hours before they finally paid and wandered outside. From there they played more guys for another two or three hours before they decided to wrap up.

"So, where is everyone headed now?" Naruto questioned as he wandered outside an arcade with them and pulled his beanie back onto his head.

"It's not too late so I'm going to see if Tenten wants to go to dinner," Neji answered as he adjusted his scarf and glanced at his watch.

"I have to get home," Kiba said. "I left Akamaru at home with my sister and there's no telling what Haimaru Triplets could've done to him by now."

"I had to cut my morning workout short so I think I'm going to pull in double at the gym tonight," Lee thought as he looked up as the lights lining the street turned on. "Do you want to come, Shikamaru?"

"No," Shikamaru answered bluntly. "I promised Temari that I would take her to dinner tonight since she's leaving tomorrow morning. And speaking of dinner, I have to head home so I can shower and get ready."

"Shower and get ready?" Sasuke repeated. "Where are you going?"

"We're headed to Skyline," Shikamaru answered.

"That really expensive rooftop bar downtown?" Chouji questioned and saw Shikamaru nod. "How can you afford a place like that?"

"It's called eating at home and avoiding frivolous spending," Shikamaru said as he pat Chouji's stomach. "I'll see you guys around," he began to walk away, "let's do this again soon."

"Ah, Shikamaru wait, I'm going that way too," Sai called as he followed after Shikamaru with Kiba, Shino, and Chouji.

"Come on Gaara," Naruto put his arm around Gaara's shoulder and put on a large grin. "Let's get you back to your hotel. You have an early flight tomorrow, don't you?"

Gaara nodded, "Moderately early."

an hour later: Downtown Konoha – Skyline

"At first, I was a bit surprised when you told me I should wear something nice but I didn't expect a place like this," Temari admitted as she held out wine glass out for Shikamaru as he filled her cup. "This place is pretty expensive, isn't it?"

"Don't worry about the price, I have everything covered," Shikamaru answered as he placed the bottle back into its bucket of ice and watched as Temari took a sip. He smiled at the sight of reaction to the wine before she put it down. "Like it?"

"Love it," Temari confirmed as she leaned an elbow against the table and smiled at him. "For someone's who too young to drink, you really do know your wines."

"I do my homework when I see a clear purpose for it," Shikamaru admitted with a shrug. "So, how's it working for your father?"

Temari sighed and tapped a finger against her cheek. "If I were to answer immediately, I would admit that it's a bit annoying but that's simply because I'm starting higher up than I would've expected. And because I'm the Chairman's daughter, everyone treats me weird which makes it hard to socialize with others."

Shikamaru watched as she reached for her wine and took another sip, "Well, that was to be expected, right? Knowing how close you are with the Chairman is enough to make people be cautious. Though I know you wouldn't do something like this, you have the power to end their careers."

"It's not like we're the only law firm in Suna, let along the country," Temari complained. "If anything, they should at least be a little nicer. I may be the Chairman's daughter but that doesn't mean I'm emotionless. I get lonely too."

"Just give them some time," Shikamaru advised. "I'm sure that once you show that you're not who they think you are, then things will get better. Things like this take time and a little effort."

Temari shrugged and took another sip of wine, "And? What about you? How's your first year in the university going?"

Shikamaru scoffed and rolled his eyes, "It's going. I finished all my assignments ahead of time so at this point I'm only showing up for exams. I spend most of my time working at the museum."

"And how's that?" Temari asked.

"Eh," Shikamaru answered. "It's something to do."

Temari eyed him, "Is it really that hard for you to admit that you like something?"

"Not really. I admit that I like you," Shikamaru responded and smiled when Temari blushed, "though I admit that you can be troublesome. And I enjoy my time at the museum but like I said before, it's something to do. Plus, I haven't really decided what I wanted to do with my life so getting this business degree is just a cushion if I fail to do anything else."

"You're not the type to fail," she muttered as their waiter returned and placed their meals in front of them. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. And, if I'm being honest, you're smart enough to be a lawyer. A damn good one at that."

"I've been considering it," Shikamaru admitted as he placed his napkin in his lap, "though there is the prospect of me being a detective as well. Maybe even a professor in literature or philosophy? Otou-san says he wouldn't mind if I worked at the museum alongside him but he wouldn't be offended if I chose a different path."

"And you say I'm troublesome," she commented.

He chuckled and shook his forehead as he cut into his steak, "Either way, I told myself I would consider my options this summer and make a final decision before classes start back up. But overall, I'm considering becoming a lawyer."

She looked at him, "Who knows, if you do become a lawyer, we might be put on the same case but on opposite sides. That would be an interesting predicament, don't you think?"

"It would be troublesome," he answered, "but you're right. It would be interesting."

She smiled and the two of them began to eat.

To Be Continued…