Chapter 4: Let the Mayhem Begin!
Ever since Naruto's announcement about the costume contest, it seemed like the only topic of conversation in all circles was the upcoming masquerade. Everywhere Shikamaru went, he could not escape the excited buzz that seemed to have settled over Konoha like a pesky rain cloud. Ino had locked herself up in the study again, apparently working on her dress, which he was not allowed to see until it was complete. Whenever she did emerge, it was usually to meet with her equally silly friends and gush about their costumes. Usually, Ino met her friends at one of their houses, but occasionally, Shikamaru would have the pleasure of being treated to the group of them clustered around his dining room table; he was always amazed at the deafening sounds that they could produce just by talking, the voices all seemingly blending together to create a discordant nightmare, jarring in his ears. He always made it a point to make himself scarce during these little get-togethers, usually to avoid the inevitable laughter that would ensue if he were to enter the room. Women, he decided, were unbearable when they were together in large numbers, and so spared himself the headaches that would inevitably follow said meetings.
However, his male counterparts were not much better; they too seemed to have nothing but the masquerade on their minds, and talked about it with about as much fervor as the girls. Shikamaru was a bit dismayed by this, figuring that at least his friends wouldn't get as gung-ho about the whole thing as Ino's, but it looked as if he were the only one who thought that this masquerade business was a recipe for disaster. Also, his friends had the air of those who are plotting something about them, always getting quiet whenever he joined in on their conversations before rapidly changing the subject to something, he knew, did not involve their plans. That made him nervous. He had no idea what they were going to do, only that it involved him in some way. Not a very comforting thought, since his friends were a loud, raucous bunch; anything they came up with was bound to be extreme, with the intent of generating as much attention as possible.
He was particularly weary of Neiji, who, in the past, had been the instigator of many an outrageous display, having the ability to persuade his friends to follow his lead without question. On Naruto's twenty-first birthday, for example, he convinced everyone to learn Sexy no Jutsu so as to induce Naruto to nosebleed-central. Needless to say, since some of Jiraya's habits had rubbed off on the young Hokage, it worked. That party was still talked about to this day. Shikamaru resigned himself therefore, to the fact that he would have to devote energy to keeping his guard up while at the same time doing whatever he could to not make a fool of himself. That was two tasks at one time, meaning that he would actually have to exert himself. Not a pleasant thought, to be sure.
How troublesome, he thought as he sat observing his friends, who had progressed to acting out their visions of what Shikamaru would end up doing at the party. Such wonderful companions I have. He sighed. I'm in way over my head. His thoughts were interrupted by howls of laughter as Naruto, pretending to be Shikamaru, tripped over himself while cavorting around the room with Chouji. The dark-haired Jounin put his head in his hands. If he survived this, he was going to kill all of them.
The rest of the week flew by in a wink, the day of the masquerade, Saturday, dawning bright and sunny without a cloud in sight, adding to the already cheerful atmosphere. Though the party was to be held indoors, a beautiful day was always enough to raise spirits. Shikamaru felt anything but cheerful as the day progressed, the sight outside his window only making his gloom increase. Ino was putting the finishing touches on her costume, so he couldn't complain to her. She would just end up calling him a doomsayer anyway, and so he decided to go for one of his customary strolls, hoping that the fresh air on his face would improve his mood. He stayed outside for much longer than he anticipated, having fallen asleep underneath a tree near his house, and woke to Ino's voice.
"Shika! What on earth are you doing? You'll catch cold!" She kneeled in front of him with a look of concern bordering irritation on her face.
"Mmm," he mumbled groggily, unable to get his mouth to form words at that point in the waking process.
Ino tilted her head to the side, looking very much like an inquisitive bird, and a silvery peal of laugher escaped her.
"Oh Shika." She said, holding out her hands to him. He looked at them for a moment, not entirely sure what to do, and then reached out his own hands. Grabbing hold, Ino stood, drawing him up with her. "Trying to get yourself sick so you won't have to go, huh?" She said, worming her way underneath his arm and starting them off in the direction of the house.
"No. Not really. That tree just looked so comfortable, so I sat down...and I guess I fell asleep."
Shaking her head, Ino laughed again. "You're something else, you know that? I think that's why I love you." She kissed his cheek before shoving him through the door to the house. "Go take a shower. We need to start getting you ready."
Shikamaru's gloominess returned. It had been so nice lying there under that tree. He had almost forgotten about the party, and the costume, and everything else associated with it, but the reality was back full swing, along with the sense of doom. Ino said we, which translated as: "You just stand there like a good boy and let me take care of this, since you don't know how to dress or groom yourself as well as I do." Huzzah, he thought sarcastically as he went to do her bidding, the tiny voice in the back of his head laughing at him as he did so.
The next two hours passed in a whirlwind of activity. As soon as he stepped out of the shower, Ino began her relentless attack, going after his hair first. Because the hat required his hair to be down, she blew it dry straight, then unleashed all manner of products on it, achieving a messy, choppy sort of look that she deemed, "too sexy for words." Shikamaru just stared at her, eyebrow raised, and allowed her to do as she wished. By the time his hair was the way she wanted it, nearly one and a half hours had passed. She got out his costume next, holding her eager fingers back long enough to let him put it on before straightening, prodding and tugging until every fold was in place. Last but not least, came the horrid hat. He wrinkled his nose as she set it on his head and arranged the hair near his face, but didn't say a word. Finally, it was over, and he was ready to see the final picture.
For how long he stood scrutinizing himself before the mirror, he didn't know, but would have continued to do so in disbelief had Ino not come up behind him and put her hands on his shoulders, poking her head around his side to look up at his face. "Well?"
He didn't really know what to say. The person reflected in the mirror was not plain, sensible Nara Shikamaru, but Prince Charming brought to life. Damn. I look good. "Not bad," he conceded, looking down at Ino with a crooked grin. "Not bad at all."
She let out a triumphant yell, hugging him from behind. "I knew you'd like it! Now go wait downstairs. I'll be down in a bit."
A bit turned out to be another hour, Shikamaru pacing back and forth in the corridor. It was an ironic twist of fate that he should be the one impatient to leave, but there it was. Now that he was dressed, he just wanted to get this whole thing over with. "I-I-I-n-o!" He shouted up the stairs. "What's taking you so long?" He was just about to run up and see for himself when he stopped short, his breath caught in his throat.
"Wow," he murmured, eyes wide. His wife, her hair piled elegantly on top of her head, slowly descended the stairs, smiling. She looked positively breathtaking. There were no other words to describe it. Her dress, the same hunter-green color of his tunic, was cut low and off the shoulders, coming to a V in the front. The bodice enhanced her shapely figure, hugging her curves deliciously. The sleeves were long and folded back at the ends, adorned with golden trim, and the half-gloves that she wore beneath them only covered the tops of her hands, leaving her palms and fingers exposed.
"What do you think?" She asked almost shyly.
His response was to lift her chin with a finger and kiss her ever so gently so as not to smudge her carefully applied lipstick. "Beautiful. No one will even hold a candle to you."
Ino looked at him in surprise, her eyes misty. "Really?" She asked in a tiny voice.
"Really." He held out his arm, which she took, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "Shall we be off, my Lady?"
"Why, yes, milord." Ino replied, her face radiant. "I do believe that is a most splendid idea."
Ebony Hall was a very elegant building that stood near the center of town, complete with lavish trellises and an exquisitely worked iron fence surrounding it; the perfect place for a masquerade. When Shikamaru and Ino arrived, they could already hear the sounds of music playing and people talking. Exchanging a look, Ino's excited, Shikamaru's resigned, the pair entered through the large oak doors and stepped into another world.
The inside of the Hall resembled an archaic castle, with foam towers placed in every corner and tapestries hanging from the walls and ceiling. Suits of armor stood like guards near the entryway, and more lined the walls near the towers. Long tables and chairs with intricately carved designs on them were positioned on either side of the Hall, leaving the center open for dancing. The band was set up near the front, and brightly costumed people spun across the floor, making it all appear even more magical. Shikamaru felt Ino take his hand, and he sighed. So it begins, he thought, already uncomfortable being surrounded by so many people. The wooden expression that everyone knew so well made it's way to his face as Ino dragged him along, searching for friends. Shikamaru's ears picked up on a voice that he hadn't heard in a while, then.
"Come on guys! I'm the Mad Hatter. Can't you tell?" Gaara, who, along with his sister and brother had been specially invited to attend the festivities, was modeling his costume, complete with multicolored waistcoat and ridiculously large hat, for a group of people including Naruto and Sakura, both dressed as devils, and Lee, an equally colorful jester. Temari, Gaara's sister, was Lee's official date for the night, and was dressed as a maid in a tiny black dress and white frilly apron. Gaara spun amidst laughter, the waistcoat flashing, and caught sight of Ino and Shikamaru.
"Well look who showed up!" He stepped forward and, sweeping his hat off of his head, bowed theatrically. "You look simply ravishing, my dear." He said, taking Ino's hand and kissing it. He turned to Shikamaru then, eyes that used to be black rimmed from insomnia twinkling. "I'm amazed you made it out of the house, Prince Charming. We all expected Ino to have to drag you here in chains." He grinned. "Nice hat, by the way. It's almost as good as mine." With that, he placed said hat back on his head, and took Ino by the hand again. "I shall rescue you from your un-animated princeling, dearest. Dance with me."
Shikamaru watched them go, eyebrow twitching. Ever since he was able to subdue the demon living inside of him, Gaara had become a very social person, sharing in the wicked sense of humor that Naruto had in abundance. Though he knew that Gaara would never try anything with Ino, it still irritated him a bit. His friends dragged him into their throng then, all of them commenting on his costume and his hair, which only embarrassed him further. Kiba and Hinata, dressed, appropriately, as a dog and a cat; Neiji and Tenten, as vampires; and Chouji, as a gangster, soon joined them. Everyone, it seemed, had something to say about Shikamaru, and his woodenness only increased as time went on. Eventually, Ino returned, and, looking at her husband with huge eyes, begged him to take her out on the floor.
"Please, Shika?"
Shikamaru started to panic. Neiji's lesson had done nothing to improve his dancing skills, but he wasn't going to be able to refuse if Ino kept looking at him like that. "I...you know I don't know how to dance," he said quietly, for only her to hear.
"It's a slow song now. It won't be hard to dance to, I promise. Just let me lead you. Everything will be fine."
Not knowing what else to do, Shikamaru gave in, trailing behind Ino like a lost puppy. His friends watched him stumble through the motions, sympathetic looks on their faces. Leaving the girls for a bit, the original plotters, now joined by Gaara, went off to discuss their scheme.
"That's terrible!" Gaara laughed when he heard the plans, related by Neiji. "Count me in."
"I knew we could depend on you," Neiji replied with aplomb, gathering everyone together in a huddle. "Okay, so, from the looks of things, the little prince is dying out there. I'm thinking once dinner starts, we kick this thing into gear." He looked at Naruto. "You got all the alcohol, right?"
"Of course," Naruto replied, grinning. "It was hiding it from Sakura that was the hard part. She's got eyes like a hawk, that girl."
"Perfect. Gaara, I think you should be the one to rope him in. You seem to be able to get under his skin pretty easily, so I'm sure you'll think of something clever."
Naruto's spymaster inclined his head. "I accept with honor, oh wise leader."
"You know it," Neiji replied without skipping a beat. "Now, remember guys, he's got to see us all drinking, or else he won't do it, got it?"
Everyone nodded, unable to keep the grins from their faces. Breaking, they returned to their wives and dates.
"What are you planning?" Sakura asked Naruto when he came to her side, both wincing as poor Shikamaru fell out of step.
"Nothing, dear."
She gave him an arch look. "Don't give me that crap, Naruto. I know you. You're up to something."
He looked sideways at her, choosing his words carefully. "Shikamaru looks very unhappy, doesn't he? We're just going to cheer him up, is all."
"Is that so?"
"Uh-huh."
Before she could reply, there was a hubbub of noise and people clustering towards the entrance of the Hall. After Kakashi had proposed his wager to Gai, word spread like wildfire throughout the village, everyone anxiously waiting to see what the elusive Jounin had up his sleeve. There were rumors that he even planned on coming without his mask, which only increased the suspense. Up until that point, neither Gai nor Kakashi had shown up, but, judging from the craziness near the doors, one thing was obvious: Kakashi and Gai had arrived.