So, here is Chapter 7...only one more chapter to go! Kinda weird...:sniffles: Oh well. Thank y'all so much for reviewing! Please continue! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE REVIEWS! They make me feel good! And I am kind of down right now, so they'll be appreciated muchly. Oh, and thank you, Aki no Tenshi, for pointing out that I've been spelling Neji wrong... :bows head in embarrassment: I've read all the manga and seen all the episodes of the show that are out, yet I spell Neji wrong...stupid.

Chapter 7: Yes, Loyal Subjects, the Prince Shall now Serenade You

There was quite a commotion coming from the small table in the corner, a group of very loud, and very drunk, young men clustered about it chanting at the top of their lungs as the Mad Hatter and the fairytale Prince squared off against each other. Myriad shot glasses were strewn about the table, all upside down on the surface, and still more were joining them. The Prince and the Mad Hatter had since bested all of their friends, and the competition was left to the two of them to complete. Of course, all the noise attracted attention, those not already engaged on the dance floor forming a circle around the table, shielding the boys from view of their wives, who by now had realized that something was up.

"I knew he was planning something!" Tenten spat, in reference to Neji. "He always acts strange whenever he's got something up his sleeve, but I didn't do anything about it."

Sakura sat at their table, rubbing her temples. She didn't care enough to break through the throng gathered in the corner, knowing quite well what she would find there. "He was smuggling alcohol right underneath my nose. The whole time. They're all idiots." She said, to sounded agreement from the others, particularly Ino. Her head was propped against one hand, the fingers of the other drumming dangerously against the surface of the table.

"Shikamaru never drinks, and there's a good reason for it, too. He's what you'd call a silly drunk, and he does things that would send him to the grave if he even thought of doing them sober. I don't even want to think about the chaos he's going to get himself into with all these people here..." She couldn't even finish the thought.

"That only means you'll have something to torment him with when all's said and done, doesn't it?" Hinata, who hadn't spoken much until then, added slyly. "If Shikamaru is anything like Kiba, he's going to wake up tomorrow feeling awful. Since they decided to make asses of themselves here, it's only fair that we should be able to make them regret it all the more tomorrow." She grinned. Temari, who had joined them earlier, started snickering.

"Well said," she replied, a wicked smile on her face. "It's too late to stop them now, anyway. We may as well enjoy this. It should prove to be ridiculously amusing."

Temari's reflection proved to be correct on many levels, as all who were present at the masquerade would soon discover. The chanting grew ever louder in the corner as Shikamaru, who already had fifteen empty glasses before him, was about to try adding another to the ranks. His eyes were becoming unfocused, and he had to shake his head and blink repeatedly to zero in on the glass that he held in his hand. If he was going to defeat Gaara, he needed to polish off this glass and hope that the Sand-nin, who had the same number of empty glasses before him, wouldn't be able to go on after him.

"GO! GO! GO! GO!"

The chanting echoed strangely through his head, fading in and out at irregular intervals, making him even giddier than he already was. His brain made the connection between the glass and his mouth after a few more seconds of staring at it, and, throwing his head back, he poured the contents down his throat before slamming the glass on the table. "Beat that, beotch!"

Wild cheers erupted, and Shikamaru felt the urge to laugh, so he did, almost toppling over in his chair. It was now up to Gaara to decide who would be the victor; if he was able to drink another glass, they would be tied, but if he failed, the title of Drinker Extraordinaire would go to Shikamaru. Of course, Gaara was not about to let that happen, no sir! Taking up his glass, he raised it in a sort of mocking toast and drank. There was another wild round of cheering, Shikamaru and Gaara both doing what could be described as giggling.

"Whaddaya say to a draw, partner?" Gaara said, plopping his elbow in the middle of the mess of glasses and waving his hand about.

"Well that's jus' swell. I think," Shikamaru replied, reaching out his own hand to clasp Gaara's. They both started laughing uncontrollably then, pounding on the table, tears streaming out of their eyes.

"That's so touching," Naruto said to Kiba, who was straddling a chair next to him.

"Oh, totally," He put his hand over his heart. "Just makes me wanna cry, or something." Looking up at the Hokage, their eyes met, and they too lost control and started laughing.

"Everything is so funny today, isn't it?" Shikamaru managed when he could breathe. "Like my hat. Isn't my hat just the best—the bestest? Ino got it for me." He said very matter-of-factly, taking the hat off of his head and admiring it. "She's very talented at picking things out."

"She is isn't she?" Gaara nodded, grinning drunkenly. "That is indeed the bestest hat I have ever seen."

"Thank you," Shikamaru replied, putting the hat back on his head.

"I think I'd like to dance," Gaara said suddenly. "Let's go dance. That's what we're here for, right?"

Somewhere in his head, Shikamaru knew that he didn't like the word dance, but he couldn't seem to remember why. All the pretty people on the floor seemed to be enjoying it very much. So why shouldn't he? Gaara was right! They were at a party, and people dance at parties! It all made perfect sense. Jumping up from the table, Shikamaru linked his arm through Gaara's and they both let out a whoop, sashaying through the crowd of people around them and heading inexplicably for the dance floor and whatever wonders awaited them there.

Neji watched them go, a lopsided grin on his face. "Well, guys, I'm a genius," he said, picking up a bottle of Vodka and taking a swig. Though he was considerably drunk, he was far better off than Shikamaru and Gaara. Or even Naruto, for that matter. The Hokage, it seemed, was more than a little tipsy, and looked as if he were about to join the Gallivanting Duo. Actually, the idea wasn't all that bad. Not bad at all. The five remaining plotters exchanged looks, all thinking the same thing. Neji put the bottle down, chucking his fists in the air. "What're we waiting for? Let's rip this joint UP!"

Meanwhile, Shikamaru and Gaara had practically reached the floor, when Shikamaru caught sight of Ino, still sitting with the cluster of girls. She looked very pretty in that dress, and he was feeling remarkably princely at the moment. He flashed Gaara a sly grin. "They look so lonely over there, don't they? Why don't we change that?"

"Most excellent idea, Princeling. Tally-ho!"

Veering off course for just a moment, Gaara and Shikamaru made their way over to the ladies, who all seemed to be afflicted with a severe case of staring syndrome. In his condition, however, Shikamaru was quite open to the attention. A little voice in the back of his head was trying to tell him that he did not like being scrutinized, but he paid no attention to it. How silly! Instead, he grabbed Ino's hand and pulled her very close, as a rosy blush made its way to her cheeks. Her husband would never would do something like this sober, ever.

"Come, dear heart. Shall we dance?"

Ino stared at him, her jaw going slack. Oh yes, very bad case of staring syndrome. Before she could think to respond, Shikamaru was leading her to the center of the dance floor. Gaara had accosted his sister at the same time, and the two siblings began a lively dance that was part flamenco, part waltz, and part random swing moves. Before long, Neiji, Naruto, Choji, Lee, and Kiba joined them with the rest of the girls. Ino was too engrossed in what Shikamaru was doing to her to notice, however. She could only hang on as he led her, executing the spins, dips, and twirls that had him stumbling earlier with ease. At one point, he dipped her low and kissed her, a long, lingering kiss that made her lightheaded. I was wrong. He's a Casanova when he's drunk, she thought absently as he pulled her upright, holding her even closer than before. The music faded out then, and he released her with one last kiss. Dazed, she could only watch as Gaara returned, slinging an arm around Shikamaru's shoulders. The two conversed briefly, their voices giving way to more laughter. In the blink of an eye, they were gone.

Ino could not quite believe what she was seeing; everything seemed to be moving in slow-motion. Her friends all stood around her, pointing, exchanging wide-eyed looks, chortling. There, at the front of the Hall, Gaara and Shikamaru were doing something that no one would ever have expected them to do, drunk or sober: they were singing. Or, at least, they were trying. The sounds that came out of their mouths more resembled nails on a chalkboard than anything, but no one else in the Hall seemed to mind. Naruto even ran up and joined them, a move that was accompanied by laughter and cheering.

"SING IT!" Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai shouted together, completely in hysterics over the display.

Sakura covered her face with her hand, shaking her head. "They shouldn't be encouraging them." She said, exasperated.

For some reason, that statement sent Ino over the edge. Unable to hold back any longer, she laughed so hard that her breath came in choking gasps, and her stomach cramped. Seeing her, Sakura had no choice but to break down as well, and the two of them joined in on the cheering. There was really no reason not to. Besides, Ino thought wickedly, how often do Shika, Naruto, and Gaara get drunk and sing anyway? This is absolutely priceless.

Shikamaru was having a blast. He'd never actually sung before, but it was quite an experience. Gaara and Naruto seemed to be enjoying it, too. Not to mention their captive audience. The voice in Shikamaru's head raised some major objections to his current endeavor, but he told it to shut up. He wanted to sing, so he was going to sing!

And so the Prince, along with his cohorts the Mad Hatter and the Devil, proceeded to ignore reason and sang their hearts out. Afterwards, he did not really remember much, save cavorting about arm-in-arm with Gaara and Naruto and getting even drunker, if that was possible. The costume contest was long forgotten, since Naruto was in no condition to judge, although everyone agreed that Kakashi would have won hands down. All in all, the night was most eventful, and would surely be talked about for years to come. Or, more specifically, the drunken exploits of a certain Jounin and his companions...

I'll be wrapping things up in the next chapter, which happens to be the last...kind of sad...this has been a blast to write. Again, thank you all so much for reading:hugs: