A/N: I'm updating a day early because I won't be around tomorrow to update. The next update will be Friday. Also, a few people made some good comments that I'd like to respond to. Someone felt Chouji was a bit snippy to Shikamaru in the last chapter. I figure that Shikamaru has a propensity to complain, and that simply wasn't something Chouji wanted to listen to on his wedding day. Also, the thing with Ino's entrance: it's before the wedding, people are milling around. Hence "the group." He broke off the kiss and everyone in the room was staring at them. So, hope that explains that. I guess I shouldn't have assumed that everyone's been to weddings like that. Sorry!

Hope this chapter isn't a disappointment. Please enjoy!

The wedding went surprisingly smoothly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, since all those gathered had been eager to see Naomi and Chouji wed. Shikamaru stood beside his best friend, smiling and nodding whenever Chouji sent a nervous glance his way. Ino stood beside Naomi, and he could see that she was doing the same for the trembling bride. Neither of the soon-to-be-newlyweds seemed anxious, but rather unable to contain their excitement or fully believe that nothing would go wrong. Shikamaru knew for a fact that the decision to ask Naomi to marry him had been the easiest decision of Chouji's life. For his part, Shikamaru barely paid attention to what the priest was saying to the couple, instead focusing completely on Ino. She looked so beautiful in her kimono, with her hair piled atop her head, exposing her alabaster neck. Everything about her sang grace and beauty, and he found himself applying the physical knowledge imparted to him by Temari to Ino. He could see the slight swell of Ino's muscular hips outlined by the fabric, and he wondered what her hip would look like tangled in his sheets, or her ash-blonde hair spread over his pillows. Once she managed to catch his eye, and he must have worn his thoughts on his face, for she quickly looked away and blushed. As he watched, her blush faded away, her face going pale as her eyes seemed sad, and then her entire countenance slowly began to burn with the anger he knew so well.

After the ceremony was over and everyone had retired to the reception and eaten their fill, he was forced to dance with Ino. It was tradition, and Chouji and Naomi were actually pretty traditional people. They were joined on the dance floor by Chouji and Naomi, who had already had their first dance alone, along with the parents of the couple. Sweat broke out along his hairline as he placed his hand at the small of Ino's back, her light scent overpowering him. Ino was just as muscular as Temari, but her muscles were lean where Temari's were bulky and powerful. She looked up at him with her light blue eyes for only a moment, but that was all it took to send him into a trance. He gazed down at her, taking in the sight of her red, full lips, wondering how she tasted.

As they slowly rotated around the dance floor, he caught Temari's eyes. A shudder ran through him at the calculating look he saw on her face. She was a handsome woman, and he could see several men sending furtive glances her way, but she still scared the hell out of him. He pulled Ino closer reflexively, surprised as she stiffened. "Ino," he whispered.

A scowl marred her lovely face. "Shut up," she hissed. "I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to be touched by you."

Her words stung him in ways he hadn't expected. "What did I do?"

"I said shut up," she spat, the volume of her voice too low to be heard by anyone but him. "You can talk all you want to later with your sexy girlfriend."

He sighed and was punished with a narrowing of Ino's eyes. "She's not my girlfriend. I didn't even invite her. Besides, how come you can have boyfriends and I can't have a girlfriend?"

Ino totally ignored his question. "She sticks her tongue down your throat and you don't even consider her your girlfriend? Aren't you in love with her?"

"No," he whispered, feeling more desperate by the minute. The fact that Naomi and Chouji were drifting blissfully around the room didn't help matters any. He knew he should be overjoyed on their wedding day, but instead he was in hell.

"That poor woman!" Ino hissed. "You asshole!"

He winced as she dug her fingers into his upper arm as hard as she could, which really hurt. Ino was a hell of a lot stronger than she looked. See, this was exactly why girls were so troublesome. Relationships were troublesome. It was all too much damn trouble. Why did he even bother? Was the fun he had with Temari really worth it? Well, Temari was quite attractive, but still….

"Ino," he whispered, but she refused to look at him. Her body remained stiff in his grip. Her nostrils were flared and she was taking deep breaths. There was no way in hell she could hide her rage from him. It was obvious she didn't want to talk to him. He'd managed to completely screw up their relationship, but he wasn't sure exactly how. Ino, obviously, was not going to be of any help.

The song ended shortly after that, and it seemed like the moment he released Ino, holding on to her for a long as possible as she tore herself away from him and dashed off, Temari was in his arms, grabbing him in inappropriate places. "Come on," she half-growled, dragging him to the middle of the dancing.

"Cripes, can't you give a guy two seconds?" Shikamaru snapped.

"Not when he's the most interesting guy here," she said with a smile. Damn, her smiles were sexy.

He glanced around the room, blushing. "Whatever," he muttered. "I thought you were going to snag some other victim."

She shrugged, taking his hands and plastering them to her hips. "I was, but they're all dull. You're the only man here with a brain. Why, do you want to dance with the princess again instead?"

Shikamaru was often annoyed, but very rarely was he actually angry. "She's not a princess," he snarled, ready to throw Temari aside despite the fact he knew she could kick his ass all over town.

Temari's dark blue eyes opened wide, her golden eyebrows arching. "Oh, my. Is she an ex-girlfriend?"

"No," he spat. "She was one of my best friends."

"Bullshit," Temari replied with a smile. "That girl has the hots for you big-time."

Something twisted inside his chest. "Yeah, right. We've been friends for years. She never even gave me a glance. She's probably been through more guys than you have."

Temari laughed, the sound brash and full of sassy energy. "She's not serious with them. That girl's just playing with those boys."

He hated this conversation. "And you're not just toying with me?"

Her jovial mood melted away, her dark eyes serious. "No, Shikamaru, I'm not. I want you, and you know it. Nothing in life is more true than that."

"Then why is it so much damn trouble?"

She pressed her body against him, resting her head on his chest. "Because you can't let go," she said.

The rest of the reception wasn't too bad. Ino still refused to look at him or come within ten feet of where he happened to be, but there were plenty other friends there to hang out with. He couldn't help but wonder how things might have turned out if neither he nor Ino had brought dates, and Temari's words hadn't helped matters. Still, he thought she was right. It was time to let go. He wasn't sure what he wanted from Ino, or what he felt about her, but whatever it was, it was over. She obviously hated him, and he was pretty sure there was nothing he could do about it. Even if there was, it was bound to be loads of trouble. He was sick and tired of trouble.

Temari turned out to be incredibly fun, he decided as he watched her interact with some of his other friends. She was appropriately congratulatory to Chouji, who blushed and glanced at his new wife as the Sand kunoichi kissed him on the cheek, but Naomi just smiled as she also received a kiss on the cheek from the blonde woman. Naruto bounded over, as did Kiba, and Temari matched their bravado well, swapping stories of techniques. Hinata slid into the chair next to Shikamaru. "She came," the young woman said.

"Yeah," he replied, and was surprised to find himself smiling as he watched Temari gesturing wildly while telling a story of one of her exploits.

"You really like her, don't you?"

"Yeah," he repeated, a bit more seriously.

"Do you love her?"

He turned his head and met Hinata's milky gaze. "I don't know what that means, Hinata," he said.

She looked over at Naruto and a smile spread across her face. "You will."

Shikamaru shrugged as he watched Neji come over to say hello, a scowling Tenten at his side. Tenten had never liked Temari. She admired her skill, sure, but had never liked her. Oh well, Shikamaru thought. He scanned the room and noticed Sakura standing near Ino, where the blonde was ranting about something. Lee was standing next to Sakura, looking miserable. He met Shikamaru's eyes and suddenly looked even more disheartened. Shikamaru shuddered inwardly. Sakura scared the crap out of him almost as bad as Temari did, and he knew that he was in for some serious trouble. Not today, not tomorrow, but someday for sure.

Temari dragged him onto the dance floor a few more times, then preyed upon Kiba, Naruto, and even Chouji for a while. Shikamaru took Hinata out for a spin, which was actually sort of fun, and spent the rest of his time simply watching the festivities. Once he made his decision to ignore Ino, life had become easier. Of course, he still had to shove her out of his brain every couple of minutes, which was troublesome, but it was worth the effort.

Finally Chouji and Naomi departed, leaving the party with much fanfare, and not long after people began to disperse. "Let's go back to your place," Temari said with a carnivorous smile, and he found himself rushing back to his apartment.