Something Like That . . .
Part XIV
The Audience
Tsunade was gathering bets from all over, everyone in the village seemed to be favoring Temari.
"But I wonder what caused them to start fighting in the first place," Shizune said, she'd left her place at the Hokage's box to help Tsunade-sama gather the bets.
"I say it's love. A girl has to give her man a few good whacks, y'know?" Anko said, jumping up and punching Kakashi in the back of the head, "Oops! Sorry . . . that was an accident, it didn't mean anything!"
"She makes it sound like we kissed." Kakashi said.
"Well . . . it's Anko." Genma shrugged at Kakashi, Gai was still stuck in his pose.
Tsunade suddenly appeared, "Ten to one, you want in? You want in? Ten to one odds against them being in love!"
Asuma scratched his bearded chin and said "Oh I don't know about that Tsunade-sama, I've never seen Shikamaru smile this often."
"I don't see a smile." Tsunade scoffed.
The design of Shikamaru's mask was in fact an obnoxiously yellow frowny faced deer. It really seemed fitting.
"Actually," Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his head, "he does seem pretty cheerful. He's even been going along with the rhyming."
"What do you think, Baki?" Asuma asked the Suna Jounin.
"Hmph. Fine if it's what she wants. But she can do better." Baki said with his arms folded.
Kurenai chuckled softly, "You sound like you're her father."
"Well . . . it's true, she can." Baki said. "I don't need to be their father to know these kids."
Asuma looked back at Kakashi, who was still rubbing his head, Anko was eyeing him subtly, either she was ashamed for having hit him, or she was looking for another chance to do so, Asuma decided it wasn't any of his business and he didn't want to know. Instead he asked Kakashi, "How did you decide they'd tie?"
"I told you." Kakashi said, "They'll get bored at the same time and knock each other out. See how Temari is gradually getting more agressive, and Shikamaru is gradually starting to use his comrades as human shields so he can take up his thinking pose for a few seconds at a time? They're both getting down to business."
Asuma smirked, and turned back, he heard Kakashi grunt and Anko cried appologetically, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't know that was your foot!"
Final Act
"Just launch any attack, I'll barely fight back, you want to get out of here don't you?" Temari said.
"Yes but get real, I dont like this deal, is what you said really true?"
"That we'll date if you win? Why, is that a sin? Can't a girl make the first pass?"
"No it's not proper for the woman to do so, the man makes the first move no matter how slow, a lad musn't ever lose to a lass."
"Well you're going to lose if you dont take a swing! I'm getting annoyed with this whole thing! If you really dont like me may as well just say!"
Shikamaru was getting kind of tired of this too, it was troublesome.
He'd just beat her already . . . it wasn't like taking her out on a date would be all that terrible. It'd be troublesome, but he'd have to endure it.
Suddenly Rock Lee showed up in between them, he stopped Temari's fan from making contact with Shikamaru's head, and stopped Shikamaru's fist from slamming into Temari's chin.
Quickly calculating the situation Shikamaru determined that had it not been for Lee it would have been a double knock out, he'd better get control of himself.
"Now you two stop, dont blow your top, your fight is a little too rough!" Lee said.
Temari smirked-well Shikamaru couldnt see it under the mask, but somehow he knew she had-and opened up her fan. She tore it free of Lee's grip and swept it out, blowing the taijutsu master off the stage.
Next Temari lunged for Shikamaru, and he threw himself over the wall. She slammed into Tenten, laying the girl flat, then spun and sprang for Shikamaru.
He closed his eyes and threw himself over the wall, Temari came over and he reached up and grabbed her ankle.
He pulled hard, throwing her out of the air and onto the ground, however she spun and landed on her feet, sliding across the stage and glaring at him.
She probably tried to spring again, but it didnt work. She looked confused for only a moment, before realization dawned on her.
Shikamaru grinned darkly, "Shadow Possession Jutsu." He said, confirming her suspicions. He stood up now, the others were still fighting-albeit they weren't truly fighting-and walked towards her.
She stood up and walked towards him.
He drew his fake sword and she drew hers, the audience fell silent, though he heard Tsunade shout "Betting is closed!"
Shikamaru raised his sword and Temari raised hers, she looked confused, "If you do this we'll just stab each other!"
Shikamaru grinned and struck!
Temari, being older and slightly taller . . . had longer arms.
The sword jabbed into his chest, and his fell short of her.
He groaned and fell back, first releasing the jutsu so that Temari would not do the same.
He fell to the ground and groaned a dying groan, Temari was on him in an instant, she grabbed him by the collar and said in an annoyed voice "Well if you wanted to avoid going out with me that badly you jerk-"
Shikamaru whispered, "The play."
Temari stopped and nodded. She reached down to his mask and said, "And now at last, I remove the mask, and see the face of my worthy foe!" She pulled his mask away, "No, no this cant be, my love I've slain thee, oh Ramon I didn't know!" She cried and began to remove her mask.
Shikamaru however struck out with his own sword before she could, she gasped and the mask fell.
Shikamaru now pretended to be shocked, "Julia, my wife, slain by my knife? Oh cursed fate this can't be true!"
"The world fades away, but what can I say? At least I can die besides you." Temari said, slumping forward as death took her.
Her face was very close to Shikamaru's, and she had a certian look in her green eyes.
He could hear Ino sobbing behind her mask as she spoke into the microphone, "And what tragety has struck! It seems the lovers have run out of luck!"
Without really knowing why Shikamaru reached up and pulled Temari down, he kissed her on the lips, her eyes shot wide open for a moment, and then she closed them, leaning forward and passionately deepening the kiss. Shikamaru was too surprised by his own actions, and her response to do anything but stare blankly as he kissed her, before finally closing his eyes as well and wrapping his arms around her.
"Oh but what's this? True love's final kiss, even in death they love one another. But what of the living? Will her brothers be forgiving? And what of our hero's cruel mother?"
"Cruel?" Shikamaru heard his mother sob from back stage, "I'm not cruel! That ending is cruel, oh why did they have to die? And stop making out with that girl Shikamaru, you're too young! Oh Shikaku hold me, it's too tragic!"
Yeah, it was about that time that he realized he was still kissing Temari, and she was getting her tongue involved in the affair too, so he promptly turned away and whispered, "stop it, we're dead!"
Then they "died" and Temari collapsed atop of him. She whispered into his ear, "you damn tease."
Having her laying atop of him was far less uncomfortable than he would have imagined. He heard his sobbing mother come out on stage and felt the dread that acompanied a slightly irate Gaara standing over him. "It would seem," Gaara said slowly, "that our sister's days are done."
"As are it appears the days of our son," Shikamaru's father said.
"But now I can see the price of this war, and I can't let it go on anymore. I believe peace is what Julia sought." Gaara said.
"The cost is too great, when we give in to our hate, oh if only these two had never fought." Shikamaru's mother wept.
"Then let there be peace, let us become friends . . ."
"A pitty that too late, this bloody war ends . . ."
Ino sobbed into her microphone, "Oh the end of the war, and our story as well, I hope they're in heaven and not in hell."
Shikamaru suddenly sat up, shoving Temari uncermoniously off of himself. "Hey, I'm alive, I just took a dive, it was all just a clever ruise!"
Temari sat up, rubbing her shoulder, "Uh, yeah right a trick, we sure laid it on thick . . . damn now I've got a bruise!" She said, shoving Shikamaru.
He smiled at her, she smiled back, Gaara and Kankuro helped him up, his parents helped her to her feet.
"Now that there's no war, we can be married just like before, but this time with your blessing." Shikamaru said.
"As if he wouldn't recognize me, couldnt you all see? With your heads we were so clearly messing." Temari grinned.
For someone who'd been moved to tears by the death, Ino seemed surprisingly mad now, she wringed her hands together and said into the microphone, "And . . . and true love conquers all, well I guess we'll all have a ball, the lovers survived in the end. But now we are through, we must bid farewell to you, come back and see us next time my friend!"
The audience applauded loudly and the actors all bowed, including several versions of Hinata.
"We did it! We did it!" Lee cried happily, throwing his arms around Tenten and Neji, "Did you see Gai Sensei? We're actors!"
"Stop hugging me." Neji said.
"Whoo! Hear that Akamaru? The like us! They really like us! Oh, you guys were okay too." Kiba said to Hinata and Shino.
"Too bad Sasuke isnt here to witness me in my moment of triumph and fame." Ino sighed. "Of course if he were I'd have been Julia and he'd have been Ramon and the play would have been done properly." Ino said.
"Cha, if Sasuke were here he and I would have kissed, Ino!" Sakura warned.
"Well I'm a little disapointed, if we'd done a bad job they might have thrown food at us." Chouji sighed.
Shikamaru looked at the audience for the first time, it really was the whole village.
Good thing he hadnt looked at them, or he might have been overwhelmed by it all. But man all this attention was troublesome.
He glanced back at Temari, who, along with Kankuro was teasing Gaara by trying to show him how to bow to the crowd instead of just standing there stiff like a board. Their eyes met and she smiled at him, her cheeks were turning red, and he wondered if his were too.
All things considered this play had been troublesome, bothersome, and a drag.
But he was kind of glad he'd participated.
Just kidding.
What a waste of time!
More To Come . . .
Yes there is more after this!
Author's Audacious Comments: Though I do have one idea for a sequel that might just work, it propells the story from "realm of off screen possibility" to "slightly alternate universe" and that's a step I dont like taking on purpose so I'm still thinking of ideas.
I dont really support Naturo and Ino, I just never thought about it. It literally never occured to me that the two might be a pair and I said I'd be willing to consider it for the sequel since I've got so few working ideas for said sequel and I'm open to new suggestions. Doesnt mean I'll ever even write a sequel, doesnt mean I won't, I'm just toying with the idea in my head and seeing how I feel about it. Perhaps even more important is to see how you readers feel once this one is over.
As far as screen names go GrimmZ is just about it, if you ever see a GrimmZ it is me . . . or a wannabe. I dont really spend too much time on the internet so I never bothered with instant messengers. My E-mail is available on my bio screen though and anyone at all is free to contact me.
I am pretty sure I really am crazy. I am also somewhat proud to say that I am the only person in my family to learn how to ride a bike . . . and honestly forget and have to learn again. They say you never forget how to ride a bike, so I guess this makes me special. I think it also qualifies for "crazy".
Nice to know you are still alive Cass (you wanna change your bio? You are starting to worry me) and still reviewing and what not . . . but I will NEVER write a ShikaIno/InoShika story. Ever. Period. I don't care how many reviews I would get from it. The only reason I request reviews for this story was to shut you up about ShikaTema having no fans, which it clearly does so haha! I win!
Well I hope the story is not losing steam, perhaps it can make a come back in the next chapter with the after-show nonsense, but who knows? Really it is quite an honor to know that people who dislike the pairing still like the story, and I am glad that everyone is still in character . . . though we will have to see if that holds true in the next chapter . . .