This chapter is mainly revolved around soccer, and tbh, I don't really know how soccer works :) My apologies if the formation or rules are not correct.
CHAPTER 5 - Let the Games Begin!
Shikamaru pulled up to the school parking lot, both him and Temari hopping out of the black Jeep. As soon as they got out of the car, Temari shuddered and rubbed her arms.
"Damn, it's cold!" She complained, continuing to rub her arms through her sweater.
"Yeah well, during the day it's hot then the moment it turns night, it's freezing!" Shikamaru told her, then opening his trunk. He would throw a semi-large jacket at her, "Here, wear this."
Temari blushed, but nonetheless put it on since she was the one that initially complained anyway.
As they both walked to the stadium, they walked past the opposing team. Temari looked, and almost froze up. Their uniforms were dark purple, the boys looked a lot worse than when she last saw them. She then figured, Konoha was going against the Sound! Shikamaru noticed her uneasiness, and pulled her aside near where the bathrooms were.
"Hey, don't worry." He comforted her.
Temari nodded, "I'm not worried."
The two began to walk, and one of the guys whistled, enough to make Temari uncomfortable.
"Damn, baby, let me see some of that ass." One of them said, Shikamaru noticed Temari about to turn her head to look at them, in which he placed an arm around her waist and leaned closer to her as a way to tell her not to mind them. She felt empty again, but couldn't help and appreciate Shikamaru's gestures.
They both looked at each other, sending smiles before parting ways; Shikamaru to the field and Temari to the stands.
"Hey! Temari! Up here!" Ten Ten shouted, waving a hand up in the air.
Temari made her way up the steps, seating herself between Hinata and Ten Ten while Sakura and Ino sat in a lower seat in front of them.
"Oh! I was so worried about you!" Ten Ten hugged her, then began to sniff Temari's jacket. "This smells like Shikamaru, did you two-"
Temari went red, "WHAT? N-No! No way!"
Ino, Sakura, and Hinata glanced at each other.
"Hmph, alright." Ten Ten said.
"Alright everyone! Make sure you take your seats as we prepare to watch the game between Konoha Hall and Sound Academy!" said the stadium announcer.
"Wow! Look at how serious the guys all are!" Sakura commented.
Ino giggled. "Mmm."
Sakura raised an eyebrow at Ino, "Do you have a crush on one of them?"
"WHAT? NO! At least, not part of the guys..." Ino admitted.
Hinata smiled, "W-Who then, Ino?"
Ino grabbed her phone out of her pocket, going into her notes app and texting the full name. The girls gathered around Ino's phone, the screen would light up and spell the words: Sai.
The girls had to hold in a squeal, meanwhile Sakura stood up and pointed at Ino, "I KNEW IT!"
"Knew what? That your forehead is huge?" Ino smirked.
Sakura raised a fist, "WHY YOU-"
"Shh! They're about to start." Ten Ten told them, then screamed at the top of her lungs, "LET'S GO BOYS!"
On the field, there was Naruto at the net. Kiba, Sai, and two other players on defense. Shikamaru, Lee, and two other boys played midfield, while Neji and Sasuke were the attackers, Neji on the left wing and Sasuke on the right. They were all tense, and their bodies toned in a way Temari had never seen before.
'Damn, they really look like men out there.' She thought.
As the whistle blew, Sasuke immediately went for the ball. The ball flew past the field, and saw the opposing team's goalie become startled and he positioned himself. On the other hand, Sasuke passed the ball to Lee, in which he would strike the ball closer to the net. Sasuke smirked, going for the ball until some guy on the other time went into full contact for the ball as well. The player kicked the ball to the other side, in which Kiba and Sai came in to assist.
"Damn, this is getting juicy." Ino commented.
Ten Ten was practically itching in her seat, standing up and sitting like a stressed soccer mom. Ten Ten herself played soccer for the girls team, and she hated it when defense was weak. "Man, this isn't looking too hot, Naruto better prepare himself."
On the field, Naruto was itching in his pants as well. "UM, KIBA, SAI? MAKE SURE YOU- AH!" Naruto would jump in front of the ball, preventing the Sound team to score. The stadium would cheer, some would groan.
"YES! NICE NARUTO!" Ten Ten shouted in joy.
Shikamaru walked over the Naruto, "You good kid?"
Naruto's eyes glistened, grabbing Shikamaru by the shirt. "DID YOU SEE THAT SHIKAMARU? I DID IT! I DID IT!"
The captain would roll his eyes, smiling. "Yes, yes, you did it, now don't get cocky now, focus kid."
The players returned to their respected areas on the field. As Shikamaru crouched on his knees, one of the Sound students began to mock him.
"Hey, is that your loser of a goalie over there? Kind of disappointing that we aren't able to go against fatso."
Shikamaru didn't flinch, "Sucks to suck."
The Sound student groaned as he seemed to not offend Shikamaru. The whistle blew once more, and the ball went toward Shikamaru. Shikamaru would headbutt the ball, the ball going closer to Neji, in which Neji let the ball drop and he kicked it over to Sasuke. Sasuke would then run over to the opposing team's side, his legs toned as he dodged the Sound players, and he aimed his kick to the ball, striking it into the net.
"YEAH SASUKE! YOU BETTER DO IT!" Sakura shouted, resembling Ten Ten in a way.
To Temari's realization, she had good eyes, and saw the Sound player talk to Shikamaru before the round began. She hoped nothing too bad was said. She would then look at Hinata, noticing she was eyeballing the field very hard. Temari would wave a hand in front of her, immediately startling the girl.
"You alright?" Temari chuckled, placing a comforting hand on Hinata.
Hinata smiled, "O-Oh! Yes, thank you for asking."
Temari looked at Hinata before looking back at the field, seeing if she can connect to who she was staring at so immensely. She could tell she was looking all the way to the left side of the field, and that's when it hit her.
"D-Do you like Naruto?" Temari asked her.
Hinata turned red, not pink, red. She would stare at Temari, putting a finger in front of her lips as a signal for Temari to shush. Temari giggled, "No worries, the secret is between us."
It was now half-time, everyone got up to go get food at the concession stands. Temari and Ten Ten gave the rest of the girls some cash, and they waited.
"H-Hey, Temari?"
Temari looked up to her friend from her phone, "Yeah?"
"I..I, um, kind of did something I been a bit guilty of ever since we came here."
"Like what?"
Ten Ten sighed, scratching the back of her head. "S-So, I sort of told Shikamaru to go talk to you since you weren't responding to my texts, and I kind of gave the girls a piece of my mind, that you may have feelings for Shikamaru."
Temari looked at her before looking back at the field, staring at Shikamaru. She smiled, the conversation they had in her room and something she definitely couldn't forget. It was the first time that someone other than her brothers finally respected her for her, and not for the way her body looks. Temari would then, hug Ten Ten, for the first time.
"If you're the reason why Shikamaru came to my apartment, then I'm glad you did." She hugged tighter, Ten Ten hugged back immediately. From the field, Neji looked at the two girls. He would walk to Shikamaru, slapping a light hand on his chest.
"You think of what I'm thinking?" Neji asked Shikamaru. Shikamaru would then look at the direction Neji was, and saw the two girls' embrace.
"Well, I'm thinking of what they could be hugging about."
Neji raised an eyebrow, "Me too."
Shikamaru then smirked at his friend, "You got a little crush?" At the end of his very sentence, Neji would shove Shikamaru to the ground, confusing the rest of the players on the field. Shikamaru would burst out laughing, seeing that someone as serious and sophisticated as Neji has a crush on an actual girl.
"N-Nothing happened! H-He's just laughing over a joke I said!"
Five minutes have passed, and the girls gave Temari and Ten Ten their desired food. It was then the end of half-time.
The boys huddled in. Shikamaru shouted, "On three! One, two, three..."
"KONOHA!" The boys would finish, and scattered themselves out in the field. They have now switched sides, and Naruto was on the right end of the field as well as everyone else.
It was towards the end of the time left, and the score was tied. The boys were sweating pounds of sweat, and their bodies toned up like crazy. The whistle blew, and it felt like everything went in slow motion.
"You better do it, Sasuke!" Kiba shouted.
The Sound player kicked towards Naruto, in which then Sasuke would prevent the ball from going towards the opposite side as he kicked it towards Sai, which he would kick it towards Neji. And as it happened, Neji ran with full speed, not even bothering to travel the ball as he kicked the ball with precision, rolling into the net. The time ran out, and the boys in green and white uniform all ran to each other and embraced.
"NEJI SCORED!" Ten Ten shouted, the girls would scream in excitement. They came down the stands, waiting near the fence to see the boys in their moment.
With all the shouting, Temari could only imagine how it felt if she wasn't constantly harassed by guys; how maybe every game she would enjoy wins with her friends instead of getting yelled at by coaches constantly. She was happy, happy for all of her new friends. She smiled and as the game was over, the boys ran to the girls and they hugged each other. Sakura went to go give Sasuke a kiss, Ten Ten gave Neji a hug, and at the end, they all hugged each other.
"SHIKAMARU YOU DID IT!" The same high-pitched voice came out, Kin jumping into Shikamaru's arms as she kissed him on the lips.
'Oh, my, this is what pure awkwardness feels like doesn't it?' Temari thought to herself.