Shikamaru knew why he was one of the people chosen to represent Konoha, but at the same time he wondered why him. He thought maybe Kakashi had a secret hatred towards him, which he knew wasn't true, but he could still blame it on that. Of course, he wasn't mad about being in Suna. He would get to see the woman that he cared for the most, but the last thing he wanted to do was attend a ball. Shikamaru wasn't one for being fancy.
Sakura, Naruto, and him were chosen to represent Konoha because of their bravery and leadership in the war. Kakashi was there too of course, but this wasn't for the Kage's. This was an event put on by the Kage's to celebrate the unity of the great nations after the war. Each village would send a few shinobi along with their Kage to represent said village. It was being held in Suna of all places because Gaara had requested that he be the one to take care of everything. It was sort of a thanks for believing in his leadership during the war.
They had arrived in Suna hours ago and were now sitting in their hotel. "I didn't know a village in the desert could be this nice!" Naruto said, everyone else in the room sighed.
"Naruto, you need to be careful about what you say about other villages." Kakashi's calm voice spoke. For some reason, unknown to Shikamaru, they had all decided to meet in his room. He just wanted a nap.
"I'm sure Temari would kick your ass if you said anything about her village." Sakura spoke with amusement in her voice. Shikamaru snorted. He was currently lying on the bed trying not to think about the evening. "I didn't know you were awake, Shikamaru. You excited for tonight? I bet Temari is going to be all dressed up! You two can dance together, it'll be so cute." The girl squealed. It was just like having Ino.
Shikamaru sighed. Him and Temari weren't official yet, but they had been on a few dates. They were mostly keeping their relationship a secret from the Sunan council since they have no idea how the elders would react to the princess dating outside of the village. "I don't dance." Sakura rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'm going to start getting ready. You all should do the same. I'll meet you in the lobby around six, okay?" They all nodded but didn't move to get reading. "It starts at 6:45 so don't make us late!" The pink haired woman left the room.
"Why do women need so much time to get ready?" Shikamaru asked. Neither of the other men nodded.
"No clue, but I'm going to try to rest a little before tonight. Who knows how long it will last." Kakashi spoke and headed towards the door. Naruto nodded and followed.
Finally, Shikamaru was alone. As much as he said he didn't want to go tonight, what Sakura said got him thinking. He had never seen Temari dressed up, except at Naruto's wedding, but that wasn't anything fancy. Now he found himself thinking that maybe he was going to be under dressed. He had asked his three companions what they would be wearing and the two men both decided they would wear suits and so once Sakura confirmed that it was a good choice he went with the same one he wore to Naruto's wedding. Shikamaru didn't see the point in owning more than one if he only had two occasions to wear it to.
He wondered if Temari would be wearing a big ball gown like Sakura had chose. Maybe something more simple and easy to move in? Shikamaru himself has never worn a ball gown but just by seeing how Ino couldn't breathe in hers he figured they weren't very comfortable.
Now not being able to sleep he decided maybe he could get ready. He went into the restroom and washed his face, shaved, and then brushed his teeth. He then took his hair down to brush it and then pause. Is this too casual? Damn Sakura for making me overthink... He waited a moment and then without much thinking went across the hallway and lightly knocked on the door.
The pink haired woman who started all of this thinking for him opened the door. She was still in her lounge wear but had her hair and makeup done. "Ah, Shikamaru, what's up?" He turned his head slightly, trying to hide the blush creeping it's way to his cheeks.
"Uh.. Can you help me? I don't know what to do with my hair." The woman smirked, leading him into her room. He followed, shutting the door behind him. She pointed to the chair that was sitting in front of the desk.
"Sit." He handed her the brush and the hair tie and sat down as she said. She started brushing his hair and then pulled the top half of it into her hands, leaving the bottom half down. She spun the black hair into a loose bun. "Are you trying to impress Temari?" He groaned, regretting his choice to come here for help. "Shikamaru, I don't know why you're embarrassed about your relationship with her. She's gorgeous, keeps you in line, and not to mention everyone saw it coming anyway." He raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?" He was confused about how everyone apparently knew they were going to end up together.
"I thought you we're supposed to be the smarted person in the Land of Fire... You two just fit perfectly together and obviously have feelings for each other. It's not like you tried to hide it. You guys are always flirting and when she's in the village you never leave her side." Sakura raised her hand when he opened his mouth. "Don't even say it was your job because even if it wasn't I know you would be with her every chance you got. Besides, why else would Kakashi keep his adviser as an escort when there are plenty of other people to do the job?"
Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. Now that he thought about it, she was right. He stood up and looked in the mirror. "Thank you." She smiled at him as he left the room. Sakura wanted her friends to be happy and she would do what she could to make that happen.
It was finally time to meet in the lobby and Shikamaru decided to wait for Sakura. When she left her room she smiled at him. "Do I look okay?"
"You look very nice, Shikamaru. Temari is very lucky to have you." He blushed at that and smiled.
"Thank you, Sakura. You look very nice as well." The two of them headed towards the lobby to be met with the other two members of their team. The group then headed towards the building they had been directed to by the hotel staff.
The crowd was bigger than expect. There were a lot of familiar face. Naruto ran off on his own to greet all of his friends he hadn't seen since his wedding. The other three continued inside to find their table. Shikamaru casually looked around until he spotted her. She was wearing her hair in the two pigtails she had been doing recently, but her outfit was unlike anything he had seen before. It was a traditional Sunan garment. It was a deep red fabric with gold details. It went all the way to the floor and exposed part of her midsection. Shikamaru gulped. She was stunning.
She approached the three that were quietly sitting at their table and smiled. "Welcome, Konoha! Thank you for joining us. You all look very nice tonight." She was acting... literally just acting. Shikamaru had to hide a laugh. She sighed. "That's what I'm supposed to say." Sakura stood up and hugged the woman.
"It's so good to see you, Temari! You look beautiful. I love you outfit." The blonde smiled.
"Thank you, Sakura. It's nice to see you as well. You look very beautiful yourself." Sakura was in a long, light pink, ball gown.
Temari glanced up and noticed her brother nodding at her. "Well, I must be off. We are about to start so you might want to get Naruto before he does something embarrassing." Kakashi nodded and stood up to retrieve the blonde. "I'd love to see you more later." She said while looking at both of them but really only speaking to one. Temari then made her leave to the stage to stand behind Gaara.
Sakura winked at him. "She was talking to you." He rolled his eyes. "Oh and next time, don't just stare at her with your mouth open. You look like a dummy."
"I'm sorry... but look at her." He then move his gaze to Temari which caused Sakura to smirk. Kakashi and Naruto returned just in time for Gaara to start speaking.
"First off, I'd like to welcome everyone to Suna. I hope the journey wasn't too bad." He moved his gaze across the crowd. "As you all know tonight is a night of celebration and remembrance. All of the Kage have come together to put this evening on for all of you to celebrate your brave acts in the war and the unity of our nations. We will remember those that we unfortunately lost during that fateful time." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. "Now, please enjoy this meal we have had prepared for all of you. After, we will be able to catch up with each other and enjoy some dancing if that's what you like. Please enjoy your evening." He then walked off the stage and the three siblings joined the Konoha table.
Kankuro greeted them first. "Sup, haven't seen any of you in while!" His eyes meet Shikamaru's and the smile leaves his face. "Nara." Temari rolls her eyes and takes the seat between Kankuro and Shikamaru.
"Hey, Kankuro... Good to see ya." Ever since Kankuro had found out about him and Temari he hasn't been as friendly to Shikamaru as he is to everyone else. Gaara finally sat, after Naruto forced him into a hug, right between Kakashi and his brother.
"Thank you all for making the journey out here. I know it's not a particularly fun one." The Konoha ninja's nodded to the Kazekage.
"Thank you for hosting this and inviting our village. It's very nice." Kakashi replied. The food had been served and everyone enjoyed their meals. Kankuro was on his third glass of wine and Temari wondered if he would make a fool of himself before too much longer.
The dance floor was open and Naruto and Sakura jumped at the chance. A man approached Temari. He was quite tall and handsome, Shikamaru would admit. This man was also dressed in traditional Sunan clothing. He stuck his hand out to her and slightly bowed his head. "Would the princess like to dance?" Temari gulped.
"Oh, thank you for the offer, but we actually were about to go out there." She said, grabbing Shikamaru's hand and dragging him to the dance floor.
"Seriously? I hate dancing." She rolled her eyes at him.
"I do too but I'd rather do it with you than him." They moved as far away from that man as possible.
"Who was that guy anyway?" Temari sighed at the thought of him.
Shikamaru placed one hand on her back and took the other in his remaining hand. Temari grabbed his shoulder as they started dancing carefully before picking up speed. "He's one of the council members sons. They have been trying to get me with him since I was a teenager. I think he's about 15 years older than me." Shikamaru grimaced at the thought of an adult hitting on a child. "I don't think he'll stop trying until I actually get married." She rolled her eyes.
"Oh, did you get engaged without telling me?" She smiled at him, and evil smile, but still a smile.
"No, I think typically before engagement comes dating and seeing as I have nothing official going on I shouldn't be engaged yet." He swallowed. She could tell she was making him nervous and that was quite amusing to her.
He wasn't really sure how to respond to her comment. Shikamaru had thought she didn't want anything to be official considering how the council was, but then again it was Temari he was thinking about. She doesn't care about others opinions on her life. That being said, he thought that if she was really serious she would just outright say that she wants to make things official instead of just hinting at it. This woman is so confusing, Shikamaru wasn't sure what he was getting himself into.
On the other hand, she was the most amazing woman he'd ever met. She was intelligent and witty and she even made him laugh like nobody else could. When he was with her he felt at home. Not terrified like one would think when with the Princess of Suna. She was a warrior after all, not one to take anything from anyone. "How does one make it official with a princess?"
She tilted her head at his question. "Simply ask. It's not a hard concept." He sighed and stopped their dancing before grabbing her hand and leading her out of the room. She blushed, still not used to displays of affection, especially in front of so many people. Once they were away from everyone, he turned to her and whispered.
"Do you really want to do this? What happened to the council?" He looked around as he spoke, making sure nobody followed them.
"Yes, Shikamaru. I wouldn't be using what little free time I have to see you or even just write you a letter if I wasn't serious about us. I'm tired of them trying to dictate my life and honestly we are at a good place in the world right now where we have peace and can take a moment to do something for ourselves. If we aren't going to be together now then there is no reason to continue on sneaking around like we are." Her voice gradually got louder and louder which was stressing Shikamaru out, but she didn't care. She needed him to know what she was thinking.
"Okay, you have good points..." He paused, back to using his normal voice. "So, will you be my girlfriend?" Shikamaru gave an awkward smile that made Temari laugh.
"Yes, crybaby." She pulled him close until their lips met. It was their first kiss of many in this new relationship they both already felt so comfortable in. They returned to the ball and talked and caught up with their friends all night without leaving each other's side.
It's been so long since I've posted. Please forgive me, life is so crazy as you all know. I have recieved some messages about my multi-chapter stories that I haven't updated in awhile. I am slowly working on them. I hope to get something posted soon. Thank you for those who are sticking with me! And thanks for reading this! Please let me know what you think. :) Happy holidays!