Sorry for the long wait but my finals are finally over! Thank goodness. Well, I hope you enjoy this next chapter and thanks to everyone who reviewed!! This one is about 2,700 words. Once I started, I just couldn't stop apparently so hopefully there are zero or only a few mistakes and I hope it all makes sense.

Enjoy the read!

"Speaking."

'Thinking.'

Chapter Five: The Dinner

"So, now that we're all acting like adults and not making wisecracks about my boyfriend anymore," Sakura glared at Neji when she said that last bit and the Hyuuga had the decency to shrink back slightly, "What, may I ask, brings you two out here on a day like this?"

Sakura batted her pale green eyes innocently. Shikamaru suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine that he had only ever felt when something ominous was about to happen.

'She's up to something, I've seen that look before. That's the only thing that'll shut Naruto up! Not even Sasuke can do that! This is NOT good,' thought Shikamaru.

"Heh, we're just here to eat. I haven't had anything all day and this was the quickest way to get food. Heh." Shikamaru tried to laugh off the response, maybe he could deter her…

"Are you okay Shikamaru-kun? You don't look so good."

Maybe not.

'What the hell?' he thought. 'Who does she think she i—"

"She's right." Neji spoke for the first time since sitting down at the table, looking at Shika as he spoke.

"Eh?!" came the genius response from the shadow man.

"You look a bit flushed. Maybe you're sick and coming down with something. Perhaps you should go home." Neji so sneakily suggested.

"Neji's right, Shikamaru-san. You wouldn't want to catch a cold because that deter your youthfulness from thriv—" Lee attempted to speak but was abruptly interrupted by Shikamaru.

"How the hell would you know whether I'm sick or not?" he asked Neji, now turning around in his seat to face the Hyuuga in what little room the booth already gave him. Shika was slightly angry that Neji would try to pull such a stupid trick to get him out of his house. 'That's so like him. I knew he wasn't that kind.'

"I've got eyes Nara. I can see that something is bothering you. You look either sick or pain. You're flustered and have no reason to be." Neji stated as he too was starting to get irritated with Shika calling him out like that. Granted, he shouldn't have tried to "persuade" Shika out of his home by getting him to think he was sick.

'Then why did I do it?' he thought to himself. 'Because I'm scared. I'm scared of what he'll think of me, but it doesn't really matter now anyway…'

"Yeah, well, Neji if I'm in pain then it's because I'm here with you."

"Oh, Shikamaru I don't think that's any way in which to treat your date." Sakura stated matter-of-factly.

Neji and Shika, who before had been having a heated glaring contest with one another, abruptly turned their heads to Sakura, both now sporting lovely flushes to their cheeks.

At the same time:

"I'm not his date!"

"He's not my date!"

As soon as each of the troubled nin said those words, Neji and Shika again looked at each other, eyes wide and blushes rising from a color similar to Sakura's hair to now become a fully blown crimson, and just as quick turned their heads away, facing opposite directions.

"So…," Sakura started, "You're not on a date?"

"No." Neji deadpanned.

"Absolutely not." Shikamaru stated and muttered "troublesome" under his breath.

Sakura scoffed. "Well you're definitely acting like you're on a date. Well, acting like you're on a bad date because you two certainly aren't doing a good job of it. It's like you hate each other when, just a little bit ago you, two were all over each other at the bar."

Lee just sat there looking from the two blushing boys to Sakura and back again. He didn't really know what was going on. His Sakura-chan thought his eternal rival was dating Shikamaru-san, which he thought was a blessing from all that was youthful and bright as he thought this was a good way in which to cheer up Neji and incur the spirit of virility, but now it seemed like Neji and Shikamaru were having some sort of lover's spat. Lee was not quite sure about this and made his best guess as he and his rosy flower had never once had a fight or disagreement of any sort so he had nothing on which to base Neji and Shikamaru's actions toward each other. Lee just sat there and watched it all unfold knowing that Sakura would explain everything to him later and give him a cookie if he was good.

Lee sat back in the booth nodding his head to himself which looked like he was agreeing with Sakura, but really he was having this entire inner discussion with himself, but Neji didn't know this and he continued to become more angry at the thought that his own teammate, who should know him at least a little by now, would presume such a thing.

"We were NOT all over each before!" Neji nearly shouted, leaning across the table at Sakura and thereby infringing upon Shikamaru's personal bubble, while also garnering the attention of some nearby ramen stand patrons who happened to hear his outburst.

Now, Shikamaru was never one to get into an argument or shout at people, but when someone, especially such a troublesome woman like Sakura, was insinuating something that was far from the truth he wasn't going to let his lazy attitude stop him from correcting the situation.

He was about to do just that and give Sakura a chewing out about thinking before she spoke when Neji beat him to the punch. Shika still would have provided some excellent points to counterattack anything Sakura might have said had Neji's right hand not positioned itself on his upper left thigh when he went to lean over the table. One needs to provide support for oneself when one leans over a table as Neji was doing and he did so with his left hand on the table and quite unwittingly with his right hand very close to a place Shikamaru would have gone rigid at had said hand landed there. As it was, Shikamaru still went shock still at the unexpected contact and did not move as if someone was using his own kage mane jitsu against him.

'Ohhhhhh kay. Neji's touching me. Again. That sounds so wrong,' Shika thought to himself. 'But it's true. He touched my arm before I was about to leave, and then my side to shove me into this blasted booth and situation, and now…he's touching…my...thigh! What is with him? I mean, he probably doesn't know he's doing it but still! Personal space Hyuuga! Learn what it means! It's not like he's hurting me, actually he's got a soft touch, you wouldn't think that coming from his cold majesty, and it isn't bad when he accidentally brushes against me…my skin actually gets that tingly feeling for minutes afterwards…Wait. Why am I rambling about liking it when we unintentionally touch?' Shika was about to answer this question and have a very methodical discussion with himself but was saved by Sakura.

"Well Neji, it looks as if you ARE all over him right now." Sakura said with a smile.

Neji turned and saw where he put his hand seconds before, looked up at Shikamaru who had a semi-glazed, far-off look on his face because he was still continuing his internal monologue. Neji withdrew his hand back so quickly that the hand which had been on the table supporting him slipped on the smooth surface and he began to fall backward out of the booth.

Shikamaru realized that Neji's hand was no longer on him and he was a little disappointed at the loss of contact, but before he could think why he saw that Neji would hit the floor because of his hasty actions and he couldn't let him accidentally hurt himself for a situation that could have been avoided if they hadn't gotten Lee and Sakura's attention in the first place. So Shika, being the kind and for today, relatively active shinobi that he was, reached out, grabbed the hand that had been on his leg and pulled Neji sharply back up before he hit the floor.

However, since Shika wasn't quite as focused as he should have been, what with a hot guy's hand on his leg moments before, he pulled back too strongly, and inadvertently pulled Neji onto him.

"Damn Neji! You just can't keep your hands off him for one minute can you?" Sakura asked laughing while next to her Lee's jaw was hanging open at the spectacle.

The two bewildered shinobi now found themselves in a precarious position. Shikamaru pressed against the back and side of the booth, the right side of his head laying flat against the seat of the booth while Neji was lying on top of him, his hand still clasped in the Nara's, both of which were between the two young men with Shika's knuckle's digging into Neji's ribcage. Shika opened his eyes as he was a little dazed upon slamming himself back into the booth, turned his head to the left so he was looking up and he stared right into two very white and very wide eyes that had gone even wider if at all possible when Shika turned his head causing his nose to brush against Neji's and show just how close the two of them actually were.

Neji used his free left hand to grab the table and pull himself up into a sitting position that was not on Shikamaru so that he was now giving the Nara plenty of space by positioning himself at the other end of the booth. That gave him about six inches of space between them. Shika pulled himself up and sat rigid once again at his end of the booth. Sakura, meanwhile, was now laughting hysterically at the whole scene.

A pair of icy eyes looked up and glared right at her. "You can stop laughing now Sakura. Shikamaru saved me from a fall and I'm quite happy that he did otherwise it would have been your obligation and caring nature nature to tend to any injuries," he stated stiffly.

"Sure, sure Neji. Whatever you say." She smirked to herself when she saw Neji reach a hand up and rub the tip of his nose gently at the same moment Shikamaru was moving his fingers about, tapping them on the table as if trying to get the feeling back in them from having fallen asleep.

Soon the ramen arrived and the four began to eat in relative silence as neither Shika nor Neji was about to start a conversation seeing as they were both paranoid about it leading to ridiculous ideas or accidental falls and precarious positions.

Things were going well for the first time since they had sat down with Lee and Sakura as Neji and Shikamaru had once again lapsed into a comfortable silence while eating their ramen, much like they did while they had played shogi earlier that day.

Unfortunately, the silence didn't last long.

"Ne, Shikamaru-kun, if you don't mind me asking," Sakura stated to Shika feeling that she could get an answer out of him faster than she could out of Neji, "If you two aren't on a date then why were you sitting together before?"

Shika let out a breath, muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "troublesome" and began, "Neji and I were sitting together because we walked here together and before you ask, I'm staying with him for the weekend because your fabulous (said with mock sincerity) best friend kicked me out of the apartment again."

"Oh Neji-kun you are a wonderful friend to take in Shikamaru-san so that his youth will not freeze on the cold and lonely streets! Let me give you a hug to show how great of a friend you are!" Lee shouted, raising his arms, ready to come huggin'.

"Lee sit down before I cut off your chakra points." Neji said without pausing, eating his ramen. Lee blinked and hugged Sakura instead who graciously received it.

"Aww, it's that sweet Neji-kun! You're much better than Ino-pig. Are you sure you're not here with Shika for 'other' reasons?" Asked Sakura, wiggling her eyebrows at the word "other."

Neji was about to shut that whiny trap of hers but Shika spoke before him stating, "No Sakura, we're just here to eat, but I'm sure Neji would be here with his crush if he ever got up the confidence to ask her out." Shika smirked to himself for having successfully turned Sakura's wrath solely on Neji and finally away from himself. Now he could finish his ramen in peace.

"Neji, you've got a crush?! Who is it?" Sakura asked, her hands gripping the table anxiously. Neji was taken aback for the moment and then saw Shika's smirk but couldn't do anything as Sakura continued to babble on said crush's identity.

"Sakura, it's nothing. And I'm not going to tell you so stop asking."

"So there IS someone! I knew it!" Neji glanced oddly to his right at Shikamaru who stated this as he would have assumed it came from Sakura...

"Yes, Shikamaru I told you before…"

"Actually, you just hinted at it, never confirmed but now I know I was right." He smiled to himself.

"Uh huh." Neji balked. "Anyway, we can stop talking about this. I will inform my crush of my own free will and at a time when I see fit and not with anyone's prodding. Now it's getting late, are you ready to leave Shikamaru?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Oh, Neji are you sure you couldn't use some tips? I could help you! I managed to wrangle Lee by myself you know." Sakura insisted.

"I'm fine Sakura and no offense, but it was easier for you since Lee already liked you," Neji said as he rose from his seat.

"Okay, but Neji," he turned to Sakura, "If you really want your crush to notice you I don't think hanging all over and falling on Shikamaru is the way to go. She might get jealous!" Sakura snickered.

Neji glared at the kunoichi, grabbed Shika's arm and pulled him out of the seat, dragging him to the front counter as Shika yelped at the sudden pull.

"Sakura, you really shouldn't goad him like that. Neji-kun is a very private person and relationships and crushes are topics he will not talk about. Believe me, Gai-sensei tried to set him up once and it was a disaster. Poor Gai-sensei had to have two teeth replaced. His perfect glistening smile was almost ruined." Lee explained to his girlfriend as tears welled in his eyes.

Before Sakura could respond to Lee they both heard from the front of the stand:

"Pay for your own ramen!"

"I thought you were going to cover me since I won the match?"

"Absolutely not! And you didn't win, it was a tie and we stopped before we finished the second game!"

"Oh come on. I'm your houseguest, the least you could do is treat me to dinner…"

"You are absolutely incorrigible. Fine."

"Aww, thanks Neji-chan. See, you can be kind if you put your mind to it."

"Call me that again and I'll—"

"I think I did them both a favor Lee. Now they're more comfortable with their surroundings."

"What are you talking about Sakura?" Lee asked confused.

She patted his shoulder. "It's okay honey. All Neji needed was a little confidence booster to admit his feelings to himself and as for Shikamaru…"

She stood up and yelled at their two friends as they reached the exit.

"Hey Shikamaru!" They both turned. "Don't forget to kiss Neji's bruise and make it feel better!"

Both shinobi looked at each other quickly, blushed and ran out of Ichiraku's before Sakura could say anything else embarrassing.

"As I was saying Lee, all Shikamaru needed was a little push in the right direction. Heh. Won't it be interesting when they realize they have to walk home in the rain without an umbrella," Sakura said as she swung said object from her hand.

Hehehe, I hope you enjoyed that. I loved writing Lee and Sakura. They're a lot of fun though torturous for Shika and Neji. And just because I thought it was interesting here were a few of the songs I listened to while I wrote this:

'Snakes on a Plane' Cobra Starship

'Black & White' Sarah McLachlan

'Indelible Sin' Nana Kirade

'Goodbye My Lover' James Blunt

'Somebody to Love' Queen

'Ready Steady Go' L'arc En Ciel

Interesting mix, no? Thanks for reading! Expect the next one in about a week!