Mistletoe
"SHIKAMARU!" a troublesome female voice shouted, "get down here and help your father put up the holiday lights! He's going to break his neck!"
Shikamaru sighed. As much as he loved the twinkling lights (though he'd never admit to liking them) it was much too troublesome to put them up himself.
"Don't worry, hun, I'm fine!" his father called, his voice slightly muffled by the house walls. Apparently, his mother's shrill voice could be heard even outdoors.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. It hadn't happened yet, then…
"Who-WHOA! Holy-"
There was a word Shikamaru wasn't supposed to repeat (though he used it often), and a nasty cracking sound. Ah, there it was. His father's annual broken bone.
"I told you so!" his mother shouted, "SHIKAMARU GET YOUR LAZY ASS DOWNSTAIRS!"
Shikamaru's policy was that when females got too annoying, you just went along with what they said. It worked with Ino, it worked with his mother… but he couldn't help sighing as he zipped up his winter jacket.
He came out and saw a blonde girl, her face screwed up in concentration, trying to heal his father's broken leg. His mother looked on worriedly.
"I know you're a Chuunin, Ino, but are you sure you're accomplished enough to work on bones?"
Ino cast her an irritated look. "Mrs. Nara, I'm not a fully trained medic but I think I can deal with bones, thank you very much."
Shikamaru's mother didn't look reassured. "Are you sure? Because we can always ask that nice pink-haired girl – she's a very good medic, I hear…"
"AAAH! I give up!" A sudden burst of anger-driven chakra flew from her hands onto the wound. Shikamaru's father winced in pain.
"Ino, cool it…" Shikamaru grumbled. Ino looked up and brightened.
"There you are!" she enthused, "I was looking for you!"
Shikamaru's father stood up, flinching as he put weight on the previously broken bone (which now had a twisted look to it, as though it had been healed incorrectly). He limped into the house, his wife helping him in as she glared at Ino.
Ino didn't seem to see Mrs. Nara's dirty looks. "I came to give you your present!" She rummaged around in her bag, and finally extended two mittened hands clutching a box.
"I hope you like it!"
Shikamaru took the box, eyed it. It was a modest size, and fairly heavy. Maybe he should've gotten Ino a gift…?
"Open it!" she urged.
He carefully untied the silver bow, removed the lid, and examined his present. He smiled. A small shogi set.
"Thanks, Ino," he said gratefully. It was actually a nice present. She could've done a lot worse… given him something like a sweater, for example. Last year she'd given Chouji a book detailing some kind of diet. Needless to say that that didn't go over well…
"There's something else," she said quickly.
He rummaged through the tissue paper. He froze.
Mistletoe. The root of all evil… it was what troublesome girls liked to use to give troublesome kisses to poor boys like him. He knew what this meant.
He decided to play dumb.
"Ah, a leaf. Thank you, I'm sure this will look quite festive in a vase."
She looked slightly put out. "It's for kissing, silly," she told him, "you put it somewhere, you stand under it… and you kiss a girl who's standing under it, too."
He looked at the leaf a bit more. Drat, he thought.
"Um, okay. Thanks."
Now Ino looked downright angry. She let a blast of air out of her nose, creating a little cloud in the cold air.
"Fine… be that way," she said, "Happy holidays…"
He stood there. He felt slightly sorry for his scorned teammate, but he mostly was relieved that the whole ordeal was over.
Or so he thought.
Temari hugged her coat around her. She cursed the weather. Suna never had this bitter sort of cold… Why oh why had she accepted this job? Why had she come to Konoha at this time of year?
She stopped and looked into a window, behind which was a holiday display of lights and candy and toys. She smiled, and then continued her walking.
Perhaps this weather wasn't so bad after all. People here seemed to enjoy their celebration, this winter holiday. They gave gifts, even if it was just something like a card.
Temari stopped still in her tracks. That gave her an idea… She hadn't been to see Shikamaru yet, had she? She knew for sure there was something that tied her to him…It was difficult to stay so far away, in a different country, for so long.
She picked up her pace again. She shouldn't let these things worry her.
There was something she had to buy.
Konoha's streetlamps were glowing, and snow was falling. Shikamaru heard carolers singing. He walked down the street, the fresh snow crunching lightly under his boots.
Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru were meeting for their annual holiday get-together. It was going to be difficult because this year Asuma wouldn't be able to share it with them. Now Shikamaru was dreading it even more… because he'd have to talk to Ino. Talk to her like nothing had happened.
With a final sigh, he opened the door to the barbecue restaurant.
Inside, Ino greeted him with a cheerful wave. He felt himself brighten up. Maybe things would be okay. After all, the best way to get over the sting of the holidays without their sensei was to spend the time together.
Chouji put a friendly arm around his shoulder.
"Shikamaru!" he said, leading him to their table, "you got here just in time! You might have missed ordering your food…"
Shikamaru plopped down in the booth next to Chouji. "Why again are we having barbecue at this time of year?"
Ino shrugged. Choji dreamily exclaimed, "Because it's so good!"
Shikamaru smiled and quirked an eyebrow. Ino merely sighed in defeat.
Temari was walking down to Shikamaru's house. She'd had to ask directions, which had roused some suspicion in an embassy worker. She hoped he wouldn't tell Gaara…
Her cheeks and nose were nipped by the cold, and turning red. She was actually enjoying her walk this time, though, because of the fluffy white rain called 'snow'. She had heard of it, but never seen it.
That's when she saw him entering the barbecue resturaunt.. Her chapped lips broke into a smile, despite the relentless cold.
Good. She could give him his present now.
She walked into the doors, savoring the instant warmth. She flexed her frozen fingers, and decided she'd have to buy some of those mittens from one of the stores.
She looked up, and she saw him.
Choji was off in the bathroom. The second he was gone, Ino turned to Shikamaru.
"Shikamaru, about-"
"I'msorryInobutIjustdon'tlikeyouthatway," he said, all in one breath. He kept a straight face, grateful that the moment was over..
Ino looked downcast. "I know… but… why not?"
This surprised Shikamaru. The answer was that he just didn't. He didn't know why… though the image of a certain Suna kunoichi appeared when he racked his brain for the reasons…
"Because we're teammates?" he told her, his excuse almost a question. "Because we're teammates," he said more confidently, "I want to stay friends with you and Chouji, no matter what." There. That was true, and it seemed to have worked.
Ino had a sad, kind of pouty, look on her face.
"Because we're teammates? That makes sense, but Shikamaru-" she looked him in the eye, "I don't care!"
Shikamaru knew this couldn't be good.
Ino leaned across the table, tilted her head, and kissed him. On the lips.
Shikamaru was stunned. His normally quick mind refused to do anything.
He heard someone gasp out loud. Shikamaru broke away, looked up.
"Shikamaru, you… you little brat! You-" Temari seemed lost for words.
Her eyes seemed to be burning into him. "Here," she finally spat, tossing an envelope on the ground. She turned and slammed the door. Shikamaru could faintly hear her footsteps, stomping off into the night.
"What's her problem?" said Ino, completely puzzled. "Shikamaru, isn't that the girl you fought in the Chuunin finals?"
Her eyes widened, then narrowed, "My God, are you dating her?!? You could have told me before I made myself look like a slut!"
Shikamaru sensed that Ino wasn't just worried about her dignity. She was worried about him… losing him. Had she ever had him in the first place?
Chouji looked on, completely confused at what he was supposed to do. He decided it would be best to stay out of it. When Ino yelled at Shikamru, it was best not to get involved.
Shikamaru thought carefully before choosing his words. He decided the truth might be best this time.
"No, I'm not dating her. Yes, she's the girl I fought. Her name's Temari. I think I like her. Even though she's stubborn and bossy and always rubs it into my face when she saves my ass. Not that I need ass-saving. We've spent time together, kind of for work. But I never dated her. Sorry."
Ino, who looked drained by this lengthly, matter-of-fact confession, slumped back into her seat.
There was silence. Everyone in the resturaunt was looking at them at this point, completely curious as to what was going on.
"Hey," said Chouji, finally deciding to contribute, "then go get her!"
Shikamaru glanced once more at Ino. "Um… Ino, I'm sorry. I really am."
She just nodded. But it was all the consent he needed.
He practically flew out the door, stopping only to pick up her envelope. He had already made a plan to get Temari to forgive him.
Temari huddled in her room of the Suna embassy. She sat on her bed, pulled all of the covers around her, and tried to ward off the cold. She even put on her favorite pajamas, the red flannel ones.
The fire blazing in her fireplace didn't seem to help the chill she felt inside.
She didn't cry… crying wasn't her style. But she felt empty inside, hollow.
How could she be so wrong about him? Why had she invested so much of herself in the little brat? That was all he was – some brat. Some brat who was with some hussy blonde. The blonde wasn't even a very good fighter, and annoying to boot. Temari betted she could take her any time…
The doorbell of the embassy rang; a deep gong-like sound.
Temari would have let the housekeeper get it, but she personally wanted to yell at whoever was knocking at her embassy without an appointment.
She opened the door.
Standing there in the snow was Shikamaru.
She was taken aback for a minute, but then she recollected herself.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice sharp.
Shikamaru blinked boredly. He seemed cool, collected. The jerk planned this… Temari mentally grumbled. She wondered what he had up his sleeve.
"So?"
Silence.
Temari took a confrontational step forward. "Look, if you think-"
He kissed her.
Temari broke away, even though the cold feeling had just started to feel a little bit better.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!?" Temari protested, not letting a bit of her anger go.
Shikamaru was smirking slightly now, as if he had a secret triumph. This enflamed Temari even more.
Suddenly, he spoke.
"You're supposed to kiss a girl when she's standing under mistletoe."
Temari looked up. Then she looked back into his face. She had a smirk on her face, too, a smirk that she couldn't hide.
"You planned that," she accused, "you put that mistletoe there. You made me step forward."
Now she was smiling. And she wasn't sure… but it seemed as though his smirk was bordering on a smile as well…
He took her hands. "I love you, too," he said, before he kissed her again.
In his pocket was a card. It was a simple card, one that had probably been bought for about a dollar at one of Konoha's stores. It had a glittery snowflake on the front.
Inside, printed in flowing, silvery writing were the words, "Happy Holidays".
Below them, written with black ink in a much plainer style, were the words that were truly important. They were honest, raw, straight-to-the-point. Just like the one who had written them.
" I love you."
a/n: Review! Yes, I know it's out of season but I hope you enjoyed it. Dedicated to my friend... happy early Christmas! Yay for ShikaTema!