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“Come on, Shikamaru.” Ino tried to tug him to his feet. “You have to dance.”
Shikamaru stubbornly slouched further into the cushioned seat he had claimed at the edge of the village square. It had been a long, rough trip, and he had no intention of getting up until they were leaving.
“Well, it is a ball,” Choji nodded in agreement. He shrugged apologetically when Shikamaru scowled at him, but he did not retract his statement.
“And not just any ball!” Ino interjected. “It’s the Suna Masquerade Ball!”
Shikamaru gave an exaggerated groan in response, rolling his eyes for good measure. Secretly, he was glad that he and Choji had been able to arrange the invitations. They hadn’t seen Ino so lively in months. But that didn’t mean that he wanted to dance.
“Ugh, fine,” Ino sighed. “Alright, Choji, sounds like you’re my dance partner!”
Choji quickly gulped down his mouthful and chirped, “Okay!” He took her hand, and they disappeared into the bustling courtyard. Shikamaru relaxed against his chair as they and the other attendees turned to the raised dais in anticipation. Finally, long low wails of traditional Wind instruments floated across the night wind, sparking movement as it swept over and brought the village square to life. The clamor of conversation softened under the force of the music and the allure of the dance.
The Suna Masquerade Ball was the village’s Event of the Year. The masquerade was ostensibly a celebration of Sunagakure’s founding and was intended for the affluent civilians of Suna. However, according to Ino, it was also a prestigious event for the Wind nobility, and only the most influential among them would make an appearance. Consequently, the Masquerade had become an unofficial summit for Suna and Wind nobility. Not that Shikamaru particularly cared. But talking and speculating about this event had been the only thing that they knew would pull Ino out of her slump.
“But they’re Wind nobles,” Shikamaru had said at one of their team dinners. “I know your dad’s started teaching you politics and stuff, but wouldn’t it be better to focus on Hi no Kuni nobles before you start looking at other countries?”
“But we don’t hold a masquerade ball; we hold some boring banquet.” Ino had rolled her eyes derisively. “After all, we’re allies! I’ll have to learn them eventually.”
“Well, it’s a shame that Lady Tsunade has already chosen her envoys,” Asuma had interjected. And that was that. Ino had sighed, Asuma had asked for the check, Choji had taken the last piece, and Shikamaru had started thinking. He had waited until he was certain of success to rope Choji into his operation, but the two of them ultimately managed to procure an invitation for Ino at the Masquerade. Tsunade had been amused, Asuma had been exasperated, and Ino had been ecstatic. She had excitedly pledged to fulfill all the Konoha envoy responsibilities, though she requested that her teammates escort her. Shikamaru had been reluctant to travel all the way to Suna for a multitude of reasons. But, watching his teammates whirl merrily across the courtyard, he knew for certain that it had been worth it.
Of course, this was the perfect time for one of his reasons to appear in the flesh. He shouldn’t have been surprised. He had spotted her soon after arriving and couldn’t help but notice when she started moving in his direction. He had hoped that she would simply ignore him. But then, she never did make things easy for him, did she?
"What are you sitting around for?" Temari asked imperiously as soon as she was within earshot, everything about her fiery and bold. Her dazzling blood-red mask framed her challenging gaze and matched her ever-present waist sash and her glittering red lips.
Shikamaru wrenched his gaze away and cleared his throat. “What? Am I not allowed to sit?”
Temari scoffed. "You should be socializing," she stated, as if it were obvious. "You’re here as the Konoha envoy, right? You need to be dancing with someone influential."
Shikamaru opened his mouth to tell her that she was mistaken, that he was here as an escort for his teammate, that Ino was the one acting as the Konoha envoy. Instead, he found himself asking, “Is that an offer?” His eyes widened in horror when he realized what he had said.
But her ruby lips simply curved into a surprised smile. "It can be," she answered, holding out a hand.
He gazed warily at the hand, as if it would reach out to bite him, before rising and accepting it. He led her to the center of the courtyard, and they waited for the next dance to start. I'm supposed to be avoiding her! Not dancing with her! he berated himself, even as they began dancing. I didn’t even want to dance! And this was the main reason that he had been worried about running into her. He couldn’t trust himself around her. He always felt off-kilter . And he would just do things - things he would never otherwise consider. As scary and unpredictable as she was, if he were being truthful with himself, he was more scared by how unpredictable he was around her.
Not that Shikamaru truly minded the dancing. Strangely, he found the rhythm in the moves to be soothing. The way they moved together felt so natural. They swept across the courtyard as fluidly as they did the battlefield, moving in perfect sync with each other. What did unnerve him was the closeness. He didn't think he had ever been as close to Temari as he was now, not even in training or battle. Because when they trained, he didn't rest his hands on her hips. She didn’t rest her hands on his shoulders. They didn’t stare deeply into each other’s eyes.
“I’ll admit, I was surprised to see your name on the guest list," Temari began before twisting away in time with the dance. He watched in awe as she weaved around the other dancers, barely paying enough attention to his own dancing. He really should have guessed how much her personality would be portrayed in the way she danced. Her movements were powerful and untamed, exactly as they were when she fought. She glided back into his arms and continued, "Taking an interest in politics?"
"No!" Shikamaru barely repressed a full-body shudder. He'll leave all the political maneuvering to the likes of Tsunade and Ino. He would much rather stick to his battle strategies and his cryptanalysis, thank you very much. “Troublesome,” he muttered.
Surprisingly, she began to laugh at his answer. He blinked, taken aback by how soft she looked. Even half-hidden by a fiery red mask, she clearly wore an ease about her that he had never witnessed in her before. Somehow, she always had a hidden side to reveal, no matter how many times he studied her. Every time he thought he had her figured out, she found a way to surprise him. She was a puzzle he had no hope of solving. A mystery whose solution lay forever out of reach.
“That sounds more like the Shikamaru I know,” she smirked. “I didn’t think you had changed that much in three months.”
“Has it been three months?” he asked, almost missing a step in his surprise.
“To the day.” She nodded.
“Wait, so when is your next visit?” he asked distractedly, his mind turning to his mental calendar. He thought he had her schedule down.
“Why, did you miss me?” She quipped, but her lips curved into an amused smile.
Shikamaru immediately wished he could take his words back. And maybe tape his tongue to the roof of his mouth while he was at it. Why does he keep saying the wrong thing? But to deny it would be to insult her. “Konoha is always honored to host her allies,” he mumbled.
Temari raised a delicate eyebrow above her mask. “Very diplomatic,” she complimented. They danced in silence for a few moments before she spoke again. “To answer your question, no. I won’t be back to your village until the spring.”
Until spring? “But I thought you were coming to the Konoha Winter Festival?” He desperately tried to shove the bitter taste of disappointment down where it belonged.
“I had been looking forward to it,” she sighed. “But I have no reason to go.”
“Oh.”
Even an unsavvy guy like him could tell this was the perfect opening for him to extend a personal invitation. But to what end? She wasn’t the kind of puzzle he was equipped to solve. And he was not in the practice of pursuing unattainable goals. He certainly wasn’t going to begin now.
The dance finished with a flourish of the music, and they bowed courteously to each other. Temari drew back, and he thought he saw disappointment cross her face. But he must have been imagining it. “Til the next,” she told him.
“Til the next,” he echoed.
She disappeared into the crowd of elegantly dressed nobles, and he stared after her far longer than he should have. Shikamaru forced himself to make his way back to his seat only to find Choji sitting there. He avoided his inquisitive eyes and slouched onto the stone bench beside him.
Shikamaru shook his head at his friend’s offer of a foreign pastry, instead asking, “Where’s Ino?” He had lost track of her while dancing with Temari.
Choji pointed her out, where she was dancing with … is that the nephew of the Wind Daimyo? Whoever it was must be hilarious, because they were both laughing exuberantly. He relaxed against his seat with a sigh. As exhausting as the journey had been and as grueling as his dance with Temari had been, it was all worth it to see the light return to Ino’s eyes. These past few months had dragged on far too long. Ever since … Shikamaru roughly shoved thoughts about that traitor out of his head with practiced ease.
“So, how’s Temari doing?” Choji asked.
“Fine,” Shikamaru answered shortly, wishing he could just put the troublesome woman out of his head as easily as he had the Uchiha.
“So, when’s her next visit?” Choji asked curiously.
“Not until spring,” he reported, unable to keep the bitter notes out of his voice.
“Wait, she’s going to miss the festival? I thou-”
“She said she didn’t have any reason to come,” Shikamaru interjected. He could feel Choji’s eyes on him, but he ignored them.
“Hmm, well, that’s a shame,” Choji hummed.
“Is it?” Shikamaru rested his head against the back of the chair, staring into the glittering night sky.
“It is. You should have given her one.”
Shikamaru lifted his head in alarm. “I should have what?”
Choji lifted his chin, as serious as Shikamaru had ever seen his best friend. “You heard me.”
“But … why would I do that?” Shikamaru sputtered.
“You know why.” Choji stared him down. “Ino was right; you do know how you feel, you just don’t want to do anything about it.”
Shikamaru just gaped at him. “Ino … what?”
“I thought you just hadn’t figured it out yet,” Choji explained. “But Ino said you were still confused by your feelings and that’s why you haven’t pursued her.”
Shikamaru couldn’t help but feel bitter that his friends had such little faith in him, though he was still reeling from the fact that his two best friends had already figured out how he felt, and they didn’t bother to tell him about it.
“Well, I have figured it out,” Shikamaru told him needlessly.
“Well, that’s good,” Choji nodded encouragingly. “Now, what are you going to do about it?”
Shikamaru sighed, shifting on the cold hard bench. “What can I do about it? She lives in another country.” He swept his arm out broadly, as if to encompass all of Sunagakure and Kaze no Kuni.
“You could make it work,” Choji said confidently. Shikamaru scoffed, but Choji shook his head with determination. “No, listen to me. Who got us in here?” He waved a hand nonchalantly at the finery that surrounded them.
“Okay, fine,” Shikamaru assented. He knew and Choji knew from experience that if he and Temari put their minds to something, they could make it happen. “But it doesn’t even matter, because she won’t want to.”
“Ino thought you would say that.” Choji sighed. “You’re scared.”
Shikamaru felt that was an unfair assessment. “I’m just being realistic!”
“Then, shouldn’t this be her decision?” Choji asked. “She should at least know how you feel about her before you give up.” Shikamaru looked instinctively into the crowd again, his eyes immediately drawn to her. “Go. Invite her to the Festival. You can worry about what to do and say there.”
Temari turned, as if able to sense his gaze on her. She tilted her head to the side, a slight invitation, but then she turned away. She wouldn’t be seeking him out any more tonight. He would have to pursue her. Maybe some puzzles don't need to be solved, Shikamaru mused. They just need to be attempted.
Filled with purpose, he weaved his way through the courtyard, focused on reaching her. He tapped on her shoulder and took a deep breath when she turned to face him. Strangely, he felt calmer than he had felt all night. “I would like to extend my personal invitation for you to come to the Konoha Winter Festival. If you are willing to make the trip, I would be honored to be your escort for the event.” He held his breath, waiting for her answer.
Her lips curved into a full smile, making his heart stutter. "I believe that can be arranged."