It All Started With A Smell

Nara by Name

They ended up going to the café that he and Temari frequented whenever the blonde Sand Ninja was in the village. Unfortunately for him, even though he tried to prevent it, Shikamaru ended up between the two blondes. One who wouldn't stop shooting him smirks, nudges, and a couple of wiggly eyebrows, and the other who seem determined to not meet his eye. Truthfully, it appeared that Naruto had gone back to viewing the world with her eyes nearly shut, something she hadn't done since shortly after graduating.

Kankuro had put the whole breast issue to the side for the moment and had decided to instead see how much he could annoy Naruto. In many ways the man reminded Shikamaru of a mix of Kiba and Naruto. He was rash, and arrogant, and had an undeniable force to him. Every time he moved he expelled energy and seemed to shake the world around him. Kiba was much the same, though he didn't think things through like Kankuro. The Sand Ninja was also loud, calculating though he hid it, and liked to push people's buttons to learn what kind of person they really were. It had taken Shikamaru a long time to realise Naruto had mapped out the villagers' behaviours so well. It wasn't until the other night when she had commented on how she had changed the perspectives of those who disliked her that he truly understood how well she could read others. She had been playing the long game with them. However, the fact that she and Kankuro were so similar in that manner made Shikamaru decide to keep an eye on the brunette, encase he started to manipulate the people around him too.

The waiter delivered their orders seconds before Naruto punched Kankuro in the arm, making him yelp. Kankuro tried to give Naruto a dead leg in return, laughing as the woman deflected the hit easily. They probably would have escalated until the group was kicked out of the café if a man hadn't came and grabbed Naruto's shoulders, making her look up at his tall form. The man looked incredibly familiar to Shikamaru. He had bright blue hair, which was not common, and dark, olive skin, so he should have stood out in Shikamaru's mind, and yet, for some reason he only felt annoyed when he looked at the man.

"Eiji!" Naruto practically squealed, jumping to her feet and pouncing on the man. The man caught Naruto easily, as though he expected her reaction. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Naruto. Why haven't you been coming to see me? Please tell me you didn't go to Maki for your arm, she'll never let me hear the end of it." Eiji pouted, shooting puppy dog eyes at the blonde.

"No," Naruto rolled her eyes, "Sakura has been demanding I see her only. I tried to come see you once and she hit me so hard I had to spend an extra day in bed."

"Do you like seeing her?" Eiji asked. When Naruto scrunched her face up he winked, "I'll deal with it." The man seemed to remember something because he pulled an envelope out of his back pocket. "I've been carrying this around for about a month, trying to find you."

"Is this my medical bill, cause honestly, with Sakura on my team I was expecting it to be thicker." Naruto opened it only to have her jaw drop. "YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!"

Eiji put a finger in his ear, grimacing. "Naruto, we've been over the whole don't send people deaf thing before." When he recovered he nodded to Kankuro. "You can bring your boyfriend, too."

"Why the hell do you think I'm his boyfriend?" Kankuro asked, sitting up straight.

Eiji shrugged. "You and Naruto were touching when I got here."

"If that makes people my boyfriend then you are too Eiji, which makes your wedding really awkward." Naruto put the invitation on the table, allowing Shikamaru to see the name of the bride.

"That's why you annoy me!" Shikamaru exclaimed, drawing everyone at the table's eyes, "You're marrying my cousin."

Naruto, Eiji, and the two Sand Siblings frowned at him in confusion. It was the unpredictable Genin who spoke first, slowly. "Okay, we'll get to that later. But congratulations, and I'll ask my friend, Hinata if she wants to come with me."