Har. Har. Har. I bet you thought I would take a long time to update again. Whelp, yeah... Heh. I'm excited! I have reached over 100k views on this story! Isn't it funny, when I started out writing this I only did it so I'd never forget the character I dreamed about, but now I'm so entranced by my character that I wish I was her.

Recap:
Hills. Orders. Sakura. Ino. "You'll thank us later." How much do I want to bet that... Shika-kun is over there... All of it. I slowly walked over there, and surely enough he was there laying there looking at the sky.
"Hello, Shika-kun?" I did it again.
Recap over:
Story Start

"Huh, oh hey." He looked over lazily.

"How are you, Shika?" I asked being polite. "I mean, I haven't seen you in a while."

"Fine, I guess." He answered. "Some troublesome people were giving me a hard time." Ino, Sakura

"Oh? You two huh?" I laughed softly. A smile quickly came to my face as I looked at Shikamaru. "Do you kind if I sit down?"

"It's up to you."

Suddenly, the thought of the festival loomed over me. I couldn't do it. I couldn't ask him out. What if he doesn't like me? What if I embarrassed myself.

"Ask him out already." Isobu grumbled.

"I can't just... Ask him out..." I flushed.

"Why not?" He retorted.

"I just can't!" I yelled accidentally out loud.

Shikamaru looked at me weirdly. He was confused. My face began to go scarlet. Isobu! How dare you embarrass me!

"Are you alright?" Shikamaru asked staring at me with his intelligent eyes. Sorta as if he was expecting something. "You seem to be freaking out a bit."

"No. No. It's nothing." I denied.

I popped up out of my sitting position. I couldn't do this. Nope. I'll just train instead of going to the festival. That's a better use of my time, right? I suppose I might have sorta been looking forward to going to the festival, especially if It was with Shika-kun. No mind that.

"I-I'm going off t-then." I stuttered starting to run away.

However, I only took three steps when I couldn't move. My body wouldn't obey me. Nara jutsu. My eyes quickly darted behind me. I could see that Shikamaru was now standing behind me.

"This is a real drag, and here I thought you'd do it." He complained confusing me.

"W-what are you talking about?" I inquired gathering my suspicions. Sakura. Ino.

"Out of all the women I've met your probably the most troublesome, with the exception of my mother." Shikamaru muttered the last part. "Ino and Sakura kept bothering me and threatening me to say yes, but that's not going to happen-" my heart sunk right there "so will you go to the festival with me?"

Words couldn't express how happy I was feeling, and by now Shikamaru had undone his jutsu. I was stunned with my Crimson face I knew he noticed.

"H-hai!" I stuttered. (It means yes.) "I-I will s-see you later t-then."

I heard him sigh and say 'troublesome women' as I dashed off. I was leaning on a tree catching my breath. I couldn't believe that just happened.

"Did that actually happen?" I questioned to myself. "Am I actually going on a... With Shika?"

It seemed like forever ago when I had thought the panda-kun was hot. I mean I was immediately attracted to him as I could sense the Ichibi, but that's probably all that was. Me being attracted to Shukaku, though I can't deny that Gaara looks cute.

How I feel with Shikamaru is different. He was more... I don't know. It was just different.  It was more unexplainable.

"I better go home, and get ready."

•–—–•

"Hinata, calm down!" I yelled watching her nervous levels rise.

"W-what if I-I accid-dently make a-a fool o-of myself?" She stuttered her breathing getting faster.

"Look Hinata, that doesn't matter. Naruto himself is such a fool, so I think if you were to be yourself and still be foolish that Naruto would see that as something... Well similar. You'd have a memory to share. Besides my I'm sure Naruto will make more mistakes than you. I love the guy like a brother, but he isn't the sharpest. He's... More unexpected and wild, so I think you don't have to worry." I finished. By the end I could tell she calmed down a bit.

"Thanks sis." Hinata smiled. "I suppose you have more to worry about than I do."

"Ehh?" I questioned. "What's that supposed ta mean!?"

"Well... Shikamaru seems to notice a lot of things." Hinata smiled at me as my face came to the realization.

"H-hinata!" I blushed furiously at the haughty of embarrassing myself. "Why did you have to go and say that?!"

"Let's go get dressed." She laughed at me as we walked toward my room.

My room was bare. I had yet to make any personal designs to it. The past few days I slept in Hinata's room, but I imagine I'd have to get used to it. There was a bare bed. There was just one blanket. However, there were no curtains over the windows, but I had a closet. It had my clothes in it, buts that all the personal design it had.

"You rroom will need decorating. Perhaps we could invite our friends over some time." Hinata suggested.

"Perhaps, but I'm betting Sakura and Ino would argue too much." I laughed. "Alright help me get into my kimono."

•—•

Hinata and I walked together, until I realized something. I never got the location of where we would meet... Did he say something? No. I ran off... Curse myself.

"Hey Hinata?" I muttered.

"Yeah?" She responded.

"Where are you meeting Naruto?" I asked twiddling my wagasa (Japanese parasol). Hinata took notice and I quickly stopped.

"Well... The ichiraku stand." She laughed. Of course... "Where are you meeting Shikamaru-kun?"

"Shika-kun... Didn't really say a place..."

"Then you'll have to go to his house to get him." Hinata teased.

"I'm sure it's supposed to be the other way around." I blushed. "I'll see you later then."

•—•

I had finally found the Nara household. I didn't know where it was, so I had to enlist help from strangers. Not that they were mean. Konoha residents are usually pretty chipper. I'm getting off topic. By the time I got there it was already starting to get dark.

"Here goes nothing." I signed before knocking on the door.

It wasn't long before I could hear someone coming to the door. When the door opened, I was greeted by a brown haired woman. When she saw me, she looked surprised.

"Hello, my name is Yoshino. What brings you here?" She asked.

"My name is Himawari Hyuuga." I bowed a bit. "Is Shikamaru in?"

"Yeah. Why do you need him?" She questioned.

"We are going to the festival together. Did he not tell you Yoshino-San?" I noticed that I was playing with the hem of my kimono.

"Oh! Your that girl. He's said something about it." Yoshino smiled gently at me. "Come in. Come in. Shikamaru! Get down here!"

This woman could yell... She led me to the living room area, or well I assumed it was one. There house was fairly clean, and I could see book shelves around. While looking around, I noticed a man come in. He resembles Shikamaru greatly.

"Hello, you must be the girl that Shikamaru is taking to the festival." He stated in amusement.

"Yes, my name is Himawari Hyuuga. It's a pleasure to meet you." I smiled not understanding his amusement. "You do look a lot like Shikamaru."

"He's my son. The name is Shikaku Nara." He introduced himself. Straight after I heard a large thump. "That would be Yoshino getting Shikamaru up."

"Oh?" I laughed. "He is pretty lazy."

"How'd such a pretty girl like you end up going with my son? If he is so lazy." He asked me.

"Well..." I thought. He's intelligent, he's sorta sarcastic. He has a habit of noticing things before others. He's... "Who knows."

I smiled softly saying that. It was in that moment that Shikamaru came in. He looked at his dad who he knew had been talking to her.

"We better get going, Hime." He offered his hand to me.

"A-alright." I grabbed his hand gently. He had called me Hime. No it must be some sort of mistake. A grammatical error. A trick to my ears. Yup. "It was nice meeting you Nara-San."

I looked back as Shika led me out of his house. His parents were smiling at us. Smiling like they knew something that only parents knew.

•—•

We got to the clearing where we could watch the fireworks, the place overlooked a lake that reflected the star's light amongst it's dark blue surface. However, the beauty was over looked for I noticed it was packed. There were people everywhere. It made me uncomfortable.

"Hey Shika?" I asked burying my face into his shoulder. "Do you mind if we bake on watching them with our friends? It's too crowded here."

"It is. I know a better spot." He once again grabbed my hand.

He led me to a hill on the other side of the lake. There was a big oak on it. I couldn't imagine why this spot wasn't taken. It was remarkable.

"How did you find this spot?" I asked looking at the breathtaking view. The lake's beauty could be easily seen now. It's fragile beauty wasn't interrupted by the cluttering of people.

"It's a nice spot to cloud watch." He responded laying out a blanket for us to sit on. "I've pretty much found the best spots."

"Perhaps you could show me them all." I smiled sitting down. "But, personally I like stars more than clouds."

"Really?" He looked at me.

"I mean clouds are nice, but stars can come to together to form art. It may seem eternal, but one day their bright light so admired by people will die out. When I was younger I used to stare at them and think maybe my sister is looking at the same stars, and even though we're apart... I'm not alone." Tears quickly came to my eyes.

"Clouds... The day's sky. Stars... The night's sky. Perhaps, you are the stars. Bright, beautiful, admired."

"And you? The clouds. Lazy, free form, nothing to tell them to be one specific thing." I giggled wiping my face. "Hey... Shika?"

I'm gonna do it. I need to make up for being a coward earlier today. If I don't I'll regret it. Alright.

"Hmm?" He looked over.

"I hope you don't mind, but I think that, well that, I want..." I couldn't finish it.

If I can't say it, then I'll show it. I'll show how I feel. If I could kiss Gaara so easy what so hard about this? Why is this so hard? I was about to lean over, when my egg started to hatch.

"My egg!" I was startled. Not to mention the first firework went off. It was loud and it almost caused me to drop the egg.

"Is it finally hatching?" Shika questioned steadying me.

"Yup!" I shouted excited. I was finally going to have my partner. "

"Partner?" He looked at me.

"I summon owl Gryphons, so typically a summoner hatches a egg and it becomes their partner." I grinned widely.

"So it's supposed to imprint on you?" He asked and I nodded.

As the fireworks went off we watched the egg hatch. What kind of personality would my new friend have? What would I name would I choose?

The egg finally gave a big lurch and the top popped off. It was kinda gross. The little thing was covered in liquid stuff. I gently picked her up in my arms, and I started to to wipe her off with the edge of the blanket.

"Isn't she beautiful?" I asked more as a statement. "Here you hold her for second."

Shikamaru carried the now dry mess in his arms. I could see some fluff start to stick up around her giant head.

"What are you going to name her?" Shika questioned me.

"I don't know..." I rubbed the back of my head. I hadn't given it much thought. It's not like it wasn't important. I just didn't think about it.

"What about Hoshi, it means star." He recommended.

"That's absolutely perfect!" I laughed. "Hoshi... It's such a beautiful name. I probably would have come up with something less meaningful."

"Here." He offered her back to me. "You better take her back before she imprints on me instead."

"Right." I took her back in my arms and started rocking her. "That wouldn't be such a bad thing would it."

Shika looked at me with a surprised expression. Why would I say something like that! I was mentally slapping myself. I've embarrassed myself! Suddenly, a very large and continuous stream of fireworks went off. Hoshi started to shake.

"It's alright Hoshi." I tried to reassure her. I pet her tiny head gently.

"It must be the finale. I've always hated them, their too loud." He complained making me laugh.

"Yeah, that means we need to get going home. It's already pretty late."

I got up and started to pack up our things. I was getting ready to hand the blanket to Shika when he stopped me.

"Keep it. Hoshi look cold." He told me refusing to take it back. "Use it wrap her up in. Besides it be a lot more work lugging it with me."

"Thanks, Shika." I smiled softly at him. "I'll return it later I promise."

We started to walk home. When I saw the Shika was following me, his house was on the opposite side of the village. He would get back even later if he walked me home. I looked at him weirdly.

"I know it's a drag, but my mom would kill me if I didn't walk you home." He responded obviously seeing that face I gave him.

"That's nice and all, but I don't need to be walked home." I retorted back at him.

"Yeah, my mom is scarier than you, so your not going to convince me to go." His remark made me snort.

However, as soon as I turned away I smiled to myself. What an eventful night.