Chapter 2: Maybe our goals aren't so different


Shikamaru was entertained. He sat by the window in the dining hall of their client, polishing off a hearty breakfast in typical unhurried fashion. Tenten had risen and dined much earlier, and it was she that provided him with his late-morning entertainment as he watched her politely try to turn away the servants, who were paying no attention to her protests.

She stood at the entrance of the client's mansion, looking nonplussed as servants deposited bag after bag of the client's peace offerings in front of her, until a veritable fort of luggage began to pile up before her eyes.

"Tis but a small gift, m'lady, from Mr. Tai," was their only murmured explanation as she tried to make them stop. "He is very grateful for your services."

The smile wiped itself off Shikamaru's face when he thought how heavy those bags looked. A sound to his right signalled the entry of another servant, a butler he thought this one was called, who placed a covered dish beside him before discreetly retreating.

"A bonus, sir, from the master," the respectably-dressed manservant informed him courteously before exiting.

Shikamaru's eyes widened at the large wad of cash he uncovered on the silver plate. What exactly had Tenten done last night?


"I thought you burned your bridges with this client?" Shikamaru finally emerged from the house and Tenten looked at him in consternation, momentarily forgetting their strange encounter earlier that morning in his room, when he had blurted out that he liked her.

"That's what I figured, too." She was at a loss, "I haven't even seen him since then. Have you?"

"No," Shikamaru sighed, eyes raised toward the sky, "Probably sleeping in after yesterday's party. The servants relayed his 'profuse thanks' and bid us good journey." He gestured half-heartedly at the gift pile, "It's probably rude to refuse that."

"I don't understand. I was plenty rude yesterday," Tenten threw her arms up, "Civilians are weird. How am I supposed to bring all this?"

"Sealing scroll."

She crossed her arms stubbornly.

"My friends!" Mr. Tai's reedy voice floated down from the top of the stairs. In a plush purple dressing robe that somehow reminded them of his garish royal costume from yesterday, he descended, face wreathed in smiles.

Shikamaru noted that the man did not look like someone who had suffered a painful punishment for disrespect to a kunoichi. If anything, he looked more salacious than last night and his eyes kept wandering towards Tenten in a very disturbing manner. When Tenten gave him a sharp look though, he began to immediately fawn and grovel before them.

"I am glad I was able to catch you before you left," he wheedled, "Amazing service you provide, Konoha. I'll be sure to highly recommend you to my business partners and friends." Then, he gave slow, meaningful wink at Tenten. Who was aghast.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

Clearly, it was just Tenten's luck that the client was the type who got turned on by dominatrix-type shows of aggression, her inflicting pain upon him last night must have had the exact opposite effect of what she intended.

Tenten looked ready to kill Tai, but any further threats or attempts to intimidate him would just be taken the wrong way, he'd probably go into ecstasies in front of them. Not a sight Shikamaru would enjoy.

He sighed. There was a simple way of solving this. He risked having Tenten chuck far deadlier things than apples at him in retaliation but he'd take the chance.

He gave what he hoped was a cool, withering look at Mr. Tai, and deliberately wrapped an arm around his team mate's shoulders. "We only did what the mission specified sir, no more, no less. Your gifts are most generous, but we really can't bring all this stuff with us. We'll keep the cash bonus though. Thanks." He gave Tenten a squeeze and inclined his head slightly to her, "Shall we, dear?"

"Yeah," she said after a shocked pause. "Of course, sweetheart."

They turned and disappeared from sight in a blur of movement, leaving the crestfallen Mr. Tai with the heap of useless baggage.


"That was--- that was---" Tenten covered her burning face in her hands and ran even faster, as Shikamaru tried to keep up. She'd smack into a tree if she wasn't careful.

Shikamaru was having his own problems. The arm which he'd draped around Tenten hadn't stopped tingling yet. Imagine the tingling he'd feel if he'd hugged her with both arms. Imagine if he'd pressed fully against her-- stop! His predilection for thinking twenty steps ahead was not serving him well in this case.

"Let's take a break," he finally ordered, when Tenten still hadn't spoken after half an hour of outright marathon running. She might be used to running 100 laps around Konoha after breakfast but Shikamaru liked to digest his food first.

She wouldn't sit still though, and began using a hapless tree for target practice. She wasn't looking at him.

"Tenten."

"Shikamaru," she flinched and turned to him wearily. "He propositioned me last night, so I slammed him against the wall, pointed a knife at his family jewels and told him he'd never sire children if he so much as looked at me funny again." She sighed, "I always keep my promises Shikamaru. I think I have to go back and castrate him now. Except that I'm afraid he'll enjoy it."

"It was the thought that counted," Shikamaru said calmly. "Some guys are just perverts. Nothing you can do."

Tenten heaved another sigh and finally let it go. Collapsing against a tree, she began to laugh weakly, "I can't believe you had to step in and protect me like that. It was so cliche."

"You'd have done the same for me," Shikamaru stretched his arms behind his head, leaning back to stare at the clouds, "If it were some lecherous old lady, I mean."

"Of course," Tenten laughed, "or even a lecherous old man, whose taste ran to young men." Shikamaru's nose wrinkled in distaste.

"I'm really sleepy, actually. I just couldn't relax in that house. Can we stay put for a while? I'm ready to drop right here." Shikamaru barely glanced at Tenten's imploring look, his decision on such matters already foreordained.

"Take an hour," he said indulgently, "Take two."


Tenten awoke to the sound of crickets in the early evening, and was disgruntled at how easy it was to slide into this lackadaisical lifestyle of sleeping the day away after only a brief exposure to Shikamaru. The master of sloth himself was nowhere to be seen, and Tenten tried to sharpen her night vision in the gathering dusk.

A twig snapped nearby and she searched the shadows in the area. She relaxed as Shikamaru emerged from the foliage, carrying firewood.

"We're making camp?" Tenten had never been on a mission like this before. Waking up to get ready to sleep some more was a novel idea.

"Just a quick dinner, then we're off." And he amiably agreed when she insisted on cooking.


And then we're off... to a spa...

Tenten was nearly catatonic in the steaming water. Shikamaru was spending the large sum of money the client had unexpectedly gifted them with to treat themselves to a high class resort with hot springs, full body massages, and super deluxe accomodation suites. Tenten had no idea if she was supposed to say anything against it. He was team leader, after all.

I've never been to a spa... where I could relax...

There was a world of difference going to a hot spring with Team Gai, and going to a hot spring with anyone who wasn't from Team Gai. It was-- peaceful.

"Enjoying yourself?" Shikamaru called from beyond the bamboo divider between the male and female sections of the spring. Given that this spa was somewhat remote from the village and the late hour, there were no other patrons, and they had the hot springs to themselves.

"Um."

"Stop feeling guilty. That's an order."

Tenten sank lower in the water to mask her laughter as bubbles, "Are you sure you're not the one feeling guilty?" she called back after a moment of mirth.

"What are you talking about?" the Nara's irritated voice returned.

"You took the extra cash from the client, which we both know resulted from his strange kinky enjoyment of my company," Tenten found it easier to talk when she wasn't facing Shikamaru. His vaunted intelligence made her feel like he was always studying her whenever they locked gazes. "And now you're trying to make me feel better by pampering me."

He had no response to that.

"Eh, who would have thought Nara Shikamaru could be sweet?" Tenten submerged more laughter into bubbles. "If you can't beat the client, extort from him. Good plan."

"I'm glad you approve," Shikamaru's grumbling voice had sunk down to a mutter.

"Hey," Tenten pressed herself to the dividing wall, suddenly concerned. She considered peeking through the wooden slats, but dissuaded herself that there wasn't anything interesting to see there, "You really aren't guilty, are you? Hazards of the job, I'm fine."

Shikamaru sighed. "If you say so."

"I do say so," Tenten said firmly, "and I really am enjoying myself right now. You know, I wouldn't mind going on more missions with you, you sure know how to reward yourself after a job well done."

The younger man made a dismissive sound. "I don't plan on going more missions than I can help. It's too much trouble." She heard him shift on his side of the divider, they were both sitting with their backs against the same wall, so they didn't have to raise their voices too much to communicate. "I just want to be a regular shinobi, get an average mission track record, settle down with an ordinary girl, have a couple of kids, and live my life quietly till I die of old age."

He fell silent after that spiel. There was always one response to his avowed goals in life, no matter who he told. He waited for the inevitable lecture on how he was wasting his genius potential and how he should strive to be the best he could. Shikamaru shut his eyes, mildly amused at himself. He just wanted to change the topic, because he did feel a little guilty about Tenten's harrassment while on his watch.

"Shikamaru, that's..." Tenten's voice caught, "So inspiring."

Eh?

"I will help you reach your goals!" the lilting voice behind the divider sent strange visions into Shikamaru's head of a white-picket fence and two little dark-haired children running about in a garden. The little boy had his hair tied up in a spiky ponytail while the little girl child had hers up in two very adorable buns...

"I'll be the ninja who guards your peaceful existence in Konoha, and protect your family, the future generation of the Leaf," Tenten's fervor cut through his daydreams and brought Shikamaru crashing back to earth. "It's such a great ideal to visualize Konoha as a place where you could raise a family in safety and happiness. I'll work harder and be the strongest kunoichi yet!"

Shikamaru glubbed beneath the water.


A/N: Meh. Talking about masochism doesn't merit a 'T' rating yet, right?