AN: Naruto is still not in my possession! I also changed the rating to T because I'm not sure which swear words are acceptable for K+.
Shikamaru stared out the window of the Hokage's building while a female voice carried on in the background. He knew he should be listening but found himself staring outside and daydreaming instead. His daydreams once again brought him back to his biggest issue.
I only have three more days left before Temari leaves. Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't it have been some average plain girl? I just can't seem to get her out of my head. I need to talk to her about what happened so I can stop thinking about her all the time. It's starting to become a real drag. I'm not going to be able to fix it though with her being so stubborn and refusing to admit anything happened. Maybe I have to try something more risky, pondered Shikamaru as the people around him continued to discuss something.
"Pay attention you Lazy Ass!" Temari shouted as she punched Shikamaru bringing him back into reality. "This meeting is important and we need your help to create the plans for the exams!"
"Calm down woman, I was paying attention," lied Shikamaru with a scowl.
"Yeah, right," said Temari sarcastically. "I saw you staring out the window for a good ten minutes. If you really were paying attention, what was the last thing I said?
"The last thing you said was, 'Pay attention you Lazy Ass. This meeting is important and we need your help to create the plans for the exams.'"
"You're impossible! This isn't a joke! These exams are important! They're not just something to do when you feel like it!" yelled Temari giving Shikamaru a death glare.
"Temari, you need to calm down. You're going to scare the other examiners," stated Shikamaru calmly.
The other people in the room did indeed look frightened. This didn't seem to affect Temari though.
"I don't give a shit. I'm sick of you slacking off and having to do all the work. You know what? I'm done. I'm taking the rest of the day off. Plan the damn exams yourself, you useless jerk," said Temari as she stormed out of the room.
Shikamaru sighed and got up to follow her. He caught up to her and grabbed her arms and made her turn around to face him.
"Let me go," said Temari with no emotion.
"No."
"Let me go or I will tell Gaara that you assaulted me and the alliance between our villages will be broken forever and it will be all your fault," Temari warned in the same emotionless voice.
"You're too smart to break the alliance just because you're mad at me," replied Shikamaru.
"Try me," Temari answered looking serious.
There was a long pause as they both looked at each other. Shikamaru sighed and released Temari.
"Look Temari, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention. Now will you come back to the meeting?" asked Shikamaru.
"No. You never pay attention. Just apologizing isn't good enough. We would go back in there and you would continue staring out the window while I do all the work," Temari replied frowning.
"I pay attention I just don't think it's necessary to share my opinion when I can just tell you what I think later. Discussing it with everyone would be too much work," said Shikamaru.
"Everything is too much work for you! I run these meetings and deal with all the other examiners by myself every time while you just sit there and daydream! You're supposed to be my partner Shikamaru!" shouted Temari.
"I am your partner," said Shikamaru.
"Then act like it!" screamed Temari.
There was a poof and suddenly a man with white hair wearing a mask appeared between them.
"Oh it's just you two," said the man.
"Kakashi? What are you doing here?" asked Shikamaru.
"Well the Hokage was concerned when she heard shouting in the building and asked me to check it out. May I ask why you two are having a screaming match?"
"Technically she's the one screaming I never yelled once," said Shikamaru.
"You deserved it," Temari replied while glaring at him. "I'm sorry I caused a disturbance. It won't happen again."
"Why are you so mad at Shikamaru?" asked Kakashi.
"Because he refuses to participate with the preparations with the chūnin exams and I have to do everything," answered Temari.
"Is this true Shikamaru?"
"No, it's not. I do just as much of the work as she does," Shikamaru answered giving Temari a dirty look.
"No, you really don't. You help with the paperwork and the actual planning but make me run all the meetings and do all the diplomatic work," said Temari angrily.
"Diplomatic work isn't my thing," Shikamaru said with a shrug.
"I don't care if it's you "thing" or not! You just have to suck it up and do it!" shouted Temari.
"Cool it Temari, we're in the Hokage's building. Now Shikamaru, she's right. You can't just make her do all the diplomatic part of the work herself. You're supposed to be a team and work together," Kakashi told them seriously.
"She doesn't know anything about being part of a team. She's all about her all the time. She'd drop her comrades in a heartbeat if it meant saving herself," said Shikamaru with a frown.
"Shikamaru that's a pretty serious thing to accuse someone of. Temari doesn't seem like the type to abandon her team. Why would you say something like that?" questioned Kakashi.
"Probably trying to get you to attack me or something like that," Temari said rolling her eyes.
"Attack you? What are you talking about?" Kakashi asked looking confused.
"He's been doing it all week. I have no idea what his problem is," answered Temari.
"Shikamaru, why would you try to get someone to attack Temari? Don't you know that could seriously jeopardize the alliance?" asked Kakashi. "Is there something going on that you're not telling me about?"
"Uh no, there's nothing going on," replied Shikamaru.
"Are you not telling me because we're with a sand ninja? Is that why you were trying to get me to attack Temari? Is she a threat to the village?"
All of a sudden six Kakashi clones surrounded them. They rushed Temari and four of them pinned her to the wall while another one clamped a hand over her mouth cutting off her scream. The last clone drew a kunai and pressed it to her throat.
"I don't have anything against you personally Temari but I'm afraid I can't let you live if you could endanger the village," said Kakashi.
Kakashi started focusing his electrical chakra to the palm of his hand. Temari struggled violently against the clones but couldn't break free.
"Lightning Blade!" yelled Kakashi as he started to close in on Temari.
"STOP!" shouted Shikamaru as he leapt in between the two.
Kakashi quickly adjusted his attack so it hit one of his clones instead. The clone vanished as the lighting hit him.
"Temari isn't a threat to the village. I was just being stupid. You should let her go," Shikamaru said quickly before he tried to attack again.
"Oh," said Kakashi as he dispelled his clones and Temari fell to the floor. "Since there's no threat here I'll head out then."
Kakashi disappeared with a poof. Shikamaru walked over to where Temari was still laying.
"Are you alright?" Shikamaru asked and offered his hand to help her up.
"Do you think I'm alright?" Temari asked as she ignored his hand and got up on her own. "I could have died!"
"I don't think he really would have killed you. You're not hurt are you?" asked Shikamaru with a look of concern.
"No, I'm fine. What the hell were you thinking? Why did you say that?" demanded Temari.
"I was just upset at you for yelling at me for being a lousy partner. I didn't think it would go that far. I'm sorry," replied Shikamaru.
"Well you are a lousy partner. You almost got me killed," said Temari giving him a dirty look.
"I know I make you do all the meetings and diplomatic things but that's because you're much better at it. You're better at talking to people and socializing. If I lead the meetings it would be a disaster. I would just get annoyed with everybody and insult everyone," explained Shikamaru. "You know how to talk to people. You can get them to agree with you. You're a good debater, respectful, attractive, and know how to make people do what you want.
"What did you say I am?" asked Temari.
"I said you're a good debater, respectful and know how to make people do what you want."
"I think you said something else too," Temari said while starting to smirk.
"I don't think so."
"I believe you called me attractive," answered Temari smirking hugely now.
"Anyone with eyes can figure out you're attractive," Shikamaru answered rolling his eyes. "It makes you better at influencing people. Now can we please go back to the meeting? I bet they're starting to wonder if we're coming back."
"I don't see how me being attractive has anything to do with running the meetings personally," Temari said still smirking.
"Whatever you say. Can we just go back now?"
"How about we make a deal?" asked Temari.
"What sort of deal?"
"I go back to the meeting and deal with all the people and you have to do all my paperwork on the last day I'm here," answered Temari.
"Fine," said Shikamaru with a sigh.
"Great! All right Nara, let's head back to the meeting before they ruin the exams," Temari said with a grin as she started walking away.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes and followed her.
That was too close. She could have really gotten hurt. It wasn't my best idea to try something more risky. I'll have to be smarter about it next time. And now I'm going to have to do her paperwork. At least I don't have to pretend to pay attention to the meeting anymore. I shouldn't have called her attractive. She's never going to let me forget that, Shikamaru thought as he walked along.
"Hurry up Crybaby we don't have all day!" Temari shouted back at him as she gave him a dirty look stopping to wait for him at the door.
She's the one who runs away from the meeting but I'm getting yelled at for holding it up? Why did it have to be her? He asked himself again.
Shikamaru entered the room and took his seat. He watched Temari as she continued right where she left off like there was no interruption. The other examiners didn't question her. Nobody questioned Temari if they didn't want to risk getting hit. Shikamaru noticed the other male examiners always listened whenever she spoke.
And she thought being attractive had nothing to do with her being able to run the meetings, thought Shikamaru while checking her out himself. Then again, maybe it's not so bad that it's her.
AN: Chapter 4 is DONE! It's not the end for Shikamaru and Temari yet though! Got opinions, comments, questions, or advice? Hit up the reviews!