A/N: Gah, sorry for such a long wait everyone. I've been busy, busy, busy lately. I had a little rut in my muse for awhile, but I forced myself to sit down and I finally got myself back on track. Anyway, even though it's a bit of a set up chapter, I still hope everyone enjoys it! Much love to my beta Nadeshiko Nara. She's so fast! She beta's the chapter so fast, smoke is still coming off the copy, hahah.

Chapter 4

Games

Temari slowly traced a finger along the smooth contour of the decanter that held her drink. A quiet hum mingled with the warm scent of alcohol was draped throughout the nightclub. Two days had passed, and true to her word, she'd shown up at Satin. She was unaware of how Asuma would find her, but she was sure he would.

"Can you tell me what time it is?" She asked, motioning for the bartender.

The man quickly glanced down at his wristwatch. "It's 10:45p.m. Miss."

"Thank you." Temari replied quietly, her thoughts already on other things. Unsure of the exact time to come, she'd arrived around twenty minutes ago. Her eyes carefully scanned around the room; if possible she wanted to spot Asuma before he found her. Though she was relatively familiar with Satin, being completely aware of one's surroundings was vital in a situation like this. Unaware of Shikamaru's appearance, she knew was at a bit of a disadvantage.

Wordlessly, she observed the other denizens scattered around the room's perimeter, lounged in plush leather booths with guards inconspicuously stationed by them. Temari picked out a few familiar faces; she recognized them as some of the lower ranking crime bosses from the files in the office. She made a mental note to inform Gaara about this place.

She sighed quietly and continued looking. What would the ever mysterious Shikamaru look like? Kankurou had described him as young, but Temari was still unable to correctly picture anyone but balding, rotund men working in this type of business. The younger able-bodied men were usually kept as bodyguards or sacrificed if necessary. Typically, it took years before one could reach a respectable status as a gang boss, resulting in all older men as true crime heads.

The deep burgundy liquid in her glass clearly mirrored the faint apprehension folded away behind coolness in her teal eyes. She mentally berated herself. Though calm, she could feel an uncomfortable prick in her lower abdomen. Brushing it off, Temari carefully swirled the alcohol around in her cup and gently sipped the remainder of the liquid.

She'd just finished the cup when her body tensed as she felt a presence next to her. Unconsciously, her grip tightened dangerously around the cup.

"Ayumi." The familiar baritone flowed into her ear.

Temari turned slightly, allowing her to view the person from the corner of her eye.

"Asuma." Her reply was calm, yet cautious.

"I'm glad you decided to take me up on my offer."

A cunning smile turned up the corners of Temari's full lips. "Wouldn't it be Shikamaru's offer, Asuma?" She murmured, her voice laced with a cheeky slyness.

The dark-haired men chuckled. "Yes, I believe you're right." He mused as a calloused finger ran through the thick, chocolate that outlined his angular jaw. "I hope you haven't been waiting too long."

She shook her head. "Just enough time to finish one drink." Temari answered as a calm yet dangerous smile played on her lips.

"Well then, shall we go? Asuma motioned in the general direction away from the bar and into the Satin's large seating area.

"Of course." Temari quickly reached into her purse and tipped the bartender.

Asuma waited patiently as she carefully slid down from the barstool and stood next to him. She brushed her honey locks over her shoulder as she followed him, her eyes intent on locating Shikamaru.

The pair weaved passed several tables, all of them occupied by either slick, silver haired or balding men enveloped with at least a trio of women half their age. Temari was slightly frustrated. Just exactly where was this man?

Asuma continued leading her farther into a less inhabited corner of the lounge, free from the raucous laughter of the other liquored up inhabitants. Finally, he stopped in front of a circular booth wrapped in several layers of plush crimson satin that sat illuminated by the room's warm and muted lighting. He stepped away from Temari and swept his arm in front of them, beckoning her to come closer.

Temari stood next to him, anxious to see the man Gorou had chosen to be his successor.

Shikamaru was seated near the edge of the booth; his body turned away, head drooping slightly.

Asuma cleared his throat quietly. "Shikamaru, our guest has arrived."

He stirred slightly, his body refusing to surrenderits casual position. Turning his head to the side, Shikamaru brought his face into view.

Temari's breath caught in her throat. He closely resembled the man she'd secretly dubbed "strange" at the bar last week.

Deep pools of gleaming bistre countered her aquamarine ones as he took in her appearance, while carefully running a hand through the full chocolate crown that shadowed over his eyes.

Temari kept her expression impassive, hoping no one had caught her moment of surprise. She was almost sure this the man she'd encountered in the bar, yet there was something completely different about him tonight. The slightly playful glance she'd received from him the other night had been replaced with a calm gaze. Unlike the other men she'd seen that night, she noticed Shikamaru had chosen to skip out on the full suit in favor of chestnut colored dress pants coupled with a deep blue collared shirt. He'd also chosen to leave the two topmost buttons of his shirt undone in the absence of his tie.

"Shikamaru" Asuma motioned toward Temari, "the lovely Ayumi."

Shikamaru smiled coolly. "Please join me Ayumi-san." He answered, sliding over in the booth.

Temari left Asuma's side and fluidly swept in next to Shikamaru.

Shikamaru nodded to Asuma. "Thank you Asuma."

"I'm going to the bar; do you want something to drink?" The older man questioned.

"The usual." Shikamaru replied, his tone slightly bored.

Asuma nodded, a knowing expression spreading across his face.

"Anything for you Ayumi?" Asuma politely questioned.

Temari shook her head.

The pair watched the dark haired man disappear within the confines of Satin as he advanced toward his destination.

Shikamaru shifted comfortably, his well-toned arms resting on the back of the booth.

"You look very lovely tonight Ayumi."

Temari supplied her one of her most typical smiles for clients. "Thank you." The onyx strapless number she'd chosen to wear tonight had always been popular.

"You must be wondering why sent for you." He began slowly, the rich timbre of his smooth voice playing carefully in her ears.

"Yes, I was." She replied, her own silky contralto met an even volume with his tone

Shikamaru contained the smile that threatened his lips. He'd only been with her a few minutes, but in that time he'd observed the subtle flash of silver carefully flickering beneath the overwhelming aquamarine sea that surveyed him. He'd watched the way she moved, noting how her movements were calculated yet seamless, and her appearance nothing less than striking. This woman was dangerous.

Before continuing, Shikamaru signaled toward of the many servers scurrying around the vicinity, trying their best to calm liquored up clients and to appease sober ones.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to drink, Temari-san?" Shikamaru purposely lowered his voice, but kept it loud enough to make sure she heard.

The welcoming smile on Temari's face stiffened. Brushing her shimmering gold over her shoulder, she played the ignorant card.

"Temari-san?" She questioned lightly. Temari forcefully calmed herself as her mind began whirling. How could he have known her true name? What else did he know? Temari pushed her fears aside for a moment. She would not allow herself to be baited by him.

"Let's not play games Temari. I know better than to play with someone as dangerous as you." Shikamaru murmured.

"Dangerous?" Temari laughed quietly. "Whatever do you mean?"

Now it was Shikamaru's turn to laugh. "You're one of the most humble assassins I've ever met."

Temari's smile slowly trickled away into a knowing smirk. This one certainly knew too much. She would have to do away with him tonight.

"I see you've done your homework." She commented.

"Of course. I wouldn't want to end up like Gorou, an idiot who flirted with the angel of death."

"Are you sure about that?" She replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes danced beneath the muted light. "It's not in my policy to fight women. Try anything and you can consider your career as an assassin as good as done."

"And why is that?" Her voice was low as she baited him, intrigued he'd even come this far.

"Asuma has all of your information." He answered, his voice laced with casual dismissal. "Even if you did kill me, your information would be in the hands of every crime boss in Suna before tomorrow morning."

Temari laughed darkly. "Is that why you called me here? To blackmail me?"

Shikamaru merely shook his head. "I want to make a deal with you."

"I don't cut deals with criminals." Her reply was a terse knife that sliced through him.

"Really now?" Shikamaru questioned, his voice an ever unnerving calm drawl. "Even if it gave you direct access to every crime boss in Suna's underworld?"

Shikamaru watched as she cautiously gazed at him. Her teal irises were hard as she unconsciously drew her lower lip in.

Inwardly, Temari shook her head. This man was bluffing, albeit extremely well, but he had to be bluffing.

"You know I'm not stupid. What kind of deal would only be in my benefit?"

"You did not let me finish." Shikamaru reprimanded her. "This deal is not only in your benefit."

Just as Shikamaru had finished his sentence, Asuma appeared with two decanters in his hand. He seated himself on the opposite edge of the curved booth and slid one of the drinks Shikamaru's way.

Eyes still on Temari, Shikamaru took the cup and sipped away at the russet liquid.

"I want you to work with me. You'll do what you're doing now, only as my escort."

Temari remained pokerfaced as she listened to him.

"As the new head, I inherited all of Gorou's friends and enemies. Trust is not something easily acquired in the shadows. Other crime bosses and I are only friends when our relationship is to their maximized benefit."

"So? You want me to kill them for you?" She questioned back.

"No, I just want you to pump them for information. You have those skills." Shikamaru answered quietly. "There are things I want to change in this business." His voice trailed. "I'm not exactly trusted by all the bosses but they'll surely talk to you."

"And in exchange?"

"You'll be allowed to report the information you've acquired while working with me. I don't care if you take those other corrupted leaders out."

"What if I just turn in your secrets instead?" Temari asked, still unconvinced that those were his true intentions. "What if I just kill you?"

"You won't." His reply was confident.

Temari was intrigued. This man was asking for her assistance at what she considered a big time risk. Was he just blissfully stupid or did he have some other things planned? She wanted to know more. This man, who was undoubtedly assured that his life and dealings were safe with he,r confounded her to no end. She knew he was no novice to the underworld, and neither was she, so just why would he allow her to witness these things?

The idea of a trap vaguely occurred to her. His entire proposition could be an elaborate set up to get rid of her, but she considered all the things he was telling her to be too vague for her to form a proper conclusion at the moment. Though things were a bit sketchy at the moment, Temari knew accepting his proposal would be an intense help to Gaara and Kankurou. This deal would allow her to collect hard evidence against many of Suna's crime lords.

Not only would it an aid her brothers, but Temari also wanted to find out the secret behind Shikamaru's unnerving confidence. The composed looks he gave her definitely rubbed her the wrong way. What was it that made himso sure his plans would go along according to schedule? Maybe he underestimated what she truly was.

Shikamaru mutely downed his drink as he watched Temari's silent reflection. Something about this woman interested him. He noted the quiet between them as a silent testament to her unspoken deliberation. She was considering all the aspects of his offer.

Curiosity might have killed the cat, but Temari was one with many lives. Shikamaru was presenting a golden opportunity, too bad he'd chosen her to offer it to. She would take what she needed from him; she'd soak up every last bit of information from him and his cohorts. Temari knew she would have to do it quickly though. This handsome, dark haired man was equally as dangerous as she was. How he'd acquired her personal files was still beyond her, and her knowing that he could release her private information at his own whim was still a severe threat against her. Agreeing to help him now would be a temporary solution, but in the end, she would need to silence him and his subordinates permanently.

"Have you decided?" Shikamaru's smooth voice sliced through the silence like a piping hot knife through butter.

"Yes." Her own smooth contralto answered back.

"And your answer?"

"I'll assist you." Temari answered quietly, a dangerous smile gracing her lips.

He returned her smile with a subtle smirk. "I look forward to our partnership Temari."

"Of course." She replied as she carefully rose from the booth.

"I'd like to iron out the details with you later; Asuma will contact you again in the near future." Shikamaru said as he too slid from the booth. He handed her a slip of paper with an address neatly noted down on two lines. "This is our main office location. "

Temari took the paper from him and carefully slipped it in her purse. "Until next time then." She answered as she waved them off while navigating through maze of tables with ease.

"You're really sure about this Shikamaru?" Asuma questioned from his position across from him. "You really want to trust her? She's a damned hired killer for heaven's sake."

"Don't worry Asuma. Even if she does kill me, at least I'll be out of this God forsaken crime business." Shikamaru replied, making light of the older man's worries.

Asuma did nothing to veil his slight umbrage. "Always the damn optimist aren't you?"

"Something like that." Shikamaru replied, leaning back in the plush booth. "Something like that..."

Temari did her best to hail a cab and quickly as possible and send it on its way at twice the legal speed limit towards the capital building. Her deft fingers quickly punched in Gaara's number on her phone. It rang four times before going to his answering machine. She dialed again, her free hand impatiently drumming a steady staccato on the cab's tepid window. This time a tired sounding Gaara picked up after the third ring.

"Hello?" His voice was moody, his eyes probably bleary from the volume of the day's work.

"Where are you?" She demanded, her voice filled with rushed urgency.

"I just left the capital. I'm on my way home."

"Ok good. Go straight to your apartment; I'll meet up with you there, and tell Kankurou to come too." Temari said as she lightly tapped the driver on the shoulder and redirected his course in the direction of Gaara's apartment.

"Hey calm down. What's the rush Temari?" Her crimson haired younger brother asked, puzzled at the hurried edge in his sister's voice. This type of rushed behavior was definitely out of character for his typically level-headed sister.

"It's about Shikamaru. I've got a large development in the case; something extremely big." Temari lowered her voice, wary of the taxi driver's listening ears.

"A development? What do you mean?"

Temari could hear the quiet hum of Gaara accelerating in his car. "I met with him tonight. That's all I can say now. I'll tell you more when I get there."

Gaara caught his sister's drift. She didn't exactly want the cab driver aware of their private matters. "All right, I'll see you in about fifteen minutes then." Clicking the end button on his phone, Gaara, anxious to hear what Temari had to say, dexterously punched in Kankurou's number as he sped home.

Temari emerged from Gaara's bathroom clad in one of his shirts and a pair of her own shorts. She'd learned the hard way that sleeping in the dresses she wore to see her clients was an atrocity no one deserved to experience. Since then, she'd always kept clothing at her brother's apartments just in case they ended up working late, and she was too tired to retire to her own home for the night, or for whatever other reason that she might end up staying the night at their apartment.

Currently, Kankurou was stretched across Gaara's black leather sofa. He appeared to be somewhat miffed at being pulled into a late night meeting, but this was one of those things that were certainly beyond his control.

Gaara sat in a barstool with his arms crossed. "All right, what have you got for us?"

Temari pushed Kankurou over and sat next to him on the large sofa. She hugged the pillow she'd swiped from Gaara's room on her way back from the bathroom.

"Two days ago, Shikamaru sent someone out for me."

"Why didn't you mention anything to us?" Gaara tone was piqued; surprised his sister hadn't mentioned something that important.

"Was it an attack?" Kankurou's interest perked slightly.

Temari shook her head. "I thought it was, but he was just Shikamaru's messenger. He approached me under the impression that I was Ayumi."

"Just a messenger? Not much of a threat then." Kankurou cut in as he stifled a yawn.

"No, it looks like Asuma and Shikamaru are pretty close. I'd dare say he holds all of Shikamaru's trust." Temari mused aloud. "Anyway, Asuma contacted me saying Shikamaru wanted to meet with me today."

"And you did." Gaara finished for her.

"Yes, I did. "

"Temari, do you know how dangerous what you did was? What if it were an ambush? You can't just go head on into something like that without consulting us first." Gaara reprimanded her moodily.

"I can take care of myself Gaara." Her teal irises flashed hotly into his cool jade ones as Temari once again reminded her brother that she was far from helpless.

"What would you have done in an ambush situation? No matter how good you are, four against one are not good odds."

Temari was just about to counter her brother's statement when Kankurou cut in.

"Well thankfully, that wasn't the case. Let's not get distracted over something so trivial Gaara. We'll discuss that later. Temari, finish the story."

Gaara leaned back in the barstool. He'd been silenced for the time being.

"Asuma told me to meet up with him at Satin in two days time. He said Shikamaru wanted to meet with me." Temari recalled from their previous meeting.

"Satin. It's that club on North street right?" Kankurou asked as he attempted to visualize the location.

"Yes, it's that one." Gaara answered. "What happened then?"

"I went to Satin tonight to meet up liked I'd said I would. There I met Shikamaru." Temari paused, inwardly debating whether or not to inform her brothers of her earlier meeting with Shikamaru at the bar. She soon decided against it. That wasn't necessary to her story anyway.

"And what did Shikamaru have to say?" Kankurou was beginning to tire of having to drag the story out of his sister.

Cool anger flickered across Temari's face. "He knows. He knows exactly who I am, and what I do."

Alarm quickly avalanched on Gaara's and Kankurou's faces.

"How?" Gaara's voice, low and steely, easily conveyed his anger.

"That fucking bastard...." Kankurou, too, was infuriated.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know." Temari sighed before quickly returning to her story. "But listen, don't get angry." She said before launching into a full explanation of the deal he'd offered her that night.

"An escort? It's similar to what you're doing now isn't it?" Kankurou mused aloud after listening to his sister.

She nodded. "It's only normal for men like that to have a woman with them, but they aren't aware that I'm not just there as a trophy woman."

"It still doesn't make sense. Why would he allow you in like this? What does he have to gain from it?" Gaara muttered quietly.

"He wants to use the information I retrieve to his advantage. He'll get to keep an eye on things." Temari shrugged.

"And you said he's going to allow you to use all the information you come across?" Gaara still could not fully understand it. "You're sure he's not just blackmailing you?"

Temari nodded, the honey locks bobbing in her ponytail. "I won't let him get that far anywhere. I'll work with him long enough to get all the information we'll need, and then kill him. We can't risk him being alive for too long."

"That's very true. I can see how difficult of a decision it would have been to make." Kankurou said from his relaxed position on the couch. "The only problem is just ensuring the fact that he won't release your information prematurely. It's his trump card."

"Indeed." Gaara added from the barstool.

"He said he'd only release it if I made an attempt on his life." Temari answered.

"Still, it seems like such a flimsy excuse. I mean, I don't doubt that he could fight on equal footing with you. Gorou would not have chosen a weak man to succeed him." Gaara said as he stood from his chair and stretched.

Kankurou shrugged. "He needs Temari. You know how volatile the shadows are. She's going to be used to his advantage for the time being, and the benefit is that Temari will use him right back and take care of him for good after she's done. If this works correctly, we'll not only put Shikamaru and his cronies away, but we'll also obtain some good evidence against many other people we've been trying to pin down."

"That's exactly the way I saw it Kankurou." Temari appreciated her brother's objective attitude toward the situation.

"That's not to say it doesn't involve its fair share of risks." Kankurou sent a knowing glance at Temari.

Gaara emerged from his brooding state. "All right Temari. I'm giving you from eight weeks to do what you need to and get all the information you need." Her crimson haired younger brother was set. Not a day more and not a day less. "It seems like an abbreviated amount of time, but anything longer than that would jeopardize the situation. No matter what he says about your information, I still don't trust him."

Temari nodded her head. Hopefully, that should be more than enough time.

"I want him dead by the end of that time period. He and all of his subordinates are to become history, understood?" Gaara's voice, authoritative and low, still held doubt but he did his best to conceal them under the general calmness.

"Don't disappoint me Temari."

"Have I ever?" Her lips turned up in a full smirk, the thrill and anticipation of what awaited her in the next eight weeks slowly building within her.