I know it's been so long since I posted an update. I had school projects, homework, and a particular mock trial competition that has been bombarding me for the past few weeks that I couldn't find time to write a chapter. Also, next week, I have state tests coming up and so I quickly put together Chapter 9 this week so I wouldn't have you guys waiting even longer. I'm sorry it came out so late and I'm really happy that I was able to get it out now rather than later. I'm sorry but I hope you enjoy. This chapter may seem boring because I'm trying to get to the fun part in Chapter 10, so be anticipating that one! :) Thank you all for being so supportive and I apologize for making you wait, that was my fault for making you guys wait so long. Anyway, as usual, here it is and like we all know, I don't own Naruto and the characters in there so yeah - enjoy Chapter 9!
Chapter 9: Warming Up to One Another
Never before was he as worried as hell right now. For the millionth time, Shikamaru stole a glance at his watch, growling as he calculated the time elapsed since he sent the flare.
"It's already been an hour…? Geez, what's taking them so long?"
Shikamaru sighed as he sat crisscrossed next to Temari, his attention drifting back to her while toying with the walkie-talkie I hand.
"Hmm… maybe they can't find us? I suppose it's possible… pathetic of them, but possible. This'll probably take longer of them to get here than I estimated…"
Temari broke into a fit of coughs as she moaned in her sleep. He sighed irritably as he shook his head in dismay at the situation they were in.
"And your cold is just getting worse just as this wind is getting colder. There's no medicine in the emergency kit, ironically, and those seniors…"
He shook his head as he held the walkie-talkie to his face and sighed, "This is Shikamaru Nara, can someone pick up the d*mn walkie-talkie so I can talk to them about this sh*t we're in?"
There was a stretch of silence before a voice crackled through in immediate response, "Nara? Ah yes, this is head senior, unfortunately you may have to wait longer than planned; the seniors are having trouble finding you two. Please, just sit tight for a little while longer-"
"Yeah, go tell that to her whose cold is getting worse by every f*cking minute you guys waste. What am I supposed to do? Sit here and suck on my fingers waiting for help? Just what is going on out there?"
"The coordinates we calculated from the last flare you sent was apparently inaccurate and they've pinpointed the wrong location. You're going to have to be patient as we find some other way to find your location."
Shikamaru sighed in frustration as he pinched the bridge of his nose growling, "Fine, fine! But seriously, there should be SOMETHING I can do to help out! We can't keep waiting you know. I'm really worried about her right now and I can't exactly get our butts out of here either, since I don't know where the forest begins and ends and not to mention her ankle…"
"Ankle? Is there something wrong with her ankle?"
"She twisted her ankle a while back last night and she has this ugly gash in the same foot, it makes walking difficult for her."
"Is she facing any inflammation? Swelling? Anything particularly bad?"
"No, thankfully there was SOMETHING useful in that medical kit you packed us and her ankle seems to be just about fine. It's her cold I'm worried about…"
There was silence as the head senior sighed on the other end of the line and muttered back, "Well… let me apologize then for my short comings. I would've never have dreamed of a potential problem such as this might've occurred, for that I wasn't mindful of the potential issues this may have led to and didn't prepare things ahead of time. I'm sorry about your friend, but I'll make sure I can make up for this mistake I've made; I'll make sure the seniors get there as soon as possible. Maybe you can send another fl-"
Shikamaru blinked in surprise at the sudden sputter of static before the walkie-talkie died out.
"Hello? Hello!? Geez, what's with this…?"
Shikamaru opened the battery case and frowned as he placed it aside with a deep sigh.
"Ran out of juice… perfect timing. What did he say? Send another what?"
"Sounds like someone is having a problem."
Shikamaru jolted in shock as he glanced over to Temari who struggled to sit up, yawning awake as she lightly coughed in her sleeve.
"Ugh, what the hell? Am I sick…?"
"Yes you are, now just take it easy. Lie back down."
Shikamaru placed a stubborn hand on her shoulder and Temari smacked his hand away snorting, "Take it easy? Yeah, sure, speak for yourself. I'll be just fine. This is just a measly old cold, anyone can deal with it! It's not serious."
Shikamaru opened his mouth to sharply retort, but then stopped himself as he sighed and shook his head, "Fine, whatever. Do what you want, but at least sit tight. The seniors are coming."
Temari stopped moving before turning to give Shikamaru a glare of disbelief, "Oh my God, don't tell me you sent one of those flares…!"
"I did, but don't worry, we're not-"
"What are we going to do if you get us eliminated!? Sending one of those flares means elimination! And we're barely even-"
Temari broke into another fit of coughs while Shikamaru irritably rolled his eyes as he snapped, "You didn't even let me finish! I said don't worry, we're NOT eliminated. I believe you forgot that the flares also are meant for emergency assistance. And if it makes you feel even better, the head senior himself told me we wouldn't be disqualified. So don't freak out when you don't even know the facts yourself."
Temari relaxed and sighed as she dropped her face in her hands, sighing with relief as she moaned, "Oh good… geez! Why didn't you tell me sooner!?"
Shikamaru pressed his knuckles to his forehead as he hissed in simmering anger, "That was what I was trying to do…"
Temari shivered as she pulled the blankets around her tighter as she coughed, "Oh geez, has it always been this cold?"
Temari stole a glance at the frustrated Nara as she asked incredulously, "Hey… aren't you cold?"
Shikamaru blinked back at her as he shook his head, sighing as he muttered, "No…"
"I bet you are. You're not even wearing a jacket! Where is your jacket anyway…?"
"You're using it as your pillow."
Temari glanced behind her where his jacket was rolled up where she used it for her pillow from last night…
"Oh."
"Yeah, you're welcome."
Shooting him a sour frown she grabbed the jacket and tossed it at his face as she snapped, "Well hell with your jacket; just wear it! I'm not going to be sleeping anymore."
Shikamaru threw back at her the same dirty frown before slipping his arms in his jacket, ever so slightly grateful for another layer of warmth.
Temari watched him zip his jacket up to his chin as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he sighed in contentment. She continued to frown as she muttered, "You still look cold…"
"Huh? Me? No, I'm fine now-"
"That jacket is as thin as paper and you're saying you're not cold at all?"
Temari sighed as she took the second blanket off her shoulders and tossed it at Shikamaru.
"Here, take that too."
"But you're the one that's sick here-"
"That doesn't mean you give up everything you have to me while you shiver your ass off! Just pipe down and take it – no complaints!"
Shikamaru frowned in mild confusion as she curled up in a ball with her own blanket a she muttered to herself about stupid men. Oddly enough, Temari was being a bit more considerate of his condition than usual, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing it was just … very unlike her. What was he supposed to do? Much less, say?
"Erm… thanks…?"
Temari snorted in response as he held the blanket in his lap thinking it over in his mind before shaking his head and quickly adding, "But…"
Temari shot him a look as he continued, "…I think I have a better idea."
Temari snorted as she gave him a sour grin as she sarcastically replied, "Oh yeah sure, a better idea than sitting in the cold like a bunch of hobos, tell me oh so ever more brilliant, genius master mind! What's this enlightening plan of yours?"
Shikamaru appeared unfazed by her sour retort as he simply shrugged and replied, "Fine, if you're going to act like that, I guess that means you wouldn't want to hear my offer that just might make the situation a whole less colder…"
Temari was pissed now. What's with this guy? Who goes around saying they have an idea to share before blowing it all off with that laid-back tone!? This guy… he pissed her off!
"If you have an idea, just say it already! Don't go turning your back on me and crap!"
Shikamaru eyed her over his shoulder as he frowned, "Why should I? You're the one disrespecting me by sarcastically joking around."
"Just say it!"
"No. It'd be too bothersome to now; I don't feel like telling you anymore."
"Nara!"
Shikamaru hid a small smile, silently enjoying how easily angered she was.
"If you don't tell me right now I swear, I will suffocate you to death with your own blanket-"
"Alright, alright, if you insist. But I warn you…"
Shikamaru sighed as he turned around and sat facing her as he gave her one of his classic smirks.
"I doubt you'll like it."
Sai stared at the laptop's screen as another one of those annoying error messages blinked at him.
"You have… GOT to be kidding me! Again!?"
Sai typed away on the laptop, sending it a whole new line of commands, however the error message stayed stubbornly on the screen.
"No... No… No… No!"
Sai squinted at the screen as he read the error message and frowned as he cursed, "What the hell do you mean there tracking signals aren't functioning?!"
The seniors, also known as the medical team, whispered to one another behind Sai as they quietly handed out handful of cards between themselves for a card game to pass the time.
"Whoa… any of you guys think Sai's a bit stressed right now?"
"Why wouldn't he be? He just screwed up and got two juniors stuck in that forest."
Another senior snorted as he handled his own deck of cards as he eyed the different faces of each card he owned, "Even though that forest really isn't that big… just a few hundred acres really."
Another senior eyed him before muttering, "I thought it was a bit more than that…"
The same senior shrugged as he responded, "I don't know, just guessing…"
"Someone should help Sai right now…"
The seniors stared at the one senior who spoke out as they laughed quietly, "What do we all look like to you? Technicians?"
"We're not the medical team for nothing you know!"
The senior frowned as she hung her head while eyeing a frustrated Sai who was starting to slam his laptop on the desk as he growled in anger.
"Well someone should before he starts murdering his own equipment, those were expensive sh*t…"
The tent entrance was thrown back as in marched a beaming blond as she grinned and threw her arms out shouting, "Sai~! Ino Yamanaka is back in the house!"
Kiba followed shortly after as he pulled the hood of his sweater down as he shivered as he growled, "It's a tent genius."
"Shut up dog breath!"
Sai sighed as he sat back in his chair and mumbled, "Great… what do you guys want now?"
Kiba pointed at the jumping blond as he muttered, "Hey, don't pin me with this chick, I didn't want to come. She's been dragging me all over the festival tracking our friends in this nasty cold weather. Naturally she just HAD to take me in tow of everything since I had nothing to do and because she blackmailed me."
Sai raised his eyebrows as he asked; "Really now? Whatever could she have threatened to you that made you agree to her demands?"
Kiba sighed as he ran a hand through his messy hair with a groan, "You don't want to know… it's so stupid I want to just shoot myself."
Ino giggled as she threw her arms around their necks as she spoke, "Aww, cheer up dog breath! It's not THAT bad! And Sai! I'm glad you're here, I want to know what's going on between Shikamaru and Temari; it's killing me that I don't know!"
Sai frowned as he replied, "Ino, you know my policies, it's part of the whole package. I can't tell you what they're doing due to the privacy rights of my participants. If I told you, I'd violate that and I'd have to deal with the principal then."
Ino pouted as she bumped his head with hers as she giggled, "Aww, come on Sai! Be a pal~!"
Kiba sighed again as he shook his head, still locked under the blonde's grip, "You should've stopped her when she was stalking some of your participants hours ago, I've never seen her take so many pictures in her life…"
Sai glared at Ino as he snapped, "What did I tell you about taking pictures?! It's not allowed!"
Ino winked at him as she tapped her phone to her lips as she teased, "Shh! No one has to know! And if anyone asks me, I'll just say I didn't know they were part of a game and that I just happened to be one of the few in the crowds who thought it was so cute, that I just had to take a picture! Easy as that!"
Sai dropped his face in his hand as he moaned, "I don't know why I try anymore…"
Kiba patted the head senior on his shoulder sympathetically, "I get it man, with her, it's impossible…"
Ino clung to Sai's arm as she whined, "So come on, tell me, where's Shikamaru and Temari? I want to know~!"
Sai shook her off and snapped, "God, you're annoying sometimes you know? Fine, I'll tell you."
Ino clapped her hands happily as Kiba groaned. The seniors watched Sai as his face turned sour as he began speaking, "Those two got stuck in the forest."
Ino stopped smiling and stared at him in stunned silence as Kiba asked, suddenly interested, "Why? What happened?"
"They were doing a challenge in the forest, but then the night before, the girl got her ankle twisted and on the same foot, something about a nasty cut. So she couldn't walk very well. Then overnight, she caught a cold. Right now I've got some seniors and a teacher working on finding the two, but it'll be difficult to locate them…"
Ino frowned as she asked with concern, "What about my friend Shikamaru? He's alright, right?"
"He seems to be fine. Though he seems concerned for his partner…"
Ino brightened as she elbowed Kiba while giving him a dirty look, "Heh-heh… CONCERNED for Temari he says…"
Kiba rolled his eyes, though a smile was plastered on his face as he muttered, "Oh shush Ino, you nosy little b*stard…"
Sai turned back to his laptop as he tried to bypass the message box while continuing, "I've tried using their tracking system since their walkie-talkie had that function to it, but I guess once their walkie-talkie died – assuming that's happened since he didn't respond while we were talking – the system broke down. Now I can't communicate with them…!"
Ino smiled widely as she grabbed Kiba's ear and cooed, "Aw well that can be easily solved! Kiba here and his favorite canine can help you guys sniff them out! Am I right Kiba?"
Kiba whined as he pulled his ear out of his grip, "Ow, ow, ow! Let go d*mn it! Your fingers are sharper than cat claws, I swear!"
She released his ear and turned to the tent entrance and clapped her hands calling out, "Come here Akamaru~! Come here boy!"
The tent rustled as a dog peeked inside, whining as he sought permission to enter. Ino smiled and beckoned to the animal with her hands, "Come on boy, it's alright!"
Kiba rubbed his sore ear as the dog blundered inside barking happily and licking Ino's face, much to Kiba's dismay.
"Aw, Akamaru! I told you to wait outside!"
Sai raised his eyebrows at the sight of the large dog as he asked, "Uh, why is there a dog in here?"
Kiba gave Sai the same look as he explained, "Well excuse me sir, but this is my best friend Akamaru here. Normally I'm not allowed to bring him to school anymore since he's gotten so big, but since I helped Ino out the last time she asked for my help, she was able to convince the principal to make Akamaru an exception, he is well behaved after all."
Ino giggled as Akamaru excitedly licked every inch of skin on her face before Kiba hurried over and pulled the big animal off her.
"Now easy there boy, geez, what's with you and Ino?"
Ino laughed as she nuzzled Akamaru's fur with a kiss on his wet nose, "Aw, he just a big sweetheart, that's all! Am I right big boy?"
Akamaru barked with a silly wolfish grin on his face as he gave her another lick, making Kiba frown at Ino with a shake of his head, "Don't talk to him like that."
Sai crossed his arms as he asked with a loud 'a-hem' to catch their attention, "Excuse me, but unless you're here to help me out, I'd appreciate it if you left my tent…"
Ino waved the air dismissively as she smiled, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. We got this covered as long as Kiba and Akamaru are here. I swear that these two are bloodhounds at heart!"
Kiba snorted as he bent down next to his dog as he stroked Akamaru's head, "Keep your opinions to yourself Ino, Akamaru is special, he's way better than a bloodhound."
Kiba sported a grin towards Akamaru as he added, "Am I right boy?"
Akamaru barked back with a lopsided smile as Kiba ruffled his fur and stood.
"That's right. Now come on boy, guess we've got work on our hands. Let's go help find an annoying lazy b*stard and his b*tchy girlfriend."
Akamaru loped after Kiba as they exited the tent and into the forest.
Sai eyed Ino as he asked, "Are you sure that trusting a dog's nose is going to be that easy? It's a forest after all and there may be tons of things that dog smells right now. Are you certain that they'll find them?"
Ino smiled as she crossed her arms and nodded, "Of course! I've seen that dog in action with Kiba, it's amazing how their noses work. They could sniff out a lie even. Anyway, while they're gone…"
Ino came over to the seniors in the back and sat with them as she held out her hand, "Give me some cards, I'm bored too!"
The seniors shared a smile as they handed her a few cards as Sai sighed, "Oh great… so you're going to be staying with us?"
Ino winked at Sai as she handed him another stack of cards.
"Why wouldn't I? I'm going to be waiting for when Kiba and Akamaru comes back with those two, but until then, you might as well join us for a nice game of cards. It's going to be a while before they come back."
A senior asked a question as Sai reluctantly took the cards and came to sit down with them, "So how come you aren't going with them?"
Ino wrinkled her nose as she frowned, "Eww, in that forest? Do any of you guys know what that would do to a girl like me? I've got some pretty high standards and not one of them has to do with me marching through a forest of mud and undergrowth. That would ruin my hair and my clothes. Nope, not for me! I'll let those two deal with it, they like the outdoors anyway."
Ino glanced down at her cards as she asked with a smile, "Now, tell me, what are we playing this time?"
Yamato cursed as he shook mud off his boots as he took another heavy step forward.
"D*mn you Kakashi… why did you have to make me go?"
He could easily remember how carelessly that man had waved at him while burying his nose in one of his perverted books as he said, "Ah well, you see Yamato, you're in charge of the school grounds here. I'm ill fitted for this job and it's something you should do since you know the school grounds so very well. But don't worry, once you come back and find the seniors, I'll make sure of it that I mention you in the report back to Tsunade somewhere."
"You and your books Kakashi…!"
The seniors groaned as they slipped and stumbled in the mud, muttering curses whenever they sank deeper in the mud whenever they tripped forward.
"Yamato-sensei! How much longer are we going to be walking in mud without knowing where we're going? We're not even sure if the juniors are over here!"
Yamato yanked his foot out of the mud as he took another heavy step forward with a sigh as he responded, "I don't know either alright? This forest is difficult to manage already, I'm not sure where those juniors may have gone, they could be anywhere…!"
A senior collapsed on a rock, his feet still submerged deep in mud as he groaned, "Great, now we'll never find those juniors and we'll be walking aimlessly around killing our feet in mud!"
Yamato stopped walking as he turned to see all the seniors frozen in their tracks. A few sat on rocks or logs; others leaned on trees as they stopped to catch their breaths. Everyone was tired and frustrated, just as Yamato was.
"Guh… fine. We'll take a break. I'll contact the head senior again and see what he wants us to do, hopefully he's got some way to help us out, until then, rest up."
The seniors sighed as they passed around water among themselves as they quietly complained to one another, rubbing their sore, muddy ankles in exhaustion. Yamato pulled out his walkie-talkie and turned it on and was about to connect to the head senior when a sharp loud howl rang through the forest. Yamato frowned as he looked around, the seniors eyeing one another before looking over to Yamato with questioning eyes.
"Uh Yamato-sensei…? That's not a wolf right?"
Yamato nodded, frowning as he rubbed his chin as he looked around them as he spoke, "Yes… it's not possible that it's a wolf. Wolves would never live here, much less, pass through this forest. It's only a few acres large. More than likely, that howl was a dog."
Shortly after, there was a loud laugh from the tree tops as the seniors and Yamato glanced around in shock at the sudden voice that responded, "Looks like you guys could use a hand."
Kiba swung down from the branches just in time to fall on Akamaru's back, who had bursted forth from the trees with a deep, rich bark.
"And a paw, if you don't mind my friend here, that is."
The seniors blinked in pleasant surprise at the two as Yamato crossed his arms and sighed, "Ah… so this is the best he could come up with? A dog lover and his canine? How typical…"
Yamato shrugged as he quickly added, "Oh well, this is better than walking around aimlessly. Hey you, are you confident in your dog's abilities? Can your dog sniff those juniors out of this forest?"
Kiba smirked as he responded, "Why the hell do you think I came in here for? Of course I do! Right Akamaru?"
The large animal barked loud and proud as Yamato shrugged and held out his hands, "Alright then, lead the way. We just need to find those juniors then get the heck out of here, everyone is tired, so try and go slow with us, alright?"
Kiba laughed as he nodded, "Sure, but just make sure to keep up as fast as you can anyway; we walk pretty fast nonetheless. Let's go Akamaru!"
The seniors sighed as they got to their aching feet following after Kiba and Akamaru who sped off into the forest, back on the trail for the stranded juniors…
She didn't like it. Not one bit. Who would!?
Temari growled to herself as she clawed the blankets closer to her neck as she thought to herself, just why she had agreed to this in the first place… anyone who would've killed to be under the same blanket as Shikamaru Nara was crazy; who would want to be seen with this lazy bum anyway?!
Temari was uncomfortably conscious of the arm that was draped over her waist that kept her close to his chest, his body pressed up against hers as they shared their precious body heat… but now, it was unbearably hot for her. Good lord, this was overwhelming…
"Hey… mind if you move your arm? It's kind of awkward with you doing that…"
Shikamaru sighed as he replied sleepily, "Why…? I'm only doing this for your own good; you'd get all grumpy and roll away or something. You need to stay warm as you possibly can since you're the one sick here. I know it's a pain in the ass to put up with me, especially in this awkward position, but for once, just be mature about it and think nothing of it, it's just for your sake since you're sick and all."
Temari frowned as she felt his arm tighten around her waist.
"Hmm… so I'm guessing that means a no?"
Shikamaru simply leaned his face in her hair as he sighed, "Guh… even if I wanted to, I probably wouldn't; I'm too tired right now to do anything…"
"You lazy b*stard…"
"But you can't deny it; it is a huge improvement; I can tell you're not trembling from the cold anymore."
Temari glared at him over her shoulder as she snapped, "Say what you want Nara, I still think this is unnecessary!"
He shrugged as he smiled lazily in her hair, "Think what you want…"
Silence fell over the two as they sank into their own thoughts, the cold barely presentable to the pair while they soaked in each other's body heat to stay warm.
Shikamaru rested his chin on Temari's shoulder as he turned his lips towards her ear and asked, "So, how's your ankle?"
Temari shrugged him off her shoulder as she gave him a look of disgust before replying back, "Just fine."
He raised his eyebrows as he snorted, "You sure? Last time I checked that ankle of yours, it was discolored and bleeding. And you're saying it's alright?"
Temari snapped back angrily as she glared at him, "Of course it's fine!"
Shikamaru shrugged as he winced, the bruise on his shoulder bringing back stinging and embarrassing memories.
"Urgh… d*mn! This bruise still hurts…!"
Temari blushed at the mention of his shoulder, remembering how they slid pathetically in the oil and falling…
Suddenly they heard a low howl, the two sharing a look as Temari asked quietly, "What… was that?"
Shikamaru frowned as he heard the howl repeat itself, only louder.
"Erm… could be a wolf, but wolves come in packs and I can't imagine it being anything else other than a dog…"
"A wolf!? Or maybe some kind of large, feral beast! Crap, I thought you said this forest didn't have large animals like that!"
Shikamaru sighed as he poked her on the forehead as he snorted, "Yeah sure, totally. Large feral animals are in the area just behind our school, don't worry, I know a few things about the school grounds and large feral animals aren't listed anywhere-"
The tarp bursted aside to reveal a large, white dog, barking loudly with a long, lolling tongue hanging from its jaws. Caught by surprise, Temari and Shikamaru tried to jump to their feet, but with the blankets wrapped around them, it snagged around their ankles and legs and the two went crashing down back to the ground in a messy heap of tangled limbs and a barking dog.
Shikamaru glared at the large dog that licked his face with a wolfish smile on the dog's face as he growled, "God d*mn it Akamaru! Don't scare the sh*t out of us like that…!"
A laugh rang through the forest as down came Kiba from the trees, still laughing as he landed on the ground on his feet as he stood and swiped the leaves out of his hair.
"Good boy Akamaru, I always knew you had it in you! And well, well, nice to see you too Nara old boy! The seniors here thought they'd never find you – HOLY SH*T, what the f*ck are you two doing?!"
Kiba gaped at the two as Akamaru sniffed their heads curiously, "Why are you two sandwiched together like that? Are you two like, getting all over each other or- ohhhhhhh, I seeeee~!"
Kiba crossed his arms as a dirty smile played on his lips.
"Getting all serious now aren't you two?"
Shikamaru and Temari quickly untangled the blanket from their arms and legs before Shikamaru pulled himself off Temari, knowing all too well how it must've looked, as he stood and marched up to Kiba with a snarl, "D*mn it Inuzuka, you're reading too much into this!"
Kiba laughed before tapping his chin thoughtfully as he responded, "But you know… you two might be taking it a bit too fast. Are you sure you want to have kids with her-"
Temari sat up, rubbing her ankle as Shikamaru threw his arms in the air and exclaimed, "My God! NO! I am NOT doing anything of the sort of crappy stuff with her!"
Kiba rolled his eyes as he snorted, "Sure, that's why you so totally weren't on top of her and stuff-"
"YOU DIRTY LITTLE B*STARD!"
Temari planted a hand on Akamaru's head as she shouted to Kiba, "Hey! Control your big white fluff over here! He's going to drown me in his slobber if he keeps licking me to death!"
Kiba snapped his fingers and patted the side of his thigh as he called him over, "Here boy, get over here and lay off the licking."
Akamaru bounded over to his side and licked his hand, making Kiba sigh as he shrugged and scratched his ears.
"Okay fine, you can lick me I guess…"
Shikamaru glared at Kiba with crossed arms as he snarled, "If I hear you mention any of this to anyone, or even HINT at it, I will-"
"Relax man! I've got you covered; I won't mention it to anyone. But hey, Ino might wanna hear about it, so you better deal with her when we get back to the head senior. I sooo do not want her to cling on to me and claw every bloody detail out of me."
Akamaru whined as he nuzzled Kiba's hand who directed his last words to his dog, "I know buddy, she can be one ferocious and feral beast for secrets."
Shikamaru waved the air dismissively as he snapped, "You're getting off topic here! Anyway, fine, I'll deal with her, but you've just got to promise to me that you won't tell anyone what you just saw! I swear; we weren't doing anything!"
Temari piped up as she added to Shikamaru's defense, "Your dog scared us half to death and the blanket got caught in our legs and we fell."
Kiba grinned as he winked back at her, "Nice one there, it almost sounds convincing enough."
Shikamaru ran a hand through his hair both in frustration and embarrassment as he shouted, "It's the truth! My God, like I said, I wasn't doing ANYTHING to her!"
"Did something happen here? I hear a LOT of yelling."
The four (yes, including Akamaru) turned to look at the teacher that came out from the trees with a stream of seniors following behind him, a look of genuine surprise on his face as he pointed at Shikamaru and Temari.
"Ah! You actually found them!"
Kiba grinned as he held out a thumb up towards the impressed seniors and stunned teacher as he winked, "It's all in the nose. Of course we would've never found them without Akamaru here; he's the one that really helped out."
Akamaru barked as the seniors came over to praise the dog, hands fondling the dog's ears appreciatively as the dog panted, clearly pleased with the attention given unto him.
Shikamaru sighed as he let the last of his anger simmer away, not knowing entirely why he lost control like that, as he walked over to Temari's side, who was still on the ground rubbing her injured ankle.
"Hey, you alright?"
"Just fine, but my ankle feels kind of…"
Temari trailed off as she frowned at her ankle, feeling around her heel she sighed as she shook her head, "If it keeps stinging every time I move it, I can't walk at this rate…"
"Can you try standing?"
"I could…"
"Here."
Shikamaru held out his hand, offering it to her as she stared at his outstretched fingers and back at his face as she raised her eyebrows, "Um… what do you need?"
"You're awfully slow to catch on; you're going to need some help getting to your feet and if you really think you could manage it on your own, you're going to utterly fail. So just take my hand already."
Sighing, she grudgingly slipped her hand in his as he stood and helped her gently to her feet. Almost immediately she collapsed back to the ground, her hand torn from his grip as she clutched her ankle in pain as she breathlessly cursed, "Holy f*cking hell…! That hurts like sh*t!"
Shikamaru crouched down in front of her and pulled out her leg on his lap as he began pulling away the blood stained bandages on her ankle as he asked, "Did you fall on it?"
"Might've, I remember it hurting like crap when you fell on me."
"That might explain a lot…"
He yanked the white strands of cotton away and sighed as he skeptically eyed the discolored skin and torn heel, "You're not going anywhere with your ankle like this. You'll make this cut on your heel open again and not to mention you might get a swollen ankle if you over exert yourself."
Temari crossed her arms and growled as she replied, "Well what am I supposed to do now? It's not like I can sprout wings and fly out of here, what other choice is there other than walking?"
Shikamaru sighed as he shook his head in dismay, "Great… must I do everything for you? Since you can't walk on your own, someone has to carry you."
Temari held up a hand and stopped Shikamaru there as she eyed him suspiciously and muttered, "Carry me…? Oh please, like there's anyone here in that kind of physical condition to carry me."
Shikamaru gave her a look before retorting, "Hey, now it's either me or the furry one over there; take your pick, we're both capable of carrying you."
At the mention of 'furry one', Temari turned her head to eye Akamaru who peered around Kiba's legs, who was talking with the teacher, and barked at her with a lolling tongue hanging out of his mouth.
Temari sighed before turning back to glare at Shikamaru before crossing her arms and grudgingly snapped, "Oh fine! Just turn around already and I'll get on your back."
Shikamaru got down on his heels as he wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her up, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
"Holy crap you're heavy."
Temari glared at him as he started walking towards the others as he chuckled to himself, "Of course it's not that big of a surprise- OW!"
Temari smirked in smug satisfaction as she pinched his ear, making him throw a glare over his shoulder at her as he hissed, "Would you stop that!? You did it once back at the café, don't start it again!"
"Then why don't you shut up about my weight?"
"…fair deal."
The seniors smiled as they watched Shikamaru haul Temari over to them as the crossed their arms sharing knowing looks.
"Well, it's nice to see the guy being ever so courteous and carrying her around; if you had let her walk around on her own we would've labeled you as a jerk long before."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes at the senior before shrugging, "Whatever…"
A senior stepped over and reached up and felt Temari's forehead as he asked, "By the way, how are you feeling? Do you still have your cold?"
Temari leaned her head back away from the senior's hand as she frowned, "I feel fine now… a little better than last time."
Kiba overheard before he smiled and added, "Must be because they were cuddling up before we even got here; stocked up on body heat."
The seniors whistled as the grinned and slapped the two on their backs exclaiming, "Well good for you two! Finally things are getting serious between you guys! Just wait until the head senior hears this, it'll be good news for him-"
Temari blushed angrily as she opened her mouth to shout a stingy reply when Shikamaru stopped her with a look.
"Don't. It's pointless; the seniors are just being immature about it. And if we start denying it, they'll just say we're liars."
Temari gave him a look of surprise as she responded, "But… they…! So you're just going to let them slide off like that? They're going to tell the head senior as if we're starting to date-"
Shikamaru sighed as he shook his head, "God… I'm so tired of trying to prove them wrong that there is nothing between us. Just let them believe their little fantasy pairing, it'll never stop no matter what you and I say about it."
Yamato and Kiba walked up to the two as the teacher planted his hands on his hips and smiled a tired smile, "Alright, you two ready to shove off?"
Kiba grinned at Shikamaru as he teased, "Of course they are, he seems prepared enough already."
He glared at Kiba before warning, "Shut up Kiba."
Akamaru bounded all around their legs barking and panting before stopping to lick Temari's shoes. She looked down at the dog with a frown, "How does that not taste bad!? Why do you lick everything?"
Kiba laughed as he ruffled the fur on his dog with a smile as he responded for him, "Oh, he's just full of love that's why. Isn't that right boy?"
The beloved companion barked and nuzzled Kiba's open hand before following him as they started gathering their belongings and preparing to head off back out of the forest, with Shikamaru and Temari following closely behind. Finally, they'd get out of this cursed forest…
2 Hours into the march out…
He misjudged it again. He slipped in the mud and cursed as he almost toppled over and sent Temari sprawling. When he straightened himself and regained his balance he sighed, "Holy sh*t that was close…"
Temari relaxed once again his grasp as she bitterly responded, "Too close! That tree was about to hit me in the face! God, I think it's more hazardous to be on your back rather than walking on my own!" Shikamaru said nothing as he continued to walk on, the same groaning and muttering of curses came from the seniors all around them as they marched through the mud in a sluggishly slow manner; mud caking their ankles with each footstep. Shikamaru's arms ached from carrying Temari for so long and his legs felt painfully numb from walking for so long. They had taken brief breaks every now and then to catch their breaths and rest, but even that wasn't enough for all of them. The only ones who seemed to be gracing through the walk was Kiba and Akamaru – who were currently loping around howling and stomping through mud without as much as a single slip. The growing pain his shoulder reminded him once again of the entire obstacle course and what it winded him up in and he once again felt bitter with himself. If only he had caught her before she stepped on the oil. If only he found her sooner last night. If only he had given her blanket that night to stay warm. If only there was medicine on the emergency kit to give her. If only… if only…
"Are you okay Shikamaru?"
Temari propped her chin on his shoulder to peer at his face with a hint of concern, her hands squeezing his shoulders gently to bring about his attention back to her.
"Huh? Oh uh, yeah… just fine."
"You sure? Your shoulder seems to be bothering you again…"
"I'll live. It's not something I can't man up to."
Temari sighed as she kept her chin propped on his shoulder, "But I feel so bad letting you carry me. Because then you get so exhausted with all this effort when I can just walk on my own without the expense of your energy and time. You should've just let me walk..."
"No, if I let you walk, then I really would be the jerk. Letting you walk was out of the question anyway; you couldn't take one step without collapsing in pain. And don't worry, this isn't so bad…"
Shikamaru trailed off as he struggled to pull his foot loose from the mud that came back out with an ugly sucking noise as the mud reluctantly gave his foot back.
"…though this mud is making things a whole lot harder."
A senior next to him slipped and actually fell in the mud, rising back up with mud smeared everywhere as he cursed, "F*ck it!"
Temari tightened her arms around his neck and muttered in his ear, "Hopefully we don't end up like that senior there…"
Yamato watched Kiba and Akamaru scatter around the group in cheerful yells and laughing as the dog barked and chased after Kiba, who was laughing and taunting his dog to catch him. Yamato finally sighed before shouting to the two, "Alright, I've had enough. Watching you run around like your dog is reminding me of a weird romance drama only except one of you is a male dog. Can you stop running around and laughing and just get us out of the forest in quiet peace?"
Kiba laughed as he disappointedly replied, "Aww…! But then what's the fun of that? Akamaru and I were just exercising around a bit! No harm in that is there?"
Yamato sighed and Kiba smiled as he shook his head, "Alright, alright, I'll stop. But let me see here…"
He looked around the trees and thoughtfully scanned the landscape around them, then he stood there tapping his chin as he stated, "I'd say by how the trees seem to be thinning out in this area, we're not that far from the exit… maybe an hour or so more?"
Akamaru barked, as if to confirm Kiba's estimation, as Yamato groaned, "An hour? Good lord…"
Shikamaru shook his head as he sighed in submission, 'Oh well… guess I better deal with it for an hour more… what a pain…'
1 hour later…
"I lost again!? How is this possible!?"
Sai threw down his cards in disbelief as Ino smiled and held out a delicately manicured hand as she beckoned, "Alright now head senior, cough it up like a man and don't whine about it. I won fair and square."
"No! This must be some kind of witch craft; how can YOU be this good at card games!? It's almost insane!"
Begrudgingly he opened his wallet and fished out fifty dollars and slapped them in her hand with a shake of his head, "Unbelievably impossible!"
The seniors around him laughed as they speculated, "Well if you hadn't have taken the bet with her, you wouldn't have taken this defeat so badly Sai."
Sai crossed his arms as he sighed, "Then I've learned my lesson; remind me to never take up any kind one of her bets."
Ino tucked the money away as she sat back smiling as she declared, "Now, who's next to challenge my skills?"
Suddenly there was faint barking that ringed clear and true in Ino's sharp ears as she brightened and tossed the cards in her hands to one side in a shower of aces and clubs.
"They're back!"
The medical seniors turned to look to Sai for instructions as he sat there stunned for a few seconds before jumping up after her while ordering, "Get prepared for duty!"
The medical seniors gathered their supplies together and split in two groups – one headed off into the other tent to situate everything while the other half went to meet the incoming search group and the missing juniors. Ino sped down the field just in time to see Akamaru bounding out of the forest speeding towards her with a happy bark. She opened her arms to the loving dog as she bent down on one knee to accept a sloppy wet kiss on her face.
"Aww…! I missed you too Aka~!"
"'Aka'? Good God, don't give my dog nicknames Ino!"
Kiba came out shortly after as he smugly stood next to his dog as she raised her eyebrows to him, "Well…?"
He jerked a thumb behind him.
"Oh don't worry, I found them alright. They're back there, a bit slow, but they're coming."
Ino threw her arms around Kiba, much to his surprise, as she squealed, "You're the best Kiba!"
Then she dashed away heading towards the forest, "I can't wait to see those two little suckers!"
Akamaru barked and ran after her as Kiba shook his head, "I swear that dog is just stuck on her like glue…!"
Ino drew closer to the forest when she stopped just before the tree line. Her jaw dropped ever so slightly in pleasant surprise as she clapped her hands and beamed, "OH MY GOD! YES!"
She came charging forward just as Shikamaru staggered onto the open field with Temari on his back; he stood there panting and sighing at the sight of Ino running up to him.
"Oh God…"
Temari patted him on the shoulder as sympathetically as she could, "You just keep quiet, I'll do the talking for you."
"Thanks…?"
Ino ran up to the two as she jumped in a ring around them as she squealed, "Oh my God, what did I tell you Temari?! That you two would get together before the end of the year – that bet is soooo in the bag for me!"
Temari glared at her sourly as she retorted, "Just because Shikamaru was nice enough to carry me all the way back on that cursed three hour trek doesn't mean we're in love-"
"Sure it does! Maybe not for you, but it's highly possible that Shikamaru is slowly warming up to you! He NEVER has done anything like this before for other girls! Not even for me, and I'm like one of his best friends since childhood along with Choji! He's being extremely kind towards you Temari, and you better be grateful for it and appreciate all he goes through for you!" She poked her on the shoulder as she grinned maliciously, "Otherwise I will screw up your life."
"Alright, back off Ino, we're all tired so can you please stop chattering like an annoying squirrel?"
Ino gave Shikamaru a look of shock, "I am NOT squirrel!"
The medical team came down just in time to stop her from rattling on about their relationship as the seniors slipped Temari off his shoulders and carried her off into the tent – the other seniors aided Shikamaru to stagger his way back to the tent with the other exhausted seniors for recuperation. The head senior came out to meet them just as they came near the tent entrance, "Thank goodness you two were found! I was beginning to worry that you two were lost forever!"
Ino snickered as she leaned towards Shikamaru whispering, "He wasn't that worried; he was too busy worrying about the fifty bucks he put at stake when we were playing a game of cards as we waited for you guys to come back."
Shikamaru sighed as he shook his head, allowing himself to be driven by the fussing seniors into the tent to rest. Inside, the other half of the team had already started on examining Temari. While a senior handed her some medicine to take, the other seniors worked on pulling away the crude bandage on her ankle to examine the injured foot. The other seniors pulled Shikamaru to the other side of the tent and immediately shoved a pair of clothes in his hands. He eyed the clothes before looking up at the seniors to ask, "Okay… is this for me to change in?"
They nodded and he set them to one side to start peeling off his shirt when he stopped himself. The seniors stayed there waiting for him to start changing his clothes, a dirty smile of perverted intent on their faces as they waved to him to continue.
"Go on, we won't do anything."
"It's not what you're going to do isn't the thing that's bothering me; what you're going to see is what's bothering me. Can I have some privacy please?"
The girl seniors giggled and replied, "Aww come on! What's the fun in that? Let's see how hot the juniors say you are!"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes before glaring at the male seniors.
"Okay, now why are YOU guys here?!"
A senior pulled out his smart phone in response as he tapped the camera app with a grin, "Isn't it obvious? I can take a picture of you and in your delicious body and sell it to the juniors to big cash and-"
Shikamaru heard enough already. He grabbed the change of clothes and left the tent to enter the other tent, a bit sour as he entered inside to the quiet tent with the head senior.
"Oh, hello Nara. Did you need something?"
"No. Wait. Yes I do; can I change my clothes in here? The seniors over there are being really sh*tty and crap and I can't stand to do it there."
Sai raised his eyebrows, but decided to question his seniors later, before gesturing with open hands, "Be my guest."
Shikamaru thankfully went to the side and took off his shirt, and donned the new one before moving on to change out of his muddy jeans. Sai sat there watching him with a pen in between his fingers as he asked, "So… how is it between you and Subaku?"
Shikamaru frowned as he slipped one leg into the new pair of jeans, "Uh… who?"
"Temari."
"Oh her, nothing big really. Just keeping on mutual terms as acquaintances."
Sai raised his eyebrows at his words as he asked, "So you two aren't friends?"
Shikamaru shrugged as he pulled on his pants.
"I don't know… I guess you could say we are?"
Sai stood and smiled and shook his head as he mumbled, "That'll quickly change then…"
"Pardon?"
"Nothing, why don't you go back to your partner? And while you're at it, give your dirty clothes to the seniors; they'll deal with it for you."
Shikamaru frowned as the head senior turned back to his laptop; the smug smile on his face stirring up his insides as he walked out of the tent with the dirty clothes in his arms as he walked back to the other tent. He wasn't sure what the head senior was implying, but hopefully nothing new…
He entered the tent and was stunned to see that Kiba and Ino had stayed in the tent with Temari while he was out changing his clothes; currently at the moment, Kiba was arguing with Ino, much to Temari's dismay. She immediately noticed Shikamaru and mouthed to him, "HELP ME."
"…well I think that Temari will be the one to confess!"
Kiba snorted as he shook his head smiling, "Nah, I'd say it'd be Shikamaru. He figures things out quickly before anyone and he'll find out that he loves Temari before she discovers she loves him and he'll be the one to confess. It's a guy thing, guys always confess first."
Ino laughed as she glared at Kiba, "I think you got it switched around; GIRLS are the one to confess first you idiot. Temari will confess first since Shikamaru is usually shy when it comes to confessions, he was never good at them in the first place anyway."
"Oh come on, that one girl he liked when he was younger? He was the one to confess, not her."
"That was different! This is something new; Temari was practically BORN to be Shikamaru's partner, and so that way, Temari will be the first to confess-"
Shikamaru quickly came over before handing off his dirty clothes to a passing senior as he approached the bickering pair as pronounced, "Alright, seriously now. I think you guys should leave the tent, Temari needs to rest and with you guys sitting next to her blabbering about the impossible possibility of us dating is enough to make all our ears bleed. Please be considerate and leave."
Kiba frowned at Shikamaru as Ino crossed her arms snorting, "Pssh, no way! I'm not leaving until I know where you two are going next, I've got to know what's going on here."
Kiba rolled his eyes as he replied, "Yeah, so you can drag me with you to stalk them…"
"Shut up Kiba!"
"Guys, just leave. Take it outside at least; you're giving Temari a headache."
Ino glared at the two boys before huffing and standing to grab Kiba's arm and dragged him out of the tent as she shouted over her shoulder, "Fine then Nara! I'll leave, but I expect you two to have some sort of a relationship soon! I could care less about who confessed first; just do it and do it right one of you!"
Temari sighed as she dropped her head in her hands as she mumbled, "Good God, that isn't going to happen-"
"Bye guys! See you later!"
Ino grabbed Kiba by the arm once again as she dragged him out of the tent and beckoned for the obedient Akamaru who was sitting outside of the tent to follow them. Shikamaru watched them leave, his hands slipping into his pockets as he shrugged.
"Alright… they're gone."
Temari flopped back against the pillows of the bed as she groaned with one arm tossed over her eyes.
"Urgh… thank God they did. I thought I would've smacked their heads together if they said one more freaking word about confessions."
He shrugged again, letting the awkward silence settle in – again. Temari sighed before she moved her arm from her eyes and turned to look at Shikamaru.
"So… how are you?"
"I'm fine. You?"
"Better than ever. I really don't need the rest; we're wasting time by me resting…"
"Take the time you need to rest. I'd rather have you up and alert rather than stumbling around tired and exhausted."
"Gee, thanks."
After throwing back a dry response, Temari sighed as she moaned, "This is getting to be too long… that obstacle course was really crappy. I wonder what's next?"
Shikamaru shrugged again, "Probably something short and sweet. I heard from the seniors that the head senior was planning to give us just one more challenge and end our game there since we went through a bunch of sh*t in the obstacle course. I heard that it's going to be 'good', which is bad in our terms…"
Temari didn't respond; she simply blinked as she mumbled, "Ah… that can't be good."
Shikamaru stood watching her as she yawned and stretched in bed, her yawn dying as she rubbed her eyes and pulled the bed sheets up to her neck.
"Listen, I'm going to take a quick shut eye so you can go tell the seniors you know…"
"Sure."
Shikamaru stayed there staring at her as she nodded sleepily and turned with her back facing him as she drifted off into a steady slumber; it only took her a few minutes to finally settle into deep sleep. He stood next to her bed and stood there watching her sleep, always amazed at how perfectly still she was, she didn't toss and turn when she slept… his hand played with a twist of her blond hair, fingering the ends before letting it fall back against her face. He sighed and turned around and back out of the tent, knowing all too well what would cross his mind if he stayed any longer.
Tsunade crossed her arms across her chest as she nodded angrily, "And what have you to say about yourself?"
Sai, who stood behind her desk with his head down, mumbled back, "That I was foolishly upon the fact that I didn't prepare for the predictable and caused the difficult situation to arise that resulted in an injured and sick junior and the other dreadfully exhausted."
"That's right. And what are you going to do in compensation for their time, efforts, and trouble in taking part of your silly research game?"
"Give them one last challenge and end their game from there."
"Good. Now I expect this to happen and I want them off school grounds when the last fireworks goes off tonight, if you don't manage it by then, I'm going to have to reconsider allowing you to pass on your research to the to-be seniors for next year's festival. Do I make myself clear?"
Sai nodded glumly as Tsunade nodded and sat back as she waved him aside, "Now leave my office, I have of work to catch up on…"
Sai stiffly left the office as he met up with the seniors who were waiting outside. Once they saw him exit the office, they hurried up to him and asked, "Well? How did it go?"
"Better than I expected. I thought she'd make me pull them out of the game immediately but she said she'd let me give them one more challenge before taking them out of the game…"
One of the seniors frowned as she asked, "Wait, but your relationship pathways, if they can only take on more, that ruins the entire process-"
"Not necessarily."
The seniors eyed Sai as he cracked a smile.
"The only one I need was the one I was saving for last. I'll let them take that one and then I should get all the data I need. There wasn't too much damage done to the plans we had since Tsunade cut down on their challenges. Besides, I was considering to let them just take the last one since it's the last day of the festival anyway. No harm done."
The seniors shared a look before Sai smiled and sauntered away waving behind him as he ordered, "Now prepare for their last challenge, and make sure they get there in the next ten minutes."
The seniors goggled at Sai as they stammered, "T-Ten minutes!? But that's barely enough time for the-"
"GET TO IT."
The seniors sighed as Sai chirpily walked away, smiling and satisfied that he wasn't punished and that his plans were going to get along just fine…
A hand… a smile… a laugh. But yet it all seemed so… so sad. Why…? Why…?
Shikamaru was jolted awake from his bewildering dream by a rough hand on his shoulder; he blinked blearily around before settling his gaze over to Temari, who sat up in bed with a sour frown on her face.
"Geez, who would've thought you'd sleep sitting next to my bed? Anyway, get up; the seniors have to take us to our last challenge." Shikamaru rubbed the grit from his eyes as he yawned, sitting up in his seat stretching he sighed.
"Really? Last challenge? I thought there'd be more…"
Temari shrugged.
"Apparently we're made an exception."
"Hmm…"
A senior poked her head in the tent as she beckoned to the two with a finger, "Come on you lazy bums! Get up and at 'em! We're about to head out!"
Temari dropped her face in her hands as she moaned, "Whaaat?! Now I'm being called a lazy bum like you!? This is crazy…!"
Shikamaru smirked and poked her on the head as he walked off, "Pfft, get over it. You're nowhere near my level of laziness anyway."
Temari glared at him as she threw off the covers and followed after him with a growl, "Since when was being lazy a good thing? I mean, it's not like you deserve a trophy for it or anything."
Shikamaru shot her a genuine smile as he laughed, "Say whatever you want and believe in whatever you want to believe Tem."
Temari smacked him on the arm as she snarled, "Don't call me TEM!"
The seniors sighed as the two began bickering once again sourly behind them, the senior turned to her friend as she muttered, "Holy crap, it's going to be another long walk…"
I hope it was okay, I apologize for any grammar issues or such and such, or even if it was really lacking the usual taste in the writing, I promise that Chapter 10 will be interesting for everyone. So I'll work on getting that out. Thank you all for being ever so patient and wonderful people! Thank you and see you guys in Chapter 10!
