Part Ten: What of the Mind
"More!" shouted Arcin, lifting her bowl up.
"Miss, we're out," said the man behind the counter, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Agh! You guys can't run out of Raman! This is a Raman stand, isn't it?!" she snapped.
"Out of Raman? Oh, man…" Naruto had appeared and was holding his stomach, which was growling. "That's not fair…"
"How troublesome…"
"I know that voice!" Arcin shouted, leaning back. "Show your face!"
Shikamaru sighed and looked at her. "Hello, again."
She narrowed her eyes. "Nara Shikamaru, right?"
He nodded. "Arcin?"
"Believe it!"
"That's my line!" snapped Naruto.
She rolled her eyes. "What're you doing here?"
"Hoping to get a hot meal," said Shikamaru, "but it appears you beat us to it."
"Sorry Naruto, we're closed," said the Raman man. "She ate us out of house-and-home…that reminds me…here's your bill."
Arcin sneered at the piece of paper and waved it off. "If I don't get my fill, I'm not paying."
"Are you insane?!" the man screamed. "You just ate our entire stock of Raman!"
She waved a hand at him and said, "I'm not full. If you want me to pay, I want more to eat." She slammed her hands on the bench and shouted, "I demand customer satisfaction!"
Naruto groaned, his stomach rumbling. "She's right…you should have more Raman in stock if that's all it takes for you to go out…"
"She had fifteen bowls!" shouted the man. "Plus the others that were here before her!"
The girl lifted her bowl and swirled it around, demanding, "More Raman!"
Shikamaru sighed, looking the girl over. Even though she had eaten so much, she hardly looked to have gained any weight at all.
"Maybe you should just pay the bill," said Shikamaru. "We can go somewhere else and get Raman."
"But this place had the best!" Naruto groaned. "The best!"
"You'll just have to suffer."
She growled, but agreed, and pulled out her wallet, glanced at the bill, and without flinching, she shoved a couple of bills onto the table. "There, keep the change, I guess."
They took the money, glowering at her.
Arcin sighed and stood up. She stretched and looked at the two boys, who were staring at her blankly. "What?"
"You just paid for all of that without batting an eye," said Naruto.
"He's right," Shikamaru added, "don't you have any concern on how much you spend?"
"I need a lot to keep myself going," she replied, and as if to back her up, her stomach gave off a growl. "Come on; let's find something else to eat…"
Half way through the meal at the newly found Raman Stand, Naruto gave in and stopped eating. He paid the Raman man and left, waving bye to Shikamaru and giving the girl horrified eyes. "I've never met a girl who could out-eat me."
She grinned through her Raman and said, "That's fine. I've yet to meet anyone who can out-eat me and not die."
"You should meet Chouji," said Shikamaru softly. "You two would get along great."
She shrugged and demanded another bowl.
"Well, good luck at the competition," said Naruto, and he was gone.
Shikamaru sighed. "That's right. The competition is only in a few weeks…have you trained at all?"
"Why the hell do you think I'm so hungry?" she demanded as she began to slurp on her new bowl. "I'm so ready!"
"Who do you fight again?"
"Mm…Rena, or something like that," she replied through bites. "But whatever. She's can't beat me."
"How do you know?"
"I just do," she replied with a shrug.
After nearly ten more minutes, Arcin decided she was full and paid the man. "That was great!" she sighed as they walked down the street. "But not as good as the Raman at home. They make it extra hot!"
Shikamaru smiled and put his hands into his pockets. "So, have you given up on Neji?"
She shrugged. "Probably, since I haven't seen him around…ah, well. Life's too short to waste looking at guys who never see you."
Shikamaru shook his head. "It's so bothersome to find anyone these days."
"Who knows," she replied.
"Do you play games?"
"Sure."
"Like what?"
"Mm…I like Go and Shogi," she replied. "And I like backgammon, solitaire, hearts…the list goes on forever."
Shikamaru smirked. "Wanna play some Shogi?"
"If you're ready to lose!"
"I've never lost a game," he replied.
"Neither have I," she grinned and they headed off.
Once they had found a board and hourglass, they began.
"You can have the first move," she said, crossing her legs on her seat.
"Ladies first."
"No way."
"I never thought you'd be so generous."
She winked, "The first move is cursed."
He shook his head. "What nonsense…" and he moved his piece.
Fifty minutes later, it was her turn, and she was leaned over the board, her eyes examining all of the pieces. She had never played anyone this good before. "Hmmm…"
He smiled. He could see a counter-move, but it was so well hidden that he doubted she would see it…
She lifted a piece and moved it, and Shikamaru sighed. "You saw it…"
"Of course," she smiled and said, "Sharp eyes."
He leaned back and examined the board, but was too stumped to make any moves. He placed his hands together and closed his eyes, as he often did to come up with a solution to a problem.
His eyes opened slowly and he moved a piece. "I believe that's checkmate."
She smiled.
He sighed. "You saw it, didn't you?"
"Before I even made the move," she laughed and said, "but you left the path open, knowing I would take it, didn't you? You cornered me."
He nodded.
She lifted the last piece that had been played and examined it. "This is the first piece you moved."
"I guess the first move isn't cursed, then," he replied.
"Well, either way," she tucked the piece into her pocket. "It's bad to steal, but if I'm taking good-luck, then it should cancel itself out, and I'll have enough luck left over to do well in the exams."
"I thought you said you weren't worried about them?"
"I'm not," she winked. "I'm strong, and I know that I'm stronger than my opponent."
"How so?"
She stood up and brushed herself off. "Unlike her, I can't die. Anyways, it was a good game. We'll have to play again sometime." She bowed and left.
Shikamaru looked back at the board and frowned. The girl was good, he wouldn't give her grief about that…but still, board games didn't relate to real life all the time.