Chapter 11: No Trouble At All
The speed training came in handy, and he dodged the initial barrage of weaponry she threw at him with only his clothes getting ripped to shreds. It also helped him chase her when she burst out of the door and ran.
He was giving himself a deliberate handicap by not using his clan technique, although he knew she would misinterpret it either way. If he trapped her in a shadow possession, he was being controlling. If he didn't, it meant he considered her weak. This was why he avoided dealings with women like the plague. There was no right answer with them.
It took him a few more seconds to realize he was following a clone. 'Of course. Why would she leave her own fortress?' Shikamaru retraced his steps, and came, as expected, upon the weapons hold now so thickly laid with traps that it was impossible for him to approach. Kage mane jutsu was useless here, since she'd hidden the trap sets from his view and he couldn't manipulate her to disarm them from where she stood. None of the other variations of the jutsu would work, either.
An impasse? He looked at her as she watched him from the door.
"Just talk," Tenten said quietly. "I'll listen."
And because of that simple statement, he was sure of it now.
"I love you."
His voice was steady, clear, but soft. He'd never said such a thing before to anyone.
She had erased all traces of weeping, she was a strong ninja after all, but at his words she blinked, and a sudden, traitorous droplet trickled down her face. Tenten paid it no heed, instead focusing on the boy who stood before her.
"Your timing could be better." She didn't want to be petty, but she had to point it out.
"I'm not telling you this so I could avoid the exam duties," he tried not to sound defensive, or glib, or plain stupid, "I've had feelings for you for months now, and it never seemed the right time, and I could never tell if you were interested."
It sounded like lame excuses, even to his ears.
"I don't think straight when it comes to you," he confessed helplessly.
He was stunned to taste salty liquid on his lips. Gads, she had turned the shadow technique around on him, she somehow had him mimicking her tears! He preferred to believe this rather than admit the fact that he truly was an emotional guy. He hoped she would wipe her face soon so he could mirror the gesture.
They stared at each other, both trying not to sniffle, until Tenten made her decision.
"That's not good," she finally laughed a little, and stepped across the traps carelessly, to his horror. The wires collapsed onto the grass, harmless duds, set up as a sham.
Shikamaru realized then that Tenten's aim was as good as ever, and he had survived the kunai bombardment earlier by her hand alone. It had all been an act. She would never hurt him--
She grasped him by the shoulders and shook him until he rattled.
"I do that to shake sense into Lee sometimes," she let go and he crumpled to the ground, "Are you thinking straight now?"
"Troublesome," he croaked faintly.
"Yes," she agreed, crouching beside him. She sighed, Nara-style, and said somberly, "I'm not your average girl, Shikamaru, who'll agree to settle down and have a couple of kids with you. I'm on one of the heaviest strike forces of Konoha, and my kill count is higher than any rookie's. It's my goal to make Chuunin, then Jounin, and Gai says I can go for ANBU if I set my sights on it, although he warns me about the emotional cost."
She looked at him with those soft eyes, and one would think she was pouring her heart out to him as well. "I have dreams and hopes, and even if I'm not a genius, I'm going to work towards them." She reached out and gently rubbed the tears from his face with a callused hand.
"Is that a no?" Shikamaru asked, confused. He had a perfect view of the evening sky and the crescent moon overhead, but all he cared to see was the shadowy profile of a bun-haired girl, whose steady gaze and open smile had laid him without a defense or counterattack from the moment of their first mission together.
"Only if you want it to be," Tenten said sadly. "I'm just saying I'm not your ideal. It might not work out between us."
They sat in silence for a while.
"I need to know, at least," Shikamaru couldn't let it go till he'd confirmed something. "Do you like me?"
She hesitantly offered her palm, and he cautiously intertwined his fingers with hers.
"I do." She stared at their hands. Her voice was low, almost a whisper. "Very much, I think. But I'm going to stop if I need to. We can just be friends."
Shikamaru's chest tightened at her words. Obviously she didn't love him the way he did her. He felt like he would die if he had to stop loving her. He wanted to shake her in turn, make her see what she did to him.
If he hadn't seen the way she was crying earlier, when she'd thought she was alone, Shikamaru would be tempted to believe her completely. He understood, though, that Tenten repressed things and guarded her feelings closely. While physically affectionate, and projecting a likable veneer, there were places she allowed no one to reach. She was telling him she could let him in, but he would have to work for it.
"That's—" she continued to stare at their hands, ready for his usual judgment, "the least troublesome thing I've heard of today."
Her startled gaze met his, and he gave her a warm smile, as warm as he could manage after being nearly shaken to bits.
"It sounds like we have a long time to find a way to work things out together," he said.
Her smile was as tremulous as his, but it didn't matter since her face was snuggled against his collar.
