Kami-sama, this story is more than halfway but I've just recently uploaded. Oh well.
A ShikaTema story
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Pride is so hard to Swallow II
By Veiledlantern
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"Oe you! are you going to stand there and daydream forever"
Shikamaru nearly fell flat on the floor with his face.
"Tch, its you. So you're the Suna nin that I'm going to work with?"
"So what if? You're going to pull off that man-woman thing on me again?" Temari walked forward to meet Shikamaru with a playful, teasing glint in her eyes.
/Suited best for the mission? Hah! Is Konoha that really short on manpower/ Temari put a hand on her hips and sighed in frustration. No wonder Gaara didnt tell her about it because she would have to ask Kankurou to do the mission instead. They eyed each other for a while.
He snorted. "How troublesome"
She raised her brows in amusement. Not that she really minded anyway. The last mission with him went well, when she helped him defeating one of the Sound Four. She smiled deviously. And its quite thrilling seeing his pride trampled like that.
Shikamaru merely looked at the woman beside him, eyeing her with beads of perspiration on his face /Scary.../
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Its been half of the day already, since they met on the crossroad. Both were not that much of a talker anyway, so its generally silent on the whole travel, except from some comments and attempts on conversation from Temari. Shikamaru is too lazy to speak, complaining about almost everything, even how bothersome it is to talk, though he throws off occasional replies on some of Temari's jabber. And besides, its going to be more troublesome when she got pissed of.
"So do you have any ideas of what are we going to do first?" Temari turns to her right to face Shikamaru jumping on the tree alongside with her.
"You're also good on tactics, why would you ask my opinion first even though you have something in your mind already?"
"Oh, come on. Don't make this hard for the both of us. Just think of what we are going to do"
Shikamaru sighed. He knows that the blond Sand kunoichi is good on this herself, but why would she bother to make him think about it?
/Its not that I'm relying on a woman, but she's also a ninja and an intelligent one for that, why should I waste my time thinking while knowing that she would eventually force me to her decision anyway. And I don't want to argue with her. Its too troublesome. / Yes, he acknowledges her skill and wit. But of course he never plans of telling her. It would just admit defeat and surrender in his part. He looked at her sideways before forcing himself to speak again.
"Stay at my back as we travel, most likely I will be the one who's going to be attacked first. You could hit at a long distance so if we would encounter any rogue nin, you are ready to do the offensive. I'll be keeping an eye as the front man, and I'll apprehend any on-behind attacks by my Kagemane no Jutsu. When we arrive, well let's stay at the village to snoop around, maybe we could find more information than we have on the thing. And since it's the end of the year, they might be quite busy with the occasion. People would crowd outside. We could use that time to sneak in, pretend as tourists, and spy for information. Lets just discuss the details when we arrive at the town"
To his surprise, Temari merely nodded on his plan, never bothering to slow down. Maybe he don't know much of her to predict her actions.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
-Sugoi-
That was all Temari had in mind when she saw the bright colored designs and the multi colored lights and lanterns lit with dancing lights from the remnants of Christmas not removed to extend the holidays till New Year. In Suna, families don't bother much on hanging out bright lights and decorations and such on holidays such as this. It would just be destroyed by the sandstorm. People here surely knows how to enjoy themselves on special occasions.
Shikamaru is struck as well. He expected this village to be enthusiastic on celebrating holidays. He had learned of it from gathering information before going to the mission. He noted the big lanterns and lots of blinking lights on almost every window. And the blatant noise of music from random house flooding the streets.
/Much too enthusiastic I suppose/ of course Konoha bothers to decorate in the holidays too, but not as flamboyant as this. In Konoha, they set up fanfares for the occasion, booths, and traditional dresses. Now that he notices it, he thinks he doesn't want to know what would happen on New Year's Eve tomorrow. Especially when they were doing the mission at the very time the streets would explode in arrays of light and noises.
The pair walked to the fancy and well decorated street, with their heads turning from either side, taking in their eyes the gaiety of the surroundings. But Shikamaru also noticed the dark figure on his far left before it quickly dissolved in the alleyway. He pretended to see nothing and just continue his walking beside Temari.
Earlier on, they had removed their hitai-ate and had tucked their weapons inside their traveling bags to avoid attention so that they could easily blend with civilians. Well, on Temari's case, they wrapped her fan in a cloth in a way that she's just carrying a musical instrument. It wont hurt being careful. But still its too much to act as a couple. So they agreed they wont.
Shikamaru sighed. Its getting more boring and pointless, choosing a hotel to stay. They should have go in the nearest one. He glanced at Temari sensing that she had made up her mind on which place to stay. He followed her to the reception desk.
"Welcome to Mandarin Hotel sir, how may I help you?" The lady on the table greeted the pair in sweet, accommodating voice.
"Just give us two rooms please" Shikamaru simply asked. He's already eyeing the hallway.
"Ara? two rooms? You don't want to room with your girlfriend?" That came out wrong, the girl gasped. The two looked at her with guarded expression. She quickly grinned an apology,
/It seems that they haven't been together yet, but I sense electricity in them. They sure make an interesting couple/
She wrote something on her pad and gave them the keys.
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"Maa... what a troublesome thing"
"Would you stop saying that for even half a day? It would spare me great deal if you would just stop complaining for a while"
Temari grimacing flopped herself on the bed. Both of them didn't appreciate the way the girl at the reception assumed them to be. And besides, it's not her place to meddle. AND its not like that they're being defensive and all...
They have decided to continue planning in Temari's room. Shikamaru is currently sitting on the wooden chain with his back on the window. Seated with the chair facing him, his arms resting on the head of the wooden support.
Shikamaru sighed and rest his chins on the head of the chair's back support then lifted his left arm to scratch his head.
"Che, how troublesome. The information we've got is not satisfying at all. Nobody even pointed as to where does the clan lives."
Shikamaru stopped whining when he felt the reprimanding burning glare Temari on him of and faced the opposite wall. He immediately shifted to the more practical conversation.
"We had finished investigating around, and its past dinner. The travel had consumed most of our time, and we haven't eaten yet." Shikamaru laid down their current disposition in a matter of fact way.
"But we since still have time spent in the night, after our dinner I will go out and have a look out. We have gathered a little information earlier plus the information that our Kages had given. Ideally, we should finish this tomorrow and return by the next day."
Temari merely listen to Shikamaru laying down their plans, half-listening to what he's saying. Its not that she's going to eagerly submit to that guy. Its because something about this is mission is bothering her. It has a feeling that there is something amiss, she just can't point what it is.
But suddenly, Shikamaru stopped speaking and stood up abruptly, his face passive. Temari looked up. He approached the door and started opening it up.
"Hoy Shikamaru! what do you think you are doing! You're not planning to do this alone yourself aren't you?" She stood up.
Shikamaru sighed a long suffering sigh. "Im going to eat dinner. Are you coming or not?"
"Hmph" Temari make a face, but followed Shikamaru outside anyway.
It was seconds after that a bird flew out of its perch from the window.
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The somberness of night is intensified by the lack of lighting in the room. A man is seated on a cushion on the center of the room with two people seating a little farther on the back to his left. The lighting increased only when the door slide open to allow the wan moonlight stream inside. 2 people entered and bowed at their Lord.
"Houkei-sama, we had discovered that there are people looking for information about us"
"Who could it be then? An Inuzuka hopefully?" The man on the left inquired.
"I don't know Oshio-sama. But from the looks of them, it seems like they are ninjas.
"Ho….? Is Konoha is starting to be on our tail? It seems that they are trying to learn some information about our plans." A seedy man on the right shrewdly replied.
"So, they have not discovered our plan yet. Hmm…." Houkei, the head of the Toriyama family scratch his chin in thought. "But it would have been better if they sent an Inuzuka here. It would be easy to spark uneasiness between villages if we have managed to kill one."
Houkei-sama continued "But these little pests does not need any attention. How many are they, Kintaro?"
"Two. A boy and a girl. Both on teenage years." The man in question replied
The seedy man, Takamura chuckled at that. "Brats? the Hokage sent for brats? Much less restrain an Inuzuka to come here? Is she insulting the strength of our clan?"
"We have to show them that the wings of the Toriyama should not be taken lightly then. Morita! Shiro! Kumaki!" Three figures slipped inside the room to appear in front of their Lord stooping down.
"Bring the spies here, alive. I have some questions waiting for them
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The food was good.
Yes its good, she's almost surprised because it is so. Different quality and different palate of taste from what she's used on eating but nonetheless, good. She reached out for more eggplant. She never thought that adding cheese, tomato sauce and ground beef in an eggplant would taste awfully delectable like this. Then she added it at the colored rice... what's it called? and continue to eat.
Shikamaru observe Temari's continuous attack at the eggplant, a delicacy of who knows what name is. Its too troublesome to know anyway. As long as the food is good he don't bother learning what kind of food it is. He had noticed is that she eats like a moderate male ninja. And she doesn't look like a stick like the other girls do thinking that it looks sexy
and could impress every guy in their bodice.
/AND, this is absolutely NOT a date, how much good the celebrating air might be, regardless we were a boy and a girl eating together in a restaurant, and WHAT AM I THINKING! This guy is absolutely not my type, is a great sexist, and he has not even half the looks the Uchiha had except he has a very impressive intelligence./ Temari studied the guy in front of her. He's wearing a pair of silver earring. Well, at least the earrings don't look that bad. Has pointy, brown hair, scrawny, and always wearing that intense eyes of his that could be bored, annoyed, serious or laid-back.
/But he's a nice guy, nonetheless/ And she agreed on that thought
Meanwhile, Shikamaru is having a private war on himself trying not to show that he's being fazed by Temari's study of him. He tried to concentrate on the matters at hand. With his weapon, a spoon and a fork, he continues his life or death mission. On eating.
/Taku, she's being weird again. Didn't she know that is bothersome for me? Naruto is a better companion in eating than her, even though he does not have manners and won't shut up, at least he's not being weird and has that crazy mood like this girl."/ And that reminded him of his mother in which he involuntary shuddered.
/Girls are so troublesome indeed./ He prepared to stand up
"Hey, where are you going? I'm still finishing my meal And you haven't finished yours yet!" Temari pointed at his plate that have at least a quarter of rice on it still and shoot a glare at the standing Chuunin.
"We dont have all day eating and I have no time waiting for you forever, why do girls took time in eating anyway"?"
/And besides/ he added in his thought /I don't want to be full when doing the mission. I have to do this alone tonight. I can't risk the secrecy of the mission. Plus, I have no chance to tell her, they're almost everywhere. And, If I'm going to tell her that I'll be spying tonight she'll insist of coming with me. So its better that I'm going to speak about it. Ma...girls are so troublesome. They should have paired me up with Chouji instead. Too bad he's on another mission with his clan./
Then Shikamaru say out loud "But at least you're not bad yourself because you don't eat like a kitten like Ino and the other girls do. So, I'll be going. You should to. Thanks for the food." Shikamaru signaled on a waiter, leaned and placed the bill on the table and languidly walked away.
Temari snorted and took a few spoonfuls before leaving. She dont know of which she is going to be affected. That side compliment or Shikamaru leaving her here and paying the whole bill himself, giving her the I'm-the-man-I-should-do-everything stuff again.
It was a while before she realized that he planned on doing the snooping tonight all by himself. She almost missed it when he said earlier that he's going to be snooping around. Then she remembered his farewell with matching eye signal. He had meant for her to go back to the apartment.
'I'll be going. You should too.'
/Chikuso.../
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------hitai-ate-head protector for ninjas, although it was being wear on places favored by individual ninjas like on the throat, or waist or arm.It also signifies that they are ninja and from which village they came from.
taku-a shortened form of mattaku, its some sort of sound of exasperation like 'oh come on' or 'hay naku...' (teehee)
About the food, its a Mediterranean delicacy. Konoha is more Japanese in nature so expect the meal to be alien to our greatest slacker. I think they eat differently in Suna too. Their delicacy is more like middle eastern (Saudi Arabia and the like) and I think eggplants does not exist in desert.
sugoi-great, cool, etc.