Little had changed when he entered the club. His eyes scanned the surroundings quickly. Smoke hung in the air, which was accentuated by the dim lighting. Tables scattered around a piano, where a pretty blonde dame sang something melancholy. She was someone new. Half the patrons listened, the other half involved in their own business dealings. Occasionally, money passed between hands as eyes shifted. Some politicians and influential members of the community were here, which wasn't surprising. This was the place where the real business of Konoha took place.
He could see the spot at the bar where he used to sit with Asuma. Asuma was the one who had contacts here. He would go to a few tables talking in his friendly way, before he'd come back and share what he learned. They would come up with plans and discuss the case over drinks. They'd watch key players they thought were involved. Asuma had even told him he was going to be a father when they were here. Did he ever end up being a father? If you have a daughter that you never get to meet, can you actually be a father? She was robbed a father and Asuma robbed of being one. Shikamaru now stood in the very place he had bought congratulatory drinks for Asuma. It all turned out to be lies. How fitting. This was a place of lies.
Shikamaru shook his head to clear the haunting memories that were flooding him, and headed towards the bar. Another new face. A man with messy brown hair and purple suspenders tended the bar now, and to his right Sasuke leaned on the bar. He gripped a half empty glass of alcohol and crumpled a white cocktail napkin in his other hand. The whites of his knuckles almost matched the napkin, as he watched the singer.
Sliding up to the bar, and sitting in the spot he used to, Shikamaru ordered a scotch. He downed it and ordered another one. He watched Sasuke from the corner of his eye, though he was pretty sure he wouldn't have noticed him if he stared at him. Sasuke's lips were drawn into a flat line, as his glaze bore into the singer.
Shikamaru turned to take in the singer himself. She had tousled yellow, blonde hair, and wore a dark violet dress that clung to every curve, as if soaked, complete with a high slit that showed off long legs. Her voice was strong and smooth, and her lips painted red. It wasn't a surprise that many guys were staring at her, and he saw the appeal. However, Sasuke appeared to be the only one watching who wasn't pleased to be staring at her.
'Perhaps an affair gone wrong? He finds her with another man, doing the same as he's doing to Sakura. A woman with looks like that is nothing but troublesome.' Shikamaru mused, before he turned and signaled to the bartender for another drink.
"You're new here."
"Somewhat, it's been a couple of months now. Name's Kankuro." He smiled and appeared to wait for Shikamaru to fill in his name, but he would be left to wait.
"How about the singer? She's new here, too. Who's she, and how long has she been here?"
Shikamaru noticed Kankuro's expression tensed slightly and his smile tightened. "Oh… um… Temari. She's been here a couple months now, too. Started when I did." Kankuro seemed to be looking closer at him.
"Thanks... Kankuro." Shikamaru passed along cash for the drink, with a nice tip. 'Apparently history between her and Kankuro, too. What a drag.' He didn't need any trouble tonight, so he went back to quiet observation.
Kankuro left to go help other patrons, and Shikamaru fished a cigarette and a worn lighter out of his jacket pocket. As he smoked, he watched Temari sing, her dark teal eyes traveling throughout the crowd. Beautiful soulful lyrics and melodies flowed from her, but they didn't seem to be felt from within her. Even though she was good, she was just doing a job. 'Practiced, controlled, and passionless.' Shikamaru assessed, yet there was something else that he couldn't place, that had him watching her closer.
Temari finished her set and then left the piano, stopping to talk to a couple people as she headed to a hall, and turned right. Shikamaru knew, from his previous time here, to the right was a dressing room, and to the left there were restrooms.
Sasuke turned back around to the bar, and stared at his glass as he took measured drinks. After several minutes he finished his drink and headed for the hallway, turning right. Shikamaru followed shortly after, but turned left, as if headed to the restrooms. His timing allowed him catch a glimpse of Temari shutting the door of her dressing room behind Sasuke.
Shikamaru smuggly noted the time, headed to the restroom before he returned to the bar, where he watched the hall from the corner of his eye for. Whatever business Sasuke had with Temari, it only took 7 minutes total before Sasuke passed him, heading straight out to the parking lot. The guy still didn't look any friendlier or relaxed, either.
Shikamaru stayed at the bar, lazily working on his drink, and within 2 minutes Temari was there. Her hair, makeup, and clothing still looking as strikingly put together as before. Kankuro approached and a look passed between the two, which easily could have been missed but not by Shikamaru. Kankuro and Temari definitely communicated something, but there didn't seem to be any attraction or spark between the two. Something in his mind told him things weren't quite as clear cut as he originally thought they would be. 'Just my luck, this is going to take some time. What a drag.'
Kankuro made her a drink, and she wandered down to talk with some of the other patrons. Just the usual odd assortment of political figures and thugs, some that held both monikers. Shikamaru polished his drink off, deciding to check and see if Sasuke headed straight home or not. He had no reason to stick around, as the reason he was here had already left. He didn't need to hang out with the ghosts of his past, here, as they would follow him home anyway.
He tailed Sasuke the rest of the week. Every night he showed at the club, like clockwork. Every night he ordered one drink. Sometimes Sasuke would stay and go back to Temari's dressing room, though never for very long, and other times he'd finish his drink and leave. Disappointed in himself for it taking so long taking so long, it was nearing the end of the the week when Shikamaru saw the pattern. Sasuke would wait and go to Temari's dressing room whenever Kankuro passed him a napkin with his drink. It confirmed his hunch that they were all working together, though the purpose was still elusive.
This realization alone would have been eventful enough for the night, but that was also the night a certain blonde sought his place at the bar.
Afterall, when it rains, it pours.
Author Note:
Thanks for the reviews - they are always appreciated! This is my first time writing something more than a 1 or 2 shot, and I'm hoping I can do justice to the ideas in my head for it.
This will most likely be a bit of a slow burn.
