The air sucked out of the room. "Oh, I didn't realize you had… company."
Temari leaned forward, her hand quickly sweeping all the photos and papers sprawled on the desk back into the file folder that housed them, before she turned to meet Ino's glare.
Terrible timing, and they are definitely sizing each other up. As if I don't have enough to deal with. Shikamaru shoved his hands in his pockets, "Hi, Ino… Choji."
Ino's eyes remained locked on Temari. She ignored his greeting and refused to even acknowledge him in any way.
Choji began to absentmindedly fiddle and mess with his suspenders. A habit picked up since he first started wearing them - another reason why, if he chose to wear a suit jacket, he rarely buttoned it as was the case now. It was a nervous habit that only became more prominent when he felt uncomfortable, which explained it's surfacing as he stood awkwardly just inside the office door.
At least I'm not the only one.
"Ah, hey Shikamaru. I didn't think it would be a problem to stop by for that barbeque that you owe me… and Ino wanted to come along too… but it looks like you're busy..."
Temari's voice cut in as she stood, "I should get going anyway." She reached for the folder, but Shikamaru brought his hand down to pin it to the top of the desk. He may have chosen to share it's contents, but he still didn't trust them enough to let it walk off and out of his sight. There was still a chance he missed something, he still needed to sift through it for more clues… even if he really would only end up staring at Asuma's slightly slanted handwriting found in the notes.
Her eyes moved to his, a keen understanding look shared as she spoke, "I'll see you tomorrow… detective." She wouldn't come out and say it directly in their new company, but it made sense that she would be back the next day to look more if he wasn't willing for the file to leave his sight. Shikamaru would also venture that she specifically chose to use the moniker detective to leave more options open to him when explaining her presence to Ino and Choji. He would almost call it thoughtful. Almost. She was making a quick exit and leaving any mess for him to deal with, and Ino already seemed upset about Temari being there.
Temari grabbed her clutch and maneuvered around the chair, to the door as she slipped her gloves on. She completely ignored Ino and Choji as she passed, choosing to keep her head high and focus on the door instead. Shikamaru continued to lean on the desk and fought the urge to allow his eyes wander as he watched her leave, instead he took in how Ino watched her, her head turning, until Temari left through the door and it clicked shut again, signaling her departure.
Ino didn't waste a second before her head snapped back to him, her ponytail swinging from the motion, "What the hell, Shikamaru!? First I hear from Sakura that you're dropping her case - something about an old case returning. She tells me you looked pretty rough, like you had been worked over. Now I come to see you and find you with Temari Subaku, one of the people you specifically had me look into when you were working Sakura's case?!"
Shikamaru couldn't hold back a sigh, "Ino..."
Ino cut in, obviously not ready to listen quite yet, "And you do look like shit," Ino waved her hand to indicate Shikamaru's still beaten and now yellowing bruises that still covered him. "I am willing to bet that it has something to do with that woman." Choji came up and laid his hands on Ino's shoulders as Ino trembled with emotion. Shikamaru looked at Choji, hoping for some help, but he was only met with concern and disappointment on his face.
"Shikamaru, what the hell happened? Why didn't you let us know?!" Her frustration and anger were giving way and tears threatened to overflow from the eaves of her eyes. The same hurt echoed in Choji's eyes as well.
Shikamaru's stomach dropped as he looked between his two closest friends, and finally understood. He had done it again. The three of them were like siblings and they had always stood by him, and what had he done? He had turned everything inward, blocking them out. Pushing them away. There was no space for anyone or anything beyond his self-loathing and his grief. All his choices had done nothing but hurt them in the process. They were close with Asuma; they were dealing with grief over the loss of him too.
Now he owed them some sort of explanation. They had been far more patient than anyone should have to be. Shikamaru swallowed, trying to find the right place to start, but the words started to flow before he was sure he had quite found it. "It wasn't her. If it hadn't been for Temari, it would have been worse."
Taking in their surprise and their quiet as a signal to continue, he went on, "And this is an old case… a case I should have solved a long time ago. She just might be able to help me. I couldn't pass the chance up to solve it, but I can't say too much else."
"You think she's just helping you out of the goodness of her heart?!"
Shikamaru chuckled, "Ahh, I never said that. I'm not an idiot, Ino. She has her own reasons in all of it… her own motives. But that doesn't mean she can't be helpful."
Ino appeared to thoughtfully consider his explanation.
Just when he thought he had maneuvered the minefield that was Ino, Choji spoke. "I'm worried about you Shikamaru. You say that it could have been worse without Temari? Old case or not... is it worth it? It's obviously dangerous. Why not let it go?"
Shikamaru stiffened at the idea with his words hardening at the same time, "I can't. It's something I need to do… I'm not dropping it. I don't care how dangerous it is."
"It has to do with Asuma's death, doesn't it? The case he was working that got him killed?" Maybe Choji knew him too well. Ino's eyes went wide as she looked between the two.
Shikamaru gave a quick nod and cleared his tightening throat, needing a moment to control the voice that wanted to give way to his emotions before he continued, "I don't want to give up without setting things straight... I don't want to live a crappy life like that.* Not anymore."
A silence filled the room. The only sound was that of the dripping sink in the small bathroom. Ino and Choji shared a look. An entire conversation passed between them without words, before she turned to Shikamaru, "What can we do to help?" She moved forward to sit in one of his empty "client" chairs with Choji following suit with the other.
Shikamaru had prepared himself to double down and defend his choice. Had prepared himself for her tears. Had prepared to hear his door slammed as they left. But he hadn't prepared himself for this. In all his time looking inward and blocking them out; he had somehow begun to underestimate them. That needed to change now.
"Ino, there is something you might be able to help me with." The idea had started when he was speaking with Temari earlier. Ino could be a key to making it work, but was it a key worth using to unlock the door to the dark that he looked for? Would he be putting her in danger? No, he couldn't get caught in all the what if's and cutting them out again. He needed to trust them. They were all raised on the streets with Asuma together. Despite their current appearances, his friends were tougher than they appeared. He knew they needed this case too. "Does all the money your family makes through the gambling parlor get laundered through the flower shop?"
"Yeah, we don't usually make more than we can clean through the shop." Ino stared curiously at him, trying to decipher meaning behind the change in Shikamaru and his questions.
"If you had more money coming through and you need a professional to do it, who would you use?"
"I'm pretty sure I can get the information on a couple here in Konoha, but they are going to be dangerous people and often work for even more dangerous people. People you shouldn't mess around with. Why do you need one?"
"I'm looking for a dangerous person, and they might be able to be a key to me finding them. Let's leave it at that for now. I'm not going to share much with you. Yeah, it's not safe to give too many details, but more importantly there are promises that I have made to keep certain information - so I'll need you both to trust me on this."
Ino and Choji nodded - they could do that. Call it trust or loyalty, they would do what they could to help and without question. They wanted justice for Asuma, and they trusted Shikamaru to be the one to bring it for them.
*The lines, "I don't want to give up without setting things straight. I don't want to live a crappy life like that." are actually from an English subbed version of the anime. It's said by Shikamaru to Tsunade when the trio is leaving the Konoha gates to take on Hidan. So, credit for that lies with Kishimoto/Naruto Shippuden, and not me. I do have a fondness for using actual lines in my very different AU. What can I say - it amuses me.
