Things are starting to heat up a bit...
Shikamaru's thoughts are in italics.
There is the use of the phrase, "got the zorros" which means "feeling nervous" - it's a 1950's phrase I happened across that I couldn't help but use.
It's a longer chapter than usual too, so I hope it was worth the wait.
"Shikamaru…" he felt the poke to his arm, but kept his eyes closed and chose to try to ignore it. "I know you're not actually sleeping, Crybaby." Another poke punctuated the words.
Shikamaru opened his eyes with a sigh, "So you're gonna start calling me that again?"
Temari smiled, all white teeth flashing in contrast to her bright red lips, "Your turn to watch."
Shikamaru stared forward, out of the front of the car, focusing on the entrance and exit points of the building across the lot. They sat in a strategically placed parked car - close enough to see the building entrances and exits, but far enough to avoid attention. It had been hours, having spent most of the day sitting here, watching for District Attorney Orochimaru to leave the building but so far no sign of the guy.
Not really surprising - detective work is often a game of patience.
This was one of his favorite parts of the job. The watching and waiting. Quiet and peaceful… relaxing while just people watching… but being confined in a vehicle with Temari had proved more troublesome.
As if to prove the point, Temari gave a sigh and leaned her head back, resting it on the back of the car seat and closing her eyes as she reached her arms over her head to grab the back of the seat. No doubt, stretching her stiff muscles from sitting so long in the small space. He couldn't help but watch from the corner of his eye as her position exposed the long column of her throat as her back arched. He fought himself not to turn and stare at her full on, to take in the view as her chest pushed out.
A pose that could put any pin-up to shame.
It reminded him of why he had decided to suggest taking shifts and had feigned sleep in the first place… not that had helped much. (Eyes closed, he could still smell her. Still hear her damned sighs and as she hummed absent mindedly and drummed her fingers in boredom. It was like she refused to be ignored. And he hadn't been able to find sleep.)
Perhaps this was all part of some cruel joke perpetrated by the same God who seemed to enjoy nothing better than tormenting him.
Who am I kidding? I don't need to look as far as God when Sasuke Uchiha can be blamed.
It had only been the night before when Temari approached him sitting at the bar in The Sound. Her gloved fingers tracing up his arm as she leaned dangerously in. It was a tactic he'd noted, at times even admired, as she used it on unsuspecting fellas around the joint. A tool she used to get a guy's attention and help entice her mark into spilling any secrets they should be keeping locked up tight. Everything about her always amplified when in close proximity, and something about staring into her eyes and feeling her touch seemed to make men lose their common sense.
He liked to think he was immune, but he still couldn't help but take a swallow of his scotch at the time - reminding himself that it was all part of how she acted when she was working. The swallow and burn of the alcohol gave him a moment to stomp out any sign of her effect on him, before he turned his head to meet her blue-green eyes. She typically avoided him at the club, ever since they had begun working together. Instead she'd just catch his eye and give a smirk or a wink as she performed and roamed the tables in search of information. Color him curious as to what had made this night different.
Then she spoke, her smooth voice low so as not to be heard by others, "Our… moody acquaintance stopped by earlier. He's got a lead that Orochimaru is meeting someone tomorrow. A meeting Orochimaru isn't keen on others knowing about. He doesn't know the time or the place, though."
Go figure. Sasuke went ahead and turned up the closest thing to a lead while the three of them, Kankuro, Temari, and himself, poured over files, beat bushes, and waited to hear back from Ino or Baki but so far without any results. Slightly annoying, but he was just grateful to have something to move on.
"I'll follow him tomorrow." Shikamaru had smirked at the prospect of pulling another thread of the case. You never know what will cause a case to unravel, and he was more than ready to find out how Orochimaru was tied to the Akatsuki. Not to mention, more than ready to learn what exactly had caused Orochimaru to send Tayuya and her goons his way. Hopefully this was a thread waiting for a pull and, lucky for him, surveillance was detective 101.
"I'm going with you. Pick me up at your office in the morning."
She turned and strode off before he even had the chance to voice an objection. He frowned at her back but he understood.
Not gonna let this be up for debate, she's coming with. Conversation over, I guess.
Shikamaru had raised his glass to an amused Kankuro (lucky to be witness to the whole interaction) cleaning glasses behind the bar and downed the rest of his drink. Troublesome.
And now he found himself just doing his damnedest to concentrate on the plain building that Orochimaru had entered for work and had not left since. (And not on her lips as she applies her lipstick - he learned the way she traces over them is very distracting.) Orochimaru hadn't even left for lunch. Nothing to watch but the empty dingy streets and buildings that surrounded the offices, and the flow of office workers as they left for the day.
The sun kissed the horizon as evening began to creep in, a time when most men would be going home to their families.
Not something that I need to worry about. I"ve got all night - no one at home waiting for me.
Something about the thought caused him to glance over again at his company, wondering if she had someone waiting for her. But she appeared to be in the same boat. It wasn't surprising considering how little space was left in a heart after grief and revenge had made themselves at home.
He could even admit to himself that he liked her company as they spent the day passing time talking or even sitting in the quiet - waiting and watching. At one point they had even completed a crossword found in a newspaper that she thought to bring along.
But, still, in the confines of the car, he was all too aware of her nearness prickling at his senses, and a whole day of it had left him… frustrated. Ignoring any feelings of trust, comadre, or even attraction was the smart choice and one he had chosen long ago. No use contemplating them… but now, after a day spent in the small cage that was his car, fighting a scourge of intrusive thoughts (they centered primarily on exploring what he could do with her… to her) he was left on edge.
Temari sighed, "This is so boring. Is it always like this?"
Her words caught him slightly off guard as he had been lost in thought after a particularly invasive thought involving a replay of her earlier stretch… and moving along to making her body to arch under his own.
No, it isn't always quite like this.
Wound a bit tight, he snapped, "You didn't have to come along. Shouldn't you be working anyway?"
"How do you not know my schedule by now, Nara? You've been coming to The Sound every night, and with your genius observational skills you really should. Maybe they aren't all that great after all?" laughter and playful teasing filling her words as she ignored the sharpness of his. "Probably a good thing that I'm here with you today."
He wouldn't admit that he knew full well that this was one of her nights off. That he was looking for a fight to try to release some of the frustration and tension building in him for the majority of the day. And maybe the thing that bothered him the most - through all his struggle, she sat next to him, appearing blissfully unaware and unaffected by him.
"A good detective needs to be patient. I don't mind sitting and waiting."
"You've found a job where you get to sit around a lot. Why am I not surprised? So lazy," she laughed.
"Have you never done surveillance before?"
Temari shrugged her shoulders, "Not really. That was work for the guys lower on the chain."
"How could I forget that you were practically royalty?"
"I guess I really was," she laughed. "I suppose closer to being royalty than most will ever be."
Something in her laughter felt warm and free. Just hearing it cut the surly reply that sat on the tip of his tongue. Shikamaru couldn't help but turn to watch his companion. The last bits of the setting sunlight throwing her smile, shining eyes, and golden hair into relief. Somehow this was the same woman, the same face, that he had seen splattered with other's blood with no remorse. The same person he watched work a room for information using seductive words and touch - using her sexuality as a weapon. But he was sure it would be this - this image of her that would burn the deepest into his memory. He wanted it to be. It was like seeing something that was meant to remain a secret.
It was these thoughts that drove him to turn his head back to stare at the building to watch for their target again.
A little after her laughter quieted and silence fell between them, the sun finished it's descent below the horizon. He didn't know what caused him to ask, "Better now or then?"
He could practically feel her walls snapping back into place at his question. Her lips pressed together in a hard line before cooly replying, "What? Being a bloodthirsty bitch of a princess in a crime empire - always needing to watch over your shoulder, or being a singer in a dirty dive bar, making shit for money, trying to hunt down Akatsuki members?"
"Yeah… that's the question, Princess," choosing the nickname to hopefully lighten the mood that soured with his question.
He could tell it worked, as she rolled her eyes, "You're gonna make me regret saying that already?"
"If you're going to be calling me Crybaby, then Princess only seems fair," he shrugged, watching her smile and roll her eyes again at his comment, before staring off again.
He was contemplating her prickliness around his question when she spoke again, "Is that him?"
"What?"
"Orochimaru... just left the office and is heading towards his car."
"Ah, so it is." Shikamaru started the car.
"See, I knew you needed me."
Shikamaru signed and rolled his eyes in response before he pulled from their parking space.
"We need to follow." She said the words again, as if repeating would magically change his mind.
"The man put a hit out on me, so there is a good chance that he, or anyone with him, could at least recognize me," Shikamaru's eyes panned over her in assessment, "and there is nothing about you that blends in."
Temari glared in annoyance.
"That's it, right there… your eyes are probably your biggest offenders. No one can easily forget your eyes with those looks you give."
He found himself having to hold back a laugh as she found a way to glare at him even harder. But then, most unnervingly, her eyes lit up. A smile spread across her face as she leaned in close. A move that caused Shikamaru to lean back in alarm and eye her warily.
"Come now, Nara. I don't bite. But I do have an idea..." her voice purred, wrapped in sickeningly sweetness.
She moved in again, the words "dangerously close" coming to mind, as he kept still. Her hands wrapped over his shoulders and wound into his hair before he felt a slight tug. His hair fell around his shoulders. Her fingers moved to comb and straighten errant hair into some sort of order.
"Not half bad," she smiled before she leaned back into her seat. "No one will recognize you with your hair down. You're the wanted man here, not me."
He let out the breath he had subconsciously been holding, "It's not smart…"
She cut him off, "There is hardly anyone on the streets and it's dark. No one will probably even see us. Don't tell me you've got the zorros, Detective?"
"We don't know what is going on, and there likely isn't much to see. We can come back and look closer another time. It's unnecessarily dangerous."
"You can come or stay here. I don't care. I'm going," she grabbed the door handle and was out of the car. He groaned before he grabbed his own handle to follow suit, cursing under his breath.
He was trailing her by a couple of steps when arrived at the entrance of the alleyway.
That's when it happened. A feeling of dread and foreboding washed over him as he looked down the dimly lit passage. The dark and the alley brought forth memories of the night of Asuma's death. Thrashing and crashing they find their way to the front of his mind.
In an instant everything was more than a memory. It was the here and now. He could see it. Smell it. Practically taste the air heavy with iron.
Blood. So much blood.
"That's why I got you," Asuma's voice… but he hadn't… didn't. He failed to help back up Asuma and now he's dying… dead. How could I let this happen? He relied on me. This is my fault. We need help…
"Shikamaru?"
No one is around. No one to help. So much blood. He's gonna die…
His heart felt like it was going to pound out of his chest and it was getting hard to breathe.
This was a bad idea. A terrible idea.
Then there was Temari - she was in front of him. Up close in his face and blocking his view, "Nara, I need you to focus on me." He felt her warm hands on his shoulders as she turned him to look down the street and away from the alley. "Deep breaths. Come on, Crybaby. I need you to concentrate on breathing. I got you."
Asuma's voice echoed, "I got you."
He wanted to collapse and curl into a ball. He wanted to punch the brick with his fist until he bled. He wanted to bolt and run and never come back. But Temari was here and her warm hands had slid to his face and she was forcing him to look at her.
He did his best to take a deep, steading breath. Forcing himself to do as she had said. Harsh, gasping breaths pulled through his reluctant lungs as he leaned against the wall as reality came sliding back around him.
When he finally felt grounded enough, he shook off her hands and stepped away as he dug in his pocket for his cigarette and lighter. Refusing eye contact as Temari stood and watched.
"You good?"
He hated that she had to ask. He had thought things were getting better, that he was done being useless. He was moving forward - he had purpose again, but apparently it wasn't enough. Would it ever end?
He could only give a nod as a response.
"It's gonna take time."
He looked up, giving a hard look at Temari. The last thing he needed or wanted was to talk about it. He didn't want her pity or her comfort… sure as hell didn't need a pep talk. She looked concerned, but thankfully she didn't push the subject further.
"Shikamaru, will you stay here as a lookout? You said it yourself, this is a bit dangerous." Maybe it really wasn't. Maybe when he had said it before it had all been his subconscious warning him away, knowing how he would react? He wasn't sure anymore. Temari continued, "I need you, alright? Watch here and let me know if anyone is coming."
He still had a bad feeling about this. The prickle was telling him something was off and not to let her go, but he didn't have it in him to argue, and he couldn't trust himself right now. So, he just gave another curt nod of agreement and lit his cigarette instead.
Temari's eyebrows were furrowed - it was obvious that she was unsure about leaving him behind. He hated himself for being dead weight, and he sure as hell didn't need her worry.
He gave her another hard look. It was his turn to end any debate, "Get going then."
He was glad she seemed to understand. "It shouldn't take long. There are a couple of doors and I want to see if there are any clues to which one Orochimaru used," she said before disappearing down the alley behind him.
Shikamaru continued leaning against the wall and taking drags off his cigarette, watching the area as he mulled over his thoughts. His outburst… nah, that wasn't right. His episode… maybe that was a slightly better way to describe it. It didn't make sense. It was like his brain was a ticking time bomb, just wating to go off. He was annoyed at Temari's insistence at checking the alley in the first place, but mostly just angry at himself. How foolish had he been to think it was getting better? And now here he was - contemplating the depths of his ruptured psyche outside a dark alley as Temari had to take point. Maybe he couldn't be the person to get revenge for Asuma? Ino and Choji were counting on him, but maybe he would just end up letting them down. Not to mention, this was the second time Temari had seen him like this… would she cut their partnership now, finally realizing the extent he was damaged? Seeing him a liability to have on the case? Worst yet, was he?
His thoughts were going down that dark path when he spotted him stepping out of the car that had pulled and parked less than a quarter of a block away on the street. The same ash-haired librarian - now walking around from the driver's seat to open the door of a passenger as the doors of the back seat began to crack open for more to exit as well. The memory of Tayuya and her goons and the pain they brought flashed in his mind immediately. This was no coincidence. This was… not good.
Fuck.
Shikamaru moved fast, dropping his cigarette and slipping into the long alleyway. Holding back yelling out a warning, just hoping they hadn't already noticed him. He needed to get to Temari.
Temari turned at the sound of his steps, "Shikamaru?"
"We need to go." He reached toward her hand as he tried to calculate the time it would take to make it to the other end, their only viable exit.
He had just grabbed her hand and taken all of two steps when he heard the voices of the men entering the alley. Ahead stood a doorway with a dingy light glowing above it. This was most likely where they were headed. The door that would lead to where Orochimaru had gone. If they continued forward, they wouldn't make it to the other end of the alley to the exit without being made in the light of the damn door. It was just bright enough to illuminate their features fully if they continued any closer.
He heard Temari hiss, "Shit, shit, shit…" and felt the squeeze of her hand as she spotted the silhouetted form of the men at the entrance moving toward them.
He needed a plan. They needed to move. Now.
He pulled her along to the side before shoving her into the hard, rough side of the brick wall. He felt her push against him in confusion, but he only pushed his body into her more, pinning her to its side with his body. He leaned his face in close making eye contact in the dim as he whispered, "I need you to trust me and play along."
Her brows furrowed in confusion for a moment, but he felt her still, "Okay." She would trust him.
The voices were growing closer, he brought a hand up to tangle his fingers into her hair, pulling it from it's pins. A similar technique as she had used before. Her fallen hair would help hide her face, hopefully making her less recognizable. They needed to be faceless and nameless… it was dangerous to be anything else.
They would just be a couple lost in passion looking for release - giving fuck all if it was in a dirty alley. He kept his hand in her hair and drug the thumb of his freehand across her bottom lip - smearing the red lipstick he had stared at all day in the car, before swiping it across his own lips and cheek for good measure. He buried his face into her neck.
Almost immediately he realized it was a stupid mistake, as the heat of her was only more pronounced. The citrusy sweet smell of her, which had already tortured him all day in the inclosed car, only more potent. He felt something stir in himself. Not now. Pulling back, he straightened slightly to bring his face near hers. Choosing to block most of her face from view with his own, instead.
The men were close now. His hand was still tangled in her hair, and he watched as she tried to move to look beyond him and directly at their spectators. Her eyes showed no fear, only a sharp audaciousness as they shone in the dim. He used his hand's grip in her hair to hold her head still, which turned her eyes to him and earned a glare - which only made the something turn again, treasonously, in his gut. Forcing him to hold back a groan.
So fucked up. Not now. Not fucking now.
He needed to focus on their situation. He knew if they got a good look at her face, at her eyes, it wouldn't be long before someone like Tayuya and crew could be sent after her. No doubt, Temari could handle herself, but he didn't want that for her. It wasn't worth the risk. He kept his hand firm in her hair.
The steps had ceased and the librarian and company now stood watching them. The feeling of eyes burning in the back of his head stilled his wayward feelings momentarily.
Shikamaru gave a light tug to Temari's hair to make sure her focus was on him, anything said would be heard - they had an audience. Shikmaru's throat was dry but the words flowed out of his mouth low and smooth, "Do you remember what I said earlier, Princess?" She gave a small, sudden intake of breath as her eyes went wide in surprise. "That's right, your eyes are for me. Only me. You don't look at other fellas."
She relaxed into his arms, closing her eyes and biting her bottom lip before giving a small moan in confirmation.
He groaned as he fought the urge to push and grind into her. Reminding himself that she was just playing along… now if only he could get his body to remember. He untangled his hand from her hair, gliding it down over her shoulder before coming to rest gripping her waist.
A low seething male voice cut through the air, "This is what I've been saying. This is another example of what is wrong with this city and the filth that needs to be dealt with." Straying thoughts were quickly forgotten once again as the voice continued, "An infection in the city that needs to be cleansed."
No, no, no… we're not lookin' for trouble, just keep on walking.
"Maybe now is the time to begin curing the infection?" The voice was so cold and devoid of emotion it seemed to freeze Shikamaru on the spot. But he was also sure he'd heard it before.
But then Temari's warm hand was moving down his chest - sliding inside his jacket and trailing across his ribs, her touch helping thaw him and move him back into action. Shikamaru's voice now came out gravelly, low and threatening, "Me and my girl are busy here." He felt her hand wrap around his gun in the holster that sat tucked under his arm and concealed by his suit jacket. "How about you move along… unless you're enjoying the show that much? Fucking perverts."
Temari gave a moan and brought her leg up, pulling him close. This was her giving an invitation and the opportunity to run his hand under her skirt, up her leg… and to her gun - the one he knew she carried tucked into a thigh holster. He moved his hand into action, moving carefully so her skirt didn't move up and expose the secret as his hand skated under it's hem.
"Do you even know who you are speaking to?!" the librarian's voice echoed in the alley.
Oh, you have no idea how much, I wish I did.
Shikamaru's fingers skirted along the straps that led to Temari's gun. He felt a shiver run through her and her breathing was faster now. She had adjusted and her face was now tucked into his neck, each exhale was hot on his skin. His heart sped in his chest. Was it her or the situation causing it? He honestly couldn't tell.
"Can't say I do or that I care… just move on and let me show my girl a good time here."
He was grateful his hair covered most of her face as she nuzzled into his neck more. Her mouth was now close to his ear and she whispered, "Four men."
She's stealing looks to size up our spectators. Of course she was.
And he knew she would be more careful after his warning before… and it really wouldn't matter anyway if things kept going down the path they were heading. It made sense to be prepared for the worst.
All it would take would be a moment for her to draw his gun and shoot their observers if needed. He hadn't wanted things to go this way, but at least they would have the element of surprise.
"You are about to care a whole…" Shikamaru gripped tightly on the handle of Temari's gun - felt her start to slide his from it's holster.
Just then, the door in the alleyway opened with a squeak, effectively drawing everyone's attention and freezing the pair in their draw as a pale man with shoulder length white hair stuck his head out of the door opening, "What is taking you so long, Kabuto? We're waiting - he's waiting."
There was a slight pause before Kabuto hissed, "You are lucky that you are not worth the time right now." Then spoken in a louder, clearer voice to the man at the door, "Our apologies - we're on our way. We shouldn't have been delayed."
Shikamaru turned his head slightly, using the shadows to conceal his features as he watched the men walk past, down the alley, and disappear through the door.
He watched as the librarian, who he now knew was named Kabuto, disappeared through the door first. He was immediately followed by a redheaded male with longer hair, who seemed familiar. But ice water flowed through his veins as he recognized the third member of the group.
Scars in an x pattern scar on his chin caught the light of the door making him unmistakable. Someone who Shikamaru first saw when he was visiting Asuma at the precinct – when Asuma was still a cop. The puzzle piece clicked into place on why the voice was so familiar.
A person that made Kakashi's warning about not trusting the police department all the more real.
Because as the meek light of the doorway illuminated each person as they entered, he was all too sure he had identified Police Chief Danzo.
It wasn't until the dark haired man with short spiky black hair finally passed through the doors, the door giving a loud metallic click as it closed - echoing through the now deserted alleyway, that Shikamaru allowed himself to squeeze his eyes shut. Thoughts swirling and churning as he tried to put the pieces together…
It was only when he felt Temari shift against him, and her hands slide to rest on his chest that he realized that he still had her leg wrapped around him and her body pulled tight against him. His hand that had held her gun must have moved subconsciously to hold her thigh to support and balance her. But now he found his fingers pressed into her skin - gripping harder on her thigh and lower back when he recognized Donzo. Grasping her tighter than intended… but she hadn't said anything. His thumb slowly slid along the skin that edged along the holster band on her thigh.
He pulled his head back to stare down into her eyes. Even then, she didn't try to pull away. Her eyes only met his own. For the longest second he swore they were searingly hot - they burned. Burned into him. Through him. Made him burn in turn.
Burned so hot, he quickly released her and stepped away, causing her to break eye contact as she wobbled and caught her balance. He fought the instinct to reach out and steady her - he couldn't trust himself. Not right now.
"The fuck?!" Temari hissed, "There is a nice way and an asshole way of doing that, you know. A little warning would have been nice."
Caught off guard, he said the first thing that came to mind, "I recognized a couple of the men… one was Police chief Danzo."
Temari's eyes widened in surprise, her annoyance forgotten, "Are you sure?"
He nodded in confirmation, his eyes catching on her smeared lipstick…
She looked around warily, "We need to get out of here."
Shikamaru swallowed hard and stiffly nodded in agreement before he followed as Temari led out of the alley and to the car.
After filling her in on Kabuto and Danzo in the car and dropping her off, he went home to take a long, cold shower. They had been nothing but professional during the car ride, both preferring the view out of the car windows. But the smell, look, and feel of her was still seared into his mind – blocking his ability to think about anything else. The cold of the water was not helping as he hoped. What he needed was to take the edge off. It wasn't until after he took himself in his hand, coming with her name on his lips that he realized that there wasn't a way to extinguish the embers that still burned.
Author Notes: I hope that didn't seem like things jumped up a notch out of nowhere here. I also hope that I'm not falling too far out of the style I established in the beginning - hoping to keep a certain noir feel to it but also trying to balance it with the story and plot is a thing. I also wanted to touch on how no one is instantly cured from trauma they experience - no matter how much you just want to be done with it, it takes time and is a struggle. I hope I am doing an alright job of portraying that.
I feel a bit bad that it has been so long since I've posted for this story (or anything really), but life got in the way and totally sapped me of any energy or inspiration. Sometimes it's just like that, but ninja's aren't the only ones who can endure. So, I'm still here and still have every intention of finishing this.
For all you who've stuck by and continue reading - thank you! I don't always respond to each comment or sometimes I'm really delayed in doing so (I can be "the worst" (TM)), but I hope you know that each of them meant/mean so much, and they seriously make my day.
