Chapter 9
"Lazy ass, do your share!" demands an irritated Temari after noticing that the young man who acts as her liaison in Suna is taking a nap with his head cradled by his arms on top of the table in front of her.
"Tch. I have already done it." Shikamaru lifts his head from his folded arms to nod towards the stacks of papers on another table in one corner of the Suna classroom where they are working.
"It's done?" Temari raises a brow.
"Yes," Shikamaru answers while stifling a yawn.
"Ok, you can have half of mine." Temari separates her stack of papers into two. These white sheets need to be checked for possible errors the Genins might have committed. It's critical that a shinobi learns to gather not just any information but to recognize the correct one from the planted one.
"That's doing more than my share," Shikamaru complains.
"Are we really counting here?" Temari asks, raising her voice. She has already discussed it with Baki, the one responsible for the Chuunin Exam, for her to be reassigned to another department like the one involving the Heaven and Earth scroll or the actual sparring but Baki politely refused her request which pisses her off.
Shikamaru hears Temari's sarcasm and he still answers, "Yes."
Kamaru's casualness seems to show total disregard for Temari's frustration with being stuck with the paperworks. "I see. So for the next five times tell your Kazekage, we will do this in Konoha. That way it's your turn to travel for three days under the blistering sun and sleep in the open." Temari knows the chance of this happening is zero even if the Kazekage agrees to it, the lazy ass would probably expire first before he could reach Konoha. A mental picture of Kamaru gasping for breath outside of the Konoha gate causes Temari's lips to lift at the corners, which she tries to subdue.
"Tch, I get it. Give me your half." Shikamaru extends his right hand towards Temari, noticing Temari's sadistic grin.
"Here." Temari gives about half of her documents to Kamaru. Kamaru accepts them and places them in front of him on the table then he, with both his arms folded over it, it made a high enough pillow for his head to rest upon.
Temari smacks Kamaru on the head with the rolled sheets. "Lazy ass, I said finish them. Not sleep on them."
"Tch, if I work on it now, I'll probably be done with it ahead of you then you'll ask me to do the half of your remaining work again," Shikamaru replies using his most reasonable tone.
"Why you? LAZY ASS! I'm not like you!" Temari is foaming in the mouth. "Give that back!" Temari tries to take the stack of papers underneath Kamaru's arms.
"Hey woman, watch it," Shikamaru warns as Temari suddenly and forcefully grabs the paper underneath his restraining arms and chin. His chin hits the wooden table when Temari successfully pulls the papers free. "Ite!...I didn't mean it like that you troublesome woman!" Shikamaru sits straight and glares at Temari.
"You probably planned it that way so you won't have to do any of this!" Temari shouts and waves at the papers in front of Kamaru. "That's why you agreed to it easily," Temari continues, narrowing her eyes, scrutinizing the sixteen year old boy in front of her.
"Let me have that! That's now my half." Shikamaru grabs the files on one of its ends. He did not expect Temari to think he would do something like that.
"No! It's mine!" Temari holds onto the files and tugs at it to remove Kamaru's grip on the opposite end of the files.
"Oi woman, I said let go." Shikamaru draws the papers towards himself while trying to shake Temari's grasp on it.
"Go back to your nap, you lazy jerk!" Temari hauls the documents towards her.
"I'll go back to my rest after you hand me my papers," Shikamaru interjects as he pulls at the same papers.
"Never. Now, stop pulling or...Now, look what you've done!" The documents rip in the center.
"Tch, you're the one pulling at it with that brute force of yours," Shikamaru argues with his composed and reasonable voice.
That voice irritates Temari more. "Jerk, if you did not accuse me of shirking my work, this wouldn't happen!"
"Woman, I did not accuse you of that!" Shikamaru did not, would not, ever accuse Temari of dodging her work.
"Here then fix it." Temari tries to give her half of the torn files to Kamaru.
"How am I gonna fix torn documents?" Shikamaru just looks at the documents still held by Temari then to the ones on his hands.
"You're the genius. You figure it out." Temari slaps the documents on the table and crosses her arms on her chest. She knows she's half responsible, but the only idea she could come up right now is to tape the two pieces of paper together.
"So now it's my job," Shikamaru mumbles, expelling his breath a bit louder than usual.
"Are you accusing me again?" Temari asks coldly.
"Tch, troublesome woman. Give it to me." Shikamaru takes Temari's half of the documents from the table and gives both halves a perusal.
Temari smirks.
Shikamaru sees Temari's lips lifting at the corners. "Tch, good thing these documents aren't registered under my name. These tear marks would still be visible after." Shikamaru inwardly smiles when he notices he has just wiped-off Temari's overbearing grin.
TBC
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11/15/10.1/15/11
~7 2 11AF, 7 2 2O~