Chapter 25

"Here." Kankuro proffers a mission scroll towards Shikamaru.

Shikamaru just stares at the scroll.

"We can exchange mission. This one is boring. This one will just take me to the Land of Rivers again and I heard from Ba—" Kankuro continues as if the mission scroll isn't suddenly grabbed from his hands, "— ki that yours is in Iwagakure and that you will probably be fighting S-criminals."

Opening the scroll and reading the contents, Shikamaru pretends nonchalance as he rolls it back again, muttering, "Thanks."

"Just remember you owe me again." Kankuro grins.

"But you shouldn't tell anyone we exchanged mission." Shikamaru removes his mission order from his pants pocket and gives it to Kankuro before replacing the contents of his pocket with the new scroll.

"Yeah, yeah and you shouldn't take any detours." Kankuro gives a knowing smirk.

"Tch." Shikamaru ignores his gloating brother. Not wanting to appear in a hurry, he turns slowly around towards the exit, shoulders still slouched, with hands inside his pockets.

"You can write my report as your payment!" Kankuro shouts towards his departing brother.

Not bothering to turn around, Shikamaru just takes out one hand from his pocket to wave goodbye at Kankuro.

—o0o—

Shikamaru waits, hidden by the tree's foliage, when one of the giant deer tilts its head to look up towards him. The herd doesn't really bother him but he notices the deer's peculiar attitude. They seem to welcome him. Shikamaru shakes his head. It must be wistfulness causing his head to have idiotic ideas.

Shikamaru returns his eyes to the huge sprawling house. He's far away enough that his presence can't be detected at this distance but near enough to see anyone coming and going out of the house.

Just one glimpse of her ...a reassurance that she's doing fine and then he will return back to Suna and that's it, he'll forget about her.

Several hours have passed by and still no sight of her.

Doubts that she's even in Konoha starts to settle. Deciding to change his vantage point for a clearer view of the house to verify her presence, Shikamaru gets careless.

Suddenly, Shikamaru is caught by the same jutsu as his. Feeling the shadow appendage coiling around his body, Shikamaru stares at the shadow hand creeping towards his neck, he is taken by surprise by the feeling that his own jutsu is attacking him that it takes him a split second to act.

With his bounded hands, he tries to move his fingers of one hand in closer proximity with the others to produce some seals.

Fighting the identical shadow hand with his own shadow hand, there is a standstill as one darkened hand grabs the other on his chest, with their blackened fingers intertwining.

Just as immediate, the shadow arm that wrapped around Shikamaru's body loosens as its hand retreats.

"So it's you," Shikaku barks from the ground, his shadow hand blending to its original human dark form.

"Tch." Shikamaru glances down at the chuckling old man before vaulting down from the tree.

"Why don't you come in?" Shikaku gestures his hand towards the direction of his home.

Shikamaru swivels his attention towards the house while Shikaku approaches him to tap him at the back before going ahead first towards the house.

Shikamaru has no other choice but to follow.

Shikaku has the door opened when a familiar voice inside the house shouts, "That's fast, Otosan! I told you it's nothing. The deer would have alarmed us."

Shikamaru's breathe lodges in his throat. He hesitates at the door. "I should be going," Shikamaru addresses Shikaku's back.

Shikaku turns towards Shikamaru as he casually removes his sandals to replace it with the indoor slippers. "There's another pair. You can use those." Shikaku points towards another pair of indoor slippers.

Shikaku then goes through the foyer to proceeds towards the living room.

Shikamaru changes into the indoor slippers and follows behind Shikaku. Shikamaru then witnesses Temari's welcoming smile for her father before that smile is dashed away upon seeing him.

Temari sits stiff on the sofa with a game board on the table in front of her. She holds Shikamaru's eyes for a while before he transfers them to glance at Yoshino.

Yoshino pauses, clutching a shirt she is on the act of folding, a mountain of clean laundry beside her on the long sofa. Yoshino recovers, asking querulously, "What are you doing here?"

Good question. "I—" Shikamaru clears his throat. "I have a mission near here and I thought to give you a visit."

"You're welcome to visit us, son." Shikaku smiles which earns him a glare from Yoshino.

Shikamaru doesn't miss the look that passed between the couple. "I better be going." Shikamaru bows his head towards Yoshino in farewell before he turns towards Temari to do the same.

Temari has her head bent, eyes glued towards the shogi board seeming to contemplate her next piece move.

"Nonsense! You're obviously tired. Why don't you stay for dinner, rest and leave tomorrow morning?" Shikaku offers, blatantly ignoring his wife's furious eyes.

"I shouldn't. My family—my brother is waiting for me to get back," Shikamaru explains as he retreats a step back towards the door.

"No. I insist." Shikaku has a determined glint in his eyes that even Yoshino doesn't care to contradict. Shikaku then swivels his attention towards his daughter. "Temari, why don't you prepare later our guest room? Make sure you change the bedding and the pillow cases."

Temari opens her mouth to refuse but grumbles instead, "I will, otosan." Temari then turns her head towards where Shikamaru is standing to glare at him briefly before she openly ignores him in favour of the board in front of her, opting to move a piece that would help her win against her father.

Shikaku tries to suppress a triumphant smile. "Do you play, Shikamaru?" Shikaku indicates with his hand the shogi board.

"N-no," Shikamaru replies awkwardly.

"Oi Temari, why don't you teach Shikamaru how it's done?" Shikaku grins towards his daughter.

"Otosan, just give him a manual if he wants play," Temari finally snaps. "He can learn from there."

Shikaku is unrepentant. "Just ignore her." He pushes Shikamaru onto his vacated seat opposite Temari. "I'll coach you while you Temari would be our opponent." Shikaku has his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, feeling the boy squirm as he faces his daughter. "You should be able to beat Shikamaru here. After all, he's a green horn."

Temari glares at her father. "Fine!"

Yoshino raises her head from sorting the laundry. "Show 'em, Temari!" Yoshino encourages, glowering at her husband who sits besides Shikamaru on the sofa's arm.

"Why don't we make a bet?" Shikaku suddenly announces.

Shikamaru has an uneasy feeling about the proposed bet but he doesn't say anything to contradict the older man. He should be leaving but instead he is sitting here, tense, with palms sweaty. He has already accomplished what he came for but he's curious as to what Shikaku is up to.

"If we win—" Shikaku starts.

"Otosan, that's not fair! Of course you will win!"Temari rises from her chair ready to storm off from the room.

"Alright. I'll just give Shikamaru the basic rules and can only answer his questions regarding the pieces' allowable movements and if he wins..." Shikaku has a twinkle in his eyes. "If he wins, he gets to stay longer." Shikaku crosses his arms on his chest, declaring what sounded like an ultimatum.

Still standing, Temari looks down at Shikamaru and scrutinizes him. He tries not to show it but its obvious how uncomfortable he is. Temari gives him a challenging sneer, a fearsome show of her full set of teeth and plumps back down comfortably on her vacated chair. She has decided. How hard could it be defeating a lazy ass who has never played shogi before? And even if he's a genius, she's not bad either. She's been playing the game since she's two if her father's claim could be trusted. "You're on! Just one game," she addresses her father and returns her pieces to the starting position.

Shikamaru is surprised Temari actually agreed. He rolls his shoulder in a shrug, pretending to be getting comfortable. He knows that it meant more than just a game of shogi now. Temari expects him to lose. Either way, it's alright with him but he wants Temari's expectations of him to be dented a bit and Kankuro's mission is farther away from Suna and they have already agreed to meet somewhere to straighten their stories. He really has several days to spare before heading back. He extends his hand to copy what Temari has done to her pieces. While Shikaku tells him what each piece is for and what movement it could do and he listens carefully.

Whereas, Yoshino abandons the laundry to sit besides Temari on the sofa's arm the same as Shikaku, ordering, "Temari, don't show him any mercy!"

TBC

—oOo—

3/9/11

~7/4/11AF 7 2 2O~

A/N: Land of water is in between Suna and Konoha, while Iwagakure is way way up north according to the Naruto maps.

And that's a very loud arg, Narutogirl103, that it got me moving...hmn regarding your questions though, stick around ok.

And Sod and So-d, same person?... No? ops then.

Click that blue button below and inspire me to upload sooner. I'll go through the beta-ed docx in a whoosh too.

And I have a fic Wanted: Beta Reader, if you have some free time and you like to draw, read its chapter 2 ok. Well, ~uneasy laughter~ I know the idea is too grand, but hey even an average writer could dream, right?...thanks...