Chapter 64

"Sarutobi Asuma, your babysitter," introduces the older shinobi. He has short, black spiky hair held back by his forehead protector and a full face beard. He's wearing the standard Konoha uniform with flak jacket.

"I don't need one." Shikamaru doesn't even bother to glance at the Konoha shinobi as he concentrates on finding the perfect spot to lie down. Unlike Suna, Konoha offers more options. Either woody seclusions or grassy prairies, the village offers them in abundance. And the one he's checking right now is on top of a steep incline with trees with thick green foliage standing tall and lining one side, giving the grasses underneath a soft and shaded appearance. While on the other side, the cliff offers a magnificent view of the village below, with the houses and different establishments neatly packed and enclosed together.

The older man just rolls his shoulders as he insists, "You do, Suna nin. So don't even think about the plot you and your father have planned to undermine Konoha, I'll stop you."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru finally sits down on the grass. The strange man has approached him a few minutes ago, falling into a step with him as he strolls up around the woods, finding the perfect spot to catch up on his sleep.

The Konoha shinobi named Sarutobi Asuma slumps down, his own behind hitting the ground with a muted thud, maintaining a far enough distance from Kamaru. Taking out a pack of cigarette from his pants' pocket, he offers the pack first to the younger nin. Upon the boy's refusal, he takes out one stick and lights it after flicking open his lighter. Drawing the nicotine deeply into his lungs, Asuma gives a sigh of gratification.

Shikamaru, from the corner of his eye, watches the nin smoke. The smell from the burning stick is neither pleasant nor disgusting.

"I saw you once a long time ago. You were this small," Asuma remarks, offhand, as he indicates with his thumb and forefinger separated by a mere three inches, Kamaru's height. "Yeah, I only saw you from a distance. The Suna stadium was full when you became a Chuunin."

"You were there? Only Temari's team was able to participate from Konoha at the time." Shikamaru frowns. "You are Temari's team leader."

"Correct." Asuma puffs one last time then he kills the light from his half burned cigarette by trying to bury it in the grassy ground. "I'm trying to quit."

"Maybe that will work if you don't carry a pack with you."

Asuma gives a bark of sardonic laughter. "My my, aren't you the genius."

"Tch. I'm gonna take a nap," Shikamaru mutters dismissively. Lying down on the green grass with the leafy trees providing the area some thick shade, Shikamaru can only sigh contentedly. With the soft breeze and no sun trying to get through his closed eyelids, the spot is simply faultless except for the obtrusive nin sitting just a couple of feet away from him.

After a while of silence, Asuma finally opens his mouth again. "Chouji and Ino had told me some things about you over the past few years. Strangely enough, Temari had never once mentioned you."

The foreign nin who is sprawled on the grass with his arms crossed cradling his head remains unmoving.

"I shouldn't be shocked though. With Temari going back and forth from Suna there must be something that's going on for years between you two, right?" Asuma chuckles, poking the boy's outstretched leg with his foot. "Hey?"

The slumbering form just grunts, moving his leg away from the bothersome sandal encased appendage of the other.

"We're alike. We have that rugged appeal that women just love," claims Asuma, his thumb caressing his bearded chin.

Shikamaru suddenly sits up and faces the older man. "Would you go away?"

"Not right now."

Shikamaru grumbles, frustrated, "What do you want?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Asuma replies, all joking around gone as his eyes become serious. "Last time I saw you the people of Suna were booing your promotion to Chuunin then the next you're married to my favourite student. Does that make sense?"

"Yes. Temari just has bad taste in men."

Asuma hoots in laughter; his voice booming deeply as he says, "I think I will like you."

"You're too late. I'm already married," answers Shikamaru, deadpan.

Asuma blinks in confusion before cackling louder. "Don't worry. I'm married too."

"Lucky you."

"You too."

"Yeah," Shikamaru agrees slowly, "lucky me."

"You don't sound overly enthusiastic with that fact." Asuma sounds suspicious again. "Never thought Temari would be gullible in the face of the emotion the poets called love, however, aren't we all allowed to be stupid for that reason?"

"Get to your point, old man."

"Despite the new Hokage's assurances, I'm still gonna watch you closely." Asuma's searing eyes meet Kamaru's as he declares, "I haven't decided yet if I can trust you or not."

Shikamaru shrugs his shoulders in disinterest before lying back down on the grass carpet. "That's not my problem anymore."

Asuma merely observes the recumbent figure of the Suna nin for a while. Obviously, the boy is suffering the disadvantage of the marriage bed—the so called lack of sleep. The lines of the boy's body point out to how relax he is at the moment. It's kinda insulting that the Suna shinobi doesn't even find his presence a threat.

After several minutes, Asuma finally announces, "I'll see you tomorrow at five am sharp outside Yakiniku Q. You'll have your first Konoha mission. You may as well start with a challenging one."

And with that, the Konoha shinobi stands up, leaving his new overage foreign student alone.

—o0o—

"Stupid ass, where'd he go," Temari mutters to herself. She already went to the training ground thinking he went that way. No. Next, she tried going around town thinking he's soaking up information about the place. Still nada.

It's only after that, that she realizes that she should have looked first for somewhere that the lazy ass could take a nap in, undisturbed…Typical, not even the impending danger could change some things.

So far this is the third such spot she has visited. This one oversees the whole of Konoha below from a cliff while shaded by rows of tress and padded by grasses and bushes. However, obviously it's still zilch—Wait a minute, Temari's mind screams as her eyes fall on a pair of sandals, partly hidden by some tall grass about several metres up.

Running towards the area, Temari's suspicion is confirmed when the pair of feet is revealed to belong to that of the lazy ass who as expected is taking a midday nap.

Temari comes closer. She should make some noise to signal her presence but she doesn't, instead she sneaks in silently.

Kneeling down with her body supported by her heels beside the slumbering Shikamaru, she simply observes the lazy ass. Shikamaru's eyes are closed, not a frown marring his face while his body lies supine and relax on the soft grass.

Untied, the wind plays with the strands of his dark hair throwing them every which way. Her hand slowly extends towards him, her fingers itching to tuck the wisps of hair behind his ears but she detects signs that he's waking up, her fingers then immediately curl into fist as she hits his head instead.

"Wake up, ass!" growls Temari as she scrambles up.

Startled awake, Shikamaru yells something incoherent as he sits straight, his hand kneading his painful forehead. "Couldn't you wake me up more gently?" he protests.

Temari scowls. "Just be glad you only got that! Seriously, sleeping here, you present an easy target."

Shikamaru snorts. "Easy target for whom?"

"Anyone! You're still a foreign shinobi. At least be on your guard all the time."

Shikamaru pointedly inserts his pinkie inside his ear as he grumbles, "You certainly act like a wife."

"What do you mean by that?" Temari asks; her shrill pitch a warning.

"First, you nag." Shikamaru lists his complaints. "Second, you searched for me when I was only gone for a few hours. Third—"

"Go ahead, finish the third one, so I could blow you away," Temari bites the words out as the veins in her forehead tick furiously. She then removes her big fan from her back, opening it to its first moon, exposing one purple-coloured circle menacingly then the next one.

"Third, you threaten bodily harm in an argument." Shikamaru's eyes follow the fan's movement. "Woman, if you use that on me…" Shikamaru trails off, relieved, when unexpectedly Temari voluntarily and loudly snaps her fan closed.

"Hmp, just be glad this area is a bit exposed— I don't want people to find out only to pity me for having such a wimp of a husband!" sneers Temari at Shikamaru, her venomous glare mocking his manhood.

She then returns the huge folded fan on her back sling before, abruptly, she pivots around on her heels, ordering angrily, "Let's go home!"

Sighing loudly, Shikamaru slowly drags his feet up from the ground to follow Temari.

Watching her straight, outraged back, Shikamaru smirks. Still, the woman didn't deny too strongly that she's acting like a wife…

And fourth, she still calls the place he stays in, home.

Shikamaru grins, crossing his arms behind his head as he looks up at the fluffy looking Konoha clouds, peeping amongst the tree branches.

For now, surely, things are going to get less troublesome.

TBC

~12 4, 17 12; 1 8 13AF P 1 13 13~

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, one crit, faves and alerts!...So yep here's another fast update.