A/N: The responses to the first chapter were immediate, and frankly, quite astonishing. I've written fanfiction that could be considered somewhat popular before but considering the Fic's been up for under 12 hours, the numbers I'm getting on this surprise me. I figured the pairing I'm writing for was dead, so the fact that people are PMing me about something like this is great. Anyway, I'm writing this the day following my writing of the previous chapter, although I'll probably upload it the day after it's been written to keep things spaced out. I'll burn myself out if I write too much, and I REALLY want to finish this. Anyway, onwards towards the fic!
PS: I don't own Naruto or All Time Low's song "Remembering Sunday", although I love both of them.
Chapter 2: Favors
Shikamaru was sitting back with his arms crossed behind his head and his legs up on a steel table in a room located just outside of the interrogation chamber in ANBU Headquarters, smiling ever so softly. Things had gone well in the hours following his interrogation of Tayuya. Inoichi Yamanaka had come into the chamber to verify the information by entering Tayuya's mind and despite some light initial resistance on her part, the mind transfer had been successful. With the information that he had gained, Inoichi verified all of the statements she'd made during Shikamaru's interrogation.
Well, at least now I don't have to deal with some trouble lecture about interrogating people "properly".
This was true: Shikamaru wouldn't be receiving a lecture, as he had gotten information that had all checked out. However, what he would be getting was almost as troublesome. This notion popped into his head as soon as none other than Godaime Tsunade entered the room outside of the interrogation chamber. Upon seeing Shikamaru lazing around, she crossed her arms, then speaking in her usual stern tone.
"Nara, what have I told you about getting lazy when an enemy's nearby?"
Shikamaru glanced upwards, merely tilting his head towards the Hokage and making sure not to leave his relaxed position.
"Ugh, but it's troublesome, and Godaime-Sama, I don't know if you've noticed, but the enemy is currently bound and supervised by another ninja."
With a sigh, the Godaime's posture relaxed, her eyes shifting away from the glare that she was so well known for. Speaking in a much more matter-of-fact tone this time, Tsunade corrected Shikamaru, who had clearly not been paying attention to the events going on in the interrogation chamber.
"Actually Shikamaru, the enemy is being unbound as we speak and is being brought into this room for a discussion with me about her punishment. You are aware that she was involved in the assassination of the Sandaime, correct?"
Shikamaru's eyes widened. He'd completely forgotten about that.
Damn, my troublesome promise may not be so easy to keep with a crime like that on her record. I need to come up with something, and it has to be soon.
The first thing that anybody would think of in such a situation jumped into his head, and from his head into his mouth. With as cool a tone as he could, Shikamaru addressed the Hokage's statement.
"Yes, but we need to put the fact that Orochimaru was forcing her to do these things unwillingly into consideration. She's been proven to feel remorseful for her actions despite her exterior attitude towards them during the actual events seeming to be that of a... joyous serial killer, to put things bluntly. Maybe it was some kind of coping method?"
Tsunade looked away and grumbled, muttering something like "damn kids" under her breath. Appearing to think for a brief moment, Tsunade broke her self-imposed silence with a reply that brightened Shikamaru's spirits instantly.
"Admittedly yes, she can't be held exclusively responsible for her actions. However, she is still implicated in the crime and thus will be punished in some form, albeit not as severely. We'll discuss specifics in a second once she's in the room."
Holy shit! That actually worked?
To say the least, Shikamaru was surprised his on-the-spot plan had executed so well. Regardless of that, as the conversation between Tsunade and Shikamaru wrapped up, Tayuya entered the room accompanied by Inoichi Yamanaka, who quickly bowed before leaving Shikamaru, Tsunade, and Tayuya alone in the room. Shikamaru finally moved from his relaxed position, standing up to go.
"Godaime, can I go now?"
Tsunade eyed him curiously for a brief while before seemingly lighting up with some sort of revelation, replying following this.
"No. I need you to stay for the conversation I'm about to have with Tayuya. You're involved in the resolution I have planned."
Ugh, so troublesome. I thought that I'd done my job!?
Following her reply to Shikamaru, Tsunade turned to Tayuya and spoke in the same stern tone she'd used earlier.
"You. Sit."
Tayuya looked mildly annoyed at being given orders, but following a glare, she quickly moved to sit down in the chair Tsunade was gesturing to, replying in tandem with this action, her tone clearly more submissive than usual.
"Fu-... y-yes, Godaime-San."
Shikamaru sat back down in his seat as Tayuya did this. Standing would be far too troublesome if he was going to be hanging out here a while longer. Luckily, Tsunade didn't seem to mind: she was more focused on their prisoner.
"So, as I understand it, your name is Tayuya, and you were forcibly recruited into becoming one of Orochimaru's private bodyguards as a child. I also understand that you were involved in some way with the Sandaime Hokage's assassination. Is this correct?"
Tayuya replied with none of her usual fire. Looking Tsunade in the eyes, she spoke simply, as the question had been just that: simple. On top of that, she was never particularly enthusiastic when people brought up her childhood, or rather, her lack of one.
"Yes. That's correct, Godaime-San."
Tsunade's stern exterior remained, but she nodded softly. She could understand the girl's plight: Orochimaru had been known to kidnap children for use in experiments among other things. To grow up like that must have been terrible for the girl's mental and physical health in general. Regardless, she couldn't go easy on her: the crimes this young Oto-nin had committed were simply too great to be left unpunished.
"As you must be aware, your crimes would usually warrant an unceremonious end to your life. Even if you did give us valuable, verified information, you'd still usually be locked up for the rest of your life."
Tayuya gulped. Her prospects weren't looking good.
"However: thanks to this man over here-"
Tsunade gestured in Shikamaru's direction. Tayuya spared a wide-eyed glance in his direction before looking back at Tsunade, allowing her to finish.
"You won't be spending the rest of your life in a cell. In fact, had it been just me, that would have been the case. You should be thankful: Shikamaru happened to bring about something I was going to ignore. I'm referring to the fact that you were, essentially, forced into doing what you did. Regardless of your attitude during said incidents, I can't put all the blame for the Sandaime's death and Sasuke's kidnapping on you: those were orders you were forced to carry out. Failure to do so would have meant death. Thus, I have another offer for you."
Shikamaru hadn't expected this. He'd fully assumed that the Hokage would be locking Tayuya up for at least some lengthy period of time. The fact that he'd had so much influence on her decision was both shocking and something of an ego.
Damn, maybe I could make a career for myself in politics.
The idea was quickly dismissed as reality began to beckon to him once again. Tayuya was intently waiting for Tsunade to propose whatever it was she had planned. It took merely a few seconds for the silence to break, but Shikamaru imagined it had felt like an eternity to her: after all, it wasn't every day that the Judge, Jury, and Executioner started cutting deals with you.
"For starters, you will be confined to Konohagakure until further notice. That much goes without saying. If you desire to venture outside the village, you must be accompanied by an assigned guard of Chunin-Rank or higher. On top of this, you'll be having your Curse Mark sealed immediately. Finally, you'll be required to reside in a designated area along with your assigned guard for your first two years living in Konoha."
Tayuya looked up at Tsunade expectantly, clearly inquisitive. Her tone and vernacular had clearly returned to normal: this didn't help the situation much.
"Alright, who the fuck'll you have guarding my ass?"
Tsunade's eyes widened and her tone raised immediately.
"Excuse me?!"
Tayuya shrunk into her chair and replied immediately in the submissive tone from earlier.
"I-I mean, who will be my assigned guard, Godaime-San?"
Tsunade took a deep breath before replying. She wasn't up for scolding a teenager over her choice of language right now. Thus, instead of doing that, she simply answered Tayuya's question.
"Your guard will be..."
Oh dear Kami, please don't say what I think you're going to say...
"Nara Shikamaru. I know you two met under... less than positive circumstances, but hopefully, neither of you will let actions taken in your respective lines of duty interfere with your relationship. I fully expect you two to be respectful to each other: especially you, Shikamaru. Tayuya may be serving a punishment here, but she is still a guest in Konoha and you shall treat her as such."
Fuuuuuuuckkkkkkkkkkkkk...
Shikamaru quickly replied, sweat beads running down his slowly reddening face.
"Godaime, if I may, do I have any form of choice in this matter?"
Tsunade began to laugh slightly in response to Shikamaru's reply. Then, with an almost sarcastically joyful tone, Tsunade composed a reply of her own.
"Hahahahaha... no."
FUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!
Tayuya of course, in true subversion to what Shikamaru had expected, was seemingly completely on board with the idea.
"Okay. Sounds fine to me. Hell of a lot better than the life Orochimaru had me living."
Her reply was spoken with an unnatural enthusiasm. As to why, Shikamaru couldn't tell, but he wouldn't doubt that it had to do with the fact that he had, surprisingly, come through on his promise to her.
Wait, I actually DID that?! What got into me? I was fighting this girl literally yesterday, and now we're going to be living together? This is so troublesome... not to mention that I have to explain all of this to my mother.
Tsunade briefly addressed Tayuya, her tone returning to normal once more, before turning to Shikamaru.
"Glad that we could come to an agreement. I hate to see talented shinobi go to waste, and even more so if they're still young with a life left to live. As for you Shikamaru, I'd like you to be aware that this is a serious ordeal: I'm assigning this task of yours the status of a long-term A-Rank mission. You should be aware that it's likely that Orochimaru will send assassins after Tayuya. While Konoha-Nin will be available to help you fend off any possible assailants, we can only react so fast. Put simply, I'm having you guard Tayuya not only so that she doesn't violate the terms of her punishment, but so that you can protect her if need be."
Tayuya's reaction to this statement was... less than calm, to say the least.
"Scuze' me!? I'm fully capable of defending myself against another ninja: I don't know if you've forgotten, but I would've won my fight with this guy if it hadn't been for that stupid Suna-Nin chick saving his ass."
Tsunade didn't react violently this time: the sentiment was understandable. Her reply came briskly and with full confidence in the words being spoken.
"Tayuya, I don't doubt that you're a powerful shinobi. Regardless of his motives and methods, Orochimaru wouldn't have made you into one of his personal bodyguards if you'd been weak. However, when you defeated Shikamaru, I should remind you that you had to utilize the second level of your curse mark, something that you no longer have access to. Without it, I highly doubt you'll be able to fight off a possibly Jonin-level assassin by yourself. Think of Shikamaru's presence as a precaution if anything, but certainly nothing more."
With a grumble and slight frown, Tayuya nodded in begrudging acceptance.
Following this exchange, silence settled over the dimly lit, grey-walled room. To everybody's surprise, it was none other than Shikamaru who broke it with a question that should have probably been answered a long time ago.
"Godaime, where and when will I be moving?"
Tsunade paused to think after hearing those words. She hadn't quite thought this far ahead yet. However, after a few seconds of pondering upon the issue, she came up with what she believed to be a solid answer.
"Good question: I'm sure I can find you two a two-bedroom apartment somewhere in town. As the mission begins right now and seeing that Tayuya can't exactly stay on Nara Clan grounds, I'll put you two up in a hotel tonight. You can move your stuff in tomorrow."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in response to this statement.
"Pardon me, Godaime, but do you really think you'll be able to both find and close a deal on an apartment in town within a day?"
Tsunade gave Shikamaru what he could only describe as a devious look, and replied with a tone that represented such an appearance.
"Please Shikamaru, give your Hokage some credit: if I actually WANT to get paperwork done, I can do it pretty damn quickly. Also, considering that this is considered a mission expense, paying for the apartment shouldn't be an issue. I'll just purchase it up front."
The plan sounded sane enough, although there was one more concern that Shikamaru had that needed to be addressed.
"What are you going to tell my mom?"
Tayuya stifled a laugh, a Tsunade simply smiled in return.
"Don't worry about that: I'll send both of your parents a document containing the formal details of your mission. You'll see them tomorrow anyway. It's not like I'm preventing you from living your life as usual: you'll be allowed to see friends and things, just remember that you need to bring Tayuya along."
Shikamaru nodded.
This sounds troublesome, but it could be worse... at least a long-term A-Rank will pay me consistently and well.
Tsunade then began to walk towards the door, beckoning for the two teenagers to follow her.
"Come on, I need to start looking for apartments, and you two need to check in to your hotel."
Prior to checking in, the duo went to a few stores to pick up a few things for Tayuya: specifically a suitcase and some clothing. After all, it wasn't as if she could go around wearing her Kunoichi's garb forever. Tsunade had been nice enough to pay, although Shikamaru swore that Tsunade looked like she was experiencing physical pain when handing over the money at the cashier. After this, the group walked a few blocks down to a hotel Tsunade knew well. This time when Tsunade paid, Shikamaru could swear he'd heard the Hokage say something along the lines of, "thank god for mission expenses". Upon reaching their accommodations, he could see what she'd meant.
The hotel was far nicer than either Tayuya or Shikamaru could have hoped for. The suite they'd gotten was spacious, with two queen beds, each in a different room. On top of that, there were two bathrooms. On another note, despite the fact that the two were essentially living together, neither had said a single word directly to the other since their experience in the interrogation chamber.
That changed later that night.
It must have been about 9:00 PM: Shikamaru was sitting up in bed with his lamp on, reading over the documents he'd been given that formally outlined his mission goals. There was nothing he hadn't expected written in there, so he wasn't really sure why he was reading it anymore. He'd completed reading the whole thing a few times already, so maybe it was just the lack of anything else to do. That was until she walked in.
Tayuya was wearing nothing but a nightie, and unlike usual, her hair was let out of its usual braid, exposed in all of its beauty without a cap to cover any of it up. Shikamaru instantly felt his cheeks heat up at the sight of the girl.
S-she's... really cute.
Tayuya walked towards him slowly. Eventually, upon reaching the stunned Shikamaru, she did literally the last thing he could have expected. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. There was nothing special about the kiss because it was just that: a kiss. It didn't last particularly long, nor did sparks fly. But just this was enough. After a few seconds, Tayuya pulled back and sat down on the bed. Shikamaru still looked as stunned as he had when she had walked in. Laughing briefly upon seeing that look, she explained the motives behind her actions in true Tayuya fashion.
"That was for keeping your promise, fuckin' idiot. Don't get the wrong idea... but thanks for being nice, regardless. People don't usually do things like that for me. Goodnight"
With that, Tayuya briskly walked out of the room and returned to her own.
Shikamaru's eyes widened and he splayed himself out across his sheets, staring up to the ceiling while letting out a sigh.
I definitely have the wrong idea.
He slept unnaturally well that night.
A/N: Hopefully you liked the ending! I'm trying to keep Tayuya as in-character as possible: I figured the spontaneous nature of the ending made sense in regards to her personality. As always, leave a review and favorite to show support, and suggest any ideas or improvements you might have for the story!