Something lighthearted to balance what I gave you guys last time.
To clarify, the line of dialogue in my prompt was what I used as the conversation starter.
Temari-centric because there isn't enough Shikatema from her perspective.
enjoy!
.::[::]::.
[I'd really to see your take on Shikamaru's reaction to hearing about Daimaru. Like maybe dryly telling Temari "So. I heard a zombie confessed to you." or something like that XD]
She seriously couldn't believe they were having this conversation.
Would he hate her if she smacked him out of the air with her fan?
Because as they were travelling from locations A to B, it wasn't even the question he asked that caught her offguard. It was his tone. As she pushed off from one tree to the next (she still wasn't the best at this, at least not as good as Konoha nin), the stupid pineapple head was steadily keeping pace with her. Normally she wouldn't care too much but she knew he was doing it on purpose – he can and has gone far ahead of her. His voice wasn't even really imploring, not quite teasing, just dry, like his fucking sense of humour.
Humour at the expense of others, she thought furiously, as words and sentences came to her head like a twist of a faucet but none seemed quite adequate enough for her to respond with. She focused on the rhythmic tak as she gathered her strength into her haunches, springing forward before she absorbed too much impact.
Tak.
She instead tried to swallow the bile (and embarrassment) that was beginning to make its way into her thoughts. She seriously was beginning to wonder about his tone – calculatingly light. Or maybe she was overthinking. Ugh. Who told him? Matsuri?
I'm gonna flay her, she thought with venom, trying to ignore the (snide? She didn't care, he was dead anyway) look he gave her. She turned her eyes forward, nearly missing the next branch that was supposed to be her target.
Tak.
He was being patient, but a stupid kind of patient, as if he was baiting her out. Correction: he was baiting her.
He also probably knew that she couldn't turn it down.
As usual, he was right.
"Ugh, can you stop staring at me like that?" she growled, putting a bit too much force into her next stride as the wood splintered underneath her. She didn't dare look but she could sense that fucking smirk on his face, though he tried to pass it off as disinterested riling she could also feel he was genuinely interested. She felt heat prickling her spine as she fought between embarrassment for both that situation and the fact he was even asking about it. She didn't ever expect Nara, of all people, to be imploring like this. It was just so tiresome – and he called her troublesome?
It only took five more seconds of frustration before she bit back a growl, which came out more as a loud, exasperated sigh. "Matsuri?"
"Yukata."
"Bitch," she seethed, though she could see a patient, of not, somewhat amused, smile spread on his lips. She ignored this, however, putting all her energy one more jump, praying that this stride pushed her ahead of the stupid Konoha nin.
To her frustration, though, he kept easy pace beside her. His tone was still calculating indifferent, and infuriatingly so. "And?"
Tak.
"Can't you let this one go?"
Tak.
"I could."
Tak.
For once, she wished he would just resume being the lazy ass that she knew him as. He seemed unusually interested and it kind of bothered her. She swallowed back a blush that was fighting its way to her face, especially as she could tell that, though he was aloof, his eyes were curiously trained onto her. She sighed. When she opened her mouth, she couldn't help the words that tumbled forward. "Look, it was an old friend. Yes, he's dead. And I turned him down faster than I could blink."
Tak.
He seemed satisfied with that because he suddenly lost interest, instead flying in step beside her. With each bound, she couldn't help but to wonder what had spurred that on – it wasn't often, or ever, really, that he would be so forward with it. Maybe he was just trying to piss her off. (That happened a lot, especially recently.)
So it was her turn to have fun now.
"Why do you care so much?" her eyes narrowed and she could almost stop the next phrase from spilling out of her mouth. Almost. "Were you feeling threatened, crybaby?"
Tak.
She could distinctively hear a 'Tch' as the Konoha-nin suddenly bounded past her, leaving him behind. She blinked, watching his back get smaller and smaller, and she couldn't help her own smirk from spreading on her lips. He's like an open book.
He was quickly gaining speed and she rolled her eyes. As he tried to get away she couldn't help but call out: "Aren't you going to call me troublesome?"
His lack of a response was enough to amuse her for the rest of their trip.