"You're not looking so hot."
Shikamaru held back a wry chuckle. It was an ironic statement considering it was so hot that he felt like he was melting into a puddle in his chair. He noted the hot drip of sweat running down the middle of his lower back.
Shikamaru rubbed his temples–hard, as Ino squeezed behind him to mess with the blinds behind his desk. An attempt to let more light into the office… and to apparently test his frayed patience.
But she wasn't wrong. He didn't look great – he couldn't even deny the statement. He wore a usual plain black work suit with white dress shirt, though he had shed his jacket and tie awhile ago. His sleeves were rolled up and his clothing stuck to his body. But, it wasn't just his clothes, it was the smell of stale cigarette smoke and wrinkles that gave away that he had put on his suit from the previous day without thinking. When he added in the bags under his eyes from yet another night of rough sleep, he was sure he made quite the picture.
He sighed, "I've heard telling people things like that isn't actually helpful."
"Seriously though, Shikamaru… did you get any z's at all last night?"
"Not really." Shikamaru squinted as his eyes adjusted to the light. His eyes refocused just in time to catch a self satisfied smile spread across Ino's face. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail and her pearly whites flashed over her shoulder as she swung around his desk to the seat across from him.
"Spend all night at The Sound again? I hear you're there almost every night," Ino teased as she plopped into the chair opposite him. The situation reminded him of another blonde who enjoyed a similar pastime.
Shikamaru cleared his throat, which somehow felt tighter after the thought of Temari, especially after the previous evening.
This is becoming a problem.
"Nah, did some recon yesterday…" Ino eyed him with a look which caused him to finish before she could grill him, "... with Temari."
Ino's knowing smile widened as she grabbed a piece of paper from the desk to fan herself, "Oh, is that what all the cool cats are calling it now?"
"It's not like that, Ino." Shikamaru pulled out a cigarette and rolled between his thumb and forefinger as he contemplated just how much he could share with Ino from the previous night's events. He didn't want to go into details about what happened with Temari. Especially not when he still felt a bit mixed up about the events that had followed.
Then there was the discovery of Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Danzo being tied together. Would telling her about Danzo pull her deeper into the case - putting her even more at risk? This was still the case that got Asuma killed, after all. Maybe he hadn't been in the right to even tell Ino and Choji anything in the first place? He had chosen to have Ino use her connections to dig into the money laundering angle. If anything happened to her it would be his fault…
He started to feel the full effect of the heat in the room. The stiflingly heavy hot air pressed down on him like the lives he toyed with or was that just the heavy weight of Asuma's death pressing…
"Earth to Shikamaru!" Ino snapped her fingers in his face, "I come all the way here to see you, and you're just going to sit here and be pensive?"
Shikamaru's eyes refocused back to her. She stared back at him with annoyance in her eyes. She was so… so damn troublesome.
God help any man that crosses her.
The thought was brief, but it was enough to remind him of who she was. How his friends could hold their own. Now wasn't the time to start second guessing the choices he made.
"Don't you want to know why I'm here?" with a flick of her hair, she was back to her happy, bubbly self. She was almost bouncing in her seat. An obvious sign that she was attempting to hold back her excitement. She had news to share, and judging by her teasing and good mood - and the fact that she was sitting in front of him rather than just a phone call, made him have the hunch that it had to do with the favor he had requested of her.
"So, you were able to find a lead on who's laundering money?"
"Ughhhh, you're such a wet rag, Shikamaru." Ino rolled her eyes before continuing. "I found some small time joints, just a little bit bigger than what my family's flower shop clears. But, I can be a bit resourceful myself and yours truly found the guy."
It was always nice to have a hunch confirmed. His exhaustion ebbed at the news.
"Okay, so I don't exactly know the name of the guy we're looking for," Ino held up a hand to stop him from interrupting as she took a dramatic pause, "but I do know his contact. Zangei. And when I was chatting Zangei up, I was able to learn that he is expected back in Konoha within the next couple of weeks."
"Tell me you were at least careful when you 'chatting Zangei up', Ino. I was just asking for you to find who I need to talk to, I don't want you getting too involved in this. These are all dangerous people."
"Don't worry, I'm a big girl. Do you ever stop to think that we can be dangerous people ourselves?" Ino started to stand, "I'll let you know more info as I get it, but I believe you have a check-in with Temari in a couple, so I can head out now. I don't want to be a third wheel, and I'll let you share the news."
"Do I want to know how you know that she'll be by today? And if you know that, then you should at least know that there's nothing between us."
"Sure, whatever you need to tell yourself," she tossed the paper back on his desk. "You seem to forget that I can practically read your mind." Ino turned before heading out the door, "See you later alligator."
With that she was gone.
Shikamaru glanced at this wrist watch. Ino was right, Temari would be here any minute. He needed to let Kakashi know about Danzo's involvement with Orochimaru, though he suspected that he had already known considering the vague warning he had given him. But maybe he could get a little more information from Kakashi now that he had some information to give in return… that would all have to wait until after Temari though.
Now he had something. Something that could help move past some of the events of the evening before, something that they could use.
He lit his cigarette and waited… and waited.
It was thirty minutes past the usual meet time, and he had just reached for the phone when the wrong Subaku sibling walked through the door.
"Where's Temari?" The words had slipped from his mouth before he had realized.
Kankuro tossed his hat on the top of the coat rack, "Geeze, we gotta work on your greetings." His fingers pushed a piece of fallen hair back into the rest of his slicked back hair. He had foregone his suit jacket but still wore a black long sleeved dress shirt, with a dark purple tie, and black slacks. Shikamaru swore he felt even hotter just looking at the guy, but Kankuro looked completely unfazed by the heat.
"She's just usually the one who comes to check in."
It's not anything else. If anything, maybe it's better not to see her after yesterday.
Kankuro dropped into the empty seat across the desk, "Sorry to disappoint, Nara, but she asked me to come by and so she could be the one to check in with a Suna contact. Can't really blame her after a whole day in a car with you yesterday."
Maybe she's realized just how pathetic and messed up you are. She can't even look you in the eye now.
He felt the corners of his mouth turn down slightly, before he quickly hid any sign of a reaction behind his usual mask of boredom. Thankfully Kankuro seemed to have missed the fleeting emotion, though he knew he wouldn't have.
Shikamaru made sure to keep his voice cool, "Is that so?"
"Could there be any other reason? Unless she has another reason to be avoiding you… did something happen?" he eyed him.
He appeared to be in the dark about the finer details of the night before… or maybe it really was nothing out of the ordinary for Temari?
Swallowing, Shikamaru made sure not to let anything show on his face, "She's just gonna miss out today, because I've news."
Kankuro perked up in his seat, a feral grin spreading across his face, "What kind of news?"
"The kind where my contact came through before yours," he smirked.
Kankuro's eyes narrowed, and Shikamaru decided right then that he would be headed to The Sound, yet again tonight, if only to see the look Temari would give him when he pointed out the same thing to her. If he could get a beat on her feelings after the night before, well, that would just be an added bonus.
"You better get talking, Nara…"
Shikamaru leisurely lit a cigarette before he shared what he had learned from Ino.