Murder in Mathematics

Shikamaru: Sucks at trying to console

Shikamaru sighed loudly.

What he had hoped would be a relaxed Saturday afternoon out with friends at the local slushy-come-music store was proving to be anything but. This was mostly because of present company, for when the inter-school sports competition that was to be held in the coming weeks was mentioned in conversation, somehow a heated debate over who was the fastest runner in the friendship group had emerged.

"And I say I'm the fastest!"

"And I've told you that I've seen you run and I promise you with my life that I am faster!"

Naruto and Kiba were the main perpetrators of the argument. Everybody else, minus the very unamused Shikamaru, were simply watching the disagreement from their seats around the table.

"You guys do know there is a very easy way settle this?" chimed in Ino after slurping on her raspberry flavoured ice slushy.

Kiba and Naruto both paused and in unison grinned.

"Tekken tournament," They said together.

"I get Jin! He looks like Sasuke!" Naruto then quickly added.

Ino frowned, "No. I meant having a race."

Both boys raised their heads in realisation.

"Ohhh," Kiba said before nodding, "Good idea," he then turned to Naruto, "Naruto, three laps around the shop. Whoever arrives back here first wins!"

Hinata glanced around the shop; lines of rounded tables on one side where the slushy's were served and rows of cd stands on the other, potential customers all around, "I don't think racing in here is such a good idea, Kiba," She said meekly.

"Some other time then!" Naruto exclaimed, "Monday Breaktime! Be there or be square!"

"Be where? You didn't even give me a location," Kiba deadpanned.

"The school track on the field!" Naruto returned in an exasperated fashion.

At this point Shikamaru gave up on humanity, so stood up with a pull of his coat, "Alright. I'm out."

"You going already, Shikamaru?" Choji questioned as he looked up from his bag of BBQ sauce flavoured Lays.

Shikamaru nodded and with a lazy wave at everybody exited the shop and into the rain.

The rain was actually why everybody was still in the shop. They had been inside for two hours and boredom had really hit overdrive for the Nara; he figured he could just handle the rain and walk home. Though, it had only gotten worse since going inside. The street he was on, a downhill outer city centre street filled to the brim with shops, was being pelted with sideways rain, forcing Shikamaru into a squint. Zipping up his jacket that regrettably did not have a hood, he headed into the greyness ahead.

The rain was strong and whipped against Shikamaru's face, and at times he couldn't even see where he was going. Arriving off the main road of shops and onto a road of redbrick houses, the last thing Shikamaru thought he would be doing was stopping; he would get soaked. But he did. Because as he turned the corner, standing by the right wall, was Temari Sungakure.

In a deep purple hoodie and black tracksuit bottoms, she stood, half-leaning, a lit cigarette in-between her fingers. The two of them were only acquaintances, perhaps even less than that; after all, she was two years older than he was. Their one encounter came when Shikamaru was thirteen and she was fifteen. He had said something, a sarcastic comment that Shikamaru could no longer remember, towards Tayuya, resulting in the ginger trying to attack the boy savagely. Temari had been nearby and essentially stepped in, letting Shikamaru off the hook who was determined not to hurt Tayuya in anyway in protecting himself. Since then they had granted each other passing 'hello' nods in the school corridors. Nothing more. That was why he now paused, stuck in between the desire to bustle onwards and pretend to not see her and the instinct to at least say a 'hello'.

Thankfully for Shikamaru, she spoke first.

Her voice was dull though surprise-tinged, "Hey," She said upon spotting him.

"Hey," Shikamaru greeted back.

Now what? Shikamaru once again fought off the urge to simply walk off with an 'I don't know what else to say' shrug, and instead thought desperately of something to say. It was hard, for he was fully aware that this was the girl who had just lost her sibling younger brother not a week back.

He instead pointed lamely upwards at her, "I didn't know you smoke."

Temari looked down at the burning stick in her fingers and pushed out her lips, "I don't normally."

Shikamaru nodded and looked around awkwardly at the falling rain and the rippled puddles on the roadside.

"Why are you out in the rain?" He then finally asked.

Temari shrugged, "To get out the house."

"You live near here?"

Temari turned with a sniff, pointing to the other side of the road at one of the red bricked homes, "Just there."

Shikamaru strolled up next to her and leant against the wall. He really felt that common etiquette of the situation was to ask how she was doing, but such an enquiry was harder to voice than anticipated.

He tried anyway, "So… you're… sad?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at himself as Temari turned her head to him, incredulously amused.

"Seriously?"

Shikmaru smirked slightly at his own idiocy, "Sorry."

Temari smirked now too, and looked away, throwing the cigarette to the floor and into the small puddle by her feet.

"I don't even like smoking," she remarked.

Shikamaru sensed her embarrassment, "Asuma-Sensei smokes."

Temari nodded then blinked away the rain droplet that had fallen from her fringe and into her eye, "I would normally invite you in but I came out here to escape my house."

Shikamaru nodded in understanding, "Why's that?"

Temari sighed, "Sometimes, even being in the place you find most safe gets draining," Her eyes drew to her house across the way, "It's like a church in there."

Shikamaru wished his home was like that. When he wanted the quiet that Temari apparently had an abundance of, he would always be beckoned away by his mother on some errand of sorts.

The rain began to subside now as the two stood, content in half conversation. Still Shikamaru felt the impulse to leave, as he was not one for social situations, but still he stayed. He could somehow tell, though he wasn't sure how, that Temari appreciated the company.

"The Detectives… are they any good?"

The question caught Shikamaru by surprise, who had been staring down at Temari's old cigarette, which now floated in a small pool of rain water in between their feet. Were the Detectives good? He considered the question for a second, went to answer, but then froze. Something had hit him there and then that he had not considered before. He, he and all his friends, were the suspects for killing Temari's brother. Shikamaru broke into sweat immediately. Realising her question still hung unanswered, he then spoke quickly.

"Err, yeah they're alright."

Did she know then? Surely she didn't. Who would talk to a suspect of their brother's murder so freely if they knew? Suddenly Shikamaru felt extremely guilty. Sure, he was pretty much off the hook because all he had done that fateful Monday evening was sleep, but still… his friends, friends he has just visited, they were still open for scrutiny. Without Temari even knowing, their conversation had just turned ten times more awkward.

She didn't seem to notice, face stoic and expressionless.

"We don't know anything yet. Me and my family. All we know is that the police have two top detectives in the school."

Shikamaru pulled at his collar, "You don't say?"

"They say they've got suspects. It's all so… I don't know."

Shikamaru watched Temari turn her head quickly, as to avoid his gaze. Man, how badly would he kill to have Ino with him? She would be able to do all the talking and he could just stand by watching the grey clouds passing over. That's how it normally worked. He wasn't a talker. He was a sit-a-byer.

For a minute longer they stood, awkwardly silent, until the unmistakable sniff of somebody crying became audible. Shikamaru sighed and turned to his blonde counterpart. She was crying, not heavily; one tear rolling gently down her cheek.

Shikamaru did the only thing he deemed appropriate. He slammed his hand down onto her shoulder, far too hard, resulting in her buckling forward, and said, "There, there," in a slow drawl, lacking in any obvious empathy.

He cringed as she glared up at him, straightening herself as she did so. But then, to Shikamaru's relief, she smiled. Had he pulled off a miracle?

"You really are shit at this, aren't you Shikamaru Nara?"

That was probably the first time she had ever said his name. Shikamaru smiled very briefly, before pursing his lips and turning to look at the sky.

"Sorry."

Temari sniffed again and shrugged, still smiling, "It's alright. I was getting fed up of consolation anyway."

That was a relief. Shikamaru actually felt like he could talk to her now; though the suspect ordeal still lingered in the back of his mind.

"How's Gaara?"

"Imagine a paler, darker eyed version of him," Temari answered with a short, shaky laugh.

The imagery in Shikamaru's head was akin to something out of Ronald McDonald themed clown nightmare. He shook it out of his head as Temari continued.

"He's kinda reverted back to his twelve year old self to be honest."

Shikamaru then thought back to Gaara when he was twelve and recalled the fact that he was to everybody else in the Year Group a strange, emo goth child who was intent on killing them all. He wasn't, Shikamaru was sure, but that was his memory on him.

"Shame," Was all Shikamaru could spout.

Once again they stood a bit longer in content silence, before once again Temari broke it, turning to him with hands in her pockets.

"I'm gonna go home now."

Shikamaru, though relieved, felt sort of sorry to see her go.

"Alright."

They nodded at each other with awkward smiles, before she turned to cross the road. She stopped at the curb though and turned back just as Shikamaru prepared to move on.

"Thanks… Shikamaru."

Shikamaru shrugged, not fully aware of what he had done, "S'alright."

Temari smiled appreciatively before finally crossing, leaving Shikamaru watching her go.

It was only a short conversation, at least speech wise, as for time wise he had stood by her for almost ten minutes, but still he felt a certain amount of satisfaction after the chance meeting and he got the feeling so did she. She was cool girl and in many ways Shikamaru hoped to see her returning to Konoha Academy soon. Besides this satiety he also felt guilt. Guilt because, although he avoided at all costs entertaining the possibility, just earlier he could have been spending time with the killer of her brother, the source of all her pain.

It had already been a drag but now the whole murder thing really had become troublesome.

A nice little chapter away from the school for you there, setting up Shikamaru's subplot! Hurray!

As always guys I hope you enjoyed and hope if you did enjoy that you'll take the time to drop a review- author's appreciate them so much!

Thanks so much for the support so far! -(And to WinterPrayerOfTheMoons thanks a lot for the offer but for now I'm doing alright! If I ever start to struggle I'll definitely contact you so thanks for being so kind!)