Shadows and Fangs

Chapter 21

Phew...we're over 20 chaps now! I'm the first person surprised by this...but I think we'll go over 30, so I hope you're still up for more! :)

While working together with Kankuro had quickly become easy enough, Shikamaru always remained on his guard with him. Granted, their banter was slightly more abrasive in nature than he was usually accustomed to, and yet somehow it worked – they worked

Kankuro, insufferable man that he was, knew exactly how to push his buttons and seemed to be having the time of his life trying his patience, which was why the Nara was never one to turn away any opportunity to make fun of his co-worker.

Especially when they were handed to him on a silver platter by the man himself.

And in what was becoming an increasingly recurring occurrence, Shikamaru walked into the office one day to find Kankuro glaring holes into a small stack of papers – returns from administration for additional information, to his understanding.

The Sand shinobi did not share his fellow colleague's amusement at the situation though. "It's the third time this month! This is impossible, this guy has it in for me!"

"Is someone giving you a hard time?" Shikamaru drawled with perfectly faked empathy.

"Like you wouldn't believe!" the puppeteer muttered as he frowned at the offending notice affixed to the paper he was holding.

"Can I get a name? I need to buy that guy a drink!" the Nara added with a grin as he checked the documents that had been left on his desk.

"Ha, ha, I'm laughing so hard my sides hurt," Kankuro deadpanned before sighing and shaking his head. "No one else's ever had anything to say about my reports! Why is it every time he's on duty there's a field I haven't filled correctly or a box I haven't ticked right?"

Shikamaru shrugged at this – the world of administration remained a mystery to him, even with the few shifts his previous rotations back home had forced him to take. "Maybe he's bored," he offered, because truthfully, it could be that simple.

"He's out for blood," Kankuro agreed solemnly. "He never even looks me in the eyes, like he knows he's being a pain on purpose!"

Shikamaru wanted to comment that maybe he was overreacting a bit, but a Kankuro with his feathers ruffled was a fun Kankuro to watch and torment, so he was determined to enjoy it while he could. "That must be hard!"

But the puppeteer visibly wanted to get to the bottom of things. "Come with me next time," he asked unexpectedly.

"What?"

"Come on – you always have something or other to drop to admin!" Kankuro reasoned easily. "So next time he's on duty, we'll both drop in our documents, and we'll see if he's such a hard-ass about yours too!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at him, wondering how such a brilliant shinobi worked out that twisted logic in his brain. Still, it wasn't like it would imply going out of his way, and possibly, he'd get a good laugh out of it, so he just shrugged. "You'll be troublesome either way, so I might as well humor you," he reasoned.

And how sad was it that Kankuro didn't even react upon being referred to as 'troublesome' anymore?

So the next time the dreaded shinobi was on duty, six days later, he accompanied his not-really-friend-but-more-than-just-acquaintance to drop off his forms. The verdict didn't disappoint. Shikamaru's paperwork was all in order; Kankuro's was missing some notes. And in all objectivity, the Nara was as baffled as the puppeteer, because he'd read over his report, and there was nothing to nitpick about.

"I think you might be right – he's got it in for you!" he was forced to concede as they walked back to Gaara's office.

"Somehow having confirmation doesn't make me feel as good as I'd hoped," Kankuro admitted gruffly with a frown.

"Sorry," the shadow-nin replied with a shrug, looking (and actually feeling) completely unapologetic. "You've probably pissed him off one way or the other," he added casually after a minute. "Do you know his name?"

"Tsuneo Susaya," Kankuro replied, sighing at the other man's blank expression. "Yeah, doesn't ring a bell to me either!"

But Shikamaru didn't want to admit defeat just yet. "There must've been something…maybe you turned him down for a promotion? Were too hard on him during a mission? Made his sister cry? Spilled his coffee by accident?" he listed off the top of his head. "He's not bad-looking – maybe you made a pass at him? When you were drunk, possibly, since you don't remember."

"I'd never drink to the point of being so far gone that I'd forget things," Kankuro assured him with a raised eyebrow, almost offended on that one. "Although he is my type," he conceded before frowning and shaking his head as though remembering they were discussing the bane of his administrative existence – by definition, he could not be his type.

"Then maybe he knows one of your exes? That's why I hate your guts, after all," Shikamaru offered matter-of-factly, only half-joking and not bothering to hide his smirk.

Kankuro snorted in amusement at this, knowing he didn't really hate him. "You know what? We might be getting closer to the truth!" he conceded anyway.

Still, when they told Temari and Kiba about this over drinks later that evening, the kunoichi could only frown at her brother incredulously.

"Seriously? Two of the brightest minds in Suna are wrecking their minds over something a genin could figure out?" she clarified as she sized them up over the rim of her glass.

The afore-mentioned bright minds shared mildly insulted looks at this and then turned to Kiba in hope of a more understanding reaction. Of course he would squash their hopes as well.

"It seems obvious enough!" he added, sharing a look with Temari that greatly annoyed the other two.

Since Kankuro visibly didn't see their point, Temari took it upon herself to spell it out. "He likes you, little brother!"

"He's just trying to get your attention any way he can," Kiba agreed with a shrug. "His run-ins with you being limited to admin, that translates into making up excuses to have you come back."

"How can you be so sure?" Shikamaru wondered with a frown as he turned to him while the puppeteer seemed to be intensively trying to recall every interaction to read into it.

Kiba raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled before taking a gulp of his drink. "It's the only logical explanation if the only times Kankuro's reports get picked on are when that guy's there – everyone at this table knows your work's flawless," he noted matter-of-factly, grin widening as Kankuro raised his glass to him in thanks.

Temari nodded at his, tapping her fingers on the table. "Add to the mix that you said he's decent-looking and never looks you in the eyes, and it's easy to deduce – you've got yourself a love-struck admirer!"

Kankuro frowned as he looked at them in turn and finally shook his head, bringing his drink to his lips. "If you're right, then he's picked a really roundabout way to go about this!" he declared as he set the glass back down.

"We're right," Temari assured him confidently, Kiba nodding his assent.

"Want me to go with you again next time?" Shikamaru couldn't help but tease.

"Shut up."

Yes, things always ended up getting better – or simply more fun. One just needed to be patient.

And Shikamaru was good at being patient.

With the development of the Allied division, a phenomenon that used to be extremely rare in any Hidden Village gradually became more common: whole units of foreign shinobi found themselves residing abroad for an undefined period of time. Some even brought their family along. For regular people, merchants and craftsmen, this wasn't so new, but shinobi? Even though the general mood was friendly, old quarrels could break out at any time because of reasons so distant many couldn't even explain themselves properly when caught and chastised – fortunately, as time went by it became a rarer and rarer occurrence.

Temari loved the chastising part, in all honesty, so that wasn't really a problem as far as she was concerned.

And in the end, only newcomers tended to gravitate towards and stick to their fellow villagers. As two shinobi from the same village were rarely put together in a team (for balancing reasons), they very quickly ended up getting to know and more often than not appreciate people who only a few years back could've become enemies at the drop of a hat.

As the first pitcher of the idea of having a joint force between the villages and opening their gates to one another, no one was happier about this than Gaara. A happy Gaara usually meant a happy Temari and a happy Kankuro, so being the ones who were with them the most, naturally Shikamaru and Kiba were all for a happy Kazekage. And seeing as the Mizukage's visit went well and without causing any political hiccups, Gaara was a very happy Kazekage.

Of course though, of all the villages, Kiri was the one trying its hardest to (re)form lasting ties with the others, particularly their neighbor to the west, as the Sand and the Mist had clashed an unmeasurable amount of times in the past since their creation. The Fifth Mizukage took that mission to heart, even took a moment in her busy schedule to visit the Allied HQ building and have a few words with the Kiri shinobi posted there.

Unsurprisingly, a Kage's presence – and encouragements – did wonders not only for those from the Mist, but for everyone present.

Actually, an inane comment from that visit ended up having great ramifications – and not politically.

Apparently, shogi was a thing, in Kiri. And it seemed Sojiro used to play with the Mizukage, because when she asked him if he'd learned new ways of playing in Suna, he shook his head sadly and sighed.

"Unfortunately not, Lady Mizukage. The Sand favors the game of go, and only a handful share our passion for shogi!" he replied woefully.

The Mizukage chuckled and crossed her arms over her chest, visibly not thinking this should be a deterrent. "Ah, so the way I see it, you effectively have two options before you: either you use this opportunity to learn go, or you persevere in finding new shogi players!" she listed simply before turning to Temari. "I get the feeling you would excel at the game, Commander," she noted, her eyes narrowing the slightest bit.

"I've played a few games in my time," the blonde replied coolly, raising an eyebrow in silent challenge.

It strangely reminded Kiba of a fight between his mother and his sister. (Less scary though – but not by much.)

"I hear shogi is more famous in Konoha," Sojiro then added with a pointed look towards Kiba – because he never really forgave him for biting him twice (even though he'd deserved it) and never missed an opportunity for playful banter.

"I prefer a good game of Shinobi Conquest myself," the Inuzuka replied with a shrug. Although it had been a long time since he'd last played…he needed to remedy that. "But I'm sure Shikamaru would be willing to give you a lesson—I mean a good game if you're interested," he then added with a wide grin that might have passed as innocent if the other man didn't know him as he did.

"I'm sure," the Captain echoed with an amused grin before turning back to Temari. "Commander, we should play once, if you wouldn't mind."

Temari's smile didn't diminish at all, but Kiba knew that imperceptible twitch in her right eye – she was annoyed, and holding back only because of their esteemed guest. "I look forward to it – but you'll need to go easy on me: as you've said, it's not our specialty here in the Sand," she replied simply, almost managing to sound modest.

She couldn't turn him down, question of honor, but Kiba wouldn't be surprised if she were looking for a way out of it. He didn't doubt her abilities, but she didn't play often, and he visibly loved the game, it was as simple as that: he'd likely win, and she hated to lose.

The Mizukage left their building not much later, and Suna the day after, her visit ending with both Kage and their Councils equally pleased – for the better part.

For Kiba, it was the start of two things: weekly entertainments, because Temari and Sojiro did start to play shogi, soon deciding on a weekly meeting; and daily headaches, because Temari was a sore loser and as he'd surmised, she lost often.

And then there was also the fact that the day following a defeat, she usually crashed at Kiba and Shikamaru's place to ask the Nara where the game went wrong and what she could've done to win.

"I don't understand why it's so important for you to win at shogi!" Kiba finally declared after her third defeat. "Challenge him at go and turn the tables, you'll feel much better!" he added with a shrug, truly not seeing why she was being so stubborn. Sure, she was a quick learner and strategy had always been her thing, but the guy had years on her with the game, of course there was no way she'd beat him after two or three times – it was almost as pointless as him trying to beat Shikamaru! (Yeah, he knew very well the only reason he'd ever gotten close to actually doing that was because he'd distracted him, something that he figured was definitely against the rules.)

"No, it has to be shogi! I'll get him eventually," Temari stated with a frown, looking at him like he was clearly missing the point – and clearly, he admitted that he did.

"You're the commander, Commander," the Inuzuka noted as he leaned back against Akamaru and watched them play.

Shikamaru for his part didn't mind overly much – that way, he got to play and keep his touch. She was a good study, and the silence that surrounded a game, interrupted (mostly) only by the noise made by the pieces hitting the board, had always been soothing to him. Kiba rarely indulged him, and then it couldn't exactly be said that he kept his games silent. In fact, the Inuzuka tended to try the 'distraction by seduction' tactic when he got bored or felt he'd lose by a lot. (Not that Shikamaru really minded much, naturally, but it was nice to play against a driven opponent from time to time.)

Besides, he knew how proud Temari was, and could understand why she insisted. She didn't just want to show off, or he'd have found the whole deal too troublesome and managed to get out of it. She said she wanted to 'get' Sojiro, but he rather thought she wanted to impress him.

Ever since their first meeting, in Konoha – which he'd been present to – Shikamaru had felt that Temari and Sojiro were too similar for their own good. This rivalry of sorts between them really didn't surprise him, in light of that. And if Kiba's off-handed occasional comments about the Commander and the Captain's banter, and Kankuro's sometimes weary eyeballing of said Captain were any indication, then he really didn't want to sit this one out. And it wasn't payback for the way she'd charged into his business all those years back – no, really.

Simply put, it was too entertaining to stay away from.

Not to mention that not many things were worth getting on Temari's bad side, so sacrificing some of his free time once a week to play shogi with her wasn't really a sacrifice, all things considered.

The hard part was reminding himself not to gloat when he won.

He could live with that.

It seemed that the chance to get back at both siblings was at hand, because after weeks of combined pestering from both Kiba and Temari, Kankuro had finally given in and agreed to test their theory by asking his administrative nemesis out on a drink. He'd been stalling, naturally, but that only gave Shikamaru more opportunities to taunt him for it.

Sometimes it felt good to be aggravating on purpose – childishly so.

And he couldn't deny he felt quite satisfied when the puppeteer sighed, glared at him, and marched towards the admin desk the next time Tsuneo Susaya was on duty, the shadow-nin following him lazily.

And before the poor shinobi could say a word, Kankuro leaned closer. "So, what're you doing after work?" he asked, tone just a level under 'gruff'. "We're meeting up with some friends later on, want to tag along?" he offered as he shrugged his head towards the Nara who was a few steps back, to explain who this 'we' was.

Tsuneo froze with his hand still in mid-air holding onto the newly handed forms and suddenly became so flustered it was almost painful to watch – but it was also really funny, from an outsider's perspective, Shikamaru had to admit. "S-s-sure," he finally stammered out.

"Huh. Okay then. We'll pick you up when we leave," Kankuro replied, nearly just as surprised but doing a much better job of hiding it. He didn't like it when his sister was right, it was a question of principles, but he wasn't entirely annoyed about that one yet. Turning to Shikamaru, he shrugged slightly, raising an eyebrow at his smirk, but didn't say anything. When they left the office – without any comments on his report, at last! – he finally hummed. "Well…that was roundabout!"

"He was blushing," Shikamaru commented, shaking his head in amusement. "Probably has a hero-crush on you, poor thing!" He was quite famous, after all, so it wasn't really surprising.

That didn't deter the puppeteer. "Then I suppose you have to admit it was gutsy to try and get my attention by annoying me!" he noted casually.

"I suppose you're not entirely wrong," Shikamaru agreed eventually.

"Is my sister still forcing you to play with her so she can beat my future brother-in-law?" Kankuro asked instead of rising to the bait.

The Nara laughed at this, agreeing that while it was a rather direct way of putting it, it wasn't entirely inaccurate! "She is, but you sound quite sure of yourself!" he mused.

"Standing up to someone who's both younger and outranks you without being either disrespectful or condescending is a lot harder than it sounds," Kankuro commented seriously. He'd seen it enough times with Gaara, after all. It was a delicate balance to attain, and even harder to maintain. "In my sense, Sojiro's always managed to stay there, and Temari likes that – that's why she doesn't mind losing to him, not really."

"She minds a little," Shikamaru protested in amusement. "You should hear her rant about it!"

"I live with her, remember?" the other man needlessly asked with a raised eyebrow. "With anyone else, she wouldn't have played more than once. She wouldn't care what they'd think. But he's different; she doesn't want him to believe she's giving up."

The shadow-nin nodded slowly at this, conceding he hadn't really thought about it like that – but of course her brother knew her better. It still seemed like a lot of needless moves to him, but to each their own, right?

They continued their tasks for the day with somewhat less banter than usual, with Gaara tilting his head in a knowing way, aware that something was going on, but choosing not to pry. When the workday came to an end, Shikamaru elected to leave first. "I'll pick up Kiba and meet you there," he threw over his shoulder, stopping as the puppeteer grabbed his elbow.

"You're gonna run away now?" Kankuro asked him with a frown, suddenly doubting the plan.

The Nara turned to him, raising a raised eyebrow, very much unimpressed. "This isn't your first date, do you really need me to hold your hand?" he noted as he shrugged his arm free.

"I didn't mean it like that," Kankuro insisted, annoyed with himself for reaching out without thinking. Of course he didn't need help, he knew how to handle a guy! "Don't get distracted on Kiba's desk and take forever!" he said as he turned to go his own way, turning the tables as usual.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes but didn't comment any further. Casually, purposefully taking his time, he made his way to the Allied HQ, nodding a greeting at people he passed and recognized, yawing a few times for good measure, keeping his nose safely muffled in his scarf. They might have been nearing the end of winter, but it was still cold out and about – leagues warmer than what they would've had to contend with in Konoha, he knew, but cold for Suna. Getting to the building was a nice break, and he lazily strolled towards the commander and deputy commander's offices. Temari's door was closed, but Kiba's wasn't, so he tapped his knuckles on the wooden surface for the principle and smiled automatically as Kiba looked up to grin at him – although he wasn't alone. Akamaru barked quietly and went to him, glad for some attention.

"Sorry, we'll be done soon," he told him apologetically as he gestured towards Darami who was sitting on the other side of his desk.

Shikamaru nodded a greeting to the kunoichi, who curtly nodded back as usual. "I'll wait for you near the entrance then," he said as he absently scratched the nin-dog's ears.

"Waiting room," Kiba told him instead, looking like he knew something no one else did. "Trust me."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow but nodded, doing as instructed and making his way to the waiting room. He half-expected a clue as soon as he saw the door, but it wasn't any louder than usual, nor was it any different. Curiously, he pushed it open and gazed around the room before frowning as he recognized a certain mop of hair – and green jumpsuit. "Lee?"

Konoha's Junior Green Beast turned to him, his hair flying about, and grinned at him as he wasted no time going over to shake his hand energetically. "Shikamaru! How nice to see you again! You're looking well!" he said enthusiastically, his grin never diminishing in size.

The Nara automatically chuckled at this, as some things never changed. He pulled his hand back before his arm could fall off and absently massaged his shoulder as he raised an eyebrow at him. "Looking fairly good yourself, I promise! Here on a mission, I take it?" he needlessly asked.

Lee nodded, waving a hand about as though to illustrate it. "Yes, it wasn't exactly planned, but we got here a few hours ago – we'll be staying a few days to rest up, since we're here. Kiba told me you were planning on having drinks tonight, so he asked if I wanted to tag along, which – you know me – I'm always willing to!" he explained.

"Of course," Shikamaru commented with a smirk. "So…last I heard you'd transferred to Kumo – is that still accurate?" he wondered as they sat down.

"Yes, and how enriching it's been!" Lee replied instantly. "Truly, having now experienced it myself, I firmly believe that everyone – given the opportunity – should definitely spend some time abroad! It's an experience that can be substituted for no other!" he declared seriously.

"I hear you," the shadow-nin agreed with a small grin. "And yet it's also a leap of faith, isn't it?"

"How do you mean?"

"Without Kiba, it's highly unlikely I would've tried it," Shikamaru replied matter-of-factly. "Before we left, my mother mentioned that traveling is the gift of our generation, yet most people still won't take advantage of it."

Lee nodded in agreement and then looked back up at him. "I'm certain that the next generation will see it as normal – and they'll tell everyone all about it, so much so that those who sat it out will turn green with envy and regret!" he said with certainty.

Shikamaru laughed at this, having to admit he had no problem imagining Mirai and Kao wreaking havoc abroad once they'd be grown up – or without waiting that long, Shino's students, who'd met shinobi from many Hidden Villages at the Academy. "They'll have a thing or two to say to us, I'm sure!"

"Who will?" Kiba wondered as he poked his head in, closely followed by Akamaru.

"Just talking about how the next generation will criticize us, like the boring old men we are," Shikamaru drawled lazily as he stood to walk to him, leaning in to greet him more properly with a kiss. "Darami not joining us?" he needlessly asked.

"I tried," Kiba replied with a shrug, stealing another kiss before shrugging his head to the side. "Come on, let's go save Kankuro's date."

"What about Temari?" Lee wondered as he fell in steps with them, reaching to pat Akamaru's head.

This time Kiba smirked and chuckled worryingly. "I asked but she's busy with shogi right now," he replied, to which Shikamaru snorted in amusement. "It's probably for the best, though. Yasha was game, but I had to send her out last minute, so it's just us."

Shikamaru nodded before turning to the taijutsu expert and clearing his throat. "In the interest of full disclosure, I should warn you that Kankuro might be on a date."

"Might?" Lee repeated with a raised eyebrow. "How does that work? Oh! Is it a set-up? What do you call it—a blind date?" he wondered, looking excited at the prospect, thumb-up at the ready.

Kiba laughed at this and clucked his tongue. "Not exactly…we're not entirely sure what the situation is – we're basically an excuse to laugh it off in case it's really not a date," he explained as best he could.

"Hmm," Lee replied pensively as he stroked him chin. "Then shall I take advantage of my status as an outsider to stir the pot, or should I pretend nothing's going on?" he asked them with the slightest smirk slowly forming.

Shikamaru almost paused in his steps – being unable to because Kiba tugged on his hand to pull him along – and raised an eyebrow at him, impressed. "Lee, how do you hide that facet of your personality so well?"

Lee laughed easily at this, and it was enough of an answer. "So?" he asked them as they neared the place.

"Stir the pot," Shikamaru said while Kiba said, "Play along." Naturally, they paused and exchanged glances at this.

"Be nice," Kiba said simply as Shikamaru opened his mouth to argue his point.

"Trouble?" Lee asked Akamaru as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at their silent staring contest. The nin-dog shook his head and the Junior Green Beast relaxed, nodding to himself happily. "I'll go with the flow then!" he declared to break it up – besides, he was getting thirsty, and hungry.

As any self-respecting gathering should, theirs took place at the same old family restaurant that was home to the most infamous and horrifyingly addictive liquor Suna boasted. Finding their pair once there wasn't hard, since Kankuro usually always sat at the same table. Luckily, there seemed to be nothing awkward about the atmosphere – or interrupting it, for that matter.

Kankuro's maybe-date introduced himself to Kiba and Lee – with perhaps narrowed eyes at the Inuzuka, but enough confidence – and the puppeteer didn't waste any time filling their glasses up. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, Lee, but what did you do with Yasha?" he wondered as he set his drink down. A few years ago, when Gaara's near permanent mutilation of Lee was still fresh in everyone's minds, meeting the taijutsu expert had been an awkward experience. His recovery had greatly facilitated the process, so much that Gaara now even enjoyed his visits, to his sibling's relief.

"Last minute mission!" Kiba replied as he grimaced at the taste as usual.

"Oh well—more food for us!"

Shikamaru snorted at this, well acquainted with the woes of eating with an Akimichi. Absently, he brought his glass to his lips and then groaned. "It really does not get any easier with time," he muttered as he looked around so he could get a waitress' attention and some water.

"It's an acquired taste, I'll give you that," Tsuneo replied easily as he couldn't deny it could be brutal on the taste buds at first.

Lee nodded at this, briefly sniffing the liquid as though to determine its components after taking a sip. "And yet, strangely not so repulsive as to give up on drinking it!" he mused. "They have something similar, in Kumo!"

"Is that the place you're calling home these days?" Kankuro asked him conversationally.

"Correct!" He repeated the same things he'd told his fellow Leaf shinobi and then elected to move the spotlight away from himself as they placed their orders. He then turned to Tsuneo and tilted his head slightly. "So, what department do you work for, Tsuneo, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Logistics," the shinobi replied with a blink. "I also do rotations at the administrative desk when needed and the occasional messenger-type mission."

"So I guess that's why you only started at the desk recently," Kankuro mused matter-of-factly. The advent of new technologies such as long-range radio transmissions had greatly diminished the number of missions that required shinobi to act as messengers, so they'd been drafted in other departments according to their needs. Not exactly glorious, but at least they still had work.

Shikamaru refrained from pointing out that maybe Tsuneo had been working there for a longer time but the puppeteer simply never noticed him, hence the scheming with the rejected forms. (The truth was that Kiba knew him too well and knew he wanted to say something like that, so he squeezed his hand and gave him a look, so Shikamaru shut up.)

But all-in-all, the mood was agreeable, and the evening went well – so well that, instead of staying drinking late as they usually would, Shikamaru and Kiba excused themselves earlier than usual, with Lee following, citing a long day and the need for proper rest. At least that way their stomachs remained intact.

"It was a date," Lee noted matter-of-factly as they walked away from the restaurant.

"Good thing you were there," Kiba noted as he grabbed Shikamaru's arm and slung it over his shoulders. "Otherwise it would've been a double-date, and that would've been awkward!"

"That's putting it mildly!" Shikamaru commented with a snort. Yes, he was maybe slowly warming up to Kankuro – but certainly not to the point of having a double-date with him. (It somehow felt like a small victory that Kiba agreed with him.)

In the morning, Kankuro was as usual hard to read – on purpose, he was sure – but then Gaara decided to burst his brother's bubble so the Nara would stop frowning, and very casually said, "My brother returned home late last night, please excuse his distracted state this morning."

"Gaara!" Kankuro called exasperatedly.

The Kazekage merely sent a look towards his brother, the one that said, 'what is it? I didn't lie' and Shikamaru kept himself from laughing openly at that.

"I'm not distracted," Kankuro insisted for the principle, daring the Nara to say anything to that.

Shikamaru merely held his hands up and returned to his ledger. All in good time.

All in good time…

TBC