Troublesome Love (ShikaTema)

~Chapter Seventeen~

-3rd person POV-

"How much lonngeerrrr?" Temari complained, leaning back on her chair. She stared at a blank piece of the wall, with nothing much better to do with her time. A few shinobi, including Shikamaru and Temari, were sitting in a room, waiting to be called.

"The first exam still has another hour and a half to finish, so we still have some time before we need to move," Shikamaru said. He fiddled with his pen, and Temari tapped her fingers on the table impatiently.

They were seated at a rectangular table in a small room, which looked like a hotel waiting area, complete with couches, potted plants, paintings and ceiling lamps. To Temari, the setting felt almost like a place couples would go on a date, and unconsciously tilted her hand closer to Shikamaru's.

Shikamaru, however, had his thoughts preoccupied. He had fixed Temari's scarf just a day before she arrived in the village, and wanted to give it back to her, but couldn't seem to think of a perfect time to give it back.

He made up scenarios in his head of when he would give it back and how she would react. He found himself trying to plan every detail, and then scrapping the thought when it didn't seem good enough. He should have been thinking about the second exam, but instead was worrying about that one small gesture.

Temari shifted her position onto the couch, because the chair at the table was starting to feel stiff. After about ten minutes of doing nothing but watch Shikamaru be lost in thought, she let out a yawn and felt her eyes slowly closing. Before she knew it, she was in a light doze, resting her head on the back of the couch. 

Shikamaru saw her, and walked over to where she sat. He sat himself to her right, and soon enough, Temari's head was resting on his shoulder, while he put his forehead on top of her head. Her hair brushed his face, and he thought of how much softer and comfortable it felt compared to his pillow, which was one of his most precious possessions.

Then he remembered there were others in the room and quickly sat back straight, coughing slightly and covering his blushing face. The other few shinobi who were watching them (because they also had nothing better to do) looked away, and Shikamaru turned a darker shade of red.

Everyone's attention, except Temari who was still half asleep, snapped to the door as it opened.

"The first exam has almost finished, please assemble at the Great Hall," someone said from the door. Temari rubbed her eyes open, and realised she was leaning on Shikamaru. She smiled before realising they weren't alone, and her face immediately mirrored his.

She stood up and walked out quickly, to where the woman who called them had told them to go. She marched down the right of the room, walking down the hall and stopped at a fork, not really knowing which direction to go.

"You don't know where you're going, do you?" Shikamaru said, appearing behind her. Temari scowled. "Of course I do! I just..."

"The Great Hall's that way," Shikamaru pointed back to where they came from, to the corridor that was exactly opposite to the one Temari walked down. The kunoichi internally slapped herself, and then rushed back in the opposite direction. Shikamaru let out a chuckle before running behind her to catch up.

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"Out of the total of 87 genin, 7 teams failed the first exam, leaving us with 66 genin, in 22 teams of three," Neji announced. The genin who failed were now in the watchers area, because it was a written test no one was sent to the hospital, and they were all let to watch the remaining of the Shinobi Union Chunin Exams.