When logic fails ...

The Game begins

Temari sat hunched over her notes, but her thoughts kept drifting away. Instead of answering the next question on her sheet, she absentmindedly chewed on the end of her pen. Again and again, the image of Shikamaru appeared before her inner eye, standing half-asleep and barely dressed in front of her that morning. This young man, who had stumbled into her life so suddenly, simply would not leave her mind.

Academically, he was surprisingly knowledgeable, far beyond what one would expect from a regular freshman. Even her classmates from the same year needed much longer for the problem. And that he was good-looking on top of it all was something she could not deny, no matter how hard she tried.

A nudge in her side tore Temari out of her trance. "Well? Care to tell me his name?" Tenten asked with a mischievous grin, scooting a little closer to her friend.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Temari blinked in confusion, while her friend regarded her with intense curiosity.

"Don't play innocent. You've been staring into space for half an hour and only managed one single task... I've known you long enough. So spill it... who's got you all worked up?"

Temari waved her off, slightly annoyed, since that was a conversation she wanted to avoid. "There's no one. You know I don't have time for that kind of thing."

Tenten's lips curved into a knowing smirk that said more than a thousand words. Then she began to pack up her things. "Sure. Keep lying to yourself. But when you're finally ready to admit it, I at least want to know his name. Anyway, I'll be off. Neji's probably already waiting for me. We went over time again."

"When were we ever on time? He's used to it by now," Temari laughed, getting up as well.

Hardly had she opened the door for Tenten when she heard footsteps echoing in the stairwell. The next moment, Shikamaru froze halfway up the stairs and stared straight at her. For the fraction of a second he looked caught, then he cleared his throat and walked closer.

"Hey," he mumbled, a little awkwardly. Tenten's gaze flicked from her friend to the young man standing nearby and back again. The mischievous grin instantly returned to her face.

"Oh... hey Shikamaru. How were your lectures?" Temari asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Not bad... but I actually had some time during them to work on your problem," he replied, patting his bag where the device was stored. The plan for Naruto to bring the laptop back to her had therefore become obsolete. Which left him no choice but to get rid of the device himself as quickly as possible so he could move on with his evening plans.

"Oh, you already finished it? That's amazing!" Temari chirped. "Do you maybe want to come in and explain it to me?" she asked, pulling the door open a little wider.

Once Shikamaru stepped inside, Temari glanced at Tenten one last time. Her friend was now grinning from ear to ear and gave her a cheeky wink. "Well then, have fun, you two." With that, she was gone.

Temari closed the door behind her and motioned for Shikamaru to come further in. "Better not look around... I didn't get around to much because of studying. Would you like something to drink?" she apologized as she walked past him.

His eyes wandered over the lovingly furnished apartment and the neatly stacked books and notes. If this was her study mess, he did not want to imagine what the place looked like when tidy. His own room would never reach this level of order, he was sure of it. It was never dirty, but a certain amount of clutter seemed perfectly acceptable to him.

Slowly, he sat down at her round dining table and pulled out the laptop. "Um... no, thanks. I was actually planning to head upstairs right after this."

A moment later she returned and placed a glass of water in front of him anyway. "Alright, then let's get started... I still have a pile of assignments waiting for me."