Be Brave
Hi! First Naruto Story! Two main couples, a bit longer than I expected. Bit of Sasuke bashing but not much. Might make a second part later about the smaller couple. Enjoy!
"…Oh yeah, Temari's going on a date with Sasuke."
Shikamaru's eyes snapped open. If he had been drinking something he would have spat it out and his best friend sitting across from him would have been covered in water, not the barbeque sauce on his mouth. Ino on the other hand had been drinking, but instead of spiting it out she choked on the sake in her mouth. Chouji continued to pat her back until she finally was able to breathe again. When she did, he wished he hadn't. "WHAT?" she shrieked, saying what was on everyone's mind. Could have done that without getting the attention of everyone in the restaurant, Shikamaru thought absentmindedly when he noticed a few customers staring.
"It's just as I said," Chouji explained, taking another bite of food. "Sasuke asked her on a date tonight." His brows tilted nervously when Ino openly gaped at him and Shikamaru looked like he'd just been hit by a block of ice. Maybe this wasn't a good conversation starter…
"Temari and Sasuke?" Ino shrieked once again, making both boys wince. "But…But Temari doesn't like Sasuke," Ino argued back. "She said he was cute and cool, but she hates his attitude! She was one of the last ones to consider him an ally again after he returned!" Chouji shrugged, but Shikamaru only heard half of what she said. She thought he was cute…and cool?
"I don't know what to tell you. It's just what I saw. Earlier today Temari was walking in the street on the way to the Hokage's office and Sasuke just walked up to her and asked her to go to dinner with him." Chouji shook his head. Despite the fact that he had witnessed the scene himself, he couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth. "She just said yes and he nodded before walking away." Ino looked as if her mouth had become unhinged and it would take a team of medics to fix her again. Both Chouji and Shikamaru had very few memories of their female teammate being shocked to silence. One was when they were younger and were watching Sakura fight in the Chunin exams. Another was when Sasuke had been fighting Gaara. Then when they found out about their teachers child after he had died. But that moment was definitely belonged near the top.
What Shikamaru didn't notice was that Chouji's eyes weren't on Ino. His gaze had flickered over to his teammate, Shikamaru having not said a word during the conversation. His gaze was unfocused, staring at his thoughts instead of the sight before him. Chouji would have given up eating for a day if he could just hear his friend's thoughts. Well, maybe not that long. "Uh…Shikamaru? What do you think?" Ino's gaze instantly snapped back to their third teammate, her eyes widening in realization. Shikamaru didn't reply right away, though they knew he had heard him.
"…She just…said yes."
"Yeah."
"To Uchiha."
Chouji nodded with a gulp. "Yeah."
"…Are you sure it was her?"
"Shikamaru!" Ino shrieked.
That time Shikamaru did cover his ears. "Okay, okay! Yeesh, so troublesome." The silence returned once again, both teammates watching Shikamaru intently. Shikamaru may have been a classified genius, however nothing in his memories or teachings had prepared him for something like that. He couldn't believe Temari would say yes, much less Sasuke ask her out. As far as he knew, the two of them never spoke to each other. Heck, he wasn't sure if the Uchiha had known her first name.
Apparently it was one of those rare occurrences that he was wrong.
"Wow," Ino shook her head, breaking the silence while her world felt like it was spinning. "First Sakura's got a date with someone, now Temari…? What is even happening anymore?" Shikamaru and Chouji both picked out the fact that Sakura was going on a date with interest, but Shikamaru tucked that piece of information away for later. After the silence continued to go on for longer than any of them were comfortable with, Ino piped up again. "So Shikamaru," She mock whispered as if they were discussing something classified. "What are you going to do about it?"
It took a few minutes for Shikamaru's gaze to focus on his two friends across from him. "Me? Nothing."
"WHAT?" Ino shrieked once again, as loud as she had before. "What do you mean, nothing? You can't just do nothing! She's going on a date!" Shikamaru shrugged while he snatched some pork. Chouji was the only one to notice the tension in his arm as he moved.
"Doing something about a date sounds much too troublesome," Shikamaru told them. "She's her own person, she can do what she wants. What makes it my place to stop her? Heck, how could I stop her if I wanted to?"
"But…but what about you..."
"She's not my girlfriend," he explained. "We're not dating. She can date whoever she likes. It's none of my business…" Ino hesitated, surprised to find that her teammate was rambling. Rambling! Shikamaru! "So what if she dates Uchiha," Shikamaru continued, speaking half to himself at that point. "She likes strong guys. She likes guys who are brave." He knew that much for certain. In the years of knowing her, he'd made sure to take some time gathering data about what kind of guy she liked. Brave, strong, smart, and could take a punch were high on that list. Before that day he'd never realize Sasuke actually fit all those attributes.
His jaw clenched when he tried to shake that uncomfortable feeling going through his skin away. "Temari is the kind of person who knows what she wants and goes for it,"
"So why don't you try and remind her that YOU are what she wants," Ino interrupted out of exasperation. "Geeze Shikamaru, are you just going to give up like that?"
"Give up on what?"
"Temari!"
Shikamaru hoped the blood he felt in his cheeks was just his imagination. "I don't like Temari."
That time both his teammates rolled his eyes. "I'm not even dignifying that with a response." Ino shook her head in frustration. "Shikamaru, you're a lazy guy but this is the time to get off your butt and do something! Aren't you the one who may not want to do anything but can always be counted on when we need you? The Shikamaru I know would never let go of the only girl that he likes this much without a fight!" She had her hands out in fists as if they would encourage him. Chouji didn't say anything, but Shikamaru could see in his eyes he was siding with Ino.
Lazy? Yes, he was that. But Ino was right. Whenever it counted, he would run and fight until his last breath and probably long after that. But normally those fights consisted of an actual fight with an enemy or a long project and plan as the Hokage's advisor. He'd never been in a position before when he had to fight for someone's affections. He had no experience or wisdom in that situation. Was that a fight he could even win? Or would the strategic movement be to not get into a fight he wouldn't win? Despite what he tried to tell himself, he rarely could tell what was going through that women's head.
And…if he didn't stand a chance anyway…
"Hmmf. Fighting sounds like a drag."
Both his teammates felt their mouths drop open in shock. Perhaps they should have seen it coming, but bother were surprised as Shikamaru started shifting through his pockets to pay his share of the meal. "In battle the strategic move would be to not fight a losing battle."
"Oh forget strategy Shikamaru!" Ino exclaimed. "This is a different kind of battle and you can't just give up like that!" Shikamaru tossed his share onto the table, refusing to respond to Ino's bating. In desperation she called out to him as he got up from the table. "Come on Shikamaru! Be brave!" That comment made him pause for just a moment. But then he was out the door, leaving his two teammates in the dust.
"Ugh!" Ino plopped back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. "What a jerk! I know he's lazy but I can't believe he would just give up like that! He never gives up when it's something important." Chouji shook his head with disapproval as he took another bite, happily taking what Shikamaru had left.
"This is a kind of game he's not used to," Chouji answered with food in his mouth. "Shikamaru never plays a game without knowing the rules first."
"But this is a game without any rules!" Ino huffed, exasperated as she realized that may be why Shikamaru wouldn't play the game. She sat there, fuming for a few more minutes while Chouji ate his food alone, his own thoughts on the conversation private in his own mind. "Hm…" Ino mused to herself. "Temari's got a date…Sakura's got a date…Hinata and Naruto finally tied the knot…and I heard Tenten's finally managed to get a date to… If I don't hurry, I'm going to be the only one who isn't dating!" She realized with horror.
"Huh?"
Without giving him an answer she slammed her pay down on the table and jumped out the other side. "Bye Chouji! I'm going to go find Sai!"
"Nuh-uh-uh," Temari wagged her finger at the stranger at her doorstep. "I'm not taking one more step before I get a good explanation to this whole thing."
Standing at the end of the steps below her, Sasuke frowned. "What?"
Temari smirked. True to his word Sasuke Uchiha had appeared at the doorstep at the room she was staying in for her visit the Konaha. After the fourth Shinobi war, she'd spent even more time in Konaha than before, the heads of the countries desperate to make stronger bonds between ninjas. Sometime about…half a year ago? Maybe a few months? Sasuke had returned from his long journey doing his 'soul seeking' or whatever the pink haired women had called it. Shikamaru had told her he'd been back in the country for at least a year by then. Of course his teammates had welcomed him with open arms, and eventually his fellow shinobi had as well.
And yet, Temari heard that his homecoming was not what he had been expecting.
"Oh come on now," Temari crossed her arms in front of her chest, enjoying having the upper hand against the normally so cocky Uchiha. "Unless you've secretly been stalking me from afar or somehow fell in love with me at first sight but only realized it years after we've met, I seriously doubt that you've got any feelings for me that are any different than…Oh I don't know…Gaara?" At the suggestion Sasuke cringed and his teeth ground against each other.
"I'm not going to date Gaara."
"Exactly," Temari threw her hands up in the air. "I mean, for different reasons of course, but the premise is still there. You wouldn't date me. So I have to ask what prompted the normally silent, stone faced Uchiha to ask out a girl he doesn't care for and couldn't even tell you what her favourite food is." Sasuke remained silent which ticked Temari off a bit. The man was unreadable, but to the point where it was no fun. Often when someone concealed their emotions she'd try and figure it out with little clues in their expression. Sasuke was boring, his face impossibly impassive with no hint of anything but annoyance. When she'd said yes to his offer for a date, she knew it was going to be absolutely no fun. The guy couldn't even take a joke.
But knowing just how odd the whole situation was sparked her curiosity. Somehow her curiosity had been strong enough to convince her to say yes.
"This is ridiculous," Sasuke grunted, turning away from her.
She frowned, refusing to back down. "Hey, you asked me. You should have come prepared to give me an answer."
Her pride went up when Sasuke practically snarled at her. "Are you coming or not? We won't make it in time if you continue wasting our time." Temari ignored the jab, instead picking the sentence apart with interest to the meaning.
"So we're on a schedule now?" Temari lifted her eyebrows, stubbornly refusing to move. "Are you going on a mission? Hunting someone down?" Her mind raced, trying to think of possible scenarios. Perhaps it was something secret from other members of Konoha, which was why he hadn't asked one of his friends. Or a spying mission from the Hokage, and a sand-ninja could give a good cover over a ninja from Konoha. Was he hunting down someone from his village?
"You'll find out when we get there," he told her unhelpfully. "Will you help me or not?" Temari pursed her lips, considering her odds. This whole thing could either be a big waste of time and she'd regret it later. Or she'd have a very entertaining evening not only discovering just what it was that was so important, but also getting on Sasuke's bad side. He obviously needed her help for something, and if it was that important, she could do whatever she wanted and he couldn't do anything.
However, it wasn't smart to go in blind. She'd learned that from hundreds of games with Shikamaru. "Why did you ask me?"
"Because you are the only girl I could think that's single who wouldn't actually be interested in dating me but would be curious enough to say yes," Sasuke answered bluntly. She doubted that was a compliment, but she took it as one for the sake of her pride.
"What made you think I wouldn't treat this like a real date?" Sasuke sent her a withering glare as if to say really? "Okay fine. But why not Tenten? Or another girl who doesn't want to date you. Like, a…." She started to lose faith in the Konoha women when she realized just how small that list was.
"Tenten is dating the Hyuuga," Sasuke snorted. (Neji lived in this version)
"What, did you ask and she turned you down?" His glare said nothing. What a drag. Huh. Perhaps her brothers were right and she was spending too much time with Shikamaru. Again she counted her odds, debating her situation silently. "You buying?"
"Hn."
She decided to take that as confirmation. "Then I'm in. This had better be fun." Teasing, she wrapped one arm through his, ignoring the obvious annoyance written on his face.
His silent fuming at the close contact almost made the whole ordeal worth it. "Just don't get in my way." Temari huffed at that, but allowed him to lead her away from her apartment. It was going to be one interesting night.
Shikamaru was tempted to go back to his old masters habit and pick out a cigarette.
He hated smoking and only ever did it in respect of his lost teacher, but at the moment he was desperate for any kind of stress relief. The sun was starting to set, yet kids were still running freely through the streets. Shikamaru strolled down the familiar path towards his apartment, his own thoughts blocking out the sounds of children running and vendors calling for customers. It was a normal day in the village. But it didn't feel normal to him.
Temari and Sasuke? Shikamaru had considered many things, thought out many scenarios for various people that he knew so he would never be caught off guard. But that was just a scenario he'd never even begun to think about. The discomfort that edged through his system at the thought refused to let him think about anything else. His skin crawled as he tried to analyse the idea, his blood burned when he tried to picture it. He tried to convince himself that Chouji had misinterpreted. Yes, that made sense. He must have heard them wrong. Temari…Deep down he knew it was possible she would date someone.
Part of him just didn't want to admit it was a possibility.
The thought was like that one way out. That one plan, the strategy in battle that everyone knew was a chance but no one wanted to take. Often it meant the death of teammates or the failure of their main goal. But it was an option. Shikamaru had sometimes taken that option by weighing his odds against the alternative. Sometimes his morals meant he had to choose what others were afraid to do. But he hated that option. That last way out.
The thought of Temari with someone else gave him similar feelings to that kind of option.
He stopped his steps when he caught sight of the familiar sandy blond hair matched with the exotic blue eyes unfamiliar to the majority of the Konoha population. His eyes widened in shock. In his confusion he hadn't realized his feet had led him exactly where he hadn't wanted to go. Towards Temari's apartment.
Or was that where he wanted to go?
He may as well clear it all up. Figure out what's going on for himself, find out exactly what was going on. If Chouji had heard them wrong, he had to know. He knew he wasn't getting any peace if he didn't. Despite his better judgment he tried to wave to her. "Hey, Temari-"
"Sasuke-kun!"
Shikamaru froze.
That voice was memorized in his head but the words were foreign on her lips. Logically he wanted to believe that it hadn't been her that had spoken, but he knew her voice well enough to know there was no mistake. Only after remaining frozen in place did he notice she was not alone. She had one arm wrapped around the famous Sasuke Uchiha, an action Shikamaru couldn't believe either were comfortable with. Neither of them were comfortable with public displays of affection or anything that broke their bubble of personal space. Had Shikamaru gotten that wrong to?
Through his pounding heart and racing mind, he found himself examining them to gain additional data. Sasuke was wearing his regular black cloak while she wore the normal purple dress she always had. Their clothes suggested they weren't going anywhere special. Sasuke was wearing his normal face just as impassive as ever. Temari's expression on the other hand sent daggers through Shikamaru's heart. She was smiling. Smiling! A great big smile as if she was having the time of her life. How could she be smiling that big around Uchiha? How could anyone besides his three teammates ever enjoy his company that much? But she was. Something about the scene was giving Temari that rare smile of joy that Shikamaru had tried to memorise the few times he had seen it.
How could she give that smile to him?
The genius ninja was stumped. He didn't realize time had passed until he saw they were gone. Automatically, he could eliminate the options from their directions and figure out where he was taking her. Dark Eclipse or whatever. Chouji had brought him and their team to almost every restaurant the village had to offer. That specific one you could not come to alone because they always wanted more numbers. There was a dancefloor, but Chouji had refused to do that. Shikamaru doubted Temari would have much fun there either.
The jerk could have at least brought her somewhere she would like.
Shikamaru cursed, disturbing the elderly couple who walked by. He had no right to think that. What did it matter to him if Uchiha brought her somewhere nice? Shoving his hands into his pockets he forced his feet to move the direction they didn't want to go.
When he got back to his apartment the first thing he did was fall down on his bed and stare at the ceiling. He meant to just go straight to sleep, pretend that entire day hadn't happened. But no matter how he tried to get comfortable his body would not relax. Thoughts and doubts swirled around in his mind, disturbing any idea of sleep. Sasuke-kun! The words taunted him like a bad dream. Something like that…it was not like Temari!
Heck, why had Sasuke asked her anyway? Temari was great, but she and Sasuke were alike. So alike that they were awful together. Both stubborn, natural fighters, both like an ox. Shikamaru found it more likely the two of them would collide in battle before they dated. Besides everyone knew thanks to all the annoying fangirls he'd had to grow up with the Uchiha either refused romantic companionship or was very particular about who he did choose, if anyone. There was only one person Shikamaru thought Sasuke would even consider, but that person wasn't Temari.
Either way, Shikamaru doubted the Uchiha's fangirls were thrilled about the situation.
The Shikamaru I know would never let go of the only girl that he likes this much without a fight!
What did Ino want, to see two guys fighting over a girl? He didn't want to play a part in one of her soap operas. Especially knowing Temari would sooner break both their necks than let them fight over her.
Was she worth fighting for? Heck yes. But was he the one who should be doing the fighting?
One thing few people knew about Shikamaru? He actually had a low self-confidence. He knew in part it was his fault because he never made the effort to change himself and there really wasn't much need for him to be so insecure anyway. His actions in missions, advise to his friends and general abilities of being an awe-inspiring leader suggested he should have a confidence rivaling the great Neji Hyuuga. But in the past he had been beaten down one too many times to have the same confidence as someone like the Uchiha held.
His first mission as a leader he had failed.
His mission with his teacher he had failed.
No matter how many successes after that had not been able to wash away the guilt and fear he felt from those experiences.
A part of him worried he would never be as good a ninja as his father or teacher. He was too lazy, to unskilled, to inexperienced. Despite reassurances from others he never felt he could be good enough. He had more successes than perhaps the great Uzumaki could boast about, but there were always those memories that could never let him reach that confidence that everything else about him suggested he should have.
How could a man like that ever be good enough for someone as strong as Temari?
He knew deep down she wasn't as confident as she made everyone believe either. She thought she fooled everyone but he could see right through her. After years of doubts about her family and who loved who, along with the regret for how her family had been when they were children with the underlying fear she had had as a child knowing she would never be stronger than her brother and never strong enough to protect them if necessary it broke down a part of her. Her family meant the most to her, her brothers were always put first, yet she could never escape her regret for never being able to be the proper sister for them when they were younger, and not being able to help them when they needed her. Shikamaru remembered the pain she had tried to hide when her brother had been taken by the akatasuki years ago. He could tell they had struck a nerve she wouldn't be able to heal.
Maybe that was one of the only things they had in common. While everyone else saw them as confident and powerful, deep down they wondered if they were really capable of doing what was necessary. He felt he could never be the ninja his father and teacher had been. She didn't think she was strong enough to keep her brothers safe.
Yet she was.
He knew she was.
Her brothers may not have shown it, but he knew they appreciated her. Not for the reasons she hoped, but they valued her highly. Shikamaru knew she was strong both physically but mentally. He hated the fact that she felt insecure about…about anything! He wanted to show her not to worry, prove to her that she was strong, and valued and amazing.
A thought crossed his mind as these thoughts came to him. Had she ever thought the same way about him?
He surprised himself by getting to his feet. Perhaps he would have to be brave in order to convince her to be brave as well.
The phone was in his hand before he even knew what he was doing. "Chouji. I need some help. You know that restaurant and dance centre, Dark Eclipse? Yeah, the one you need at least two people to get into. Did you say you had a friend who worked there?"
"Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!"
"Will you stop that?" Sasuke finally broke down and yelled at her. People walking by were startled, but Temari only laughed.
"What, not a fan of the name? It's what your fan-club calls you all the time!" Slowly her laughter died down and she pretended to be serious. "Besides, if we are going undercover it makes sense that I pretend to be infatuated." Temari pretended to swoon for dramatic effect. "It's probably going to take all of my acting skills, but I'm sure I'll figure it out." Normally Temari wasn't usually so carefree or playful, but the chance to tease the normally unbreakable Uchiha was too tempting to resist.
"We need to be inconspicuous," Sasuke explained. "No one can recognize us or know we are there. That's why I asked you, understand? The dobe told me you're good at keeping your mouth shut." Temari didn't know who the dobe was supposed to be, but she didn't argue. At least she'd finally gotten some information on the event.
He brought her to a restaurant named Dark Eclipse. Temari snorted at the tacky name. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a rule written on the door of the darkened building. No less than two people to a table! Well that was one way to keep business up. As they went in Sasuke spoke up again. "And never call me that again." She rolled her eyes but didn't comment.
The restaurant was have an eating place, half a dance floor. There was the top floor with tables and a bar, but the middle of the floor was gone, instead having stairs that went down to the dancefloor below so the diners could watch others having fun. Temari groaned inwardly when she saw the place. Dinner date? Fine. Dancing and getting sweaty? Okay. But both at once? No. "There'd better be a real good reason you're here," She muttered under her breath. Sasuke didn't comment.
They were immediately greeted at the door by a flustered looking waiter. The man instantly recognized Sasuke and hurried to straighten his back. "Mr. Uchiha! It is very good to see you here sir. I will have a table ready for you and your date in no time." Both Sasuke and Temari cringed at the word 'date,' but neither argued. The man had a table ready for them and they were brought to the table quicker than Temari had ever been seated before. She caught the glares of other couples and groups who had obviously been waiting for a table much longer than they had. Temari thought Sasuke being spotted wasn't good for his plan of being 'inconspicuous,' but at least they got the table quickly. "You come here often?"
"No."
She raised one eyebrow, assuming he was lying. "Then how did,"
"Most restaurant or other entertainment establishments know about me."
"What, you rich or something?"
"I have the Uchiha clan's inheritance." Ah.
The waiter bowed-actually bowed! - Before leaving the two to the table. He'd led them to a table against the wall, one that could see the rest of the restaurant but hidden in the dark to avoid the eyes of others. Sasuke was about to take the seat next to the door but Temari held her hand out to stop him. "Nope. You can't sit there, you're too easy to spot."
Sasuke glowered at her instantly. "I need to be able to see the rest of the,"
"I know I know. I'm a jounin, don't you think I'd know how to spy on people by now?" Reaching into her pocket she pulled out what looked like two gloves. Upon closer inspection they were two mirrors sown into the pieces of clothing for disguise. She set the both on either side of his spot, angling them so he had a good view of the restaurant behind him. "There. Or do you want me to wear sunglasses so you can see that reflection as well?" His only answer was a scowl as he regretfully took the spot she had set out for him. "I think the word you are looking for is thank you." He didn't say anything. Shaking her head she took the seat closest to the wall. "Well if you're buying I might as well get something yummy," Temari snickered, eyes flashing towards the menu. "What about you?"
"Hn."
"You got to eat something." His glare said that he really didn't. "Fine. Whatever. Your loss." She examined the chicken and pasta section, wondering if she should get something expensive just to be cruel. She wasn't a fan of seafood though, and that seemed to be the most expensive thing.
Eventually the silence between them became too uncomfortable for Temari to bear. Temari may have preferred silence, but with the Uchiha it just felt…wrong. "Are you going to tell me what we are doing here now?" Sasuke's glower was the only response she got. "Come on. I'm here with you aren't I? I think I have a right to know…"
Her voice trailed off when she spotted a familiar head of pink hair seated at a table not far from them.
It didn't take a genius to recognize the women known as Sakura Haruno as she laughed with her companion. While the two of them hadn't bothered getting dressed up, Sakura obviously had other plans. She was wearing a flowing green top with light blue jeans underneath and a white jacket slung across the back of her chair. She was wearing a light splash of makeup, only visibly from the darker shade around her eyes and the bright red on her lips. Her hair was down as normal, though a few strands on the left side were being held back by a beautiful flower clip. Even her shoes, bright red flats that tapped against the floor nervously, showed she had put effort into the evening. Temari and Sakura weren't very close, but Temari doubted she got that dressed up for the heck of it.
Only then did she notice her dining partner. The man had long dark green hair tied into a pony tail, along with what looked like a black button up shirt and jeans with his own jacket on his chair. Half dressed up, half casual. He seemed pretty tall, though maybe an inch shorter than the Uchiha. His body was lean, obviously showing muscles but not big and bulky. From the way they were sitting Temari could not see his face but the green hair was hard to misplace. "Is that…Gram Otesouri? From the hidden mist?" He was a jounin she had run into on more than one occasion. One of their representatives that didn't as much as fight as did public relations. She'd heard he'd started working with Konoha with the establishment of hospitals and medic centres for people after the war throughout all the villages.
That must have meant he spent more time with Konoha's top medic than she thought.
"That's Sakura's date?" Temari blurted, managing to keep her voice low to avoid attention. "I heard she was dating someone…Huh. Good for her. Gram's a decent guy all things considered." Sasuke didn't reply. "I was wondering why she had stopped calling you Sasuke-kun," Temari muttered. Since the man's return Temari had noticed Sakura had changed her way of calling to him. When they were younger she only remembered Sakura as the fangirl. When she was fifteen she may have still loved the boy, but her fan-girl attitude was gone at least. Looked like she'd finally decided to leave the whole obsession behind her.
Someone else was not so pleased about that fact. Sasuke ground his teeth at her observation, and she wondered if there was another reason he didn't like her calling him Sasuke-kun.
Glancing back at him, she noticed his eyes were focused on the mirrors she had set out, but more specifically the pair sitting behind him. His fists were clenched and she could see his jaw was tight with tension. Slowly a light clicked in her mind as the pieces began fitting together. "Oooh…Is someone having a case of the green little monster lately?" His eyes flashed towards her and she was almost surprised they weren't red in his rage. She waited for him to look back to the mirror before trying to connect a few of the missing pieces.
Temari's face darkened a few shades when she started jumping to conclusions. "Are you trying to make the pink-haired girl jealous? She and I may not be 'totes besties,' but I'm not going to help you with that."
"Calm down." Sasuke snorted as if the idea was absurd. "I just need a cover. You aren't allowed to enter this part of the restaurant alone."
"Why didn't you ask your third teammate to come with you?" Sasuke turned to raise an eyebrow, reminding her that he had wanted this operation to be silent. "Yeah, never mind. Realized it the minute it was out of my mouth." Sasuke didn't notice as she leaned forward, keeping a careful eye on Sasuke as he tried to keep an eye on Sakura. "Since when were you so interested in your teammate's love life?"
Silence.
"Have a problem with Sakura dating?"
Silence.
"Or do you just have a problem with the fact that she is dating someone else?"
Silence.
She wasn't sure if he actually couldn't hear her or if he was ignoring her at that point.
From a few tables away they both heard Sakura laugh. Temari looked up to see the girl covering her mouth with one hand, her cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. At least someone here's having fun, Temari smirked. Sasuke obviously was not on board with that. "Looks like Gram and Sakura make a good match."
"He's a pathetic fool who thinks of nothing more than pretty girls and idiotic ways to try and look cool to strangers."
Temari's eyes widened at the venom in his voice. "Wow, you really hate this guy, don't you Uchiha?" His eyes didn't move from the mirrors, but his face twitched. Somehow his hands clenched even tighter, something she would have thought impossible before.
"He's not even a real ninja," he ground out with some effort. Temari half expected him to bite his own tongue off if he opened his mouth to wide.
"I heard he's a jounin."
"Sakura could destroy him."
"Sweetie, Sakura could destroy a lot of people." Sasuke didn't respond. Temari watched his movements, obviously tense and boiling with anger at the scene behind him. It was the perfect image of a man obviously wanting to be taking the place of another. But Temari wasn't sure, of all people, if Sasuke was allowed to have those thoughts. "You sure you have any right to be here right now?"
Sasuke raised a questioning eyebrow at her. "What?"
"I may not be from here, but I hear the stories." When Sasuke focused on her giving her his full attention she continued. "You were rude to her as kids, abandoned her multiple times, and on top of that, tried to kill her and used genjutsu on her. And only now, after all that, when she's finally moving on, you decide that you like her?" Hey eyes widened trying to emphasize her point. "Don't you think that's just a bit to cruel?"
It took Sasuke so long to answer she wasn't sure he had heard her. His eyes were slightly unfocused, what little attention he had was on the girl in the mirror. Gram had reached out, placing his hand on top of Sakura's. Temari caught the blush on the girls face and the slight flash of red in the Uchiha's eyes.
"Do you think I chose this?" he finally answered, really looking at her for the first time. "That I chose to only realize my feelings for her this late?"
If that's some kind of excuse its pathetic Temari sneered. "I couldn't care less about your feelings. Sakura's feelings are the ones you should be thinking about. You chose to be a jerk, now you've got to pay up for it. Don't you think she deserves more respect than you hiding in the corner spying on her from afar?"
"I've apologised for what I did to her. I've spent the last few months making it up to her. To everyone."
Cocky isn't he? "Dude, she deserves to see you on your knees begging for her forgiveness. But even if you did manage to do that since that girl seems hopelessly generous with second chances, it won't change the fact that she remembers what you did. I wouldn't be surprised if she still has a few scars from your attacks. Physical and emotional." After giving him a few minutes of silence she added, "If you're really as brave as you like to think you are, then you need to prove it. Are you going to hold onto your pride and hide or are you going to act like a ninja and actually do something about what you did?" Again, there was no response. But that time, she knew he heard her.
He must have known that she wasn't the one he was supposed to give his answer to.
"Alfredo pasta with chicken for the lady?"
Temari glanced up in surprise. "No, I haven't ordered yet," but then when her eyes lifted from the meal to the waiter her eyes bugged open. "Shikamaru?"
He grinned his regular cocky grin. "Hi."
Both Temari and Sasuke stared in shock at the fellow ninja standing above them. He was grinning, a slight thrill of triumph in his eyes as he placed the food on the table. He was wearing a pair of black pants and the white dress shirt other waiters wore, but his tie was loose and unprofessional. Temari pointedly ignored the way her heart thumped when she saw him dressed like that with his half charming half annoying smirk on his face. "You…what…what are you doing here?"
"I have to talk to you."
Her eyes widened once again. "Can't it wait?" Temari's eyes flickered over to the other couple who had started to notice the commotion from their table. "This is a bad time."
"No, I have to talk to you now." He was glaring at the Uchiha who was glaring back with the same venom. Yeesh, what did he do to tick Shikamaru off? Temari wondered. Turning back to her she noticed his eyes were wide, a slight hint of desperation in his dark eyes. "It's really important and you have to hear it."
"Shikamaru,"
"Temari, I have to say that I,"
"If you're not going to move then sit down and make sure no one can see you!"
Shikamaru blinked, his words cut of in shock. "What?"
Temari cursed under her breath. Before anyone became interested enough to pay attention she had grabbed Shikamaru by his shoulders and dragged him into the seat next to her. Sasuke glowered in annoyance but other than that said nothing. She doubted Sasuke cared if Shikamaru was there as long as he didn't cause a scene. The lighting in the restaurant was dim, dark enough so Sakura was unable to recognize the group unless she focused. After making sure the pink-haired girl had gone back to her meal she flashed her fiery gaze on Shikamaru. "Be quiet! We don't want her to see us!"
"I…What?" Temari took some delight in the bewilderment on his face. Shikamaru, the man who always had a plan, was dumbfounded. She decided to hide the fact that she always got a thrill whenever she had been the one to surprise him. Slowly his eyes narrowed as he tried to calm his racing heart. "What is going on?"
Jabbing her thumb at Sasuke she explained, "This guy wanted to spy on Sakura with her date and needed someone else to come with him. Apparently I'm the only one who wouldn't be too loud and didn't actually want to date him." Glancing back at Shikamaru she shook her head. "Looks like he might have been wrong."
"Not want to date him…" Shikamaru repeated, slowly processing the information. His eyes took in Sasuke's eyes focused on the mirror, Sakura laughing with the Jounin and the truth behind Temari's words. "So…You're not on a date."
She scoffed. "Please, like I would ever. I only agreed because I knew something suspicious was going on." His eyes widened as he realized this was the truth. At least Shikamaru was able to catch on fast, quickly putting all the pieces of information he had to come to the proper conclusion of the situation. When he did, his response was less than eloquent.
"Oh."
The sand-nin rolled her eyes. "Yes, OH. Now what do you want that's so important?" Shikamaru's eyes widened with panic, realizing he had to explain his previous interruption. Before he did Temari went on to her own information gathering mission. "And- are you pretending to be a waiter? How did you know what I was going to order before I even ordered?"
"Pasta is your favourite," Shikamaru answered automatically, forgetting that Temari had never told him that out loud.
"How did you even get in here on your own? They have a strict 'at least two people' policy"
"I didn't."
"Then how,"
"Chouji." The three overheard the familiar sound of laughter as his teammate joked with the chef, an old friend.
Temari sniffed. "Figures he'd know the cook."
Shikamaru grinned sheepishly. "My bad?"
"This is pointless." Both Shikamaru and Temari looked up in surprise to see Sasuke shaking his head while preparing to leave. "There are too many people here. She's going to see us. Obviously this was a bad idea." Shikamaru spotted Sakura at the other table laughing with her date. A few more pieces connected as he remembered exactly what was going on.
"You were spying on her date?" Sasuke nodded. Temari's eyes widened when she noticed Shikamaru's narrow. "Why?"
"Why do you think?" Sasuke hissed at him. Shikamaru didn't respond to his anger, instead taking the time to figure out the man in front of him.
"You're jealous."
Sasuke scoffed. "Uchiha's don't get jealous."
"What do you call this then?" he waved to their position at the table. "Concern for her safety? Some sick experiment? An unlikely coincidence? I've got a pretty high IQ Uchiha and I've got to say I don't believe in coincidences." Sasuke scowled.
Instead of accepting his logic, he shot to his feet startling the other two. "It doesn't matter. I'm leaving." But as soon as Sasuke had finished slamming his pay on the table Shikamaru was to his feet. With one hand he grabbed the Uchiha by the collar and yanked him back, keeping him frozen where he stood.
"No way. Absolutely not." Even Sasuke showed surprise when Shikamaru refused to let him go. His eyes were narrowed, a serious expression he often tried to avoid. "Sakura is my friend and she deserves better than you just running off with your tail between your legs."
Obviously that comment wasn't welcome in Sasuke's eyes. "What are you…?"
"Are you really going to just leave?" Shikamaru interrupted. "You're just going to walk away? She deserves better than that. She deserves better than you hiding behind your pride and pretending this doesn't bother you. Heck, I can guarantee she deserves ten time better than anything you could offer her. Do you even know how many sacrifices she made for you? How many second chances she tried to give you? You weren't there after you left Sasuke, you have no idea how hurt she was. Or how about after you tried to kill her? You think she just got up and walked that off? Naruto said she had nightmares for weeks after that.
Sakura cared for you and showed that to you countless times when you were kids but you always just brushed her off. It's not like you've ever done much to show her you care," Shikamaru argued. "Do you want to see the list of all the bad stuff you've done to her? There's more on that list than there are letters in the alphabet." Sasuke snarled at that last comment. Temari half expected him to launch himself at Shikamaru but the man remained still. "Don't you dare just walk away now. Don't deal with these feelings on your own without telling her because she has the right to know." Shikamaru shook his head, a vein at the side of his head throbbing in frustration.
"I'm going to be direct with you Uchiha," Shikamaru stated, his voice saying he meant business. "You were a jerk. If you have any respect for her you owe her more than just spying on her from some corner. If she tells you to jump you say how high. If she tells you to leave you pack your bags and head to the furthest corner of the earth. She wants to date someone else you give her your blessing and set up the wedding for them." That time Sasuke's eyes did flash red, his sharigan evidence of his rage at the idea. Shikamaru caught the reaction, analysing it like he did everyone.
After a pause he came to the conclusion, "But you're a pretty selfish guy aren't you? You're not letting her go no matter what." Sasuke said nothing, but his answer was clear. Shikamaru let out a long sigh, running one hand through his hair. "Fine. Whatever. But you'd better do it right if you want to get her back."
"…Do it right?" Sasuke asked. Temari was watching the scene in awe. Both shocked at Shikamaru's outburst and the fact that Sasuke hadn't ripped his head off. Most of her attention was on Shikamaru however, openly gaping at him while taking in his words and expression.
Was it getting hot in there or was it just her?
"You're a complete jerk. A dobe, an avenger with no difference between right or wrong. Maybe you did always care. Maybe you have cared but never knew how to show it or say it. For most people that's fine. But considering all you've done you no longer get that luxury. If Sakura was anyone else, if you had done the same things to anyone other than someone as caring and patient as her, you'd be kicked to the curb. But from either some mistake of nature or a blessing in your case she somehow still cares about you. Now if you want to keep it that way you'd better kick your cocky attitude to the side and give her that stupid teenage romance story she used to talk about. Considering all the sacrifices she made for you in the past it's about time you made some sacrifices to."
"Now you swallow up your stupid pride," Shikamaru suggested, no, commanded while stabbing his finger into the taller man's chest, "and show us that Uchiha bravery you're always bragging about!"
It seemed like the entire restaurant had gone quiet when he'd finished. Of course, they knew that wasn't true. Loud chatter from all the tables was still running through the room, the music drumming in the corners not filled with sound. Louder music covering the sound of dancing from below beat through the air. But for the three of them there was only the sound of silence as they waited, hearts thumping in their chests, for Sasuke to make his decision.
Finally, finally, the scowl transformed into a cocky smirk. "Fine."
The pair watched as Sasuke turned away and headed over to possibly the only girl he'd ever romantically loved. Shikamaru stared off after him, not noticing Temari stand up next to him. When he did he glanced to the side and smiled at her. She smirked back at him. "That was…pretty cool." Shikamaru's eyes widened at how low and out of control her voice sounded. Normally she was bold and confident. Perhaps he really had surprised her.
"Yeah well," he scratched the side of his face. "I was pretty motivated. Sakura's a good friend and well…She's been through a lot." Temari could only nod. She got that impression from his speech.
She turned back, watching as the last of the Uchiha clan headed over to the table. "Huh. Slamming your hands on the table is one way to get their attention."
"Sakura certainly looks shocked. Good job on not letting her see you."
"Ha! Yeah….Looks like Gabe's not to thrilled about the interruption."
"Would you be? Wow, they look pretty angry."
"…Hey did you…tell him to flip the table!"
Shikamaru blanched. "Gah! I didn't want him to start a fight!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Temari cheered silently.
"Oh many I knew that quip to the Uchiha clan was going too far."
"Aw man, come on Sakura, you don't need to stop them."
"Well there goes Gabe. I guess Sasuke got what he wanted in the end."
"Sakura certainly doesn't look to happy about it. Come on girl, break his neck!"
"Sasuke, I didn't tell you to refuse to let her leave!"
"What are they saying?"
"How do you expect me to know? So troublesome."
"She looks pretty surprised…"
"Looks like she's had enough. There she," He cut himself off. "Oh."
"Oh."
"OH."
"OH!"
"OH MAN."
"OOOOOOH yeah. That's how you kiss a girl!"
Shikamaru smirked, shaking his head to himself. "I guess that's one way to make someone shut up. I should remember that."
Temari rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You'd be too lazy to try." Shikamaru was about to make a bet when Temari turned back to the table. "After that scene I doubt we should stay. Do you think they'd let me box up the food?"
"I'll get Chouji to do it quickly. I think we ought to get out of here."
The streets of Konaha were empty by the time they were walking through the streets. Shikamaru and Temari walked side by side, heading back towards Temari's temporary place. Chouji had fallen back to help his friend deal with the mess Sasuke had made, leaving them alone with nothing but the stars and the moon. "Well," Temari sighed, crossing her arms behind her head. "That was an eventful evening."
"Y-yeah," Shikamaru agreed. Why am I the one carrying her food again? With one hand in his pocket the other held the food she'd taken from the restaurant in a rush.
Temari turned back to him, a mischievous smile on her face. "That was pretty cool of you by the way. I don't know how you knew where we were, but when you spoke up to Uchiha like that…That was awesome."
He blinked, somewhat miffed and indifferent to the whole situation. "It just seemed the right thing to do."
"I don't know. For a lazy guy, I thought that was really brave."
Unconsciously, he stopped in his tracks when she mentioned being brave. His initial reason for coming to the restaurant came back to him in a flash. There was no reason to cause a scene since he'd completely misinterpreted the situation. However…he came to be brave. He may as well not give up just because the situation had changed.
"Hey, Temari?"
She stopped and turned back to face him. "Yeah?"
"Do you want to go and grab something to eat sometime?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Eh?"
He nodded, undeterred. He refused to let his growing panic show on his face. "Yeah. Dinner sounds best. Maybe a movie to, if you've got the time. We should probably go before you have to head back to the Sand. Tomorrow maybe?" Temari on the other hand couldn't disguise the bright blush that had appeared on her face. Guess she's not in situations like this often.
"What, you mean…like a date?"
"Not like a date, a date."
Temari nearly jumped. Usually Shikamaru was as slow as molasses and talked about how anything involving dating was always to troublesome. There he was completely determined with a bold expression on his face. Not to mention that he was still wearing the black pants with button up shirt and tie, the shirt having undone a few buttons while they were walking.
She was caught the moment his first words had escaped his lips.
"Uh…Yeah. Yeah, sure. But uh, we don't have to do anything special. We can just go cloud watching afterwards or something." The idea made Shikamaru smile.
"Great." He nodded. Inside he screamed YES! FINALLY!
Temari nodded easily. "Yeah. I uh, should probably head back now." Don't let him see your blush, act cool Temari, act cool! She took her food from him, avoiding looking up into the smirk on his face. "I'll….see you then?"
He nodded. "Yup. Have a good night." With just a quick nod she turned away and headed back to her apartment with her head swimming.
When she was a safe distance away Shikamaru pondered to himself. "Huh. Wonder why I didn't do that years ago."
His answer was in the form of his two teammates tackling him to the ground.
"AHHHHHH! SHE SAID YES, SHE SAID YES!" Oh right, Shikamaru thought while cringing inwardly. This was why. Ino pulled him into a sitting position while grabbing his collar with glee. "You did it, you finally asked her! What the heck took you so long?"
"Hey, do you mind? I can't breathe." Chouji just laughed from the side, but he could tell there was joy in his face.
"I hope you were kidding when you said just some movie and dinner. You need to do something special!"
"Temari said she wanted to go cloud watching."
"WHAT? She was just being nice! Girls want to have a good time, and I am not letting you ruin it by being lazy and taking the easy path!"
"What are you even doing here?"
He never got an answer while Ino continued to babble on about different date ideas and Shikamaru struggled to push his two teammates away so he could get some space. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Temari watching him from a ways away, having heard the commotion. When she caught his eye she gave him a teasing smirk. Shikamaru could only do what felt most natural to him.
He smiled back.