Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters belong exclusively to Masashi Kishimoto.
In a huff, he quickly ushered his wife out the front door of his childhood home.
"Later Ma!" he growled out.
"But Shikamaru!" Temari countered, desperately shooting a look to her mother-in-law seeking forgiveness for their sudden and rude departure. There was little more she could do as he continued to tug her down the path away from her property.
"It was nice to see you Shikamaru and Temari!" she called back sweetly. "Perhaps you'll come again... soon?"
Not likely, he wanted to say, but if it were left to Temari, they'd be there again. Why the woman would openly want to visit with her lately was beyond him.
He loved his Ma. He really did. She had a sweet spot for Temari, which he appreciated, but to his dismay, she was a master at getting under his skin when she really wanted to. Honestly after his Dad had passed, she mellowed. They actually got along quite well after that. Then, one day, out of the blue, that awful nagging tendency reared its head. It had seriously puzzled him at what could have had gotten into her. The nagging simply drove him over the edge, and today was a prime example of that.
These days she was less outward in the way she got to him, but unfortunately it was still there, and he was the usual target. Yep, troublesome. Today it wasn't so much what she said, but the undertones behind it that were maddening.
It began innocently. She welcomed them in and small talk ensued. She then casually mentioned how good Temari looked. That in itself wasn't particularly bothersome, but the follow up discussion intimately insinuating he might be slacking off from keeping her happily 'satisfied' in the marriage, eventually struck a chord. Geez, really?
From there, it seemed whatever topic his Ma would initiate, inevitably bled into a discussion that tangled he and his wife into some minor disagreement about his ability to do his 'husbandly duties'. Much to his chagrin, Temari often sided with his Ma, and once he irritated the Sand kunoichi, boy, what a drag, it meant he would to need to make it up to her later. Why he let the irritation with his Ma enmesh into these things was definitely troublesome. He had really had enough.
Silence filled the walk back to their home on the opposite end of the Nara grounds. Temari wasn't particularly mad, but they were tired from the week, and he, for one, was not quite ready to open conversation just yet.
Wordlessly he veered to the right to lie down and watch the clouds while she went back into the house. He was thankful for that particular understanding Temari allowed.
Gazing at the soft billows floating about, he worked to calm his mind and restore peace.
Pulling off her sandals upon entering their house, she left Shikamaru to unwind and began preparations of dinner. The heat had been trapped in the house, so she quickly opened the windows to let in the summer breeze. Poor Shikamaru, she sympathized. Perhaps she had been a bit too hasty in taking his Ma's side. They were both a little tired from the week and she probably spoke before really thinking. Sure Sai was being a very attentive husband to Ino but she could have gone softer on the teasing barbs she directed at her lover.
Cloud watching settled him down and Shikamaru returned ready to make things right. The alluring smell of delicious foods wafting about welcomed him back home. He honestly felt bad for his sour mood earlier. Work was overwhelming at times and irritations on his days off weren't what he needed.
"I'm sorry," he stated as he glanced up at her with those puppy dog eyes. He really was. At that point, the disgruntlement over things said before seemed petty and not even relevant.
"I'm sorry too," she replied, a hint of regret marring her beautiful face.
He slowly walked into the kitchen and brought her into a tender hug, breathing in her every essence. He loved her so much. It hurt to think he wasn't good enough to her as he should be.
"Let's not fight," he stated hopefully, giving her a little squeeze from behind.
"Agreed," she replied, as she leaned back into him to revel in the embrace.
"Are we good?" he asked tentatively, before slowly turning her around to face him.
She nodded with a smile assuring him so. Nothing said was really all that important anyway. Gingerly he cupped her face and gazed deep into the depths of her orbs, holding her attention.
"I love you Temari," he stated without preamble. "Never doubt that."
Warm tendrils of softness and comfort embraced her soul as she smiled and drank in the preciousness of that moment.
"I love you too," she replied honestly. His return smile continued to stir lovely feelings within, and that dreamy gaze of his took her breath away. The kiss they shared was gentle and slow. By the time they pulled apart, they were definitely in a better place.
Taking his hand, she led him back to the couch. There he relaxed into the cushions and welcomed her into his embrace. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the rise and fall of his chest as she cuddled into him.
Pleasurable silent moments had them enjoying each other's company. When she glanced over to the clock though, a smile adorned her face, and he felt her giggle.
"What is it?" he asked, curious.
"Once again, Genius, we're home early," she stated with a bit of laughter in her voice. Of course that statement was the truth. As had been habit lately, the shortened visit to his Ma's had them with some rare extra time on their hands.
"Oh?" he replied in mock surprise, then followed with a smirk.
"Hn, it's troublesome but it seems I owe you some special attention," he stated, putting emphasis on the 'special.'
"Really now?" she retorted. "Better than anything Sai gives Ino?" she teased.
He narrowed his eyes at her, as a small laugh escaped her lips. Suddenly, he surprised her out of nowhere by flipping on top of her, effectively pinning her down. A look of mischief in his eyes, silenced the tease.
"You be the judge," he began with a low alluring voice, as he hovered just centimeters above her body. The intensity of his look gave her pause as he slowly descended upon her to capture her lips, leaving her both wanton and breathless.
She reveled in his touch that managed to ignite the passion deep within. As her mind was swimming with promises of an intimate kind, things began to heat up quickly despite the cool breeze drifting through the open windows, and dinner was soon the farthest thing from their minds.
Yoshino finished washing the cups and sat down at the family table, a faint smile tugging at her lips. She was done by 6PM. This was a record! Their visit was just under a half hour and she couldn't be more pleased with herself.
Poor Shikamaru. She dearly loved her son but lately he was too busy for his own good. Temari too. They'd plunged head first into the Leaf/Sand Alliance and had little time for anything else. Worse yet, they seemed to be okay with that. She was quite fond of the Sand Kunoichi, but for goodness sake, there were other important matters she'd like them to consider too.
It wasn't always like this. They had started their marriage off affectionately with plenty of outings and personal time for each other. Having endured a long distance relationship, they were a passionate pair who wasted no time when together.
In the beginning, she distinctly remembered, things weren't always quiet on the Nara grounds. She nearly laughed out loud when she recalled that warm summer night she couldn't sleep after a little skirmish she witnessed between them and happened to pass by their house. With the windows open, it was apparent Shikamaru took after his father in the bedroom, no doubt in serious pursuit of making it up to his wife.
Once married and settled though, shinobi duties were put at the forefront, and they eventually became much busier. Out of hand in her mind. Sure they still loved each other but with their schedules it was likely they were merely sleeping here and there with nothing happening between the sheets! The fact that she had to shame them into making time to visit her even once in a while spoke volumes. They lived on the same grounds for crying out loud!
Others in their generation were busy starting families, and honestly, it was time they focused on that as well. They were still young and foolish, not yet understanding how to time manage such important matters. Subtle suggestion had gone nowhere, so it was time to take matters into her own hands and step things up a notch. Shikamaru wouldn't actively pursue something without the proper motivation after all.
The war had taken many things from her, but her determination was still intact. Missions were less frequent and she now had the time to enjoy life. They all did. Ino had already blessed her family with the upcoming baby news. Surely Shikamaru and Temari should have caught a clue, but earlier conversations with them clearly did not indicate so.
It was no wonder the frustration led her to intervene. Armed with the knowledge that Temari was warm to the idea and had vaguely hinted to missing the newlywed passion of their relationship, she quickly went to work.
The men in the family were smart, kind, caring, and loving, but truly lazy to the core. Loving them dearly didn't necessarily mean appreciating how their intellect interfered in making immediate decisions that needed tending to. Yes, it was maddening at times to have to be patient, and no, she wasn't necessarily the patient type.
In the beginning she siphoned through an enormous number of techniques just to get things moving along. Several failures and mountains of frustration later, she learned two things: (1) the Nara men had a sweet spot for women and (2) it was important to use it against them when things really needed to get done.
Luckily, Shikaku, her late husband, was especially susceptible to her womanly wiles and once he had his eye on the prize, he would often move swiftly and be quite agreeable to getting things done.
She smiled when she remembered his devious side. Shikamaru to this day was still clueless that he was the mastermind in getting her to sharpen her "skills" to shoo him away. The refined "skill" would have two beneficial purposes, Shikaku and she would be rewarded with satisfied bliss, all the while lazy Shikamaru would rush to get away and work to complete additional chores to get his Ma off his back.
Of course "skills" would not be the word Shikamaru would associate his dear Ma as possessing. He begrudgingly took it as nagging. It was a drag to be around her as he would put it, but the dear that he was, listened, and the very kind and loving son he was, ultimately quickly finished whatever his Ma had wanted.
Over the years, she made sure he was raised with a healthy respect for females and for responsibilities that came along with his blessed superior intellect and the secret Jutsu of the Clan. He would soon take the place as Clan Head, and she had to be sure once she stepped down, all would continue to flourish for future generations.
Unfortunately, contemplating about those future generations was where Yoshino was stuck at the moment. Nothing was currently in the works.
She'd admit she was a little green with envy in the way Ino practically glowed with the newfound pregnancy. She didn't blame Yamanaka-san for her happiness. Quite the contrary, she was elated for her. It's just she wanted to feel a part of that happiness too. There were too many bad and sad memories to haunt her from the past. News of the baby sort would brighten the future.
She wasn't proud of it, but in his younger years, she was able to manipulate Shikamaru to her whims. Indeed, it was a bit of a long shot, but since soft reasoning didn't do a lick of good in moving forward, she decided to nudge things along with more predictable coercion used in the past. If she could just get Shikamaru a little agitated and blessed with some extra time with Temari, perhaps... She smiled, yes, that was all it might take. Shikamaru was so much like his father, and, well...
A glance at the baby rattle she had bought for Ino's baby made her smile. Yamanaka-san didn't have to be the only one with a baby on the way if she had her say. The promise of Ino-Shika-Cho could still be fulfilled. She could only hope the free time she had managed for the two had been filled with the right activities. If so, some pretty fantastic things could result.
She chuckled. It was indeed troublesome getting a lazy genius to work on something like that for her. Unabashed, she could admit she was a bit of a ruthless mother with motivations of her own. Knowing how much Shikamaru was like Shikaku, she hoped her innocent plan would be fruitful. His quick excuse to leave had better breed some success. She could hardly wait to be a grandma!
The smirk on her face widened a bit. Indeed, sometimes things like this took a little time, but she was sure they weren't suffering. She'd do her best to be patient, but if nothing came through soon, she'd helpfully remind Shikamaru there was an open invitation to visit again!
Author's Note:
Whoa, way to go Yoshino! More Ino-Shika-Cho thanks to you!
This can be read as a one shot, or you're welcome to continue on to see what other story I had in mind when this idea came to light.
I'd like to extend a special thank you to Shadow Owner for sharing information to help improve this story. Your suggestions and comments are always appreciated and very helpful! I would also like to thank all those who have read and reviewed. Haven't reviewed? You can still make my day with one. I'd love to hear from you.
For the chibi shy readers out there, I'm curious. What does a view to a story without a review mean? Was the story bad or just not good enough to warrant one?