Disclaimer: this is only my 4th time writing this but I'm already tired of it. I do not own Naruto.
Temari didn't know when she started liking Shikamaru. She didn't even know why she started liking him. In her eyes, he was a no-good, lazy bum who was not interested in anything except watching clouds.
Temari had once tried
cloud watching but had given up after two minutes. It took too much
effort to stay still. She had no idea how he could be content to just
lie there.
She supposed that she was a free spirit who didn't like
to sit and be quiet. Sure, she could do it, but she hated every
second of it. Like that one time Gaara had requested --demanded,
rather-- that she be present at a council meeting. The meeting had
been boring and dragged on for two hours. By the time it was
adjourned, she felt as if she had as much energy inside of her as the
Energizer Bunny. Not to mention her jaw hurt from clenching it in an
attempt to keep from screaming.
Shikamaru, on the other
hand, would have fallen sleep during the meeting. Temari swore he
could sleep anywhere in any position at any time.
Temari first
realized she liked him when they met again about two years after the
Chunnin exam. He was to be a Chunnin examiner and she was the
liaison. He said hello to her and she, much to her chagrin, could
only stutter indecipherable words. He raised an eyebrow but said
nothing more. Her cheeks flushed red and became even redder as he
stared at her as if he was unable to believe she was even capable of
blushing. He rolled his eyes and proclaimed "How troublesome."
Her response was to hit him repeatedly on the head with her fan like
he was a nail and her fan was the hammer.
Gradually, however,
Temari grew to be more comfortable around him. She felt safe whenever
she was with him. Maybe because he was too lazy to try anything. That
opinion lasted until he used his Shadow Possession Jutsu on her and
kissed her, therefore causing her to kiss him back. She learned that
day to never underestimate a Nara, no matter how lazy they might
appear to be.
But he was younger than she was by three years,
meaning that she had to take it slow and easy with him. If he had
been willing, she would have slept with him the first time they
kissed.
That was another thing she didn't understand. Why was she dating a younger man? Before meeting Shikamaru, she had always dated older men, ranging on age from two to six years older.
Although she and
Shikamaru were dating, she couldn't help but notice a few older men,
his sensei in particular. She had always had a fascination with men
who smoked. She loved the taste of the tobacco on their lips. That
was one reason she had kissed Asuma a year after she started dating
Shikamaru.
Needless to say, her boyfriend found them and nearly
broke up with her until she revealed to him why she had kissed
Asuma.
The next time they saw each other was two months later and
she found him on a hill, watching the puffy clouds drift by and
smoking a cigarette.
When he was asked why he started smoking, he
stated it was so that she wouldn't have to kiss another man to get
the taste of tobacco she craved. She didn't say anything about that.
Secretly, though, she
was struck by how much he was willing to change for her.
Their
relationship wasn't always picture perfect. They had their share of
fights and disagreements that almost always ended up with Temari
attempting --and failing miserably-- to hit Shikamaru on the head
with her fan, thanks to his Shadow Bind Jutsu.
One time when she
visited him, he gave her the shock of her life. He was breaking up
with her because she was too controlling and he couldn't take it
anymore. Everything had to be her way or the highway. She begged and
pleaded for him to reconsider but he coolly brushed her aside and
walked off.
She slumped into depression and for the first time in
months, drank herself into a stupor. She woke up the next morning
with a splitting headache and discovered that she was in Shikamaru's
room in his new house.
When the shadow ninja walked in minutes later to check on her, he found that she was gone, a plain piece of paper that said "Thank you" in blood red where she was supposed to be.
Being a genius,
Shikamaru quickly deciphered that the "ink" she had used
was actually blood. But he had grown tired and immune to her
"if-you-break-up-with-me-I'll-kill-myself" attitude so he
let it go. She never followed through with her threats.
He nearly
killed himself when Sakura informed him that Temari was in critical
condition at the Konoha hospital.
Both of her wrists had been
slit and shy had lost a large amount of blood. Tsunade made no
promises as to whether or not she would live.
The Nara visited her
daily, though she was unconscious and completely unaware of his
visits. But one day, when he walked in, sand immediately engulfed
him, squeezing him so tightly he was sure he would die.
Gaara
began yelling at him, all the while waving a note in his hand. The
world faded into black and he lost consciousness.
He woke up a few hours
later and saw Kankuro pacing. The puppet master noticed he was awake
and apologized for his brother's behavior.
Shikamaru waved the
apology aside and demanded to see the note that Gaara had been
holding. Kankuro hesitantly handed it to him and Shikamaru read it.
When he was finished, he buried his face in his hands and wept.
The
note had been addressed to him and in it, Temari had written that she
was sorry for everything she had ever done to him. She also wrote
that she was sorry for being a burden to everyone so she was going to
kill herself and take away everyone's misery of having her around. At
the very end, she had written "I love you, Shikamaru."
It was the very first
time she had ever said that and he knew it might be that
last.
Kankuro decided that it would be best if Shikamaru didn't
come to visit Temari anymore. And although it broke his heart, he
realized that if he wanted to live, he would have to stay away. So he
did.
Two weeks after that
unfortunate incident, Shikamaru walked into his house after a two-day
mission and found the Sand kunoichi asleep on his couch.
He was
shocked at first, to say the least. But then that shock faded into
love as he gently brushed her blonde hair out of her face.
Temari
stirred slightly and opened her eyes. She smiled and reached up a
hand to trace his jaw line, her eyes begging him to kiss her.
He
frowned, wondering if she was supposed to be out of the hospital. He
said that he was dirty and wanted to take a shower.
She pouted
slightly but relented. He left too quickly to catch the mischievous
grin that crept across her face.
Halfway through his
shower, suds from his shampoo got into his eyes. He reached out a
hand for his towel. Frowning, he groped around somewhere. He finally
gave up in disgust and peeked his head out to locate the wayward
towel.
He nearly fainted when Temari stepped forward, his towel in
her arms and a grin on her face. He swallowed hard when she quietly
asked if she could join him since she hadn't had a real shower in
days.
Being a man, he couldn't refuse her.
The next morning, they
both awoke in each other's arms. Temari blushed prettily and buried
her face in his chest, breathing in his scent. They stayed like that
until Shikamaru grunted, complaining he was hungry. She asked what he
was hungry for.
With a smirk, he replied he was hungry for her.
Two months later he proposed. Gaara immediately said no. He had planned on having Temari marry a daimyo from the Country of Lightning in hopes of a treaty by marriage. Temari was crushed. She had finally found someone who loved her for who she was and would stand by her in anything she did. She wasn't about to let anyone --including Gaara-- snatch her happiness away.
That was why she
quietly stole away one night a week before the wedding at breakneck
speed to Konoha. By the time she arrived two days later, she was
exhausted. It was 11:00 at night and she knew he'd be asleep but she
didn't care. She needed to be with him.
When she peered in
through his window, she found, to her shock, he was still awake,
staring at the engagement ring Gaara had returned for Temari. He was
startled by a faint knocking on his front door. Figuring it was Ino
coming to see him after a date gone bad, he ignored it.
Temari knocked one last
time then decided that she was going in whether he liked it or not.
She climbed to the roof and, to her great relief, found his window
unlocked. She slipped in and crept down the stairs, avoiding the
creaky spots.
Temari was just reaching the last step when
Shikamaru bumped into her. She stared up at him and asked, her voice
quivering, why he was mad at her. He explained that he had thought
she was Ino coming to bug him. He laughed when she muttered that it
was just an excuse because he was too lazy to get up and see who it
was.
Smirking, he grabbed her by the waist, spun her around, and
pushed her against the wall. He leaned down and whispered in her ear
if she thought he was lazy now. She grinned and said yes, sticking
her tongue out.
The next morning,
Temari awoke to sounds of someone choking. To her horror, Gaara had
discovered she was missing a few hours after she left and gave chase.
Now he was determined to kill Shikamaru. Temari pleaded with Gaara,
begging him to let Shikamaru go. The Kazekage wavered in his
decision. Only when tears fell from his sister's eyes did he back
down, realizing that he was causing her pain. He gave them his
blessing.
They were married three months later. The wedding was a
huge event because it signified the treaty growing stronger. Temari
had wanted a small wedding with their close friends but Naruto --he
had become Hokage six months ago-- and Gaara had different ideas.
During the reception,
Shikamaru fell asleep in his food. His best friend Chouji helped her
sneak him away from the festivities and into his --their, she
corrected herself-- house. When he woke up an hour later, she
questioned him about why he had fallen asleep. He just grinned and
said that he was saving energy so he could be up all night with
her.
They had decided that they wanted children right away. During
the course of the next year, they tried unsuccessfully. Temari began
to fear that perhaps she couldn't have children. She knew that he
wanted two children, a girl then a boy, but now it seemed as if his
dream wouldn't come true. It began to rip their marriage apart.
Shikamaru started sleeping on the couch. They ceased talking, except
for arguments. Their friends stayed silent, not wanting to get caught
in the middle of the feud.
One night, Shikamaru came home and discovered his wife sitting on the edge of the bathtub, crying. His sharp eyes surveyed the scene. A flood of relief washed over him when nothing was misplaced. He knelt beside her and asked gently what was wrong. She looked up, tears shining in her green eyes, and pressed something in his hand. He gave her a curious look before lifting the item up. His eyes lit up as he saw a pink line on the pregnancy test. He gave a whoop and pulled her into a hug.
Six months later,
Temari and Shikamaru welcomed Mieko and Rikyu Nara to their family.
Their life changed dramatically. With two babies came double the
responsibility. Most nights, Temari was in bed by nine and Shikamaru
followed not long after.
When the twins were ten months old,
Chouji and Ino volunteered to baby-sit them so the parents could have
a night out. The shadow ninja thanked his friends and had his wife
pick a restaurant. She picked a quiet evening out and packed a picnic
for the two of them.
There were times when Temari became homesick,
especially during the winter months when she longed to feel the hot
desert sun on her skin instead of the biting cold wind. There were
times when she longed to hug her brothers and talk to them and catch
up on lost time. Shikamaru understood and made it clear that she
could visit her home village any time she wanted, just as long as she
never stayed away for weeks and weeks. Once, he even surprised her on
her birthday by telling her that they were going to Suna for a
visit.
Sometimes Temari would sit and wonder about what her life would have been like had she married the daimyo from Lightning. But when Shikamaru and the twins walked in, she banished those thoughts from her mind. Sure, there were ups and downs, but to her the ups far outweighed the downs.
But Temari still had no answer as to why she fell in love with Shikamaru, but the more she thought about it, the more she decided she didn't care. Not everything had to be dissected and examined and have an answer.
He loved her and she loved him. For her, that was a good enough reason.