Road to Temari Nara
A/n:
Once again, I am sending off another fanfiction in to the Naruto archives after a long hiatus. The poll is now closed and with the results from both here and tumblr, Temari won by a landslide for the next kunoichi up in the line of the Road to series I was supposed to post this a while back in August, but I got swamped with the responsibilities of real life and I had to take off for a while! So as an apology and a little gift to the folks who waited for me to update again, here's the first chapter of Temari's Road to story and up next will be the first chapter of the Sakura version of the series! I felt like you guys deserved it after I took off for a while without warning, so I'll be trying to make more regular updates now. Like I'll be updating Road to Hinata Uzumaki pretty soon, probably this weekend or next week because I'll be on a week-long break.
The chapter title for chapter one was inspired from [I Won't Say I'm In Love] from the Disney Hercules movie. Temari could totally be Megara, I'm just pretty sure Shikamaru wouldn't be Herc... Unless Hercules was a sarcastic bum.
Anyways, this chapter is kind of short, but with the last line... I couldn't find another way to expand upon it. But all in all, enjoy the start of Road to Temari Nara!
Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Naruto. If I did, Gaara wouldn't look like a reject Erwin Smith audition.
+Chapter One: No Chance, No Way+
"So we're stuck here until the Hokage finishes up with her patients?" Kankuro asked, slurping his cup of instant ramen noodles.
Gaara nodded, "She wants our reports on what happened when we encountered the Oto-nin."
Temari didn't say anything.
The Suna Siblings were still in Konoha, and they were inside Gaara and Kankuro's room. It was still early in the morning, and the idea of sleep was still far from the mind from what the oldest of the siblings could guess. It hadn't even been a full day since their return to the village, and while it might not have shown, Temari was still wary. Things between Suna and Konoha were still strained after the attack on Konoha that lead up to the death of their Third Hokage, so regardless of the events that happened prior, this was the best shot at the treaty between them being fully restored.
Sasuke Uchiha had gone rogue, and Tsunade instructed for back-up from Suna.
It made quite a stir for those politically in charge back at home.
With no Kazekage, Suna was, in short, in a minor state of organized chaos. Things were still running as smoothly as possible, but there seemed to be more outspoken brashness from potential radicals with the death of the Fourth Kazekage, Temari's father, Rasa. So imagine the surprise of the Suna council when a messenger hawk bearing the symbol of Konoha arrived with a message requesting help.
It didn't take long for them to look for a team to help in the assistance.
The team that played an important part when Oto coerced Suna into attacking Konoha; the former Kazekage's children.
Now they were stuck in Konoha until further notice.
"Well then," Kankuro yawned. "looks like we'll just 'happily' stick it out then, eh Temari?"
"Yeah, sure." Temari shrugged, crossing her legs. She was indifferent and her mind was elsewhere.
Her brothers noticed. "What's got your fan in a knot?" Kankuro asked, pointing his chopsticks out her.
Temari rolled her eyes, "It's nothing, and don't play with your chopsticks." Kankuro was always a notoriously messy eater and it annoyed her. But she wasn't going to blow a fuse in a hotel room of all places. "I'm just tired from running around night and day."
Gaara blinked, but Kankuro was the one who continued on talking. "Sure you're not just thinking about your boyfriend?" He grinned, black eyes glistening.
"Boyfriend?" Gaara repeated, blue-green eyes narrowing. She had a boyfriend?
"Don't put ideas in Gaara's head and shut up, he's not my boyfriend." Temari snapped, irritable from both Kankuro and sleep deprivation.
The blonde daughter of Rasa knew exactly who Kankuro was referring to.
Shikamaru Nara, her former opponent from the Chunin Exams and a walking enigma that was from Konoha.
Temari wasn't sure where her opinion of Shikamaru stood.
He was lazy, that was for certain, but the guy could be smart and a powerhouse when he wanted to be. But he had zero ambition. That was something any partner she had, regardless of gender or if it were of romantic or platonic nature, needed. Ambition. And he was from a totally different village, and one they had problems they had with. There was no future there.
"Suuuure, he isn't." Kankuro leaned over Gaara to nudge his sister's arm and he scooted back quickly when he saw the hand ready to smack him upside the head. "Hey, hey, hands to yourself! I'm just sayin', you were pretty quick to head off towards his chakra signature back in the forest!"
"He has a point." Gaara gave his sister a pointed look.
Temari looked at her youngest sibling with a gawking look, "Really, you too?" She groaned in annoyance. "I told you it was to check out how strong he'd gotten since we last met and to show him I'm not going to be a pushover the next time we cross paths in a fight." And she was pretty sure she did just that with her Summoning Blade Dance, Kamatari, her summon, putting his all into the attack as well. The pineapple-headed boy looked stunned, and that was the plan.
"Well then you went with him to the hospital and neither of you were even injured!" Kankuro protested.
Temari crossed her arms, "He had a broken finger and I was hoping to get my report out of the way to the Lady Fifth."
This time, Gaara replied, and his voice and expression were deadpanned. "A finger?"
A flush rose onto Temari's face and she 'hmph'd, looking away. "I was just reporting!" Her brothers could be such a freaking pain. But she loved them anyway. That was one good thing that happened after the Raid. The three of them were getting closer. That was something she would have to thank Naruto Uzumaki for. The loud runt had made them rethink a lot of things, and their relationship as siblings was one of them. It could still be a little awkward, but the three of them could now have playful banters such as this one. "That's it, I'm going to bed."
She stood up, grabbing her fan. "Good night."
Kankuro snorted, "Women."
"I heard that."
"I know, that was the point."
"Don't make me complain to the the hotel that you're both disturbing my beauty sleep."
"Isn't beauty sleep supposed to make you look pretty? Looks like you haven't been having that at all. More like- ow!"
Gaara closed his eyes with a sigh, "Stop before we all get reported on."
Temari nodded and smirked in victory. At least she got her one hit in. "Night, my dears." She said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "May your dreams be sweet and full of your big sister taking care of you~" She could see Kankuro visibly shudder and he whispered something to Gaara, causing the redhead to look slightly amused.
That was good enough for her and with a small wave, she left their room and went into hers.
The room was small and only had one bed, that was to be expected and Temari didn't really mind. She flicked the light on. As long as the room was clean, it didn't matter. Temari wasn't picky. An apparent bonus for her future lover according to Kankuro. She didn't make dinner for a week and he came back begging for her usual katsudon.
Setting down her fan on a wall, Temari plopped down on her bed with a loud sigh and allowed her muscles to relax. She sighed once more and opened her eyes to look up at the ceiling.
Suddenly, Shikamaru's face popped into Temari's face and she groaned, slamming a pillow onto her face.
The guy was too troublesome, to steal his catchphrase.
A guy she would need to push, and push a lot too.
She didn't want something like that.
But, and it wasn't something to really brag about, he was cute. Temari could admit that. In fact, he could even look handsome when if she looked at him close enough. Not that she did look at him often!
Great. Temari rolled her eyes. Now I'm defending myself from my own subconscious. Thanks my angelic brothers, you really know how to comfort me. She suddenly couldn't wait until the dorks found their own supposed love interests. Payback would be certain and would strike fiercely.
She thought back to earlier in the waiting room of the hospital.
That was the first time she had ever seen Shikamaru give off any kind of emotion other than apathy, and while she didn't really feel bad for speaking her opinion of the situation… She still felt bad. If that made any sense. For herself, as someone who was more of a thinker than feeler, it was odd. But after she had seen the man, she assumed was Shikamaru's father, she couldn't help but give him some kind of compassion. Even if it wasn't a lot.
Memories from back when Gaara had lost to Naruto, the blond boy could have killed him, just like she had done to the girl from Oto.
Temari felt a dark pit in her stomach. What if he had?
Where they were with their relationship as siblings wouldn't have reached this far. Would she and Kankuro have grown closer from the loss of Gaara? The brother they mistreated for years out of fear and misunderstanding?
Temari sat up and took off the padded armour on her mission gear and laid back down. She didn't want to think about those what ifs anymore.
Her head suddenly felt foggy and she curled into a ball.
She must have been more tired than she thought.
So covering herself with her blanket, Temari closed her eyes and she went to bed. Maybe the strange fog over her would end when she got a good, long rest.
[~';'~]
Temari awoke with a start and a strange jolt.
What the hell?
That sleep felt like it only lasted seconds and she still felt as tired as ever.
The young woman sighed and tried to get comfortable once more, keeping her eyes closed as to not adjust to the light of morning that burned her eyes.
A part of the blanket was wrapped tightly around her waist and she felt uncomfortable as she laid in a weird position. It was also hot, Temari noted. Ugh.
What was she doing in her sleep? Wrestling a bear?
Better yet, maybe that Oto girl she had killed earlier with her summoning technique?
Temari didn't remember what she dreamed about, or even if she did. But the Sand girl forcefully turned to her side, pulling out her right arm to pull at the blanket covering her and- Temari's eyes shot open.
This blanket was warm.
And it wasn't from her sleeping.
It was hot. Temari squeezed around the 'blanket' her hand was wrapped around. It was eerily soft in a familiar way. A human way. Oh hell no.
Temari shot up and yanked at the arm.
This wasn't happening.
The person lying next to her (thank the gods they were both clothed) woke up with a start of their own, an irritated and groggy expression on their face. "What the hell, Temari?" He grumbled. His hair was black and down to his shoulder, no bangs covering his forehead, and his eyes were a dusky brown. His chin had a goatee.
Temari gasped and her face contorted into one of shock and anger.
She knew that face.
"You!" Temari shouted and with the reflexes of a cat, jumped out the bed in a defensive stance. "You're his dad!" The scars on his face were absent, but maybe those were healed by Tsunade after she left so she had no way of knowing for certain but...
The man, Shikamaru's dad, blinked once, twice, then finally thrice before groaning. "I'm pretty sure I know that already, Temari." He replied, unamused. "Did you have some dream where I told you he wasn't?"
That sleazy son of a- The blonde kunoichi clenched her fists. "Did you really think this was a smart choice?!" Temari was too riled up to remain any kind of composure. In fact, she couldn't wait for Gaara to Sand Coffin this guy to oblivion, a treaty between Konoha and Suna be damned. "I'm a representative of Suna and you snuck into my room-"
The man, Shikadad, interrupted her, "Temari last time I checked, you became a Konoha representative the day you signed the papers to officially become Mrs. Shikamaru Nara."
"I did no such-" any argument Temari was going to spit back at her creeper was forgotten in her throat.
The door behind her creaked open and Temari turned, her stance not lowering despite her confusion. There was a young boy in the door frame- probably about twelve years old. He looked just like the man in her bed, but his eyes were large and green. They were a familiar pair of eyes.
"Geez Dad," the boy grumbled, voice full of sleep. "What'd you do to piss mom off so early in the morning?"
"What?" Temari questioned.
What did he just say?
Temari looked over to Shikadad, then back to Shikajunior, then to her surroundings.
These were not the same surroundings she saw before going to bed. And with her senses now on alert, Temari glanced over herself, searching for any sort of sexual abuse. These weren't the clothes she fell asleep in either.
"Mom?"
Temari tensed and spun her head back to the boy.
He looked concerned, confused, despite how he seemed more relaxed. "What's wrong?"
The blonde woman didn't respond to the boy. She didn't know how to. Instead, she prompted to look back at Shikadad.
Shikamaru.
"You." Her voice was shaky and low. "You have some serious explaining to do."
A/n: chapter one end.
And there we go! Temari has made her jump to the future and thus far, she isn't taking anything too well.
I'd also like to point out that if anyone thinks Temari wouldn't confuse Shikaku and Shikamaru, do keep in mind that she just woke up from sleeping, is still tired, and during the time frame from where she jumped, that was the first time she had met Shikaku. And on the whole scars thing, Temari grew up in a completely different village and has no real knowledge on medical ninjutsu. She and her brothers only grew up only hearing rumours, more than likely, about the great Tsunade Senju who is supposedly the world's best medic. In her still tired mind, it could be totally plausible that Tsunade could get rid of some battle scars completely.
So! I do hope there are little to no spelling mistakes littering this chapter and that maybe my writing skills have improved a bit, maybe my writing style too.
All in all, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and happily await the next!
Read, Review, and I Adore You All Too!
Preview - Chapter Two: "You think I'm faking?" "I never said that. Only that this may be amnesia." "My brothers. How are my brothers?" "Well..." "Sorry about earlier... son."