Parallels
sometimes the cloud needs a strong wind to move forward
it marveled her, how opposite the two parts of her life were like yin and yang
and somewhere along the way the damsel in distress realized that maybe it was her knight in shining armor who needed saving
(1)
The brown haired woman let out another groan and in that time, her first child was brought into this world.
Rasa was holding her hand through the entire procedure. He had lines of sweat running down his face not from the heat; they were used to it having lived in the Hidden Sand their entire lives, but from the sheer worry of having to see his wife go through such indescribable pain.
"How is the child?" Karura asked her husband.
"She's fine. It's you I'm worried about." He said kissing her sweaty forehead.
Karura gave a weak smile.
"What shall we name her?" Karura asked opening her gentle eyes again.
"Temari?" He suggested. He had taken the pink infant into his arms. She was so tiny and Rasa suddenly felt a deep desire to protect her against anything that tried to harm in this world.
"Perfect." Karura replied.
(*)
"Shikamaru Nara I swear I am going to kill you for making me pregnant!" The blonde haired kunoichi screamed.
Yikes! She's troublesome while giving birth as well, thought Shikamaru who was holding her hand. But he was worried as well. It had been two hours since Temari had gone into labor and still there were no signs of their child deciding to show his face.
Temari was sweating profusely and her entire robe was drenched. Sakura who was helping Temari deliver the child stood by occasionally giving her encouraging words. Sakura will definitely step in if something bad were to happen, Shikamaru reassured himself. She was the most adept kunoichi when it came to medical ninjutsu after Tsunade sama.
"He's crowning." Sakura whispered to Shikamaru. And she was correct. He could see his son's pink head peeking out.
"Temari a few more pushes and you'll be done." Sakura said gently stroking Temari's other hand.
"Troublesome woman." Shikamaru grumbled. He had a relived expression on his face. Both the baby and Temari are out of danger, he thought.
"What did you call me? Here I am screaming my lungs out and you are calling me troublesome?" Temari snarled at him.
Suddenly she clenched his hand harder. Her eyebrows furrowed and she gave another scream.
"You did a good job Temari san." Sakura congratulated her while wiping her face with a wet cloth.
The nurses had taken the baby and detached the umbilical cord which connected mother to baby.
"Here is your son." Sakura said pleasantly handing Temari the washed baby bundled up in a cloth with the Nara symbol on it.
"He's already asleep.' Temari joked looking adoringly at her child.
Sakura had walked out of the room along with the nurses wishing to give the couple a private moment with their new child.
"He's sleeping. He's already like you." Temari said stroking the child's cheek.
Temari handed the child to Shikamaru. The child was indeed asleep and had a careless expression on his face.
"What shall we name him?" Temari asked.
"Shikadai." Shikamaru responded. He placed a kiss on the child's forehead. The child opened his eyes in response.
Shikadai had his mother's eyes.
(2)
Temari sat on the leather bench outside her father's office. Today was her father's birthday and she wished to surprise him. Sadly a two year old does not have much imagination to procure a gift that will give sufficient surprise to a man of twenty seven years.
She held the gift her mother had helped her choose in her chubby hands. It was a desert cactus since her father loved looking after the cactus in their small balcony in their house.
The shouting inside her father's office refused to subside.
"The daimyo of the Land of Wind finds the service provided by Konoha cheaper and more efficient than the services by our village. We need to do something before all the business our village makes through shinobi is stolen all together by another village!"
"We must use Shukaku." This was her father's voice.
"But how? There is no readily available jinchuriki."
"I'll use my own son." Did he mean Kankuro?
"Karura is pregnant again. I will ask Chiyo sama to seal the beast into him on his birth." Her father continued.
What was Shukaku?
Temari dropped the plant on the seat and walked home.
(*)
"Happy birthday, troublesome woman." Shikamaru whispered into her ear.
She felt two strong arms wrap around her figure as she prepared the morning tea. This was followed by a light kiss on her cheek. His beard poked her slightly but she was used to it by now.
"Good morning." She said turning around and planting a kiss onto his lips. He smiled into the kiss and pulled her body closer to his. His kisses were just like him lazy but still exciting.
He handed her a small box which had been wrapped with the utmost care. Temari tore the paper with her fingers. She opened the box and the contents instantly placed a smile on her lips.
"Shikamaru you didn't have to." She said hugging him.
Shikamaru wrapped his arms around her again.
"Ewww!"
Temari turned around to see a still very sleepy Shikadai glaring at both of them.
Temari just laughed and picked up her four year old son.
"What were you and Daddy doing right now?" he asked giving them both an accusing look.
"Daddy was just giving Mommy her birthday present." She answered.
"What did you get?" he asked lazily with a yawn.
She took him to the table where she had placed the floral appreciation kit.
Shikadai was clearly not impressed by the gift. But he did not say so because he did not want to be punched by his mother at six in the morning.
"Daddy can we play shogi?" He asked.
"Sure but go back to sleep for now. You are still very much sleepy." Shikamaru said tickling his son in his stomach.
Shikadai responded with an adorable laugh which was like music to Temari's ears.
(3)
The sand blew in her face but she did not seem to mind. Her tiny body was clad entirely in black. How was a three year supposed to understand death?
She held her two year old brother's chubby hand. He was bawling. Temari hated this. Hated the funeral and hated her younger brother for having done this to their mother.
Her father stood at the head of the procession. Temari had heard people tell her that big men were not supposed to cry but her father was not sparing a tear. His eyes were bloodshot and he a maniacal expression on his face. His black clothes were covered with sand.
"Karura, Karura, KARURA!" He shouted at her grave.
Temari could not cry. All she felt was rage and hatred.
(*)
The funeral was held after the war. She had held his hand throughout the entire affair. Shikamaru was not a crybaby even though she affectionately called him one. But right now bitter tears cascaded down his face.
She wiped her tears with her hands. Yoshino Nara stood next to them. She did not cry. Instead she was in shock. Shock received from losing the love of her life.
Shikaku Nara had been a brave man and a commendable father. Unlike her father who had been blinded by power and making the village better.
Temari placed a kiss on his cheek. He looked lovingly at her with gratitude in his eyes.
"Thank you." He said.
(4)
Temari had her first kill at the age of six. Already an expert kunoichi surpassing most her fellow students in the Academy, Temari was quickly promoted to genin. The small fan which had been specially built to suit her small frame was in her tiny hands and she blew the first gust of wind on the man who had tried to throw a kunai at Kankuro.
The man had been a chunin level ninja. His body was fractured in many areas from the wind attack and Temari smiled appreciatively at his body.
She locked eyes with Baki sensei who was standing a couple of feet away from him.
He had a smile on his face. If only her father had been able to see her kill.
(*)
She had chosen taijutsu knowing well and good that it was his weakest from of jutsu. She spared him no mercy as she matched his every punch and kick with an equally powerful kick or punch if not stronger.
He was soon panting for breath but so was she. He has become stronger since the last time we trained together, she thought with a smile on her face.
"Hey crybaby! You giving up already?" she said with a victorious gleam in her eyes.
Unknowing to her, he had caught her in his Shadow Imitation jutsu.
He started walking towards her and Temari with irritation found herself being dragged towards the heir of the Nara clan.
"That's cheating. You were only allowed to use taijutsu!" she complained with a look of annoyance on her face.
"Shut up troublesome woman." He replied when there were only a few inches left between them.
He closed the gap between them and placed his lips on hers.
(5)
Temari ran as fast as her feet could carry her. The monster was after her again. He was red haired and had pale green eyes yet had enough power to kill the entire village.
The hot sand scalded her bare feet but she didn't mind. She was supposed to be a powerful kunoichi but right now she felt like the weakest woman on the world.
"I only want to play." Her younger brother said with his stuffed bear in his hand and tears streaming down her face.
(*)
Gaara looked down at his ten month old nephew seated in his lap with his Kazekage hat perched on his tiny head.
"Well, well if it isn't the charming and charismatic ruler of the Hidden Sand!" he said placing a kiss on his nephew's chubby cheek.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow but smiled at his son cooed in reply to his uncle's words.
"You'll make a good uncle Gaara." Shikamaru said.
"Yes you will." Temari said taking her son from her brother's hands.
Gaara was to be Shikadai's godfather.
(6)
Temari danced when no one was looking. She danced until her lithe body was drenched in sweat and she couldn't feel her feet on earthen floor of her room anymore.
Dancing gave her the freedom her body ached for. Freedom from the responsibilities she had been forced to take on at her tender age. Freedom to believe that maybe one day she could have a normal family.
(*)
He kissed her again as his free hand began to undo the sash that held her yukata together. Her perfectly sized breasts came into his view and he added his tongue into the kiss. Shikamaru was a lazy man but he was an enthusiastic lover. He knew exactly how to pleasure her and take her to a high which she thought only he could take her to.
Her hands tugged at the hem of his jonin uniform's sweater and he broke this kiss to throw the sweater over his head. She always said that he was too skinny to be ninja but his lean body simply made him more endearing to her. She ran her hands over his lean muscles and she could hear him drawing in his breath when her hand made contact with the bulge in his pant.
She slipped off the yukata completely so that it pooled around her feet. He always commented on how lovely her body was and promised her that he would never get tired of it. Somewhere deep down she knew that his words were true.
He tugged down the pants of his uniform and added his boxers to the pile of clothes that lay near their dining table. He picked her up gently and placed her on the wooden table in the center of the room. On a regular occasion she would have slapped him for not continuing their activities in their room but she was too caught up in the heat of the moment to complain to him.
He made quick work of her panties and soon she was completely naked in front of them. Normally they liked to prolong their love making and enjoyed foreplay but he had been gone for too long.
She guided his manhood to her welcoming and wet entrance. When he slipped into her, she felt complete. They stayed like that with him placing lazy kisses on her tanned belly for a while.
But soon he began to move and she moved her hips in reply. They moved in tandem and Temari felt a familiar euphoria running through her body. He must have felt it too for as soon as she came, he emptied himself into her.
He kissed her lazily on her mouth and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Welcome home, crybaby." She whispered sleepily into his ear.
"Troublesome." He replied but he was smiling when he fell asleep with her on the dining table.
