naruto drabble
shikamaru/temari
interval conversations as shikamaru gives in to the inevitable
note : no real spoilers, set some time after current manga chapters, and nope, i don't own naruto (4,500+ words, yahhoooo!)
Anything For You
She was back in Konoha, watching the clouds again.
They were drifting leisurely across the evening sky, seemingly immune to the strong winds that swept across the clearing. Temari knew from her numerous previous experiences that the temperature was going to drop quickly as soon as the sun disappeared beyond the line of trees surrounding the glade.
Wrapping her long scarf more snuggly around her shoulders, she gave a sidelong glance down at her companion who was lying comfortably on his back, with his head cushioned on his hands and his eyes closed.
She had found him like this a few hours ago and had been content to just sit beside him and watch the sky. She knew he wasn't asleep and had sensed her presence but both had chosen not to say anything and they spent the afternoon just being with each other.
It was a routine that they had perfected over the years whenever she was in Konoha or if he happened to be in Suna, and she saw no reason for things to change today.
Finally breaking the comfortable silence between them, she asked idly, "What did you think of the alliance talks just now?"
Shikamaru never even bothered to open his eyes as he replied lazily. "Troublesome."
She rolled her eyes in defeat and muttered to herself. "Why do I even bother?"
In one fluid motion, he sat up and propped his arms on his bent knees. Giving a weary, put-upon sigh, he finally opened his eyes and turned to look at her. "Okay, I thought it dragged on too long."
She laughed at him. "That wasn't much of an improvement."
He lifted his shoulders in one of his typically careless shrugs. "Why should I go into detail? Do you really want to know how bored I was? Besides, I didn't even have to be there. I'm not part of the Hokage's council, after all."
"So what were you doing there then? It's your day off. What could have possibly stopped you from spending the whole day watching clouds instead?" Temari asked out of curiousity, since what he just said was true.
Giving an even bigger sigh this time, he glared at her. "Naruto tricked me, okay? He's still the number one ninja at surprising everyone after all."
"But how did he get you there? Don't you know him better by now, you did grow up with him, you know." She pointed out that fact reasonably.
"He told me that we were all supposed to meet and plan Chouji's and Ino's pre-wedding party," he muttered in disgust. "By the time I got there, the meeting was about to start. And after the way he told me to sit, there wasn't anything I could say to excuse myself that wouldn't offend the other dignitaries."
Temari gave a delighted laugh at Naruto's manipulations. The blond was already 18 but had never out-grown his prankster ways. "No wonder you looked disgruntled when you joined us. Well, more so than usual anyway."
Shikamaru snorted and looked up to the sky. "Very funny."
"Chouji and Ino's pre-wedding party planning. Very devious," Temari commented, with admiration in her voice.
It was Shikamaru's turn to roll his eyes but didn't disagree. He leaned back on his elbows, with his gaze still on the evening sky.
Temari was silent for a moment, her smile still lingering. But as she lapsed into her own thoughts, she lost the smile and a frown creased her brows instead.
Turning away from him, she said hesitantly, "Speaking of weddings... do you think I'll make a good wife?"
1 minute later
"Wife?!?!" Shikamaru practically shrieked in his surprise. He whipped his head to look at her so fast that he nearly lost his balance. "Wait, what? Ummm... why? Are you getting married?" He finally managed to ask in a semi-normal voice after clearing his throat and righting himself.
Temari was now staring at him with narrowed eyes. After all their years of acquaintance and tentative friendship, she had never seen him more flustered. "What? Did you think no one would want me?"
He noisily cleared his throat again to make sure that his voice had lost that squeak. "I didn't say that. Hhhmmm... why did you ask actually?"
She continued glaring at him for a moment. But her eyes clouded as she deliberated his question and she turned her eyes away. After a short pause, she declared in a small voice very unlike her. "Gaara is considering an alliance with the Hidden Rock Village."
Tilting his head to study her profile, he frowned. "What's that got to do with you getting married?"
"One of the Earth Country's councilmen for the Tsuchikage asked for my hand to seal such an alliance."
Silence reigned. Temari avoided his eyes when she repeated, "Do you think I would make a good wife?"
Shikamaru steadily stared at her, waiting for Temari to meet his eyes. His mind was racing at her simple question and the air around them seem to thicken in anticipation of his answer. It was no longer so simple and it seemed the time had finally come for things to change.
"What are you really asking? Let's just stop pretending, Temari." Shikamaru said quietly.
Temari finally turned to him and gave him a level look. "What do you mean?"
"You're trying to ask me if I care enough about you to ask you not to marry someone else? To marry me instead."
Temari laughed bitterly at that. "You really need to stop playing your strategy games. There is no 'underneath the underneath' here. I'm not asking you that. Shika, I'm 21 already, old enough to know that not everything is about love."
"Love, huh?" Shikamaru repeated, pondering that last word.
Temari ignored him and continued. "I'm the daughter of the 4th Kazekage, sister of the 5th. I've lived in politics for as long as I can remember. People will do anything for power. And it has nothing to do with love."
"But Gaara does love you," Shikamaru pointed out. "He wouldn't want you to be miserable in an arranged marriage for the sake of the Sand."
"Yes... Gaara loves me. But he also loves Sand. If it benefits all of us, what does the small price of my happiness matter?" Temari seemed almost convinced of that statement but a wistful note coloured her words.
Shikamaru looked up at sky again for a moment and heaved a resigned sigh. "Fine. You want an alliance? Marry me. My family is quite prominent in Konoha, despite what you may think. An alliance between Sand and Leaf would be beneficial to all."
Of all reactions that Shikamaru had been anticipating, he would have never guessed that she would just dismiss his proposal.
"How can you joke about this?" Temari said with a frown. "Besides, Sand doesn't need a marriage for an alliance. Our leaders are very close friends. And besides, you're just a chuunin."
"Heh? What does that got to do with anything?"
"My brothers will never let me marry a mere chuunin."
He scratched his head, still puzzled. "So that's a problem? You're a jounin and a council member. And your brothers want you to marry someone of equal or higher status?"
"I guess... Hiroko-san is a jounin and a trusted member of Tsuchikage's council after all. And my brothers approve of him greatly when the talks of alliance came up."
Falling into silence, Shikamaru ran through the conversation again in his head. And came to one conclusion. Sigh, it was troublesome. But it just had to be done.
"Do you love me?" Shikamaru asked, abruptly.
"What?"
"I asked if you love me. Just answer the question." There was a tense quality to his voice that made Temari's heartbeat speed up.
Temari had always thought her feelings for him had been pretty obvious. Then again, even with his genius, Shikamaru was known to be purposely obtuse on occasion. But since there was no point to lying about it anyway, she took a deep breath and confessed.
"...Yes"
Shikamaru got to his feet abruptly and brushed his clothing free of any dirt clinging to his frame. "Fine."
"Fine?" Temari was stunned that he could be so blasé about it, and just gaped at him.
"I'll see you in a year, Temari. And in the meantime..."
"What?" she asked, warily this time.
"Don't marry anyone else, okay?"
With that, he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away.
10 minutes later
With his hands still in his pockets, Shikamaru strolled casually down the empty corridors of the Hokage Tower. The evening air was brisk and the building echoed with the silence of his passage.
He walked into the Hokage's office with an obvious familiarity after a quick nod to both ANBU guards standing at the door. He knew both ANBU guards after all. One was most definitely that icy prick, Uchiha.
Shikamaru never could warm up to Sasuke after what he had done to Naruto but since Naruto was a close friend, and however troublesome it was, Shikamaru had to grudgingly accept Sasuke for his sake.
And he knew Uchiha could now be trusted to protect Naruto with his life, so all was well in that respect. God knows Naruto needed all the protection he can get, especially from the scores of people he liked to pull his little stunts on.
This afternoon's incident was actually considered quite mild in contrast to his usual schemes, and Shikamaru had grown used to them, despite not being able to avoid them repeatedly. Shikamaru's genius was nothing compared to Naruto's unorthodox and surprisingly cunning mind.
As soon as Shikamaru stepped into the room, Naruto glanced up from the scroll he had been scrutinizing and quickly dropped it onto his table with a grin. He was always eager to have his paperwork interrupted, and it showed. Giving his friend an enthusiastic wave of welcome, Naruto gestured him to sit.
"Hey, Shika! What brings you here? You forgive me already for what happened earlier right? You know it's for your own good." The Rokudaime chuckled to himself in glee.
Sitting down in one of the chairs opposite the table, Shikamaru slouched down comfortably across his childhood friend. "Keh, more likely for your own good."
"Hehehee... So what's up? Finally ready to accept my offer of the advisor position on my council, eh?" Naruto asked half-jokingly, his mischievous fox-like features alight with amusement. "This way I won't have to trick you into attending every single time."
Shikamaru crossed his arms, his expression stoic. "You must be psychic, Naruto. As a matter of fact, I was going to accept your offer."
Naruto was struck speechless for a second and blinked slowly. "Huh?"
"I also wanted to tell you that I'm applying for the jounin qualifying exams first," Shikamaru continued lazily, staring out the window to look at the twilight sky.
Shaking his head as if to clear his hearing, he asked skeptically, "But Shika, wouldn't all that be... too troublesome?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "I need to be jounin to join your council."
Naruto squinted at his friend in worry. "Seriously, why?"
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "So that I can realize my full potential as a shinobi of Konoha and protect all its citizens to the best of my ability and bring honour to my family name." All that was quoted almost word for word from his mother's daily naggings.
The Hokage grinned as his blue eyes widened in sudden understanding. He jumped to his feet in excitement and pointed an accusing finger at Shikamaru. "You're doing this for Temari! Oh, how the mighty has fallen!"
Shikamaru's face remained impassive as he watched the Rokudaime, mighty leader to all Konoha shinobi, started to laugh so hard that he was practically rolling on the floor... but Shikamaru's right eye had started to twitch violently.
1 week later
The way his best friends were looking at him from across the restaurant table made the twitching in his right eye come back with a vengeance.
"Congratulations on making jounin, Shikamaru." Chouji, at least was trying to hide his amazement at his own statement, as if doubting that he would ever say those words out loud. But he was eating at a slower rate than was normal, as he had to pause every few bites to stare at Shikamaru incredulously.
His lovely wife, however, had no such compulsion. Ino was staring at him like a bug under a magnifying glass. "It's kind of sudden, isn't it? Why did you try for the jounin exams now? I mean, we all know you would have passed, but you never bothered to try before. No matter how hard everyone pushed you. So, what gives, Shika?"
"Ino..." Chouji tried to intervene but was helpless to stop her from giving his best friend the 'evil eye'.
"Come on, we leave for a few days for our honeymoon and come back to find Shika a jounin! There's something wrong with this picture." Ino's words made Chouji stop his efforts and he mentally shrugged. He was curious too, anyway.
Now, both stared at him with concerned, questioning eyes. Shikamaru gave up and sighed in defeat. He looked away from them before finally muttering under his breath, "Temari's a jounin..."
He didn't even have to elaborate on that. His two best friends that had always suspected his feelings for the Suna princess but had never expected him to do anything about it. It would be too troublesome after all.
Ino actually jumped up to her feet and pointed an accusing finger at Shikamaru, much like Naruto had done the week before. "I knew it! Wait. What does Temari being a jounin got to do with you being chuunin? She doesn't think you deserve her, that she's above you? Isn't Tenten dating her brother, Kankurou?" Ino sat back down with a thump, her voice harsh as her temper had rose at every question, angry as she was on her friend's behalf.
"What of it?" Shikamaru lifted a brow in enquiry. Her last question had totally lost him.
"She's just a chuunin like you, Shika," Ino explained impatiently. "And Kankurou is a jounin and council member, same as Temari."
He lazily waved those facts away with a sweep of his hand. "That's different. Tenten's a girl."
"You chauvinist pig!" This time her anger was directed at Shikamaru.
Chouji, finally catching up with the conversation, stroked his wife's arm soothingly. "Ino, calm down. You know how Shika is. There's no use getting worked up over it."
"I know, Chouji. I take back what I said then. You deserve to go through all this trouble for her." Flicking her long hair over her shoulder, she gave Shikamaru an evil smirk.
"Oi, stop it, Ino." Shikamaru was getting tired of all this scrutiny about his decision to finally be a jounin. "Not everyone is fortunate enough to fall in love and marry one of their best friends. Who lives just on the next street and who also happens to be in the same team and whose parents are old pals and have been planning their wedding since they were kids."
Ino sighed. "Ok, ok. I get it. You think that me and Chouji are lucky, that we didn't have to work at being together since we've always been together."
Chouji, however, tried to defend their position of having things easy. "I'll have you know that Ino's mother wanted her to marry you because you had better prospects. I worked hard to win her over. Just imagine, if I had left things as it is, you two would be the ones who just had your honeymoon."
All three shuddered at the thought. "And we're all eternally grateful for your efforts, Chouji," Ino said with feeling, and they all chuckled.
When they fell silent, Shikamaru continued on from their previous thoughts. "Quit worrying, guys. I'm just doing what I have to do, to have the woman I want to marry. It's as simple as that."
Chouji smiled at Shikamaru's uncharacteristic determination. He had always supported him in everything, and his best friend's efforts at a future happiness with the woman he loved was no different. "Well, I hope for your sake that this is all worth it then." Ino nodded in agreement.
"She's worth it, alright."
1 month later
"Why, Shikamaru? Is doing all this worth it for just one woman?"
Shikamaru turned to look at his team leader through his ANBU mask. Even through both his own mask and his leader's, Shikamaru can see the gleam of his all-white eyes.
"What are you asking, Neji?" he asked, lazily. Shikamaru crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, facing his captain.
Lately he had been getting numerous questions on his motivation for moving up the ranks. And as quickly as he moved up, the more people had started getting curious and bugged him about it. His own mother, who had been pestering him for the last few years to do exactly that, had also been suspicious of this sudden burst of ambition but had not dared to question it, in case she jinxed it.
But none, not even his best friends, had ever gotten straight to the reason of it all and questioned that reason instead. Neji always had good eyes, but it was his hardened heart that still needed some work.
Those pearl-like eyes now had a curious light to them as Neji studied Shikamaru in the moonlit meeting room of the Konoha ANBU. They were the first to arrive and had been waiting for the rest of their team before starting the briefing of their latest mission. Both had been waiting quietly before Neji had chosen to break that silence with his question.
"I'm asking if Temari of the Sand is worth all the trouble that you are going through to be her equal in standing." Neji's words were spoken evenly with only the slightest emphasis on 'trouble', Shikamaru's favourite thing to avoid.
Shikamaru shrugged. "I'm doing all this more for me actually. So that I won't feel like she's the one wearing the pants in our relationship." Shikamaru then glared at Neji in disgust, and even if the effect was lost due to their masks, it was clearly heard in his low voice. "But I thought that of all people, you would know what it's all about."
Neji frowned at his cryptic comment. "What do you mean by that?"
Shikamaru sighed at the confused Hyuuga genius. "At least I've been only getting off my lazy ass to do this only recently. You've been doing it all your life. For that one woman, Neji."
Neji still didn't understand what Shikamaru was saying. But then he thought back to all the things he had done for Hinata, the driving force in his life.
How he had trained hard to be strong in his hatred of the Hyuuga heiress. And then how all that had changed and he trained harder still in order to protect her. He had come all this way as an ANBU captain, skilled and trusted enough to protect even the Hokage's life, to prove that he had that skill.
"You've been doing it all your life."
He met Shikamaru's eyes. Shikamaru was right. Neji should have understood his reasons without even having to ask in the first place. He who had lived his whole life for Hinata.
It was Neji who sighed this time. They were not that different after all.
And he now understood Shikamaru's reasons perfectly.
1 Year Later
Temari didn't understand Gaara's reasons for wanting her to get the scrolls from her apartment. They weren't of real importance and had nothing to do with the alliance talks that was about to commence.
She had been standing at Gaara's side with Kankurou, waiting at the gates. The three siblings usually welcomed any foreign representatives personally. The Hokage and his council, together with their ANBU escorts, had just come into view, when Gaara had suddenly turned to her. "Temari, I need the records of our previous harvests that you have been studying."
Temari looked at him in surprise. "Now? You want those scrolls now?"
His vivid green eyes had stared back calmly and he nodded in response. "Yes. Please."
"Ummm, okay. They're at my place though." She had been quick to point this out, in case her brother had forgotten that fact. Her apartment was on the other side of town and they were but moments away from greeting the Konoha envoy.
"I know. You should go immediately then."
Temari had been hoping to pull Naruto aside for a moment, thinking that she could question him a bit about a certain Leaf shinobi that she hadn't seen in nearly a year since their last sunset conversation upon the grassy hillside of Konoha. For the past year, it seemed that every time she was in Konoha, he was never to be found, and every time she asked anyone, all they would say was that he was out on missions and refused to elaborate.
She really needed to know if and why Shikamaru was avoiding her, but Gaara was just standing there, gazing at her expactantly. Her brother was the Kazekage and even if she was his sister and the older one at that, she was still his vassal. With a resigned sigh, she went.
And so here she was, jumping through the town on its rooftops instead of running through the masses of people walking leisurely along the paths of Suna. It was quicker and she could see the sky more clearly.
She still had not broken her habit of watching clouds, a fact that both irritated her even as it made her heart ache at the same time. And so her only concession to that habit was just a short glimpse of the sky every now and then.
But now, the evening sky was almost desolate, empty but for the sinking sun and the emerging moon. There were no clouds in sight. Which was a good thing since she had no time to waste watching them anyway. She had to get to her apartment fast.
When she finally landed on her doorstep, Temari quickly checked her seals and traps that protected her small apartment but there was no sign of any forced entry. She de-activated them with practiced ease and stepped inside.
She was just about to take off her shoes at the entry, when she noticed that there was already another pair neatly placed there. Her seals had not been broken and her traps were still in place but obviously someone had still managed to break into her apartment. A very skillful someone.
Gripping her kunai in her right hand, she made her way stealthily to the nearest room, which happened to be her living room. But she froze at the doorway, when she saw the figure lazing comfortably on her couch, with his vest flung carelessly on the arm of the sofa.
She blinked in disbelief, hoping that her sight had not failed her, and stared at Shikamaru.
1 Year and 1 Minute Later
Still thinking that her eyes had finally failed her, Temari glared at the image in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" Temari was glad that her voice sounded indifferent to his presence, even if it was after one year of his absence.
Shikamaru sat up and stretched, totally ignoring her question. "I made jounin," he said, gesturing to the green jacket flung onto the back of the couch.
She looked at his vest and back at him. What was he playing at? They haven't seen each other in a year and that was all he had to say? Fine, she'll play along with his little game.
Folding her arms in a seemingly bored manner, Temari quirked her eyebrow at him and gestured carelessly with the kunai that was still in her hand. "That's your chunnin jacket. You've had it since you were 12."
"Keh, I knew you'ld say that. Here then." Without warning, he threw something at her that Temari caught it with her free hand on reflex.
"What's this?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"No..."
"It's supposed to be a deer. Naruto insisted on painting that himself."
A heartbeat of silence as she absorbed what he was telling her. "...A deer? Is this your ANBU mask?"
"...Yes. Isn't it obvious?"
"Again, no. Naruto's art skills sucks; this looks nothing like a deer."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes at that. "I know."
Temari looked down at the beautifully painted abstract mask. "Is that why you're here in Sand? You're part of the ANBU escorts for the Hokage and his council."
He shook his head at that. "Nope, I was ANBU. Actually I was made captain, but that's not the point."
"Then why are you here if you're no longer in ANBU?"
"I'm part of the council." Shikamaru explained, looking at her with those familiar hooded eyes.
"What?"
"Yup, I'm on the council of advisors to the Hokage."
"Why? Why are you doing all this?" Now Temari was totally confused.
"Don't you get it yet?" Shikamaru got up and walked over to touch her hand that was holding his mask, staring into her eyes with intensity.
She shook her head, but was unable to let go of his gaze, half afraid to know his reasons. Shikamaru was a true ninja, always embracing the 'underneath the underneath' to everything.
"You're jounin, I'm jounin. You're part of the Kazekage's council, I'm part of Hokage's." He said it patiently, as if talking to a slow child.
She scowled at his patronizing tone and her reply was sarcastic. "So, what? Now we're even?"
"Actually, I'm one up on you since I made ANBU captain. But hey, who's counting? Essentially, yes, we're even. Equals."
"What does that...?" Temari trailed off as she suddenly recalled their last conversation.
As realization sunk in, she gaped at him in surprise. "You did all that for me?"
"Yeah, I did." He shrugged as though it was not important but his next words melted her heart, even if it was said casually. "I love you. I didn't want to lose you to some Rock shinobi."
"But you never said anything."
He quirked his brow at that. "You're a smart girl. I thought it was understood. It was all much too troublesome to explain anyway."
Trying to work up any anger at him was pointless. And after all that he had done for her, it seemed useless to try anyway. "So what do we do now?"
"We go to the meeting. It about to start soon anyway." He said in all seriousness.
Temari gaped at him. "What??? You're worried about that stupid meeting now?"
"Or," he interrupted smoothly, "we can always skip it and go to the edge of town to watch the sky together."
"You'ld do that for me, huh?" Temari asked, mockingly.
Shikamaru gave her his patented long-suffering sigh. "As I think I've already proven and will probably be forced to try and prove again in the future, I will do anything for you."
1 Year and 10 Minutes Later
They were gazing at the desert sky, watching the sun finally giving up the last of the rays as it sank beyond the sands. All was quiet around them as night slowly came to life.
Shikamaru was lying comfortably on his back upon the desert dunes just beyond Suna's village gates, with his head stacked on his hands and his eyes closed.
Temari was sitting quietly beside him, experiencing a weird sense of deja vu. Who would have thought that Shikamaru would have taken her words on that fateful day at face value? That he would go through all that trouble for her? She was so lost in thought that Shikamaru's gentle touch upon her hand made her jump. She looked him in surprise.
He had shifted to sit beside her and his eyes were piercing as he gazed at her. She felt a peaceful sense of belonging envelope her, as if everything was right again in her world. He held her hand firmly in his grip and they laced their fingers together.
"Will you marry me? Now that you don't have the excuse of your brothers' disapproval?" Shikamaru asked, abruptly.
"What? That was not an excuse. It was just a statement of fact."
"Oi, I asked if you'll marry me. Just answer the question." There was no tense moment this time, no feelings of uncertainly. Just the sense of the inevitable settling into the present.
And her answer was obvious, of course.
"...Yes"
end
well, i'm not completely satisfied with it but i've edited it to the point that i can't seem to touch it anymore. hehehee. so i hope you like it, and please comment and feel free to point out any mistakes.