Hello fanfictioneers! I am back again! This, of course, is not a full story, just drabbles. The stories that will be full are in the works right now. I don't have much time to myself, so they may be a while in the making,. Hopefully you'll all be beautiful and wait for me. 3
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Title: Love Confession
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"I just don't get it, Nara." She said for the hundredth time. "Why do you insist on escorting me everywhere? I've been to this village more times than I can count. I know how to get around, I can defend myself just fine, and even if I did get lost I know tons of people here who could help me." She glared at him. "I want a real answer this time, not your stupid crap about your non-existent chivalry."
Shikamaru sighed. "You really don't know, do you?" His head was tilted back so he could watch the stars as they traversed the empty streets of Konoha back to her apartment. She was in Konoha so often, she rented one for whenever she visited.
"Obviously. I wouldn't be asking if I did, idiot." She scoffed and rolled her eyes, muttering something that sounded very much like 'men'.
He turned his head so he could look at her. "It's because I love you, Temari. And don't tell me I'm just being a sentimental crybaby, because I'm not. I love everything about you, from your violent attitude to the hair you insist on putting into those four ridiculous ponytails every day. Your there when I need someone to lean on, even if it comes with sarcastic comments. You understand when I'd rather just silently sit with you, instead of chatter on about pointless things. You give me an intellectual challenge, instead of just acting like a brainless idiot.
"I can't give a specific reason, I just know that I do. If I could tell you specifically why I loved you, then I probably wouldn't really be in love with you. I accompany you when you're in the village because I want to be around you. At the same time, I don't, because I know you don't feel the same. You've tried to shove me away at every opportunity, but I come back because I love you. Stupidly, I love your troublesome ass, I guess I've been doomed ever since I surrendered to you during the Chuunin exams. I told myself I could never fall for someone like you. I told myself that being your friend was a good idea, it would show me every reason why I shouldn't fall for girls like you. Instead, I found myself falling for you anyway.
"God only knows, I wish I hadn't."
Temari was dumb struck. Absolutely and utterly dumb struck. She stared at him from where she'd stopped in the street. She hadn't been able to go on, she was so shocked by his confession. He just didn't seem the type to do it publicly, or so openly, even if they were alone. His hands were shoved in his pockets, he was slouching as he always did and his expression was one of guarded disinterest. If she hadn't been there to witness it for herself, she wouldn't have believed he'd just confessed.
He jerked his head at her apartment. "We're here." He grunted. "I'll give you the leave you wanted. I won't bug you about guiding you anymore." He waited a moment and nodded so slightly that, if she hadn't been a trained shinobi, she might not have noticed. "I'll see you around, then." He took off down the street, lifting his hand in his usual goodbye. She watched him go, still too shocked and confused and completely dumb struck to do anything about his departure.
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When she'd finally been able to uproot herself from her position ten minutes later she stumbled up the four steps into her apartment. She let the door close behind her and numbly made her way into her bedroom.
Absently, she shook off her sandals along the way and collapsed into bed in her day's clothing. She was too weary to deal with changing, but her mind was too awake to let her body rest. Nara Shikamaru was in love with her. He'd told her he was in love with her.
How the hell could she have responded to that? It was so sudden and so out of the blue. She hadn't thought of him romantically before... had she? No. There was no way. He was her lazy ass nightmare. She wanted to knock his pineapple shaped head off his shoulders constantly. He drove her insane, he made her want to rip her hair out.
So why did the thought of never seeing his pineapple shaped head again make her heart ache so much?
He was obnoxious, sure. He was a sarcastic asshole at times. He could get on her last nerve and then stretch that last nerve to near breaking point... but he was there for her always. He gave her advice, helped her do her shopping for God's sake. He never tried to dominate her or put her down, his comments about women aside. He respected her as a comrade, and an equal, and he never doubted her, in strength or intelligence.
He was sweet, when he wanted to be, and he was philosophical. He might be lazy, but he was dependable in a fight and in every day life; she knew if she wanted him to be somewhere, he'd be there. Now that she thought about it, she noticed every thing about him. From the slight shifts in his posture to the way his muscles flexed during battle. Just thinking about him now made her heart skip a beat.
She punched her pillow in frustration at herself. Why hadn't she been able to realize this an hour ago? When he'd been here? Why hadn't she realized it years ago?
'Because you've been in denial.' A cynical part of her brain chimed in. 'Haven't you been pushing away thoughts of Shikamaru since the day you met him? Forcing yourself to concentrate on the task at hand until he moved to the corner of your mind again?'
She sighed and laid her head back onto her pillow in exasperation. Why was she so stupid?
What if he really didn't come back?
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Short, I know, but it's a drabble, not a novel. Temari's answer will come later, maybe. For now, I bid you all adieu.
