A/N: Here it is! The prologue for Recompense! I had a blast writing this chapter because I dipped and dug into their platonic relationship. It isn't something I have ever done before so I hope I still captured their characters. I'll be taking this space, again, to thank you all for your support. You make writing worth it! I read every one of your reviews and they really make my day. Plus, I have made a list of the requests I received in Clouds. I am not entirely sure when my next update will be as it will be busy for the next 12 days. I'll try to squeeze some writing as best as I can, though! We all know I can't live without it. lol. Per usual, please let me know what you think!
The smell of blood, sweat, and unearthed ground finally hit her nose. When everything had settled down, the adrenaline rush inside her was not quite over yet until the last of the branches of the damned chakra tree unwrapped itself around its former prey. When said tree collapsed in on itself, so did the weight of everything that had happened in the last 48 hours or so.
It was sudden when every gash, every scrape, every pierced wound, every dislocated bone in her arm made themselves known to her. While at the age of 20, she was already hardened by countless battles and seemingly endless training bouts with her Sensei and her brothers. Yet, Temari still winced at the pain that her body was only starting to recognise.
For a moment, everything around her was silent. No one moved. It seemed that no one from the Allied Forces believed that everything was over. It seemed that all of them were struggling to make sense of what had just happened. Was the world really on the verge of falling enslaved by one power-hungry madman? Did they really help put a stop to the forthcoming slavery?
As if a cloth being gingerly unfolded, whispers turned into mumbles. Mumbles escalated to soft exchange of words. The sound grew from a low hum to an extremely deafening cheer as the crowd claimed victory over their adversary. The shrill merriment was both a sweet and ear-splitting sound. While she didn't join them in their ecstatic merriment, Temari allowed herself to relish in the relief of it all.
The war had been won.
She repeated the words in her mind as she stuck her closed Tessen to the ground to lean on it. The war had been won. We get to live another day.
Immediately, she scanned her perimeter for a familiar face to rejoice with. Her teal eyes landed on her brothers and before she even put one foot in front of the other, Gaara and Kankuro rushed over to where she was and engulfed her in an embrace.
The eldest Sand sibling closed her eyes tightly and welcomed the warmth of her younger brothers. The relief that surged in her doubled as she felt them breathing and very much alive. The three of them had been through so much and they could now add 'surviving a war' to their long list of feats.
There was a pinch on her chest as their embrace lengthened. The three of them had been through so much, Gaara the most at his young age. It was as if every cruelty that the world could throw at them, the world did. Yet, the three of them were standing on the battlefield, together, and looking forward to what the dawn brings.
She couldn't stop the few tears that fell from her eyes even if she wanted to.
As quick as the sun rose, triage tents and treatment tents were put up by the command of Tsunade-hime. The less-injured shinobi practically swam in Katsuyu's dissolved form to heal up and absorb the much-needed chakra in order to form squads for body retrievals. The war may have ended but the most work lay before them and it started with going back to the battlefields to see if there were comrades still alive. If there weren't, bodies still warranted to be cleaned up for proper burial ceremonies per village.
Ino was the one who dressed her wounds. Chakra levels were critical at the moment and were reserved for dire cases so her gashes and scrapes would have to do with bandages, her dislocated arm with a cast. Temari mumbled a sincere thanks to her fellow blonde and a weary smile.
"He was nearly done for, you know," the medic-nin said, needing not to mention his name.
For a few seconds, a tightness gripped her throat and she could not speak. The Yamanaka noticed and she laid a hand delicately on the Suna princess' back.
"But he managed to pull through," Ino assured her with a smile as weary as hers was. "Naruto's chakra cloak saved him."
"Where is he now?" she asked, though she was surprised at the urgency of her voice. Then again, there was nothing wrong with being concerned for a close, great friend, right?
Ino's smile grew a fraction. "In Recovery Tent 4. He's knocked out. We had to. He refused treatment and said he wanted to go to the H-HQ and you know…"
The falter in the Konoha kunoichi's voice was not lost on her. This time, it was Temari who laid a hand on Ino's shoulder. "He will be remembered as a great and intelligent man whose efforts are irreplaceable, Ino. But I know you will remember him as the loving father you are blessed to have. If you need anyone to commiserate with, I'm up for the job."
It surprised the Yamanaka greatly that Temari was quick to offer a shoulder for her grief. True, they seemed to be at odds in the beginning but with Shikamaru growing attached to the Suna native everytime she was in Konoha, Ino had grown to appreciate Temari's company as well. The great war that they had to go through most likely sped up the tightening of their bond but it wasn't unwelcome.
Temari choke down a gasp when Ino scrunched up her face, thinking that she may have said too much in light of the elder Yamanaka's passing. Yet, she was more surprised when Ino practically laid her head on her uninjured shoulder as she struggled to contain the tremors that came with her crying. However, Temari wasn't entirely uncomfortable so she stayed with the medic in silence until she gets a hold of her emotions.
"Thank you, Temari-san," Ino said softly, wiping her tears away from her face. "I'll be sure to take you up on that offer the next time you're in Konoha."
"It's Temari. We're…We've…I think it's safe to say that my brothers and I have dipped more than just our toes in Konoha's infamous 12 for us to stay formal with each other," Temari smirked.
Ino chuckled and shook her head. "Call me Ino, then."
She nodded as she watched the medic-nin go to tend to other injured shinobi. Temari had a wistful expression on her face as she looked up to the sky. Kaa-san, I think I just made another friend.
It was night when he came to. Although his eyes didn't open, he could hear the soft bustles of his environment and a faint voice telling another person that it was her turn to take watch. The hushed sound of the crickets in the forest fortified his assumption. Shikamaru didn't exactly know how long he had been sleeping but he knew that he certainly didn't want to open his eyes just yet.
The war had been won, but the victory was not one without sacrifices.
The shinobi gritted his teeth against each other as memories of the most tragic kind seeped into his mind once more. Shikamaru swallowed his grief down, mentally kicking himself. He knew that if his father were alive, Shikaku would scold him for indulging in something as selfish as crying. When he had reined his emotions in, his mind made another turn towards grief as it conjured up a question.
How was he going to tell his mother?
The prospect made his mind swirl and the shinobi had to clutch the blanket laid on him in an attempt to calm himself. His fatigue was slowly ebbing away and quickly being replaced by a hollow ache that was becoming potent in his chest. Shikamaru couldn't breathe. Much as he tried, his throat was blocked by an unknown force. The warm air of the recovery tent was turning frigid by the second.
Even as he tried to push the anguish away, it came back in doubles and it was slowly waking every muscle that laid dormant during his sleep. His cold skin was now warm with the adrenaline and Shikamaru wanted to run…just run away from everything and spend a few hours of solitude in the woods.
So, he sat up haphazardly…but not without waking the blonde Suna jounin that was napping on the chair beside his bed.
"What—?" Temari was going to ask what was wrong but swallowed the rest of her question when she saw the look on her friend's face. He looked like a devastated forest, where the tiny semblances of life were struggling to survive even with death surrounding them.
She remained silent and let him do as he pleased, watching as he threw the covers off him and went out into the evening. Temari followed him silently. It would be futile to ask him to stay and recover when every cell in his body would revolt against the idea. The jounin strapped her Tessen on her back and watched Shikamaru's form as it went into the shrubs. His ponytail was easily lost in the dark of the night, so she focused on the glint of his earrings and the sound of his footfalls.
The Suna ambassadress was nervous for a moment when she lost his track but calmed down when she sensed his presence behind her.
"I'd really appreciate it if you left me alone for now," Shikamaru said, his voice morose but not harsh or rude.
Temari turned to face him and shook her head. "I followed just so you won't do something stupid. I promised Ino I would look after you when you awoke."
Shikamaru shrugged. The movement was sluggish. His shoulders were still heavy but they were at least rid of the dull pain. "I promise not to do anything stupid, Temari. Not if I have to face your wrath if I broke my promise."
The blonde pretended to consider his words but she shook her head once more. "Well, I made a promise to Ino. If you're just going to sit here and think or whatever it is that you plan to do, then do it. I won't bother you. I just need to keep an eye on you."
"Tch. You're so troublesome."
"It kept me alive so far," Temari shrugged, sitting on the ground and resting against a tree trunk. The jounin stuck the bottom of her Tessen and opened the giant fan.
"What are you doing?" Shikamaru asked, cocking his head to the side.
The kunoichi shrugged even if he can't see her. "I am giving you privacy for what it is that you needed to do out here."
Her words gave him a pause and Shikamaru felt his chest pinch, which annoyed him because he didn't know what it meant. Sighing, he also sat on the ground, in the middle of the patch of land they were currently in. "Oyaji will kill me from the grave if he saw me moping about him."
Temari pursed her lips as she heard what he had said. She certainly didn't expect he'd just open the topic so casually. After all, he had told her of his behaviour when Asuma had died. Honestly, it was the behaviour she was prepared for. Something in her mind told her that the lazy genius had actually grown up. The thought alone made her stomach flip without reason, but she took a deep breath to calm herself. "No; I don't think he would."
"You remember that time?" he asked vaguely, stretching his legs and staring up at the starry evening sky. "You saw how he scolded me back then for being a coward and for being selfish. How's that different from now?"
Her mind was brought back to that time in Konoha hospital when she waited with him for news about his friend's conditions. It was the first time she empathised with Shikamaru; and it was probably the time when the seed of their friendship was planted. After all, seeing him at his most vulnerable made her realise the depth of his personality.
"It's different because there's no mission. Or at least the mission is over," Temari started carefully. "It's not the same because you aren't taking the easiest way out, unlike that time. It's not the same because you are thinking of someone other than yourself with regard to this situation."
Once more, Temari's words halted his thought process. "H-How do you know?"
"Because you have that look on your face," she explained. "That look you have whenever you are thinking of a grand strategy to overcome something. If you were thinking about yourself, you would be on your knees punching the ground or something."
A long sigh escaped Shikamaru's lips and he ran a hand gingerly down his face. Temari was right, like always. For a moment, it scared him how much she knew him, but then he rationalised that he knew her just as much. Maybe too much. Maybe they knew each other too much.
"I just don't know how to break it to Kaa-san," Shikamaru finally breathed after lingering in the silence.
"You don't know or you're just hesitant to do it?" Temari probed.
"Mattaku, you troublesome woman," he grumbled. "Must you always be so direct to the point?"
Her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed in front of her. "And what good will beating around the bush do, crybaby?"
"No one wants to hear their husband won't be returning from war, Temari," Shikamaru said, ceasing their banter. "My mother will—"
"Your mother will take it without flinching, Shikamaru," Temari pointed out. "She may allow herself a moment's weakness but nothing more. I believe in Yoshino-san's strength. You should, too."
The jounin slightly backpedalled on her words and she let out a sigh, hugging her knees and laying her forehead on them. "I've only met her a few times but I can feel what she's capable of. She's a strong woman."
"Yeah." Like you went unsaid. Shikamaru thought about the words in his head that he remembered the first time he realized Temari was scarily strong. It certainly didn't change; just like how their friendship over the years did not. If anything, they have grown close to the point that he can admit that they are close friends.
The Nara let himself drown in the tranquillity of the night once more. His mind automatically replayed the last events of his father's life. Shikaku was dedicated to help pave the way for a new, peaceful world. He'd be damned if he were just going to muck that up, worrying about how his mother would take his father's demise.
And Temari was correct. His mother would take it. She was strong. She was a force to be reckoned with. Nara Yoshino grins and bears it all because she knows that there is no other direction but forward. Somehow, he feels a bit unworthy to be a son of hers. His mother was always steadfast and unrelenting, yet he buckles down when the trials get more difficult. Maybe he needs to learn from his mother more.
After a while, Shikamaru sat up and stretched his arms. He smiled at the implanted Tessen for a moment before let out a small sigh. "About what you said earlier…"
"Which one?"
"The one you said about me having a look on my face," Shikamaru smirked. "You certainly stare too much at me to know such small details, right?"
Quickly, the Tessen was retrieved, folded, and clasped to her back. Temari stood fluidly and gracefully before she began to walk away from him due to his teasing. "Eat dirt, Nara."
Shikamaru chuckled briefly before he got up and jogged to catch up to her. The shinobi took her wrist and squeezed firmly. "Thank you."
"Whatever for?" she asked, not bothering to turn towards him.
He scratched his head a bit and shrugged. "If you didn't come after me, I would not know what I would have done. So, thank you."
Temari took the effort to appear nonchalant despite the fact that her wrist was beginning to grow warm where his skin was touching her. It irked her so, that she reacted such way to him because she couldn't even understand why. "It is what close friends do for each other."
For the first time in what seemed like a long time, a lopsided grin coloured Shikamaru's face. His eyes softened at the kunoichi before him and he let out a short chortle. "We have grown quite close, haven't we?"
It was all a blur. The next few days were a blur. With all the bodies of the dead accounted for in both shinobi and samurai, the Kages and their advisors devised plans on transporting the fallen comrades. After all, each village wanted to arrange a proper burial for those who have sacrificed themselves for the sake of peace.
Five days after the war, the Shinobi Forces made their ways home but not without scheduling an Alliance meeting in the next few months. All the villages were in agreement that they need to recuperate for at least a bit before mending their ties once more.
The Suna no Sankyodai were adamant about spending a week in Konoha before continuing forth to Sunagakure. They had wanted to pay respects to their friends, the three have reasoned. Baki allowed them to do so and promised that a mass funeral should be ready by the time the siblings arrive back in the village.
After all, they would be passing the Country of Fire before going into their country. It would be disrespectful if they went on without honouring the lives of their allies. In turn, Tsunade promised to travel with them to Suna to attend the mass funeral the Wind village would be having.
Much as she wanted to rest in the inn and regain some more of her wasted energy, Temari got up from her bed and donned on a black outfit. She decided not to bring her Tessen, but she tucked a smaller fan on her hip just so she would be on the safe side.
The blonde walked through the familiar route and found herself in front of two tall, wide wooden gates. She raised a balled fist to knock and a young clan member opened the small hole. "Yes? I would have to apologise if you are here to visit somebody but the estate is only for—"
"It's all right, Tetsuko," a voice from her right assured. Temari turned her head to see Ino suddenly beside her. "She's a family friend. Temari is Shikamaru's—"
"Ah! Of course, of course!" The young Nara flustered, opening the gate hurriedly. "I'm sorry Temari-dono. I should have recognised you from the start. I apologise, too, Ino-san. Please do come in. You are very early, though."
Ino waved her hand. "We want to help out Yoshino-obachan and Shikamaru prepare for the guests. Right, Temari?"
The blonde nodded once but the longer-haired blonde was already dragging her towards the direction of Shikamaru's childhood home. The jounin drank herself in the sight of the Nara estate. It was more somber than she had remembered. It had only been a month since she was last there but the impact of the few days of war was remarkable.
"Temari-san, Ino," Nara Yoshino greeted as soon as she spotted the two blondes on her front yard. "You're a bit early. And I didn't expect to see you here, Temari-san. How kind of you to be here. I am sure Shikamaru will appreciate your presence."
"Please, Yoshino-san. It's Temari," she insisted gently. "I hope you have been as well as you could be."
Yoshino nodded, but spared her a sad smile. "I'll get there," the female Nara assured the two younger women. "But I would appreciate it if you two could coax my son from his room. We have guests arriving in an hour or so, after all. He hasn't eaten."
Ino frowned at the news and sighed. "I think Temari will do a better job at that alone, Obasan. I can, however, lend you a hand with the rest of the preparations."
After setting her sandals to the side, Temari walked into the Nara home and went upstairs. She walked the path mindlessly before she stopped in front of the familiar door. Gently, she knocked on the wood and listened for any sign of movement. "Shikamaru?"
The occupant of the room stilled on his bed and then forced himself to rise. Shikamaru lethargically opened his door and wordlessly let her come inside. Silently, he offered her a chair to sit down on before he plopped back down on the bed. "Do it."
"What?" she asked, crossing her legs.
"Scold me."
Her brows crinkled, teal eyes full of confusion. "Why?"
"Because I know I am being pathetic again," he reasoned, throwing a pillow over his face.
The ambassadress looked out of his rooms window, spotting some deer frolicking in the exclusive Nara forest. Temari let out a sigh and focused her gaze towards the lazy genius sunk down on his bed. "I'm not going to scold you for having emotions, Shikamaru."
"Tch. I'd rather not have them, honestly," he muttered bitterly.
His words disappointed her though she was unsure why. However, she pushed her annoyance to the back of her mind and took in a breath. "There is nothing wrong with feeling devastated, Shikamaru, especially since it feels more real now. I will, however, gladly tell you that you are being a little selfish for worrying your mother.
"She is downstairs singlehandedly arranging your house for your father's burial. If I didn't arrive here with Ino, she'll probably be working herself to the bone to cater to the guests that would arrive later. While you, the man of the house and the next clan head, are moping in here."
A sensation akin to a stab went right through his chest at the situation that her words described. He was taking the easy way out again and it was now his mother who was suffering the collateral damage. Under the sky a few days ago, he realized with the help of Temari that he needed to learn more about strength from his mother. He thinks now that he hasn't started doing so.
Even if reluctantly, he sat up from his bed and ran a hand down his face. His other hand joined and he just stayed that way for a few moments, letting a few tears fall from his eyes. Shikamaru appreciated the fact that Temari let him be for the moment. After a few minutes, the Nara gathered himself once more and faced her.
"Thank you," he said softly. "Again."
"You're welcome," he heard her reply, voice just as soft. There was nothing but concern in her teal eyes, and Shikamaru couldn't bear to look at them. He didn't want to seem so weak in front of her.
Reining his emotions in, the strategist sighed in exasperation. "Damn it. Why do I always cry in front of you? Mendokusai na."
A smile gently tugged at her lips. "I am afraid I don't have an answer to that. Anyways, let's just go down. I brought some mackerel and kelp, if you're not up to eating ordinary breakfast food."
Shikamaru observed her in silence as she stood from the chair and walked out of his room. He wonders if he were that great of a person to have a friend in Temari, to have someone who was willing to pick him up if need be or scold him should he warrant some telling off.
A small smile graced his face and he started to consider himself such a lucky fellow. He may have gone through a lot of devastations in his life but one thing was for sure: she was the wind who urged his cloud of a being to move forward no matter the circumstance.
The Nara private ceremony was the last to be held before Konoha's mass burial. Temari stood beside her brothers in Konoha's cemetery. During the ritual, she couldn't help but spare glances towards Shikamaru's direction to make sure he was okay.
Every time she looked, she would be greeted by an unchanging view. Shikamaru stood tall and resilient just as his mother did beside him. If it weren't inappropriate, she would have smiled as she felt a surge of pride well up in her. The lazy genius boy that she had fought in the Chuunin exams was now becoming the man he was geared up to be.
Temari couldn't be prouder to be called a friend of his.
When the ceremony was over, the crowd have started to scatter, leaving only the close family members and friends of those who have passed on. Temari was surprised to see Nara Yoshino walking towards her direction but she bowed slightly in respect to Shikamaru's mother's presence.
"Temari," the older woman started. "I have to thank you for gracing us with your presence yesterday. Shikamaru would have probably rotted in his room if it weren't for you."
"Ah, you overestimate me, Yoshino-san," she said sheepishly. "I merely talked to him."
"And you underestimate the impact you have on him," the dark-haired woman pointed out gently. "Anyways, that's not why I am here. If your time still permits, tomorrow at 11am is the ceremony for Shikamaru's induction as the clan head. It's nothing special, but since you are one of his closest friends, I figured you should attend. My son wouldn't have come this far without help of friends such as yourself."
The blonde jounin smiled softly and nodded. "Thank you for the invitation, Yoshino-san. I will be there."
"Please, call me Yoshino."
Temari nodded once more. "I will see you tomorrow, Yoshino. Thank you, again, for the invitation."
Gaara and Kankuro found her shortly after her conversation with Yoshino. The puppet master raised a brow and crossed his arms as they started to walk back to their inn. "Wasn't that Shikamaru's mother? What did she want?"
She shrugged simply. "Nothing in particular. She just wanted me to attend the ceremony for Shikamaru's induction as clan head tomorrow."
The Kazekage looked up at his sister with a curious look. "Isn't that a clan-exclusive ceremony, Aneue? It's bizarre that she would invite you."
Her brows crinkled but Gaara's statement didn't really faze her. "I don't know. Maybe it's different here in Konoha. I mean she did talk with other non-Nara clan people after she talked to me so maybe it's not as exclusive as we are used to. Anyways, I'll head along. I need to wash my formal wear for tomorrow. Have dinner if you guys are hungry; no need to wait for me."
Gaara and Kankuro looked at their elder sibling as she sped towards their inn before they looked at each other. A beat of silence passed and Kankuro opened his mouth. "It's actually a clan-exclusive ceremony regardless of the country, right?"
"Yes," Gaara hummed with a small smirk. "Yes, it is."
Kankuro raised a brow at the Kazekage and threw him a suspicious look. "What are you thinking about, Gaara?"
The Kazekage's smirk grew before he shrugged. "Nothing in particular, Aniue."
True enough, the ceremony in the Nara clan's meeting hall was simple but something about it seemed off to Temari that morning. For starters, she was the only blonde in a sea of black-headed Nara clansmen. Not that she was expecting a multitude of hair colours but a familiar face would have been nice.
If Yoshino wanted Shikamaru's friends to have over at his induction ceremony, shouldn't Ino and Chouji be there? The question was quickly answered when she heard a mother speaking to her young son that the Nara, the Yamanaka, and the Akimichi all synchronise their induction ceremonies.
All right, makes sense. The jounin thought. However, she knew for a fact that they weren't Shikamaru's only friends. Heck, she expected Naruto to be here. The orange shinobi might not be a part of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio but he was great friends with Shikamaru. Naruto should have, at least, been here.
"But mama, why is Temari-san here?" the voice asked, almost silently. If she weren't a shinobi trained for various missions, she was sure to have missed that. Temari strained her hearing just to listen to the mother's response.
"Normally, only clan members are allowed to attend. Unless, of course—"
The answer was cut short when a Nara elder called for the ceremony to begin. She wanted to grumble in annoyance but she collected herself and remained in poise during the whole of the ceremony.
The last bit involved a handshake with the new clan head. Yoshino was quick to usher her to the end of the line, placing herself in front of Temari. Shikamaru's mother gave no explanation, but she didn't wish to disrespect her actions for questioning it. When it was her turn, she felt the eyes of everyone present in the hall and her composure struggled to rattle but she managed to pull through.
When the elder called for the ceremony to finish, she was about to make her escape but the newly inducted clan head caught her wrist and led her outside away from the hall. He stopped at a bench just by the gates of the infamous Nara forest. "I didn't expect you'd be here."
"Well, your mother invited me and it seemed disrespectful to turn down her request so I just went with it," she shrugged.
Shikamaru sat beside her. "Weren't you supposed to leave for Suna today?"
"Gaara and Kankuro didn't mind pushing it to tomorrow. Baki had sent a missive saying that we should rest up as much as we can since we will have a lot on our plate once we arrive home," Temari said.
The Nara clan head raised a brow at that. Normally, his brothers can't wait to go home at the soonest chance they get. Willingly pushing a travel date back for one more day was unheard of but he didn't bring it up. "Sorry if my mother was overbearing."
Temari shook her head, crossing her legs. "It's fine. She's lovely. I just didn't expect I'd be invited since this is a clan-exclusive thing. I thought it wasn't, when Yoshino invited me but turns out it was. Could you at least explain that?"
Shikamaru scratched the side of his head and shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know."
The blonde jounin threw him a disbelieving look. "You don't know? How come you don't know?"
The lazy genius sat against the picnic table, elbows resting on its edges. "Eh, haven't ever considered knowing the ins and outs of the clan rules and regulations. I just know the basics of it, the basics of deer care, and the Hiden. Nothing more, nothing less."
Her expression of disbelief turned into a scowl. "How can you not know, you idiot genius?! Even if your father didn't pass on so soon, you should have taken it upon yourself to educate yourself with the matters of your clan! Especially since you were the heir!"
Frowning deeply, Shikamaru sighed. "Mendokusai na. I'll get around to doing it…eventually."
Temari scoffed. "So, you're all right with your clan declining, then? You have a lot of people depending on you to lead them, especially since your clan plays a crucial role in Konoha's well-being. You can't keep on complaining that things are troublesome, Shikamaru. Well, maybe you can but you need to do them anyway."
"Hai, hai. Wakata, wakata," he replied lazily, sitting up. "Never thought you'd care about my clan this much, though."
Shrugging, she looked out to the thick greens of the forest, admiring them silently. "It's not that I don't. I just don't want you to disappoint your mother. Or the memory of your father."
The length of the silence stretched and Temari grew uncomfortable with it, thinking that she might have overstepped her boundaries. Tension grew in her and she scrambled quickly for a way to appease the mood but Shikamaru beat her to speaking.
"I don't know why," he started. "But whatever the situation, you always know what to say. I guess…I'm thankful that you, er, keep on dragging me forward, Temari."
The tension in her insides didn't dissipate. If anything, it grew from his words, which she found utterly ridiculous. He was simply a friend who was showing gratitude…right? Clearing her mind, she pursed her lips.
"Well, if I don't, who would?" she asked coolly, brushing her fringe away from her forehead to avoid looking tensed.
Her companion beside her clicked his tongue. "Mattaku, you make it sound like I am a loner, you troublesome woman."
She flashed him a wide grin before Temari responded to Yoshino's call to lunch, leaving Shikamaru's eyes to linger on her once more, unbeknownst to her.
"If I hear one more exaggerated yawn from you, Kankuro, I swear you won't like my method of shutting you up," Temari grumbled, slipping on her sandals as they got ready for their trip back to Suna with Tsunade and Shizune in tow.
The Suna no Sankyodai walked towards the gate and even if she weren't expecting it, she wasn't surprised to see Shikamaru waiting for them outside their inn. Temari missed her brothers sharing a knowing look once more.
Gaara nodded at Shikamaru. "Congratulations on your induction, Shikamaru. Your clan is blessed to have you."
"Yeah, they only got a super genius to lead them, jan," Kankuro smirked, raising his fist to encourage a bump with the new clan head, which Shikamaru returned.
He joined the siblings in their walk. Gaara and Kankuro went ahead, while she and Shikamaru walked a few steps behind. The travelling party arrived almost at the same time Tsunade and Shizune did. They obeyed proper protocol for leaving the village, signing their names on the log that were managed by Izumo and Kotetsu.
After a few minutes, Tsunade and Gaara nodded to commence their walk. Temari stayed behind for a while and assured them she'll catch up in no time.
The blonde turned to her friend and smiled softly. "With your war efforts, I think it'll be a no-brainer that you'll be promoted to jounin soon."
"Eh, I won't be holding my breath. Rank promotion means greater responsibility and—" Shikamaru stopped himself from finishing his statement when he caught the irritated look on her face. "I'm just joking, you troublesome woman. Jeez."
Teal eyes rolled skyward before the blonde shook her head. "Anyways, I'll see you soon. When things have settled, I'm sure I'll be back in no time to trouble you some more. Best get all your complaining out because I don't want to hear any of such when I'm here. Got that?"
"Yes, Temari-himesama," Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes.
"Tch, baka yaro," she grumbled before the blonde straightened up. "Well, I'll be going."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll try not to slack off too much."
Temari flashed him a warm, wide grin before she turned on her heel.
Has that smile always been that beautiful?
Shikamaru halted to a pause at the thought and he swallowed. How could he think of such thoughts about Temari? She was nothing but a friend…well, maybe she was a close friend who likes to pick on him and set his arse on fire when he slacked.
Maybe his friendship with her wasn't the same as the one he had with Ino or Chouji. The two might not ever understand the way his mind worked like Temari did, and they probably won't be as frank and unforgiving as Temari was with him. Maybe they could but it takes iron guts like Temari's to do it on a constant basis.
Whatever it was that made him think that thought about her smile, the answer was clear.
Yes, it has always been that beautiful.
Mattaku-jeez
himesama-Princess; Your highness
Wakata-I understand
Mendokusai na-how troublesome
Aneue-older sister
Aniue-older brother
Oyaji-Old man
Suna no Sankyodai-Three Sand Siblings
Kaa-san-Mother
Hiden-Techniques exclusive to a clan
jan-Kankuro's verbal tic (like dattebayo, etc)
Obasan-Aunt