A/N: Another chapter from the (failed) Naruto Christmas story I had attempted and deleted soon afterwards. The first chapter of the would-be story, the NaruHina one, I decided to spare and repost as its own, individual one-shot (because they were written to stand on their own like that) so I decided to spare this one, too. I really liked how this one turned out because I think I get them in character for most of it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto because it is rightfully owned by Masashi Kishimoto; nor am I making a profit off of this fanfic, which is rightfully owned by me.
Mistletoe
By sakuracherish814
Temari was pissed. Now, usually Temari was able to remain level-headed and fairly rational even in some of her most difficult situations. But it was dark outside, she was uncomfortable in her drenched clothing, and she was snowed in… with her brothers… and her "little sister" Matsuri… in the household of their Konoha guide, who just so happened to be: Nara Shikamaru.
Shikamaru had stated that his parents were with friends and family in another part of the village, leaving the house empty, so he reassured that it would be perfectly fine for them to duck into his house until the storm calmed down.
But of course it couldn't be that easy.
No.
They had to get snowed in here, only paces away from where they were supposed to be staying.
As Temari sat at the kitchen table with her arms folded across her chest, she glared at nothing in particular. Now, she reasoned with herself, she could've been under worse circumstances. At least they all had their baggage, the house had plenty of food and water and had a heater and whatnot, and they were in… decent care.
Temari had allowed Gaara, Matsuri, and Kankuro to take a shower before her (since she was the eldest and an older sister to all of them, it had always been in her nature to put her brothers, and now her "little sister" Matsuri, before herself). Of course, this meant that she had to sit in the kitchen still in her drenched kimono and wait until everyone else was taken care of before she can enjoy a hot bath and fresh clothes.
Shikamaru walked into the kitchen, placing two folded towels on the table, taking the only other seat opposite of her.
"Here," he said with a sigh. "These are for when it's your turn."
Temari looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Thanks," she said rather curtly.
Another sigh. "Jeez… I know you must not like being stuck here—I'm not such a big fan of it myself—but we're all going to have to bear it until its safe enough for you guys to get to your hotel room."
Temari scowled. "Not such a hospitable host, are we?"
"Look, I just—"
"I know, Shikamaru, so give it a rest," Temari interrupted as she crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in her chair slightly. "I'm just a little crabby because I'm soaking wet, freezing cold, and in an unfamiliar house." Then her lip twitched upward into a smirk. "But, because, unlike certain people, I'm not a crybaby, so I'll get over it."
Now it was Shikamaru who scowled, muttering, "Sure, let that live on forever."
Temari snickered.
"Matsuri just stepped into the shower, according to Gaara, so I'm not sure how much longer you'll have to wait," Shikamaru informed after a brief pause.
Temari flinched at the idea of having to stay in her wet clothes even longer, but she didn't want to rush Matsuri either.
"Well, if you want," Shikamaru mumbled upon seeing her troubled face, "you can use my parents' bathroom. I wasn't so sure if my parents would approve of me letting anyone up there, but—"
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Temari asked, still smirking, one eyebrow raised. "You're not a host to guests very often, are you?"
Shikamaru frowned. "I wasn't exactly sure if my parents would approve of my just letting people up there, but I figured, considering the situation, it shouldn't matter."
"Jeez," Temari sighed, slightly amused at the same time, "don't take it too seriously. But I would like to get showered and changed into dryer clothes as soon as possible. You're parents really won't mind me being up there?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "Nah, my dad usually goes along with what my mom says, and I don't think she'd mind it if it were you…"
The two looked away awkwardly at this, blushing just slightly.
During one of Temari's many recent visits to Konoha, she had accidentally met Yoshino Nara (the accident being that Shikamaru had tried his best to keep the two apart, which confused and slightly offended Temari until she actually met her). It wasn't that Temari disliked Yoshino—in fact, the two got along perfectly fine and Yoshino adored Temari while Temari enjoyed the similarities between the two of them—but Yoshino had this ongoing fantasy ever since that day that she and Shikamaru would someday get married, making it awkward for the two of them every time she mentioned it.
"R-Right, well," Temari said, standing up.
She took the towels with her and Shikamaru shadowed her steps as she crossed into the living room to retrieve her bag. Then it was Temari who shadowed Shikamaru, and she tried not to drip everywhere as he led her upstairs and into a large master bedroom. It pretty much looked like your typical master bedroom—pictures everywhere, drawers, an armoire, and a large bed with its head post against the middle of the far wall.
"The bathroom is through that door," he said, pointing to the slightly open door beside the drawers. "I've already arranged with your brothers and Matsuri and they don't mind splitting the two guest bedrooms downstairs, so you can stay here—if you guys stay that long, anyway."
"Two guest bedrooms?" Temari asked.
Shikamaru shrugged. "One was my old bedroom when I still lived here. I moved out a year ago."
Temari made an "ahhh" sound. A devious joke came to mind, but she decided to spare him this time as a silent compensation for going through the trouble of arranging things for them. However, she still smirked at it, and Shikamaru must've seen this and knew her well enough to predict what she was thinking, because he rolled his eyes.
Once Shikamaru had left, Temari shut the door and brought her bag into the bathroom, too eager to get out of her soaked clothes to pick out what she was going to change into beforehand. Her damp clothes hit the floor before her hand barely grazed the knob, but it didn't take too long for the water to heat up. Once it was at her preferred temperature (which was on the line between warm enough and steaming hot) she quickly jumped in. She shuddered as the hot water touched her seemingly frozen skin, but in a few minutes she felt the chill leave her entirely.
After her shower, she felt refreshed and was in a much better mood.
She dried off and dressed into warm undergarments and pajamas, though a thought troubled her once she noticed her wet clothes were gone. She figured it must've been Shikamaru collecting all their wet clothes, but it also meant that he had snuck into the bathroom while she was distracted. He would be paying for that later, she noted, but she suddenly felt too tired to do much.
Downstairs, she found Kankuro, Gaara, and Matsuri sitting on cushions around the low table, a steaming cup of team in front of each of them. They were all changed and doing their own thing—Gaara was reading some scrolls he had brought from Suna (which, thankfully, weren't wrecked at all from the snow), Kankuro was polishing Karasu, Kuroari, and Sanshouo, and Matsuri was reading a book.
Temari found herself smiling, inwardly relieved everyone was really okay now.
Shikamaru entered the room shortly after, interrupting her thoughts. "Well," he announced, "your clothes won't be dried until a few more hours, but"—he glanced out the window—"it seems like you won't be able to leave sometime soon, anyway."
"Thank you, Shikamaru-san," Matsuri said from the table, a sincere smile on her face.
"Yeah, we owe you," Kankuro added.
Gaara simply nodded in agreement.
He shrugged. "No problem."
Temari looked at Shikamaru with one eyebrow raised. He seemed to come off even lazier (if possible) than usual. And Temari figured it must've been just as hard a day for him as it was for them. Not only was he trapped in his parents' house on Christmas Eve, but he had to also tend to his unexpected guests. And, in addition to that, if he had let Gaara, Matsuri, and Kankuro take up the two guest bedrooms and let Temari use his parents' room, then that meant he would be sleeping on the couch tonight.
Temari sighed, deciding she might as well pay him back the only way she could.
"Shikamaru…"
"What?" he asked.
"Sit down," she instructed, pointing to the table where the others sat. "I'm going to make dinner."
Shikamaru frowned but did not protest, instantly recognizing that spark in Temari's teal eyes and knowing there was no getting in her way.
It took Temari a little longer than usual to cook in the unfamiliar kitchen, but eventually she had everything she needed and was able to do the job. To say that Temari's cooking was delicious was an understatement. After all, she had been fending for herself and her two brothers since they were little. With their mother out of the picture, and their father frequently out of the house, the task of taking care of Kankuro and Gaara had fallen to Temari. Her being the only female and the eldest of her siblings, she had to take care of all the domestic and slightly tedious household work such as doing the laundry and cooking, while also making sure her brothers were tended to as far injuries (well, it was mainly Kankuro, since "regular" things didn't really apply to Gaara).
With years of experience, she was pretty sure she could do it all while semi-conscious.
Their dinner was just shio ramen with some egg rolls, but it was some of the best ramen Shikamaru had ever tasted, and he had a feeling he would never taste something that could rival Temari's cooking ever again. It felt like a professionally-cooked restaurant entrée.
"Wow, Temari-san, it's amazing!" Matsuri exclaimed after her first bite, twirling more noodles onto her chopsticks.
"That's Temari for you," Kankuro chuckled.
Temari's eyes drifted over to Shikamaru, who was just finishing his first bite as well. Her eyebrows rose, a tad bit curious now as Shikamaru assessed her cooking. "Well, I couldn't exactly make the type of ramen I usually make," Temari sighed. "I was so unfamiliar with what you had here and—"
"Frankly, I don't care," Shikamaru interrupted, "because this is one of the best things I've eaten."
Temari scowled and drank more tea, hiding her blush behind her mug.
Once they had finished dinner, they went back to lounging around. Gaara still read his scrolls and Kankuro still polished his puppets, but Temari picked up the book Matsuri had been reading earlier and read a few pages as Matsuri played shogi with Shikamaru. Eventually, they were all intrigued by it and they all ended up facing Shikamaru, losing each time (though Gaara was the closest to winning than the rest of them). Eventually, when everyone got bored with shogi, they were just sitting around, drinking tea and talking about whatever came to mind.
Temari looked around the household, taking note of the fact that the Naras (or at least Yoshino) had gone all-out with the decorations.
Green tinsel was everywhere, holiday wreathes hung on every door, beribboned bells and mistletoes dangled from the doorways, stockings hung above the fireplace, and there was a gigantic tree overly-adorned with ornaments, with artistically-wrapped gifts of various shapes and sizes crowded the underneath it.
"What's up with all the décor?" Temari asked from the armchair she was sitting in as Shikamaru was passing by to get more tea.
"My mother. She gets obsessed with the decorations every year and has me and my father help her put it all up and take it all down." His voice sounded exasperated, as if he had just put everything up a minute ago.
"That explains things," Temari said, not intending the phrase to be an insult.
A few more minutes passed, and Temari couldn't help but feel a little weirded-out with herself. After all, she was sitting in the middle of a house she had only seen once or twice with her brothers, her best friend, and their Konoha guide surrounding her as if they did this every day. It all felt so… natural. As if this had always been part of their lives.
A few years ago, Temari could've never imagined finding herself in this kind of situation, because a few years ago, Shikamaru and Matsuri were not a part of the picture.
Maybe that was what made Temari feel both completely at home and very uneasy. As she sipped her tea, she watched the scene before her from behind her mug. Matsuri sat on the floor next to Gaara just talking animatedly with him. Her eyes were a little wider than usual and her cheeks were flushed. Of course, no one was oblivious to Matsuri's growing affection towards their kazekage, but before, finding a person like Matsuri—someone who actually loved Gaara the way he was—would've been impossible. Across the table from them, Kankuro and Shikamaru were deep into a discussion of their own, most likely having to do with Kankuro's puppets because they were examining Karasu quite seriously.
The scene created a weird sensation for Temari.
It was both nostalgic and unfamiliar.
Temari had no idea when she had fallen asleep. All she could remember was sitting in the armchair, listening to the sound of the now-silent storm outside the house, and feeling strangely at peace. She remembered last seeing Gaara sitting on the couch reading a scroll while Matsuri had already fallen asleep beside him, her head resting on his shoulder. Shikamaru and Kankuro were still sitting in the same place, their conversation shifting to something else.
And then she closed her and reopened them to find herself in a dark room staring up at the ceiling.
At first she was alarmed, but then she noticed her bag on the dressers and realized she was in the master bedroom. She stirred around, throwing off the comforter and sheets. It was so hot. She felt as if she were sweating, though her skin was still smooth and dry like before. She was only in a nightgown, yet she couldn't help but feel overwhelming heat throughout her body.
Once she tossed and turned in the bed for a few good minutes, she finally gave up and sat upright, running her fingers through her hair. She slid off the bed and onto her feet, quietly moving out the door and downstairs. Everything was turned off.
She looked around, and her eyebrows rose as she saw twisted blankets and a slept-on pillow on the couch but no Shikamaru.
Where did he go?, Temari wondered as she looked around.
Suddenly, she heard something from behind her, and spun on her heels, only to find Shikamaru. He looked half surprised and half asleep as he stood staring back at her, a lantern in one hand while the other was in his pocket. He blinked rapidly for a few seconds as if he were seeing things and Temari wasn't really there, but once he established she was real, he arched one eyebrow.
"What're you doing up?" he asked.
"What are you doing up?" she countered, folding her arms across her chest.
He sighed. "I was checking on your clothes," he explained. "Everything is almost dry." Then he waited for her response.
Temari rolled her eyes. "Well, if you must know, I couldn't get to sleep," she answered, tilting her head slightly. She then groaned a little, her tiredness overcoming her. "It's so damn hot in that room or maybe it's just me." Her eyelids still felt heavy, yet her body still felt on fire. She wouldn't be getting any sleep this way.
Shikamaru studied her for a minute, watching as her head tilted slightly, eyelids drooped a little, and how she suddenly looked like she was in a trance. He sighed, grabbing her hand. He was only mildly surprised when she didn't resist. She must've been half asleep already, having not even one ounce of energy to tell him to let go of her.
However, she stumbled as if she were drunk. Shikamaru turned around in time to catch her before she fell to the ground, though she landed against him. In the midst of him trying to get a hold of her, she knocked him backwards, pushing his back against the doorway, gripping his sleeves for support. She was breathing heavily, and he would've thought she had fallen asleep if it weren't for the fact she looked up at him.
Then her eyes flew upward, zeroing in on an object above them. He followed her gaze and saw the mistletoe hanging in the doorway.
"Mistletoe," she whispered, still staring up.
Shikamaru looked from the mistletoe and back down at Temari. She was clad in only her nightgown, her hair was down and out of their usual four pigtails, and he didn't know whether or not it was hormones, his extreme lack of sleep, or the stupid and irritating like of her that has been growing since she had become Suna's ambassador that caused him to do what he did, but he forced her to look at him.
"Troublesome mistletoe," he muttered before their lips met.
He was surprised when he didn't feel her pull back.
Instead, she stretched up so that they were leveled and gripped his sleeves tighter.
When Temari woke up, unsure of how much later that was, it was still dark and she found herself in the master bedroom once more. She blinked in confusion, wondering whether or not she had dreamt everything or if it actually happened. She was about to go downstairs and check when something caught her eye. On the pillow beside hers rested the same mistletoe from the doorway (she recognized the strange way the ribbon was twirled at the ends). She took the plant in her hand and twirled it between her fingers, an absent smile spreading across her face.
"Troublesome mistletoe."
A/N: Well, I think I kept Shikamaru and Temari in character throughout most of this chapter, but this is my first one-shot with this couple so I'm not exactly sure. I hope ShikaTema supporters enjoyed this one-shot, and don't hold anything back when it comes to critiquing, because I want to write more one-shots and I can't improve them if people don't tell me what I'm doing wrong.