"There is no way in hell she's staying with me!"
"Temari?"
"I don't object." She smirked.
"Well I don't see a problem with it either: you both previously know each other for one, and now that you moved into your apartment, there is plenty of space and no parents to tell you 'no'," Tsunade reasoned.
Shikamaru snarled, knowing by seeing both the women's stubborn faces lit pleasure of his disappointment that they would get their way. He had thought that he could drop her off-and here he had to take her home!
"Fine," he moaned. "but I want extra money for this! You don't know how bothersome this woman is!"
Tsunade let out a short laugh. Oh, she knew. "Then you two should get going, it's getting dark, and I'm sure that Temari is just as tired as I am, after that three day journey of hers."
Temari gave thanks and bowed, leaving the office and the two Konoha residents alone.
"What are you planning, Tsunade?"
"I am planning nothing. I was thinking about conveniences, not making your life harder. But then again, that is the life of the ninja, right? You can't go thinking that life will be easy on you."
Shikamaru imitated Temari's actions and left as she waved him away stating that she needed to get back to work.
She was waiting outside the door, that sand kunoichi, usually loud and angry, but as of now her head was perched on her arm which was stretched across her fan. She really was tired, but she hadn't shown it when she was paroozing around with the 16-year-old boy across the town.
"Temari... lets go." Her head popped up as if she was snapped out of near sleep, but nodded and followed him home.
Tsunade was right, according to the size of his apartment. In Temari's mind, when the Hokage had said 'plenty of space', she had imagined that meant she was on the couch and there was space for two at his table. But his 'apartment' was like a small house: three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living/dining room. It was well furnished too, the long couch against the windows and the coffee table perhaps his mother had given him, for it was slightly worn away like it was previously used, and the dining table behind the small couch that separated the two sides of the room. The place wasn't as messy as Temari had thought it would be...though perhaps Shikamaru's mother had come to do the cleaning as well.
"Damn," she smiled.
"Don't get too cozy," he snapped. "you can have the room over there; it's already made up so get to sleep, before you pass out on my floor."
Temari again didn't argue and acknowledged it with a nod, going in the direction Shikamaru's finger was pointing. After hearing the door shut, he took this time to make sure that his apartment was in order so she had nothing to nag about like his mother, Yoshino, and then he went into the shower.
After Shikamaru had finished and already was dressed, he went to go check up on Temari, of which he hadn't heard a peep from since he put her in there, to which he found that she hadn't even made it under the covers. He shut the door again and went to his own be, knowing that Temari was bound to wake him up as the sun split over the hills.
But she didn't. When Shikamaru woke up, it was around noon. He blinked a couple times, clearing the blur in his eyes, and noted only then that there was a piece of paper taped to his forehead. He grunted, pulling it off.
"Dear Shikamaru,
I've gone out to find someone more interesting, someone who won't sleep all day if I gave him the chance. When I get back, we will continue with the liaison crap that is supposed to be happening.
Cha bastard Serves you right for sleeping
Temari
Ps lazy: I will be home at 2pm"
"WHAT?!" Shikamaru yelled, probably loud enough for his neighbors could hear... "Damn woman! Doesn't she know that her meeting with the council at 1:00?!"
He popped out of bed within a second and flew out of the door, looking in every direction for that fan wielding woman. TenTen hadn't seen her; Kiba and Naruto (sitting at the ramen shop) hadn't either. Temari defiantly was the most troublesome woman.
All of his hopes of finding her soon diminished as Shikamaru made his way back home. Perhaps she decided to come back early? Shikamaru was ready to bash his head into a wall. Either way, she wouldn't make it on time, with only 5 minutes until 1:00. He could only imagine what Tsunade would do to him... and Gaara if he got wind of this - ! He shivered. Death would become of him.
He saw then, with a few flowers collected in her hand, a familiar kunoichi, her hair at her shoulders.
"Hey, Sakura," he said mournfully.
"Shikamaru!" she really was too peppy. "What's up? You don't look too good." Shikamaru groaned. "It's Temari."
"Oh?" she managed, wondering if this would lead to juicy gossip - something that could surpass Ino's! But Ino's boyfriend and a foreigner? Scandal!
"I can't find her, I mean. Tsunade's gonna kill me! She was supposed to be at a meeting right now, but she ditched my apartment before I even woke up."
"I didn't know that she was staying with you..."
"That's not the point! Besides, that was the Godaime's decision, not mine. You haven't seen Temari around, have you? By any stroke of luck?"
Sakura gave up looking for gossip. "Well yea, she came to find me this morning; we were down at the Hokage's mansion. Around 11:00 she told me she had a meeting to attend because the one that you are talking about was bumped up." She finally took a breath before continuing her long-winded speech.
"Tsunade's meeting never really last more than 2 hours... I wouldn't be surprised if it was just ending now." Shikamaru sighed in relief.
"Thank you Sakura." And then turning around, headed back toward the large mansion in the middle of town.
It was a little over a half hour when Shikamaru finally heard voices coming from the squeaking door, sitting at the same bench as the first time he had dropped her off here. He didn't bother to turn around; he knew by her voice that one of the voices belonged to Temari, and he found no need to call her over, for he knew she saw him with that slight pause in her throat.
The other voice soon turned back and went through the squeaking door, and a luminous shadow with four ponytails came over and stood above him. Shikamaru looked up to meet the calm teal eyes.
"Hey," he said.
She smirked. "You found me."
"But do you realize what a pain it was, running around looking for you all day? Troublesome woman."
"Well I knew what I was doing: you should have followed the note's directions and waited for me back home."
"It's not your home."
She blushed, unaware that that's what she had been calling it. Temari yawned. "Shikamaru," she said softly, running chills up his spine.
"What?"
They stood there momentarily, gazing into each other's eyes. The wind blew gently at their hair, nipping the edge of Temari's nose with the chill. The motionlessness was soon broken by the blonde, her fan clicking on her back.
"We should head over to the Academy. I need to speak to the instructor about the curriculum."
"Fine," he said. "Lets go."He followed her lead.
Shikamaru listened to the beat of her footsteps as she walked through the market. Even though there were ones like hers as others passed, Temari's seemed very distinct.
Suddenly, without warning, Temari turned around, her eyes sharp, looking at Shikamaru- or so he thought. He blushed as she stood less than a foot from his chest. He realized then that she was not looking at him, but past him to the blonde boy running towards them.
"Temari! Shikamaru!" Of course Sakura was close behind him.
Shikamaru stepped to the side as they approached.
"HEYSHIKAMARUITSBEENFOREVER!!" Naruto yelled as he stood beside him.
"You're making my ears bleed."
Sakura giggled, looking over at the two in front of herself and Naruto. She leaned over to the blonde boy and whispered to him, to which he giggled along side her. Temari looked at her companion who silently told her not to ask. She agreed and looked away.
"We are heading to the BBQ shop for a late lunch... you wanna come?"
"I have to head down to the Academy, but I'm sure Shikamaru can go." Shikamaru looked at her. "I know where it is, just go."
He nodded lazily. Temari waved to the others as she walked in the opposite direction. Sakura waved backs they waited for her to get out of sight.
"Wellllllll?" Sakura looked at him all catty.
"Well what?"
"I never thought he'd be the one to cheat out of the relationship." Naruto was talking to Sakura.
"Oh, I know, poor Ino."
"WHAT?! What are you guys talking about?"
"Oh?" Sakura smiled. "Like you weren't just standing too close? And you aren't sharing an apartment?"
"Seriously?!" Naruto complained how he was always kept out of the loop.
"It's not like that. We aren't sleeping in the same bed, and right now, Temari happened to turn around- hearing you noisy people- and I wasn't paying attention. You guys are going to get me in trouble with your false assumptions."
"Whatever. Just don't let me catch you doing something like that then - Ino is my best friend after all!"
Shikamaru knew that if he stayed, that things might get awkward. "You know, all of the sudden I lost my appetite. See you around." He left.
"Grrr... I wanted to expose his scandal!!" Sakura said, disappointed. "Let's go, Naruto."
Shikamaru, after two hours of wandering aimlessly around town, waiting for Temari's meeting to be over (following Sakura's 2 hour meeting rule), he found himself heading toward the Academy. He stopped right in front of the building and looked at the clouds. They were plentiful today, and as he found a nice place to lie on the side of the building to watch them.
It wasn't until he heard Temari giggle inside the building before he realized he had fallen asleep. It was dark now.
"Iruka! Irukaaaa!!" she called between now extreme laughter. Shikamaru's mind raced. For one thing, why was she in there, and why did it sound like she and his old teacher were best friends? What on earth were they doing? He walked over to the doorway to the room they were in, and found the two sitting opposite of each other, Temari dropping a shot of something down her throat.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!" she broke out in laughter again. She was drunk. But Iruka looked quite the sober part.
"Iruka," Shikamaru said gravely. His former teacher looked up and the smile he harbored faded fast. Shikamaru looked at the small table that was between their chairs, the tall bottle of Vodka and his full glass sitting atop it. Temari turned in her chair, still a smirk on her face, holding her cup between her thumb and middle finger...
"Shhhhhhikamru!" she slurred. "Come and have a drink with us!"
"How much of that have you had?"
"Um...5 glasses - straight up!! Woo!" she lifted her glass to herself. Even for Shikamaru, it was known that that much vodka would make anyone drunk. It was a wonder to him that she was still conscious - and there she goes.
Both men gasped as she hit the floor. "Temari!" Shikamaru shouted. He checked her to make sure that she wasn't injured (cuz who really knows?) and picked her up. "What where you planning to do?"
Iruka didn't answer, and looked toward the ground like a child angry at his parents. His intensions were obvious. Who would have thought that Iruka was a rapist? Well maybe rapist isn't the right word...but she was too wasted to make the right choices.
Shikamaru was just staring at the Academy teacher when he heard the woman in his arms whisper his name. Iruka laughed.
"Listen to her crying to you. I wish I had such a devoted woman."
Shikamaru was annoyed. He kicked the man in the chest, sending his chair tipping backwards. "Shut the fuck up. She' not my girlfriend."
He let out a groan as he put his hand to his chest. Temari subconsciously clung to his green vest as he carried her off to his house, plopping her on her bed and throwing the covers over her cold body. Not knowing what more he could do, he went off to bed, knowing that tomorrow would be quite quiet.
Oh the irony.
-
so this is my infamous story i posted on myspace. im not done with it, but just a few more chapters. its already had 600 hits on the nose (i checked this afternoon) so i guess if peeps keep reading it, it must be fine, but im going to need to know when the next chapter is wanted, i dont want to scare away peeps too afraid to read the long ones!
hehe Caddy