27/10/2016: A Special Shout Out to My Awesome Beta, The Fabulous Zyura Kailaidrianina! Who is patiently, and thoroughly editing Until the Day I Act. Thank You Again For Doing The Needed Edits! =)
I Do Not Own Naruto
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Chapter 3
Temari woke the next day when there was a light knocking on her door.
"Yeah?" she asked as she sat up, yawning, rubbing her eyes, and stretching her back, then blinking when Shikamaru walked in. He looked at her, and she followed his gaze, looking down at her garments. They were was yesterday's clothes but she could tell that an almost indecent amount of her cleavage was showing, not that she usually cared. However, when the Nara just continued to staring at it, she narrowed her eyes and folded her arms beneath her breasts as if to emphasize the fact that she was a woman to him while she waited for him to speak.
"We're expecting the Tsuchikage and his envoy here," Shikamaru explained as he yanked his eyes from her cleavage to her face once again.
"Alright, when are they arriving?" she asked. The old Tsuchikage had been pretty worn out after the war if she remembered correctly.
"Three days, we've just received their hawk. The Raikage and Mizukage will be staying at the Akimichi house after they arrive at the end of the week," he said.
"Has Gaara been informed?" she asked as she pulled herself to her feet and stretched again, feeling that satisfying pop in her back which had her involuntarily groaning in the pleasure as she finished waking up. The day just wasn't right for her when she didn't pop her back, strange as that was. She went to run her fingers through her hair but noticed it was still up in its customary four tails. She started tugging at the lopsided tails as she waited for Shikamaru's answer.
"Yeah, I told him before he told me to tell you; I'm not your errand boy," he said sternly.
"I don't know, you make a pretty good message boy if you ask me," she mused as she mussed her slightly sore head once all of her wild hair was free. No doubt the shoulder length mass was sticking out in odd directions; it never seemed to fall in any sense of order which was why she always wore it up. It wasn't the most glamorous of hairstyles but it stayed out of her face.
"Not really. I'm going to the Yamanaka compound if you want to come with," he said suddenly. She blinked at his offer; sure she and Shikamaru did things together (AS FRIENDS!) but he didn't really invite her to do things with him. However, there was something in those sad lazy eyes which had her thinking he just didn't want to be alone right now. Which, in this situation, was completely understandable.
"Certainly, but I thought the Yamanaka family lived in the village," Temari said as she went to pick out a towel and a fresh set of garments.
"Well, there's not much of the village left from Pain's attack," Shikamaru defended.
"No, I just… I'm sorry," she stammered out.
"No, it's alright, Uncle Inoichi didn't like living at the Yamanaka compound, so he and his family lived in the village and owned a flower shop. He liked the life in the middle of the village better," Shikamaru explained and she saw the sad smile on his lips as he leaned on the doorframe, obviously remembering something.
"Will Ino be there?" she asked absently. She didn't hate Ino, not really; Yamanaka Ino was perhaps one of her few friends here in Konoha and that was only because of Shikamaru. However, the petty female part of her, which was really small and buried deep within her mind, envied the natural beauty of Yamanaka Ino; and she knew it was all natural. She had seen the childhood pictures of Ino with Chōji and Shikamaru.
"No, Ino's still in the hospital, when she gets out of the hospital she'll be back at the Yamanaka compound though," he said softly. "She's planning to rebuild the flower shop," he said with a smile and a shake of his head as if it were amusing.
"Alright, well, let me shower and I'll go with you," she said as she deliberately brushed past him. See, no crush, she cheered internally as she walked by with no stupid butterflies in her stomach, or her heart racing like crazy, or her face turning red, or tripping! She was never again listening to a thing that the stupid genin fangirls of her brother said during a heated battle of war, or to a stupid reincarnated boy telling her he loved her and them saying she was in love with the lazy genius! Never again!
With that in mind she held herself tall, though she hissed when she stubbed her toe and cursed herself as she disappeared into the bathroom, hoping that Shikamaru hadn't seen that.
Temari turned on the shower and rather like a cat she hopped in with great reluctance; she despised being wet, but today the shower felt divine as she scrubbed her sore scalp and body clean of all the dirt from her travels, scrubbing thoroughly before stepping out of the shower. It had been a long shower, fifteen minutes, and she was tempted to make it twenty. However, the nineteen year old woman was refusing to be a child about this; she was an adult and adults did not indulge in pleasures like showers to avoid doing other things.
Toweling herself dry, she pulled on her clean, crisp garments, before drying her hair as she walked out of the bathroom towards her room. Again ,she stubbed her toe and hissed in displeasure as she hopped away from the accursed table, but with a towel on her head she hadn't notice anyone else until she slammed into another body they both crashed into the floor with a loud thud.
"Sorry!" she gasped as she pulled the towel off her head, and then she wished she hadn't so she could disappear as she stared into the sixteen year old boy's eyes.
Damn it.
"Troublesome," he said as he sat them both up.
"Sorry," she said again as she got to her feet. Her heart was slamming mercilessly against her ribs but she ignored it as she offered him her hand. He took it and she helped the young man to his feet.
"Do you ever watch where you are going?" Shikamaru asked. Her eyes narrowed as he frowned and rubbed his chest where she had crashed into him. She could still feel him against her, but she ignored that memory as she planted her hands on her hips and scowled.
"Nara," she growled out. Part of him was tempted to smirk and continue teasing her since he hadn't actually been offended when she had landed on him. He had actually kind of liked the feel of her. It was one thing to watch Temari, for it was like watching a cat move; however, when she let people touch her, that was a rare moment, even if it was an accident.
"Troublesome," he repeated and they part ways, she was bristling and, rather like a cat, she was snarling and hissing and grumbling under her breath as she stomped away from him. He was amused with her antics. Not that it mattered as he went into his bathroom and took a fast shower before he dressed and was ready to leave for the Yamanaka compound.
Temari was at the entrance of the house pulling her final tail in place as she shot him a dark look, clearly expressing her dislike about something but about what he didn't know.
It didn't matter though; Shikamaru just didn't want to be alone right now. Chōji had had extreme chakra depletion which had nearly killed him, and Ino was still suffering from her own chakra depletion and was now aiding in the healing of Sai at the pleading of Haruno Sakura, who looked ready to collapse on a moment's notice. Also, he didn't need the loud company of Naruto right now; he just wanted someone who was stable, calm, and wouldn't dig into him which ruled out just about everyone but Temari and Chōji. And since Chōji was still in the hospital, he was walking with Temari.
Shikamaru was pondering how Ino's determined declaration of becoming Morino Ibiki's apprentice had changed his relationship with her, but he couldn't figure it out. The moment she had announced her intentions, he had wanted to yell at her that she was out of her mind because Ino… well, Ino was Ino. She was a bit brash, a lot of stubborn, a tad bit blunt, completely honest, and innocent; always so innocent by trying to see the best in people. He didn't want that to change; selfish as it was, he just didn't want it to change. He wanted her to stay Ino, to stay happy and bright and troublesome and innocent.
Her going to working in Torture and Interrogation, or Intelligence, as she had claimed it to be renamed, would change her and he knew it.
She was already different, he could see that, but the thought of her working for that sadist Morino Ibiki… it just made his stomach sink with fear. She'd change. And not for the better…
"Why are we going to the Yamanaka compound?" Temari's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Kurenai and her daughter Mirai are there. I want to check on them since I've been busy with the after war errands and haven't had the time." Shikamaru explained. A few days after the Pain assault on their village he had been called to Kurenai's side because she had gone into labor. He had let her scream and break his hand (Sakura had fixed it afterwards and taught Ino how to fix broken bones in the process), as she suffered through her twenty-three hours of labor and cried for Asuma.
Then there was Mirai; she had come into the world screaming and crying, as if cursing them for bringing her into it. He had loved that baby the moment he had seen her, she was just… she was adorable, with her mother's ruby colored eyes and wild hair with her father's mouth and skin color, he had loved her. She was such a tiny, fragile thing, though he didn't really want to hold her in fear of breaking her.
But then there had been the war, the battles, the rebuilding and the errands all compacted into about a month and a half and he hadn't seen them since the birth of Mirai; he just wanted to know they were alright.
"Kizashi, don't say such horrible things to a new mother!" he heard a voice snipe.
"But it's true, she's so cute you could eat her right up!" a man replied.
"I'm sorry about my idiot husband, Kurenai," the first voice sighed.
"It's quite alright Mebuki," he heard Kurenai answer. As he rounded the corner he saw Sakura's family with Kurenai as a pink haired man held the baby and beamed with pride at the child.
"She's going to be a wild one when she gets bigger!" Kizashi declared.
"How's she doing?" Shikamaru asked drawing the attention of all three adults. Kurenai smiled.
"Shikamaru! I thought you were out of the village!" Kurenai hurried over to him and before he could protest she had swept him up in a hug.
"Got back yesterday," Temari said for him because his tongue felt heavy as he hugged a woman he had come to think of as family back.
"That's fantastic, you're Temari, right?" Kurenai pulled away from him then.
"Yes ma'am," Temari said.
"Asuma said you might be the only shinobi who might be able to thwart Shikamaru," she mused. Shikamaru felt himself heat up at that, and Temari smiled her feline smile which made him wonder just what trick she had hidden up her sleeve. The woman always had him trying to figure her out; for all he knew about Temari she was still one giant mystery to him and those cat-green eyes of hers had him trying to think up counter strategies.
"Well, come see Mirai; Ino's letting me stay here until my apartment is rebuilt," Kurenai said as she guided him towards the bickering blonde and pinkette.
That's all for now folks!
Enjoy Until the Day I Act! =)
