Never Be Ordinary

Tired

Temari stretched her legs before her and looked at the lazy genius seated beside her. He was lying comfortably on his back, his beady eyes calmly watching the sky above them.

She looked up at the clouds and wondered yet again, what thoughts ran through his bizarre mind. He confused her to no end. A guy like him could have the world eating from the palm of his hand. He certainly was intelligent enough, and he had a good amount of power. He knew how to get people to like him, and always managed to demand a degree of respect without seeming like he had ever demanded anything of the sort. He could be Hokage. She would even stretch it far enough to say that if he ever wanted to take over the world, the world would have a hell of a time stopping him. He'd probably have it in the palm of his hands before anyone realized what he was doing. Regardless, he refused to do anything of the sort. He much rather relished lying in a grassy field watching the puffy white shapes glide across the blue sky.

He wasn't like the guys she usually hung around with.

Despite confusing her, he was just…interesting in a way that no one could be.

His reactions bothered her sometimes, but they fascinated her more often.

"You're staring." He muttered lazily.

"Does it bother you?" She still thought this to be some sort of dream; knowing a genius like him shouldn't be possible.

He turned his head to look at her, an eyebrow raised. "Why are you staring?"

"Doesn't the genius know?" She teased.

He sighed in annoyance and redirected his attention to the clouds.

"You're easily exasperated, you know that?"

He didn't respond. Temari rolled her eyes, and flexed her fingers. She held them up before her, admiring the way the sun illuminated the sides of her fingers while her palm was dark with shadows. She liked the sun better than she liked the clouds. Maybe it came from living in a desert, but she enjoyed the bright sheen of yellow light streaming from the sun rather the lazy motions of clouds. Granted, clouds had their moments; just like the sun had its bad tendencies as well.

"You're bizarre." He muttered to her in a breathless whisper, his slanty eyes watching her turn her hand in the sunlight.

The side of her lips tugged up into a half smile. "I know." She looked at the quiet boy. "Feeling any better?"

"Who said I was feeling down?"

"Just because you didn't say it out loud doesn't mean it isn't true."

Shikamaru snorted. "I feel fine."

"Fine isn't good." Temari stated simply.

"Perhaps."

"Why are you feeling 'fine'?"

He shrugged visibly.

Temari watched the contours of his chin, the shadow in his eyes, and heaviness in his movements.

"It's nothing specific really."

Like countless times before, she wondered what he was thinking. It would be so easy if she could read minds. "Well, what is it in general?"

He turned to look at her. His eyes are darker than they usually are which in her mind doesn't make much sense. Eyes shouldn't change intensity or highlights as the mood suits them, or at least, she doesn't think they should.

"Do you ever get tired, Temari?"

"Tired of what?"

"Being who they want you to be?"

Oh, so that was it. He was tired of being a genius. Tired of being a strategist. Tired of being a Nara, when all he wanted to be was Shikamaru. She thought maybe she understood why he wanted to be mediocre at that moment. He was already extraordinary and saw the grave pressure it put on a soul; he saw that, and in seeing, thought it was better to be normal.

Sometimes she wanted to be normal, but the good days in her life always more than made up for the bad days. "Is that what's bothering you?" She replied. As soon as she said she realized it sounded more than just a little condescending.

He rolled his eyes. "Figures."

"Oh, don't get snippy on me; it's not like it's such a horrible burden to be as great as you are. So you have bad days, get over it."

"Nothing bothers the perfect princess does it?" He spat

Temari sat up and glared at him. "Don't call me princess, Shikamaru. And of course it bothers me; you just have to get over it. You were born intelligent, stop griping over it and make something of yourself."

He sat up, clearly annoyed. "Its no wonder people don't like you so much."

Temari bit her lip, trying to hide her insecurities she bit back, "It's a wonder people like you at all. You don't talk, and when you do it's to complain." People didn't take to her quite as easily as they took to everyone else. She was always too careless with her honesties and too brash when it came to.

He scowled. "You're damned annoying when you want to be, you know?"

"You started it, jerk." His eyes were still dark, and movements still heavy. She sighed. "No matter how badly you want to be normal, Shikamaru, it's about time you'd realized you never will be."

He turned his head up to the sky in resignation. "I can."

"There's nothing wrong with living an extraordinary life."

"It's too much of a burden."

"And an average life is too mundane, and not worth living."

"What's so good about an exciting life?"

She smiled. "It has its moments…I'm sure you'll realize it soon enough. An extraordinary life means meeting extraordinary people. Being part of something greater. Sure it's annoying as hell sometimes, but there are people who make it all worth the while."

He snorted. "I doubt it."

She studied him carefully as she tended to do when they were alone. She only ever really let her guard down with her brothers, but for some reason, she let it down when she was with him too. She always watched and analyzed, and he was one of her favorite subjects to do that with. "Too much skepticism is bad for you, Shikamaru." His hair was silky and shiny, expression resigned. "I can make you see the good."

"Just try, Temari."

Without a second thought she ran her fingers through his hair. He was supremely fantastic man in boy's body with an old man's heart. He was a conundrum within a conundrum. He could be anything and everything but was too afraid of success to achieve it. "You're bizarre."

He doesn't seem to care that her hands are running through his hair. "I'm aware."

His soul is heavy and is heart is tried. He really thinks he's doomed. Her lips curve into a wide smile upon a realization.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

She smirked. "You'll find out in a few years. When you're old enough."

"Aren't you descriptive?" He muttered in annoyance.

She lifts herself up from the ground and stretches. All that relaxation makes her body so numb. She turns on her heel, "It really isn't so bad, Shikamaru."

"Prove it."

"Oh, don't worry." She affirmed, looking over her shoulder with a grin. "I intend to."

He's not quite normal and he never will be.

He's extraordinary.

He will always be, even if he doesn't want to be.

And no matter what anyone says, she knows she's going to marry him someday.

A/N: Next, when I get around to it, will be Shikamaru's view on being ordinary.