Seventh Meeting

Shikamaru was not awoken by the shrill sound of his mother's voice nor the sharp stare that was Temari's most valuable weapon. There was no streaming sun or any chirping birds filling the air with their sweet music. No, Shikamaru was awoken by the sweet smell of breakfast wafting into his room and the loud, uninhibited grumbling of his empty stomach.

He blinked groggily; rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the back of his hands, uncaring of the digital clock that informed him it was only 9:45AM. He lifted the covers to check on his most valuable weapon and finding it perfectly limp, rolled out of bed and pulled on the nearest shirt he could find (which he hoped was somewhat clean).

Downstairs, he found Temari sitting at the island counter, peeling a mango with practiced ease, as if she'd been doing it for years. Still clad in her less-than-proper nightgown, he felt himself grow increasingly uncomfortable and sought refuge behind the open refrigerator door as his mother rummaged inside for orange juice.

"You're awake," Temari noted dully. He could see the hint of a smirk working its way onto her lips. She had probably seen the lower part of his body respond the only way it knew how at the sight of her.

"I was just about to send Temari to wake you. Did you happen to see if your father is awake?"

Shikamaru didn't bother answering. If the man was not asleep and had yet to come down to breakfast, it was safe to assume that he was doing it on purpose.

His mother continued shifting through the contents of the fridge. When she straightened, she had a carton of juice in one hand and yogurt in another.

"That's a filling breakfast you've got there, Mom."

She rolled her eyes at him and set the things down on the counter, plucking the mangoes out of Temari's hands. "Don't bother yourself, dear. Let me do it."

Temari did not argue. Either she knew better or she didn't want to put in any effort. Shikamaru couldn't figure out which.

He took the orange juice his mother handed to him and took a large swig, ignoring the taste as it combined with his un-brushed teeth. His mother clicked her tongue in disapproval of him, knowing exactly why he twisted his mouth in disgust.

She didn't say anything, however, and instead turned to begin her second round of questioning Temari.

"So, Temari, you've never mentioned what you do."

This quirked Shikamaru's interest. He knew very little about the nosy woman he'd encountered on the train. All he'd learned was her parents were probably divorced, she had brothers, and she was a country bumpkin. Even though he didn't want to admit it, least of all to himself, least of all to the damn woman, he was genuinely curious about her. He gravitated towards her, drawn in by her strength.

He shook his head. Gross.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at Yoshino. "I work?"

His mother nodded and he could see the slight irritation she felt cross her face before it was completely pleasant and mother-like again. "Really? Where? What do you do there?"

She shrugged. "In an office. Nothing extravagant, really."

She did not look like someone who worked in an office.

"As a secretary?" his mother continued to question.

Temari laughed but didn't answer.

Most people would just answer the stupid question. And while he had to admit that Temari was very far from most women, and most people in general, it started to slightly irritate him that she didn't give a straight answer. What was so hard about saying, "I work as a secretary. I sometimes get coffee and make copies"?

"What company?" he found himself asking.

Her eyes doubled in size as they widened in surprise. "You really don't know?"

He was confused. He made a mental list of all the employees he knew back at his office and wondered if she was secretly a stalker of his who was completely in love with him after having glimpsed him from afar at the workplace. But as he ran down the three hundred odd people he vaguely recognized, he found she was not there.

Shikamaru half-expected his mother to question Temari's cryptic words. He turned to see her begin her crackdown, only to be confronted with the woman wearing a small smile, apparently satisfied.

"Temari tells me you guys are going to set off today."

"Did she, now?" He turned to look at her only to find a giant smile on her face and her eyes staring right down at his—

"I have to get to Fukuoka as soon as I can," Temari explained, quickly facing away from Shikamaru. "I don't trust trains much anymore, since the last few incidents that happened have left me a little sore."

Those have been your fault, Shikamaru thought bitterly, taking a seat as far from Temari as he could manage at the counter. His mother raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word as she set a bowl of freshly peeled fruits between him and the blonde woman.

"So has Shikamaru dated anyone else or has he just spent the majority of his life pining after Ino?"

He threw Temari what he hoped was the meanest scowl he could manage so early in the damn morning. Of course, her response was to flick her straw-like hair back, uncaring about what he thought at all.

Yoshino sighed heavily and leaned away from the stove she was working at. "Honestly, you're the first girl he's ever brought home besides Ino."

Temari placed her hand over her heart and bowed towards him. "I'm honored."

"You're the only girl he's ever really introduced us to. All the other girls—well, they've been just friends, haven't they?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Are we really going to discuss my lack of a love life at breakfast? It's not even ten in the morning yet."

"You'll have to tell her sometime, won't you?"

Temari nodded. "It's true."

He put his head in his hands and wished for the house to set on fire with him in it. "We're not dating, Mom."

Chopsticks clattered around before she responded, "Could have fooled me. I didn't think you were."

Suddenly, he felt a body near him, heat rising in waves. Then, he heard Temari's voice, low enough only for him to hear, "Most guys would kill to be in your shoes."

"Both of you should start eating the fruits before they go bad," Yoshino called.

Raising his head, he found the blonde woman smiling sweetly at him. He was pretty sure he caught sight of venom dripping from her canines.

Temari reached for a peeled green apple and Shikamaru felt his breath catch and his jaw fall open. He watched her take the most sensual and downright naughty bite out of the most unappealing and least sexually attractive fruit. He could never, ever, ever look at an apple the same way again.

His eyes darted to watch her eyes, only to find them closed and savoring the taste as juice trickled out of her mouth and down her chin.

She had absolutely no idea.

Here Shikamaru was, completely broken hearted about the girl of his dreams marrying his best friend. Sure, he'd given Chouji permission and reassured the couple that he was happy they were happy (which was mostly true except for the ache of his shattering vital organ), but it didn't stop the painful pangs in his chest. He'd been swearing for the past few days that he would never fall out of love with Ino, discounting all the other possibly beautiful women that inhabited the world.

And now, he stared at the most exquisite, possibly dangerous, creature and all he could think about was getting out of his house and into a love hotel with the sole purpose of getting her under him in the worst possible way.

That, Shikamaru decided, was not romantic. Nor acceptable.

Temari's voice suddenly cut through his inner ramblings. "Why are you glaring at me?" She looked mildly irritated, holding a new perfectly-cut piece of mango, her fingers slick with glistening fruit juice. His mind twisted the image and he imagined her fingers slick with—

"God," Shikamaru exhaled, dropping out of his seat and hurrying away from the kitchen.

He ignored his mother as she called after him. He turned his head only long enough to see Temari grinning, licking her fingers clean, and reaching for yet another bite.

It was time to take a shower.

An extremely long and cold shower.


Shikamaru did not argue with his mother as she handed him a duffle bag loaded with things he probably didn't need. Shikaku stood by to watch, leaning casually against the wall, with one hand on his wife's shoulders as she turned to thrust food into Temari's arms.

"You guys should have stayed longer," his mother berated, handing him the bread that couldn't fit into Temari's hands. From the corner of his eye, he could see Temari swaying with the weight of cheese, bread, juice, and pastries as she tried to keep a hold on them. "I would've made you your favorite, Shikamaru."

He shrugged, tucking the loaf of bread into his duffle bag. A pack of condoms peeked out from underneath the pairs of underwear his mother had packed. "I promised to take Temari home and she needs to get there soon." For my sake, he thought inwardly, casting the girl a narrowed glare that she seemed perfectly content in ignoring.

"Thank you so much," Temari said, bowing her head deeply. "We are so grateful for all you've done for us."

Shikamaru took it as the cue to leave, heading out the door and pausing to look back and take in the image of his parents standing before his childhood home. He reasoned it would be a few years before he would be back, anyway, so it was totally acceptable for him to be emotional and look back in longing and whatever it was he felt.

"Of course, Temari." Yoshino leaned forward and gave the blonde a hug that was usually reserved for old friends and what his mother termed "Future Daughters-in-Law." No women had ever fallen into that category and he had very little doubt to which category his mother had placed Temari in.

"And Shikamaru, make sure to bring Temari back to visit soon."

Which translated to, "I better see her more often or I am going to personally end you and your ability to fornicate with any woman, ever."

As the two began to walk away, Shikamaru heard hurried footsteps. Turning, he found his father walking quickly (by Nara standards( towards him and Temari, something jingling in his hands.

He stopped a few feet away and threw it at Shikamaru. Automatically, Shikamaru caught it and felt the heaviness of car keys in his palm.

"Take the car. We've got four more and your mother hates it."

And then he walked away, hands in his pockets.

Shikamaru looked down at his hand, finding the old Porsche keys his father had once coveted.

"A Porsche," Temari whistled, looking over his shoulder. She began to walk down the sidewalk, rolling her suitcase with very little care in the world. "Are you going to go get it?" she called after him.

He watched the sway of her hips, took in the curve of her thighs. He felt her words wash over him and blanket him in heat. The broken pieces of his heart somehow managed to skip a beat.

If he got the car now, they would make it to Fukuoka in a matter of days with very little problem, with him losing just a few days of sleep and her glaring at him when he chose the wrong radio station to listen to.

Catching up to her was easy. He fell into step beside her, duffle bag thrown over his shoulder, keys hidden away inside.

"I haven't lost my luggage yet," he answered.

Temari flashed him a grin, showing all her teeth.


AN: I'm in Japan right now and, as I'm sure you have all heard, the earthquake and nuclear plant explosions have really shaken up the country. Sorry for the very late update but study abroad preparations hit me full force and then, after landing, didn't really have the chance to even get online to let my parents know I was safe. Hopefully, you gys can forgive me.

And yeah, Japan is just as weird as it's made out to be sometimes. I'm at an internet café called Yeast Paradise. Yeah, I know. I know.