Disclaimer – I own it as much as I own the first line in my "Dedication" paragraph… v.v
Dedication – Snowqueen184, come on down! You're the lucky winner of "WHO GETS THE DED!" XD Woot! Thanks for reading my story, love! You're amazing!
Chapter seven: Nighttime Comfort
Night had fallen over the desert, the air now chilly and the wind uncomfortably cold. Yet for every degree that had fallen under the comfort zone, about a hundred stars had lit up in the sky. It skimmed midnight when Shikamaru stopped his erratic walking.
After hearing the shocking news of Temari's engagement with Ryota, he had mechanically gotten back to his apartment, where he had slowly taken a long shower and had gotten changed. It took about two hours for the news to sink it, for the pain to feel fresh and real. Knowing that sleep wouldn't grace him tonight, Shikamaru slinked away from his apartment and began to walk through the dark streets.
Soon, he found himself close to the Sabaku household, yet he only circled it once before making his way to a nearby park. Temari had made her decision; he wouldn't be able to change it no matter what. What she had said must've been true- she really did love Ryota after all. Yet the genius hadn't been able to admit it to himself before, but now was the proof he couldn't deny.
She had made him come here. She knew that he'd find out about her engagement soon enough. She wanted to crush him. To make him realize that he had to let her go. She knew about his infatuation all along.
As he mingled with dark thoughts, he slunk against a nearby tree and stared in the distances. A few minutes later, though, the shadows in the distance began to move.
Shikamaru squinted to see the figure approaching. Since he was sitting completely alone close to a tree, under its shadow, the newcomer wouldn't get to see his face unless he'd let himself be seen. Just by the way the person moved, by the signature hairstyle and aggressive march, he easily deduced it was Temari.
She stopped a few meters from him, obviously not knowing that he was present. She moved her arms forward, then backwards, slowly turning them in a circle. He watched her repeat that movement a few times, before she sunk to her knees and brought her hands to her face. Her loose hair fluttered around her shoulders, the shorter edges hanging limply around her chin.
Slightly worried, Shikamaru stood up from his own position and walked toward her. Halting in front of her knelt body, he eased himself down in a sitting position and looked at her.
Temari slowly lowered her arms, shooting him a brief look. Their glances remained locked, and the shadow user was slightly surprised to see the amount of animosity that weighted in her eyes. But the surprise was nothing compared to the other emotion displayed on her face. Pain.
Yet her expression was as hard as rock, framed by messy blonde tendrils. The only details that betrayed the pain were the tears marring her face.
Shikamaru felt himself frown despite the situation. Anger boiled within himself; a rage that he couldn't quite identify with. Reaching over, he grabbed her left wrist and whispered rapidly, "Temari?"
She didn't answer him. Her eyes remained transfixed upon his face, tears continuing to roll down her face. She only parted her lips once, to draw in a shaky breath, then closed it again and continued her silent torture.
Squinting in an attempt to see her, he noticed that her shoulders were as erect as they could, her head held high. He knew that she hadn't expected anyone to be there at such a late hour, and seeing him present only added to her misery. But the shinobi also knew that he was probably the first, or one of the firsts, to see her cry.
Easing on the tenseness which he held her wrist, yet refusing to let go, he lowered his voice and spoke firmly. "This has to stop."
Another shaky breath went in. Temari then found her voice and snapped bitterly, "This is none of your business."
Shikamaru scoffed lightly as he gently touched her tears. She didn't pull away, which gave him the necessary courage to wipe them from her face. They were soon replaced by new ones, yet he dried them as well.
"There's no one around to impress, Temari," he murmured, drying yet another set of tears. "Everybody cries sometimes. It's only a mere release of your emotions. Just let it out, stop trying to hold it in."
Temari then snickered softly, though it sounded more like a sob. She then swallowed back whatever she was about to say and shook her head firmly twice. Her hands balled into fists as more water trickled down from her dark blue eyes.
Shikamaru then moved so that he would be sitting besides her and released her wrist. Yet sensing that the atmosphere they were in, along with the blanketing darkness and the millions of stars, would bring him luck, he reached over and pulled her in his arms.
At first she struggled lightly, yet he only tightened his hold. For the first few minutes, in complete silence, she remained stiffly in his embrace, refusing to give in. But she also knew that Shikamaru was almost as bad as she was when it came to stubbornness, hence they could be there all night. Finally, she relented and leaned her cheek against his shoulder. He shifted his body so that they would be more comfortable, which made her stiff muscles relax.
Eventually, she stopped her silent crying and simply closed her eyes, breathing gently. Shikamaru allowed himself the luxury of dropping his own cheek on top of her head and breathing in her scent. But this couldn't go on anymore. His tired brain needed answers.
"He hits you, doesn't he?"
Temari's body stiffened once more, which instantly gave him the answer he was looking for. But he wanted – no, he needed to hear her say it. Finally, she whispered numbly, "Yes."
Frustrated by her lack of explanation, Shikamaru pulled his head away and tilted it down so he could see her. She cracked her eyes open and locked their gazes together once again.
"Explain to me," he ordered softly, "how you can stay with him when he hurts you. I don't understand, Temari. Why do you go through this torture?"
The blonde kunoichi turned her head from him, looking away. "It's my fault," she started passively. "If I wouldn't screw up all the time, he wouldn't have to correct me."
Shikamaru's frown only deepened. He recognized the unfamiliar speech of a beaten person, though it felt rather surreal to have to listen to it coming from such a strong woman's lips. "Then end the relationship. Gosh, Temari, you can have any man that you want. Why pick one that's always disappointed in you, when you could find one who'd see past all the 'screw-ups', as you call them."
"Shikamaru," she suddenly stopped him, shutting her eyes once more. "Just be quiet, please. I just want to sleep. I've been pacing my room for hours every night for the last week. Just shut up, please…"
At this she fell silent, once more snuggling closer to him. He tightened his arm protectively, instinctively, before being taken in by various emotions. He was furious at Ryota for making Temari go through abuse, frustration at her refusal to break off the relationship she was in, longing to be with her, yet most of all, he felt the familiar tug of pain that came with his love for her.
Worst part was the strain of being unable to understand exactly what was going on. He felt her tenseness wear off as she was lulled into sleep, something he knew that she hadn't been doing much these last few days. Something kept her with that man. Fear maybe? It was the only logical explanation he could muster, even though where Temari was concerned… Fear wouldn't quite be so logical, after all.
He kept her in his arms through the entire night. He ignored his bones, which wearily began hurting after a few hours of immobility. Only when dawn began to break and the sky started to lighten did he move his neck, to peer at her serene face. The strain had gone from her expression, revealing the careless state which he thought she should always be in. Allowing himself a familiarity in which he never would've considered had she been awake, he leaned forward to whisper softly in her ear. "See Temari, this is how you'd feel if you would choose me over that guy…"
He allowed a few seconds to go by before gently shaking her. She stirred lightly and moaned something incomprehensible, before falling asleep once again. Shikamaru smiled despite himself, wanting this moment to continue forever. Yet the early-rising shinobi would usually get up around this time, and he didn't want any bad tongue going around the village with fresh gossip about the Kazekage's sister. He shook her again, this time accompanying his action with, "Temari, get up. It's dawn."
This time she cracked her eyes open and blinked a few time, staring up at him in slight confusion. Her eyes softened as she saw him, before the realization of where she was hit her. Hurriedly, she tore herself from his arms and tried to say something, then stopped and growled in frustration.
Shikamaru only grinned. He had caught her off-guard again. Those few, precious seconds where she had looked at him almost admiringly would be worth all the vicious words that were bound to come very soon. He had gotten to spend the night holding a vulnerable Temari. Ryota could brag about having her as a girlfriend; yet she kept her guard around him as well. She had allowed it to come down for a few hours; and even though she had kept herself reserved from him, it had been worth it. Now he had to take a step back, away from the closeness she had let him penetrate.
She stood up hurriedly, running a hand through her mussed hair. "Shikamaru," she suddenly said, her voice still heavy with sleepiness. "This never happened, we—"
"I know," he agreed, raising a hand in a wave. "Go now, before someone finds us here."
The blonde kunoichi eyed him up and down wordlessly. Then, slowly, she knelt down to his level and leaned over, pressing her lips softly over his cheek. It was only a fleeting moment before she had retreated and was back on her feet.
She shot him one last, long look, before turning around and beginning to walk. He also stood up and brushed the sand from his clothing, then stretched lazily in a few directions and realized how tired he was.
How tired, yet at the same time, rejuvenated. He smirked lightly as Temari's form disappeared in the waning darkness, shaking his head a few times. He'd probably had an idiotic smile etched onto his face right now. If any shinobi was to stop by him, he'd probably witness the joy in his eyes.
She did have feelings for him. That, he was certain of. Temari wouldn't kiss a guy on the cheek. That was just a fact. She was aggressive enough to attempt more than just a mere kiss on the cheek.
He remained immobile in his position longer than he thought he would, his mind whirling like crazy as to what his next move would be. After all, life was just like a good game of shogi. You just have to learn when to use every piece you have. Sometimes, some will be sacrificed, but in the end, it will be all worth it.
With a determined smirk, Shikamaru headed back to his apartment. He zipped open the suitcase he had neglected to open and dumped its contents on his bed. Sorting through the various objects he had packed, and the other treats his mother had filed along, he finally found what he was looking for.
A box of chocolate.
Grabbing a permanent marker, he grabbed the cap with his teeth and pulled the pen from it, then leaned the box of chocolate against the wall and penned down the name he had in mind. He had a plan.
A/N: XD I'm now laughing alone in my corner. Seriously, take a second to imagine Shikamaru's mom just hoping he'll get himself a girlfriend, shoving a box of chocolate in his bag.
Be proud of this update. I'm sacrificing my essay for this.
Now this is for you who wanted some ShikaTema fluff. Don't come down in the reviews and go "OMFG TEMARI IS OOC! YOU MADE HER CRY!" because believe me, I've seen some tough women cry in my lifetime. But honestly, I don't think it came out as OOC. v.v
Hope you all enjoy! Thank you so much for the reviews everyone!
Take care!