Strength

By: Sonnie

Shikamaru saw that Tenten wasn't crying, but that was just as bad as when she was. Even though she was abnormally sensitive to others' feelings, one of the reasons he admired her so much as a person was how she dealt with her own. She was strong…it was no façade, no act, no pretending. She just had a way of handling things well.

Temari had been merciless; cruel, even. It was one of the things he didn't like about her…how she treated people. She lashed out at others and in this case it was making him livid. Anger, superior strength, even being right…there weren't any excuses for how she had treated Tenten.

"I've already talked with her," Shikamaru told Temari evenly. "And since I'm the one in charge of her, why don't you yell at me?"

The sand ninja's eyes widened a moment before narrowing again.

"What's wrong; can't do it?" Shikamaru asked her, his words clipped. "I don't care if you like me or not. I'm the one that deserves it…so why don't you yell at me?"

Temari growled. "Why do you always have to stick up for her?" she demanded.

"Why do you always have to treat her so critically?" Shikamaru countered. "Ever since the Chuunin exams you've said she was trash, that she was nothing. I happen to disagree with that. She made a mistake today, yes, but at least she didn't do anything to warrant being treated like less than a human being. She's never done anything to deserve that."

Temari frowned. She never liked the way that Shikamaru viewed Tenten…while he certainly didn't treat her romantically their relationship was very similar to that he had with Chouji. It was a very close, intimate friendship with deep, underlain with levels of caring and understanding and acceptance. Frankly, it made her a bit jealous.

Temari gave him a hard look. "Why do you care about her so much?"

"She's my friend, Temari," Shikamaru said simply. "You don't really have any, so you probably don't understand."

Temari paled. How could he stay so calm when saying something so insulting? A part of her knew what he said was true, but…

"Weren't you just lecturing me about being cruel?" she yelled. "What you just said certainly fits the bill."

"Then if you let the truth get to you like that you're not as strong as you think," Shikamaru told her bluntly. "Just as candor doesn't work with some people, subtlety doesn't work for others. I really hate giving you a reality check this way, but I'm not going to have you treat my teammates like you've been doing. She's my liability as a ninja and my responsibility as a friend, and it's as the latter I'm having this discussion with you."

"What makes her so special?" Temari demanded. "She's just an average ninja! Why is she so important?"

"You're only taking into account her fighting abilities, which you never acknowledge simply because yours counteract hers," Shikamaru reasoned. "There's a lot more to a person than their ability to fight, even a ninja. Tenten isn't ever overconfident and can admit when she's been bested. She easily accepts that your skills are the natural counter to hers and wouldn't even dream of thinking otherwise."

"That's what makes her so great?" Temari said after a moment of strained silence.

"Actually, no," Shikamaru said, his voice raising in volume slightly. "She knows she can't have her way all the time but doesn't let life walk all over her. That sense of balance is important. She's feminine but practical. She's stubborn but can concede. She teases me about the way I am but accepts it and never assumes to tell me how to act or change me so she can accept me easier."

Temari found it difficult to ignore his pointed look. She knew she was merciless in criticizing what she thought to be his flaws. Never allowing him any peace, she hated to admit that she'd never really stopped to consider how it made him feel. She knew from personal experience that it was easy to feign apathy even when she was hurt emotionally.

"Tenten's also capable of doing things for people just to do them," Shikamaru continued. "The only things I ever consistently seen you do of your own free will are either antagonistic or agenda-driven. I know you're capable of good deeds but you always accredit them to moments of weakness. And even though I like you and find you interesting it doesn't mean that I can overlook how you act. The way you treat others is appalling, and I know you didn't have a mother to teach you manners, but it's time someone did."

Temari slapped him. He just stood there, taking it with his back hunched over and his hands in his pockets. It always infuriated her how he took everything without fighting back.

"How dare you?" Temari hissed, grabbing the front of his vest. She shook him when she saw how unaffected he was.

"Sorry, but you're not the first woman to get mad at me for telling the truth," Shikamaru said dully. "I don't have much use for tact in this situation, anyway. Like I said earlier, it doesn't work on you."

"How can you deride me for how I treat others when this is how you treat me?" she yelled, infuriated at the angry tears in the corners of her eyes. Blinking them back, she refused to let him see them.

"I would have reacted to anyone who behaved towards my friends as you did," Shikamaru told her. "I've even called Ino on her bad behavior when she's been mad at Chouji. It's important to know that you can't get away with treating others like that even if you're angry. But I didn't tell you to be rude. I think you owe it to yourself to act with more dignity, that's all. Being strong and pushing people around aren't the same thing. You do yourself an injustice every time you sink to the level of scorn. I don't have any respect for that and I want to have respect for you."

Temari dropped the front of his vest and pushed him away. "You think you can just talk your way out of this," she hissed, hoisting her fan onto her shoulder. "Don't you?"

Shikamaru looked at her coolly. "If you want a fight you won't get it," he said simply. "It's pointless. We both know who will win."

"Just get the hell out of here!" Temari yelled angrily, pointing to the door.

Shikamaru shrugged and shuffled towards the exit.

"You're always right," Temari sneered. "Smug bastard."

Shikamaru paused. He turned around, studying her for a moment. "I'm not smug, Temari," he told her quietly. She felt something twist in her chest at the gentle way he said her name. "And to tell you the truth, being right doesn't really make me all that happy anyway." Turning his back to her, he left unceremoniously.

Temari's fan fell to the ground, cracking the floor. Now that he was gone, she lifted her sleeve to her face, only to find that her tears had already fallen.

-O-

Kankurou found his sister in her room, sitting in her windowsill and staring into the glass blankly. There were traces of sadness within the mask of boredom she usually wore.

"Temari?" he asked tentatively, surprised she hadn't snapped at him already for invading her space.

"Kankurou…" she murmured, looking over at him. Tilting her head to the side, she studied him a moment before pressing on. "Am I a bad person?"

Kankurou stiffened. He didn't like where this was headed. This was certainly not his sister. When did she ever care what others thought?

"…You're not a bad person…" Kankurou told her truthfully.

"Why the hesitation?" she questioned, returning her gaze to the window.

"Uh, it's just…" Kankurou glanced at the door and wondered how long it would take her to close the distance between them and strangle him. "It's just that…you're not terribly nice sometimes, that's all."

Temari blinked. "Oh." She glanced over at him. "Shikamaru and I had a fight."

"And he said you were a bad person?" Kankurou asked in disbelief.

"No, he didn't," Temari said distantly. "Just that I need to work on how I treat others."

Kankurou shrugged. "Well, everyone does," he said.

"Apparently Tenten doesn't," Temari snapped bitterly before she could stop herself. Remember her brother's feelings towards her as well as realizing she was letting the girl get to her, Temari clammed up and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well," Kankurou began quietly, "you might just try talking to her sometime. She doesn't hold any grudges." He winced, realizing that such praise wasn't in his own best interest, but to his surprise, his sister sighed.

"I'll think about it," Temari murmured, turning her attention back out the window.

Not knowing what else to do, Kankurou left his sister to her thoughts.

-O-

"This is stupid," Temari muttered. She stood in the hallway, contemplating whether or not to knock on Tenten's door. It was less than twenty four hours since she'd last seen Shikamaru but she found none of her tension had disappeared. "I'm intimidated to talk to a girl I can beat up."

"Talking to yourself?" Gaara asked her, obviously coming upon her without her noticing.

Temari frowned. "Kankurou suggested talking to Tenten…I want to figure out why she's so important to Shikamaru. Why they're friends and all."

"What brought this on?" Gaara asked. Normally he wouldn't care, but his sister was acting very out of character and even though he wasn't quite concerned, he was curious.

"Shikamaru says I have no people skills," Temari simplified, not wanting to go into painful detail. "He also says I'm incapable of recognizing the good qualities in others if I fail to see why Tenten is strong."

"Well, Naruto has a lot of strength," Gaara mused. "And he's not too bright sometimes, but he's won the respect of many people through his spirit. Lee's the same way, I guess, although they're both annoying. And Tenten…is thankfully not annoying at all."

"You don't think she is?" Temari asked in surprise, partially because her brother usually took every opportunity to criticize others like her. He just wasn't deliberately harsh; to him his assessments were merely observations.

"No," Gaara said blankly. "She tries to get me to talk when I'm in a decent mood, but if I'm angry she gives me space. That's really all I can ask of other people."

"Oh," Temari murmured. This really wasn't the great revelation she was looking for. "So it doesn't have anything to do with how strong she is…"

"But I think that's exactly what Shikamaru was trying to say," Gaara said. "Naruto taught me strength isn't all about power because power can make you evil. And sometimes a person just doesn't back down because they have too much pride."

Staring hard at her brother, she crossed her arms. "I'm just going to get this over with," she muttered darkly, not noticing her brother's eyes widening slightly as her knuckles met the door.

-O-

Tenten heard the knock on her door distantly through the mind numbing haze that her kata had put her in. Not lowering her kodachi, she glanced over her shoulder to where the knocks persisted.

"Come in," she called out, staring another series of attacks. She lowered the blade at her side when she saw who it was.

Temari had caught the last few seconds of her practice, grudgingly admitting that if the girl had actually used a close-range weapon in the chuunin exam things might have been different. The girl's speed and taijutsu were far superior and in hand-to-hand would have held the advantage.

"Oh, hey," Tenten said, completely confused. Sleep, a good bath, and a run that morning had taken a lot of her negative feelings away, as did the realization that Temari was just being Temari. Just as Lee was always the first to defend and Neji was the first to dismiss, Temari was always the first to criticize. She was learning not to take it so personally anymore, but it was certainly challenging at times.

"Do you want to sit down?" she asked the blonde, then realizing that all the chairs in her room where covered with weapons. Shoving all the bladed weapons off the chair where they landed in a jarring metallic heap, she brushed it off as best she could before taking it over to Temari.

"Sorry, I usually don't have guests," she said, giving what she hoped was a winning smile.

"Thanks," Temari muttered, brushing off the cushion again before taking a seat.

"Um…" Tenten was wondering if she had anything that could vaguely be considered refreshments in her room. "I think I might have some chocolate candy…but I don't have any tea. I'm sorry."

Temari blinked. Her contemptuous words had been harsh even by her standards and now, less than a day later, the subject of her attack was apologizing for not having anything decent to offer as a host. "I'm fine."

Tenten studied the girl carefully. Though never on good terms, Tenten didn't hate or even dislike Temari. When she noticed that she wasn't getting a glare in return, she leaned forward. "Are you alright?"

"I said I'm fine!" Temari snapped.

To her puzzlement, Tenten smiled. "So you are." She cleared another chair and set it up a close but comfortable distance away from Temari. "I take it this isn't a social call."

Frowning, Temari felt her jaw tighten. "Shikamaru said I didn't treat you very well yesterday," she said finally, not meeting the brunette's gaze.

"No," Tenten said slowly. "But in all fairness I was at fault. Are you here to apologize?"

"No," Temari said a bit sharper than she intended.

"Good," Tenten said, smiling.

"Huh?" Temari was perplexed. "You don't want me to apologize?"

"Nope," Tenten said; smile still maddeningly calm. "I don't have much use for apologies, much less insincere ones. You wouldn't have meant an apology because I saw how angry you were last night, just as you're angry right now. And even if you regretted your outburst, which I know you don't, you did what you thought was perfectly valid at the time. Everyone does things they can be less than proud of but still not regret."

"This is stupid," Temari said dismally.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Tenten said sincerely. "But I'm not really that upset with you. I mean, it's just how you are. I'm really not in any position to hold that against you."

"You just think you're so much better than everyone else," Temari said darkly.

"No, not at all," Tenten said with a shrug. "People are just different, that's all. They all deserve respect but you've got to treat them in different ways. If I treated Gaara the way I treat Lee then that's just asking for trouble. Likewise, I recognize that each person I know won't treat me like the next."

"So it doesn't bother you that I'm disrespectful to you?" Temari questioned.

"I never said that," Tenten corrected delicately. "I'm saying that I recognize that due to different circumstances, people are different and I can't expect them all to treat me the same. Shikamaru treats everyone he meets respectfully, and I'm sure you just think he's being a doormat when in truth he's being civil and understanding that not everyone is capable of treating others with dignity."

"And that's supposed to make you strong?" Temari asked indignantly. "Just taking crap from others?"

"It makes you thick-skinned, yes," Tenten said, "but not necessarily strong. You just need to weigh how you're treated with what you know about the other person, I guess. I just like being polite to everyone."

"Because you're a simpleton?" Temari muttered.

"Because I can," Tenten said. "I mean, I don't have anything to gain by being rude to them. Besides, I've earned the respect of good people by acting kindly towards others."

"Like who?" Temari demanded.

Tenten smiled. "Shikamaru," she answered simply. "And he's someone that matters. I take pride in the fact that he respects me as a human being. And even though we tease each other a lot, I've come to accept him the way he is and he accepts me for how I am. And there's really no better compliment than to be accepted by others as you are."

Temari thought about this. Even Gaara didn't have any problem with Tenten…not that he was overflowing with love and admiration, but he respected her well enough. She couldn't think of anyone who disliked her besides herself.

"It's hard to take the world in stride," Tenten said. "I can't let every little thing bother me like you."

Temari opened her mouth to retort but realized she was right. Even when Kankurou teased her she'd let her temper flare up instantly and he'd be the victim of some kind of physical retribution.

Tenten continued. "Shikamaru has certainly said a lot of things that have pissed me off over the years…the first day I really had a decent conversation with him, he told me he wasn't sure if he could trust me because I bleed for five days and don't die."

Temari felt her cheeks turn pink. He'd said that?

"And then I asked him if I could trust someone whose blood left his brain every time he thought about sex. Shikamaru said "fair enough" and that was when our relationship began. We've obviously evolved since then, or at least I'd like to think. But relationships are hard to maintain, even when we're both as easygoing as we are, simply because people don't really have any "logical" reason to stay connected aside from their blood relations or working relationships. If I were to up and become, say, a painter, I'd never see him unless one of us made some sort of effort."

Temari considered this. Even though Shikamaru and Tenten in some ways were on the same personality wavelength, they weren't good friends because of some kind of magical cosmic connection. It took work. They did things for each other; Shikamaru would pick little things up for her when he traveled and she would clean his weapons or bring him lunch when he was stuck doing paperwork. She'd even play shougi and go with him, despite the fact they both knew her eventual loss was inevitable.

I guess you can't just keep taking without having to give something back, Temari thought. And really, what am I giving to Shikamaru? Annoyance? Amusement? Enjoyment? Why does he put up with me when I nag him about his laziness ninety percent of the time? We're both emotionally stoic sometimes, both apathetic, both bored. And it's not like I ever act like I'm happy to see him…

Standing up suddenly, Temari resolved that she would do something nice for him, even if it was small. Turning to Tenten, she nodded curtly.

"Thanks," she said without too much enthusiasm, though she felt better from when she'd first come in.

"Oh, Temari?" Tenten called, managing to catch the girl in time.

"Yeah?"

"The black lace bra was a big hit," Tenten revealed with a grin. "You probably shouldn't slip it into his bag next time, because when Ino volunteered to help him unpack she got a really wicked surprise."

Turning around, Temari thanked her for the tidbit of knowledge, but this time she smiled.

-O-

In the middle of his chess game, Shikamaru's concentration was broken when he felt a package drop into his lap with his name scrawled in loopy letters. He would have just let it go until he finished the match, but Lee urged him to open it. Despite the fact that latter possessed absolutely no skill, he was playing in an attempt to learn more and improve his game.

Naruto and Neji were watching; Naruto because he loved competitions and Neji out of pure morbid fascination. As far as he was concerned, Lee had no business playing chess with someone so much more advanced. He couldn't possibly be learning when he was getting so soundly beaten.

"Perhaps your package is from some secret admirer!" Lee suggested, giving him a thumbs up as he gawked at the small parcel in Shikamaru's hands.

"Or maybe it's a trap," Neji pointed out, a suggestion that was perfectly valid.

"Just open it!" Naruto yelled, not having gained one bit of patience in all his years as Jiraiya's student.

"Fine," Shikamaru sighed, pulling open the string slowly. Upon realizing what was inside, he abruptly shoved the package and its contents into his pocket.

"What is it?" Lee asked. When Shikamaru made no move to reveal what he'd gotten, Lee decided to take action. Darting across the table (and upsetting all the pieces of his doomed match), Lee wrestled the package from Shikamaru and held it up triumphantly.

"I have seized the prize you have so carefully guarded!" Lee proclaimed. Lifting the itme and holding it up, he yelped and threw it at Shikamaru upon figuring out what it was.

"I must say, my opinion of you has certainly suffered a blow today," Lee said, his cheeks bright red.

Shikamaru wished that he could crawl into a hole and disappear. It was bad enough that Lee knew what he'd gotten, but Naruto and Neji…they would never let him forget it.

"Tenten," he muttered darkly. She told her! I can't believe it!

"Those are Tenten's?" Naruto asked, laughing. "Well, I guess she's your type and all. She's not the hottest woman ever but definitely not a hag…"

Neji was looking at the scrap of black cloth Shikamaru was holding that ostensibly went under the label of panties. There wasn't enough material there to make a headband. He briefly considered the consequences of attacking and maiming his leader.

"My honorable teammate Tenten gave those to you?" Lee demanded, flames in his eyes as he shook his fist threateningly to Shikamaru.

Women are so, so troublesome, Shikamaru sighed wearily, but perked up when he saw Tenten approach. She could clear this up!

"Hey, what's up?" she said, completely oblivious to the looks of shock, aversion, and awe she was receiving.

"Tenten…" Shikamaru said warningly, holding up the panties.

Tenten laughed. "Sorry…" she said sheepishly. "I know it was wrong of me…but I just had to do it. Do you like them? I know how you feel about black lace."

Shikamaru felt, rather then saw, Lee's jaw hit the ground when she winked at her spikey-haired friend. He suffered the fury of the Hyuuga glare through Tenten's back and grit his teeth at Naruto's poor attempts to cover his chuckles. Shikamaru knew this whole episode should be funny, but for some reason he just wasn't laughing.

"Anyway, I was going out for a jog, so I'll catch you later," Tenten said, waving to Shikamaru as she ran off. She didn't even flinch at the four sets of eyes staring after her.

-O-

A week later, after Shikamaru had finally convinced everyone that Tenten wasn't the one who sent him the panties, he received a birthday package in the mail from Ino. She usually got him a gag gift, followed by a real one, but this year the first one she sent had been good. A silver pocket watch with a deer engraved on the front, he always carried it in his vest.

Pulling the string open on Ino's package, he almost fell over when he saw what was inside.

Not again, Shikamaru groaned inwardly, despite himself picking them up and studying them. A black lace thong greeted him.

"Hey, Shikamaru," Temari's voice called out. Though as feisty as ever, she'd been considerably nicer to him since their argument, and he sure as hell didn't need her reverting back to the way she had been. He stuffed the garment into his pocket hurriedly.

"What's that?" Temari asked, managing to hook a finger around a skimpy strap. Temari's jaw dropped when she saw what it was, and Shikamaru felt himself running before he was even conscious of doing so.Looking over his shoulder, he saw Temari was gaining on him.

Damn it, why couldn't I have just liked Tenten or something? he thought fervently. She'd never be as much trouble as this!

Shikamaru knew his troubles were just beginning he heard Temari one step behind him.

Upon waking an hour later, Shikamaru only had the energy to sigh. He was going to kill Tenten when he got up.