Confessions
Chapter 8
Temari felt herself slowly regain consciousness, shifting and using her basic motor skills that felt rusted. When she tried to open her eyes, she felt immense pain as light shot into them. Her head began to throb rhythmically; she could only hope that blocking out light would help.
This pain was a pain she recognized almost immediately.
She was laying down on a soft bed, but at the same time, she recognized it wasn't her own. Her hands heavily reached up to her head, searching for a pillow, one she found indefinitely. Feeling a tad relieved, she covered her head with it, shielding the light away.
She sighed, glad the ache had actually subsided since she began avoiding light. She moaned, upset that she had such a rude awakening. Maybe if she went back to sleep, she'd alright and actually sleep through the hangover.
"You're awake!"
Temari's eyes shot open immediately, despite the painful signal it sent to her brain. She cringed, hoping to ease it, but Temari was confused by that voice. It was familiar, but it wasn't that familiar.
The voice that had spoken to her was a man's voice. Her apprehension about her current situation was healthy but unwavering. Quickly, she ran through what her potential location could be.
Shikamaru's house?
No, not only because it wasn't his apathetic drawl, but there was no way that she was going to make it all the way to his Clan's Compound, drunk, and be let inside. Especially not after what had happened earlier that day.
This voice sounded so excited, so relieved, and comforting all in one; she just couldn't put a face to it.
Now she was concerned. What could she have possibly done when she was drunk? Did she sleep with a comrade?
Just when she thought she couldn't be more stumped, she heard the man's footsteps on the wooden floorboards approaching her. Unsure of what to do or how to react, she yanked the pillow off her head, jumping up as soon as he got too close for her unknowing comfort.
Temari jumped up, a kunai in her sleeve was now in her right hand, aiming at the throat of the person who had dared to approach her. Temari blinked unexpectedly, her eyes still blurred from the intoxicated state she had been in before, trying to reassure who she was threatening was who she thought it was.
"N...Naruto!?"
The future Hokage had not responded or defended himself from to her attack. He figured she was unaware of his surroundings and scared and uncertain about what had gone on and how she had arrived there.
Frozen in mid-walk, he had a glass of cold water in one hand and a bottle of aspirin in the other. He had come to relieve her hangover.
"Heh. Hey there."
The Sand Princess lowered her weapon and stepped back, officially confused and a little disoriented by the way she lost her balance so easily. She plopped back on his bed and tried to recollect the events prior to her falling asleep, but she couldn't retrieve those memories. Naruto relaxed and sat down the items he had brought for her on the nightstand as Temari let out an exhausted sigh.
"Do you want to go ahead and take some of this now? It'll help in the long run," he offered as he reached over to open the bottle of medicine for her. The Sand Princess looked over at him, her face blank and expressionless at the moment.
Her eyes only continued to follow his hands and his motions, still confused about what the hell was occurring. Why was she at Naruto's, in his bed, with a hangover, unable to remember anything?
"Here!" he held out the medicine to her and she reached her arm out robotically and took them. Passing her the glass of water, she chugged down as much as she could before she had to breathe again.
"... Thank you," she said in a hoarse tone. He nodded and sat back in the chair, putting his hands behind his head. Naruto laughed nervously from the situation of his throat almost being slit.
"I know we don't know each other all that well, but I didn't know that you'd actually try and attack me, especially since I spoke," he said in a joking manner. Temari's expression didn't change from uninterestedly blank. "I'm told I have an unforgettable voice."
Temari snorted when she placed the glass down on the nightstand.
"Yeah, only when you yell."
He laughed, this time he laughed an honest laugh. He even knew that his voice, when risen, could be extremely obnoxious at times. He was glad he had somewhat grown out of it.
The silence began to thicken in the room and Naruto didn't seem to mind it, so Temari felt obligated to break the ice before it got any worse.
"... How did I get here?" she croaked, her voice still hollow until she cleared her throat. Naruto looked at her, a little confused but at the same time, he remembered her situation.
"Ah, you don't remember. You were drinking at a bar; I walked by after hanging out with Hinata. I could tell you were upset and had drunk a few, so I brought you here," he explained as Temari slapped her forehead.
The first place she retreated is a bar? That must have been the behavior that Tenten was referring to before… Even she knew that she couldn't deny it any longer. She had to avoid alcohol. This was the second time she had been reckless with spirits and she couldn't allow it to become habitual.
The only reason I'm upset is because of him, she reminded herself, her thoughts wandering to Shikamaru. Her teeth gritted together and her fists clenched. She was her sadness seemed to have been replaced with rage.
This emotional roller coaster that she had been riding had pushed her to a new level of stress. She had to find a way to deal with it that didn't concern people around her.
Maybe I should go back to Suna... she thought to herself. She had threatened the Shadow Possessor, but she had only said it to be spiteful. It's not like I'll never come back. I have to go back. I think I might just have to go home early and come back later on when I feel better.
Would running away really solve anything at this point in time? Avoiding Shikamaru and her feelings of disdain towards him? The disdain that was borderline becoming animosity. In the same breath, she knew deep down that there was love. Despite all the damage he had caused, she knew how relieved she would be to hear his voice.
No, no, she reminded herself. That's the attitude that won't help this issue be dealt with. I need to make a decision.
Naruto, who had been watching her the entire time, saw her inner conflict going on in her head. The way her eyes flickered back and forth, the way her eyebrows knitted together, the way she bit her lip. Sighing, Naruto drew her attention back to that moment in time.
"Oh! I'm sorry. I just-"
"He's not worth this, Temari," he stated nonchalantly. Temari's heart almost skipped a beat.
"Wh... What did you say?"
"I said he's not worth this. Whatever this guy you're upset over is doing to you. I mean, he's a guy. A lot of guys just don't know how to handle a girl or her feelings. Maybe he hasn't matured enough just yet. But at the same time, if he's putting you through this, you can do so much better," Naruto said as encouragement.
Temari felt her chest swell. How did he know she was upset over a guy? What exactly did she say to him earlier? The fact that she wasn't able to remember anything wasn't making her feel any better.
"What did I say earlier?" she questioned with urgency thick in her voice. Naruto, a little taken aback, thought back trying to remember exactly what she had said. There had been a lot of crying and only a few words...
"Oh, you said something about how you hated how this guy led you on and you would have been fine if you guys had just stayed friends," he stated as if it was nothing interesting. She blinked.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
She sighed, relieved that Shikamaru's name was still shrouded. She really didn't like the idea of her telling Naruto all of their current situation. The only person who had all of that information was Tenten.
Tenten.
Temari gasped, realizing her friend was likely running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Reaching around in her yukata, searching for her cell phone, Naruto reached over from on his dresser and handed it to her. Temari, puzzled, continued to search through her call history to see if the Weapon's Mistress had tried to find her.
"I called Tenten from my phone when I saw that she kept calling you," Naruto chirped in just as Temari had started to dial her best friend's number. The Wind Princess paused, a faint smile painting across her lips. Naruto had a caring spirit, but she'd never known that he'd be so caring towards her.
"Glad to know you can babysit someone," Temari teased as she stood up. Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "I think I'd better get going before I wear out my welcome."
"I mean, I have a kid. I hope I can! And it's fine, really," he almost chimed instantly. They both laughed in unison before the woman held out her hand for him to shake. He looked down at it and blinked, confused at the gesture.
"It's... a than-oomf!"
Her face was planted into his chest as he gave her the tightest bear hug she'd ever gotten in her life. Her attempt to be formal was ignored and replaced with sincerity. Her face red from surprise, she had never hugged much of anyone; it kind of wasn't her thing.
But she had to say it felt good.
"You're lying."
Shikamaru scoffed and rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath how this discussion was such a waste of his time.
"What's the point of even asking me if you aren't going to believe the answer I give you?" he asked in a hazy tone. At this point, he wanted Tenten to leave him alone, but he knew what brought him to her house to get interrogated.
At this particular moment, he wished that Tenten knew how to stop mingling in him and Temari's personal lives. But he knew just like the Wind Mistress that that was likely to never happen.
He had come all this way to find out if Temari was okay and why she was with Naruto. That was all he cared about and yet Temari wasn't the topic of discussion at that moment.
"I won't ask you again. Where were you earlier? I expect nothing but the truth," she demanded.
"I told you, I was at the market, grabbing some things for my mom," he lied and she whacked him on the side of his head; his ear rang louder than any bell that he had heard. Grabbing it, swearing under his breath, Tenten tapped her foot. She knew how to tell when he was lying; she didn't understand why he still bothered to try.
"I was with Ino," he growled. At this point in time, he didn't even like saying her name. Tenten threw her hands up in defeat and paced for a few seconds. "What? You asked me where I was, and I told you."
Tenten's eyes narrowed, her nostrils flared.
"Weren't you saying how upset you were that you screwed this up, and yet, you run into the arms of the person who you said got you into this mess?"
Shikamaru didn't answer for a moment before simply replying in a questioning tone.
"Yeah?"
Tenten let out a scream of frustration. This man sure knew how to chip away at her sanity. This was the "so-called" smartest Shinobi of their generation?
"What were you doing with Ino?" she pressed.
"Excuse me?" he chuckled lightly. Shikamaru couldn't believe that Tenten had dared to go so far and ask him that. "That is definitely none of your business."
"I'm not asking again," she snapped.
"... Fucking." He spat back, out of spite.
Tenten gaped, in shock, almost as if she was unsure if she had heard him correctly. She sunk into the chair adjacent to Shikamaru, still trying to process what this meant.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"I don't get why you're being so dramatic," he drawled. "It was just sex, it's not that big of a deal-"
Somehow, he didn't see the Hyuga Bride move across to him. But he felt her fingers grip the inside of his Chunin vest and yank him by his collar. They both glared into each other's eyes.
"What?"
"Don't you 'what' me. I can't even fathom where to begin, Shikamaru. What the hell is your problem?" Tenten asked, her voice amazingly shrill. "You fucked Ino. And you expect me to try and help you fix things with Temari? "
Shikamaru's ears quirked when he heard her name, but he knew that the way her eyes cut back at him, she wasn't going to be helping him anymore.
"Why would I help you after you did what you did?" she asked. "What you just did?"
"Because I really want to be with her..." he said in a low tone, trailing off.
"You want to be with her? But you have no problem fucking Ino while she's feeling like shit right now, huh?" Tenten snapped coldly. Shikamaru cringed, starting to realize what Tenten meant when she said it was wrong.
"You need to decide. Now," she said in a demanding tone. There was no other choice.
"Decide-?"
"Yes, pick between Ino or Temari!"
"Right now? There's too much going on!" He almost whined. "Temari's still upset and Ino's still ..." He stopped talking when he realized he said too much.
"What? What is it?"
"No-"
"Don't you 'no' me, I want answers, and I want them now, Shika!" She seethed as he sighed.
"I said... That wasn't the first time I'd I slept with Ino," he admitted as Tenten's face became horrified. "But you don't understand, Tenten, I-"
"I don't understand what? That you're a pig?" she said in a slick tone. "I can't help you, Shikamaru, this isn't something I can just put aside and help you when Temari is feeling like this-"
"I didn't do it because I wanted to! Ino came onto me and I didn't know what else to do! Today, that was different, but, all this happened because of what happened on the mission," Tenten's face became more distraught the more he spoke. "We had sex on the mission, yes, but since then, she's had it in her head that we're dating now. It wasn't even supposed to happen that way."
Tenten blinked at him, her lips pursed together, her eyes holding a disappointed gaze, a distrusting gaze. She felt bad because she tried to push her best friends together, only to fail because the Nara wasn't mature enough for it.
She rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest.
"So you sat there, and let her do everything?" Tenten said in a tone that was barely higher than a growl. "All I've heard was it was her fault, Ino this and Ino that. Well, what was Shikamaru doing the whole time? You probably didn't even speak up for yourself. For what you wanted in the long run."
He started to feel the guilt seep in, realizing that the Weapons Mistress was right. He hadn't even tried to have any accountability. He didn't even deserve another chance with Temari if he couldn't make a conscious decision that would affect their entire relationship from that point on.
That was why he was sick of Ino. The girl who had been his friend throughout his childhood was suddenly the most intolerable person he had ever met. Because he blamed her for what happened between him and Temari when it was no one's fault but his own. Ino didn't even know that Temari had been waiting on him. He'd actively tried to hide it.
At this point, the only time he could stand to be around her was when he was on top of her. He had to end this whether he ended up with Temari or not. Otherwise, their friendship would be over.
"I don't want to be with Ino," he revealed finally, the Weapons Mistress looking up, intrigued by his statement. "You're right. I kinda hoped everything would run its course on its own, but now I realize that that can't happen if I want to maintain the friendship that Ino and I have."
Tenten sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes in a sympathetic way before shifting herself over to the couch beside him. She took his hands in hers and rubbed them in a consoling way.
"This is something you have to do. You're paying for your own happiness out the ass right now and you're risking losing them both. You're sacrificing what you want for what? Meaningless sex?"
Shikamaru shrugged.
"The sex is pretty good. Especially that thing-"
"Enough," Tenten cut it off quick. He shrugged sheepishly. "Do you remember what I told you on the phone? About Temari seeing Ino as competition?" He thought for a brief moment and nodded.
"Yeah, what's the deal with that? How-?"
"Before you came back, Temari was worrying herself sick about whether or not Ino was interested in you. It wasn't something she had thought of before because it didn't matter before, but once she accepted how she felt about you, she became intimidated. Your job when you got back was to reassure her that that wasn't so but now… Now that we have proof, well, we can't fault her," Tenten said in an annoyed manner.
"So... It was a love triangle?" he concluded. Tenten shook her head.
"Not was, you're in one right now. I can't explain Temari's feelings for her. I may be her best friend, but I don't think she has an outlet for her innermost feelings, especially about a situation like the current one at hand."
"Do you think there's any way I can fix this?" he asked in a hopeful voice. She shrugged her shoulders.
"We'll have to wait and see."
