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Chapter 10: The Good of the Village

It was 4am when Serena heard banging at her door. She yawned getting out of bed, turning on a light and heading to open the door while yawning again. It was dark outside and she was squinting since she was still asleep in her mind.

"T-Temari?" She asked yawning again. She noticed her blonde ponytails in the light coming from the side street light, "Is everything okay?"

"I needed someone to talk to…and you're the first person I thought of." She answered. Serena could hear the sadness in her voice.

"Okay, yeah, come on in." She said moving aside. Temari walked in and sat down on the couch, "Do you want anything to drink or eat?"

"No, thank you though." She answered. There was a bag on her side and she didn't take it off. Serena made herself some tea and sat down across from her.

"What's going on?"

Temari sighed. It looked like she had been up for days, "It's Shikamaru. I don't know who else to turn to…and I know you two dated in the past, so you sort of know him better than his friends." Serena nodded, "He filed for divorce. I don't know what's going on with him."

Serena knew, but did she really want to say it? She took a sip of her tea, "He's in a pretty bad spot. I've never seen this side of him."

"He was never like this when you two dated?"

"Honestly?" She asked as the other woman nodded, "No, the complete opposite in fact. He was a great guy and I'm sure you saw that side of him in the beginning."

"I did, and then it slowly turned into what he is now. It's like I woke up one morning and the person I married wasn't there anymore."

Serena's heart went out to Temari. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve everything that he was putting her through. She stuck by his side for four years and this is how he repaid her? Alcoholism and divorce papers. She felt uncomfortable though, Shikamaru was still married and they had slept together. Now his wife was sitting in her living room talking to her about everything.

"I know what you mean," She answered talking about herself. Sometimes she didn't know who she was looking at half the time.

"I just don't know what to do. That's why I came so early, I didn't want anyone seeing and then word getting back to him."

"Well I won't tell him," She promised, "But truthfully, I think you should leave him," She gripped her tea tighter, "You don't deserve that. Shikamaru can be very spiteful, he did it to me in the past. You're a wonderful person and you'll make someone so happy. You won't wake up every morning feeling down because of who you're married to. He won't wear you down anymore."

She began to cry and it was the one thing Serena had hoped wouldn't happen, "But I love him. I know it's so drawn out but it's true. I keep thinking he'll change….but his father keeps telling me just leave, that's for the best. I thought he'd be on our side…help us fix our marriage. But he says it's just better for the entire village if we just pull the plug….something about shame on our families or whatever."

It was at that moment Serena saw a mirror image of herself almost….and it terrified her.

Flashback

"You can't keep it! You're only 17!" The man yelled at Serena as she sat there, crying and pleading with him, "What will the village think?"

"I don't care about what the village thinks!" She shouted back. They were in the Hidden Rain village waiting to have the procedure. She was sitting on the table in the gown, trying to get him to reconsider.

"How can you even say that? Do you not care about your reputation as a shinobi? How people will react to him?"

"Of course I care about what they'll think of him, but we'll make it work."

"Do you even know if he wants it? You didn't even tell him. How do you know everything will work out and you won't just end up a single parent?"

"You know him better than anyone, how could you not answer those questions?" She asked trying to catch her breath from crying so hard.

"The relationship I have with him is different than the one he has with you. If you proceed with this you'll be giving not only yourself a bad name, but for the entire village. A child out of wedlock….and at that age."

"And how do you think he'll react? When he finds out you've forced me to do this!" She shouted at him.

"You're really going to tell him? After you made me swear to never tell him…you're willing to do all of that? Break up an entire clan over something? How do think the clan will accept it once it's been born?"

"This isn't fair. He doesn't even get a say!? I thought I could trust you! I thought you would help us!"

"I'm helping you both not make a big mistake. Its for the good of the village. No will have to know. And if you decided to tell him, tread lightly. You'll bring so much shame onto my family as well as Kakashi."

"But I love him! And he loves me! We're meant to be together!" She cried as the doctor came in.

"Are we all ready Shikaku?"

He nodded as Serena began to squirm and change her mind. She didn't want to do this anymore, she wasn't gonna go through with it. He held her arms down and two nurses came in to help keep her legs steady. She screamed and screamed the entire time but no one seemed to care. It's for the good of the village.

End Flashback

For a minute she felt sick. She had pushed that memory so far out of her head she had almost forgotten that it was Shikamaru's dad who forced her to do it and yet she still met with them. She was inviting him to her wedding…knowing he was the one behind it. But she had to bear all the blame. She thought she could trust him…he was blood related to them. But he only looked out for his family…and their reputation.

There was never any way she could face Shikamaru. She tried to end things but he just always wanted to work it out. So she told him her decision. The way he looked when she told him broke her heart, but she couldn't tell him it was his dad who made the decision for them. She never told anyone…except Sakura. After it happened she couldn't keep it all in, the depression and guilt was eating at her.

"Serena? Are you alright?" Temari asked wiping her eyes. Serena looked at her.

"What? Oh yeah I'm sorry," She apologized, "Trust me, leaving someone when you still love them is hard. Harder than anything you'll ever do. But if you know it's for the best…for both of you…then you just have to bite the bullet. It'll hurt for awhile…but one day you'll wake up and that hurt will be gone. You'll be able to live your life again."

"And what if the feelings and hurt come back? How do you deal with it then?" Temari asked as Serena finished her tea and put the cup on the coffee table.

"I don't know…" She said slowly, "I haven't gotten through that part yet."