To Get the Ex-Boyfriend's Blessing
Hi everyone! I hope you all had happy holidays, I know I did! My twelve crazy cousins are finally out of my house and I can finally pull together a chapter for you! Sorry for the wait! Thank you for being so patient.
"I'll come back soon," I said and reluctantly pulled my hand away from the tomb stone."I will be happy, for you and for me. You'll see, I promise."
A feather light breeze brushed across my face. It caressed my cheeks with gentle fingertips and I could have sworn, on everything I owned, on my life, and on my mother's grave, that I heard her voice. Her soft voice floated through my ears and warmed my body.
"My little boy..."
It must have been my imagination.
I searched the stretch of crowded streets, markets and restaurants for the familiar pink hair, but it was nowhere to be seen. I felt frustration sink in, tell me to track down missing nin and I'll do it in a heart beat. Find a girl whose hair is bright enough to be seen from miles away, and I'm lost.
My eyes did find a familiar couple walking down the moon lit side walk and I felt myself glare. Neji was walking down the street with Tenten in tow looking stoic as usual and I couldn't help but wonder how such an extroverted girl could be with a guy who would never show her affection. I shook the thoughts from my mind, why should I care? Sakura was top priority and I had no choice but to ask the devil himself for directions.
"Hyuga." I approached.
"Uchiha." He mirrored my emotionless face. Tenten looked back and forth between the two of us, as if she were watching a tennis match and Neji nodded to her, as if telling her something.
"You know what, I'm gonna check out the kunais in that store. I'll be back a little later." She told us and ducked away from the thick tension solidifying between us.
"That was not necessary." I said as the girl was out of sight.
"I believe that's a matter of opinion."
"The only reason that I am daring to be seen with you in public is to find out where Sakura is. Where is she?" I said, a slight edge in my voice.
"I will supply you with that information after we have a conversation."
"I don't appreciate being bossed around Hyuga."
"I don't appreciate your interest in Sakura," For a moment his placid, white eyes lit with fire, it was quickly doused before it spread across his face, "Sit." He pointed to a nearby bench and sat on the furthest side, leaving an ocean wide space for me to sit in. He sighed when I didn't move to sit.
"I'm not a patient man." I told him and waited for him to tell me where she was.
"What a coincidence, neither am I." He said and looked at me expectantly, as if he wanted me to say something.
Pent up frustration built in my chest and spread through my system, I hated the feeling of being taunted, of having something held over my head.
"What do you want from me?" I growled, but Neji only crossed his arms and looked at me with a calculating stare, as if he were evaluating my very essence.
"I want you to tell me why I should let vermin like you pursue Sakura."
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Shikamaru hopped from tree to tree and breathed long, slow breaths. His mind was clear and his heart was sure in its decision. He approached the door and let his doubt escape through another measured breath. He knocked on the door, it swiftly swung open, as if she'd had been waiting for his knock. Waiting for his decision
As soon as she saw his face, she knew.
"You chose that skinny little slut didn't you?"
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"Since when have you obtained the right to make that decision?" I spat with a heated glare.
"I've made it my right." Neji said with a feral growl, his too calm eyes sparked, daring me to object.
"I don't answer to you Hyuga."
"If you want me to approve of you and give Sakura the ok, then you'll do as I say." He replied and motioned to the bench.
"Excuse me, but aren't you Sakura's ex-boyfriend? You're opinion doesn't matter. You can sit on that bench all day, I'll find her on my own." I turned and began to walk away.
"My opinion doesn't matter?" Neji questioned from the bench, "When you left her crying, unconscious, and ruined on that bench who took your place? Who became her new best friend?" I froze in mid step and met his eyes with a furious glare.
"That is none of your business."
"It is my business, because we've grown close over your absence. And I believe, as a of fact matter I know, that my opinion of you carries as much weight as Naruto's. And you won't be given my support at the drop of a hat like Naruto's, you have to earn it. And if you want to earn it, you will sit down and convince me, that you aren't the piece of trash you were when you walked out of this village, carrying her heart with you." I stood there in complete and utter silence.
The thick anger in his voice seemed to carry over the crowds of people that passed us. The tension was heated enough to cause a few head turns.
"You're a jackass."
"Again, that's a matter of opinion. Sit down." I begrudgingly sat down on the furthest side of the bench.
"What will it take to convince you?"
"Tell me," Neji began evenly, "what do you have to offer Sakura?" I sat in silence and searched for the answer within myself, but I was drawing a blank. With a heavy tongue I spoke the first words that came to mind.
"I have enough money to support her every need." A frown curved Neji's lip.
"My home has more than enough living space for her to inhabit." The frown deepened as I stretched for more words.
"I-"
"The rubbish falling out of your mouth does not concern me, Uchiha. You're better off just surrendering Sakura now before you make a greater fool of yourself. If that's possible."
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"Well, just say it. Stop looking at me like that and just say it!" She put her hands on her well sized hips and Shikamaru was tugged into the memories of his arms wrapped around those hips, and her smiling face.
"Temari, please." He pleaded softly.
"Don't you start with that Nara Shikamaru!" He winced at the use of his full name. Why did he always fall for women who were like his mother?
"Don't be like that, I don't want it to end like this." Shikamaru was surprised by the fury that lit up in her eyes.
"Oh really, you don't want it to end like this? Well I don't want it to end at all! You spiky headed bastard! Get off my porch!"
"Temari I-"
"Get. Off. My. Porch." She growled fiercely through perfect, clenched teeth and slammed the door shut. Shikamaru stood in silence, staring at the beautifully carved door. He pressed a keen ear to it and heard the sound of pitiful, uncharacteristic sobs. He pressed a warm palm sympathetically to the door's intricate pattern.
"Temari." He said it as gently as he could, he could hear her sharp intake of breath from the other side of the door.
"What is it?" She choked out as strongly as possible.
"Are we still- are we," He stumbled childishly before taking a deep breath, preparing his words, "Are we still friends?"
"No." Her voice pounded through the door like a drum.
Shikamaru's heart dropped deep in his chest and he didn't bother trying to pick it up.
"Not for a few months." Shikamaru felt his heart revive itself again and his lungs suck up air.
"I can live with that." He smiled and pressed his forehead against the door.
"Just get off my porch Nara." He could hear the watery smirk in her voice and felt the ultimate comfort.
With that, he began to back away from the door. Before he made it down the first porch step the front door blasted open and she engulfed him in an affectionate hug from behind. He did nothing but let her hold him and touched his hand to hers. He was going to miss her terribly and she knew it. She reluctantly let go, recollected herself, and went back inside. Shikamaru stood still for a long moment.
There relationship was truly changing.
"If you're dumping me then take your crap out of my house!" Her voice boomed and his spare shuriken holster hit him squarely in the back of his head. Shikamaru rubbed his head and smiled.
But some things would undoubtedly stay the same.
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"What the hell is your problem?" I spat, "You asked me what I had to offer and I told you."
"Plenty of men could offer Sakura a nice house, some money, and worthless security. You think that's what me or Naruto or your sensei want for her? Aren't you supposed to be a prodigy?"
"I don't understand what you're asking of me." I said flatly, but I couldn't meet his eyes.
"You know what I want you to tell me. Either you can't tell me because you aren't the one for her or you're too much of a coward to admit it out loud."
"I am not a coward."
"Then prove it and say what you know out loud. If you just say it, you will obtain my approval."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." I said through gritted teeth and rubbed a hand through my hair to hide my sweaty palms.
"Say it." He urged.
"Shut up."
"Say it."
"It's none of your business."
"Just say it, I don't have all day." He rolled his eyes. I could barely hear my own whisper of the words he wanted to hear.
"Louder Uchiha, I didn't quite catch that." Mischief twinkled annoyingly in his pale eyes. So I said what I knew, as loud as I dared.
"I love her." Neji looked at me, his frown spread across his face into a thin line. Neither happy nor sad.
"How much?" He asked in a composed voice.
"More than anything or anyone in this world." A silence stretched between us and I scanned his expression. Again I found nothing. No relief, no joy, no anger, just acceptance.
"You have my approval." I stared at him in shock.
"That's it?" I raised a dark brow.
"That's it." He confirmed and got off the bench.
"Are you sure you don't want to hang me by my thumbs and torture me for information? The time is now." I said with a smirk.
"Just get out of here, before I change my mind. She's spending time at her mother's house, it's around where Naruto lives. The yard's covered in flowers, you can't miss it." For a moment he returned the lopsided, friendly smirk and I knew that our status as enemies was over.
"Ready to go Neji?" Tenten popped up out of nowhere with a bag full of kunai and a happy grin as she hugged him from behind. He nodded at her silently and they began to walk away. Again, as I watched them walk, without holding hands or arms wrapped around one another, I couldn't help but wonder how they could function. He was so serious and placid, she was somewhat goofy a bit ditzy even, still smart, but always happy.
It made me realize, that their type of couple would be an almost an exact replica of Sakura and I. One serious and stoic, the other happy and smiley, would it look funny when we walked together? Would we look mismatched like Neji and Tenten do?
But then I saw Neji reach for her hand and brush a kiss on her knuckles. She beamed up at him, smiling brighter than usual, and in some odd way, he returned it.
All of my doubts disappeared with them as they turned a corner, out of sight.
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Shikamaru stood at door number two and had been standing there for a good ten minutes. He was dancing from foot to foot and shaking like a leaf. He almost laughed at himself, he wasn't the least bit nervous when he broke the news to Temari, and shouldn't the giving of good news be a happy situation? He sighed and continued to dance on his feet. Why couldn't he just knock in the door? Why did this task feel like the hardest he'd ever encountered, in the entirety of his life?
"You've been standing here like an idiot for ten minutes." Ino said and Shikamaru jumped in shock. How had she opened the door without him noticing?
"S-sorry." Was all he could muster as he took in her appearance. No more blood shot eyes, just slight bags underneath each blue eye, and unhealed sadness.
"Listen, if you're here to break the news just do it. Do it now, so we can get this over with." She demanded.
"I'm not here to break bad news..." He said slowly. She crossed her arms, looking annoyed, she obviously wanted to get the heartbreaking over with.
"Then what for?"
"I wanted to tell you-to tell you. That I-I."
"Do you want to write it down, that works for all the eight year olds with stutters at the academy." She spat and leaned against her door frame. I glared daggers at her, couldn't she understand how hard this was?
"Would you just shut up for a second! I came here to tell you that I chose you, and now I don't know why because you're acting like such an ass!" There was a stunned silence that stretched on for miles. Then with a stoic look she retreated into her home and slammed the door.
Shikamaru stood there in complete shock and stared at the door. Then the door was thrown open again and Ino was putting boxes of his things outside the door.
"What are you doing? You heard me, didn't you? I picked you, why are you throwing my things out?" She didn't say a word, she didn't smile, or laugh, or shower him with kisses like he thought she would. She just kept putting boxes of his stuff out.Then she appeared at the door with some sort of list printed off the computer.
"What's that?" He asked in confusion and stared at the list that she'd thrust into his hands.
"That's a list of movies that I've deemed viewable. The one's highlighted in pink are my top five picks." Shikamaru gripped the list in his hands, still confused.
"Could you elaborate a little?" He said in frustration.
"Just because you picked me doesn't mean I'm going to throw myself at you, Nara Shikamaru," She said and sassily placed her hands on her hips, "You're going to have to start all over again."
"From the beginning?" Shikamaru whined.
"Yes, from the beginning. You're going to have to sweep me off my feet and convince me to take you back. And if it's too much of a challenge you can just go back to the sand whore."
Shikamaru sighed at the difficult times ahead. Having a first date all over again, it would be hell to the highest exponent.
"Well, do you accept the challenge?" She asked him with a confident curve to her lips, but Shikamaru could see a pleading in her eyes. Begging him to take her on, so they could go back to the way they used to be.
He stared at her for a moment, watching her squirm as he pretended to weigh his options. If she wanted him to sweep her off her feet, he might as well start here. With quick movements he pinned her against her door and placed his lips the smallest distance from her own. Close enough to hear feel sharp intake of breath as he pressed his forehead against hers.
"I accept your challenge." He said, and his lips touched hers momentarily as he spoke.
"Good." She sighed and just as she began to lean forward and arch her body against his Shikamaru backed off.
"I'll see you Saturday." He said over his shoulder and carried his boxes off her porch.
She stood there, flustered and annoyed, still leaning against her door for support. He smiled when he heard her growling obscenities at his retreating form and laughed.
Always leave them wanting more.
So, how was it? Is it up to par with the other chapters? And I'm sorry to those who wanted me to choose Temari, but the main reason I didn't choose her is because I know Ino's character better. So, I can write Ino better, honestly all I know about Temari is that she's a tough, in your face kind of girl. I haven't seen enough episodes on her to really write about her. But, I was really surprised that most of you wanted Ino, so at least the majority is happy.So Review please!
Tell me what you think! I'm so sorry for the wait, but my classes are annihilating me, I no longer get 4.0 GPA's no I get 3.7's and my dad is threatening to take my laptop away. I hope he doesn't...Please review! Make me feel less depressed about my dropping GPA!