Disclaimer: I only own my OC(s) and the twists and turns along the way.

Marionette

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The wedding was to be in five days. After my drunken night out, Temari had given me one of her speeches and a slap on the wrist—I just stood there and took it. I hadn't seen Kankuro since that night at the hotel. I didn't regret saying what I said, not after some thought.

I sat on the stairs outside of the apartment building and lit a cigarette. Temari wanted me to kick the old habit that I'd picked up from my late Sensei. I didn't want to, so I smoked far away from her. My games of logic were lost when I went to Sunagakure—no one had time for petty games. That's what all my hobbies seemed to be to Temari. Petty.

"I brought you by some fruit salad," my father greeted me, a plastic container in hand.

"Temari's upstairs," I answered in a bored tone.

"For someone marrying the love of his life, you don't look very happy." He sat the bowl down and took a seat next to me.

"She wasn't the person I thought she was," I sighed and flicked my ashes to the wind.

"Your mother wasn't the woman I thought she was either," he admitted with a chuckle. "I can't say that we always agree, but I'm glad to have her. Hell, I got a genius out of it," he said and nudged me in the side.

"Would you marry her again?" I took a long drag off the cancer stick and stared off down the busy street.

"Sometimes, I think that I wouldn't. Don't ever tell her that," he said in a serious tone.

"I don't love Temari, Dad," I said as I looked over at him.

"I figured you were having second thoughts. That's why I offered to bring the fruit salad over," he said with a smile.

"I love Kankuro." His smile faded and he sighed.

"We can't help who we love. I know people frown on children outside of wedlock, but you're welcome to stay with your mother and I if you need to get back on your feet. You've always been at least five steps ahead of everyone else. What are thinking now?" I put my cigarette out on the concrete step and got to my feet.

"I think I need to stop being so laid-back, if only for this once," I smiled and took the bowl of fruit salad from his hands.

"I'm going to go console your mother. She wanted to kill you for your drunken performance!" I watched my Dad walking away, and I knew that something good was going to happen.

I kicked open the door to the house as I juggled a handful of mail and a bowl of fruit salad. Gaara and Koito sat on the sofa. It looked like Koito had weaseled Gaara into playing a game of cards.

"Mom made a fruit salad," I said and slid the bowl onto the counter.

"Great. Have you seen Kankuro?" She was trying to read from a cookbook as she shook some seasoning into a boiling pot.

"Not since...no." I hadn't been in the same room with Kankuro since our night at the hotel.

I didn't see a point in calling off the wedding if Kankuro didn't feel the same. Delaying the inevitable was my style—I was a procrastinator of sorts. Since Kankuro hadn't told me his feelings, I couldn't wait any longer.

"We should talk," I sighed and ran my hands over my face.

"Can you catch me at a better time? I'm trying to cook your dinner," Temari snapped and flipped the page of her cookbook.

"Can you leave the stove for five minutes?" I looked over her shoulder and figured the boiling mess could use time away from her constant stirring.

"No, I need to make sure that it's blended right. The book said-," I couldn't take it anymore.

"Forget the damn cookbook! WE NEED TO TALK NOW!" I shouted.

She dropped the spoon she had been using and turned to me in shock. Koito was about to reprimand me for shouting, but Gaara gently shook his head. I didn't want an audience. I wanted to say what I'd needed to say for—well, since the whole engagement process.

"You should get back to Lady Tsunade with her sake, shouldn't you?" Gaara was shoving Koito out the door with the only excuse he came up with.

"Did you have to embarrass us like that? What is so important that it couldn't wait, Shikamaru?!" Temari frowned and tapped her foot.

"I can't marry you." As those words left my mouth, I no longer felt as if I were drowning.

"Now you're getting cold feet. Can I console you later?" She went from being pissed off to being flirtatious.

I moved as she tried to embrace me. If she touched me, I'd have had second thoughts. I didn't want to end up trapped, like some caged animal. I was a grown man, and I was breaking my second heart in less than a month. The first, of course, came when Kankuro flat out rejected me.

"We have the place booked, we have the decorations, the clothing, the vows...," Temari rambled with a broken expression on her face. "Why are you doing this? Why now?!" Temari was crying—it was the first time I'd seen her cry, and I had caused it.

"Because he doesn't love you," Gaara spoke as he walked into the kitchen. "Asking him to marry you when he doesn't love you is a little demanding, even for you. He was nice enough to tell you instead of having an affair later down the line. Don't you think you should wipe those tears and finish dinner? It's going to burn." His way with words was a little harsh, but amazing.

"Sometimes, I wonder how I'm related to you...and then you say something like that," Temari smirked and went back to the stove.

I found myself sighing in relief, and Gaara smiled at me as he turned and strode out of the kitchen. Temari may have been overbearing and hostile at times, but she was just like every other human being. She deserved someone that could love her back. Maybe that person would like her sarcastic charm.

"Who is she?" Temari asked as she stirred a pan of noodles.

"What?" She obviously thought I had been cheating on her with another woman.

"You would have married me just for the kid. I know you, Shikamaru. As long as you got to be lazy and had a few nights with the guys, you would have overlooked all our problems. I'll ask you again, who is she?" She had a rather sly smile on her face, and I found myself blushing at her mannerisms.

"There's no girl, Temari," I shrugged and shoved my hands into my pockets.

"Now you're lying to me," she frowned and turned the stove off.

"No. There's no woman in my life, other than you, when we were engaged," I said nonchalantly.

"Just tell me!" She was always curious, it was one of the things I liked about her—her wit, I mean.

"It was Kankuro," I admitted as I looked into her eyes.

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Author Rant

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This turned out to be a rather short story. There is one more chapter after this, and the Epilogue is included at the end of that chapter. I didn't enjoy leaving my readers hanging because of my sudden lack of inspiration, and I think that's why the story ended up being a short one. I really like the Epilogue, and I'm sure others will as well. I'm sorry if people wanted the story to be longer, but I forced myself to at least finish the story.

Final Chapter: Bittersweet

How will Temari react? Does Kankuro ever accept Shikamaru's love? What does the future hold?

Reviews are loverly!

Ja ne.