X: Unplanned Confession
Temari sat in her new office, the lights off, in the Sand's new embassy in the Hidden Leaf, overlooking the main square in front of the Hokage Residence, with a good view of the building itself. It had been a week since her appointment as Ambassador to the Hidden Leaf and she was still settling into her new role. It had also been a couple of weeks since she had last seen Shikamaru.
In fact she had been going to great lengths to avoid being around the Nara Clan Head. Ever since their last meeting had ended extremely awkwardly she'd dreaded their next conversation. She didn't know what she expected out of it, what she would say or what he would say, but she feared it, or at least she felt something close to fear. Fear of what specifically, she could not even say.
Temari heard a knocking at the door and swiveled in her chair to face it. "Come in."
The door opened slowly and Ino Yamanaka walked in, carrying a small stack of papers. "I've brought in some paperwork from the Hokage. He feels that the Sand might have an interest in some of this and he would like your opinion on them." The chunin placed the papers on Temari's desk and stepped back.
"Thank you," Temari said flatly, turning back to the window without looking at the papers.
"Something wrong, Temari?" Ino asked.
"Nothing," Temari answered quickly. "Why are you even here? You're not one of the Hokage's usual messengers."
"I volunteered," Ino replied. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Well, you've talked, so go," Temari said coldly.
"Oh, come on," Ino said, sitting on Temari's desk, picking up various objects from it and inspecting them nonchalantly. "Don't be like that. Besides, we have something of mutual interest."
"That being?" Temari asked
"Shikamaru Nara," Ino answered.
Temari breathed deeply through her nose. "Not interested," she said, feeling the pressure rising in her chest as she did. It was a lie.
"I'm just confused by something," Ino said. "When you came back to the village I was expecting you and Shikamaru to continue where you left up, but you seem to be avoiding each other."
"And how would you know that?" Temari asked.
"I have my ways," Ino said in a voice that was trying too hard to sound mysterious.
"Sure you do," Temari replied sarcastically.
Ino sighed in exasperation. "Listen, I'm just going to get to heart of things here." She grabbed Temari's chair and turned it around. "You and Shikamaru need to go out together."
"What?!" Temari exclaimed. "Shut up, you-you don't know anything!" she added defensively.
"I don't know what is about you two," Ino said with an exaggerated shrug, "but you keep pushing it right to the point making things happen, but never actually do."
"Shut up!" Temari yelled, standing up and slamming her hands on her desk. "Get out!"
Ino sighed in resignation, getting off the desk and walking towards the door. "Fine, but don't say I didn't try to help you."
As Ino closed the door behind Temari took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She looked at papers that Ino had delivered. There wasn't much, only about a half dozen cases which might involve the Sand.
It was the last case that caught her eye. "Some rogue ninja from the Sand, huh?" She placed the file to the side and turned back to the window without giving it a second thought.
Shikamaru sat on top his roof, looking up at the clouds rolling by. It took his mind off of everything else, including Temari. That was the most important part.
"Shikamaru!"
The Nara Clan Head looked down to see Choji down in front of the house, waving at him enthusiastically. Shikamaru returned the gesture in a more mild manner.
Choji leaped up to the roof, landing next to his best friend, causing the building to shake slightly with the impact. "What's up, Shikamaru?"
Shikamaru opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a shout from inside the house.
"Shikamaru, what the hell are you doing up there?!" he heard his mother screaming.
"Oh, sorry Mrs. Nara," Choji responded, "it was just me."
"Choji?" Yashino yelled back. "Oh, ok." There was a momentary pause and Shikamaru thought that was it, but then his mother yelled out. "Is Temari is with you?"
"What?!" Shikamaru exclaimed. "Mom!"
"No, I'm afraid not," Choji answered. "I'm here to talk about that, actually."
"What?!" Shikamaru exclaimed again. "Choji!"
"Oh?" Yoshino yelled back. "Good luck with it, then!"
Shikamaru looked up at his best friend. "Choji, I don't want to talk about…her."
"Sure you do," Choji said as he sat next to his friend, "even if you don't, you need to."
"Agh, this is such a drag," Shikamaru said as he laid back down. "What do you know anyway?"
"Shikamaru, I'm your best friend," Choji answered, " in some ways, I know you better than you know yourself."
"And this is one of those ways?" Shikamaru asked.
"Apparently," Choji replied.
"Uh-huh."
Choji sighed heavily. "Listen, Shikamaru…"
Choji was interrupted by a loud rustling coming from behind the house.
"What was that?" Shikamaru asked aloud as he turned to look. "It one of our deer! It's injured!" He jumped down from their perched and ran to the animal's side.
"This was done by a shinobi," Shikamaru said as Choji approached. "You go and inform the Hokage and I'll go in and investigate."
"You got it, Shikamaru," Choji replied, taking off to as he'd been told as Shikamaru walked cautiously into the forest.
Temari had been sitting quietly in her office when she heard the sound of running. Turning to the door just in time to see it burst open, she saw Ino standing in the doorway, panting.
"Temari…," Ino said between deep breaths, "there was…an incident."
"What kind of incident?" Temari asked
"A rogue Sand ninja has been…apprehended…on Nara land," Ino answered, finally catching her breath. "It's…Shikamaru…he's…at the hospital," she added in a worried tone.
"What?!" Temari exclaimed. Various scenarios ran through Temari's mind and immediately the worse of the lot gripped her. Without another thought she headed towards the hospital with all haste.
In a matter of moments she had reached the hospital, bursting through the doors and running to the front desk.
"Shikamaru Nara!" Temari demanded.
The woman attending the front desk looked back at Temari, confused. The only thing that the Sand kunoichi could think of was why this was taking so long.
"Oh," the nurse said as realization hit her. "He's in room 113, but…"
Temari did not wait for a response nor did she respond herself. She took off once again down the hall, turning the corner and reaching room 113. Tearing the door open and bounding inside, she saw Shikamaru and embraced and held him tightly, tears welling in her eyes. "Shikamaru! Are you ok?!" The fact that he was standing there uninjured had not occurred to her.
Shikamaru, after getting over his initial surprise, reciprocated. "Um…yeah…I'm…fine." Across the room was Sakura with her mouth hanging open, completely taken aback by the sudden show of affection.
"Um, what?" she asked. "Excuse…me?"
Temari suddenly processed what was happening and released her hold on Shikamaru. "So…um…" She cleared her throat in an attempt to sound dignified. "…uh…what happened here?"
"Uhhh…" Sakura began, "well…um…you see…this is a rogue ninja…from the Hidden Sand."
Temari gave a quick nod to show her understanding, feeling her cheeks redden as the embarrassment hit her. Shikamaru inched away from her, trying to keep his attention on the corner of the room furthest from Temari, his own cheeks growing steadily redder.
"He…uh…" Sakura continued. "You know what? Shikamaru can explain this better than I can," she said quickly.
"What?!" Shikamaru exclaimed.
"Yeah, go ahead," Sakura said.
"Um…sure," Shikamaru replied. "You see, there was a disturbance in our forests. You know them, right? Of course you do, what am I saying?" He took a deep breath. "When I'd found him he was unconscious and surrounded by deer…and…um."
"Ok," Sakura said, "I'm just going to step outside and leave you two alone." She then went out into the hallway, closing the door behind you.
"What was that?" Shikamaru asked once they were alone.
"I don't know," Temari answered, "I just heard that you were at the hospital and I just thought about you being hurt and I couldn't stand it…I…I." She took a deep breath and looked down at the floor.
"There was nothing to be worried about," Shikamaru said reassuringly, holding her gently by the chin and lifting her face him so that he could look at it.
Temari nodded. She knew that the list of shinobi that could beat Shikamaru in a fight was short, but she hadn't been thinking. She wasn't going to think now.
"I love you, Shikamaru Nara," she said quickly. "For years and years now, even if I didn't realize it. I never want to lose you and...I want to be with you."
"Wow, uh," Shikamaru said. Before he could finish the Sand kunoichi had planted her lips on his, kissing him fully and deeply.
Temari focused all her attention on this action, this moment. Vaguely, she could hear the rogue ninja stirring awake and saying, "What the…where am I? The last thing I remember is those damn deer and then… What the hell?! What the hell is going on?! Get me out of here!"
Sakura closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. Looking up she saw Ino walking towards her, a smug look on her face.
"Did Temari just go in there?" Ino asked as she approached.
"Yeah," Sakura answered, "running as if some sort of demon was chasing her. Was this your doing?"
Ino smiled widely and proudly. "Yes. A fine bit of acting on my part, I might say."
Sakura nodded and put an ear to the door, trying to listen in. "I wonder if they're finally going to say something. You know, confess."
"You know they will," Ino said. "The only people who haven't seen it are them and…" She was interrupted by the sound of yelling from inside the room.
Sakura hurriedly threw open the door and ran in, followed by Ino. Inside they saw Shikamaru and Temari involved in some very intense kissing and the rogue ninja strapped to the bed, yelling and screaming to be let out. The two medical ninja just stood there, confounded by the whole scene.
Shikamaru broke the kiss when he saw the Ino and Sakura, stepping away from Temari, blushing.
"What?!" the rogue ninja yelled. "Is it normal to have make out sessions in hospital rooms around here?!"
Temari turned to the two medical ninja. "Just send him back to the Hidden Sand," she said quickly, "we'll take care of him." She walked out of the room at a brisk pace.
Shikamaru looked around awkwardly between the other people in the room. He then left without a word, following Temari.
Ino smiled at Sakura. "I'd say it worked pretty well."
"Will you just get me out of here!" the rogue ninja yelled.
"Oh, right!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Temari!" Shikamaru yelled, catching up to her just outside the hospital. "Wait. I want to talk about what happened in there."
"I know," Temari said, "it was stupid. We're from different villages, there's no way that we could work together. It would be like walking a tightrope all of our lives. Just ignore it, the delusions of a girl who should have learned to be a woman by now."
"No," Shikamaru said, grabbing her by the arm. "I love you too. I don't know what it is, but you…complete me." He released his grip. "And I want to make it work out, drag that it may be. Besides, Sand and Leaf relations are better than they've ever been and once Naruto takes over they'll only get stronger. We'll make this work."
"Ok, then," Temari said. "Well, um, I have some work to do but, um…do want to get some dinner afterwards?"
Shikamaru smiled at her. "More than ever before. This time, it really will be a date."