Chapter 11 ... it's a short one, I admit it ... but I still hope you enjoy it :D:D


The weather outside was fine, not too cold and only a light breeze. I had decided to put on a black skirt that ended mid-thigh and a white blouse. Oh yes, I loved showing my body. I wore a dark-green and a red legwarmer, to make it a bit more funny. I longed to go outside, sitting in our small garden and watch the leaves fall down in the sun of the last warm days.

He talked, I scribbled, he finished a part, he looked at me, I asked things that were unclear for me. He continued reading after an explanation – it was a normal day. A normal Sunday with my favorite pineapple sitting in a room with me and explaining my absolute-non-favorite subject to me.

He was acting strange. I couldn't help it. He really was … I think he knew something new, about Akatsuki. But he didn't tell.

We were sitting in his livingroom, as usual and like every Sunday we would do three hours. Luckily the band tryout was at 16h. So … we would be ready at 14h at latest. Then I had still two hours to go home, get my baby and get to Ino's.

His arms were strange too – today. At least … his right one. He was right-handed and yet tried to avoid to move it. I decided to ask him during our little pause.

He looked handsome again – not like he didn't look handsome on other days. Dark, but handsome. A dark-green shirt and his usual black trousers. Really I wanted to get this shirt away from him. Ugh … stop thinking and concentrate on the damn subject.

I scribbled again but it was no use. „Stop." I sighed.

I had to collect myself again, working like that was impossible. He looked at his watch – I knew we already had two hours of the three. Argh … this was awful, again one hour with THIS! I mean … who had allowed him to be so … sexy, so … attractive?

I groaned and closed my eyes, leaning my head against the couch.

„Are you alright?"

„Yeah … I just … need a glass of water."

Yeah, water would be a good idea, it cleared the head. He motioned me to follow him into the kitchen and I did. Not as if I didn't know my way there. I already did, but he was kind of a good host. At least … he tried to be.

When he reached up with the left hand again I saw the difficulties he had in holding the two glasses he took out for us. He cursed when he realized that filling the glasses with only one hand would be difficult.

I went over and took the two glasses, filling them with water and handing him his.

„What happened?" I asked.

Now he couldn't deny. I had just showed him that I had noticed and really now … he hadn't be very careful to hide it.

„Bumped against the wall." He answered and lifted the glass to his lips.

I raised an eyebrow at him. It was easy to read him – and THAT was a lie. It was written all over his face that was hid behind a glass … more or less … and his body. I snorted.

„What?" He said, putting his – now – empty glass down.

„I bet you that it's a lie."

„What will you do when you lose?"

„Hmmmm…. Then I will take over Kankouro's and Gaara's laundry-duties. But I know I won't have to. So let's just talk about what you will have to do, when you lose." I tipped my chin.

„Ummmm … I …"

„See … I won." I chirped.

„But you haven't seen a thing!"

„You are searching for something that is doable in case that you lose … I'll help you. You have to try and beat Gaara in a lasagna-eating-contest … and I make the lasagna so you don't cheat again."

„O..okay."

„So … strip pineapple-man."

„Are you crazy?!"

„What? How do you want me to win if I don't see it?"

„Listen … my parents are in the house and … ungh … troublesome woman … where are you going …?"

„Your room, genius."

I pulled him behind me on his collar into his room, where I stopped dead in my tracks. His room was … cleaned! Pulling him inside I took around. Wow … actually his room was quite cool … I turned around to him again.

„Get that chemise off."

„No."

„You're a bad loser, is that it?"

„I'm not a bad loser, but … what are you doing?"

I had come over to him and was currently working on his upper knob, opening the chemise a bit more, second knob, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh.

TADAA! My pineapple stood in front of me. Chemise open and I could see his sexy torso. Oh my god. He was … gulp … well trained. Calm down, Temari. You just want to win a bet, it's nothing more. Just … cool down.

But even if I was telling myself to cool down, what my brain was thinking wasn't quite reaching my heart, which was right now, beating frantically. I swallowed again and looked at him. Composure, girl, composure.

„What you're not able to do it yourself, super-baby?"

He sighed and slowly got out of the left sleeve.

Yeah, strip, strip, strip, strip,st-

SHUT IT INNER SELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cool down Temari, cool down. He slowly tugged the shirt away from his torso and pushed it down his right arm, revealing a bandage on his shoulder. He threw the shirt on the floor and stood in front of me – bare chested.

Sexy – yum.

Don't say that.

I took his wrist and guided him over to the bed, motioning him to sit down. I then eyed the bandage.

„May I?"

He could always say no, I mean. In fact we knew from the beginning that I was right, but well. He nodded and I sat on his lap, straddling his waist. I sneaked my legs around him, so I wouldn't fall down. What was I doing?

Get going, girl, get going … this is the best cinema I've ever had

Talk about a helpful inner self. Carefully I opened the bandage and took it down. It revealed a freshly sewn injury. Looking up at him I growled at first and then …

Clash …

… slapped him right in the face. I could see he hadn't expected that, and his head was turning with my slap, but all he did was staring away. Not touching his cheek, not moving at all.

„What did you think not to tell me you stupid, stupid, stupid man." I snarled.

„I … didn't want you to worry."

„Lie." Again; he was lying to me again and it hurt. He was keeping the truth from me – again. „It's funny I can read you like a book. All the day. You hold something away from me, something you want to tell me but somehow you can't … I can read you Shikamaru and you are a stupid to think that you could keep it away from me."

„I … got attacked from Kisame and Kakuzu yesterday on my way home. I was able to knock them out but Kisame landed a hit nevertheless. And Kakuzu said that … if you contact them during the next fourteen days they won't use force when you come to them – with or without me. He said that they would leave you in peace during the next two weeks. If you refused he threatened with violence, as far as I understood it. I just wanted to take you to them in the next two weeks so you wouldn't … find out."

„I … why did they attack you?"

„I don't know." He lied I scowled at him and he knew that his lie had been detected once again.

„Don't, Shikamaru. I'll ask again – why did they attack you?" He sighed before he answered.

„It seemed they planned on kidnapping you and I was the only one to see you on a regular basis due to our Chemistry lessons. Well … that way I could tell if you would be missing and was therefore a threat."

My breath hitched. My fault. It was my fault that he had been hurt. I felt the tears coming. Everyone … I was hurting everyone around me. It had started in Suna with my friends. They had been threatened by my father not to come near me anymore and they didn't. If they did – or not to speak ring at the door – they would disappear for some days and reappear again. Shy, pale and hardly speaking. I got away from them not to hurt them.

When I came to Konoha half a year ago, the girls were the first to welcome me. They got to know me in school in the headmasters office, where they were asking for the music room to train in, but he refused. That was how I had gotten in the band. But we were only meeting once in the week and therefore I didn't really build up a bond to them. They knew my family maybe but they didn't know nothing about me, our story. That way they were safe.

And now … Shikamaru. I shook my head and started to cry silently. Why again was I living? Oh yeah, the boys. What would I do if it weren't for them. I doubt that I would still live. I stiffled a sob, but my shoulders already shook. Taking a deep breath I didn't dare to look into his eyes.

„I'm …sorry." I finally rung out.

He hugged me close and I cried into his chest. Why was he always seeing me cry? I opened up to him like I only did to my brothers. I was a danger to him for crying out loud! But as I sat there on his lap, pulled close to him and his strong arms wrapped around me, I couldn't help but feel … safe, held, protected …

My tears finally ceased and all that rested was hiccup and a flushed face. „I'm sorry, Shika." I whispered into the crook of his neck. He smelled good – a bit like lemon.

„What are you sorry for?"

„I … you got hurt because of me."

„Nonsense."

„No … if … if you wouldn't be my private teacher for … for Chemistry then you wouldn't be … injured."

„Yeah well but then it's Asuma-sensei's fault."

„It's not his fault I'm a zero in his subject."

„Well then … it's my parents fault for actually educating me to the freaking geek I am."

I laughed silently as I leaned against his chest. It felt so good, my cheek on his chest. I could hear his calm heartbeat. I loved it. I loved him. Wait … did I … love him? I think so … I mean … I almost always thought about him, and … no … I didn't love him. It was just the fact that we were suddenly spending much time with each other. It was just a silly crush. I would forget it as soon as we wouldn't work together anymore.

I touched the scar lightly with my fingertips. It was warm.

„Why is it … warm … almost hot…"

„In fact that is because the blood is rushing especially there. It is working to build up the flesh again."

His left hand left my back and went to the scar on my stomach. My heat missed a beat … or two … three? Four? Wait no … it was beating too fast to feel it …

„Yours is heating too, it's only natural."

Gosh did he know what he was doing to me? This moment … only his touches were giving me a feeling that just … flushed my whole body. It was … tingling somehow, making me grin stupidly, and wanting to kiss his chest – but luckily I had a whole lot of self-discipline – and hug him.

Right there … sitting on his lap, a hand on his scar, head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, his arm around me, a hand on my scar, his head on my head, I felt only lucky. So lucky like I hadn't felt like years.

I slowly guided my hand from his scar to his shoulder, to his neck and – reluctantly – got my head away from his chest. I smiled at him, my hand still on his neck my fingers softly touching his jaw.

„So … next time you have to try and beat Gaara without cheating, ne?"

He smiled at me. „Yeah."

„So … let's get back to work, ne pineapple?"

I – even more reluctantly – got down from his lap and went over to his shirt, to pick it up. Coming back to him I bandaged him carefully again and helped him into his chemise, closing it knob by knob.

„Now let's get back, ne?"

„Yeah …


„Yo Ino."

„Temari, you're too early."

„Like usually. Let me in please."

The portal buzzed and I opened it, closing it behind me and walking over to the door, that was opened by Ino.

„Say my dear Temari, did you met somebody today?"

„You mean besides the pineapple that calls himself my private Chemistry teacher?"

„You had a date with Shikamaru?!"

„Are you crazy? We met up for private lessons."

„Oh. … You dressed up for your private lessons like that?"

„Uhh … yeah? It's not forbidden now is it?"

„Say … do you want to look good for him?"

„Did you eat something funny today? I mean … he's my Chemistry teacher, hello. And by the way it's not like he's my type." Oh girl … fat lie … and you know she smells the lies …

„If you think so. Come in. Are you finished with your song?"

„Yeah … actually there are two, but I prefer the first. I can show it to you if you want."

„Of course I want, let's take a seat in the kitchen."


YAY!!! It's up ... a bit of fluff^^ and yeah ... this story is going to get a bit ... action ... anyways. Much thanks to NanamiTakashi, Kag3nui, Eicheulme, Secret Waltz and love4anime, who left five super reviews that encouraged me to wirte ^^ thx guys!!!! :-*

And well again ... please review ... and the next chapter'll be posted after five reviews^^ ... thx!!!

*~chuppa-chupzs~*