A/N: The room is dark. Suddenly, bright disco lights spring up all over. There is a figure in the middle of the dance floor, a bright purple, sparkly tophat tipped over his face, in a sparkling suit of the same color, and looking rather dashing. He looks up at you and…
It's not a he. It's a she. Who is she?
It's meeeeeeee!!
Yes, that's me: purple tuxedo, machine gun and all…or I could just be the average person. You make the decision.
-
Lantern Moon,
Heart Phase:
Remembrance
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"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die."
-Mel Brooks
-
"Temari, listen to me!"
Temari crossed her arms and glared at Shikamaru. "Look, it's not my fault that we have to leave, alright? What Gaara's decided is what goes, and I'm not crazy enough to pit myself against my little brother."
"Troublesome woman, you're the one who begged him to go!" he retorted.
"It's the only way!" Temari shrieked. "I can't fight you, Nara Shikamaru! I would rather go than hurt you!"
"You're already hurting me," Shikamaru muttered. Next thing he knew, Temari had walked forward and cupped his face between her hands, kissing him. After about two seconds, he decided to kiss her back. His hands slid down to her waist and tugged slightly to pull her closer. She obliged, snaking her arms around his neck. He pushed her against one of the bed poles, one of his hands going to her hair.
After several more blissful moments, they broke apart. "Heh," Shikamaru smirked. "Is that your way of getting me to forgive you?" Temari smirked back.
"Maybe. Am I forgiven?"
Shikamaru considered. "That depends…" he said slowly. Temari raised her eyebrows.
"On what, exactly?"
He kissed her again and she obliged happily, pressing herself closer to him, knowing full well that by tomorrow this time, she would have left and they would most likely not be seeing each other again for a very long time. He leaned sideways slightly to kiss her jawbone. She sighed.
"Just don't forget me, alright?" she said playfully. He smirked.
"You think you're the type of woman that I can forget? You're too troublesome for that," he muttered. She actually smiled at this.
"Ah, troublesome-this, troublesome-that," she complained, though only half-heartedly. "I suppose you'd say me leaving is troublesome too."
"It is," he replied honestly.
"What about the blonde girl?" she inquired, this time her voice slightly tentative. Shikamaru pulled back to see her face fully, his slightly confused.
"Ino?" he echoed.
"Yeah. She likes you, right?" Temari questioned. "It's just a little obvious," she added on sarcastically. Shikamaru sighed.
"Ino's my best friend, Temari. But nothing more." Temari smiled slightly up at him.
"I thought so. But I had to be sure, you know? I'll miss you," she said, though her voice wasn't sappy or tearful like it might have been. It sounded more like, If you don't come to visit me then I WILL FIND YOU and strangle you, Nara Shikamaru!
He laughed. "Yade, yade…"
"Troublesome woman," they said at the same time. Temari smirked.
"You're too predictable."
-
Night fell.
The stars found Shikamaru and Temari sitting outside under the tree in the front yard where so many things had been set into motion. They sat staring up at the glittering cosmos, each lost in their own heart wrenching thoughts of tomorrow.
"I'm going to die," Temari finally groaned, banging her head back against the tree trunk.
"Heh," Shikamaru grinned. "You'll miss me that much?"
Temari slapped him on the arm. "Yes! Seriously…" she trailed off, staring at him through the darkness that separated the two of them. Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head. They leaned forward and kissed easily, his hand around her waist under her shirt, their legs intertwined.
"Temari, you troublesome woman," he smirked. "I'll miss you much more than you'll miss me. Ino's been having a field day."
Temari raised her eyebrows. "Your friend's not the friendliest of people."
Shikamaru laughed. "Ino's a bit exuberant, but she's okay most of the time."
"I think she's a preppy little-" she stopped at Shikamaru's expression. "What, you don't think so too?" She laughed. "Seriously, I thought you would figure out that she's clingy and that you're above her."
"Temari," he said slowly. "Ino is perfectly fine. She may be troublesome at times…but we've been through a lot together. She's much more than she seems at first glance. Don't insult her."
Temari rolled her eyes. "Why not?"
"Because she's important to me, just like you are!" Shikamaru exclaimed, his usually laid back expression slightly more energetic than usual. Temari drew back slightly at this outburst.
"I can't see why," she muttered. He stood abruptly.
"I'm going inside."
-
"Shika? Are you okay?" said a curious Ino as she poked her head into the living room. Shikamaru was flipping channels lazily, though he was scowling slightly. She sat down next to him when he didn't answer.
"You still upset that she's leaving?" she questioned, guessing at the obvious.
Shikamaru sighed. "I don't know how to deal with this."
"Well, you could follow her," Ino said slowly, though every word of this particular suggestion seared her tongue. "There's…nothing…stopping you," she said quietly.
He smiled slightly at her. Ino, panicked that this meant he liked her suggestion, clenched her hands into fists and widened her eyes.
"Or…maybe you could get her to stay here?" she suggested, though this particular suggestion also did not seem altogether pleasant.
Shikamaru sighed. "I'm not talking about that."
Ino blinked. "Oh? Then what are we talking about?"
"Temari hates you," he said. "You hate Temari. I love both of you."
She laughed. "Temari wouldn't be too happy to hear that you love two women." He sighed and pushed her.
"Ino! You know what I mean. You as my best friend, her as…" he sucked in a breath.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ino said quickly. He glanced at her casually out of the corner of his eye.
"But you're not constantly insulting her," he observed. "Well, at least not out loud. You don't like her, but you don't try to kill her either." Ino fidgeted slightly at this, remembering Tenten's attempt to beat up Temari, (granted, that had been a bluff, but…). "You should hear the things she says about you…"
Ino smiled grimly. "I'm sure they're wonderful."
Shikamaru fell back into the couch. "I love her, Ino."
Ino felt icy cold on the inside. She knew that Shikamaru didn't like her, but hearing him say that he loved Temari, with that tone of voice…it wasn't something that she could handle very well. She gulped to keep from crying right then and there.
"But…if she doesn't stop hating you so much, I think it might be better if she left," he said slowly.
Ino blinked rapidly. Two, then three times. Then, "….what?!!" she squeaked.
Shikamaru stared at her in surprise to her outburst. "I said…if Temari left, maybe it would be better for you. I don't think I can take any more of being in the middle. Troublesome women," he muttered.
"I know what you said, but…" Ino shook her head. "Didn't you just say that you loved her? And you guys are always making out all over the place."
Shikamaru turned slightly red at this remark, but didn't comment on it. "It is out of my power of whether Temari will leave or stay already, regardless of my feelings," he said slowly. "It would be easier for me, for you, for the Pack and for Temari if I just…let go."
He closed his eyes. "Not that it's not troublesome."
"Shika…" Ino said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You don't always have to be the one that gives up everything just to make other people happy. You don't have to do this for me."
"Don't flatter yourself, who said I was doing it just for you? I just said, it's for me and Temari and the Pack as well," he protested.
She smiled. "Right. But you still don't have to be so heroic, if it makes you sad."
He smiled back at her. "Ino…"
-
The next morning, the other Pack stood on a hill, one mile from the Orphanage. Neji's Pack stood at the bottom, looking up at them and squinting through the rays of a rising sun. "So they're really leaving, huh?" said Naruto softly, shielding his eyes. Tenten nodded next to him.
"Yeah. Kinda hard to believe."
Shikamaru and Temari were in the shade of the hill, apart from both of their Packs. Shikamaru's hands were in his pockets, Temari's folded across her chest. "I guess this is it, then," she said, her signature smirk on her face as usual. "I'll come back and visit, I suppose…" she said.
"Temari," he said softly. "I don't think that would be the best idea."
Her eyes widened slightly. "Nani? Why not?"
"I…I think it would hurt Ino," he said finally. Temari glared at him.
"You don't want to see me again just because of the blonde brat?" she said angrily, her hands now on her hips. Shikamaru gazed at her steadily, having not flinched even a bit and still seemingly relaxed.
"She's not a brat, Temari," he said calmly. "She is my best friend, and you do not respect that fact."
Temari dropped her head into her hands, and then looked back up at Shikamaru. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I'll miss you…I love you, Nara Shikamaru."
Shikamaru's voice broke slightly. "I love you, Temari. But maybe it's for the better if we don't meet again…for the Pack's sake, our own sake…and for Ino's sake."
"Yeah," she said, impressing Shikamaru by her calm outward appearance. He felt like he was about to shatter into a million pieces.
The last of his self restraint broke down, and he took her into his arms. Her arms encircled him tightly, her forehead pressed into his shoulder. He tipped her head up, and pressed his lips gently to hers. They stayed like that for a time, his fingers tracing patterns on her cheek, before breaking apart.
"Shikamaru…" she whispered. "I think that I better be going now."
"Mendokusai," he tried to say in a normal voice, and somewhat succeeded. Reluctantly, he let her go. She jogged to the top of the hill. Four figures were now silhouetted against the golden glow of the rising sun. They turned, and began to walk down the other side. Gaara's arm was around Matsuri's shoulders. Kankurou was walking with a sort of strange, humble shuffle. The fourth and last turned to wave slightly back at him. He raised his hand in an answering farewell.
"Temari," he murmured.
-
"You okay?" Ino asked as Shikamaru and her walked side by side back to the Orphanage. The others had gone on ahead, Shikamaru had wanted to stay for a while at the hill. She had volunteered to keep him company.
He nodded.
"You sure?" she eyed him skeptically. "You look kind of purple."
"Mendokusai," he said irritably. She laughed.
"You really didn't have to do that for me. I know how much you care about her," she said softly. "I'm not worth that kind of sacrifice. It was just name-calling."
"You are," he argued, still walking determinedly forward, (he would get back to the Orphanage without breaking down). "It was much more than name-calling, though that is perhaps only what she did…she would have left anyway, and risking meeting again would violate both Packs' peace. And…" he paused slightly, "I'm beginning to think that maybe we were never supposed to love each other."
She eyed him incredulously. "Are you kidding me? With that look of utter depression on your face, anybody would believe that she was your wife!"
He grimaced. "Ino, you are my best friend and Temari refused to give you a chance. I've known you much longer, you should deserve much more than I give you," he reasoned with some of his brilliant genius logic. She rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I would've loved some of that 'you deserve better' stuff when you two were snogging each other in the dorm."
He flicked her in the side of the head. She scowled.
"Alright, alright, I was just kidding…since it's already done, I suppose that I can't keep chiding you about not doing it…anyway, thanks," she said softly.
"Troublesome woman. What are you thanking me for?"
"For giving up the love of your life just for me! Well, granted, she was the only love that you've ever had," she said.
"How many times do I have to say it? Troublesome as you are and all these situations may be, you are worth anything," he grumbled. "You've done a lot for me. It's time I return the favor."
Ino blushed prettily pink at these words. "Wow. You know how to flirt," she remarked.
"That wasn't flirting!" he said. "That was the truth."
Ino smiled. "Well, then I owe you another thank you, I suppose. I still can't believe that you just told Temari that you couldn't ever see each other again…"
He winced. "I don't want to talk about that. It hurts enough already."
Ino fell silent. "Oh. Sorry."
"That's alright. I suppose you have some rights to celebrate now that she's gone," he sighed. "I, on the other hand…" he trailed off, though Ino only knew too well what he meant.
-
A/N: A very long, long fluffy chapter full of important events in the plotline, as well as plenty of fluff of ShikaTema and ShikaIno too!!! Haha!! I'm a genius!!
Anyways, those three rock. I like both pairings, so…heh heh.
