CHASING THE WIND

CHAPTER TWO – UNCONVENTIONAL LUNCH

The shoji screen slams loudly against the doorframe, an intentional action by the blonde in an effort to reinforce just how annoyed she was; as if it wasn't blatantly obvious. Groaning inwardly Shikamaru stares blankly at the screen in question, perhaps he pushed it too far and assumed too much? Now he had thoroughly irritated her, what was his strategy? He couldn't just leave things the way they currently were, not with that temper of hers; it wouldn't be surprising if she went to a hotel at this point.

"Everything is so exhausting when she's like this," he grumbles under his breath, slowly pushing himself upright and onto his feet, icy fingertips slipping into his pockets as he turned to gaze out into the courtyard. They'd been in arguments countless times; in fact it was odd for them to not bicker at least a couple of times over the course of each time they met up for work. But arguing over personal details, that was unchartered territory.

At the other end of the house, Temari storms into the guest bedroom she had been allocated, shutting the door behind her. Sighing heavily, she slides down the back of it on the floor; her knees folding up towards her chest; turquoise eyes flutter shut as she tried to calm herself, "He's an absolute idiot." Sure, she knew what she was getting into when they initiated their unique relationship months back. He was intelligent, frustratingly so; but that didn't mean that she couldn't find his blunt comments and impeccable observation skills irritating beyond belief. Because at times like this, he was as annoying as all hell.

It was funny how quickly things had turned upside down, upon arrival she was high-spirited despite her exhaustion; but things went downhill from the moment she passed the threshold into the Nara residence and spoke with his mother. There was no doubt in her mind that, but her main gripe she truly had was him concealing the truth; was she that impossible to talk to or was he trying to manipulate her for his carnal urges? It was an offensive thought.

Bare feet tap across the floorboards as Shikamaru slowly makes his way up the hallway, approaching the guest bedroom; guilt riddling his mind as he scratched the back of his neck. It had never been his intention to upset her, but somehow he managed to do so with very little effort. Understanding her was a formidable task, but from what he could gather, her main frustration stemmed from his submission to family's desires paired with his failure to disclose that he was getting introduced to marriage candidates. For the most part, what she had expected of him wasn't unrealistic in theory; honesty was at the crux of all healthy human relationships whether they were platonic or otherwise; as was fighting for one's freedom. But what she failed to acknowledge was the broader picture. Groaning inwardly, the strategist stops short of her room; a clenched fist hovering just short of the door itself for a short moment before reluctantly tapping on the dense surface.

Temari's eyes flick open, a frown forming as she took careful note of the knocks sounding from the other side of the door; "Go away," the kunoichi responds, her voice tense. The fact that he sought me out is surprising, she muses; given their earlier exchange, she assumed that he would compartmentalize it, and automatically place it in the 'too hard' basket until he came face to face with her next.

A drawn-out sigh slips from the strategist's lips. As expected she's not open to any form of discourse, he notes internally, a frown settling across his lips as he slipped both hands into his jacket pockets. "I should've ensured you knew what was happening. I just didn't think you'd care," the strategist admits as he turns his back to the door; shoulders relaxed as he fiddled with his lighter and stray cigarettes in his pocket. "I won't apologize for my decision to pursue an arranged marriage for the sake of my clan, however. Leaders make sacrifices for the greater good," he adds, bare feet leading him away from her locale; "That's all I have to say. I'll give you space."

Leaning forward, the Suna local wraps her arms around her knees drawing them up to her chest as she took in his words; she knew Shikamaru to be many things, but a liar was not one of them. If he said he was sorry and that he didn't think she would care, she believed him; but it hurt to do so. Was I really acting so disinterested in him that he would draw such a conclusion? Sighing the blonde tips her gaze down to her lap, pressing her forehead against her knees; Why am I so bad at this? It shouldn't be so difficult. Acting in such a juvenile manner was downright embarrassing, and undoubtedly something she would mock others for doing, but she couldn't help it. As soon as the topic came up it was almost as if something in her clicked, sending all her emotion training went out the window; he had such an unusual effect on her.

Shikamaru's fingers rap lightly at the table, hitting the smooth wooden surface one by one as he gently exhales; an intoxicating cloud of smoke enveloping him as he gazed out the kitchen window. She's been quiet for half an hour, he notes silently, slowly tapping off the excess ash from the tip of his cigarette into the ashtray on the table.

It was difficult to shake the words that were fired at him that morning; despite his earlier words he could understand her frustration, perhaps he should've tried harder to argue his case on marriage, and there was no doubt he messed up when it came to informing her. Decision making without a strategy was something he had a deep-rooted, visceral fear of; how others could make decisions without a lucid trail of thought was beyond him, terrifying even.

Ever since he could remember a majority of his decisions were calculated, like pieces on a shogi board; but she was an outlier, an unpredictable variable that changed everything and it was incredibly unsettling. Somehow, despite gingerly taking note of her remarks and suggestions; he had grown accustomed to her incalculable nature as time passed, continually adjusting his internal calculations to try and account for her presence in situations as they presented themselves.

The creaking of floorboards rouse the strategist from his train of thought, the blonde entering the kitchen soon after; a seemingly composed expression plastered across her face as she swiftly walked over to the kitchen sink pouring herself a glass of water. Hasn't she noticed me? He muses eyes keenly locked on her figure from the safety of his chair; the thought in itself was somewhat surprising given how adept she was.

"My mother has gone to the markets if you came in here looking for her," Shikamaru notes; his free hand slipping into his pocket as he watched the kunoichi unsurely. I wonder if she's calmed down? He ponders, inquisitive eyes scanning her figure as he took another drag of his cigarette, before butting it out in the ashtray and slouching up against the wall.

Temari froze, carefully placing her glass of water on the benchtop; stormy eyes glancing over her shoulder, promptly spotting the shadow user leaning against the wall in the far corner of the room. "Don't act like everything is fine," she growls; "But since you were so honest earlier I have a question; were you avoiding telling me the truth just so you could just keep hopping into bed with me?"

Her suggestion was laughable, was she forgetting her own actions or was she simply choosing to disregard them to make her point? "Of course not," Shikamaru states flatly, immediately crushing her suggestion; "I did, however, consider ways I could to bringing it up on multiple occasions, but spending time with you is rather distracting these days." A smirk crosses his lips as he scratched the back of his neck; How the heck am I supposed to retain any information, when she's naked most of the time we spend alone? I'm not superhuman.

"Oh, woe is me. I get laid on a regular basis. It's so distracting and my life is so hard," she teases, rolling her eyes as she turned her back to him; reaching for the cup of water she had poured for herself and lifting it to her lips. I don't even see how that's a valid reason but whatever, Temari muses silently to herself; Men are full of excuses.Shikamaru sighs heavily, she was clearly too blinded by her own irritation to even try and see the situation from another perspective; or perhaps it was just her stubborn nature hard at work again. "Just last month, you were harassing me under the table during the ambassador summit. As if that wasn't going to make it difficult to focus?" he states bluntly; What was I meant to do when she was brushing her hand across my crotch under the meeting table for an hour? Reject her, so I could discuss important matters later on? Not fucking likely. Why are women so complicated?Raising an eyebrow, the blonde's fiery eyes remained fixed on his visage. "You liked it, don't act like you're innocent," she argues; cheeks reddening as the memory of their last encounter rang through her mind. "Go on. Admit it," the sand-nin insists, placing her glass back on the bench beside her and crossing her arms under her ample bosom.

There was no doubt about it. Temari was incredibly frustrating once she was worked up about something; and yet, hearing her bossy orders and witnessing her fierce expressions somehow tipped him over the edge. How he found this domineering side of her so attractive was beyond him. "So troublesome," Shikamaru whispers under his breath while scratching the back of his neck.

Eyes twitching, the blonde closes the gap between them. "Say that again. I dare you," she fights back, jabbing him square in the chest. There he goes again with that same remark as always, Temari notes silently; to be honest it was losing its edge and was feeling more like a nickname than an insult, but that didn't prevent it from being irritating.

"I said, you're a troublesome woman," the words tumble confidently from his lips, daring her to follow through with whatever she was planning to unleash. It's too easy to get on her nerves, the strategist muses silently, his gaze fixed on her vexed expression.

"Yeah? Well you're a smart-ass," she fires back, heart racing as her frustration bubbled beneath the surface.

"Is that the best you can come up with?" he enquires, amusement evident in his voice as he raises a brow, "Disappointingly predictable." He couldn't help but prod the lion so to speak, but in situations such as this there was simply no reasoning with the Sunagakure local, she would argue until her lungs gave out.

Eyes narrowing, the blonde watches the smug strategist keenly; he thought he had her all figured out, that was a weakness she was going to exploit. Without hesitating, Temari swiftly captured his lips with her own, fingers raking down his back; the shadow-nin freezes for a moment, taken back by her bold actions. How's that for predictable? She muses smugly, as she attempted to pull back and end the exchange.

The Shikamaru immediately pursues her lips as they broke away from his, working his own across her supple rims with equal enthusiasm; fighting for dominance as their tongues clashed. His weathered hands slip down to her hips, gripping them firmly as his mouth roughly worked over hers. "Interesting," the strategist muses as he pulled back for a moment, hands gently her caressing sides; "You must really hate smart-asses."

Mind a blur, Temari pushes the shadow-nin back against the kitchen table; one hand slipping down his stomach until she reached his crotch, gripping roughly it as she broke their kiss. "God you're a pain," she mutters, tugging his ponytail backwards as her lips brushed down the side of his arched neck; "You can't stop this discussion by distracting me like this. You're forgetting that unlike men, women can actually multitask."

A groan escapes him, dark eyes fixed on ceiling as he felt her teeth nipping at his neck between kisses as she inched towards his collarbone. "You're forgetting that you're the one who started this," Shikamaru notes, his groin throbbing as he slips his right hand down to his crotch; eager to free himself. As per usual, she has to make everything a competition; he notes silently as he fiddled with his pants, popping the top button free and proceeding to free himself.

The blonde smirks, gripping his wrist and pulling it away as she drew back from his neck; her lips brush teasingly against his, hot breath dancing across his skin. "I was teasing you. You didn't have to kiss me back," she whispers, releasing his wrist and promptly slipping her hand into his trousers; slender fingers wrapping around his throbbing member, massaging it at a torturously slow pace. Her face hovers over his, eyes locked; warm liquid slowly exudes across her fingers, heat washing over her as she watched him jolt with every stroke until suddenly, without any warning she withdrew her hand. Releasing her grip on his hair, she lowered her gaze, eying the twitching mound in his trousers; "Consider that your punishment," the kunoichi whispers, sliding the hand in question down his chest as she spoke, leaving a streak of his translucent essence down the front of his shirt.

The strategist's eyes narrow, frustration building as he pushed off the kitchen table; hands swiftly pinning the feisty blonde's wrists above her head, securing her against the kitchen wall. One hand swiftly delves up her skirt, skimming expertly across the thin veil protecting her sex from his direct touch; a stifled series of whimpers escaping her as she withered beneath his touch, sensitive as always. "What was it that you were just saying?" he teases while slipping two digits past her undergarments, pressing them deep inside her moist sex.

Breath hitching in the back of her throat, the blonde arches forward, yearning as an ecstasy laced moan passes her swollen lips. "You're the worst," she states breathlessly, cheeks growing hotter as his nicotine coated breath drew closer, his chapped lips roughly claiming her once more; stormy eyes fluttering closed as she surrendered.

"Shikamaru, have the builders finished adjusting the back room?" Yoshino suddenly calls out from down the hallway, the front door slamming shut behind her. Both shinobi instantly spring apart; eyes widening, they exchange heated glances at their slightly dishevelled counterpart.

Temari's cheeks flush a deeper shade of pink as she slips her hand up her skirt, readjusting her underwear. "We shouldn't have done that. We need to be more careful, or we will get walked in on," she whispers haughtily; her gaze fixed on the doorway behind him as she anxiously straightened her skirt.

"Yeah, yeah," he repeats softly, an exasperated expression settling across his handsome features; calloused fingers speedily rebuttoning his trousers; "So, I take it you've calmed down?" Perhaps he was too optimistic for even suggesting such a thing, after all she wasn't acting overly calm; but truth be told she never really was.

The kunoichi scoffs in response. "If you're asking if you're forgiven the answer is no," she retorts quietly, lifting her chin up in the air as she turned and walked over to the opposite end of the room; "But I'll try to tolerate your presence if you promise to be more upfront moving forward."

"Shikamaru?!" Yoshino howls irritably, footsteps thundering up the hallway as the matriarch sought out her one and only son.

Between the two dominant women currently under the same roof, Shikamaru certainly had his hands full; "So troublesome."

AUTHOR:

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