Chapter 5

"You are going to march right down there to that Suna delegation and talk to her, do you hear me?" Ino stood with her hands on her hips, eyes flashing daggers at him. For a moment he thought about telling her that she sounded just like his mom but he bit the words back on his tongue.

Bringing his mom into this...situation...was the last thing he wanted to do now. Although reviewing the list of the three women closest to him in his life, his mom, his best friend, and his girl friend, he did have to wonder why he kept surrounding himself with dangerous and scary females. He sighed. That was a question to ponder on another day.

"I think she was quite clear that she didn't want me around, Ino."

Ino hit him. She actually, honest to God punched him in the shoulder and yelled at him. "Idiot! Do you understand the least little thing about women at all? She's probably cursing you that you aren't around right now."

"Temari's not like that," Shikamaru bristled, "She doesn't play those girl games. She means what she says and says what she means, Ino."

Ino just stood, shaking her head in exasperation. "It's not a game, Shikamaru. It's the way things are. It sounds like she's scared and she's hurt, and yes, lashing out and pushing you away. Maybe she herself never even expected to act this way. But for the sake of argument, let me just point out that she is a girl and for one brief instant in her life is acting like one. So you go down there one more time to try to talk to her. If she really doesn't want you around, she'll say so again, and what's the harm in that - what gets hurt but your pride? But if she wants you and you don't go then you've thrown it all away for what? Again, just your pride? I'd think even you could do a proper risk analysis on that one, genius. Don't be stupid. Clearly you had the right equipment to get her pregnant. Do you have the balls to stick around and find out what she really needs?"

Shikamaru looked at his friend who stood fuming at him. "You finished with your speech?"

"You asked for my advice," Ino huffed back. "What you do with it is up to you." She turned to leave.

"No, Ino, wait. Don't go." He hesitated. "I'll go. You're right. I don't suppose you'd come along to interpret any girl-speak would you? This is unfamiliar territory for me with Temari." He managed a sheepish grin that somehow reminded her of him when he was ten years old.

Ino laughed. "Be your wingman, you mean? Shikamaru, your social ineptitude astounds me. No. You cannot show up for this conversation with another girl in tow. Trust me on this one." Her smile softened. "But let me know how it goes either way. If I know Temari, then at least if nothing else, she'll appreciate you're not giving up without a fight."

Shikamaru made his way to the area near the gates where the Suna contingent was preparing to leave that evening. It was a large group and he had to ask for Temari. Everyone from Suna was familiar with him so no one thought it was the least bit unusual that he was there to see her off. If anyone had heard about the abruptness of her decision to leave, then the buzz would be that it was due to some diplomatic or political crisis. No one would attribute it to anything personal between the two of them.

He found her near a pile of supplies, adding a few miscellaneous items to her own pack.

"Hey," he announced, standing with his hands characteristically shoved in his pockets.

She stiffened slightly at his voice then turned and stood up facing him. "Hey, yourself," she replied coolly.

"Temari, can we talk? Are you okay?"

There it was again, his general expression of concern over her welfare. Temari thought to herself that that at least seemed sincere. "Sure," she shrugged. "But you're not talking me out of leaving for Suna."

"Suna or Konoha doesn't matter. I don't want to talk about that. Are you alright? Are you...pregnant? You said you were but then you said you're not. What did you... do?"

She pursed her lips and moved to the far corner of their staging area away from the others, motioning for him to follow her. Turning to face him she looked up at him and began. "I am pregnant. For now. I haven't done anything yet ... to terminate it. I prefer to take care of that in Suna."

"So that's it then. You've made a unilateral decision? You don't want me and you don't want our baby so you're packing your bags and turning tail and running."

Her eyes blazed "You think this is easy? I can't have this baby."

"But ending it...is that what you want? Ending us?"

"I...," her voice faltered, and she added more softly, "I just can't have this baby. Any baby."

"Temari. What do you want?"

"I...want to go home."

"Fine. Then go to Suna. But I'm coming too."

Startled, she jerked her gaze back to his. "I've already asked for the time off with Tsunade. And you're not talking me out of leaving for Suna with you."

"You have no idea why this is impossible for me. You don't understand the least bit of my family or its history, do you Shikamaru?"

"No, but you can explain it to me on the way."

For the first time she noticed that he'd brought his own traveling pack with him.