Eeeyah! I'm sorry for not updating, but here's the new chapter. Also, I've fixed a few things with the first chapter.
As always, I claim ownership to nothing.
This Troublesome Heart.
Chapter two.
Someone was disturbing her sleep, shaking her gently. That someone would pay dearly when she finally decided to get up. Yes, when she got up... There it was again, gritting her teeth she finally snapped out "What?!" rolling over as she opened her eyes... to see Gaara. She froze, 'I'm dead' was all she could think, what was he waking her up for anyways? "Gaara? What is it?"
"You asked me last night to wake you up at 11, and I did. But you didn't get up.." He gazed over at the clock. "It is now 12:15, a shinobi shouldn't sleep so late" He was as stoic as ever, but something had indeed changed about him, his eyes didn't hold quite the same malice as they used to. The thought was quickly lost on Temari as he began to walk away.
"Thank you." she said before he left, to which he only paused, bowing his head a little. 'Brothers' she shook her head as she got up, begining to get dressed. "Gaara, where the hell is Kankuro?" she stretched.
"He is out."
'Mental note: Kill Kankuro for leaving that creepy doll of his across from my bed.' "Uh-huh" She grumbled, pulling the hairties out of her hair from the previous night before. 'I didn't fall asleep almost until dawn, grrr... I really need a shower, my hair is a mess, I can't go out like this' again she froze. "Shit." 'Shikamaru!' she was supposed to meet him for lunch, and it was already 12:30. 'Great' she hurried and gathered her things, taking a quick shower before getting ready to go out. 1:00, fabulous indeed. She was only atleast an hour late. She shot out the door, begining her search for Shikamaru. "Gaara, I'm going out!"
"Whatever" came from the balcony.
She sighed, deciding not to run. After all, she was atleast an hour late, it wouldn't hurt to be a minute or two later, would it? Maybe, she didn't really care too much. She figured he wouldn't either, and if he did, he'd just have to deal with it. When she had finally reached the ramen stand she peered in, no Shikamaru. 'Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Like he'd sit here and wait all this time.' She sighed, deciding to ask the owner "Old man, was there a chunin from the Nara family here earlier?" He paused, turning slightly from the boiling pots of ramen in front of him.
"I think so, grouchy, smart mouthed kid with a pony tail?"
"That'd be him, when did he leave?"
By now he had turned back to the noodles, placing some into bowls "About 30 minutes ago I believe. That sound right Ayame?" The waitress nodded. Temari gave her thanks and slowly walked away, thinking.
"And I don't even have an idea where he is." she narrowed her eyes and paused for a moment, cursing herself for not being punctual. When suddenly, a chill ran down her spine 'What was that?' she tried to turn her head but it didn't comply. Her eyes widened in fear for a moment before it dawned on her. 'That binding techniquehe he used in the exams.' Still frozen she narrowed her eyes "Alright, where are you?"
"Right behind you" he released the shadow bind, watching as she turned to face him. "Are you always late?" he mused.
"I.. well..." her brow furrowed. "It's all Kankuro's fault!" she pouted. If she had been watching his expression, instead of glowering at the idea of her brother's stupid puppet keeping her up all night, she would've seen his smirk.
"I see." 'I wonder what happened.' he crossed his arms 'I'm not going to bother to ask though'. "So what now?"
She blinked a little then regained her composure. "Have you ate?"
"No"
"Then let's do as we planned." she turned back to the shop.
"You planned." He said, following her back to the ramen shop.
"I planned." she scoffed.
Temari turned, waiting for him just outside. "Are you always this slow?"
"Asuma says I'm 'dispassionate'." he yawned. "Which I guess is correct, to a degree."
They had eaten in relative silence, each glancing at the other from time to time. Often catching one another but saying nothing. Shikamaru had ordered some sort of beef stew and Temari had gotten chicken flavored ramen, not that any of that mattered. There was a long silence between them, neither really knowing what to say. Shikamaru sighed, deciding to break the ice. 'Here goes nothing' "Why are you here with me and not fawning over that Uchiha?" he saw her smirk immediatly.
"Why would I be interested in a self centered traitor?" her eyes met his, giving him a look he didn't quite recognize. "Are you scared he's going to steal me away?"
It then hit him, that was the look his mother used when she was teasing his father. 'Didn't see that coming.' He paused for a moment, scratching his chin. "You yourself were a traitor not too long ago." she lowered her gaze, it was true. "But I guess I just figured you'd like him since every other girl in this village practicly worships him. Then again, you're not from here are you?" She lifted her head, shaking it gently.
"My.. my father..."
Shikamaru noticed her pained expression. 'Crap.'
She continued. "He didn't want to start a war with the Leaf. He had always tried to keep our village and country safe and keep us out of a war. You may not know this, but the wind country is very unstable. He was what held it all together..." she closed her eyes "But I think when Orochimaru made his offer to my father, he refused it. Ultimately leading to his death. Everyone hated him because he had been the one who had bound Shukaku to Gaara, but he always tried to do what's best for the sand and wind." she trailled off, whiping her eyes.
Shikamaru felt like punching himself. 'Why did I have to bring that up. This is too troublesome.'
"We never wanted to attack the leaf, even when Baki told us of our mission; I wanted no part in it and vowed to myself I wouldn't kill unless absolutely necessary." she closed her eyes tightly, a few tears rolling down her cheeks as she stood. "Can we please continue this somewhere else?" she whispered and he nodded; saying nothing as they walked out.
He had lead her to his team's normal training area, a small field beside one of the streams leading into Konoha. Sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree, the one Asuma usually occupied. He looked over to her with concern. She sniffed a little "Shikamaru, they don't want us back."
He raised an eyebrow looking over to her "The sand?" he noticed she had her arms wrapped around herself tightly. He couldn't stand to see her cry... 'I hate seeing women cry.'
"The whole wind country." she sighed "The new Kazekage was my father's rival... He was using the excuse of killing Gaara to send platoon after platoon of shinobi after us. We had survived, but we knew Gaara wont always be able to defend us while we slept. Or even during the day when we were out. What kind of life is it when you can't even be safe in your own home." She drew in a deep breath, attempting to calm herself "We came here for refuge. To set things right with ourselves and with what we did."
Shikamaru was unusually quiet, staring at the ground as if in deep though. "I'm sorry." was all he said, he placed his hand over her's where it now lay on the bench. 'Her whole world is falling apart and I've been playing silly mind games with her' he scolded himself. 'Childish... but I hadn't known.' He turned to her, following her eyes down to their hands. He squeezes, looking back up to meet her eyes.
They stared at eachother, Temari at this person showing concern for her and Shikamaru at the person he felt needed someone to lean on. She latched onto him, burying her face into her shoulder as she hugged him tightly. Shikamaru returned it somewhat hesitantly, having done this before for Ino after Sasuke had said something cruel to her. But this... this was differant. It wasn't some girl upset over her crush ignoring her, it was someone who didn't know what to do and had nowhere to go. He tightened his grip on her, pulling her a little closer as he kissed her forehead like his mother used to do when he was little. 'I think I want to be the person she comes to when it all goes wrong again.' He looked down at her, noticing the slight blush on her cheeks as she looked back up at him. 'No, I will be.' he closed his eyes, resting his head on her shoulder as he stroked down her back. "I'm here."
She held him tighter. No words could describe how she felt right at that moment, but then again. Some moments aren't meant for words.
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As always, I claim ownership to nothing.
This Troublesome Heart.
Chapter two.
Someone was disturbing her sleep, shaking her gently. That someone would pay dearly when she finally decided to get up. Yes, when she got up... There it was again, gritting her teeth she finally snapped out "What?!" rolling over as she opened her eyes... to see Gaara. She froze, 'I'm dead' was all she could think, what was he waking her up for anyways? "Gaara? What is it?"
"You asked me last night to wake you up at 11, and I did. But you didn't get up.." He gazed over at the clock. "It is now 12:15, a shinobi shouldn't sleep so late" He was as stoic as ever, but something had indeed changed about him, his eyes didn't hold quite the same malice as they used to. The thought was quickly lost on Temari as he began to walk away.
"Thank you." she said before he left, to which he only paused, bowing his head a little. 'Brothers' she shook her head as she got up, begining to get dressed. "Gaara, where the hell is Kankuro?" she stretched.
"He is out."
'Mental note: Kill Kankuro for leaving that creepy doll of his across from my bed.' "Uh-huh" She grumbled, pulling the hairties out of her hair from the previous night before. 'I didn't fall asleep almost until dawn, grrr... I really need a shower, my hair is a mess, I can't go out like this' again she froze. "Shit." 'Shikamaru!' she was supposed to meet him for lunch, and it was already 12:30. 'Great' she hurried and gathered her things, taking a quick shower before getting ready to go out. 1:00, fabulous indeed. She was only atleast an hour late. She shot out the door, begining her search for Shikamaru. "Gaara, I'm going out!"
"Whatever" came from the balcony.
She sighed, deciding not to run. After all, she was atleast an hour late, it wouldn't hurt to be a minute or two later, would it? Maybe, she didn't really care too much. She figured he wouldn't either, and if he did, he'd just have to deal with it. When she had finally reached the ramen stand she peered in, no Shikamaru. 'Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Like he'd sit here and wait all this time.' She sighed, deciding to ask the owner "Old man, was there a chunin from the Nara family here earlier?" He paused, turning slightly from the boiling pots of ramen in front of him.
"I think so, grouchy, smart mouthed kid with a pony tail?"
"That'd be him, when did he leave?"
By now he had turned back to the noodles, placing some into bowls "About 30 minutes ago I believe. That sound right Ayame?" The waitress nodded. Temari gave her thanks and slowly walked away, thinking.
"And I don't even have an idea where he is." she narrowed her eyes and paused for a moment, cursing herself for not being punctual. When suddenly, a chill ran down her spine 'What was that?' she tried to turn her head but it didn't comply. Her eyes widened in fear for a moment before it dawned on her. 'That binding techniquehe he used in the exams.' Still frozen she narrowed her eyes "Alright, where are you?"
"Right behind you" he released the shadow bind, watching as she turned to face him. "Are you always late?" he mused.
"I.. well..." her brow furrowed. "It's all Kankuro's fault!" she pouted. If she had been watching his expression, instead of glowering at the idea of her brother's stupid puppet keeping her up all night, she would've seen his smirk.
"I see." 'I wonder what happened.' he crossed his arms 'I'm not going to bother to ask though'. "So what now?"
She blinked a little then regained her composure. "Have you ate?"
"No"
"Then let's do as we planned." she turned back to the shop.
"You planned." He said, following her back to the ramen shop.
"I planned." she scoffed.
Temari turned, waiting for him just outside. "Are you always this slow?"
"Asuma says I'm 'dispassionate'." he yawned. "Which I guess is correct, to a degree."
They had eaten in relative silence, each glancing at the other from time to time. Often catching one another but saying nothing. Shikamaru had ordered some sort of beef stew and Temari had gotten chicken flavored ramen, not that any of that mattered. There was a long silence between them, neither really knowing what to say. Shikamaru sighed, deciding to break the ice. 'Here goes nothing' "Why are you here with me and not fawning over that Uchiha?" he saw her smirk immediatly.
"Why would I be interested in a self centered traitor?" her eyes met his, giving him a look he didn't quite recognize. "Are you scared he's going to steal me away?"
It then hit him, that was the look his mother used when she was teasing his father. 'Didn't see that coming.' He paused for a moment, scratching his chin. "You yourself were a traitor not too long ago." she lowered her gaze, it was true. "But I guess I just figured you'd like him since every other girl in this village practicly worships him. Then again, you're not from here are you?" She lifted her head, shaking it gently.
"My.. my father..."
Shikamaru noticed her pained expression. 'Crap.'
She continued. "He didn't want to start a war with the Leaf. He had always tried to keep our village and country safe and keep us out of a war. You may not know this, but the wind country is very unstable. He was what held it all together..." she closed her eyes "But I think when Orochimaru made his offer to my father, he refused it. Ultimately leading to his death. Everyone hated him because he had been the one who had bound Shukaku to Gaara, but he always tried to do what's best for the sand and wind." she trailled off, whiping her eyes.
Shikamaru felt like punching himself. 'Why did I have to bring that up. This is too troublesome.'
"We never wanted to attack the leaf, even when Baki told us of our mission; I wanted no part in it and vowed to myself I wouldn't kill unless absolutely necessary." she closed her eyes tightly, a few tears rolling down her cheeks as she stood. "Can we please continue this somewhere else?" she whispered and he nodded; saying nothing as they walked out.
He had lead her to his team's normal training area, a small field beside one of the streams leading into Konoha. Sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree, the one Asuma usually occupied. He looked over to her with concern. She sniffed a little "Shikamaru, they don't want us back."
He raised an eyebrow looking over to her "The sand?" he noticed she had her arms wrapped around herself tightly. He couldn't stand to see her cry... 'I hate seeing women cry.'
"The whole wind country." she sighed "The new Kazekage was my father's rival... He was using the excuse of killing Gaara to send platoon after platoon of shinobi after us. We had survived, but we knew Gaara wont always be able to defend us while we slept. Or even during the day when we were out. What kind of life is it when you can't even be safe in your own home." She drew in a deep breath, attempting to calm herself "We came here for refuge. To set things right with ourselves and with what we did."
Shikamaru was unusually quiet, staring at the ground as if in deep though. "I'm sorry." was all he said, he placed his hand over her's where it now lay on the bench. 'Her whole world is falling apart and I've been playing silly mind games with her' he scolded himself. 'Childish... but I hadn't known.' He turned to her, following her eyes down to their hands. He squeezes, looking back up to meet her eyes.
They stared at eachother, Temari at this person showing concern for her and Shikamaru at the person he felt needed someone to lean on. She latched onto him, burying her face into her shoulder as she hugged him tightly. Shikamaru returned it somewhat hesitantly, having done this before for Ino after Sasuke had said something cruel to her. But this... this was differant. It wasn't some girl upset over her crush ignoring her, it was someone who didn't know what to do and had nowhere to go. He tightened his grip on her, pulling her a little closer as he kissed her forehead like his mother used to do when he was little. 'I think I want to be the person she comes to when it all goes wrong again.' He looked down at her, noticing the slight blush on her cheeks as she looked back up at him. 'No, I will be.' he closed his eyes, resting his head on her shoulder as he stroked down her back. "I'm here."
She held him tighter. No words could describe how she felt right at that moment, but then again. Some moments aren't meant for words.
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