Something Like That . . .
Part X
Act VIII (Meet The Parents)
Temari, dressed in her regular cloths again--still refusing, as any self respecting kunoichi would, to wear the Julia costume.
The night gown had been kind of hot, and the wedding kimono had played to a childhood need that was never fulfilled, but other than that her own outfit would do.
Shikamaru's parents were seated, dressed normally--Ino probably hadn't had time to force Hinata to make costumes for them--and watching her expectantly. She'd seen his father before, rugged looking in exactly the way his son was not. Shikamaru was a pansy, got it from his mother whose looks were just average. Little about that woman would have stood out in Temari's mind, had they passed one another on the streets the Suna teenager wouldn't have given the Konoha woman a second thought.
"Mother and father, though it is a major bother, I present to you my bride." Shikamaru said.
"Mister and misses Ramon, you've a lovely home, just being here fills me with pride." Temari bowed and the two were seated across from the adults around a table that left Temari wondering if Hinata could transform into inanimate objects.
"Are you two rhyming with each other?" Shikamaru's father asked.
"Oh how cute!" His mother bubbled, then suddenly she was stern, "Sit up straight!"
Temari smirked again, poor Shikamaru.
His mother's gaze turned to her and she straightened her posture not because she was at all intimidated, but because she'd rather not get into it. Shikamaru was either incredibly disciplined, or, more likely, incredibly lazy not to snap back.
"Tell us son, who is your little girlfriend?" Shikamaru's mother asked sweetly.
"She's not my girlfriend, she is my wife. It's only till this play's end, then I reclaim my regular life." Shikamaru scoffed.
Shikamaru's father smirked, "Well it seems to me, you two've got chemistry, you've been flirting with each other all night."
Shikamaru turned red, "Troublesome dad, I'd remember if we had, so what you say just cant be right."
"Dear are you rhyming as well?" Shikamaru's mother asked.
His father shrugged, "Seemed the clever thing to do, so try it wont you? The kids have been doing it all day."
"The Hyuga girl said 'improvise', she didn't say to waste our lives, thinking up rhymes for this play." Shikamaru's mother said.
"But dear, you just--"
"Silence!"
"Yes dear." Shikamaru's father sighed.
Shikamaru sighed too, "Look, this is my wife, deal with it, get a life. If you don't like it we walk."
"Walk? I think not. I'm sitting here in a comfortable spot, so we'll just have to sit and talk." Temari shrugged.
"This girl, isn't she, one of the enemy? She's from that accursed village." Shikamaru's father said.
"You mean that our son, has married someone, from the lands that we ransack and pillage?" His mother gasped.
"Uh, yeah it's true, it's something you can't undo, I love her with all of my heart." Shikamaru yawned.
"Yes Shikamaru and me, we're in love and we're free, and you cannot rip us apart." Temari nodded.
"Ramon." Shikamaru whispered.
"Eh?" Temari blinked.
"You're supposed to call me Ramon." Shikamaru said.
"Didn't I?" Temari blinked.
"No you said my real name."
Temari was pretty sure she was blushing, but this time it could be blamed on her mistake at least. "Oh . . . well shut up and ignore it."
"You're so troublesome." Shikamaru sighed.
For no reason other than to mess with him, Temari smirked and said, "I love you too."
However it probably wasn't the smarted thing to say because his mother ended up staring at them, her eyes slightly wide and suddenly her gaze over Temari became an appraising glare. Had she heard that or did she read lips? Maybe she was annoyed that they were having a private conversation at all.
Shikamaru coughed into his fist as if nothing were the matter and said, "Well I can see that we two, are troubling you, you must be busy indeed. So we'll just move along, 'think I hear the dinner gong, so we'll be leaving now with all speed."
"Now wait just a tick, that's a mighty fine trick, wedding some Mythical girl." Shikamaru's father said. "Without our blessing no less, that you'd dare to confess, has got my head in a whirl!"
"And if you believe, we'll let you dodge and weave, through the questions that we must now press," His mother added, "then you're a great fool, from your father's end of the gene pool, now be silent as we interrogate our guest."
"Interrogate my wife? Not on your life, I will not allow this to be." Shikamaru said.
"Allow us? Oh dear, let me make one thing clear; she's a danger to all in Fantasy." Shikamaru's mother said. "Now Julia dear tell the truth, or you'll be wasting your youth, rotting away in a dark prison cell."
"Forget that lady, I'm not at all shady, I'm trustworthy, cant you just tell?" Temari scoffed.
"What is it that you, want from our town, what could possibly bring you, all the way down, from your village of Myth where your brothers both reign, what is it that you could hope to gain?" Shikamaru's father asked.
Shikamaru's mother said "Our son has said he loves you, and maybe that's true, but how do we know you can be trusted?"
"Because love conquers all, will break down any wall, the chains never break no matter how rusted." Temari offered.
"That answer is nonsense, that's your first offense, guards take her away!" Shikamaru's mother announced.
A few Hinatas showed up dressed as guards.
"And now our hero with so much to loose, the hero Ramon must suddenly choose, his family or his wife?" Ino narrated.
"Well so long troublesome Julia, it was nice getting to know ya, have a good troublesome, prison life." Shikamaru waved at her.
"Of course he chooses his beloved Julia!" the narrator screamed.
Shikamaru sighed, "Oh all right. Then I suppose I must fight, for my wife so beautiful and true."
"No my love flee, risk not thyself for me, I'll give up my very life for you!" Temari implored him.
"Well if you say so." Shikamaru shrugged. Temari glared at him so he said, "I mean there's no way, I'll forgive what's happened today, I'll come back soon and set you free!"
It took every ounce of her will power not to fight back, knowing that according to the play Julia needed to be captured. "Then I'll wait for you, I know your words are true, I know you'd never abandon me!" Temari said, then Hinata two and three finished dragging her off stage and she yawned. What a sappy scene.
Ino's voice boomed as she narrated and the scene ended, Shikamaru came back and Temari slapped him. "You jerk, it took you two tries to remember you're supposed to want to save me?"
"I was bored, this play is a real drag." Shikamaru sighed. "Why do you care? It's just a play. In real life I wouldn't abandon you, even if you are . . . so troublesome . . ."
Temari grabbed him by the collar and brought his face close to hers . . . so he could look into her eyes that is. "In real life I'd never need you to rescue me, I'm the one that rescued you, remember?"
Shikamaru just smirked at her, she felt his warm breath on her face and it made her feel all tingly again. "You know as troublesome as you are . . . you're kind of cute when you're mad." He said.
And she knew he was only saying it to mess with her, he wanst even trying to look sincere, still she felt her cheeks begin to burn, she was blushing again, she knew it!
She was just about to throw him into a wall, or punch him in the face when suddenly she heard "Oh they're so cute together!"
Shikamaru's mother had said it, and she clapped her hands. Suddenly stern, "Shikamaru you're fourteen, you don't need to be kissing girls yet!"
Temari frowned, "We were not going to kiss, I am trying to beat him up." She explained for the third time since the sun set.
More To Come . . .
Writer's Written Word: Well I am glad that Shikamaru and Temari are in character at least. Gaara I'm well aware of but Ino is okay? Really? Cool. Now I wont say what it is that makes me feel she's wrong, I'll keep my mouth shut, if you don't see it I wont point it out.
To be honest I wanted this to originally remain a pure ninja performance and had no intentions of bringing Shikamaru's mother into things. The story, originally would also span only 10 chapters, however I wanted to do just one more since you all seem to enjoy it so much, and as I thought of a way to stretch the story this is just what popped in my head. I'm not one hundred percent sure of how many chapters I'll have now.
In other words it ends when it ends.
I am pleased if this story can make people laugh out loud, and if others read over their shoulders then at least I know that I've got more readers than I do hits, haha!
Neji and his team were not meant to actually succeed in their escape, I wrote that wrong and I'll correct it at some point. Ino was supposed to say that they "almost" made it over the fence. To me the idea of them successfully escaping is somewhat amusing, but failure brings to mind the words "how in the heck?" they are ninja after all. The idea of them failing to conquer a simple electric fence is more amusing.
And if ShikaTema is the dark side to ShikaIno's light, then I say just call me Darth Grimm.