Chapter 69
They have been playing shogi for about an hour when Shikaku finally wonders out loud, "What could have made Temari punch the Akimichi's door."
"I take it she doesn't usually go around breaking other people's property."
A slight grin twitches Shikaku's lips before he moves one of his pieces over the shogi board. "Not to disappoint you but no."
Shikamaru pauses, deciding on how to best block the old man's general from taking one of his officers. "Choji might have said something that provoked Temari."
"Hm," the old man rumbles as his eyes follow the younger man's movement across the board, agreeing easily, "Choji might but probably unknowingly—I'm capturing this one." Shikaku then picks up his opponent's sacrificial knight. "Choji's the kindest friend Temari has."
Shikamaru nods his head, agreeing to both his adversary's statements while moving his general to attack.
"And Ino…" Shikaku frowns contemplating the board. "That's a good move."
"Ino?" Shikamaru raises his eyes to glance at the old man, liking the praise he just uttered. "I haven't seen her since I arrived."
"You have to ask Temari regarding that. Those two…" Shikaku shakes his head in exasperated fondness. "Inoichi and I thought our daughters would make the closest friends like two peas in the same pod but it turned out more like they're competitors in the same game."
Shikamaru sighs. The old man just pushes his own tile and creates an opening in its path. Now, he needs to move his own king in retreat.
"Back when they were younger, some people actually assumed they were twins. Same blonde hair tied in a single ponytail except of course Temari's was pulled up— the same as mine." Shikaku indicates his own dark hair held together by a single rubber band. "It used to amuse the girls but…"
"But?" Shikamaru asks.
"Something happened when they were almost seven. Temari came home one day and went directly to her room. Yoshino followed and heard her muffled sobs through the closed door. I think that out of character occurrence started my wife on becoming overly-protective of Temari." Shikaku's lips crook into an awkward smile. "I was ordered to ask Temari's sensei if he knew anything. Asuma never revealed who's the kid only what the kid told Temari. He said she looked weird and since then Temari was made conscious of the colour of her hair. She then started to ask questions like who has blonde hair in my and Yoshino's ancestry. Thinking back I guess Temari must have had her doubts about her being our real child even then."
Bringing his eyes back down on the board, Shikamaru's brows knit together as he contemplates his next move; his king, the most important piece in the game, the key piece whose capture decides the winner and the loser in the battle, is safe for now but not for long.
Shikaku expels a breath deeply, still thinking about the past. "Temari trained almost punishingly after that. Every victory over the other students was proudly proclaimed at home. However—"
"However, she couldn't do any of the shadow jutsu. The technique being genetically inherited rather than taught—a Bloodline Limit—she couldn't train properly with Choji and Ino's jutsu," mumbles Shikamaru softly. He knows that's what the old man is leading to.
"Yes. You remember I told you about the Ino-Shika-Cho formation." Shikaku glances at the board and moves one of his general near his king. His son has seen the weakness of his strategy and now he's setting up his tiles into plan B, all the while, he continues to speak, "Ino has learned all about her family's jutsu. Same goes for Choji. Temari must then accept the fact that it was because of her that the team couldn't utilize the formation."
Shikaku hesitates. Still sitting on the patio floor; he repositions one of his legs, bending it so his knees can support his arm as he considers further his next move. "But in the end, Temari couldn't. She refused the stud earrings offered to her by her sensei as a sign of her training and teamwork."
"Earrings?"
"Yes. It's tradition. A Sarutobi clan member teaches the next Ino-Shika-Cho group and when the team is ready they are given a pair of earrings as a symbol of their being a full pledge Konoha shinobi."
"Temari did accept," mutters Shikamaru.
"Eh?" Shikaku asks, sounding surprised but pleased.
"I saw one stud inside her underwear drawer. I only took notice since it looked vaguely familiar at the time. Now, I remember both Choji and Ino wear the same thing."
"One?"
"I only saw one. Maybe the other is hidden beneath her lacy—erm—" Shikamaru coughs uncomfortably. "Maybe the pair is hidden beneath Temari's undergarments."
Shikaku nods his head slowly. "I haven't even seen her wear the studs."
"Tch, it might seem to others that she loathed being part of that team but still," Shikamaru calmly raises his eyes from the board as he admits evenly, "Temari doesn't want me to train with Ino and Choji."
"Hm. She still feels possessive about her old team; quite understandable really." Shikaku grins, putting his strategy into motion as he pushes a high ranking piece into position on the board. "Temari may have her own doubts about her part in the Ino-Shika-Cho team but even so she genuinely values her teammates enough for her to willingly die for either Ino or Choji."
"I'm not out to steal her friends," Shikamaru suddenly snaps. His king must go on retreat once again.
Shikaku moves his other general setting up an all-out trap. "I know, son."
"Damn," Shikamaru mutters under his breath. His king is done for.
"Another match?" Shikaku questions; his tone lighter, his pleasure is obvious for having a good game.
Shikamaru tips his head in agreement. Knowing more about Temari's past, he's not too inclined to get back to bed.
"Honeymoon's over?" Shikaku asks, arranging his shogi pieces on the board.
The young groom doesn't deem to answer as he silently follows the other's lead in arranging the tiles.
Shikaku grins knowingly. "You know pregnant women are prone to bouts of weird behaviour. When Yoshino was pregnant with Temari—with you—she also broke one door, a table and several bottles."
"Why?"
Shikaku shrugs his shoulders. "Pregnancy hormones."
"Those bottles contain liquor, don't they?" Shikamaru enquires with a straight face, moving one of his pawns to start the game.
"Maybe. You can't expect me to remember—that was eighteen almost nineteen years ago."
"That means yes."
The two men play the game until midnight. Finally coming too close to winning the last round, Shikamaru suppresses a yawn. Sluggishly standing up from the floor, he bids the older man goodnight.
"Have you thought about calling me otosan?" Shikaku queries softly, tilting his head up to look at Shikamaru as he's still seated on the patio's floor beside the low table with the disarrayed pieces of tiles and the open board of shogi.
"No. I don't think I'll call you that."
Shikaku grunts something unintelligible in his disappointment. He then picks up his upright king only to return it back on the board in a fallen position.
"How about—" Shikamaru hesitates, "—oyaji?"
"Sure son. I'll like that." Shikaku meets Shikamaru's gaze with a smile on his lips. Oyaji…father. At least the boy acknowledges that fact. If only Yoshino would accept their son.
"Night then." Shikamaru turns and grasps the doorknob.
"Strong women hate to show their weakness. You have to earn their trust first before they'll willingly let you see it," Shikaku advices, his first one as a father to Shikamaru.
"Tch."
Shikaku finally stands up from the patio floor, leaving the shogi board and its tiles on the small table still in disarray. He approaches Shikamaru and pats his shoulder at the entryway. "Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not there."
"I don't think she can ever trust me that way…If she can't even trust Choji, how then—"
"Love," answers Shikaku, not bothering to hear his son's reply to that as he enters the house first.
Shikamaru gives a long, softly expelled sigh and merely follows after his father inside the house. Shikaku has made it sound so simple when he himself must know it's more complicated than that.
Anyway, it's too late now. He can't accept Shikaku's advice. Aside from everything—from the birth switch making Temari feels like she owes him, to all the reasons why she must resent his existence and his jutsu, and her feelings towards someone else—even if he ignores all that…there's still that fact that he made a promise to Yoshino .
Simply, this isn't just about one troublesome woman. It involves her nagging mother too.
Anyway, it's stupid to devise a strategy when he himself recognizes that the probability of success is zero to none. And even if he has all the time in the world instead of the one he has allotted himself, making Temari fall in love with him is fucking impossible.
So he's sticking to his original plan. Take what he can then when the time is up, leave.
That one holds no expectations thus there's no disappointments.
He only has roughly seven months with Temari, maybe even shorter if lady Tsunade's men are able to discover the Kazekage's plan earlier. So why waste it concocting plans and putting it into motion aiming for the impossible.
Shikamaru turns on the corridor while his father continues walking ahead on the other way. Their bedrooms are on the opposite sides of the sprawling house, giving each couple the privacy that they need.
Shikamaru, with his padded feet silent on the wooden floor, trudges on, not in a hurry.
He has timed it so Temari would be sleeping.
She doesn't know it yet but when she's dead to the world, she usually rolls to his side of the bed, snuggling closer.
And true enough when Shikamaru reaches their room, Temari has already taken up his part of the bed. With hushed steps, he comes closer to stand by the bed to watch her; her breathing steady while her brows are puckered into some sort of frown but still she looks a whole lot less angry, and a whole lot softer. Shikamaru's lips tilt upward at the image.
Why want the impossible, when he can have this kind of moments.
Almost reluctant to move, Shikamaru finally walks towards the attached bathroom and performs his nightly ritual. Back to the bed, he gently lifts Temari's sleep-limp arms away as she is sleeping sideways and her hands are lying on his side of the bed. Reclining down carefully, he then pulls Temari closer to his chest with his arm beneath her neck and part of her shoulder.
The nights, Shikamaru can convince himself that what Temari does in her sleep is just as important as what she does when she's awake. The nights, already deep in slumber, she would subconsciously seek his warmth, snuggling in his arms. He gets to scrutinize her face then, committing to memory each feature—the arch of her brows, the tip of her nose, the two freckles near her hairline and the twitch of her red lips.
Sometimes, he stares at her, contemplating how lucky he is being able to hold her this close when there were times in the past he was so certain it just couldn't happen.
It should be enough and not to ask for more. Growing up he never had this kind of closeness to another human being not once since his mother died. So what if it only happens when Temari's guard is down. These times at night are precious and he gets to sleep on the hill by day anyway. Asuma doesn't give him much work and he's usually finish by mid-afternoon.
Shikamaru gently kisses the top of the woman's head, mumbling, "Goodnight."
The woman simply whimpers a protest but doesn't wake up.
Of course, the impossible means holding her like this even when she's awake…
With his arm around Temari's shoulder, his fingers cautiously twirl a blonde strand of hair.
His time with her…Doubtful that it will take eight months; seven and a half months or less then.
That's too damn brief.
Shikamaru's hold tightens before slowly he relaxes his grip. He has already made plans on resuming his sleeping habits when his time with Temari is up. But for now, Shikamaru's gaze travels down to Temari's lips, mesmerized.
Maybe tomorrow night she'll be in a better mood and he can safely ask for sex.
Shikamaru smiles to himself. That is something to look forward to tomorrow and for the next month and the next. It's no use looking forward further beyond that.
TBC
~2 20 13AF P3 10 13~
A/N: Yep the jutsu differs greatly from canon…
Reviews, questions, complaints are welcome