Chapter 81

When Temari walks out to go find Jiraiya, Shikamaru immediately follows her. Knowing this, she leads him back instead to the house so she can lambast his sorry ass away from prying eyes.

As soon as Shikamaru closes the door to their bedroom, Temari flies into a rage. She has been stewing since she left the training field and now she lets it rip, shouting vehemently, "DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH DANGER YOU WERE IN, ASSHOLE?"

"Do you even have an idea?" she continues, growling, "Obviously not!"

Shikamaru stays quiet, allowing the woman to blow off steam with her outburst.

"Really? You thought you can handle Neji?" she mocks. "The fuck were you thinking? If not for Tenten you would be dead because I sure won't intervene to save your stupid ass!"

"Tch." Shikamaru looks sharply at Temari, not liking the sound of her bluntly underestimating him.

Glowering back, Temari scowls, "Oh right, you're a genius. You can single-handedly handle Neji." Tone dripping with sarcasm, she continues to spat, "So after you thrash him, what were your plans? We were at the Konoha training ground, jerk! The place is teeming with Konoha nins! With Konoha nins, not Suna nins that don't care if a comrade is down and dying. Here we do things a whole lot differently."

Temari grits her teeth, asking querulously, "You think that after you beat Neji the others won't come to his aid? Neji's team mate—Lee… even alone, Lee is capable of kicking your ass real bad! Then there's—"

Shikamaru interrupts her lecture to question, "Lee was there?"

"Don't change the topic, asshole. Wait—Aside from Tenten, how did you know about Lee?" Temari barks. As far as she knows there was no introductions made in the training ground…She hates to admit it but there should have been. That was an opportunity for Kamaru to meet the others and for the others to meet him.

Shikamaru shrugs his shoulders.

Temari frowns. That shrug belies his curiosity about the others. Afterall Shikamaru is showing an unusual amount of inquisitiveness about the other Konaha nins. "So how did you?" she snaps. She knows that she should have stuck around to make the introductions but that fucking perverted book… Arg! The guys had seen her husband and the ass had seen them. That's enough!

"You mentioned Lee to me once all those years ago," Shikamaru answers.

"I don't remember," Temari replies slowly, trying to recall and coming up with a blank. "And whatever I said stuck with you?" she questions, surprised. Why did he commit to memory whatever she said? Was it curiosity about his fellow shinobis of Konoha even before he knows he is actually one of them?

"Well, what you said about Lee is intriguing," mumbles Shikamaru then suddenly the start of a smile teases the corners of his lips before breaking out in a chuckle. "He's the one wearing the green bodysuit, right? I now see what you meant by calling him weird."

Temari stares at Shikamaru. His eyes glint and his mouth is wreathed with humour. "Don't laugh, asshole. You almost got yourself killed!" she scowls. She is almost sidetracked by the look of amusement on his face because of Lee. It's not a common sight to see him laughing. It's actually a bit…endearing.

"You almost died!" she yells louder, remembering her anger just in time before her lips can betray her with her own chuckle.

"I didn't," he retorts, all traces of mirth gone. "I didn't die, okay."

"Why do you insist on sticking your nose in my business every time anyway?" snaps Temari, dredging up her reasons for being furious with him. "What? You thought I needed rescuing? Well, I have news for you—I'll never need your help! And the sooner you get that through your thick skull the better!"

Shikamaru clenches his jaw, imperceptibly, before he rolls his shoulders in another nonchalant shrug. "That wasn't what you said before. With Yoshino, you even enlisted my cooperation which is considered helping you in my books."

"That's a different issue!" Temari can't believe the gall of the ass throwing that on her face. "Can't you see that I did it for you?"

"Then I'm doing the same," Shikamaru reasons evenly. "I'm doing all these things for you."

"No. You are not! You're doing all these stupid things because of the baby I carry. What happened today is just another troublesome thing you think you should do to make sure nothing happens to this." Temari puts her hand on her still flat stomach. She then sneers, biting each word furiously, "You're so scared shit that something might happen to this being inside of me that will prompt the Kazekage to actually start a war with Konoha!"

"Yes, I'm scared but then so are you but still you won't recognize that you can't protect the baby on your own. You need my help. Just admit it," rasps Shikamaru.

"You won't even deny that all you care about is the baby!" roars Temari. What about her? She's carrying the infant, the least he can do is ask her what she wants, right? And then she'll tell him that she wants him to—

"On the contrary, Temari, I don't care that much about the baby. You get sick because of it. Now, you can't even do any jutsus properly. If you have seen the way you fought with that white-eyed nin, you'll be disappointed in yourself. You look such a weakling capable of doing nothing but retreat," utters Shikamaru.

A weakling? How can such an ugly word pass through his lips? Temari hoists her closed fist and connects it with Shikamaru's jaw as she is aiming at his mouth.

There is a loud thud that echoes across the room. Shikamaru's head is pushed sideways by the impact of Temari's blow. Not bothering to touch his bleeding lips, acting like it doesn't even hurt, he swings his head back slowly to face his wife, speaking evenly, "Tch at least face reality that you're a mother first and a kunoichi, second."

He continues, sounding more detached, "My sole purpose here is connected to your child. Don't get in the way of my mission. If I have to save you from yourself everytime, you're not helping. You're just turning yourself into a liability."

Temari's indrawn breath whooshes noisily."You seem to have an overblown image of your usefulness, asshole!" she snarls. "Why don't you do us both a favour and stick your so called help up your ass and leave!"

"You just have to look forward to my leaving. Don't worry I will. Later. In the meantime don't go chasing fights."

Temari lashes out in frustration, slicing the air with her hand, "That's not what I'm doing! I'm training to protect this baby. I won't depend on you—"

Shikamaru's face suddenly hardens, his eyes twin pools of bottled up anger. "Why? Because I'm not Sasuke?"

"Stop bringing up Sasuke. The baby is not his!" roars Temari, totally feed up.

"Next you're going to tell me it's mine," Shikamaru sneers. Another emotion flaring in his eyes, something dark seeping through the windows of his soul.

Temari notices the flash of chilling rage she never expected to see. She can't help but close her eyes to it and when she opens them once more, her greenish-blue orbs are more resolute, more determined. "Yes, it's yours," she admits.

"Telling me it's mine won't make me care for it more. It's not going to change how I look at our situation," Shikamaru spats. He'll never listen to her lie—especially since—it's one of those things he actually wants to believe in.

Temari is speechless. Her worst fear—that Shikamaru doesn't really want their child coming true. Maybe she shouldn't have blurted it out like that. Maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut and let him believe whatever.

For him this is just a mission. A mission he is forced to do. Being here with her certainly doesn't mean he's staying because he cares for everyone involve. She is just a mission. The baby is just a mission. Now, faced with the reality that it is his child, he's livid. For him it just complicates matters, not simplify them. "I understand. You hate being here," Temari mutters, suddenly sounding and feeling bone tired.

"Tch, I hate being in this kind of situation. So don't make it harder than it already is."

As Temari stares wearily at her husband, the man who never fails to imply his distaste to being with her, she mumbles softly, "Don't you even like me just a little?" Realizing what she has just said, her back stiffens as she snaps, "No, forget I ask that."

Shikamaru watches Temari closely. "If I answer that…tell me, how much I'm bound to lose?"

"I said forget it!" scowls Temari before pivoting on her feet, ready to leave their room. She doesn't understand what he means and she just doesn't care.

"No, I don't like you just a little." Shikamaru twists his lips, downright mocking himself. He can't lose what he doesn't have. Might as well go for broke. "I like you a lot," he mutters.

Temari hears his softly spoken declaration at the door. About to turn the knob, she snorts as she remembers the time she heard almost the same exact words from him. How gullible does he think she is? What a fucking asshole!

"Demonstrating your acting ability will be more productive if it isn't just the two of us," she remarks snappishly as she draws the door open, ready to step outside.

"When it is just the two of us…" Shikamaru releases his breath painfully slow through his lips before he can continue, "do I still need to act?"

With her still inside the room, Temari swivels around as she bangs the door shut behind her. "Don't play this game, ass! It's not even remotely funny!"

"Woman, who said I'm joking?"

"If this is about your claim that you're so good that I couldn't even tell the difference between you acting or not—"

"Damn it, woman! Why do you think I'm so confident that I can act like I like you? It's because I already do!"

"Then why do you hate being with me?" snaps Temari, confused why Shikamaru is saying all this, suddenly acting unlike himself. Damn it he must have a reason that suits his diabolical plan.

"Did I say that?" grumbles Shikamaru. "I said I hate the situation."

Temari starts to ramble, "What particular situation? There's a lot. The birth switch situation? The fact that kasan doesn't like you? The Kazekage's threat to the baby? What?"

"Tch."

"Why don't you answer me, asshole!" bellows Temari. "You say you hate the situation. Well, bastard I'm in the same situation as you so suck it up! And stop saying you like me. I'm not here to keep you amused!"

"We are not—" utters Shikamaru harshly, "—in the same situation!"

"Why? Because you feel that I got the better end of the bargain?" Temari growls back. "Why? Because I grew up with two loving parents instead of having just one cruel father? Because I grew up having friends that actually like me despite being a bitc—"

"For the hundredth time, I don't want your parents or your friends," retorts Shikamaru. "On the contrary all I ever want is you."

Temari is taken aback, she raises surprised eyes towards Shikamaru.

"So you see we are not in the same situation." Shikamaru gives a bitter sneer directed at himself then dropping his gaze, unable to meet Temari's searing look, he utters tonelessly, "While you're doing everything to make up for the mistakes of the past—I, on the other hand, have to lie, threaten, coerce and force you. I knowingly hurt you so I could stay by your side. I'm a bastard that deserves your contempt."

Temari stares at the man she married trying to understand what he's saying.

"I plan on not burdening you with what I feel. So just for today, allow me to say that I like you. I'll bottle my feelings up again after this day so you can go back pretending that you didn't know. It'll be easier—"

"Why do I need to pretend?" rasps Temari.

"Why? Because pretending you didn't know is better than pretending to yourself that you like me!" Shikamaru answers vehemently. Taking a calming breath, he spells out, "You're still repaying me, aren't you, for what the Kazekage, your father did. Right now, you're probably contemplating if you should say you like me too." Shikamaru gives a bark of humourless laughter. "Shit woman! You should really listen to Yoshino when she says none of these is your fault. You don't have to lie and say that you return my feelings as another way for you to make up for what you think I missed growing up."

Temari doesn't know what to think anymore. She doesn't even know what she feels let alone invent one. She just blurts out the first thing in her mind, "So you like me but not the baby?"

"The baby's okay. Don't put words in my mouth."

Temari hisses, "Asshole, it was definitely you who said you don't care about the baby."

Shikamaru sighs, seeming to exhale all the pent up emotions he's been harbouring. "I just told you that because I was angry," he confesses slowly.

So that's one lie Shikamaru told her. Maybe him liking her is another one of those lies…

Temari's forehead creases into a frown as she bites her lower lip, undecided. They are just fighting as usual then once again he mentions that he likes her only this time he's not taking his words back. He's even saying he likes the baby after saying he doesn't.

He could be lying or saying the truth.

Fuck! She doesn't know what to believe anymore. Her heart starts to beat so fast, thudding ridiculously loud that it's making it hard to listen to her head. Every thump seems to dictate to her to just trust him but her mind, her mind is trying to speak up saying the opposite. That she's being stupid.

Gah maybe she is being stupid. Afterall everything sounds so…everything just sounds too good to be the fucking truth.

TBC

—o0o—

~9 14,19, 30 13AF P10 12 13~

A/N: Aww..what do you think is happening, guys? Review?