Chapter 86
On the bed, sweaty, Shikamaru moves on his back while Temari arranges the blanket over her naked body.
After puffing her pillow, Temari closes her eyes and mutters, "Night."
Turning on his side to face his wife, he utters softly, "Night."
Staring at the woman's profile, he's still inwardly debating whether to tell her that he's now training with Choji and Ino. Afterall, what he and she have right now is a mutual understanding that makes their relationship so much better than before. Heck, he has never been this happy before and he balks from risking it.
Ino said Temari's jealous—of course, he thinks the other blonde is right but for a different reason.
He had seen how Temari reacted to the news that her sensei trust him. How she wasn't able to hide her disappointment. He really thinks that the reason why Temari warned him off training and having missions with Ino is because she doesn't want him taking more of what is hers.
And that's why he believes Ino's wrong. Temari's not jealous because she suspects he will fall for the other blonde. That's quite absurd considering she already knows he loves her.
But still there's a part of him that wistfully thinks that maybe—just maybe—he's the one wrong...
With Temari's eyes close but with her breathing suggesting she's still be awake, Shikamaru asks, stupidly, "Are you awake?"
"Hmn?" Temari mumbles sleepily.
"I run into Ino today," he drawls, scrutinizing Temari's profile for any fluttering of her eyelashes or tightening of her facial muscles—anything that will indicate that she's jealous of the other woman.
"Ino?" Temari simply echoes.
"Yeah," Shikamaru nods his head, the action unseen by Temari. "We talked about things, about you. She says—"
"Whatever she told you, its accuracy is highly questionable," she mutters, dismissing Shikamaru as she turns on her side to face the wall. "Just go to sleep, ass,"
"Don't you want to know what she told me first before you say that?" Shikamaru mumbles.
No answer from Temari's side of the bed.
"She told me you're jealous of her," he continues, hoisting his body up to keep on watching Temari's face.
Temari simply snorts. Obviously unaffected.
Returning to lay on his back, Shikamaru glumly closes his own eyes. He already knows that the idea is preposterous and Temari's uncaring attitude rubbing it in, irritates the hell out of him.
Twisting on his side, facing away from Temari, he silently fumes, deciding that no, he won't tell the troublesome woman what he's doing. Afterall, she doesn't give a shit 'bout him or about Ino's feelings.
Shutting his eyes tightly closed, he wriggles looking for a more comfortable position to sleep in.
"Ass, stop moving!" rasps Temari, voice already thickened by sleep.
—o0o—
Over the next few days, the Nara household falls into a sort of routine. Yoshino still cooks and does the household chores with the help of Temari. Hence, the younger woman goes out the house a lot later than Shikamaru, either to do light training or to check on her team's progress.
Yesterday, however, her team is officially handed down by Tsunade to Sasuke temporarily. Now, Temari doesn't have to worry about her three students not getting enough supervision. She can actually take a break from being a kunoichi and simply be someone who's pregnant.
Everybody's treating her like one anyway. It irks her but then there are benefits too. Like days ago, Choji passed by bringing her a supply of chestnut flavored chips. She doesn't think there are any but luckily her former teammate knows a store that prepares made to orders. Shikamaru must have asked him...
Shikamaru, that crybaby, for some reason seems to continue to be sulking. Temari can detect it even though he acts normal—too normal—around her. She's aware that he's acting too nonchalant willfully. She would have kicked his ass if not for the fact that atleast he listens to her in regard with Yoshino. He does the morning dishes voluntarily and two days ago, she even caught him mopping the kitchen floor.
"Hey," Temari greets as she approaches Shikamaru by the sink under the pretext of one measly unwashed spoon.
Shikamaru raises a hand from the sink. "Thanks for this," he says with a lopsided grin, showing the orange rubber glove that he's wearing as he washes the dishes, interpreting the unmanly item as some sort of peace offering. A playful gesture from her, teasing his masculinity with it just 'cause she knows that he's sulking.
Temari glances at the side of the sink; the older, smaller, pink pair of dishwashing gloves hangs dry from the rod. She's about to deny providing it when suddenly Shikamaru leans down and kisses her full on the lips.
With his hands remaining submerge in the sudsy water by the sink, Shikamaru has to twist around on his waist so his head can reach down towards Temari. Even with the awkward position, he deepens the kiss, his tongue seeking permission to gain entry and Temari lets him.
And eyes closed, with her arms now encircling around his neck, Temari slowly tiptoes up towards Shikamaru as he gradually straightens, easing his uncomfortable position as their mouths remain steadfastly fused.
When the kiss ends, with her arms still around his neck, she chuckles. "What is it about me and the sink?" she asks against his mouth.
"Hm?" mumbles Shikamaru.
"You like kissing me by the sink."
"I just like kissing you. Period."
"Uh huh," Temari mocks.
Shikamaru turns to grab Temari with the wet gloves on and tries to kiss her once more time while the woman squirms, not wishing to get soapy.
"Stop it, ass!" she yells while laughingly struggling to free herself from Shikamaru's wet manacle.
—o0o—
Yoshino, rushing from the living room to Temari's defense upon hearing her daughter shout, belatedly catches the amusement lacing the high pitched voice now that she's about to cross the divider towards the kitchen.
Stopping on her tracks, the older woman peers inside, watching the two, unseen. Temari, contorting, trying to act angry but couldn't help giggling as the boy hangs on to her, trying to put his lips over her lips. The battle is on and it seems to be on Temari's favor as Shikamaru's lips land on her ear then on her temple then on her hair but not on its actual target.
Coughing loudly, Yoshino enters the kitchen. Kamaru and Temari predictably jumps away from each other and maintains a respectable distance.
"I can see you're using the gloves," Yoshino remarks, pointedly ignoring the boy's discomfort and her daughter's defensive stance. "It's for Shikaku."
"Oh," Shikamaru mutters, sounding embarrassed as he hastily tries to remove the wet and sticky rubber gloves from his hands. "I saw the pack here by the sink and thought Temari left it for me to use."
"Shikaku refuses to wash the dishes so just keep using it," Yoshino says dismissively.
Surprised, Shikamaru glances at the orange rubber gloves, before swiveling back his attention to Yoshino. "Thanks," he mumbles.
"Don't thank me. If there's one thing I hate, it's wasting money. And that gloves was bought with money," Yoshino turns her back, filling a glass with water by the counter.
While Yoshino has her back towards them, Shikamaru notices the look of amazement on Temari's face making him mouth the words to her, "Don't get your hopes up, woman."
—o0o—
A month passes by then two. The washing of dishes after breakfast and then moping the kitchen floor become Shikamaru's routine tasks before leaving every morning.
He trains with Choji and occasionally Ino under Asuma. He only uses the invisible shadow thread jutsu, still unwilling to show them the full range of his ability, not when Temari still doesn't know that Ino has joined him and Choji.
He should have told Temari earlier on but at first he was mad at her for being dismissive and when he wasn't mad anymore that she couldn't even act jealous about Ino, the right time to tell her had seemed to already passed him by.
How can he admit to her now that he has failed to follow her one request when she's always grinning up at him even when she's supposed to be angry? Her blue green eyes turning turbulent and stormy at him...is something he absolutely hates to see again.
So he just lets the issue go un-discussed. Anyway, it's impossible that with the time that has already gone by that nobody has told her yet. Temari must know by now that he's training and accomplishing C and even B rank missions together with Choji and Ino. Her silence must mean her blessing.
So why rock the boat by putting into words things that are potentially already known and just ignored?
Shikamaru sighs deeply. If only Temari really loves him then he won't feel like a coward.
Tch but then it's okay for him to call himself a coward. That's a very small price to pay for his happiness.
He really is a happy man. A very satisfied one. God, the sex is good. Scratch that. The sex is great. And even with Temari's burgeoning bump, she's still very, very sexy and very libidous. Must be because of all that pregnant hormones.
So who needs I love you's when one has already what he has.
Shikamaru just knows, life won't get any better than this.
—o0o—
Life won't get worse than this, Matsuri convinces herself as her whole body writhes in pain. Death seems to be a welcome option.
She had really stupidly thought she was following Kouzan, the Suna jounin that received the Kazekage's scroll from Baki, undetected. Only Kouzan had immediately noticed her tailing him and led her deeper and deeper into a trap.
Then he has taken her prisoner, with her ankle chained into the floor by solid steel. He keeps her alive for days...weeks...a month then more in her cell, a dank and dark place inside an abandoned and toppled building. At first, he terrorizes her for information but these days he just derives pleasure from her every shout, every tear that springs from her eyes and every blood drop he incurs from her small body.
The days have blurred into each other as she learns first hand the reality of the gossip about Kouzan's cruelty. She can't even say anymore how long she has been held and tortured by the brutal jounin.
During the first week of her captivity, her captor visits her every other day, inflicting pain while asking who sent her, but then she always answers, "No one." He should have killed her then when it becomes obvious that he'll get nothing from her but that cruel streak of his, wanting to hear her scream, has prevented him.
Lately, however, Kouzan's visits have became less frequent, ranging from every four days to more than a week in between. That in itself is a form of torture as no one is left to give her food and water. The damage inflicted on her body is aggravated by hunger and thirst. She's so weak that even the effort to lift her head from the floor seeps her energy. And with her throat dry, shouting for help is useless as her voice isn't loud enough to carry outside the derelict building.
Then today comes and her life is about to turn for the worse as for the first time there are two sets of footsteps approaching her prison. One the familiar thread of Kouzan's and the other, heavier and unfamiliar.
"What have we here?" the strange foreign nin utters with sick glee upon seeing her blood caking her face and body. The various lacerations she has are made obvious by the red trail and the torn parts on her clothes. The gaping wound, not receiving any care, are showing signs of infection which means she also has fever.
With the faint sunlight streaming through from the small holes on the building wall, Matsuri also tries to look over her new unwelcome visitor. Her eyes, both bruised from a previous encounter with her captor's fists have healed enough for her to see. The strange foreign nin has light colored hair, oily slicked back and he's wearing his dark robe in a disrobed manner while the handle of his three-bladed scythe rests on his shoulder, ominously.
However, it is the naked expanse of chest that makes Matsuri tremble. She'll be raped atop being tortured.
Meanwhile Kouzan, feeling ignored, unceremoniously drops the plastic bag of food and the cup of water to the floor, forcing Matsuri's attention back to him.
Matsuri springs into action, crawling, moving her aching body to save the water that spilled from the cup by lapping at the precious liquid before the floor can soak it.
The new guy laughs loudly as he watches her, even squatting down in front of her to mock her farther.
Raising her eyes from the floor, she glowers at the nin with the much evil laughter. Months ago, he would have terrified her greatly, even more than her captor does, but at that exact moment, she would thank him if he kills her.
Her existence has been reduced to such pitiful sight. Before she has entertained the fanciful thought of freeing herself from this hell hole but with numerous broken bones and malnutrition, the reality of her situation has sunk in. She can never free herself from this place. Movement has become limited and very painful. She's just too weak.
The best she can do is channel all her frustrations and hate in her gaze at the foreign nin. Her pride, she will not let go of it ever no matter how pitiful she becomes. But the strange nin just guffaws, not at all intimidated by her glare.
"Her? As an offering to my god?!" the strange nin sneers at Kouzan.
Her captor just shrugs, unamused by the other nin's perceived joke.
The strange nin just cringes his nose in distaste. "Killing her is just like stepping on a cockroach."
Matsuri can only close her eyes as relief washes her. Her suffering will soon end and she will get what she wants—death and it means she'll soon be reunited with her family.
TBC
—o0o—
~2 9 14, 3 14 14AF P 3 14, 15 14~
A/N: I unposted this chapter 'cause I started to wonder if I posted it a little too soon after the previous one...I think I was able to add some more to it but not enough to change it though.
Anyway, Heero Yuy009 pm me regarding SOPA and its destructive effect to FFN. You might want to check this petition... whitehouse dot gov slash petition slash stop-sopa-2014 slash q0Vkk0Zr