A/N: Aww thank you LymeWarriorCosplay for feeding me lots and lots of reviews. :D Although, you had me worried when you disappeared for a while. Glad you read on.
And Latezz123...and here I though nobody would notice if I just post that chapter as is. My bad :P
And yes, I saw a random weeb and jojohohoho.
—oOo—
Chapter (11)...4
"What do you mean Gaara is dead?" Shikamaru asks the Suna nin, disbelief lacing his voice.
The Suna nin just meets Kamaru's gaze unwaveringly.
Shikamaru, his eyes bright with unshed tears and his fists clench at his sides as he feels his whole world, crashing down. "Gaara is the only one who knows where the enemy had taken Temari and my son. So don't tell me Gaara is dead. He can't be."
"The medic at the scene declared him dead. I will take you to them," the other nin utters with finality.
—oOo—
"Is there anything wrong?" Gaara asks Temari as soon as she returns back inside her family's house.
"Mind your own business, Gaara," snaps Temari. "It's between me and Kamaru."
Gaara stiffens. "Kamaru-nisan isn't weak."
Temari stops mid stride in the foyer and swivels around to face Gaara. "You were listening in in our private conversation?"
"Yes," Gaara admits calmly. "If you are angry at father in my behalf, don't be. I have forgiven him." Gaara straightens as he continues and asks, "Does that also makes me weak in your eyes?"
Temari shakes her head, not merely to negate the latter part of Gaara's words but more to deny the former ones. "Rasa tried and tried again to kill you. How could you forgive him?"
"It is so easy to hate. But hate is corrosive. It destroys people. So I choose to remember all the good that Rasa had brought to my life. Kankuro, Kamaru-nisan and you. Without Rasa, without father, I'll be all alone. Actually, that's not correct. Without father, I won't even exist."
"So you owe him your life—so you choose to forgive him. Shikamaru chooses to forgive him too but don't expect me to do the same."
"You said it yourself, Temari. It's a choice. And actually it's the harder option to take. So it doesn't make Kamaru-nisan, weak. To forgive the man who changed his life's course, it takes strength to overcome the hate. Whereas you—Temari, you are the one who is weak. You choose to stay in your cocoon of hate, unwilling to take the first step out of it."
"You just don't understand how I feel," growls Temari at Gaara.
Gaara looks into Temari's eyes. "I murdered people in cold blood because I hated father. My life didn't mean anything because I hated father. Don't tell me I don't understand how you feel...because trust me...the amount of hate I felt before far exceeded the hate you feel now. I'm telling you this for the same reason Kamaru-nisan is telling you. Hate can grow until it consumes you. Don't let the hate you feel now exceed the hate I had before...because if that happens, if you become destructive in your hate, you will lose all the people that you love. That's not something that you would want."
—oOo—
That evening, for the first time since he arrived from Suna, Shikamaru turns his back towards Temari in their bed.
Temari who got used to sleeping with her head on her human pillow is miffed.
She grumbles under her breath, "Ass," then turns around herself, with her back towards Shikamaru, pulling the blanket with her.
Shikamaru doesn't mumble a complaint...which makes Temari all the more peeved. She pulls and pulls the blanket until she reaches the edge that belongs to Shikamaru.
Still no reaction from the person pretending to be sleeping beside her.
So she sits up on the bed then with her feet outstretched, she pushes Shikamaru off the bed.
"Aw," Shikamaru mutters as he suddenly, out of nowhere, hits the floor on his side with a thud.
"That's it? That's all you gonna say?" Temari stands on the bed to glare down at Shikamaru as he moves to lie on his back on the floor.
Shikamaru looks up at Temari then pulls his pillow down from the bed and puts it beneath his head on the floor. Closing his eyes, he says, "Go to sleep, Temari."
"What a crybaby! You're sulking because I called you weak?!"
Shikamaru doesn't react to Temari's goading. He merely closes his eyes and finds a more comfortable position on his hard bed.
Temari plunks down, the soft mattress bouncing a little. She gradually returns to lie on her side of the bed, more miffed than before.
After a minute then another of her scowling at the ceiling, she then rolls on the bed towards Shikamaru's side until she falls off the edge.
"Omph," Shikamaru yelps as Temari falls on top of him.
"Make space!" Temari demands, wriggling until she has her head on Shikamaru's chest. "I take it back. You're not weak. You're petty. Goodnight."
"Are we really gonna sleep on the floor?"
"Yes."
Shikamaru sighs.
"And I'm not gonna forgive Rasa just because you and Gaara said I should."
"I know. When you're ready, we're gonna visit Suna."
Temari simply closes her eyes in response. "I hate Rasa."
"Go to sleep, Temari."
"I love you, Shikamaru."
Shikamari smiles, unseen by Temari.
Temari raises her head to glare at Shikamaru. "What? No reply?"
"I want sex," sighs Shikamaru.
"That's all you think about, ass? That's all you want?"
"Hmm is that all I want…?" Shikamaru appears to consider the question. "Well, I have a family—my brothers, Shikaku, Yoshino, you and Shikadai. I have all I need. Except for the lack of sex...my life is perfect."
"Well ass, just wait a few more days."
"Really, really frustrated here, Temari."
"It's not like I don't want to, you know!"
Shikamaru clears his throat. "You can use your mouth."
—oOo—
Lots of sex and couple of months later, Temari finally visits Rasa's grave with her son.
Shikamaru wants to go with her but she is adamant that she wants to go on her own.
Shikamaru lets her.
He shouldn't have.
Temari and their son were sighted by some of the Suna villagers to have been swooped down by the enemy atop his large, white bird. Gaara was the only one who was able to follow them while defending the village from the numerous, mammoth explosions caused by the clay bombs thrown by the enemy as he fled with his hostages.
Shikamaru, his eyes bright with unshed tears and fists clench at his sides as he feels his whole world come crashing down. "Gaara is the only one who knows where the enemy had taken Temari and my son. So don't tell me Gaara is dead. He can't be."
"He can't be dead, do you understand!" Shikamaru reiterates, biting each word in anger. He can't allow the thought that his perfect life is crumbling and that the coldness that suffuses his body, he tries so hard to ignore.
"The medic at the scene declared the Kazekage dead. I will take you to them."
Shikamaru just shakes his head in utter and helpless disbelief. "Gaara is strong. He can't be dead."
"The medic is quite sure, the Kazekage is dead," the nin repeats. "There's no mistake. There's really no mistake."
—oOo—
~8 23 20, 8 29 20~
A/N: When people get the...4.
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