I hesitated leading the story to Temari having a traumatic experience, but I feel as if this is a way to show that the Leaf Village gang is really loyal to Temari. Although they do talk behind her back a lot (not in a very negative away, more genuine), the purpose of the past chapters is to show that although she is not someone who has been involved with them for years, she still means a lot to them.
That, and I also needed a bracket to show that Shikamaru really did have some sort of feel for her. Maybe so much more than the others.
This chapter opens up to more comedic scenes, hope this can ease the tension!
CHAPTER 11 - Spyin' Spyin'
It has been a month since Temari has walked into the wooden halls of Konoha Hall. The way she had to get used to short skirts, gossip, and new friends, were all a rough and bumpy experience for her. Yet again, she truly sees herself going into more of a disaster, if still being present in Suna Academy. But disasters could happen anywhere, and Temari may have just bumped into her second one.
That morning, after Shikamaru picked her up from her apartment building, and bought her breakfast even when she had so roughly declined, she seated herself into Biology, next to a smiling Ten Ten.
"Temari! Good morning!" Ten Ten greeted her, seemingly suspicious.
The blonde crossed her legs under the desk, crossing her arms as she gave a evil but kind smile. "Hey dear." She greeted her back. Temari had gotten used to calling the gang a bunch of pet names by then, it was her way of speaking 'friendly.'
"What's with the smile? You didn't put glue on my chair now, did you?"
Ten Ten waved her arms in defense. "N-N-No! Actually, I have something for you," she turns around to the opposite side of her desk, bending over to grab a gift bag placed between her desk and the wall.
"Here." She stuck the bag out the Temari. "I want you to open it."
Temari blinked. "Oh? For me?" She placed a hand on her chest to show her pleased reaction, then reaching out to pick the bag up by the string. She then opens it, feeling her smile go from extended to seriousness. Inside the bag, she saw a pair of black spandex shorts, some red kneepads, a black sports bra, and some high socks branded by a common sports company. Temari didn't know what to think, before she could even open her mouth, Ten Ten spoke quickly.
"I know," she told her. "I know, that it isn't my place, and if you don't want to tryout, I understand. I placed a receipt in there too, but I just want you to know that what happened to you back then, if I was there, I would of tried my hardest to make those coaches keep you as a player. And that team? That is not how a team works, that is not how a team rules."
Temari continued to stare, considering it was the only thing she really could do. Again, she never had the chance to open her mouth, as class began.
"AND ONE, AND A TWO, AND THREE!"
This was the first thing Shikamaru heard as he woke up. He thanked the Lords everyday for having free periods, but he hated waking up to Naruto's obnoxious exercises that Lee kept claiming would get him girls if he did them every morning. This was a common thing, waking up every day to some retro music and Naruto's annoying shouts as he counts out each rep.
Shikamaru slaps a pillow on top of his head. "Good grief, can you shut up?"
"No can do, Shikamaru!" His friend exclaimed, "Not everyone can get the new girl like you!"
The pineapple head ripped the pillow off of his head, immediately giving Naruto a stank eye. "Temari's not my girlfriend."
Naruto grinned. "Who said it was Temari? Ooo, must be thinking about her."
"Well no shit. Who else would I be talking about? Can you name anyone else in this school that's new?"
Naruto tapped a finger on his chin while he did some squats. "Well there's this girl named-"
"Shut up Naruto."
Temari walked along the corridor of the dorm hallways with the gift bag still in her hands. As she walked slowly, she looked down at her feet while engaging in her thoughts. She didn't know what to do, the process. How did sports work in the school? What if the girls were just as mean? Or even worse, what if the coach was a whole per-!
"No." Temari told herself, clenching her fists. "I should do it. Not for Ten Ten, but for myself."
Without warning, Shikamaru peeped his head out of his dorm room as he heard the familiar voice of Temari's. He stepped out behind her, tightening his grip on his electronic cigarette while blowing out a puff of smoke. Temari, disgusted, turned around as she saw the smoke, until realizing it was no one other than Shikamaru.
"Shikamaru?" She called out.
He inhaled onto the device, speaking as smoke escaped his mouth. "That's me."
"Why..." She looked at him disappointedly.
Shikamaru blinked at her, did she not like his habits? "Oh, sorry, if you don't want me to do this around you then I'll go-"
"No! Idiot." She stepped towards him, placing a hand on her hip and another hand pointed to him in shame. "Why so early? If you're going to smoke then you should at least eat a little bit more."
"I had breakfast with you."
She rolled her eyes. "You had like a bagel."
"So?" He shrugged, puffing again. "Carbs are carbs."
Temari sighed, looking down at the bag again momentarily before looking up at him again. "It's not like that..." She would turn down at the bag again, visibly upset.
Shikamaru had grown confused. First, she got upset because he was smoking too early. And now she's getting upset over.. a bag with things in it? Shikamaru then regretted not paying much attention in that women's studies class Naruto forced him to take last year. Perhaps, he could just be honest. He stepped carefully to the frowning Temari, looking down at her hanging head.
"I can't read girls. You seem stressed, do you want to talk?" He asked her with a bothered face.
Temari continued to look down, but this time, not because she was upset. Instead, to hide her blush that Shikamaru so suddenly caused as he showed a sense of care towards her. Nevertheless, she nodded, and Shikamaru walked beside her as her footsteps became heavy.
"So you pretty much forced her to tryout? This is all I'm hearing." Ino said as she reapplied make up before her next class. Ten Ten, Sakura, and Ino found a way to get out of their gym class and lounge in their dorm.
Ten Ten sighed, placing her hands into the cup of her hands. "That wasn't what I was trying to do!"
Sakura placed a reassuring hand on her brunette friend's back. "I understand Ten Ten, but with good, comes bad. I feel that Temari just needs some time to think, I'm sure she knew you had good intentions, you did explain it to her? Didn't you?"
"Of course I did," Ten Ten answered. "But I just wanted to push her to try something out a bit here, you know? Just because she had a bad experience there doesn't mean it'll be the same here."
"Yeah but you have to think, we've only known Temari for about, what? A month? Even though we find that she's close with us now, doesn't mean she feels the same way. And another thing, maybe her school really had it harsh with her on the volleyball games." Sakura said, bringing up another point.
Ten Ten pressed her lips together in worry. "I hate that you're so smart."
"Oh, same old, same old." Sakura replied, causing Ino to roll her eyes.
Ten Ten smiled, hugging Sakura lightly. "I'll give Temari a call, I don't think she's in a strict class right now."
The brunette whips out her phone, dialing Temari as she waits for a call.
Ino looked out the window of their dorm. "Uhm, I don't think that's a good idea."
Ten Ten raised an eyebrow while Sakura also did her share of showing a confused gesture. Ten Ten would then cancel the dial. "Why not?"
"Seems like her and Shikamaru are hitting it off." Ino grinned, sassily emphasizing her sentence.
Shikamaru walked beside the blonde, keeping his cold hands into the pockets of his black joggers as his thin, navy, long sleeve wasn't doing him much on the topic of warmth. He looked at Temari, noticing she merely had just a mix of black, white, tan, and red plaided skirt, a red hoodie, and some black boots.
'She's probably cold.' He thought to himself.
The two strolled along the concrete exterior of the school campus. This whole time, Temari ranted to him about the whole situation, while he gave soft "mhm"s and "yeah"s. As they walked for what seemed to be an hour, they had reached a dead end behind one of the dorm buildings. And so, they were met with nothing but a deep length of trees and a small shed. Temari turned around with the intention of going back to the front of the campus, however bumped into Shikamaru while doing so.
And so then, the two were faced with a complication; their faces were inches away from each other.
"Uhm," Temari gulped, being able to smell the smoke off of his breath. "So.. what did you think about my situation?"
Shikamaru turned red, in which caused Temari to do so too. "I think you should do it," he kept looking straight into her eyes, although he struggled intensely. "I know it wasn't really her place, and I'm sorry I told her without talking to you first but she is a good friend and y-you know it."
Temari continued to stare into his eyes as much as he was. "R-R-Right." She stuttered, not wanting to break any eye contact.
No difference in the intensity of the wind broke their staring, they kept looking into each other's eyes until either of them felt a sudden urge to move closer.
"T-Temari..." Shikamaru voiced, his breath hitting her lips.
Temari struggled to move the muscles of her chops. "Yeah?"
"I.." He gulped. "I'm really happy.. you're here."
She smiled, leaning a bit forward to the point where their noses were touching.
"So.. tell me why you own a pair of binoculars again?" Ten Ten asked, slouching on her desk chair.
Sakura turned to the brunette, speaking in a low voice. "It's been a secret for a while."
"Oh, SHUT UP!" Ino told them as she continued to look into the spyglasses. "Oh, WHY CAN'T HE JUST KISS HER ALREADY!?"
"Ino!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing to the small opened crack of the window.
The girls immediately took cover, jumping to the carpeted floor for the fear that Ino's loud voice may have caused the couple to hear their ruckus.
"Oh, WHY CAN'T HE JUST KISS HER ALREADY!?"
Shikamaru and Temari broke away, looking up to the rows of windows of the dorms, searching for one to have an opened window. As suspected, they saw one without a curtain. Shikamaru began to count windows, leaving Temari questioning.
"Why are you counting?" She asked, still red.
Shikamaru put on a grumpy face. "It's the girls. They were spying on us."