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Her tessen struck straight through the air before her at her chest level. Withdrawing, she spun to her left and swung sideways to make a fine arc at the same level. Flipping backwards and charging forwards, she jumped high into the air before descending and driving down her tessen with all her weight behind it. It struck and dug into the ground with ferocious power. The earth shook and trembled.
She was huffing and puffing when someone spoke behind her.
"I think you have done her enough damage, sister," a mildly amused voice sounded.
Startled that she didn't sense anyone, she turned and relaxed at the sight of her youngest brother garbed in his Kazekage clothes. He was looking at her in a curious manner.
She swiped at the sweat that formed on her face and chuckled. "Was my target so obvious?"
"It was to me," Gaara said simply.
"Am I so transparent to you then?"
"I would like to think so. Yes."
She laughed lightly then smiled at her brother. "Would you like to spar?"
Gaara raised a brow at her. "When you are in this state? No, thank you."
Temari scoffed, "Oh please. Don't patronize me. Come on."
"I am not patronizing you. I just mean that you are emotionally charged and it is not wise to challenge someone like that."
"Pfft. Fine, sit next to me then. Stay with me while I wind down from my charge."
"Okay."
Temari plopped to the ground and planted her tessen at her side while Gaara sat down next to her gingerly. Temari turned to stare at her brother. The things that the old lady said flashed through her mind. She clenched her teeth.
Gaara spoke with furrowed brows, "You are not worried, are you? About the council? You know I will take care of them so there is no need to worry."
She managed to unhinge her jaw and smiled while a pang hit her chest. "Of course not. You're the Kazekage. You can do it. I was just letting out my frustrations at that woman."
Gaara gave her a tiny smile. "I am sure she would shudder to see how you would do her in."
She smirked then hesitated. But she needed to do this. "Do you enjoy being Kazekage, Gaara?"
Gaara turned his face to look at her fully. He paused as if digesting her question then slowly said, "Do I enjoy it? Hmm. I never thought about it. But when I look at the people who are no longer afraid of me and trust me to make the best decisions for them, I do not only feel a sense of duty but also a sense of warmth."
"Warmth?"
"When I have time and take a walk around the village, the children wave at me and their faces look excited. The adults greet me enthusiastically and give me the brightest of smiles. It is a huge change of environment from when Shukaku consumed me. It is an experience I cherish."
Temari found herself smiling gently. Gaara tilted his head at her. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just curious. But it makes me happy to hear that." She did expect such an answer from him but was not prepared for what it made her feel. It was an odd mixture of contentment and resignation.
"What I said earlier about decision-making. That includes you, sister."
"What do you mean?" She threw him a questioning look.
"I mean that I would try my best to make the best decisions for you as well. This situation in particular." Gaara looked at her with a strange ember in his eyes. And at that moment, she knew her decision was clear.
She chuckled, hiding the twinge of pain she felt. "You're the best." Then she ruffled his hair, making him grimace. Gaara muttered, "Are you allowed to do that to the Kazekage?"
Her laugh boomed out. "You will always be my little brother thus I have the intrinsic right to do such things." Gaara scowled playfully until he saw her face become serious.
"Hey Gaara? Can you give me a few days for a short visit to Konoha?"
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"What did you just say?" Shikamaru asked, disbelief rang in his voice. He stared at his fiancee as if he never saw the likes of her before. After hearing what she said, she might as well be a completely different person.
"You heard me. This whole engagement is a joke in the first place," Temari said with a maddening smirk on her face. "You really didn't expect that the sister of the Kazekage would settle for the likes of you? Because kami forbid we actually got married, I would be nuptially stepping down. And that doesn't really look good on the records of the Sabaku clan, does it? Plus why would I give up all the privileges of royalty?" She raised her brow to direct a look of superiority at the black-haired leaf ninja.
He met her eyes evenly, implicitly accepting the challenge. "You're lying," he said flatly. "Tell me why someone like you would deign to waste a second of their precious time on someone they consider a lazy ass?"
She snickered and his lips pressed into a thin line in a vague display of annoyance.
Temari said with mocking mirth, "That's easy. You may not be royalty. But you're of noble clan. Your family is privy to privileged information."
"You're telling me you dated me just for information?" he drawled out, annoying Temari with his characteristic tempo.
She retorted in a sharp tone, "Don't act dumb, Nara. You know as well as I that in this day and age, information is everything. Years ago, brute force might be the rule but now it's information that will give any village a political, social and economic advantage." The smirk widened infuriatingly.
"So you're saying you used me," he put it mildly. Considering what his fiancée, or ex-fiancee, just confessed, one would think he would start lashing out at her. Or at the very least, throw a glare at her. But he did neither. In fact, he was gazing at her rather oddly.
"The genius does comprehend quite quickly." Temari clapped her hands once. "So we're done here, yes? Good." She turned and walked away. Up until a few meters when she felt that familiar sensation of being restrained. As if her entire body was bound by an invisible force.
"Let go, Nara," she said through gritted teeth as she felt a mix of trepidation and anticipation run through her. Trepidation because of the possibility that he would touch her and anticipation because of the certainty that she would let him.
"We weren't quite done," Shikamaru said plainly. He maneuvered his shadows so that she would turn back around to look at him. There was a darkening in his obsidian eyes that made her wish she could shut her eyes against them. But that was a cowardly move and Temari of the Sand and Wind Mistress did not do cowardly.
He covered the distance between them in a surprisingly swift move, leaving her anchored on her spot. There was a beat of purposeful and suspenseful silence before he initiated his opening move. Raising his hand to her face, her movements mirrored his.
"What are you doing, Nara?" she muttered. He gave no indication that he heard her nor did he give an answer.
Cupping her cheek, he gently brushed his thumb across her lips. Her thumb against his lips. He could feel her warm breath against the pad of his thumb. She fought the shivers that crept up her spine from his breath that misted on her thumb.
Then he slid his hand down her face, tortuously slow. As if he was caressing each and every one of her nerve endings when all he was doing was making for a straight path to her neck. His palm pressed at the side of her neck and his thumb brushed up against her throat and rested by her pulse point.
At that moment, she felt her entire body burning. Then he spoke, breaking the spell he wove over her in a matter of seconds.
He murmured, "Dilated pupils, slight flush, rapid pulse. Doesn't look like signs of someone who wants to throw me away like a rusty kunai." A slight smirk curved his face.
Her eyes widened in realization then immediately narrowed. The flush deepened. Whether due to embarrassment or rage, he did not dare guess.
"Let me go, Nara." Her hand remained at his neck.
He threw her an amused look. She glowered, irritation bubbling within.
"I've let go of the jutsu for a few seconds now."
She stiffened then pried her hand away as if his skin scorched her. "T-that was... They were definite signs of anger! To hold a woman hostage like that..."
"It's not like you're a defenceless woman."
She glared daggers at him. Then she moved closer, jaw clenched. "If my words have no effect on you, then perhaps this will."
He did not have a chance to move out of the way. She threw a punch with tremendous force at his belly that he doubled over.
"Fuck," he gasped out as he dropped to his knees.
"Did you really think that I would drop my shinobi life to be a housewife? Did you expect me to play house while you go around and do missions that I am more than capable of? Fret about while waiting for you to return? Welcome you with loving arms and a hot meal when you do return? You must be out of your mind. Fuck you, Nara."
Then she sprinted until she disappeared around the nearby building. As soon as she reached her apartment, she slammed the door shut and leaned her back against it.
Her body slumped and she slid to the floor, knees propped up and feet flat on the floor. She touched her fingertips to her mouth.
"Dammit Shikamaru, don't make this harder than it has to be," she whispered.
Then she closed her eyes to block out the world and all the injustice it contained.
0000000000
When Shikamaru felt his breath come back to his lungs, he sat up and sighed, rubbing his stomach. Chuckles spilled helplessly from his lips.
When he wound down, he murmured to himself, "You've not changed, Tem. Still using violent means to express your feelings. Nope, we're definitely not done."
He formed his hands in his trademark thinking position and stayed that way for a few minutes. Then his eyes popped open when he reached a decision. "Right. Time to pack."
He pulled himself up and started heading home. He muttered, "I hate packing. And travelling. And moving in general."
Despite his words, there was a solid look of determination in his eyes that nobody has seen since the shinobi war.
A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this one.